No matter how unwilling Gu Nianzhi was, she couldn't continue "interrogating" an old woman who had Alzheimer's and was almost 100 years old.
She could only nod with a smile and say, "Sorry to disturb you. Can I go to the courtyard next door to take a few photos? I think the courtyard over there is quite well maintained. "
The middle-aged woman didn't even raise her head as she said indifferently, "The courtyard next door used to belong to the Qin family. It's now under the name of the He family. It has nothing to do with us."
What she meant was that she couldn't make the decision over there.
Gu Nianzhi turned to look at the courtyard over there.
The flowers and trees there were sparse and well-proportioned. There was also a row of hydrangea growing on the side of the courtyard wall. They clustered together with the hydrangea flowers here, and it was bustling with bees and butterflies.
There was a huge camphor tree planted near the courtyard door. It was lush and had a faint fragrance.
Seeing that there was no one around, she walked out of the door impatiently and walked back in. She walked directly to the courtyard wall that was half the height of a person, placed one hand on the brick and wood railing, and jumped over like a hurdle.
Huo Shaoheng: "…"
His movements were quite nimble, like a little thief …
Huo Shaoheng was both angry and amused, but he couldn't help himself. He followed behind Gu Nianzhi and jumped over.
The middle-aged woman turned around and saw that the two people who had been in her courtyard had run to the opposite courtyard. They had even climbed over the wall on her side of the courtyard. Her face immediately darkened, and she softly complained in C City, "Little Red Brats."
Gu Nianzhi climbed over and realized that this courtyard was actually much larger than the one next door. It was only because it was the innermost part that it didn't look obvious from the outside.
Walking around the courtyard, there was also a walkway inside, all made of teak wood.
The main building was a Western-style bungalow. The large round white marble pillars were very imposing, but they weren't particularly eye-catching in the deep green forest corridor.
Gu Nianzhi walked around the small building and took a few photos. She walked back to the courtyard and stood behind the hydrangea flowers across the courtyard wall that was half the height of a person. She smiled and waved at the people in the courtyard next door. "Sorry for disturbing you today. We have to go home."
She had originally wanted to say goodbye to the other side with Huo Shaoheng, but perhaps her voice was a little loud, and the old woman who seemed to have fallen asleep woke up again.
She opened her eyes and saw Gu Nianzhi poking her head out from the flowers next door and waving at her.
Although Gu Nianzhi was almost half the height of the little girl in her memory, the smile on Gu Nianzhi's face, her curvy lips, and the little dimples at the corners of her lips all evoked hazy memories that she hadn't seen in a long time.
In that instant, Gu Nianzhi magically overlapped with the seven- or eight-year-old neighbor from all those years ago.
The old woman immediately sat up and looked straight in Gu Nianzhi's direction. She blurted out a string of fluent English, "Come here, don't do that again." Your parents will be home soon.)
Gu Nianzhi, "…"
Huo Shaoheng was also stunned.
He quickly reacted and gently took a step back towards the camphor tree. He completely hid his figure and only allowed Gu Nianzhi to appear in the old woman's field of vision.
The middle-aged woman next to the old woman was also shocked, but quickly composed herself and smiled at Gu Nianzhi. "Look, my grandmother remembered wrongly again. She thought you were her neighbor from many years ago … "
Gu Nianzhi opened her mouth and said in confusion, "… But my name is Grace. Don't tell me your neighbor has the same name as me?"
That was clearly the name she had just made up.
When she first saw the old woman, Gu Nianzhi didn't know why, but she remembered seeing the name Grace somewhere and used it for some reason.
The middle-aged woman nodded with a smile. "My grandmother said that there used to be a little girl next door named Grace. She was very close to my grandmother and almost watched her grow up. Look, so many years have passed, and my grandmother has forgotten her biological children, but she still remembers the little girl next door. Sometimes she would bring her out and talk about her. "
Gu Nianzhi knew that people with Alzheimer's had no concept of time.
They remembered things from a long time ago, but not recently.
Their memories were irregular. They might forget most of the people and things in their lives, but they would never forget the things that left a deep impression in their memories. Moreover, they would constantly pull them out of their memories and replay them over and over again, just like watching a faded black and white old movie.
They also didn't have a specific concept of time. They might think that something that happened decades ago happened yesterday.
It was also possible that something that happened yesterday would be moved back decades ago.
Gu Nianzhi didn't know much about Alzheimer's. She only roughly remembered that amnesia and memory confusion were one of the main symptoms.
But just because they had the same name, could this old woman, who was almost 100 years old and had Alzheimer's, mistake someone else for someone else?
Gu Nianzhi's intuition told her that it wasn't that simple.
She thought about it and supported herself with one hand on the courtyard wall that was half the height of a person. She flipped over like a hurdle.
The old woman was anxious and pushed the middle-aged woman away. She stumbled down the steps and faced Gu Nianzhi, still speaking in standard Oxford English.
“Grace！ I've
times！ Don't
！
(Grace, I've told you so many times! Don't do it again! You're too naughty!)
Gu Nianzhi quickly went up to support the old woman and said in surprise, "Your English is so fluent!"
The middle-aged woman chased after her and also supported the old woman's other side. She said with a hint of pride, "My grandmother was one of the first students to study in England. At that time, there were very few female students studying in England."
Gu Nianzhi nodded and said with a smile, "I can tell that the old lady's English is impeccable."
The old woman looked at Gu Nianzhi from afar and felt that she looked familiar. She frowned and looked Gu Nianzhi up and down. She muttered, "… You've grown taller …"
Gu Nianzhi: "…"
She heard it clearly this time. The old woman really thought she was her neighbor's little girl!
Was she Qin Suwen?!
Judging from the time, Qin Suwen had lived here before her family was destroyed in the car accident …
Gu Nianzhi's heart skipped a beat. She smiled and said in English, "Auntie, would
home？
Hungry. "(Auntie, do you know when my parents will be back? I'm really hungry.)
The old woman patted her hand and smoothed her hair. She caressed her lips with her fingers and said, "… You've grown up. Little Nannan has grown up … What do you want to eat? Do you still want to eat water caltrop cake? "
Gu Nianzhi didn't move and let the old woman's skinny hand stroke her face. She said softly, "You've mistaken me for someone else. I'm not your neighbor, Grace."
"Why not?" The old woman seemed to understand what she meant and frowned. "You're clearly her. I remember very clearly that your lips were very special. They were like sharp little water caltrops, and there were little dimples on the corners of your lips. You loved to eat water caltrop cake when you were young, and you loved to eat the water caltrop cake I made. Your mother always said that it was because you loved to eat water caltrops that you grew water caltrop lips … "
The old woman couldn't stop talking about these old things.
She looked up at the camphor tree across from her and fell into deep thought. She muttered, "… It's been a hundred years, right? This tree is really tall. "
She looked up at Gu Nianzhi again. "Even if it's been a hundred years, I still remember how you looked before you were burned."
Gu Nianzhi's heart trembled, and her body swayed a few times.
That's right, the old woman was talking about the little girl who used to live next door, Qin Suwen!
And from the old woman, Gu Nianzhi learned for the first time what Qin Suwen looked like before she was burned!
She actually had water caltrop lips and little dimples …
The middle-aged woman saw that Gu Nianzhi's expression had changed and quickly apologized, "Please don't mind it. My grandmother is sick. She doesn't remember it very clearly, so it doesn't count."
"I remember it very clearly!" The old woman emphasized firmly. "I remember it very clearly. I remember it for a hundred years or even a century! Grace is a very beautiful little girl! She will come back! She will come back here, climb over the wall, and ask me for water caltrop cake to eat! "
As she spoke, she looked at Gu Nianzhi's fair and tender face and was confused again. She reached out to touch her face and asked in confusion, "Your face has healed? You were injured so badly … When I read the newspaper, I was almost scared to death … Now that I look at you, you haven't changed at all … Did you have plastic surgery? "
Gu Nianzhi remembered what Qin Huichang's colleague had said yesterday. The car accident that year had caused a sensation in society, and the photo of Qin Suwen's burns had even been published in the newspaper.
If it had been now, that kind of photo would never have directly appeared in the newspaper and other media. Even if it had been published, the mosaic would have been so blurry that it wouldn't even have been visible.
But at that time, the photo of her being burned had been published in the newspaper. It was probably not censored, otherwise it wouldn't have caused such a huge impact on these people.
Looking at the old neighbor, she was already suffering from Alzheimer's, but she still remembered some of Qin Suwen's past.
If it wasn't for the thing that had left the deepest impression on them, these old people with Alzheimer's wouldn't have remembered it.
And this kind of exclusive memory was even clearer and more accurate than the memories of healthy old people.
Gu Nianzhi didn't know what to feel for a moment.
She should be happy. After all, there was finally a glimmer of light to the truth that she had been pursuing for so long.
But this light made her shudder.
In C City in spring, the temperature had gradually risen. The sun shone through the treetops, making people feel warm. Even wearing a thin coat was not enough to make people feel hot.
Gu Nianzhi stood in the sunny courtyard, but a chill rose from the soles of her feet. Her entire body was cold, and for the first time, she was a little timid. She didn't dare to face this possible and terrifying truth.
※ ※ ※
This was the first update of the day: Chapter 1778, "The Chilling Dawn".
Reminder for everyone's recommendation votes!
And monthly votes ~ ~ ~
At 8: 00 pm, the second update.
Mwah mwah, big shots and little angels ~ ~ ~
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