investigative chronicle

Ji Si'an woke up from her dream screaming, and when she was still in shock, there was a knock on the door of the room.

"Xiao An... are you... all right?" It was the stepmother's voice.

"I'm fine... I just had a nightmare." Ji Si'an said as calmly as possible.

The people outside the door hesitated for a while, maybe a little worried, but there was really nothing to say between them. After a while, the stepmother told her to take a good rest and left.

Outside the window, it was still dark, and the surroundings were quiet.She glanced at her phone, and it was only after 4 in the morning, which was the coldest time of the day.

The nightmare just now made her break out in a cold sweat, and she felt a little uncomfortable at the moment.After all, she was living in someone else's house, and she was afraid that getting up to wash up would disturb others' rest, so she wiped her hair and chest with the pillow towel she brought with her, then lay on the bed, quietly waiting for the sunrise.

Life in the countryside has many inconveniences.Even after the beginning of spring, the tap water brought back from the courtyard is still mixed with ice, and you can only wash your face if you mix it with hot water.A washbasin is used by the younger brother after the father uses it up, and after the younger brother is used up, there is still the stepmother, and then himself.

Fortunately, her stepmother saw her concerns, so she found a new washbasin for Ji Si'an.But within 5 minutes after the new pot was in her hands, it cracked due to aging and couldn't bear the weight of the water...

"You loser, stay away from my house..., unlucky thing...." '

The abuse of those years rang out in his mind, and Ji Si'an shivered involuntarily.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…."

The words of apology came out of Ji Si'an's mouth independently.

"It's okay..., the conditions at home are poor..., the basin is too old..., I'll find you a new one...."

The tempering of life made them all change their initial appearance.

The stepmother didn't blame her, but still emphasized the poverty in the family.

Years of working in the field made the woman in front of me lose her former beauty, her fair skin was tanned and dry, her slender figure was out of shape, and her straight spine was also crushed...

Ji Si'an had cursed this woman who brought her infinite pain countless times, but now...seeing her aging appearance at the age of fifty, her heart is not as happy as imagined.That breath was stuck in my heart like this, and I couldn't let it out or let it out.

"You don't need to bother. I'll go to grandma's house and then go back to Chenghuang."

She only felt that as soon as she uttered these words, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief, and the atmosphere suddenly became relaxed.

Ji Si'an once again sighed secretly in his heart that he really shouldn't return home on a whim.Sure enough, it is better for them to keep their distance.

Grandma's old house is only two families away from my father's house, but it has been dilapidated.That's why Ji Si'an didn't choose to live here last night.

The yard of my grandmother's house is very large. When I was a child, my grandmother planted melons and fruits in the yard.Picking some cucumbers and tomatoes in the vegetable field when she is thirsty is her greatest pleasure.

Ji Si'an took out the key, and it took a lot of effort to open the rusty door lock.Pushing open the creaking courtyard door, the stone-paved courtyard was no longer what it used to be. Weeds grew happily between the stone crevices, and even the withered yellow was already higher than her knees.

The stone courtyard walls on the east and west sides have collapsed for some time, but fortunately, the ghost yam in the courtyard slightly covered the devastation so that no one could see the devastation at a glance.

This century-old house used to be the only house with tiles in the village, and my grandma always brought it up with a little pride.

"The roof of our house is hand-woven by craftsmen."

"Your great-grandfather said that when they built this house, they cooked meat for the artisans every day. But the strange thing is that the better the food, the slower their progress of the project."

"He didn't understand it at the time. The ancestors said it was a good thing."

"It seems to be a good thing now. Even though our house is older, it won't leak. Lao Gao's house was newly built two years ago, and it still leaks every summer..."

Such a proud house is now one of the few dilapidated houses in the village.The adobe kang in the Westinghouse had collapsed long ago, and the food that had been stored had been sold out while treating grandma.The stove in the main room is still there, but the iron pot has also been broken into several pieces.Only the water tank that has been mended by craftsmen still stands stubbornly beside the stove.

After crossing the high threshold, Ji Si'an came to the east room.The bright and warm bedroom in childhood has become cramped and dark.After entering the house, it took her eyes a while to adjust to the familiar furnishings in the house.

Under the window on the right is an earthen kang that can accommodate 4 or 5 people, and next to the innermost side of the earthen kang is an iron stove.On the left hand side are two red lacquer cabinets, and there are two red lacquer boxes on the cabinets, these are grandma's dowry...Because of the age, the wood is a little rotten.

When grandma passed away, she took out old clothes from the red lacquer cabinet and put them on for her with the help of neighbors.

Grandma had a premonition in her heart when she left, and she asked Ji Si'an to carry those clothes and even bedding to the edge of the village and burn them.

She said she was afraid of leaving these things to scare her....

What's so scary about that, that's grandma, the grandma who raised her for so many years...

The memory made her feel bitter.

Her stubborn grandma packed up everything before leaving, not even leaving an old photo.

Now, when she comes here again, she can only find the shadow of the old man through these wooden red lacquered furniture.

Ji Si'an looked at the two red lacquer boxes that had been covered with black paste, and was a little lost.When she was a child, these two boxes were her favorite.When she is bored, she looks through and always finds something new.

Sometimes it is the copper tire of cloisonné, sometimes it is a few glass beads, and when you are lucky, you can find a few iron coins...

Thinking of this, she opened the box again.This time, there is a cloth bag with blue and white batik...

This is what my grandma left me....Ji Si'an looked at the cloth bag, his hands trembling with excitement.

When did grandma let it go?
Does she know I'll be back?

If only I had come earlier....

……

In a thousand times of thought, Ji Si'an picked up the cloth bag.

The cloth bag is very light to touch, and there is only a light card inside when touched through the cloth.Grandma can't read, so Ji Si'an didn't think about paper at first.

Is it a picture of grandma?She wants to keep it for herself as a souvenir?

Thinking of this, Ji Si'an opened the cloth bag...

Inside is a train ticket, a train ticket from Chenghuang back to his hometown, the time... is July 2000, 7.

Ji Si'an only felt a humming, his head was about to explode, his eyes turned black, and his ears buzzed.

Whose train ticket is this?
Why did grandma leave it to me?
Does this train ticket have anything to do with the mother's murder?

……

Numerous questions were pounding in her mind. She held the cabinet with her hands until her fingernails dug into the cracks of the wood and her fingers were stained with blood. Then she regained consciousness from the confusion.

A few days ago, the news brought by Li Muzi made her give up the case of her mother and sister.Just when she was determined to let go of the past and look forward, the clues bumped into her unexpectedly.

Is it because they don't want me to give up?
Are they still unwilling?
……

These thoughts exploded in Ji Si'an's mind, and it took her a long time to calm herself down.