Driving into the town, I parked the car on the side of the road. Not much had changed here, just a few newly built houses on both sides of the street.

"Are we there?" Xiao Wu asked, immediately opening the car door and grabbing things.

"Not yet, we need to buy some things first. The house has been empty for so many years, we need to clean it first. I'm going to buy some cleaning supplies and lights."

"You know about electricity?"

"Before I met you guys, I worked on construction sites. There was a good master who taught me a lot about electrical work. Later, I met a boss who said I didn't look like someone who should be doing manual labor. He had some outstanding debts he couldn't collect, and he said he'd give me the task, so that's how I got into resources." I said as we walked.

"What about that boss? You could go find him again and get some business going."

"He went bankrupt. That was before I went in."

I took Xiao Wu to a general store, and he stood in front of the cigarette counter, head down, choosing a cigarette. His personality is that when he has money, he definitely smokes the best. The fact that he's picking and choosing now is a sure sign he's short on cash.

I walked over, pointed to the brand he usually smokes, and said to the shopkeeper, "Give him a carton, I'll pay for it all together later."

Xiao Wu looked up at me with an admiring expression, as if he'd received a great favor. I took a thousand yuan out of my wallet and gave it to him, to temporarily solve his immediate needs.

We bought a lot of miscellaneous necessities, and each of us carried a large bag. Xiao Wu carried a mop and broom in his other hand, diligently taking on the heavy work.

It takes twenty minutes to walk to the village where the house is located, but only a few minutes to drive. There were already few residents, about a hundred households, and now there are even fewer.

I stood in front of the house. It was a two-story building built in the nineties, and it was also Lin Hai's wedding house. The paint on the door had faded from sun and rain, losing its original color, revealing patches of the original wood.

I looked at the uneven paint on the door, touched it, and tore off the half-stuck, half-falling piece. The keyhole was also covered in rust. I walked to a corner by the window sill. That was my secret with my grandparents. If no one was home, the key would be in that spot.

Sure enough, there was a set of keys under some clothes I used to wear, equally rusted. I turned around and said to Xiao Wu, who was smoking, "Bring the motor oil from the car."

"What do you need it for?" Xiao Wu asked, looking at me suspiciously.

"Just bring it," I said a little impatiently.

The rusty key and keyhole could only be opened after being lubricated with oil. I was squatting on the ground, twisting the oil cap open, when I suddenly heard footsteps approaching. I immediately looked up. It was an old man, looking to be about eighty years old.

He stared at my face carefully, then asked tentatively, "Are you Lin Che?"

I stopped what I was doing, stood up, immediately offered him a cigarette and replied, "Yes, are you Lin Fei's grandfather?"

"That's right, children change, but old people don't change, they just get old."

I smiled. Most of the people in this village have the same surname. Lin Fei was my childhood playmate, and I used to visit his house often.

"Where's Lin Fei?"

"Our Lin Fei went to the county town, and his parents moved there too, to help them take care of the children. I'm the only one left at home."

"What about Grandma?"

"The old woman has already passed away, only a year after your grandmother."

I felt like I'd been struck by lightning. My grandmother? My blood suddenly seemed to freeze, but asking him seemed very unfilial.

At this moment, the old man said again, "The door to your house is broken, you can go in through the one on the side."

I responded casually, then slowly opened the door with the key. As soon as I entered, I saw my grandmother's portrait hanging on the wall, looking at me very peacefully.

Although there were differences compared to Lin Yang, in my heart she and Grandpa were my closest relatives.

Her body was still pretty strong three years ago, how could she just leave like that?

There was a small square table under the photo, with an incense altar on it. I picked up incense, lit a stick, and just stood there in silence.

When Xiao Wu came in, he saw me standing there like an idiot, and after a while he asked, "Your grandmother passed away?"

I didn't say anything, but looked at the condition of the house. It wasn't too dirty, much cleaner than I had imagined. It seemed Lin Hai's family had been here during Qingming.

Xiao Wu diligently started cleaning the house. I walked outside and sat directly on the steps, feeling somewhat complicated. After all, I had lived here for sixteen years, and my grandmother had taken care of me.

I looked at the surrounding hillsides. Most of the old houses here were closed. If Lin Fei's grandfather hadn't come over just now, I would have thought the village was empty.

At this moment, I heard a dog barking on the opposite hillside. I immediately looked over. It was a small black dog, chasing and playing with a rooster. A middle-aged man immediately came out and stopped them from chasing each other.

"Lin Ge, where are we going to eat tonight? There's gas in the kitchen." Xiao Wu shouted from inside the house.

I lit a cigarette and replied, "We didn't buy groceries, let's eat in town."

After I finished the cigarette, I went upstairs to the room I used to live in. There was basically nothing there except an old-fashioned bed and cabinet.

There were still many things to buy later. I went to the next room, which looked like someone had been living in it recently. The quilt was still on the bed, and there were cigarette butts in the ashtray. Although a window was open, the whole room had a very unpleasant smell.

This used to be Lin Hai's room. Thinking of this, I opened the drawer. I remembered there was a photo album when I was a kid. I was curious to know what my mom, who abandoned me, looked like, because after they divorced, no one ever mentioned my mom again, and all the objects related to her were cleaned up.

Finally, on the last page of the album, I saw a single photo of a woman, very young. The front and back of the photo had yellowed, and she looked somewhat like me, especially her eyes were very bright.

I searched all the drawers. This was the only photo that had been kept. So where was she? Who did she marry? Or was she just angry with Lin Hai and didn't care about me?

I seemed unable to answer so many questions, and I didn't have much interest in finding the answers. After all, there are few people like that. Even an object can sometimes evoke feelings.

I immediately closed the drawer and opened all the windows. The cold wind immediately blew in, and a chill penetrated my body.

Looking outside, there was a pond in the grass directly opposite the window. When I was little, I often ran there to catch fish, but I mostly caught tadpoles. I would put them in a bottle and watch them grow up every day. That time still left me with childhood happiness.