Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Deceased, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?
Chapter 71 Childhood Memories

Chapter 71: Chapter 71 Childhood Memories

Zhao Hongxia sat on the balcony, her hands holding an old yellowed photo, looking at the sea outside.

The sea at Bin Hai and the sea at Ci’en belong to the same region, there is no difference, but in her eyes, she saw it differently.

Although Bin Hai and Ci’en are adjacent, she had not been to Bin Hai for almost forty years.

Forty years ago, back then, her name was not Zhao Hongxia, but Lu Hongxia.

It was the happiest time of her childhood, her father was a seaman, often bringing her various rare gifts, making her the envy of her friends.

But later, her father insisted on divorcing her mother, and she followed her mother through a life of displacement, the pampered girl once protected by her parents, learned to grow up in just a few months.

A horn sound from the sea snapped the distracted Zhao Hongxia back to reality.

She shifted her gaze from the sea and looked down at the yellowed photo in her hand.

In the photo, a man was holding a little girl, with a woman with coiled hair leaning beside them.

Clearly, it was a family of three, all smiling happily.

The man and the woman in the photo were dressed simply, only the little girl in the man’s arms was dressed in colorful clothes, and seemed to be wearing makeup, but because the photo was too old, it had faded, so it was not very clear.

"Actually, I didn’t want to come, it’s been so long," Zhao Hongxia whispered.

At this moment, a somewhat skinny middle-aged man came out of the house.

He said, "But you still came, didn’t you? Since you made the decision, don’t regret it now."

He was Zhao Hongxia’s husband, Sun Dacheng, and also Lu Guanchang’s son-in-law.

Zhao Hongxia didn’t continue talking but instead said, "Who do you think wrote that letter?"

"It must have been your dad," Sun Dacheng said.

"But why arrange to meet us at the hotel?" Zhao Hongxia was puzzled and somewhat upset.

After so many years, was she still not allowed in the family home?

Sun Dacheng patted her shoulder and sat down beside her, unsure of how to comfort her.

"If he doesn’t show up by two o’clock tomorrow afternoon, we’ll check out and go back to Ci’en," Zhao Hongxia said.

Sun Dacheng nodded and said, "But didn’t you tell our mom about this?"

"What’s there to tell her? She’s living a good life now; no need to add to her troubles."

"Do you think our mom has not forgotten your dad?" Sun Dacheng whispered.

"What nonsense are you talking about? My mom has been married to my stepdad for so many years, they have a good relationship, how could she still have... have him in her heart?"

"I’m not talking nonsense, if our mom really hated your dad, wouldn’t she have thrown this photo away after so many years?"

Sun Dacheng reached out and took the photo from Zhao Hongxia’s hands.

Besides being faded and yellowed over time, the photo’s corners had no creases or damage.

Zhao Hongxia fell silent upon hearing this.

Actually, both Bin Hai and Ci’en, being close to the sea, have rather humid air.

The blankets and pillows at home always felt damp, as if they were never truly dry, which many friends from the Northern regions find uncomfortable.

That’s also why many old photos are hard to preserve.

And the fact that this photo was so well-preserved clearly showed it was carefully kept.

"How did he know our address, and why did he suddenly contact us?" Sun Dacheng asked.

"Who knows, but I guess he’s old now and probably wants someone to take care of him," Zhao Hongxia said with a hint of sarcasm.

Sun Dacheng actually thought so too, and he did not approve of this trip to Bin Hai.

But Zhao Hongxia was domineering at home. She had the final say in everything. She wanted to come; Sun Dacheng hardly dared to dissuade her, and could only take it one step at a time.

Although Sun Dacheng did not say it, Zhao Hongxia seemed to understand his thoughts.

She looked at him and said, "Don’t worry, I just want to see him and ask why he was so heartless to abandon us, mother and daughter. To think I would take care of him in his old age, that’s absolutely impossible."

Seeing Zhao Hongxia’s resolute tone, Sun Dacheng did not believe she could really ignore it.

After so many years of marriage, he knew his wife too well—sharp-tongued but soft-hearted.

After saying this, Zhao Hongxia took back the photograph from Sun Dacheng’s hands, rested it on her thighs, and smoothed out the non-existent creases at the edges with her finger.

All these years have passed, everyone else has let go, only Zhao Hongxia has not.

It is said that the pain of childhood needs a lifetime to heal, which is not at all untrue.

If Zhao Hongxia’s parents had not divorced and she had grown up happy, she probably would not remember much of her childhood.

But the family changes and the pain brought by her father made her childhood memories especially vivid, as if many things are still clear despite the years.

Sun Dacheng suddenly said something on the side.

"The kids are all grown up."

Zhao Hongxia paused in her movement.

They have a son and a daughter, both married. The elder daughter already has children, and the younger son was recently married and does not yet have children.

"Shall we go back in the afternoon?"

It seemed that Sun Dacheng’s words significantly affected Zhao Hongxia.

Thinking of her mother and her own children, she suddenly found her actions somewhat ridiculous.

But this time, Sun Dacheng shook his head, disagreeing with Zhao Hongxia’s approach.

"Even if we don’t see anyone, we should stay in Bin Hai for a few more days, look around, Bin Hai is much more beautiful than Ci’en."

Although both are coastal cities, Bin Hai as a tourist destination must have much better infrastructure and be more prosperous than Ci’en.

Zhao Hongxia wanted to say more but was interrupted by Sun Dacheng: "If you truly don’t care anymore, then there’s nothing to fear."

Zhao Hongxia nodded, feeling that her husband made sense.

So many years have passed; she is already a grandmother, why bother about so much.

Just then, a breeze blew in from outside onto the balcony, whirling around, bringing a hint of coolness.

Sun Dacheng stood up and looked towards the distant sea, where the sky above was covered with thick clouds.

"Is it going to rain?"

Rain in August in Bin Hai is particularly frequent but comes fast and goes fast, sometimes even having sun on one side and rain on the other.

"A bit of rain would be nice; it cools down the hot weather."

Zhao Hongxia said this, but she too stood up, ready to go back inside.

Although there was a sea breeze on the balcony, it was still not as cool as the air-conditioned indoors.

Sun Dacheng also turned to go back inside, but just then, suddenly a figure slowly materialized in front of them.

This person did not suddenly appear, but materialized gradually from faint to solid.

Zhao Hongxia was so frightened she stepped back, while Sun Dacheng quickly stepped forward and grabbed Zhao Hongxia’s hand.

Zhao Hongxia felt the warmth of his touch and seemed to come to her senses; she immediately moved a step to the right, perfectly positioning her plumper figure to shield the lean Sun Dacheng behind her.

"Xiao Xia, don’t be afraid..."

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