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墨書 Inktalez
Changqing could hardly believe what Wen Sheng had said, but he knew that Wen Sheng wouldn't joke about something like this. Just yesterday, Lin Lin was alive, and now she was gone! The thought of it made Changqing uneasy. His face turned pale, and he leaned against the table, lost in his thoughts, unsure of what to make of it all. Perhaps he regretted something now, but it was too late; she was already dead.
"Brother! What happened? Is something wrong?" Chang Ru, who had been nearby, seemed to sense that something was amiss. From Changqing's expression, she could tell that Lin Lin's death was real, but she didn't want to believe it. Death was a terrifying concept for a child, even if she knew it was true. She hoped her brother would lie to her and say everything was fine.
"Lin Lin is dead!" Changqing didn't lie; his expression was filled with sorrow, as if Lin Lin's death were deeply connected to him.
"How did she die? Why?" Chang Ru asked again.
"Wen Sheng doesn't know! I don't know!" Changqing replied solemnly. Deep down, he understood how Lin Lin had died, even if Wen Sheng did not.
"I'm going to Wen Sheng's village to check it out! She didn't come back for lunch!" After saying this, Changqing quickly tidied himself up with cold water to wake himself up and dressed as handsomely as before. He opened the door and hopped on his bicycle, ready to leave.
"Brother! I'm going too!" Chang Ru tentatively suggested.
"What are you going for?" Changqing snapped irritably.
Chang Ru watched her brother's retreating figure with a sullen expression, staring blankly for a long time.
Changqing arrived at Wen Sheng's place early. As he reached the village entrance, he saw Wen Sheng standing there waiting for him.
Wen Sheng still wore his light blue shirt and black pants, along with the handmade cloth shoes from home. He leaned against a tree by the roadside, his face devoid of any expression.
Changqing felt a knot of anxiety in his stomach. It seemed that upon seeing Wen Sheng, he could hear him lying—that Lin Lin was fine or that she would meet him later in the evening so he could comfort her. Clinging to a glimmer of hope, he approached Wen Sheng with trepidation.
“Wen Sheng! What are you doing here?” Changqing forced a smile and asked.
“I came specifically to wait for you!” Wen Sheng replied without looking up.
“You're something else. What did you trick me into coming for?” Changqing laughed awkwardly.
“I knew you would come! But I didn’t trick you! Lin Lin is really dead!” Wen Sheng said coldly.
“How is that possible? Wasn’t she fine just yesterday?” Changqing refused to believe it. “How did she die? Why?”
“Life is unpredictable! She hanged herself!” Wen Sheng paused before adding, “As for why, you can go ask her!” He gestured vaguely.
“Let’s go take a look! You’ll never see her again; yesterday was the last time, and you didn’t even see her clearly!” Wen Sheng spoke with a mocking tone.
“I…” Changqing was at a loss for words, his expression twisted as if he wanted to cry but couldn’t.
Wen Sheng and Changqing walked together along the road leading to Wen Sheng's home. The roadside was crowded with people, all discussing the situation, both tall and short. From Lin Lin's house came the sound of her mother crying, a mournful wail of a white-haired person mourning a black-haired child—truly a heartbreaking sight.
The people by the roadside sighed, some expressing sympathy, while others complained about Lin Lin's father and her Aunt Flow. Lin Lin's mother cried and scolded, “Why did you push her? The child is dead! What good is that to you?” Her voice stretched long, punctuated by sobs that made it sound somewhat disjointed.
“If I had known it would end like this! Even if it meant going against my sister’s wishes, I wouldn’t have agreed!” Lin Lin's father also opened his mouth to cry out. If only he had known! There’s no such thing as knowing beforehand; time doesn’t turn back, and once someone dies, they cannot return! Regret is useless!
Even late into the night, cries could still be heard from Lin Lin's home. Her two brothers were also crying; being teenagers, they understood what had happened. In their eyes, it seemed that Aunt Flow was responsible for their sister’s death. The two boys silently vowed to take revenge when they grew up.
According to the village's customs, Lin Lin was considered to have died young. Regardless of the circumstances, a person who had never been married could not be buried in the ancestral grave. On the afternoon of the second day, with the help of some neighbors, Lin Lin was buried by the riverbank in front of the village. Lin Lin's mother always said that her child loved to bathe and enjoyed cleanliness. Under the shade of the willows by the river, they made a small mound for her grave. From that moment on, her Aunt Flow never showed her face again.
Changqing wanted to run to Lin Lin's home several times, to cry in front of her or to confess his feelings! However, Wen Sheng stopped him, warning that once he went there, it would be hard to cleanse himself of guilt. Such actions would tarnish her reputation; it was considered very immoral for young girls and boys in the countryside to have secret relationships.
It wasn't until evening that Wen Sheng accompanied him to the riverbank. Standing before Lin Lin's grave, Changqing couldn't hold back any longer and began to cry. Wen Sheng stood beside him without offering any words of comfort, allowing him to weep freely. The wind brushed against Wen Sheng's face, leaving it pale and expressionless.
"You should cry your heart out! Shouldn't you?" Wen Sheng sighed deeply.
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