Looking up at the stars in 1946

Chapter 62

Tang Peilian came back on a winter night.That day was the 28th year of the Republic of China, the seventh day of November in the sixth year of Kant.The old north wind was blowing outside the window, and the glass was covered with hoarfrost, shining brightly on the stars outside.It was freezing cold, and the people in Yuanmaotun had gone to bed early.Qi Si and Han Yan are no exception.

The fire pit was burning warmly, and the two of them were feeling a little emotional.Then I heard Lao Li shouting anxiously outside the door:

"Fourth master! Fourth master! Grandma is back!"

Han Yan pushed Qi Si away as soon as he heard it, and the two of them took off five sets of coats three times and went to open the door.Lao Li stood outside the door, half of his face and clothes were already covered with a thin layer of fluffy snow.

"Where is Grandma?" Qi Si asked.

"In the young lady's house, people are not very well. I have already gone to ask for a doctor."

"Where is the third master? Are you back?" Han Yan asked immediately.

Lao Li shook his head and said, "I didn't see it." The latter sentence rolled around in his mouth and swallowed it, fearing that something had happened.

The three walked to Lu Fengniang's house against the wind and snow.

Along the way, Han Yan's right eyelid twitched, causing his steps to wander.In the middle of the month, when he knew that Qi Yishui was going to Beijing with the Japanese, he was a little restless.Now that Tang Peilian came back but did not see Qi Yishui, Han Yan couldn't suppress the uneasiness in his heart.

Although the husband-wife relationship between Lu Fengniang and Qisi was in vain, she was still the young mistress of the Qi family in name, so as soon as Tang Peilian came back, Lao Li led her to Lu Fengniang.

When Qi Si and Han Yan entered the room, Lu Fengniang was rubbing Tang Peilian's hands.Seeing Qi Si, he quickly stood up and called out "Fourth Lord".

"How is the person?" Qi Si asked.

Lu Fengniang shook her head.

"Is Ah Si here..." Tang Peilian said, her voice was weak.

When Qi Si heard the sound and looked over, his heart sank to the bottom of the valley with just one glance.After only four years of not seeing each other, Tang Peilian's hair was all gray and her face was weathered.

Tang Peilian stretched out her hand, and Qi Si hurriedly bent down to hold it. Her hand was thickly callused, and felt like pieces of fish scales.

With mixed feelings in Qi Si's heart, he turned to Lao Li and asked, "Is the doctor here yet?"

"There's no need to find a doctor..." Tang Peilian said slowly, "I'm the one who has to leave..."

"I have committed too many sins in my life, and I have no face to live in this world."

Tang Peilian swallowed her saliva, and said to Qi Si: "I also thought about killing you back then..."

Qi Si said: "It's all over, it's my father who is sorry for you."

Tang Peilian choked up and said, "Yes, it's all your father... It's just that I realized it too late." After speaking, her voice gradually weakened.

"Ma'am, where did Yi Shui go? Why didn't he come back with you?" Han Yan was afraid that Tang Peilian would accidentally go there, so he hurriedly asked her about Qi Yishui's situation.Han Yan called her several times, and Tang Peilian slowly woke up again. When she heard Qi Yishui's name, tears welled up in her dry eyes: "Yishui has already left, followed Yishan... ...I killed them...it was me..."

Han Yan's throat seemed to be stuffed with a ball of cotton, his eyes were red, and his chest felt uncomfortable. He asked hoarsely, "How did they get away? Where are they buried now?"

"They are buried, buried in," Tang Peilian struggled to say each word, she held Qi Si's hand tightly, the veins on her hand were bulging, Qi Si knew that she was leaving, and quickly asked, "Where is it?"

"Hal...bin."

After Tang Peilian finished speaking, she nodded her head, let go of her hands, slowly lowered her eyelids, and left.

The crooked-necked old Li began to cry.

Tang Peilian's funeral was not held on Qisi. There were not many relatives in the Qi family, and few people came from Tang Peilian's natal family. As soon as the first seven passed Qisi, someone was found to bury Tang Peilian.

The tombs of Qiyishan and Qiyishui were also buried together.

It is a strange thing for brothers to join the grave together, but Qi Si

Later, Han Yan recalled the 20 years he spent in the Qi family compound, and found that the Qi family began to decline after Tang Peilian's death.Maybe it started earlier, but Tang Peilian's death is undoubtedly a watershed.

Speaking of which, the Anti-Japanese War also began to enter a stalemate stage this year.A large number of guerrilla forces led by the Communist Party surged up behind the enemy. They dug tunnels, buried landmines, demolished railway tracks, and engaged in anti-Japanese propaganda.From time to time, news came that peasants from a certain place or bandits from a certain place had joined the guerrillas, and following the news came the crazy massacre of that place by the Japanese.

The county magistrate issued a death order. Anyone who catches a communist will be rewarded, and anyone who dares to harbor a communist will never be let go!Wang Yuandao received the order to die and arrested people in Yuanmao Village and several nearby villages day and night.

It was under such severe circumstances that Han Ye quietly returned to Yuanmao Tun one night.

When Han Yan's parents saw their second son, they were so excited that they burst into tears. After the fall of the Northeast, there was no news about Han Ye. The two old people were afraid that their second son would disappear for nearly seven years. When the tail came back, it was still strong and strong, and the two old people were very relieved after crying.

"Where's my brother? Where does he live now? Do I have any nephews or nieces?" Han Ye looked at the furnishings in the house, then went to the kitchen, and found that there was no shortage of food and supplies, so he knew that his elder brother had already made his mark. So he quickly asked his elder brother what happened.

Han Yan's parents looked at each other in blank dismay, and finally Han Yan's mother came forward and told about Han Yan's situation in the past few years.

Han Ye was so angry that his face was contorted at the end, he patted the table bitterly, and said, "The Qi family is too deceitful!" Then he said, "Father, mother, how can you treat me like this because of the little things that the Qi family gave me?" Li pushed my brother into the kang!"

Father Han Yan sighed: "If your mother and I can protect it, can we not protect it? It's not like you don't know that the fourth master of Yuanmao Tun Taqi said one thing, who dares to say two?"

"Heh," Han Ye patted his crotch, and said coldly, "If I hadn't got something urgent to do now, I would have smashed that flag in one shot today!"

Father Han Yan was taken aback, took Han Ye's hand and said in a low voice, "What are you talking about? Why do you have a gun? It would be terrible if other people knew about this stuff!"

When Han Ye came back to his senses, he also found that he had slipped the tongue, and quickly said, "It's nothing, Dad, just a shotgun, I'll take it for self-defense." Don't tell it, and don't tell my brother and two younger siblings. I'll tell them when I come next time."

Han Yanniang was about to ask her son what he was going to do and when he would come back, but Han Ye stopped her:

"Father, mother, don't ask, I just want to entrust you with one thing this time. If someone knocks on the door one day in the future and says, 'The moon shines on the green hills and brightly', you can take him in. He is my father. good brother."

Han Yan's parents nodded, and said: "Be careful when doing things."

Han Ye nodded, and took advantage of the dark night to sneak into the woods. After a sound of "唦唦", everything returned to its original state.

Although Han Ye told his parents not to tell his brother about his return, the old man couldn't hide the matter in his heart, so when Han Yan came home once, Han Yanniang quietly told about Han Ye's return home and gave a secret sign things.Han Yan was both happy and scared in his heart.The joy is that my brother is back and alive, but the fear is that my brother may have joined the guerrillas, otherwise there will be no guns, and he is still so mysterious.

Participating in the guerrillas is not a good thing. In the past few years, family members have been arrested for joining the guerrillas.The more Han Yan thought about it, the more frightened he became, and he warned his parents solemnly that he must never tell anyone about Han Ye, even if he met on the road, it would be best not to recognize him.

Han Yan's father and mother frowned when they heard this, and said, "You said that you worked so hard to raise money for him to go to school, didn't you just hope that he would become famous? Why do you think he wants to join that guerrilla team!"

Han Yan sighed, and said, "Ah Ye is also in his 20s, and his legs are growing on him. How can we stop him? I just hope he won't be caught by the spies."

Han Yan's parents nodded and said, "That's the only way to go."

After a few days like this, one evening Han Yan was having dinner with Qi Jialin, when Qi Si came in suddenly, and immediately asked:

"Han Yan, do you have a younger brother in his twenties?"

Han Yan was taken aback. He wanted to deny it immediately, but he swallowed the words.Qi Si saw Han Yan's scruples, and said to Qi Jialin, "Jialin, take the meal to your mother's place to eat, father and uncle have something to say."

Qi Jialin said "Okay." Then she picked some vegetables into her own bowl and left with them.

Han Yan quietly went out of the room, looked at the window again, saw no one was around, and said, "I have two younger brothers, one of whom is only three years younger than me, and he should be 24 years old this year."

Qi Si asked again: "Then tell me honestly, is your brother a guerrilla?"

Han Yan lowered his head and hesitated for a while before looking up at Qi Si.He didn't speak, just silently looked at Qi Si with those black jade-like eyes.

Qi Si's face became more and more serious, Han Yan's heart was beating wildly, he had a vague premonition, he licked his lower lip, and said dryly: "Fourth Master, yes, where did you see him?"

Qi Si took a deep look at Han Yan and said, "The village palace."

Han Yanqiang smiled and said, "Fourth Master, are you right? Is that really my brother?"

Qi Si thought for a while and said, "I seem to have heard someone call him 'Ye boy'." Han Yan's feet softened, his eyes darkened, and he almost fell.Qi Si hurriedly supported him, and comforted him: "Don't panic! They just caught him, but they haven't confirmed whether he is a member of the guerrillas, they are just suspicious."

When Han Yan heard this, he quickly grabbed Qi Si's hand and begged, "Fourth Master, although A Ye is a member of the guerrillas, he is my younger brother. Can you help me save him?"

Qi Si was a little troubled, Leng Ding saw Han Yan's wet eyes, and agreed with a soft heart.He told Han Yan to stay at home and not to follow, he packed up some money by himself, took an errand with him and left.