Although the mobile phone was newly bought, I learned very quickly when I heard it. Apart from making calls and sending messages, the first thing I learned was to use a map.
He sat in the back seat, looked at the three lost locations in the app, and found that the peach blossom stream where Xie Wen was doing business happened to be sandwiched between Xiaolizhuang and Banpu.
He thought that Lao Mao would naturally stop at Peach Blossom Stream, but when the car slowed down, he looked up and saw the road sign of Banpu.
"Eh? Uncle Mao, have you... have you passed by?" Xia Qiao asked.
Apparently, there was more than one person staring at the map. It's just that he didn't say anything when he heard it, and Xiao Qiao was a 250-year-old.
Lao Mao seemed to have chicken feathers stuck in his throat, and after clearing it several times, he said vaguely, "No, where have you been? Isn't this just entering Banpu?"
Xiao Qiao asked in confusion: "Where's the peach blossom stream? Isn't Boss Xie going to work?"
If you do shitty things, you will fool fools.
The old man said in his heart.
Then Xie Wen glanced at him.
Unfortunately, as a puppet with a very deep connection, even if he talks in his heart, he is likely to be heard by Xie Wen. So Lao Mao sat upright and suddenly became interested in the road conditions ahead, and stared very intently.
No one spoke for a while in the car, and Xia Qiao felt the subtlety of the atmosphere again. He suddenly regretted asking that question, although he didn't know why
Xie Wen glanced at him through the rearview mirror, and looked at Wen Shi across the mirror for a moment, before breaking the silence: "It's the same as coming here first, I'm not in a hurry."
It's really ridiculous to think about it, because I'm not in a hurry when I hear it. He just wondered why there were fragments of his spiritual aspect in the cages of the Shen family, so he came to see.
In fact, even if he didn't look at it, he had a vague feeling about it...
"Oh oh oh." Xia Qiao got the answer, and didn't want to go into it at all, and hurriedly rolled down the steps. As a result, halfway through the roll, another thing drew attention.
"Uncle Mao..." Xia Qiao leaned over the driver's seat and called out tremblingly.
"What are you doing?" Lao Mao still looked at the road very intently, but he didn't look at the boss anyway.
"You drive... don't you adjust the rearview mirror?" Xia Qiao pointed to the mirror that could see Xie Wen's eyes, and said, "The rearview mirror is facing the co-pilot, is it really okay???"
"Oh, I forgot." As if just remembering, Lao Mao reached out and dialed the rearview mirror.
"… "
He was very calm, but Xia Qiao's soul was half gone.
He was lying on the back of the seat, feeling that it was a miracle that the people in this car could survive until now. But he soon discovered that no one seemed to be afraid of the car except him.
Of course you won't be afraid, the Golden Winged Dapeng can control the car, not to mention the need for rearview mirrors, and even free your hands and feet. If you want to control a car, an accident can happen, and Lao Mao will probably die.
It's a pity that only Xia Qiao didn't know the whole car.
So when he was about to reach his destination, he got motion sickness because of being overly nervous. When I got off the bus, my body was white, my legs were soft, and my soul was floating.
Wen Shi gave him a hand, and Xie Wen also suggested, "Are you still able to walk? Why don't you just stay in the car."
Xia Qiao hurriedly waved his hand, thinking that he would vomit if he stayed there any longer.
Only Lao Mao's empathy is not as good as others, and after holding it for a long time, he said, "I'm the first to see a puppet who gets motion sickness."
Xia Qiao asked weakly, "Is it really not?"
After hesitating for a while, Xia Qiao murmured, "Okay, you don't need to hold back excuses, I know."
When smelling: "… "
There was a hint of depression and confusion in his cold expression, Xie Wen smiled, and then explained it to Xiao Pup with interest: "There are generally two reasons for ordinary people to react like you. It is for some reason that the spiritual aspect is suddenly unstable."
"I really don't have motion sickness." Xie Wen added, "You shouldn't either."
"Then I'm the second type, and my spirit is unstable?" Xia Qiao said in his heart that it would be better to suffer from motion sickness, at least his life was alive.
Xie Wen opened his mouth again: "The instability of the human spirit will be uncomfortable, easy to get sick, easy to be deceived, and possessed. But if the puppet's spirit is unstable, it will manifest itself as sudden life and sudden death."
The so-called unstable spiritual phase means that the spiritual phase is turbulent in the body.
At the moment when the spirit phase leaves the body, it is closer to a puppet, and when the spirit phase returns to the body, it is closer to a human being. Jumping back and forth in a short period of time, there will be a state of dead and alive, alive and dead.
Xia Qiao was even more confused, he didn't seem to be anywhere.
Wen Shi was not very relieved, so he closed his eyes and looked at him, and finally found the reason - Xia Qiao's spiritual aspect is indeed unstable now, but it is not swaying inside and outside the body, but inside the spirit.
After all, Shen Qiao once passed the spirit for Xia Qiao, which is equivalent to Xia Qiao's body has two kinds of spirits - Shen Qiao's strong crossing, and the original one. Occasionally the state is not good, and it does conflict with each other and is not stable.
In fact, this kind of reaction is not very big, but Xia Xiaoqiao may be too delicate, so it is so obvious.
Wen Shi briefly explained it to him, Xia Qiao finally felt relieved, and even the state of dizziness and nausea improved a little...
It's even more guilt, and I feel like I'm a waste.
***
Mr. Li gave an old address, they estimated it according to the terrain, and found a rough place.
But as Mr. Li himself can see, the vicissitudes of life have changed over time, and the area has changed several times. The Shen family's bungalow has long since disappeared, and a middle school has been replaced.
It's time for get out of class, and the school is full of people. The snack bar on the street outside the school gate is also booming, and people riding small electric donkeys come and go, which is very lively. There's no sign of anyone who existed here or what happened a century ago.
In fact, it is understandable, after all, the Shen family mansion was burnt down by the fire, so what can be left is really limited.
But since the Shen family's old belongings can be obtained from the secret room of Sanmidian, it means that there are still traces of existence.
Fortunately, the people nearby are enthusiastic and love to chat, and I have heard a lot of miscellaneous rumors. Seeing that Xia Qiao was languishing all the time, he pushed him to be a spy when he heard it.
Xiaqiao may have a talent for gaining trust quickly. It didn't take long for the little spy to bring back the news: "They said that although the Shen family is gone, it was very beautiful back then. There was an ancestral tomb mountain, and they hired people who specially looked at the tombs."
When smelling: "The one who looked at the grave?"
Xia Qiao nodded: "Yes, it is said that he still lives near that mountain, it seems that he has opened a local restaurant or something."
The shop owner and the shop owner seemed to be in a circle. They soon got to the name of the local restaurant and found the place along the map.
The boss is a couple in their early thirties, born honest. It just so happened that the store was quiet, and they chatted with everyone.
Hearing them inquiring about the Shen family, the boss asked, "So why are you here..."
Wen Shi was the closest to the boss and was questioned. But he can't make up words, and the real reason is inconvenient to say, so he can only hold back a reason: "Something is wrong."
Really... a perfunctory reason.
Xie Wen did not speak first, waiting for him to hold back. After holding back, he added calmly: "We want to build a memorial ancestral hall, and by the way, revise the complete family tree. I heard that there is another one here, so I came to ask about the situation."
When smelling: "… "
He glanced at Xie Wen, and his eyes clearly conveyed a few words: Are you ready to say it sooner
Xie Wen's face was not biased, and he pretended not to see, but smiled.
The boss said, "Oh, oh," twice, "I understand, I got someone from my family two years ago, and they also wanted to build an ancestral hall. So you came from the north?"
Although he didn't know why he guessed like this, several people nodded their heads.
But soon, they knew why—
The boss said that the Shen family itself is not from Banpu, but Banpu was considered an important place in this area in the early years, and some sea trade exchanges would not blink too much. The Shen family has settled here for several generations, and they first came from the north.
"My great-grandfather came to see the mountains for the Shen family." The boss snapped his fingers, "It's been for three generations. Basically, the Shen family came to pack the mountain, and my family lived at the foot of the mountain. Although there is nothing to say about the mountain now. , We also set up our own shop. But during Qingming, July and a half or Chinese New Year, we still go to the mountain to take care of them.”
As he spoke, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "The Shen family is miserable, and their life is not good. It's almost broken. After the western-style building burned down, it was the bones that my great-grandfather picked up and arranged for nothing. It's scary to say, some of them are burned into a ball, and you can't tell who is who."
The boss told a story passed down by his great-grandfather, but found that their focus was not on scaring when Wen Shi.
"You said almost?" Wen Shi asked.
"That's right." The boss was stunned for a moment, and said, "Isn't that young master not caught in the fire? It is said that it was a local charity meeting or something. I wanted to invite the husband and wife of the Shen family to come over, but the husband and wife were not there, so The young master went for a trip, and when he came back, he saw that the house was burnt down, and there was not a single person left in the room. It is said that he passed out at the time, and later fell ill and was not in good spirits, so he moved to Tianjin. "
Wen Shi: "Are you sure it's Tianjin?"
The boss nodded and said, "Yes, at that time, it was said that his parents were there. He was so sick that he couldn't stay here alone, so he turned around."
As the boss spoke, he tapped the back of his palm and said, "But according to my great-grandfather, the North was in chaos for a while at that time. His parents had an accident just before that and were gone."
"And then?" Wen Shi asked.
"There is no later." The boss said, "The little son has no news after that. In the situation of his family, it is possible to die from madness."
After speaking, he sighed deeply.
"Do you have any photos from that time?" Xie Wen took out the ancestral hall again and asked.
The boss nodded: "Yes, but not many. Speaking of which, there are actually some family trees, but they may not be as complete as you, mainly theirs."
"Can you take a look?"
"Of course." The boss suggested directly, "You must have information on the family tree of the ancestral hall. Just expand it."
He quickly grabbed an old-fashioned portfolio from where he lived upstairs, and threw out a photo album and a thread-bound family tree from it.
When Wen Shi opened the album, he saw a group photo that was both familiar and unfamiliar on the second page—it was the old photo that was torn and stitched together in the cage of Sanmidian at that time, and a large piece of old photo was missing.
In reality, this photo is still intact and can be regarded as clear. So Wen Shi saw Shen Mansheng's appearance for the first time.
He was wearing a small vest and trousers in a suit, and the pocket of the vest was decorated with a chain pocket watch, which looked like a young master. It's just that his face is very beautiful, and when he smiles, there is a hint of shyness in his gentleness.
There are some differences between him and later, but the essence has not changed, especially his eyebrows and eyes, which have a familiar temperament when he smells it.
…
Really Shenqiao.
Not only did he recognize it, but also Xia Qiao. It's just that Xia Qiao has only seen the photos, not the real person, so he hesitates and is not sure: "Brother, this is... this Shen Mansheng... He looks like grandpa when he was young."
The boss was also shocked: "What do you mean? Your grandfather?"
Fortunately, Xia Qiao responded quickly, remembering that his grandfather was far older than a normal person, and it was easy to scare others when he said it. So he changed his mouth and said, "No, no, it's just that I will call Grandpa when I mention it."
Wen Shi glanced at him, nodded and said, "It's not like, it's him."
The boss was even more shocked: "What's going on? Do you know him?"
Wen Shi turned a few pages of the album, saw Shen Mansheng's face in the other photos, and was more certain: "Well, I know."
"Where did you find out?" the boss asked.
What he understood as "knowing" was knowing. After all, it was impossible for the group of people in front of him who were not yet thirty years old to know Shen Mansheng during the Republic of China.
"I heard it at home." Xia Qiao didn't let his brother lie online this time, and gave a reason first.
"Oh. So, this Shen Mansheng is not dead?" the boss asked.
When smelling: "Well, not dead."
The boss asked again, "Are you crazy?"
When smelling: "Neither."
He paused, and rarely added a long sentence after answering: "He changed his name. He didn't mention it before, so I shouldn't remember it."
The boss said again: "I don't remember well, it's too hard to remember. How did he go after that?"
Wen Shi replied, "Very good, very longevity."
Live well and live a hundred years. This is probably the best outcome for ordinary people.
"It's good, it's good." The boss nodded, not knowing what to think, expressing a lot of emotion.
He is not like his great-grandfather, who has done things for the Shen family and has seen people who have long been dusted in these old black and white photos. He was born late, and the people in the photos are just familiar and unfamiliar faces to him. face only.
He actually didn't have any feelings for these people, but when he suddenly heard such a follow-up, he would still be somewhat relieved.
The boss was in a good mood. After trying his best to keep him, he went to the kitchen to make a few dishes himself. He dragged Wen Shi and they had a meal. He helped them print photos and family trees before sending them away.
He frowned when he got back in the car and smelled it.
He had always felt that most of the reason for entering and releasing the cage was fate, which was random. Now that I think about it, it's kind of weird.
Just when Wen Shi was trying to draw a line and connect those weird dots, the phone suddenly vibrated three times. He took it out and glanced at it, it was Zhou Xu.
The kid was silent for a long time, and finally sent Wen Shi three messages.
The first one says: the envelope is really broken and the address is not visible.
Rule 2: Thanks to my cleverness, I figured out a place from the letter.
The third is a picture. He marked a circle on the captured map and said: It should be this way.
Wen Shi opened the picture and glanced at it, and found that the place he circled was next to the intersection of the Jingcang Expressway and a provincial road. If nothing else, this is what Zhang Wan called "blessed land".
Thinking about it this way, Zhang Wan's "blessed land" is in Tianjin, and Shen Qiao changed her name to become a judge in Tianjin. The last time she heard the news was in Tianjin.
Coincidence or not, Tianjin is a must.
He turned off the screen of his mobile phone, leaned forward, and touched Xie with his fingers.
Convenience turned his face to the side and asked him, "What's wrong?"
"Are you going back to Ningzhou?" Wen Shi asked.
Xie asked: "Are you going back now?"
"If you don't come back, there's something else to do." Wen Shi said, "so you can just find a place to put us down later."
Xie asked but said, "I can't go back either. Where are you going, I'll take you there first."
"No, it's too far." Wen Shi raised his eyebrows and asked, "Why can't you go back?"
Xie asked: "Doing business."
This answer was very similar to when he heard it. He was so choked up that he asked after a while, "Going to Peach Blossom Stream?"
"No." Xie Wen squeezed the corner of his cell phone and shook it, indicating that he had just received the news and changed his mind, "Go to Tianjin."
When smelling: "… "
When smelling: "???"
Maybe his expression was too blank, Lao Mao conditioned reflex to justify: "This time it's true."
***
At this moment, in Ningzhou, where they did not plan to go back for the time being, there were two others with blank expressions.
Zhang Lan changed into her high heels, and was about to pick out a very imposing bag from the cabinet when she heard her brother Zhang Yalin walk in with her phone in hand, making gestures to her while calling.
"What is the gesture? Just say it." Zhang Lan complained and urged, "After talking on the phone, hurry up and change your shoes, the Shen family villa is still a while away."
Zhang Yalin said, "I won't go to the Shen family villa anymore."
Zhang Lan: "Why? Didn't you agree to coax that Chen Shi into the cage?"
Zhang Yalin pointed to the mobile phone: "The news just arrived, people are not at home at all."
Zhang Lan: "Where is that?"
Zhang Yalin listened to a sentence on the phone, and was at a loss for a while, then turned to Zhang Lan and said, "Changshen Expressway, just out of Lianyungang."
Zhang Lan: "Where did you just come out???"
"Lianyungang." Zhang Yalin rolled his eyes and repeated patiently.
Zhang Lan: "To Ningzhou?"
Zhang Yalin: "No, I went to Shandong."
Zhang Lan: "Why did he suddenly run so far?"
Zhang Yalin: "Who knows, the legs are long on him."
So Zhang Lan immediately threw off the high heels, threw away the small bag he had picked, turned his head and took out the suitcase.
Zhang Yalin: "…"
Women's mobility is really terrifyingly high.