This is a Ming Dynasty Old Western-style Western-style house with a combination of Chinese and Western walls, mottled green bricks, and vines and plants that climb throughout the building, showing its age.
The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, which runs through the city, winds through not far from the bungalows.
The owner of the bungalow, Tang Qiuhu, a young man of about thirty years old, lives alone in this bungalow villa. Tang Qiuhu suffered from congenital heart disease, and the doctor repeatedly cared for him, if he wanted to live longer, he could not get married in this life.
Qiu Hu was upset in his heart, and found his friend Zhang Zhou, who worked at the drug testing institute, and told him about his troubles.
Zhang Zhou and Tang Qiuhu, from elementary school, all the way to the Radio and Television University, after graduation, the two were assigned to work in a unit.
After Qiu Hu's father died a few years ago, he built a large bungalow and lived alone, and he was afraid at night, so he simply let Zhang Zhou move in with him. Later, Zhang Zhou talked about his girlfriend, after marriage, it is impossible to live with you Tang Qiu Lake?
Since Zhang zhou moved away, Qiu Hu has lived alone in this bungalow. I thought I had to find a girlfriend, get married and start a family, and I couldn't let myself end up alone for the rest of my life.
This bungalow was built by the Taigong of Qiuhu in the early years of the Republic of China. His father-in-law was a shipbuilder.
Due to its location in the water town and the development of water navigation, the shipbuilding industry is profitable. By the hands of Grandpa Qiuhu, the size of his family's shipyard had more than a thousand employees and could build large wooden boats of more than fifteen tons.
After liberation, the shipyard was public-private. Qiu Hu's mother had difficulty walking at the age of ten due to rheumatoid arthritis, when his father was sent to the liyang daibu countryside.
Qiu Hu and his mother live together. The bungalows also lived in seven or eight families. Zhang Zhou saw that qiuhu mother and son had a difficult life, so they would come to help him, buy rice or briquettes, and carry the two upstairs together. With the help of Zhang Zhou, Tang Qiuhu spent a difficult boyhood.
Later, Qiu Hu's father had an accident in the liyang countryside and was sent home halfway back to his home. At this time, the state implemented the policy, and the families of the people living in the Tang family villa have moved away one after another. The whole bungalow villa, only Qiu Hu is a family. More than a year after his mother's death, his father followed suit.
At that time, QiuHu had just joined the work. Thanks to Zhang Zhou, a good friend, he helped him take care of his parents' funeral after running.
After that, Qiuhu regarded Zhang Zhou, who was a few months older than himself, as his own brother. He asked Zhang Zhou to live with him and be a companion.
The years passed, and both of them reached the age of marriage. Soon, Zhang Zhou made a girlfriend; and Tang Qiuhu remembered the doctor's advice: don't dare to fall in love. Due to congenital heart disease, the turn of winter and spring every year is the season when he is most susceptible to disease. The doctor told him: If you want to live longer, you can't fall in love and get married in this life, and you must also prevent emotional fluctuations and ups and downs.
Qiu Hu kept in mind the doctor's advice, did not dare to cross the thunder pool half a step, lived quietly alone, listened to music at home, and did not bother to clean the house, the whole bungalow was cleaned again, and he had to be exhausted. But a person's life also makes him feel bored.
Fortunately, there is Zhang Zhou, and every time he comes, he runs up and down to clean up. However, Zhang Zhou got married, and slowly, the number of times he came was less. Qiu Hu can understand that Zhang Zhou has a family, and he can't always run to other people's homes, right?
Zhang Zhou's home is not far from Tang Qiuhu's home, which is a small alley of old age, located in a jagged two-story small building, Zhang Zhou's house is one floor higher than the other family's house, and the three-story building looks very abrupt.
Zhang Zhou's wife, Wei Xueqin, is his neighbor and looks very beautiful. After graduating from the Municipal Commercial and Trade Technical School, he went to work in the Japanese-funded commercial enterprise "Eight Hundred Companions".
As a saleswoman at the cosmetics counter, she painted her face all day long, painted snow white, and painted her lips blood red. The old man in the alley saw her like this, and said behind her back that she was "riotous".
Xueqinren is beautiful, she has a specialty: that is, she dances very well, and she was sent by her mother to the Municipal Children's Palace to learn dance since she was a child.
Last year, the Municipal Song and Dance Troupe recruited dancers, and the primary selection was selected, and finally replaced by another applicant with a background. For this matter, she had been looking for life and death for several days.
Xueqin was not discouraged, she stood up from the loss, this resident called Garden Lane, every day can see her in a clearing in the lane, kicking legs and bending down to split forks, practicing the basic skills.
This year, Zhang Zhou's father was transferred from the Municipal Civil Air Defense Bureau to the Cultural Affairs Bureau. After hearing about Wei Xueqin's incident, he saw the girl practicing hard every day, so he asked his son to call Xueqin to the house.
Usually, the residents of this garden lane do not often move around with each other. Wei Xueqin and Zhang Zhou also knew each other, but usually only met as strangers. They know that they live in the garden lanes.
When Xueqin saw Zhang Zhou looking for herself to go to his house, she was surprised for a moment and said, "What is the matter with your father looking for me?" He and I never spoke. "
Zhang Zhou looked at Xueqin's chubby face and gave him a comfortable feeling. Say: "My dad wants to know about your situation, you went, there are your benefits!" "
Snow Qin said, "What does your dad do?" Know my situation, how, the Public Security Bureau? "
Zhang Zhou smiled and said, "Where, Director of Culture." "
Without waiting for Zhang Zhou to finish, Xueqin jumped up happily. She understood the meaning of the word "benefit" that Zhang Zhou meant.
In this way, under the strong recommendation of Zhang Zhou's father and with Wei Xueqin's own strength, she entered the Municipal Song and Dance Troupe and became a professional dancer. After that, she and Zhang Zhou fell in love and married.
Zhang Zhou often secretly speculated about his marriage: he was a very ordinary-looking person, thin and weak, and even a little hunchbacked, and a beautiful girl like Xueqin could marry herself, perhaps out of gratitude? He felt an elusive look in his wife's deep, bright eyes.
After Tang Qiuhu saw Zhang Zhou's wife, he said to him, "Or you are blessed to have found such a beautiful wife!" In my life, after all, I am destined to be alone and single. According to my heart's words, if I can find a beautiful wife like my sister-in-law, I will have a short life of a few years, so why bother. Otherwise, it would be a trip to the world in vain. ″
Zhang Zhou listened to his friend say such a thing, and was busy exhorting and saying, "Qiu Hu, your idea is not good. Have you forgotten what the doctor said? ”
Tang Qiuhu said disapprovingly, "You can't fully believe the doctor's words." Heart disease people get married more often. Brother, you are a hungry man who does not know hunger.
Zhang Zhou did not want to argue with Qiu Hu more, but said: "Sometimes marriage is not as beautiful as you think? Sometimes it can make you miserable. "
Autumn Lake said, "Isn't your marriage happy?" I see that Wei Xueqin is beautiful and is a dancer in a song and dance troupe, where is it bad? ″
Without waiting for Qiu Hu to finish, Zhang Zhou pointed at him and said, "You, you only know pretty, pretty!" Someday..."
Qiu Hu then said, "One day, I'll die on Pretty, right?" If that were the case, I would die willingly. 'Peonies die under the flowers, and ghosts also flow'. Haha,"
After saying that, Tang Qiuhu laughed too much.
Zhang Zhou waved his hand, stopped talking to him, and turned around to work.
It is the alternating winter and spring seasons, and at this time of year, Tang Qiu Lake will take a period of sick leave and rest at home.
This year is no exception, Qiuhu took sick leave to rest at home. Zhang Zhou was not at ease, and went to his house every two days to see if there was any heavy work to do, and he helped to do it.
As living conditions improved, the briquette stove was replaced with gas. Tang Qiuhu was at home, watching TV and listening to music, and when he saw that Zhang Zhou often came to visit him, he said: "You have a family, no more than before, don't run to me often, your wife will have an opinion." Now everything is modern, and I go out to buy vegetables at most. You don't have to worry about it."
Zhang Zhou listened to Tang Qiuhu's words in another interesting way, wanted to ask questions, thought about it for a moment, and then said: "Well, if there is something, call me." ″
One afternoon, Zhang Zhou was at work, when he suddenly received a call from Tang Qiuhu, saying that he was going to get married on May 1 and give him good news.
After Zhang Zhou answered the phone, he couldn't help but be stunned: the vague worry in his heart was confirmed. What are you worried about? In fact, he couldn't tell.
When it was hard to get off work, Zhang Zhou hurried to Tang Qiuhu's home. After entering the house, I saw that the house was neat and clean, as if someone cleaned it every day.
Tang Qiuhu's face came out from the inside with a happy face. Zhang Zhou saw him radiant and happy, knowing that what he said was not false. With his hands in a congratulatory gesture, he said, "First of all, congratulations brother, you are getting married and starting a family!" Did the woman introduce you to you by Wei Xueqin? Is the woman also from her song and dance troupe? ″
Listening to Zhang Zhou's words, Tang Qiuhu opened his mouth in surprise and froze for a moment. It wasn't until Zhang Zhou stepped forward to grab him and sit down on the living room sofa that he eased up and said, "Brother, you didn't read those detective novels in vain!" You're all right. It was my sister-in-law who introduced me to me, and it was a little sister of her song and dance troupe, called..."
With that, he stood up, took out a photo from the bookcase in the living room, and handed it to Zhang Zhou: "It's her, maybe you recognize it." "
Zhang Zhou took the photo, which was an outdoor landscape photo, on the photo, a delicate girl, intimately snuggled on Tang Qiuhu's body, and her face was full of happy smiles.
Zhang Zhou recognized at a glance that her name was Gu Hongying, and she had heard Wei Xueqin tell that When Gu Hongying was twenty years old, she married someone. In less than three years, the man fell seriously ill and died.
After the death of her husband, she returned to her mother's house, and at the age of twenty-three, because she had no children, she still looked innocent and lovely, and no one who knew her situation would think of her, a person who had a marriage.
Qiu Hu saw Zhang Zhou staring at the photo without saying a word, so he asked: "What, do you recognize it?" ″
Zhang Zhou secretly sighed and said, "I recognize, her name is Gu Hongying, and she looks beautiful and gentle." Brother, are you really going to marry her? Did you forget the doctor's words? "
Qiu Hu said with some displeasure, "You have taken the doctor's words again." Brother, I have long said that in order to appreciate the sweetness of marriage, I am dead, and I do not regret it! What if I don't try marriage, how about living a hundred years? Like the walking dead. Well, my parents' generations of relatives have long since they died. I'm the only one of you, the equivalent of my eldest brother-in-law. Be sure to hold up the scene for me then! "
Zhang Zhou didn't know what to say, and he knew that it would be useless to persuade him again; but should he tell Qiu Hu about the fact that Gu Hongying had been married? After much thought, he decided to tell him to know, and it was up to him to decide what he thought.
Therefore, Zhang Zhoudi gently told Tang Qiuhu about Gu Hongying,who had married someone when he was twenty years old.
To Zhang Zhou's surprise, after Tang Qiuhu listened, he did not have an obvious reaction, but said lightly: "How about getting married, that means that she is a woman with a hard life, and I treat her better." ″
Zhang Zhou wanted to say his thoughts and analyze why Wei Xueqin introduced Gu Hongying to him Tang Qiuhu? What is its purpose? Later, I thought that Qiu Hu was trapped in the longing before marriage, and would never listen to his so-called "love conspiracy theory"
Zhang Zhou suddenly remembered something and said, "Brother, I seem to have heard you say: You still have a sister, is it true?" "
Tang Qiuhu was lying on the sofa, his eyes were staring at the chandelier on the top of the living room, and he sighed softly and said, "Yes, I seem to have told you." That was when my father was sent to the liyang daibu countryside, he came together with a widow and gave birth to a daughter. When the woman's clan found out about it, they broke both of my old man's feet and sent him home and lay in bed for a long time. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone so early, and he would have died a year before he was sixty. "
Zhang Zhou interjected and asked, "That woman in Liyang, didn't she come to the city to find your father?" "
Qiu Hu sat up and replied, "Well... Looked for it. With a little girl. "
"How old were you then?" ″
"At that time, I, I seemed to be about ten years old, and my mother was not dead. "
Qiu Hu said, got up and walked to the cupboard, opened the bottom drawer, took out a photo album whose cover was somewhat worn, drew a photo from it, and said: "That day was like National Day, my father took me and the little girl to the photo studio to take pictures." ″
Zhang Zhou took the yellowed video, which was a group photo of Qiu Hu's father and Qiu Hu and a little girl. The photo is printed with a line of small print: 1997 National Day souvenir.
Zhang Zhou pointed to the girl in the photo and said, "Like your father, it's very good-looking." If the girl were still here, she would be in her twenties. You haven't been in touch? "
Tang Qiuhu seemed to be no longer interested in these words, and at this moment, he was immersed in the happiness before marriage. He no longer said anything about the girl, but just told Zhang Zhou to take a few days off and come over to help him decorate the new house. As well as chores such as ordering wine banquets.
Zhang Zhou solemnly agreed, and then resigned and went home.
At this time, it was late and the streets were brightly lit. Zhang Zhou's train of thought thought of his wife Wei Xueqin's body, and she also knew that Tang Qiuhu suffered from congenital heart defects and could not get married. What is her purpose in doing this?
Suddenly, Zhang Zhou had a terrible thought in his heart: Bungalow Villa, that villa worth tens of millions of yuan. He had heard her talk about the bungalow where Tang Qiuhu lived.
When he was in love, he took Wei Xueqin to Tang Qiuhu's home, and when she came back, she said in an envious tone: "If I had such a bungalow villa, worth more than ten million yuan, and sold it, I wouldn't do anything in this life." "
At the time, he said a few words to her disapprovingly. Thinking about it now, I hope this is my own blind speculation, no matter what, first go home to Wei Xueqin and ask for clarification.
Zhang Zhou returned home, and Wei Xueqin had not yet returned. His mother said to him, "Little state, why have you and your wife been arguing lately?" Neither of them spoke. ″
Zhang Zhou said: "Mom, she hates your son for not looking graceful, and walks together to collapse her face." ″
My mother said, "When your father was the director of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, she took the initiative to pursue you." Now to say such a thing, she is ungrateful! Besides, she thought she was good-looking, and I looked at her, her eyes rolling around, not a kind woman. "
Zhang Zhou was busy persuading: "Mom, what are you talking about?" We are husband and wife, you still take care of it, I will deal with it. ″
The mother muttered, said no more, and went to bed.
Zhang Zhou sat in the room and waited until nearly twelve o'clock, when Wei Xueqin returned home. Zhang Zhou asked, "Tonight is the show again?" "
Xueqin replied lightly: "Where there are still performances, we must find our own way." ″
Zhang Zhou said in a gentle tone as much as possible: "Why did you introduce Gu Hongying to Tang Qiuhu?" Did you know he had a serious heart condition?
Wei Xueqin narrowed her eyes and said, "You figure it out: he came to beg me to introduce him to a girlfriend." I couldn't push it back and forth, so I had to introduce him. ″
Zhang Zhou said, "Then why didn't you tell me?" Hiding from me? ″
Xueqin sneered, "Tell you, you are capable?" When I saw you, I was angry, a lewd look, without the style of a man. ″
When Zhang Zhou heard the fire, he thought that his mother had slept, so he forced himself to endure his anger and said, "All right." Since you can't see me, let's go our separate ways. ″
Xueqin said, "Okay, you said, let's go our separate ways." "
Husband and wife, like enemies, no longer look at each other, and each rests peacefully.
Zhang Zhou slept on the sofa, and this night, Wei Xueqin's rolling eyes had been flashing in his mind. His mother's words kept pouring over his mind: "Not a good man."
Zhang Zhou took a leave of absence, went to Tang Qiu Lake to help, from the inside to the outside, busy.
A few days later, the wedding of Tang Qiu Lake and Gu Hongying was held at the Lakeside Hotel by the Taihu Lake. The man had no relatives and was replaced by Zhang Zhou. Lively and lively, watching the moment qiuhu carry the bride to the stage, Zhang Zhou really hoped that his suspicions were wrong and absurd.
Gu Hongying was dressed in a snow-white marriage, the birds snuggled up to Qiu Hu, and Qingxiu's face was innocent.
Zhang Zhou said silently in his heart: "I hope your heart is also innocent!"
After the wedding, the woman's relatives came to Tang Qiuhu's home, when a group of people saw that Qiuhu's home was an old-fashioned bungalow villa, they were surprised and admired, privately talking about the red warbler really found a good man, and the discussion alone was worth tens of millions!
Zhang Zhou listened to the words of the woman's relatives, arousing doubts and speculations in his heart. He looked at the Tang family's bungalow and prayed to the ancestors of the Tang family to bless their descendants with peace and health.
A few months later, Zhang Zhou and Wei Xueqin went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get a divorce by agreement.
However, what Zhang Zhou did not expect was that after Wei Xueqin's divorce, she actually lived in Tang Qiuhu's villa.
Zhang Zhou called qiuhu and asked, why did you let Wei Xueqin live in your home? Tang Qiuhu said, my family is so big, you divorced her, she has no place to go, let her live. He also said that if you want to come to live, he is also welcome.
Zhang Zhou scolded him fiercely on the phone, so angry that he almost dropped the phone.
With Wei Xueqin there, Zhang Zhou didn't want to go to Tang Qiuhu's house. It just so happened that he was transferred out of the municipal medicinal materials laboratory, so the opportunity for the two to contact was getting less and less, and they talked on the phone when there was something.
It was a winter afternoon and the sky was gray. Zhang Zhou was at work, suddenly received a phone call from the Municipal People's Hospital, asking him if his name was Zhang Zhou, after getting affirmation, the other party said that his friend Tang Qiuhu was rescued in the hospital, and his life was in danger. Let him hurry to see him for the last time.
By the time Zhang Zhou rushed to the hospital, it was too late, and Tang Qiuhu's heart had stopped beating.
Looking at Qiu Hu's miserable white face, Zhang Zhou wanted to cry without tears. Zhang Zhou asked the doctor, "What about his wife?" "
The doctor said, "I haven't seen his wife." He came to the hospital alone. ″
Zhang Zhou listened, angry, rushed to QiuHu's home, only to see that the villa was pitch black, it was estimated that Gu Hongying and Wei Xueqin were not inside, he made a phone call to sing and dance, and the person who answered the phone replied that ∴ song and dance troupe had gone to perform in other places yesterday. Helplessly, Zhang Zhou asked the person who answered the phone to call Gu Hongying in the regiment, saying that her husband was dead and asked her to rush back to deal with the aftermath. The other party agreed and said to call immediately.
Zhang Zhou returned to the hospital ward, and the hospital had sent someone to transport Tang Qiuhu's body to the morgue for storage.
The caregiver gave Zhang Zhou what he had stored, a letter and a PHS mobile phone.
Gu Hongying returned from the field, and in the morgue, she fell on the body of Tang Qiuhu and cried very sadly. Zhang Zhou saw that the emotions she exuded were real, but he always felt a little too much. It's a feeling of logical thinking.
Zhang Zhou helped Gu Hongying and handled the aftermath of Tang Qiu Lake. The moon rises and sets, and everything returns to normal. It's just that bungalow villa by the ancient canal has a new owner.
Zhang Zhou was busy for several days in a row for the aftermath of Tang Qiuhu. Finally quiet, he opened the letter that Autumn Lake had left for him.
The letter reads:
Zhang Zhou, my friend and good brother, will you laugh at me for seeking my own death? For the sake of the woman, the life was given away.
However, my good brother, to tell the truth, since the red warbler got married, I felt that there was no white law in these thirty years. Love marriage is an integral part of human life. It will change your perception of the meaning of life.
The gentleness and affection of the red warbler often make me can't help but lose control.... I don't regret my choice at all.
I am most proud of my life to be friends and brothers with you! The only regret is that my villa worth tens of millions will no longer be the property of the Tang family. At this point, it reminded me of my father, and the daughter born to the widow, who seemed to be called Siefen. You should be in your twenties by now. If I can find her and let her also enjoy the Tang family's stay with ZuYin, I will die without any regrets!
This is the picture you've seen, and we're all in this together. I think that with your detective head, liyang will definitely be able to find her.
Never seen again! If there is an afterlife, we will still be friends and brothers.
Tangshu Lake, April 1, 2005
Zhang Zhou read Qiu Hu's letter and cried a lot. After taking half a month's leave from the unit, he went to Liyang Daibu to look for the only remaining flesh and bones of the Tang family named "Xi Fen".
With the great changes of the years, can Zhang Zhou find it? Who is no longer predictable.