prefer silence

After returning from City Z, I received a message from Yu Qingshan. He told me that the girl in the painting is from a small town called Liantang.

Liantang... I don't have the slightest impression of this place name. Did my mother bring me out of that place?

I had a strange feeling that, despite the disgust of the man who bore me, I was born on that land, and my own sister might still be there.

After hesitating again and again, I kept cheering myself up, and finally decided to take some time to have a look.

But, how should I tell Chen Zheng about this matter?Will he blame me for not discussing it with him?

There are lessons learned from the past, so I don't think we can procrastinate any longer, and I must tell Chen Zheng as soon as possible.

At night, Chen Zheng and I lay side by side on the bed chatting.

I glanced at Chen Zheng anxiously, and I finally changed the topic to the real thing.

"Brother Zheng, do you remember that I used to have nightmares for a while?"

Chen Zheng tilted his head, and said with concern: "Well, what's the matter? Have you been dreaming again recently?"

I described the scene in the dream and the painting.

"Actually, I remember that I have an older sister, and she was the one in my dream. If I said, I want to visit her secretly, what do you think...how about it?"

"Does Mom and Dad know?" Chen Zheng asked.

I shook my head: "I don't know, I didn't tell them, I was afraid they would be sad. I just want to take a look and see if she is doing well."

"Then do you know where she is?"

"I'm not sure. A friend... the friend who saw the art exhibition with me helped me find out her hometown, but I don't know if she is still there. I don't know her name either."

Chen Zheng sat up and pulled me to sit up, as if he wanted to have a good talk with me about this issue.

"Listen to my thoughts first."

"Your sister and you haven't seen each other for nearly 20 years. You both have your own families and lives, and you have changed a lot."

"What do you miss, is it the shadow of a sister from 20 years ago, or is she herself? If she is doing well, it doesn't matter whether you see it or not. If she is doing badly, don't you feel relieved? , want to help her?"

"How much can you help her, how long can you help her? When you leave, she has no one to help her, what should I do? Think about the worst, if your sister becomes a bad person, take advantage of your feelings for her, infinite What should you do if you are oppressed by the earth? If your parents find out, will you feel uncomfortable?"

I thought silently.What Chen Zheng said is reasonable and possible.He thought more comprehensively and thoughtfully than me, and my idea of ​​going to see my sister was completely dispelled.

I thought it was impossible to make any further progress in this matter, but I didn't expect that after a while, Yu Qingshan would take the initiative to ask me if I found Fangfang.

I told him what Chen Zheng said, thinking he would agree with it, but he said:

"That's just the worst idea, isn't it? As long as you don't bring trouble to your sister, helping her a little more and helping a little less is all in your favor. Even if you don't do it satisfactorily, you have nothing to be ashamed of." Enough."

"Some things you want to do but don't do, you will be stuck in it for a lifetime."

Like my nightmare.

"I'm going to Liantang next week to collect wind, do you want to go together?"

"I... I'll think about it."

It was the last sentence that touched me in Yu Qingshan.He seemed to send it out of feeling, or maybe it was just a random artistic word in his artistic head.

The experience of being violently beaten when she was young is still accompanied by Fangfang's crying in the darkness of the dead of night.

I am farther and farther away from that part of the past, but it still pulls me, and the silk thread that binds me will only become longer and thinner, but it will not break.

I don’t have a big opinion. The only thing I have insisted on in my life is liking Chen Zheng.

After struggling for several days, Chen Zheng also noticed it. He put his arms around me and put his forehead on my back, "You go."

I turned around and hugged him, secretly relieved, I really wanted his support.

Then...at least take a look, even if you don't do anything.

Chen Zheng asked me for Yu Qingshan's WeChat and mobile phone number, and asked me to send him messages and call him regularly every morning and evening.

On the day of departure, Yu Qingshan and I had an early flight, and Chen Zhengfei wanted to see me off.At the airport, he met Yu Qingshan.

Yu Qingshan laughed and praised me for being blessed, and I was secretly proud of finding such an excellent partner.Then they left me and started chatting. One was a serious looking lawyer and the other was an unruly illustrator. They actually chatted comfortably.

Chen Zheng asked Yu Qingshan and me to take care of each other, and said that the three of us would have dinner together when I came back.

So polite again, we're about to board the plane.

I was very reluctant and wanted to kiss Chen Zheng, but I was really embarrassed.After saying goodbye, I kept looking back, and Yu Qingshan joked that I was a "husband slave".

What happened to my husband slave?My pleasure!

An hour later, the plane landed.We took a taxi and arrived in Liantang Town, two hours later.

There are no chain hotels in the town, only privately run hotels.We opened two rooms, and Yu Qingshan went to the local lotus pond to find a shooting location. I stayed and planned to get close to the proprietress of the hotel.

The grandson of the proprietress was playing with her mobile phone nearby, and I gave her two bags of chocolate beans. The child was very happy and hurriedly shouted: "Thank you uncle."

The proprietress asked me: "Did you come from other places to sketch?"

"No." I replied, "take some pictures with my friend."

The proprietress gave a snort and said, "It's all the same, so we are famous for lotus."

"Not necessarily." I lowered my voice, "Sister, did you have any serious cases 20 years ago?"

The proprietress thought for a while, leaned her head closer, and said in a low voice, "You...are you some unannounced reporter?"

I laughed, "Sister, do you think I look like me? I'm just an ordinary person. I have a friend whose hometown is here. I've heard from him, so I'm a little curious."

The proprietress muttered: "How can I remember the case from 20 years ago... um... there is a good or bad one, I don't know if it is..."

I quickly asked, "What is good or bad?"

The landlady's face was full of disdain and hatred, "It's the father who ruined the daughter. It's too bad, too bad. The mother of that family ran away from home, and the man locked the child at home and refused to let him go out. Locked up for more than a year, the man even ruined his daughter, insane... This is his own baby..."

There was a throbbing pain in my heart, and the specific time was blurred, which fits with my memory.

Imprisonment...violation...screaming...beating...

I then asked, "Where did the siblings of that family go? Do you know, Sister?"

"My younger brother doesn't know where to go, but my elder sister is being taken by her grandmother, and she is getting married early."

"Then where did she marry?" I asked anxiously.

The proprietress smiled meaningfully: "Young man, you still say that you are not a reporter. Why do you ask so clearly if you are not a reporter?"

I explained: "I'm really not a reporter, big sister, how could a reporter ask about things that happened so many years ago. Yes... That's right, I have a friend who suspects that he may be that younger brother. Let me help him find out .”

"Ah?! That's it..." The proprietress was dubious, and finally told me, "She is in our town, and her husband is a vegetable farmer. Their family often sells vegetables in the vegetable market with their children, but at this time The vegetable market has closed, you can see it tomorrow morning."

I thanked the proprietress again and again, but my heart was not at ease.As soon as I arrived here, I asked about Fangfang's whereabouts. It went so smoothly, so smoothly that I didn't feel real at all.

Everything was empty until I saw her.Tomorrow, I'll go and see her tomorrow. If she lives in peace, I can leave with peace of mind.

It means that Qingshan came back after stepping on it, and I told him the good news.

He was surprised: "God is helping you."

"I hope so." I asked, "Is the lotus pond here beautiful?"

"Beauty is beautiful, and the heat is really hot. Tomorrow I have to get up early in the morning to grab a seat. If I go late, the good seat will be taken."

"Then I will go with you tomorrow, and I will also feel how beautiful the Ten Mile Lotus Pond is."

"Okay, I'm afraid you won't be able to get up."

"Set an alarm clock."

The author says:

All place names and building names in this article are fictitious.It is a great honor if there is a coincidence.