Chapter 367: The Gray-Haired Bury the Black-Haired
"I wonder if Mr. Zhuoda Village’s attitude suggests that he might be going back on his word?"
"Could it be that Mr. Zhuoda Village is actually the kind of person who says one thing and does another, just as he describes?"
Opening his mouth to argue, yet unable to save face, Zhuoda Village remained silent, unable to refute the claim of being two-faced.
The press conference ended hastily and unsatisfactorily.
After it was over, Chen Moxiang went directly to find Lin Tian, as the two still had to fulfill Ye Feng’s last wishes.
Ye Feng’s father lived in a small village called Beisi Village.
It was a very remote village, built surrounded by mountains, completely enclosed by the towering peaks.
In a bustling city like Kanyue City, encountering such an isolated village was indeed a rare sight.
A bus obviously couldn’t reach this place, so Chen Moxiang drove Lin Tian here, taking over an hour.
The village was desolate, with houses lining the roadside, among which a few clay tile houses could still be seen, yet there were few people on the road, leaving an impression of decay.
"Excuse me, where is Ye Zhongwei’s house?" Struggling to find someone, Lin Tian hurriedly approached a woman preparing to go to the field, carrying a shovel on her back.
"Walk about two hundred meters further in, and you’ll see it," the woman turned and pointed behind her, giving Lin Tian and Chen Moxiang a peculiar look before leaving.
"??" Lin Tian and Chen Moxiang were bewildered, unable to understand the meaning behind the woman’s final expression.
However, they didn’t dwell on it and continued further in.
Based on the woman’s instruction, they arrived at the designated place.
"No wonder she said walk two hundred meters, even a fool could find it!" Lin Tian remarked, speechless.
In front of them stood a mud-and-tile house, built with loess, with a tile roof, wooden doors with two iron rings, and two windows beside the door.
The mud-and-tile house was very dilapidated; if it weren’t for the smoke curling up from the chimney, it would be hard to believe that anyone still lived in such a rundown place!
Sitting at the base of the mountain, behind the mud-tile house was a deep forest, separated by a small ditch to divert the mountain water, preventing it from flooding the house.
"At least we found it!" After more than an hour’s journey, Lin Tian was happy to finally be able to fulfill Ye Feng’s last wishes.
"Is anyone home?" Reaching the mud and tile house’s entrance, Lin Tian knocked on the iron ring on the wooden door.
"Who is it?" A slightly hoarse and weathered voice came from inside the house.
"Creak!" Then the wooden door was opened, both panels shaking as if they could fall at any moment.
Standing before Lin Tian and Chen Moxiang was an elderly-looking man.
The old man had a head full of white hair, his face was furrowed deeply, obviously quite advanced in age, likely around sixty, and though he had a slight hunch in his back, his strong build hinted at a robust man in his younger days.
This came as a surprise to Lin Tian and Chen Moxiang!
Ye Feng was so young, yet his father was quite old, suggesting he was born late in his father’s life!
No wonder there was always an unbridgeable gap between the father and the son!
Clearly, Ye Feng’s father belonged to the older generation, unable to be influenced by new-age concepts, holding on to outdated beliefs!
Meanwhile, Ye Feng, as a young man, had a strong capacity for acceptance, shaken by new-age concepts; his naturally shallow feudal ideas couldn’t compare with the fresh modern thoughts.
This was, indeed, an unavoidable situation!
After all, modern ideas are more progressive, more easily accepted!
But for those with outdated thoughts, this felt like a challenge to their worldview!
That Ye Feng and his father could never reconcile was understandable.
"Uncle, we are friends of Ye Feng... Creak!" Lin Tian began, but before he could finish, the wooden door was slammed shut!
"Get out!" The hoarse, weathered voice rang out again: "Get out of this village right now! I don’t have a son like him, and don’t you dare try doing anything for him!"
The old man’s tone was filled with anger and bitter disappointment, clearly extremely let down by Ye Feng!
"..." Lin Tian and Chen Moxiang exchanged glances, now the situation seemed rather tricky!
"But, Brother Feng is dead..." after a long silence, Lin Tian finally spoke with a heavy heart: "His last wish before dying was to have me come find you and tell you this news!"
Inside the mud-and-tile house, there was only silence, not a sound.
Since the door had been closed, it had stayed quiet inside!
"Creak!" Five minutes later, the wooden door was opened once more.
The expression on the old man’s face was void of emotion, yet it was clear to see his spirit was no longer as strong, his back now bent further!
He appeared fragile, at this moment looking so weak, as though he might fall at any moment!
This sight made Lin Tian’s nose tingle with emotion, if not for him, Ye Feng wouldn’t have died, and the old man wouldn’t be like this!
For a parent to outlive their child was something one could never be expected to endure!?
No matter how much tension existed between father and son, they were, at the end of the day, still family!
"Come in." The old man said expressionlessly, turning to head back into the house without a glance.
Lin Tian and Chen Moxiang followed him inside.
"Plop..." The old man sat on the ground next to the bed in the corner of the room, his prominent cheekbones supporting weathered skin, showing no expression across his frost-battered face, from forehead to eyes and down to lips, radiating calm.
Underneath his forehead of numerous wrinkles, his uninspired eyes appeared lifeless and cloudy.
He held on to a smoking pipe, drawing on it silently.
"Uncle..." Lin Tian looked on, feeling a sense of sorrow.
He felt as though there was a large stone blocking his heart, he wanted to cry, yet found he couldn’t!
This feeling... was immensely painful!
"How did he die?" Only after a long while, after he’d finished smoking the pipe, did the old man’s voice sound once more. As he exhaled a puff of heavy smoke, he set the smoking pipe down on the wooden bed, his gaze turning to Lin Tian.
Those eyes were so desolate, just moments ago, when he slammed the door on them, they were brimming with anger!
But in this instant... they appeared utterly devoid of life!
"He died in an explosion, nothing remained of his body!" Lin Tian choked as he finished, a tear falling from the corner of his eye.
Beside him, Chen Moxiang couldn’t handle the atmosphere any longer, covering his mouth as he left the room.
"Is that so?" The old man nodded quietly, staring blankly out the window, seemingly lost in thought, or perhaps recalling something.
The room fell silent once more.
The old man said nothing, appearing either dazed or deep in recollection.
Lin Tian found himself engulfed in his grief, unable to escape it!
"Dead... just like that!" The old man’s tone was full of calm, yet within that calm was a detectable hint of despair and grief: "It’s good that he’s dead, now he can no longer create trouble!"