Chapter 3: Return to the Old Place_1

He Tiantian had been sitting on the ground, dazed and immersed in the painful memories, unable to extricate herself.

"Auntie, why are you sitting on the floor?" Zhou Zhicheng watched his aunt He Tiantian sitting on the ground. "Are you feeling unwell?"

He Tiantian snapped back to reality and said, "I... I'm fine... I'm fine..." While speaking, she quietly put the voice recorder into the pocket of her jacket.

Zhou Zhicheng helped his aunt He Tiantian to the living room to rest and poured her a glass of water, saying, "Auntie, have some water. If you feel unwell, just let me know, and I'll take you to the hospital."

"I probably didn't sleep well last night, it's nothing serious. You're all sweaty; you should go and wash up," He Tiantian said, her head bowed, not wanting Zhou Zhicheng to see her helpless and resentful expression.

In this home, she was an outsider, and they would never take her side.

"Okay, I'll go take a shower. Auntie, if you feel unwell, just tell me." Zhou Zhicheng had grown up at his grandmother's house and was very close to his aunt He Tiantian.

After Zhou Zhicheng left, He Tiantian walked back to her bedroom on trembling legs and listened again to the recording on the voice recorder.

He Tiantian's face was streaked with tears, and she sobbed silently, choking continuously, almost unable to catch her breath.

In her lifetime, she had been like a clown, living in lies meticulously woven by others.

Only now had she understood why she had never seen her parents, leaving them to die with closed eyes, filled with resentment.

Only now had she finally realized her childhood sweetheart had not abandoned her.

Only now had she understood why the Qi family was harsh to others but "generously tolerant" towards her, a married-in woman who had not borne children.

My God, how foolish she had been!

He Tiantian felt an immense self-reproach, her gaze unintentionally falling on the dressing mirror beside the bed. The woman reflected had aged, her skin still somewhat fair, but her face now had spots and wrinkles. Her once bright and clear eyes no longer held a young luster, and her hair was faintly streaked with gray.

He Tiantian touched her face and murmured to herself, "I'm already old..."

She had lived so many years surrounded by lies, and now that she suddenly understood the truth, she hated herself even more and detested the Qi family who had deceived her.

He Tiantian felt suffocated by lies in this place, and a voice in her head urged her to escape this prison made of lies as soon as possible.

He Tiantian put the voice recorder in her bag and walked out the door.

Her mind blank, she unwittingly arrived at the train station, bought a ticket to Nan City, and boarded the train.

She wanted to visit her hometown and see the place where her parents had lived, to find the memories of her childhood, because only those times and places held the most genuine experiences of her life, also the happiest times of her life.

Nan City was about four and a half hours away from Huai City by high-speed train, which would have taken a day and a night in the past.

He Tiantian sat on the train, leaning over the small table in front of her, silently weeping. The ringtone of the cellphone in her bag rang out time and again.

"Big sister, your phone is ringing!" a middle-aged man next to her reminded, thinking He Tiantian had fallen asleep, so he spoke up.

He Tiantian lowered her head, took out her phone, and saw the glaring words "Husband" on the screen. She felt it was absurd, laughable, and did not answer the call, instead turning off the phone...

Seeing her reaction, the middle-aged man beside her guessed there was a conflict and pretended not to see, continuing to chat with another person.

Looking at the dark screen, He Tiantian felt a little less oppressed in her chest. No matter what, she would not forgive the Qi family.

When the train arrived, He Tiantian followed the crowd off the train and out of the station. Nan City had changed greatly from what she remembered. It had been more than a decade since her last visit to Nan City.

Standing in the bustling square, there were hurried businessmen, couples intimately discussing their plans, families waiting on newspaper spreads, as well as begging elderly, children, and disabled people with small bowls in their hands.

On this vast square, the myriad states of human life were evident. Some were there for survival, others for living. But no matter who they were, regardless of hardship or weariness, they all lived in a real world.

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He Tiantian used to think she was rather lucky, but now she found herself to be the most unfortunate one, like a shadow puppet, manipulated by others, without freedom or self.

He Tiantian looked around, her gaze falling on the oversized LCD billboard in the square, where a host was interviewing the richest man in Su Province.

This man was Huo Yingjie. He Tiantian knew him, or to be precise, she knew the young Huo Yingjie.

The man's appearance hadn't changed much. Time seemed to have favored him, leaving no heavy signs of wear and tear on his face. His square face still brimming with vitality, thick eyebrows, a straight nose, and those eyes as sharp as ever, as if capable of seeing through someone's heart, and his casual smile could always warm one's heart.

The death of her parents plunged her into deep grief. When she most needed comfort, she received that breakup letter written by someone Qi Jianguo hired to imitate Huo Yingjie's handwriting. She hated herself for being useless and loathed Huo Yingjie for his heartless betrayal.

In that era, compared with life, emotions were far more trivial and humble. She chose distrust, chose to give up, and completely fell into the trap of lies.

Over the years, when she returned to those memories in her midnight dreams, she still hated Huo Yingjie, hated his indifference, hated his broken promises, his fickleness.

Now she knew she had hated the wrong person.

Once missed, it's missed for a lifetime!

Staggering out of the square, she hailed a taxi and, in her now-accented hometown dialect, gave the destination: "Master, to Dayu Tree Alley!"

The taxi driver was experienced and could tell from He Tiantian's accent that she had left her hometown many years ago.

"Haven't been back in many years, huh? That Dayu Tree Alley is about to be demolished soon. Our Su Province's richest man, Huo Yingjie, plans to build villas there," the taxi driver was quite talkative, explaining the changes in Nan City over the years while driving.

He Tiantian watched the receding buildings and trees, which were utterly different from the low buildings in her memory, and she could hardly keep up.

Even though He Tiantian remained silent, the taxi driver kept chatting away.

Listening to the familiar accent and looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, her restless and resentful heart began to calm.

"We're almost there," said the taxi driver, "Dayu Tree Alley is best known for the two big elm trees at the entrance. They say they're several hundred years old, dating back to the Ming Dynasty. Dayu Tree Alley is also facing demolition. The locals especially included these two trees in the negotiation contract, claiming they've been blessed for hundreds of years and have brought fortune to the locals. The demolition is acceptable, but the trees must not be cut down."

The taxi turned a corner, and those two tall elm trees were as lush and robust as ever, continuing to grow strongly upward.

As a child, during summer, many people would move their dining tables under the trees to enjoy the cool breeze and have their meals.

On any given day, these two big elm trees were the favorite play area for the kids. The boys would roll hoops and marbles under the trees, while the girls liked to play with sandbags, hopscotch, and toss handkerchiefs.

At night, adults would come out to chat, boast about this and that, and share neighborhood gossip, creating a lively atmosphere.

Except for rainy days, laughter and joy always surrounded these two big elm trees.

"Sister, here we are, that'll be twenty yuan," said the taxi driver with a smile, "Those elm trees, they've grown bigger, haven't they?"

He Tiantian nodded, saying, "They are indeed very big! Thank you!"

He Tiantian paid the fare and got out of the taxi.

Standing under the big elm trees, she looked up at their sheltering branches and leaves. The elm trees were still the strong and weathered elms they always were, but the people were no longer the same.

Everything remains, but the people have changed!

Now she had a much deeper understanding of this phrase!

He Tiantian entered the alley between the two big elm trees. The alley was still as narrow and long, but the cobblestones on the ground were no longer as shiny as before, and dark green moss had grown along the walls.

Gone were the hustle and bustle and joyful laughter of her memories, and the houses on both sides had been evacuated, leaving behind only dilapidated old houses and weeds everywhere.

He Tiantian's eyes stung as she looked around, and Dayu Tree Alley's desolation mirrored her own life, both having lost their luster and vitality.

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