C8 Second Uncle Returned

Previously, the villagers did not come to my house. I was already used to it, but when I saw the funeral, I felt especially desolate. An indescribable feeling of grievance rose in my heart. My grandfather had worked hard all his life and was kind to others, but he left coldly and without anyone to send him off.

I knelt in front of my grandfather's coffin. My grandfather's appearance before his death was reflected in my mind. He was a small old man with a slightly hunched back. He was very quiet, as if he had never smiled before. Every day, there were endless tasks at home and outside the house. His only hobby was to smoke a few bags of tobacco. His grandfather had been working hard all his life, but it was not only because of his hard work, but also because of the pain in his heart. His grandmother had passed away early, and his grandson had died one after another. His eldest son had died mysteriously, and his second son had disappeared without a trace. All of these things that he could not bear in his life had fallen on him.

I cried as I thought about it. I cried in front of my grandfather's coffin for three days. During these three days, no one came to my house, including Poison Elder. Poison Elder took the box from my house and disappeared.

In the morning three days later, it was time for my grandfather to be buried. No one came to carry my coffin, and no one came to send me off. I thought of pulling a flat carriage and bringing my grandfather to the top of the mountain to be buried.

Just as I was about to carry the coffin and leave, the door of my house suddenly opened with a "chi" sound!

Looking in the direction of the sound, a middle-aged man in his fifties stepped into the door. After looking around, he ran straight to the coffin of my grandfather and knelt on the ground with a "putong". He started to cry loudly.

I was stunned. Who is this? There are only so many people in our village. They are all familiar faces. I have never seen this person before. It seems that he is not from our village.

I stared at that person. He was wearing a wide robe. It looked like the clothes worn by the old man who practiced Tai Chi in the park early in the morning. It was dirty and there were holes in some parts of his clothes. His hair was messy like a chicken’s nest. He must have not cut his hair for half a year. He had a messy beard and he was carrying a cloth bag. He looked like he had just come from a far place.

I looked at that person who was crying like he had lost his own father. I wondered what was going on. Could he be a relative of my grandfather?

But it was not right. Firstly, I did not know that my grandfather had any relatives. Secondly, other than the people in our village, no one else knew that my grandfather was dead. Could it be that he came to attend the funeral?

In the early years, there were many beggars. When they walked, they would go up to those who had a wedding or a funeral. If they met a wedding, they would say some auspicious words. If they met a funeral, they would go to the coffin and cry a few times. They did it to get a good meal. Those who met those people would not chase them away. They would treat them with courtesy. Could it be that this old man was a beggar? He came to my house with a piece of broken paper hanging in front of my door and cried?

Looking at this man's slovenly appearance, he really did look like a beggar. However, his crying was a bit too sincere, and it seemed to have some sort of relationship with my grandfather.

I could not guess his identity, so I accompanied him in his tears. He kowtowed to my grandfather, and I respectfully kowtowed to him. This was not only a tradition, but also because he was the only one who came to mourn for my grandfather. I was grateful from the bottom of my heart.

This person cried for half an hour. Afterwards, he wiped away his tears with his sleeve and turned around to look at the flat carriage in the courtyard. He stood up and said, "Let's go. Let's bury your grandfather first. Don't miss the hour."

"You ~ Who are you?" Hearing that he wanted to bury my grandfather with me, I was moved and could not help but ask him.

Before the slovenly old man could answer, another person suddenly entered the door. It was Poison Elder, whom I had not seen for a few days. He entered the door and looked at the slovenly old man and said, "Huaili is back."

Huaili!

Poison Elder's words shocked me. I looked at the slovenly old man and thought, Isn't Huaili my second uncle's name? Could it be that this slovenly old man is my second uncle? My second uncle, who had left home for twenty years, came back after my grandfather's death!

The slovenly old man was really my second uncle. He looked at Poison Elder and nodded lightly, "I'm back. Uncle, thank you for informing me."

Second Uncle's words not only confirmed his identity, but also carried other information. What did he mean by thanking Poison Elder for informing him? Could it be that Second Uncle came back before grandfather's burial because he received Poison Elder's notification? How did Poison Elder inform my second uncle? How did he know where my second uncle was?

For so many years, I thought that Second Uncle had died outside, or it was as the villagers said, he had killed my father and those children. I was so scared that I was ashamed to step into the village again.

Unexpectedly, Second Uncle came back. He didn't die, and he dared to come back. It was Poison Elder who told him to come back. This meant that he could return to his home freely. He was not unknown anywhere. Then why did he leave for twenty years, not returning home to see his grandfather for twenty years! Now that his grandfather was dead, no matter how much he kowtowed, no matter how much grief he cried, it was useless.

It was Second Uncle who pulled the coffin of his grandfather. The mountain road was uneven, and it had just rained heavily two days ago. It was muddy and difficult to walk. In many places, a single step would turn into a mud leg. The wheels would sink in for a long time and not be pulled out. Second Uncle pulled very hard. The rope was placed on his shoulders, and his back was arched. He pulled up his pants and exposed his calves, which had veins on them.

Poison Elder helped push the coffin from behind. When he encountered a difficult place to go, he bared his teeth and shouted for help. I didn't want to help, so I followed behind them and threw paper money all the way.

I had resentment towards Second Uncle. Not to mention the fact that I suspected that he was the murderer of my father, just the fact that he didn't return home to see his father for twenty years was unforgivable. I didn't want to help him, and I also felt that it was right for him to pull Grandfather up the mountain.

Second Uncle and Poison Elder used all their strength to pull Grandfather up the mountain and bury him.

It was already afternoon when they returned home. Second Uncle did not have any intention of leaving. He started to clean up Grandfather's house. It seemed like he was going to stay there. This made me even more dissatisfied. When Grandfather was around, he was nowhere to be seen. When Grandfather left, he had the face to come back and live.

I followed behind Second Uncle. I saw him silently cleaning up, and he was holding onto something in his hands and staring blankly at it. It was as if he was recalling something.

I looked at him coldly and waited for him to give me an explanation about what happened twenty years ago. From what I knew, the person who knew the most about the series of events was Second Uncle.

However, Second Uncle did not say a word. It was as if he was still immersed in the sorrow of Grandfather's departure and was unable to extricate himself.

I pondered in my heart. If he did not say anything, I could only ask him. I asked him if his death of his four brothers and father had anything to do with him? I asked him if his life was exchanged for the lives of the four children in the village? I asked him where he went all these years. He could clearly go home, but why didn't he go home?

Just as I was about to ask all my questions, I suddenly heard a "Clang!" sound. The door of my house opened!

I looked out of the window and saw a figure rushing out.

"Stop!"

The question that I was about to ask was stuck in my throat. I forcefully swallowed it back down. I opened my mouth and shouted, "Stop!" Then, I ran out of the house and chased after the figure!