C42 (1/2)

The man with the jars stood a few meters in front of me, and I stopped in my tracks. I don't know what he wants. He stood where he was for a while, slowly raising his hands to remove the jar.

”Second Uncle!” I couldn't help but exclaim.

But I immediately realized that he wasn't my Second Uncle. My Second Uncle was already dead, and I saw his body with my own eyes, lying on the bed. When I left my maternal grandma's house, his corpse had already been dressed in birthday clothes.

”Jin Shi!” The man opposite me shouted at me. His voice sounded exactly like my Second Uncle's.

”Who the hell are you?” I asked, fighting back my fear.

”I'm your Second Uncle, don't you recognize my face?” The man held the jar in one arm and pointed with the other to his face.

”But my Second Uncle is already dead! Could it be that the person who died was not my Second Uncle? You are? ” I suddenly felt a surge of hope, that my Second Uncle was still alive, and the one who died was someone else. After all, there are very few people in the world who are good to me. Second Uncle was one of them.

”NO!” The one who died was your Second Uncle! I am also your Second Uncle! ” the man across from him said.

”That I don't understand!”

”You will understand sooner or later!” And with that, the man on the opposite side of the table strode toward me.

”What the hell do you want to do?” I shouted. He bent down to pick up a broken brick from the ground and raised it high in preparation to throw.

”Don't be afraid, I'll go attend your Second Uncle's funeral!”

I stood on the curb, watching the man warily. He pulled the jar back over his head and passed me. He was heading to my grandma's house. I wanted to go with him and see what he was up to. But when I thought about my grandmother's family's cold attitude towards me, my heart went cold. I couldn't be bothered to care about all that anymore. Seeing that the sky was about to turn dark, he quickened his pace towards home.

As I passed a fork in the road, I suddenly thought about the old willow tree that had been struck by lightning. I wanted to see the thing in the old well. It's my friend after all. Thus, he turned away from the direction of his home and headed towards the north. When they reached the old willow tree, which had been burned down to a bare, charred trunk, they saw a man standing by the well, drawing water, with a bottle of pesticides and a sprayer at his side.

It was an old man in his sixties. I said why aren't you coming home at this late hour? He said he planted an acre of green onions and gave them medicine. I went to the well and looked in. It was so dark I couldn't see anything. The old man asked the boy what you were doing here. I didn't say anything. His eyes were wary as he said, ”You aren't here to steal my spring onion, are you?”

I said I don't know where your green land is. When the old man said you didn't know, I wouldn't tell you. I said that since you're here fetching water, it must be in this area. Annoyed, the old man glared at me and scolded, ”If you dare steal my onion and let me catch you, I'll beat you to death!” ”Look at your small body, I lifted you up and you fell to your death!”

I said, ”What are you in a hurry for? I also have spring onions, who would want to eat your spring onions! ”

”Then get out of here, don't get in the way!”

I said, ”You only dare to be mean to me when I'm weak. If you were a strong man, you'd definitely be so scared that you wouldn't even dare to fart!”

”Pah!” The old man slapped me hard on the back of the head. I fell forward and almost fell into the well. I was furious, saying that I don't want to bully an old bastard like you, but you actually attacked first. He punched him in the face. Smash his nose until it bled.

”Wow!” Grandson, you dare to hit me! Just you wait, I'll call someone! ”You won't be able to leave today …” As the old man wiped the blood from his nose, he took out his cell phone and began to scream.

I looked around and saw no one else. Gritting his teeth and blinking his eyes, he suddenly threw himself forward and pushed the old man into the well. Gulp! A muffled sound of water splashing could be heard from the well. I stood there for a moment without hearing the old man's cry for help from the well. Silence returned to the well. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard a shout: ”Wait!”

I stopped and looked back. It was a woman. Judging from his age, he seemed to be around twenty years old. Her figure was not bad, her face was pretty good, and her clothes could still be considered foreign.

”What for?” I asked.