In our small town of Gada, there is a well-known businessman, and everyone calls him "Shopkeeper Li". Shopkeeper Li has a big shoulder, a round waist, a full beard, and his eyes are narrowed into a slit when he smiles. He ran around and saved a lot of money, the daughter-in-law of the family, that is called a beauty, not to mention how moisturizing life is. But who would have thought, there are unforeseen circumstances, when Shopkeeper Li was forty years old, he had a serious illness, and he fell down and didn't survive. As soon as this happened, the town exploded, and there were discussions one after another, and there were all kinds of theories.
The most embarrassing thing is that not long after Shopkeeper Li left, his usually inconspicuous friend, Zhang Ergou, actually proposed to marry Shopkeeper Li's widow, Mrs. Wang. Zhang Ergou, as his name suggests, looks average, usually works in the grocery store in the town, which is really different from the shopkeeper Li. As soon as this incident came out, the whole town was boiling, and the discussion was higher and higher, and there were all kinds of sayings: "Zhang Ergou wants to climb the high branches!" "Why did Mrs. Wang fall in love with him?" "There must be something behind this!" Wang Niangzi has never shown up since she beat Li's shopkeeper, and she has not been out of the door all day, and she is also tight-lipped about this matter.
But just when everyone was talking, Zhang Ergou actually held a feast, and invited several elders in the town to testify, and married Wang Niangzi into the door in a beautiful manner. On the wedding night, it should have been jubilant, but Zhang Ergou did something that surprised everyone - he locked Wang Niangzi in the house, and this lock was a full ten years. In the past ten years, there have been many rumors about this incident in the town, some say that Wang Niangzi was imprisoned by Zhang Ergou and washed her face with tears every day; Some say that Zhang Ergou is actually protecting Wang Niangzi, so that she will not be gossiped by outsiders; Others are even more mysterious, saying that Wang Niangzi is actually a monster, and Zhang Ergou did this to seal her. But the truth is like the secret behind the locked door, and no one can figure it out.
Until one day, under the old locust tree in the town, a few half-grown children got together, and you talked about it word by word, and one of them suddenly said mysteriously: "Do you know? I passed by Zhang Ergou's house at night, and heard the sound of the piano inside, which was very melodious, not like the handwriting of Wang Niangzi! As soon as these words came out, the children's curiosity was completely aroused, and they all shouted to go to find out at night. Hey, listen, we have to start from the beginning. As soon as the adults heard that we were going out at night, their faces were as if they had eaten chili peppers, and they hurriedly stopped us, muttering, "Don't wander around at night, be careful of running into something unclean." In the blink of an eye, the late autumn wind was blowing, and the wind in the town was cold, and there was a little inexplicable mystery.
In the evening, the sun had set, and the sky was dyed as red as oranges. A few timid young men sneaked into the backyard of Zhang Ergou's house while it was dark. They held their breath and pricked up their ears, and sure enough, there was a melodious sound of the piano in the room, and the sound came and went, and it made people's hearts burst into it.
At this moment, there was a glimmer of light through the crack in the door, and then a low and firm voice came out: "Wang Niangzi, in the past ten years, you have suffered. But you have to believe me, I did all this to protect you, and also to unravel the knot in our hearts for many years. As soon as I said this, a few young men, you look at me, I look at you, the mystery in my heart is getting bigger and bigger.
As soon as they put it together, they had to dig out the secret behind this door that had been locked for ten years. The eyes of several young men were paired, and the eyes flashed with determination and curiosity. They gently pushed open the half-hidden window and crept in, lest they break the silence of the decade.
Entering the house, the candlelight flickered, reflecting the yellowed old photos, as well as the guqin that had been polished by the years. Wang Niangzi sat by the piano, dressed in plain clothes, her hair hung down like a waterfall, although her face was a little haggard, but her eyes were as bright as stars, as if she could see through people's hearts.
She plucked the strings gently, and each note seemed to tell a long story. "Who?" Wang Niangzi suddenly stopped playing and looked at the young men by the window with alarm. "We... We're just curious..."The leading young man stammered, nervous and excited.
Wang Niangzi sighed, stood up, and slowly walked to the window, although her steps were slow, but the majesty could not be hidden. "Children, curiosity kills cats, but since you're here, listen to my story." She let the boys in, closed the window, and it was much warmer.
This story has to be told slowly, and we have to continue to talk about the things between Zhang Ergou and Wang Niangzi, as well as the shocking secrets hidden in the past ten years. We have to slowly unveil this mystery and see what is behind it. (To be continued, stay tuned.) Mrs. Wang sat down at the table and made a pot of hot tea, and the smell of tea wafted all over the room, driving away the cold and tension. "Back then, the shopkeeper Li and his old man suddenly left, leaving me with a stomach full of bitter water and a mess. At that time, the townspeople were waiting to see my jokes, and they all craned their necks. Zhang Ergou's kid, he... He has always been silently on my side, helping me to keep everything in order at home, and he has never frowned in the face of those gossip. When Wang Niangzi spoke, her voice was a little choked, "I know in my heart that he did this not only because we are old friends, but also because he has me in his heart." ”
"But why are you locking her up?" A young man couldn't help but interject. Zhang Ergou was already standing at the door at some point, the wrinkles on his face seemed to be traces of time, but his eyes were as firm as if they were something. "It's not her who is locked up, it's those gibberish voices and malice. I know that as soon as Mrs. Wang goes out, trouble will follow. She's too soft-hearted, and she's too fragile to let her be hurt by those gossip. ”
Wang Niangzi gently pinched Zhang Ergou's hand, and the two glanced at each other, as if they didn't need to say anything. "But you may not know that the real reason is because of a secret." Wang Niangzi's words changed, and her face became serious, "When the old man was alive, Shopkeeper Li was involved in a terrifying business war, and there were many people involved in that struggle, even the imperial court. In order to protect me, he hid a key piece of evidence in this guqin, and told me that no matter what happened, I would not let that evidence fall into the wrong hands. ”
"So, in the past ten years, we have been locked up on the surface, but in fact we are guarding this secret." Zhang Ergou added, "What we are waiting for is when the time is ripe to tell the truth to the world and clear up the grievances of the old man Li and his old man." When the boys heard this, they were all stunned, how could they have thought that there was such a complicated story behind this.
"Then how do you know the time has come?" Another young man asked curiously. Wang Niangzi smiled slightly, took out a letter from her arms, the envelope was yellowed, and she knew that it was some years old at a glance. "This is what the shopkeeper left to me before he died, and the letter said that he has an old friend who will come to us on a certain day in ten years, and he will help us uncover the truth." Gee, that's a lot of fun. At this moment, the knocking on the door outside, like the beating of drums, disturbed the silence in the room. Zhang Ergou pulled the door, good guy, there was a grizzled old man standing at the door, isn't this the old friend mentioned in the letter. As soon as the old man entered the house, he chatted with Wang Niangzi and Zhang Ergou, and after coming and going, everyone's identity and intention were right. Over the years, the old man has been secretly investigating the matter of the old business war, and this time he has found ironclad evidence, and intends to hand it over to the court together with the evidence left by the shopkeeper Li, so that the grievances of the shopkeeper Li can be washed away.
The old man looked at the young people, his eyes were full of appreciation, and said, "Children, your adventure tonight may have been arranged by God." He paused, and then said, "You have witnessed the beginning of this event, and in the future, you may be able to be a part of this history." "A few days later, there was a sudden storm in the town. The minister of the imperial court came in person and announced that the grievances of the shopkeeper Li had been revealed, and also praised Wang Niangzi and Zhang Ergou for their selfless dedication. The townspeople came to their senses, and it turned out that they had been wrong about the couple. Wang Niangzi and Zhang Ergou stood in the crowd, holding hands, with a smile on their faces, as if the ten years of waiting and dedication had been best rewarded at this moment. Their story has become the most widely circulated story in the town, reminding future generations that in the face of love and justice, all difficulties and obstacles are floating clouds. As for the guqin, it is still lying quietly in the corner of the house, it has witnessed all this, and it also carries that little-known secret, which has become an indispensable part of this legendary story.