Siheyuan: Being a fisherman in 1962

However, the neighbors' gossip was like a gust of wind, blowing silently into the courtyard.

Some people said that Qin Huairu's chess game with the old man was fake, and the real thing was that she was doing something secretly.

These words reached the ears of an old lady. At first she didn't care, but gradually she realized something was wrong.

One night, Qin Huairu and an old man played chess behind closed doors again.

An old lady was sitting in her room, but her ears pricked up involuntarily.

Listening to the familiar laughter, she began to wonder if she was too careless and missed something?

At this moment, the anger in the mother's heart was like burning firewood, getting more and more intense.

Thinking of the gossip among the neighbors and the trust he once placed in Qin Huairu and the old man, he became angrier and angrier.

No longer willing to immerse myself in groundless speculation, I decided to unravel this mystery myself.

He pushed the door open and rushed into Qin Huairu's room.

The scene before her was completely different from what she had imagined. Two people were sitting upright with a chessboard in front of them and chess pieces scattered all over the floor. It was obvious that a fierce battle was in progress.

Qin Huairu still had that familiar smile on her face, while the old man looked calm.

The aunt was stunned, and the anger in her heart was instantly extinguished.

But the ignited emotions did not completely dissipate, and she still wanted to vent them.

"What are you doing!" she shouted.

Qin Huairu and the old man were both startled by the sudden shout, and they looked at each other.

"We are playing chess, what's wrong with you, Auntie?" Qin Huairu asked softly.

"Playing chess? Why do you play chess with the door closed? Are you doing something shameful?" The old lady's voice became increasingly sharp, and her emotions were ignited once again.

The uncle's face darkened as well. He stood up and looked into the aunt's eyes. "What are you talking about? We closed the door while playing chess because we were afraid of disturbing others. How can you say that to us?"

The aunt was frightened by the uncle's eyes, but the anger in her heart did not subside.

He rushed forward and pushed over the chessboard, causing the chess pieces to scatter to the ground with a crisp sound.

"You two are having an affair! Don't think I don't know!"

Qin Huairu stood there in a daze, while the old man frowned. Neither of them expected that the old woman would be so excited.

After venting, the old lady seemed to realize her loss of composure. She turned around and rushed out of the room, breathing heavily, with tears in her eyes.

Qin Huairu looked at the scattered chess pieces on the ground and thought that this night had not only disrupted her chess game, but also disturbed the tranquility of the entire courtyard.

The old man looked at Qin Huairu, a trace of apology flashed in his eyes, "Sister Qin, it's my fault. I made you feel wronged."

Qin Huairu shook her head. "Uncle, this is not your fault. We are not afraid of our own flaws. It's just that Auntie... Sigh, I hope she can figure it out sooner."

This matter will not pass so easily.

He decided to go home and have a good talk with the aunt to clear up the misunderstanding.

When I got home, I found that the aunt was not in the room.

I looked everywhere for her, but there was no sign of her.

Suddenly I remembered that an aunt once said that if she was wronged one day, she would go and sit under the old locust tree in the backyard.

The old man hurried to the backyard and saw the old woman sitting under the old locust tree.

Her back was desolate, as if she was shrouded in sadness.

An old man walked over and patted her shoulder gently, "I'm back."

The aunt didn't turn around, but just said calmly, "Why did you come back? Aren't you supposed to be with Qin Huairu?"

"How can you say that? Qin Huairu and I were just playing chess. There's nothing between us."

"Nothing? Then why did you keep the door closed? Why do the neighbors say you're having an affair?"

"That's because we're afraid of disturbing others. As for those gossips, they're on other people's bodies, so what can we do?"

The aunt turned around and looked at the uncle with tears in her eyes, "Are you sure you didn't lie to me?"

After following the old man home, the two seemed to ease the tension.

But at night, the aunt got up quietly.

The night is as blue as water, the moonlight is as bright as a silk thread, and the old locust tree in the courtyard stands silently, as if sighing over the joys and sorrows of the world.

An old man stood under the tree, looking at the woman who had been with him through thick and thin, and didn't know what to do.

The old lady's face was pale and her eyes were empty, as if she had lost her soul.

In her hands she held a rope, one end of which was hanging from a branch and the other was wrapped around her neck.

This scene, like a pale painting, stung the old man's eyes.

He rushed forward and wanted to hug the old lady, but it was too late.

The old lady's body was stiff and lifeless.

The old man's heart seemed to be hit by a heavy hammer, and the pain was so severe that he could hardly breathe.

He couldn't accept the fact that the woman he loved so much had left him like this.

Thinking back to the days I spent with my aunt, those warm laughs, those moments of mutual support, have now all vanished into thin air.

Those gossips, those groundless speculations and accusations kept echoing in my mind.

He hated himself, hated his impulsiveness and neglect, hated himself for not resolving the misunderstanding in time, causing the aunt to suffer such great pressure.

He walked slowly to the side of the aunt and gently stroked her face.

Her face was still so familiar and gentle, but there was no breath of life left in her.

Just then, a breeze blew, and the leaves of the old locust tree swayed gently, as if telling something.

The quiet courtyard is filled with heavy sorrow.

The uncle stood quietly under the old locust tree where the aunt hanged herself. He once thought that the rumors about him and Qin Huairu were just dust in the wind, but he did not expect that this dust would eventually become the boulder that crushed the aunt.

After the investigation, he was proven innocent, but the pain in his heart did not diminish at all.

He hated the groundless speculations, the irresponsible gossip, and even more so, he hated himself for not noticing the aunt's abnormality in time, which allowed this tragedy to happen.

At the memorial service, everyone in the courtyard came and expressed their grief, some truly and some falsely, but the old man felt that everything was so fake.

He just wanted to be alone with his aunt and tell her that he had never betrayed their relationship.

When he returned home, the empty house seemed to mock his loneliness.

The aunt's laughter and nagging have now become memories that hurt his heart.

He tried to find solace in his work, but the emptiness in his heart caused him to make mistakes frequently and even received criticism from his superiors.

He began drinking heavily, trying to numb himself with alcohol.

But every time when it is late at night and I sober up, the pain becomes more obvious.

He often dreamed of his aunt, dreaming that she smiled gently and told him not to be sad.

But every time he wanted to hug her, she turned into a wisp of smoke and dissipated into the air.