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Sunday, Gao Jiajia drove her newly bought Xiao Alto to pick up Qin Chizian, and they headed straight to Xikou Village. It used to be a difficult journey for Qin Chizian who had to ride a bicycle and push it through several steep slopes. Now, with the convenience of a car, they arrived in less than ten minutes.
Arriving at the old house in the west of the village, they saw a courtyard occupying more than an acre, with stone-built gate towers and courtyard walls. The three-story building in the courtyard was also built with blue stones.
There were two thick wooden doors with copper nails, and an old-fashioned copper lock hanging on them, covered in dust and green rust.
Qin Chizian First, I took a photo at the front gate, then stepped back to take a distant view of the courtyard and the buildings.
Zhao Youqi He just asked me to come, but didn't give me the key. The courtyard wall is tall, and I can't climb over it.
Qin Chizian I stepped forward and tried to turn the lock. As soon as I exerted force, the old copper lock shattered in my hand. It must have been too old.
Two people pushed the door open and entered. In the courtyard, there was a Chinese toon tree that was thicker than a water bucket by several rounds. It looked like it could cover almost half of the courtyard when it's hot, and the ground was covered with fallen leaves. Qin Chizian was standing in the courtyard taking many photos. When they arrived at the front of the building, the double doors on the first floor also had the same copper lock hanging on them. However, this lock was already in a broken state, crumbling into pieces at the touch of a hand.
Pushing the door open, the room was dark and gloomy.
Gao Jiajia pulled Qin Chizian's arm: "Brother Qin, let's not go in. I'm a little scared."
Qin Chizian replied: "Then you wait for me in the car outside."
The eyes adjusted to the environment, and it didn't feel as dark in the room anymore. Right in front of the door was an old-fashioned Eight Immortals table, with two Grand Master chairs on either side. On the wall facing the door hung a picture of "Lord Guan studies the Spring and Autumn Annals," with faintly discernible characters on the couplet on both sides: "Iron and stone as the heart, the Han Dynasty supports the sky with one pillar; Spring and Autumn gains strength, Mount Ni raises the earth with equal peaks." It's been too many years, so everything Qin Chizian didn't dare to touch or even feel, and I took a few photos with the flash on.
Stepping on the pine board stairs to the second floor, the floorboards creaked underfoot as if they could break at any moment. The higher I went, the better the light became. The second floor consisted of a study and a bedroom, with almost nothing except for the empty old wooden bed and bookshelves. Going up to the third floor, I could reach the branches of the Chinese toon tree from the wooden railing window.
The third floor is a small attic, and the whole room is connected, like a playground, with wooden rocking horses, a swing frame... Qin Chizian took detailed photos. Then, standing on the top floor, he took several shots of the courtyard from a bird's-eye view. Coming down the stairs and out the door, he circled the yard and found a collapsed area in the corner, apparently caused by rainwater erosion.
He stepped forward to take a look, but unexpectedly, the ground beneath his feet suddenly gave way. Fortunately, when it sank to the level of his calves, his feet found solid ground and stopped the fall. Even so, he was instantly drenched in a cold sweat!
Qin Chizian looked down and saw that he was stepping on a piece of bluestone. He tapped his heel and heard a hollow sound. He bent down, brushed away the loose soil, and found the edge of the stone slab. With a strong effort, he opened the slab, revealing a space of about half a square meter below, inside of which was a rusty Iron box with a lock on top. He lifted the box out, finding it quite heavy.
There's no time to think too much. Qin Chizian quickly covered the stone slab again and concealed it with loose soil. Carrying the box outside, he had Gao Jiajia open the trunk and put it in.
The front gate lock is broken, so leaving like this is definitely not an option.
Remembering the old man's words on the train and Zhao Youqi's instructions, Qin Chizian said to Gao Jiajia, "Let's go to the Village committee."
I often come to supervise the rattan weaving work, and I am very familiar with the road to the Village committee where Qin Chizian is located. When I arrived, the finished rattan weaving products brought by the villagers were neatly arranged in the courtyard. The Village Committee Director Lao Ren recognized Qin Chizian and Gao Jiajia, and warmly greeted them: "Welcome, leaders, to inspect the work."
Qin Chizian saw the finished rattan weaving being delivered at a glance and said to Village Chief: "Director Ren, I'm here for a personal matter today." Pointing at Zhao Dahung: "I've been entrusted to find his father!"
Zhao Dahung grumbled: "What do you want with my dad? He's been lying at home with a cold these past few days."
Qin Chizian: "Let's go, we'll go to your house together!"
Zhao Dahung was not very willing, but seeing Qin Chizian seemingly without malice, he said, "Come with me."
The three of them didn't drive, and they walked through a small alley to arrive at the place where the Zhao family lived.
The courtyard was very large, but it was obvious that there was no woman taking care of it. Dirty clothes were soaking in a basin, and there were no pigs or chickens being raised.
Zhao Kuiyong lay on the bed with a wet towel on his head. Zhao Dahung said, "Dad, the cadre with the surname Qin from the village is here at our house."
Qin Chizian and Gao Jiajia stepped in. The old man was at a loss and didn't know what to say for a moment, struggling to sit up.
Qin Chizian approached and held him down, saying, "Don't move. I'm here to talk to you about something."
The old man put on a coat and sat by the bedside, looking at Qin Chizian: "Speak up. When cadre like you come to a place like mine, there's definitely no good news."
Seeing Gao Jiajia frowning as if to speak, Qin Chizian spoke first: "Uncle, I want to ask, do you know Zhao Youqi?"
The old man brightened up: "He's my own cousin. How do you know him? He and his sister are now high officials in Yanjing. They probably don't remember us poor brothers from the old hometown!"
Qin Chizian joked with him: "Uncle, don't say that. I came this time to bring you a message for them and also brought something for you guys."
Zhao Dahung perked up and asked: "What did my uncle bring for us?"
Zhao Kuiyong scolded, "Not even a little something to show appreciation, and not even offering water to the guests."
The boss scratched his head awkwardly and said, "Our cooking pot hasn't been washed yet, how can we boil water?" He walked out as he spoke.
Qin Chizian looked at this silly person and suddenly found him quite adorable.
Qin Chizian took out a stack of money and said, "This is from your cousin Zhao Youqi. It's a total of 5,000 yuan, please count it." He continued, "Your Second Uncle asked me to pass on a message: 'The reason I haven't helped you all these years is that I want the descendants of the Old Zhao Family to succeed on their own!'"
Zhao Kuiyong is a bit silly: "I Second Uncle have you seen him too?" But there were tears in his eyes.
"Why doesn't he come back to take a look?" the old man wiped his eyes.
Qin Chizian said, "The old man said he wanted to come back, but he couldn't. This time, let me come and there's one more thing. I took a photo of the old house in the west of the village. The old man said it's yours to deal with from now on."
The money has been delivered, the message has been conveyed. Qin Chizian is about to leave, but Zhao Kuiyong holds on and disagrees: "Kid, since you've come, aren't you curious about who my uncle is?"
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