When Zhang Tan and Tan Jin'er arrived in Xinzhou, they rented a car because it was still a long way from Xinzhou to Tan Jin'er's hometown, which took about an hour by car.
The two had breakfast at the hotel and then set off. It happened to be nine o'clock in the morning.
Tan Jin'er felt a little heavy and didn't speak much along the way. She just stared at the scenery along the way out of the car window in a daze.
Maybe, she saw the shadow of her hometown in it.
The car arrived at Tanjia Village and stopped on the side of the road. The two of them carried their things and walked along the path.
Zhang Tan saw Tan Jin'er's hometown from a distance. He had been here once before. However, what was different from the last time he came was that a three-story building stood next to the old house. The house was brand new.
The windows were bright, this was a new house, and the ground in front of the house was covered with broken red paper from firecrackers and fireworks.
There were two small chairs placed at the door of the room, but no one sat on them.
Tan Jin'er stared at the building with some suspicion. This building was built next to her hometown.
"Go and have a look first."
Zhang Tan said, taking the lead and arriving in front of the Tan family's old house.
It looked much older than the last time he arrived. The door was open and a lot of firecrackers and pieces of paper were left in front of the house.
The two walked into the door, and the sunlight shone in from above the patio, dispelling the darkness and musty smell in the house.
However, the musty smell in the old house is still very strong.
The patio is full of water. It rained here a few days ago, and moss and water plants grew on the stone walls in the patio.
The house was empty, with no trace of human habitation.
Tan Jin'er looked at her half of the house and then at her cousin's house. The last time she came here, her cousin's family lived here, but now the house is empty.
Tan Jin'er looked at Zhang Tan with some confusion, and Zhang Tan said, "The new house next door may belong to your cousin's family. Come and take a look?"
Tan Jin'er hummed, and the two of them left the old house and happened to meet a woman coming out of the new house next door. She was holding a little boy in her hand, who looked about five or six years old.
The other party was startled when he saw Zhang Tan and Tan Jin'er suddenly coming out of the old house. A look of surprise flashed across his face, and soon he felt they looked familiar. After a second thought, he knew who the visitor was.
"Jin'er? You're here, your brother went to town..."
The woman greeted them warmly and invited them to sit inside.
Tan Jin'er also recognized the person in front of her. She was the wife of the eldest son of an uncle of the same clan. She had met her last time when she returned to her hometown.
Tan Jin'er just wanted to deliver the gift and leave. But at this time, a woman walked out of the building again. She looked younger and was holding a baby in her arms.
She must have heard the noise outside and came out to take a look.
"Sister-in-law, are there guests?" the other party asked.
"Our girls are here, Jin'er is here."
Zhang Tan and Tan Jin'er were invited to sit in the room, and then they realized that this young woman was the daughter-in-law of the second son of Tan Jin'er's uncle.
Last time, the cousin of the same race was not married yet and fell in love with Tan Jin'er, so he caused such an incident.
Now, they are married and have sons.
"This is a New Year's gift for you. I didn't know that my second brother married a wife and became a father. It's New Year's money for the children." Zhang Tan gave the gift to Tan Jin'er and took out the red envelope he had prepared and handed it over.
Naturally, they refused to accept it, and after a lot of pushing and pulling, they finally accepted it.
At the same time, they also learned that two cousins of the same race had gone to the town and would not be back for a while.
"We won't wait any longer. Let's go next door to visit our uncle," Tan Jin'er said.
She came to Tanjia Village to visit this uncle of the same clan, who was a neighbor of Tan Jiner's family. She had been friends with Tan Jiner's family in the past and had a very close relationship.
They all share the same surname as the Tan family. In fact, there is no special blood relationship. They are just one family.
Especially the two brothers Tan Zhongwen and Tan Zhongxiang have lived under the same roof since they were young, and their parents have been with them all their lives, so they are very close. It is not an exaggeration to say that they are cousins.
"Sit down some more, sit down some more, then go back home and have lunch -"
Tan Zhongwen's wife chased him out and said enthusiastically.
Zhang Tan and Tan Jin'er came to the back of the old house, which was also an old house. There was an old man sitting at the door of the old house, basking in the sun.
This is the uncle of the same clan whom Tan Jin'er called.
He received a call from Tan Jin'er yesterday and knew that Tan Jin'er was coming today, so he waited at home and didn't go anywhere.
"Jin'er, you're here~"
The uncle recognized Tan Jin'er at a glance, stood up and welcomed them into the house, staring at Zhang Tan curiously.
"Are you married?" he asked.
Tan Jin'er looked embarrassed, "Uncle, I don't have one."
"oh--"
The other party smiled and automatically positioned Zhang Tan as Tan Jin'er's boyfriend.
"Why did my mother's tombstone break?" Tan Jin'er asked impatiently.
The uncle first told her the story of the matter in detail, and he could rule out that it was definitely not man-made. Doing such a thing would be unethical and would result in retribution.
"We have to wait, Dawen and Axiang went to town to drag the tombstone."
Tan Jin'er was stunned when she heard this. She didn't expect that it was the two of them who went to town to drag tombstones back.
The two sat at the uncle's house for a while, chatting. At about 10:30, two brothers, Tan Zhongwen and Tan Zhongxiang, came back in a tricycle. They must have heard what their wife said, so they went to the back of the house and looked for him.
Came to the door.
When the three of them met, they were all a little embarrassed. After all, they had a very unpleasant time last time.
However, a few years have passed and many things will gradually be let go. Tan Jiner is not a person who holds grudges.
But there was no burying the hatchet, I was just a little embarrassed and I had to do whatever I had to do.
The uncle got on a tricycle and drove Zhang Tan and Tan Jin'er up the mountain.
Brothers Tan Zhongwen and Tan Zhongxiang looked at each other, hurried back home, got on their motorcycles, picked up their hoes, and followed.
They enthusiastically helped dig out the broken monument and then buried the new one and erected it.
The graves of Tan Jin'er's parents were close to each other. Tan Jin'er burned paper in front of their graves with tears in her eyes.
The uncle motioned to brothers Tan Zhongwen and Tan Zhongxiang to go down the mountain with him first and wait for Zhang Tan and Tan Jin'er at the intersection, leaving room for Tan Jin'er.
Zhang Tan stood not far away, waiting quietly for Tan Jin'er.
After a while, Tan Jin'er came over with red eyes.
"I'm sorry, let's go~"
"What are you sorry for?"
Zhang Tan handed her a tissue.
"I'm so unfilial that I haven't gone home to visit my parents' graves for several years."
"It's not easy for you to work alone and take care of Xi'er. Hotels are in the service industry, and there may not be a holiday during the Spring Festival. Your parents in Tianzhiling will definitely understand. In fact, they saw you taking Xi'er with you.
They must be very happy to have such a good education, which will make them more gratified than coming back to see them every year."
"Yeah?"
"yes."
Tan Jin'er said no more, and the two of them walked down the mountain side by side and saw their uncle waiting for them at the intersection.
Two brothers, Tan Zhongwen and Tan Zhongxiang, had already gone back on their motorcycles.
