Old Photos, Lies

I don't know where this man named Xie Yi comes from. He says he's from Bureau Five, Section Nine, but I have no idea what that is.

However, I don't doubt anything he says. The moment he mentioned the Little Ancestral Hall Entrance in my dream, along with the names of Uncle Long and Aunt Qin, I believed he knew something about my dream.

But why does he want me to go with him? Why does he say I'll die if I don't?

Eccentric Song next to me was also stunned. He looked at me, then at Xie Yi, and finally he looked at Professor Wang and whispered, "Teacher, what, what exactly is going on?" Professor Wang ignored him and said to Xie Yi, "Could it be..."

Professor Wang only uttered two words before Xie Yi raised his hand to stop him from continuing. He nodded to Professor Wang, who sighed, his expression becoming extremely solemn.

"Student Jiang, just go with him. Don't you want to understand things more clearly? Go with him, and he can give you an answer."

I was puzzled that Professor Wang was also helping Xie Yi speak.

"As for the school, I'll help you get leave. No matter how long you're gone, it won't affect you getting your diploma." Professor Wang even made such a promise to me. I was speechless. I just wanted to figure out why I kept having the same dream, how did it turn into this? Going with a stranger, and this stranger is telling me that this dream might be life-threatening, what is all this nonsense?

"Can you tell me what's going on?" I stared intently at Xie Yi's face. Even if I'm going to go with him, I should know why, right?

A faint smile appeared on Xie Yi's face: "It seems you don't remember anything about what happened ten years ago. Well, you'll find out eventually anyway."

As Xie Yi spoke, he gave Professor Wang a look. Professor Wang said to Eccentric Song, "Let's go out and let them talk."

Eccentric Song reluctantly followed Professor Wang out of the study.

Only Xie Yi and I were left in the room.

"Do you remember how you left the Little Ancestral Hall Entrance?"

I was stunned by his question: "Ten years ago, the old city was redeveloped, and the entire street of the Little Ancestral Hall Entrance was demolished. My family moved away at that time."

Xie Yi didn't speak, just looked at me quietly. His gaze made me uncomfortable. I coughed and said, "Why are you looking at me?"

He sighed softly: "Then let me ask you again, you said your family moved away during the old city redevelopment, so who was in your family at that time?"

"Me, my dad, and my mom, of course!" I was speechless. Why was I answering such an idiotic question?

Xie Yi sighed: "It seems you really don't remember anything."

I was a little annoyed. What did he mean by saying that? I remember everything, clearly, the Little Ancestral Hall Entrance, the people who lived there, all the stories that happened there, the joys and sorrows of my childhood.

Just as I was about to say something, he took out a photo from his pocket and handed it to me: "Look, do you remember them?"

I took the photo, glanced at it, and then I froze.

The photo was a family portrait of a couple and a child. The couple looked to be in their thirties, and the child was probably around ten years old. I didn't recognize the couple, but wasn't that child me? That's right, that was what I looked like when I was a kid.

The photo was yellowed and looked old.

"Who are they?" I blurted out.

"It seems you've recognized yourself. They are your parents."

How could that be! It's impossible that I wouldn't recognize my own parents.

My father's name is Jiang Chengyue, and he's a bus driver. My mother's name is Chen Fang, and she's a nurse at the maternity hospital.

I put the photo on the table: "Although I don't know where you got this photo, I can be sure they are not my parents."

He frowned: "Your father's name is Jiang Chengyue, and he was a bus driver at the time. Your mother's name is Chen Fang, and she's a nurse at the maternity hospital. You were in the fourth grade of elementary school at that time. This is a photo your parents took you to the photo studio on your birthday."

"You're lying. Yes, my father's name is indeed Jiang Chengyue, and my mother is indeed Chen Fang, and you even got their professions right, but it's definitely not these two people in the photo. They are in Qiao City now. Do you want me to take you to see them right now!"

Actually, I also wanted to see my parents right away. All of this was too strange, and I hoped they could expose Xie Yi's lies in person.

Before this, my impression of this person was still quite good. Although his dress was a bit alternative, his words and actions were still considered appropriate, but he shouldn't be making jokes like this. No matter what his purpose was, I couldn't accept him doing this.

"Okay, then take me to see them now."

I didn't expect Xie Yi to agree.

We came out of the study. Professor Wang was chatting with Eccentric Song in the living room. When he saw us, he asked, "Are you leaving already?"

Eccentric Song looked at me with concern: "Are you just leaving like that?"

They both thought I had agreed to go with Xie Yi.

"Even if you're leaving, you have to pack your things first, right?" Eccentric Song added.

Xie Yi said to Professor Wang, "We're going to Qiao City. He said he's taking me to see his parents."

"Oh." Professor Wang nodded, but his brow furrowed slightly.

Eccentric Song said, "Can I go with you?"

Xie Yi looked at me, his meaning was obvious that I should decide for myself.

I nodded. At this moment, I didn't trust this person, and having Eccentric Song with me would make me feel more at ease.

"Teacher, I'll trouble you to help me get leave!" Eccentric Song said to Professor Wang with a smile. Professor Wang nodded, this was not a difficult task for him.

Eccentric Song and I followed Xie Yi to the parking lot. He was driving a Wrangler, which I knew cost hundreds of thousands of yuan.

It takes about an hour and a half to drive from the provincial capital to Qiao City on the highway. That's now. Ten years ago, it would have taken more than five hours on the old road.

In ten years, many people and things have changed. Ten years ago, Qiao City was still a small county town, but now it's Qiao City.

Eccentric Song is a chatterbox, always talking. If it were normal times, I would have liked to chat with him, but today I wasn't in the mood. Xie Yi, on the other hand, was chatting enthusiastically with him. I listened on the sidelines, but my mind was a mess.

"Little Song, you and Student Jiang are high school classmates and buddies, you should be together often, right?"

"Of course, he was always bullied by classmates back in high school. I got into so many fights with them for him, being called in for parents' meetings was a regular thing."

I turned my head to look at Eccentric Song, and he looked back at me: "What? Did I say something wrong? Back then, they always brought up your parents, and every time you got angry, you'd fight them. I helped you out a lot, didn't I?"

My heart clenched. What was he saying? Why didn't I have any memory of this?

"Eccentric Song, what are you talking about?" I said, my face darkening. This guy's bragging was getting out of hand.

Eccentric Song said, "Did I say something wrong? They said you were picked up by your grandpa, said you were some kind of wild..."

Eccentric Song stopped talking there, but I knew what word he wanted to say.

Xie Yi glanced at me, then asked: "Little Song, have you been to Jiang Xiaobai's house before?"

"Of course, I've been there plenty of times."

I didn't say anything else, just listened quietly. I didn't know what was wrong with Eccentric Song, why he would say something like that. I began to suspect if this man named Xie Yi had done something to him, and what his purpose was in doing so.

I was just a poor student born into an ordinary working-class family. What was the point of him doing this?

"Then you should have met his parents, right?"

I knew he was asking that on purpose. Eccentric Song was my best friend, he'd been to my house countless times, he definitely would have met my parents. But at that moment, I felt uneasy, afraid that Eccentric Song would say something else.

Sure enough, my worries were not unfounded.

"His parents? He hasn't even met them himself. He only has a grandpa at home, he's been raised by his grandpa all along."

I stared at Eccentric Song with wide eyes, as if I was looking at a stranger.

"You've clearly met my parents, why are you lying?" I grabbed his arm.

Perhaps I had hurt him, because a look of pain appeared on his face: "Jiang Xiaobai, what's gotten into you? Let go of me."