readsfreenovel Chapter 87 Sorrow
Chapter 87 Sorrow
Ji Xiaotong cried for a long time, until her voice became hoarse. Zhang Liangjun saw that she had vented enough, so he went over to help her up, but Ji Xiaotong was not weak this time and clung to the tombstone, refusing to let go.
Officer Han also came over to comfort her: "Xiaotong, you should also grieve in moderation. After all, your father has passed away. We should think about the living and make sure his passing was worthwhile."
"Get up. Officer Han is quite busy. If you want to see your dad, I'll bring you here!"
Ji Xiaotong glanced at Zhang Liangjun, then at Han Ming, pressed her face against the tombstone, whispered something, and then took Zhang Liangjun's hand and stood up. Ji Xiaotong's hands were icy cold, and even though it wasn't yet September, Zhang Liangjun seemed to be able to feel Ji Xiaotong's state of mind through her cold hands.
Officer Han Ming drove the two back to the city. Zhang Liangjun didn't go back to the station; he thanked Officer Han and got out of the car. He took Ji Xiaotong to eat some fast food from a roadside stall, then found a bench in a small park to rest.
Are you going to see your dad again tomorrow?
"I'm going. I didn't bring anything today. Tomorrow I'll bring some offerings and burn some paper money for my dad. Can you still come with me?" Ji Xiaotong looked at Zhang Liangjun with hopeful eyes.
Zhang Liangjun nodded, "Of course I'll go with you. I told you, I'll take you again."
"Can we go to my hometown first? I want to go back and visit."
“Sure, you can go wherever you want.” The girl had suffered so much today, and Zhang Liangjun didn’t want to refuse any of her requests.
I took a taxi and it took me forty or fifty minutes to get there.
This is a two-story self-built house, which is quite common in this area. However, Zhang Liangjun noticed that the building quality of this house was significantly higher, with reasonable materials and layout.
Ji Xiaotong cautiously walked to the door and carefully searched a narrow crack in the wall. She stretched out her slender fingers and gently felt around for a while before finally finding a key. A key that was hidden extremely well.
She struggled to pry the key out of the crack in the wall, then eagerly inserted it into the lock. With a gentle turn, a crisp "click" rang out, and the long-sealed door slowly opened.
With a creaking sound as the door hinges turned, a musty, decaying smell wafted out. The room was dimly lit, giving it a somewhat eerie and unsettling atmosphere. Looking around, one could see that the furnishings were extremely rudimentary. Where furniture had once stood, it was now empty; clearly, most of the valuable pieces had been moved away. What remained were only some dilapidated, outdated tables, chairs, and cabinets, standing there forlornly, as if telling the story of this old house's past vicissitudes.
The old furnishings were covered in dust and cobwebs, clearly indicating that they hadn't been cared for in a long time. These abandoned objects may have once carried the memories and emotions of their owners, but now they could only sit here quietly, gradually being forgotten by time.
Ji Xiaotong walked up to a rag doll, bent down and picked it up. "When I was little, my dad lived here with me. He was most afraid of me crying. Whenever I was unhappy, he would try his best to make me happy. He bought me a lot of toys and played games with me. This rag doll was one of them, and it was also my favorite toy when I was little. My dad would help me change the clothes of that rag doll. We could repeat this boring game more than ten times a day."
As she spoke, tears welled up in Ji Xiaotong's eyes again. "When I got a little older, I wanted more. I saw other classmates had mountain bikes, so I wanted one too. Other classmates could ride in cars, so I wanted to ride in cars too. It was from that time that my dad decided to take on construction projects. If I had been more obedient and hadn't asked him for these things, he wouldn't have died! It's all my fault! It's all my fault!"
Ji Xiaotong gently picked up the rag doll, which was covered in a thick layer of dust. Her gaze was fixed on its slightly worn face, as if she could see through time the happy times she had spent with her father. Her slightly trembling fingers gently brushed away the dust from the doll, each touch filled with endless tenderness and affection.
Then, Ji Xiaotong pressed the rag doll tightly against her chest. In that instant, a surge of intense emotion welled up inside her. The memories, pain, longing, and regret buried deep within her heart could no longer be suppressed at that moment.
Her legs gradually lost strength, and her body involuntarily slid to the cold ground. Tears, like a burst dam, gushed from her swollen eyes. There were no loud sobs, only trembling and choked whimpers that told of Ji Xiaotong's inner pain and regret.
Zhang Liangjun walked over and sat down next to Ji Xiaotong, putting his arm around her shoulder. "Of course, this isn't your fault, Xiaotong. Although we haven't known each other for long, I can tell you're a good girl. Your dad just wants to give you a better life, which is something all parents would do, not just you. Your dad's situation is complicated, and the responsibility doesn't lie with you."
Ji Xiaotong didn't say anything more about blaming herself; she just kept sobbing. Perhaps she found some sense of security in Zhang Liangjun, or perhaps she was just tired from crying, because she rested her head on Zhang Liangjun's shoulder. A few minutes later, Zhang Liangjun found that Ji Xiaotong had fallen asleep while crying.
With a slight sigh, Zhang Liangjun draped his coat over Ji Xiaotong and held her tightly, sitting there until it got dark and then dawn again.
The blinding sunlight streamed in, waking Ji Xiaotong. She opened her eyes slightly, cleared her head, and found herself half-lying in Zhang Liangjun's arms. Startled, she quickly sat up.
Zhang Liangjun, who was resting with his eyes closed, was startled awake. Maintaining the same position for so long was tiring for him. He tried to stand up, but his legs were numb and he couldn't muster any strength. Ji Xiaotong, realizing what was happening, quickly came over to help him.
"Why didn't you wake me up last night! You had to sit up all night feeling so uncomfortable!" Ji Xiaotong patted the dust off Zhang Liangjun's body.
Zhang Liangjun said sincerely, "I'm fine. You were so sad yesterday that you finally fell asleep, and I didn't have the heart to wake you. Let's go, let's go out and get something to eat, and then go to the cemetery to see your father."
Today, when Ji Xiaotong went to the cemetery again, although she was still very sad, she didn't lose control like she did yesterday. Ji Xiaotong took out some of her father's favorite dishes and poured him some of his favorite wine, which he hadn't drunk much of. She originally wanted to burn some paper money, but the cemetery wouldn't allow it, so she had to give up. Zhang Liangjun offered a bouquet of white chrysanthemums and bowed three times to express his respect.
Ji Xiaotong sat beside the tombstone, speaking softly to her father, recounting all her experiences after losing contact with him, as if her father were truly listening.
"Dad, you don't know how high the house price is now. We were planning to sell it, give you the money, pay off all the debts, and we could live happily ever after. I never expected you to leave like this! I'm leaving now. You were so happy when I got into university, and I will definitely finish my studies." After saying these last words, Ji Xiaotong stood up and looked at Zhang Liangjun. "Let's go back to Shanghai!"