Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen

I was very surprised and asked: "Old man! Huo Xiaoxie really became a Japanese? Later? Did he come back? What about the Five Elements Cauldron? Is the Japanese defeat related to Huo Xiaoxie?" I asked seven or eight questions, my face turned red. The old man didn't answer, but asked, "Yan Zheng, do you hate the Japanese?" I immediately said: "Of course they are disgusting, they are invaders! The Nanjing Massacre, Sanguang! How many disasters and losses the Japanese have brought to China! The Japanese are wolves with ambition, and there is national hatred between us, we must never forget !"

The old man asked again: "Do you hate thieves?" I didn't even think about it, and replied: "The old man is talking about a thief, not a thief. Those unruly thieves, who openly rob and steal, are annoying! Huo Xiaoxie, Shui Yaoer, Lin Wan, Tian Wen, Pan Son, I don't hate it at all." The old man said slowly: "Who is right and who is wrong? If there is another chance to choose, that would be great..." I asked reluctantly: "Old man, did Huo Xiaoxie steal the tripod back from the Japanese in the end? It should be like this, Huo Xiaoxie understood what national righteousness is, and saw the true face of the Japanese , have done a great deed for the country and the people!"

The old man closed his eyes, lay down on the chair slowly, and took a long breath, which seemed to contain a thousand words. I waited for the old man to speak, but the old man closed his eyes and seemed to be asleep peacefully. I waited for a long time, but I still didn't see the old man intending to speak. I endured and endured, and finally I couldn't hold back, and asked, "Old man, are you tired?" The old man seemed to be really asleep and didn't respond. The silence in the room made me feel a little scary, and an ominous premonition surged. I leaned over and called the old man a few times in a low voice, but there was still no response.

My heart beat wildly, I reached out tremblingly, and touched the old man's nose, but I couldn't feel the old man's breathing. My nervous face twitched, my heart almost jumped out of my throat, and I cried out in shock: "Old man, what's wrong with you?" The old man is dead?he died?This signal, which I didn't want to believe, popped out from the bottom of my heart irresistibly, filling my brain like thunder, making me unable to continue thinking at all. I burst into tears almost instantly, holding the old man's arm, turning my head and screaming: "Auntie! Auntie! Auntie! Are you there? Are you there?"

I yelled a few times, but I didn't know if anyone would respond, so I hurriedly rushed out the door, yelling, "Auntie! Auntie!" But as soon as I rushed out the door, I saw the old woman standing by the door, and I almost bumped into her. As soon as the old woman retreated, she avoided me and looked at me very calmly. I gasped for breath quickly, and couldn't speak for a while, I just gestured with my teeth and claws, pointing into the room. The old woman said softly: "I see. Please calm down first." She walked past me and entered the house. I hurriedly followed, and only then did I say something: "Auntie, old man, old man..."

The old woman walked up to the old man, stretched out a finger and hissed, motioning me not to speak. This slight boo, as if with infinite power, sealed my mouth at once, leaving me with tears streaming down my face. The old woman reached out and touched the old man's wrist, and said softly: "You are too tired, please sleep well." After she finished speaking, she turned around and said to me who was stunned: "Mr. Yan, let's not disturb him Alright, I'll take you to rest first." I covered my mouth, couldn't control my crying, and said hoarsely, "What's wrong with the old man? Is he..."

The old woman still booed lightly, and said, "Mr. Yan, come with me." I don't know how I came to the bedroom where I used to rest. The old lady had already left, and she kept calm, as if nothing had happened. Of course, she didn't say anything about the situation of the old man. I sat alone at the table, holding my head, wishing I could shrink myself into a ball, and the sense of guilt rose up layer by layer, making me breathless.I deeply believe that the old man has passed away, and the old man died because of talking to me so much and because of me.And in the end, just because of my own curiosity, I still asked him like an idiot.

I thought I was a strong person, and it was almost my creed in life to never flick a man's tears, but just now, I discovered that I am as fragile as a soap bubble.When I was listening to the old man's story, I once thought that Huo Xiaoxie was a nervous person, a muddleheaded kid, a guy with a weak heart and no opinion. If I were Huo Xiaoxie, I would be much better than him , at least not be moved by Yi Run Guangyi's words.But now I understand that this is all my self-righteousness as a bystander. If I were Huo Xiaoxie, I might have died a thousand times or ten thousand times. Like an ant, I couldn’t resist the crushing of fate. Already smashed to pieces.

When I couldn't feel the old man's breathing just now, I realized that the old man died. I admit that I collapsed in an instant. The collapse was so complete that I lost even the most basic mind. At that time, I was a person who only knew how to cry, fear, A fool who blames himself and escapes, a little bug who doesn't know where to go in the face of the fire... After calming down a bit, I even started to shamelessly excuse myself. It was because I was too involved and had accumulated deep feelings for the old man these days, so... I didn't have the courage to leave this room, and I forgot how long I sat alone.It wasn't until the old woman walked into the room again and sat next to me that I said tremblingly, "Auntie, how is the old man?"

The old woman smiled slightly and said calmly, "The old man is asleep." "I, can I see him?" "Not for now, he's not here anymore." "Auntie, is that really the case? Father, he just fell asleep?" I basically didn't know what to say. "Mr. Yan, what do you think? What do I think it should be like?" "I...I..." I couldn't find any courage to speak my mind, even if it was a simple question about life and death. "Mr. Yan, are you unwilling to face it?" "I, I can't say it..." "Mr. Yan, you are a good listener, many people are, but there is a reason why the old man chose you."

"Auntie, who is the old man? Is it Huo Xiaoxie?" "This is not important, Mr. Yan, do you still want to hear the story of the five great thieves?" "I think……" "Okay, Mr. Yan, then you go back first." "Here, Auntie, shall I go back first?" "Yes, leave Chongqing, I will contact you." "Then when will you contact me?" "I will contact you, Mr. Yan, let's go, I will take you out." When the door closed, I looked at such an ordinary old house in front of me, and suddenly felt a sense of loss. The alley in the middle of the night, just like when I came, was silent and empty.A few dim street lamps were on, and the light was sprinkled on the bluestone slabs on the street. The smooth surface, which has been baptized for a long time, reflected soft light, faintly flickering like jade.This small street must have survived the Sino-Japanese War and the indiscriminate bombing of Chongqing by the Japanese army.The heavy historical atmosphere surrounded me, and there was a touch of sadness in the air. Everything seemed to be a dream, a real and incredible dream. Is it over?Or do I have to wait a long time?will it be forever? With great nostalgia, I took everything in front of me into my eyes, firmly remembered it in my heart, tightened my clothes, said goodbye silently, cheered up, stepped on the bluestone road, and walked to the outside world. I quit my job, kept my mouth shut, and wrote all day long, without day and night, recording the stories I heard from the old man.This is my responsibility, I have to do it, there is no reason. Three months later, at one o'clock in the morning, I was revising this story when my phone rang. In the past few months, my mobile phone has always been turned on 24 hours a day, never leaving my side, and never missing a call. There is no calling number, it shows unknown. Without thinking, I got on the phone. A familiar female voice came from the receiver: "Mr. Yan." "It's me! It's me! Is it auntie?" "right." "I finally got your call!" "Mr. Yan, please pack up and go downstairs as soon as possible." "Okay!" Without any hesitation, I quickly packed up the computer, "Where are we going?" "Shenyang." The phone snapped off. With my computer bag on my back and no change of clothes, I rushed downstairs. At the gate, a man in a black suit stood straight in front of me and said, "Hi Yan Zheng, I'm Yan Yi, please follow me."