Tomb Hill

  The first time I heard Dazhu's wife say "your family Ali, your family Ali", I felt delighted in my heart. In the eyes of outsiders, I am just Qin Nainai's dear granddaughter. With this mention, I no longer disliked Dazhu's wife, even though she always scolded me and beat Dazhu.

  Grandma Qin didn't say a word and let Dazhu's wife keep talking nonstop.

  "This child is too much, you have to discipline him. Just think about it, today he's throwing snakes into my husband's pants, tomorrow who knows what he'll throw? My husband is a precious treasure, I've never even scolded him before."

  I hid in the tree without speaking, but in my heart I was resentful on behalf of Dazhu, and couldn't bear to see him being scolded and deceived, they had hit him countless times right in front of me.

  Da Zhu pulled at his mother's hem, "Mother."

  "Hey, what are you afraid of? I'm here to back you up! Qin auntie, if you can't give my family's Dazhu a reasonable explanation today, no one will be able to convince me!"

  Looking at Qin Nainai's serious face, I was afraid that she would really catch me and throw me to Dazhu Niang, and also let Dazhu Niang twist my ears like twisting Dazhu's ears.

  "Grandma Qin spoke in a light tone, 'A Li is not at home.'"

  Grandma Qin was telling the truth, she didn't even know I was hiding in the tree. Dazhuang's wife wouldn't let it go, thinking that Grandma Qin was protecting me, and insisted on going into the house to catch me and pinch my ears.

  After searching around, I probably didn't find it. When leaving, I casually slapped the big pillar and said that the big pillar was useless. The anger was vented on the big pillar, even a girl like me couldn't beat him.

  I know Big Pillar didn't really want to hit me, he was still protecting me.

  After Dazhu's daughter left, Qin Nainai said to the tree, "You can come down now."

  I looked around cautiously, making sure no one was watching, before I realized that Old Lady Qin had already spotted me. As I climbed down from the tree, my pants got torn by a branch, and I was afraid of Old Lady Qin's gloomy face.

  She closed the door and under the kerosene lamp, Grandma Qin spoke so much to me for the first time.

  She asked me to change into a pair of trousers that wasn't torn, and lent me one of hers. Granny Qin was mending my trousers under the kerosene lamp, and she said, "Do you like this place?"

  I asked Grandma Qin where it was, and she said, "Do you like living in Qin Village?"

  I nodded and then shook my head, finally feeling it wasn't right, but still nodded again and said I liked it.

  "Qin Granny said with a serious tone, 'Qin Yuanyang was wrong to leave you in Qin Village. Tomorrow I'll get Liang San to call him and have him come pick you up.'"

  At that time I was both delighted and disappointed.

  I'm about to meet Uncle now, but what Qin Nainai said wasn't just asking Uncle to come to Qin Village, Qin Nainai doesn't want me anymore.

  By the way, speaking of Liang San, he is a high school student in the village and the most cultured person in Qin Village. After graduating, he ventured into the city and bought a telephone back, which was considered strange by the villagers who didn't know what it was at first, but later found that they could hear voices from the phone, which was even more astonishing.

  Later, villagers would ask Liang San to write letters to their relatives working outside, saying that the village had installed a telephone and they would find a phone number, sell some lanterns, and go to Liang San's house to make a call.

  Liang San said he would charge one minute for one mao, so during that time the lanterns on the mountain were almost all picked by others. To make a phone call, people generally felt that those who could go to Liang San's house to make a phone call were rich and had a good reputation, and they were also people who had enjoyed using the telephone before.

  I'm no exception. I thought of Uncle Ah, when I went to pick lantern grass, everything was gone. I learned from Da Zhu that he goes to the river to catch fish and says it can be sold for money.

  But every time I caught a fish, Uncle Qin would bring it back to me and kill it, making me so angry that I hid in my quilt and cried.

  I've been raising fish for half a year and haven't even sold one, but now that I hear Old Lady Qin say that Liang San is going to call Uncle, I'm so excited that I couldn't sleep all night.

  For Uncle's phone number, I fought with Dazhu. He said his father's phone number was more elegant than my uncle's phone number. My uncle's phone number is eleven digits and different from others. Dazhu said my uncle's phone number was fake, so I got angry and fought with Dazhu until he cried.

  It wasn't until later when I went into the city that I found out, Dàzhùdiē's number was a landline number, while āshū's was a mobile phone number, and āshū's number sounded more elegant.

  Uncle came to pick me up when I was eight years old.

  Dà zhù duǒ zài tā jiā de guì huā shù xià kàn wǒ, wǒ xīn liǎo bù hǎo shòu, hěn nán guò.

  Translation:

  The big pillar hid under the osmanthus tree in his house to watch me, I felt uncomfortable and very sad.

  As I was leaving, Grandma Qin handed me my torn pants and told me to take good care of them. She said that the cost of living in the city is high, and this pair of pants is made of good quality fabric, so it might still be wearable for a few more years. My uncle didn't say anything and just took them from me.

  I know that Qin Nainai couldn't stand Dazhu Niang yelling at her gate every day, and even more unbearable was the villagers saying that I, an outsider, was unlucky, so Uncle took me away from Qin Village.

  Dà zhù wěi suí zài chē hòu dà jiào wǒ de míng zì, "ā lí, jì dé huí lái, wǒ huì zài cūn kǒu děng nǐ."

  Translation:

  The big pillar tail followed behind the car and loudly called out my name, “A Li, remember to come back, I will be waiting for you at the village entrance.”

  Remember to come back, I'll be waiting for you at the village entrance...

  Twelve years after leaving, every time I think of Da Zhu's words, I feel very uncomfortable. He is my only friend and the only one who doesn't mind being friends with me.

  My thoughts were pulled back to reality at this moment, twelve years have passed, and Dazhu, who is a few days younger than me, has grown into a tall and handsome young man.

  I had thought of chatting with Dazhu like this, but when I saw the black shadow flashing behind him, my heart skipped a beat, because this is a cemetery!