Chapter 347

That night, Li Heng had this dream repeatedly.

A dream of searching for his aunt.

When he opened his eyes, the dream disappeared; when he closed them, the dream came back again and again. Damn it, he was almost obsessed, which led to him still being very sleepy when it was dawn outside.

Around 6:40 in the morning, Mai Sui and Wei Xiaozhu, dressed neatly, came out of the inner room. When passing by his bed, they happened to see him staring at the ceiling with wide eyes.

Mai Sui stopped: "I feel like you're very sleepy. Did you not sleep well last night?"

Li Heng came back to his senses: "No, I just had dreams all night."

As he spoke, his gaze drifted casually to Wei Xiaozhu, and he couldn't help but think: Before meeting this girl, I never had this dream. Last night, sleeping with only a wall between us, the dreams were endless.

Could it be... is Wei Xiaozhu my aunt's daughter?

But as soon as this thought arose, he extinguished it in the next second, because it was simply impossible—the ages didn't match.

Wei Xiaozhu is 19 this year.

According to Comrade Tian Run'e's memory, his aunt should be 34 or 35 years old this year. Could she have given birth at 16?

That would be too early, right?

However, thinking that there seemed to be quite a few people in Shangwan Village who gave birth at that age, he suddenly didn't dare to be sure.

Thinking of this, he suddenly asked out of the blue: "Comrade Wei Xiaozhu, how old is your mother this year?"

This question left the two women stunned; they didn't understand why he suddenly jumped to this question.

Their eyes met, and Wei Xiaozhu hesitated for a moment before saying: "My mother is 43 this year."

Hearing this, Li Heng felt relieved and inexplicably let out a sigh of relief.

If a cousin that old suddenly popped up, and she was studying at the same school as him and was a good friend of his, that would be too coincidental, wouldn't it???

Wei Xiaozhu asked in confusion: "Does this have anything to do with you not sleeping well last night?"

Li Heng nodded and immediately gave a brief account of his dream and its content.

After listening patiently, the two women looked at each other, and Mai Sui asked: "Do your aunt and your mother look alike?"

Li Heng recalled: "According to my mother, before the age of three, photos of my aunt were almost carved from the same mold as my mother when she was young, but after the age of three, no one knows; she lost contact.

They say girls change eighteen times before they grow up. How much resemblance do the two sisters still have after growing up? That's hard to say."

Wei Xiaozhu chimed in: "If they looked so much alike when they were young, no matter how they change after growing up, they must still have some resemblance. Maybe there will be a chance to reunite in the future."

Li Heng nodded: "That makes sense. Then I'll rely on Comrade Wei's good fortune."

As they were talking, footsteps came from outside, followed by a knock on the door. It was Zhao Meng urging them to get up, saying Dai Qing was preparing noodles and they would set off back to school after breakfast.

The three people in the room looked at each other. Mai Sui, who was very experienced, immediately took Wei Xiaozhu and opened the door to go out.

What does "experienced" mean?

Mai Sui had seen the scene where he suddenly threw off the quilt in the morning, and she had blushed for a long time. She was afraid that someone would make a habit of it and throw off the bedding like a madman later, which would make Xiaozhu embarrassed.

Breakfast was beef noodles.

Dai Qing got up early to stew beef broth and stir-fry beef toppings. At this time, she was waiting in the kitchen for everyone to get up before cooking the noodles, so they wouldn't get soggy and taste bad.

From far away, one could smell a mellow beef aroma. Li Heng asked Dai Qing: "Do you eat like this in Shaoguan too?"

Dai Qing was a little surprised; she didn't expect him to talk to her, and explained:

"Although my hometown is in Shaoguan, it's actually in a place bordering Chenzhou. The customs are closer to Chenzhou. Usually, for weddings and funerals in the village, beef noodles are made like this. I'm just following along."

When Dai Qing spoke, her head was always lowered; she didn't dare to look at him, and even when she finished explaining, she felt a faint sense of relief in her heart.

It was as tiring as fighting a war to talk to him.

Obviously, Dai Qing's heart was not calm when facing him.

Mai Sui and Wei Xiaozhu on the side noticed this situation, looked at Dai Qing, then at Li Heng, but neither interrupted.

Seeing that the other party seemed afraid to communicate with him, Li Heng tactfully didn't ask any more questions. He took a pair of chopsticks, picked up a piece of beef, put it in his mouth, praised it as "delicious," and left.

Mai Sui looked at Dai Qing and followed Li Heng away.

Once the two left, Wei Xiaozhu said: "Qingqing, you should be natural; he's not a tiger."

Dai Qing gave a bitter smile, not knowing how to respond. After a long while, she said: "I'm inexplicably a bit afraid of him; maybe it's because he's too outstanding."

Hearing this, Wei Xiaozhu, who had never been in a relationship, didn't know how to comfort her, so she could only say: "Li Heng is a very good person; if you can't be lovers, you can be friends.

If you communicate with him more, you might be able to overcome your psychological barriers. Besides, there are so many girls who like him; he might already be immune."

Dai Qing thought for a while, then shook her head with difficulty. She was a person who loved and hated clearly, and she still felt it was better to cut off all karma.

She said: "If you don't cut it off when you should, you will suffer from the chaos. I'd better stay away from him."

Seeing her friend's firm attitude, Wei Xiaozhu didn't persuade her further.

Although Dai Qing was quite shy, as the two joint dorms said, her cooking was the best among the girls.

The beef noodles were truly not bad; not only were the noodles chewy and springy, but the beef toppings were also top-notch, and everyone praised them as delicious.

Even because they were so delicious, the original large pot of noodles wasn't enough, and Dai Qing was forced to cook a second pot.

While eating noodles, Mai Sui asked him with concern: "Yu Laoshi said the flight is at 1:00 PM. Can you make it back in time?"

How is that possible?

Yesterday, they stopped and went, and it took almost a whole day to cycle from Yang Pu to Dianshan Lake. Even if they flew today, they couldn't make it back, right?

Li Heng muttered in a low voice: "I plan to leave last later, and then take a car to slip away."

Mai Sui asked with a smile: "What about the bicycle?"

Li Heng said: "I've already greeted Old Li and Old Hu. Aren't they going to call a car to return the tents? They can take my bicycle back on the way."

At this point, he asked: "Are you going to take the car with me? Or cycle back with Xiaozhu and the others?"

Before Mai Sui could speak, Wei Xiaozhu on the side asked: "Li Heng, where are you going? In such a rush?"

Li Heng said: "I have something to do; I have to catch a flight."

Wei Xiaozhu turned to Mai Sui and said: "Sui Sui, let's take the car too; my legs are sore."

Li Heng: "..."

Mai Sui: "..."

In the eyes of the two joint dorms, Wei Xiaozhu was absolutely the most indispensable figure. To some extent, she was even more important than Li Heng, because whether it was boys or girls, they were often subtly influenced by her when making certain decisions.

If she didn't go, other girls would also back out and have thoughts of slacking off.

If she didn't go, the guys in 325 would instantly lose their spirit, regardless of whether they had a partner or not; this was an objective fact.

It's just that everyone knew it without saying it and never broke it.

A beauty, especially such a rare great beauty, her charm is evident.

Li Heng lowered his voice and teased: "If you just leave with us like this, they won't have the motivation to cycle."

Wei Xiaozhu smiled: "How come? How can it be that exaggerated?"

Is it exaggerated? In fact, she knew in her heart that many boys' dorms at Fudan University wanted to have joint activities with 107. They called it joint activities, but most of them were aiming at her.

Even the 325 dorm was no exception.

In the end, for some unknown reason, Wei Xiaozhu gave up the idea of taking the car back.

After breakfast, the two dorms rode their bicycles and started to head back amidst laughter and cheers.

After cycling for a while, when they reached a station where they could take a car, Li Heng handed the two bicycles to Li Guoyi and Hu Ping, and immediately took Mai Sui onto the bus.

It took a day to get here, but they rushed back to Lushan Village in just over 3 hours.

At this moment, Yu Shuheng was already waiting. Seeing the two return, she immediately dragged her suitcase out of the small building No. 25, raised her right wrist to look at her watch, and said to Li Heng:

"It's past 11 o'clock; we must go to the airport as soon as possible."

"Eh, alright."

Li Heng responded, took 5 minutes to take a shower, then took the luggage handed over by Mai Sui, and prepared to go downstairs to set off.

But just as he reached the stairwell, he stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Mai Sui.

Mai Sui was also looking at him.

Facing each other across the air, after a long time, Mai Sui walked up and instructed:

"Take care of your health when you get there, don't go hungry, and... write a letter home."

Once she finished speaking, realizing something, her heartbeat was very fast. She shifted her gaze away without a trace, not daring to look at him again.

Li Heng stared at her profile for a while, and finally said: "Then I'm leaving. You take care of yourself too; I'll leave this place to you.

Uh, you don't need to worry about other places, but you have to help me take care of the study, so mice don't get in and chew the books."

"Alright, I know," Mai Sui said softly.

After the words fell, the two were quiet for a while, then Li Heng turned and left, going downstairs.

After three or four seconds, Mai Sui also moved her steps and followed him downstairs.

At the entrance of the alley, after Yu Shuheng exchanged pleasantries with Mai Sui, she opened the car door with Li Heng and they got in on both sides.

Li Heng rolled down the window, looked at Mai Sui, and waved: "We're leaving."

"Alright," Mai Sui responded.

Yu Shuheng leaned over and instructed: "Mai Sui, remember to help the teacher water the flowers and plants in the courtyard."

Mai Sui promised with a smile.

The car moved, and as the speed got faster and faster, Lushan Village was pulled further and further away in the rearview mirror, and finally disappeared.

Yu Shuheng took in his appearance, but didn't speak, looking straight ahead and driving attentively.

At first, Li Heng was also thinking about his own affairs, and only spoke when they were about to arrive at the airport: "Teacher, I want to learn to drive."

"Alright, I'll teach you when we get to Bai Luyuan."

In Yu Shuheng's relatively cold voice, the true colors of her decisive style were still fully displayed.

Bai Luyuan is located in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. It is a loess plain spanning between the Ba River and the Chan River in Chang'an District, Baqiao District, and Lantian County. It borders hills in the east, reaches Xi'an in the west, leans against the Qinling Mountains in the south, and faces the Ba River in the north, covering an area of about 263 square kilometers.

Taking a plane to Shaanxi and then transferring to a Toyota Prado to Bai Luyuan, Xi'an, it was already late, and the sunset was beginning to set.

Looking at the large fields of wheat on both sides of the dirt road, Li Heng felt inexplicably open-minded and asked: "Teacher, how much further?"

This time, Yu Shuheng rarely didn't continue to use the Mercedes-Benz, but switched to the first-generation Toyota Prado. This car was launched in 1984. Li Heng was seeing it for the first time since his rebirth, and he didn't know how Yu Laoshi got her hands on it.

Yu Shuheng glanced at the two cars following behind through the rearview mirror and said: "The place we are going this time is Bailu Village. It might take another half an hour. Are you tired?"

"Not tired, just feeling that it's getting dark." In his previous life, Li Heng lived almost entirely in the city, wandering between Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Beijing most of the time, and rarely came to the western region.

Seeing this vast expanse of green wheat fields for the first time, he felt an indescribable sense of comfort in his heart.

Saying half an hour, it actually only took about 23 minutes to reach the destination, Bailu Village.

It wasn't the cave dwellings and loess he imagined, but instead had mountains and water, with dense forests. The house Yu Laoshi found was in the hinterland of Bailu Village.

The village head must have received some instructions, as he had been waiting at the entrance of the village for a long time, and was very enthusiastic toward Yu Shuheng and Li Heng.

There were quite a few people in the village. Seeing the village head leading a group of strangers in, along with three off-road vehicles they had never seen before, everyone was very curious and ran out of their houses one after another.

Seeing that Li Heng seemed very interested in the surroundings, the village head acted as a guide while pointing the way, introducing the natural scenery and cultural landscape of the village.

Facing the onlookers, Yu Shuheng instantly transformed into an Antarctic iceberg, radiating a cold aura from the inside out, looking like someone who kept people at a distance.

Li Heng was the exact opposite, with a smile always hanging on his face. He would smile like a spring breeze when he saw people on the road, giving people a very good feeling and great affinity.

Precisely because of this, the village head hardly talked to Yu Shuheng, but instead chatted and laughed with Li Heng all the way, with endless topics.

There was just one point: the village head's Mandarin wasn't very smooth, and Li Heng found it a bit difficult to listen to. Fortunately, he had great patience; he asked when he didn't understand, and asked when he didn't understand, fully exerting the spirit of being shameless and quick to get familiar.

Not long after, a piece of news spread in Bailu Village: two people were sent from above to inspect, and the village head gave up the newly built wooden house, which was originally intended for his daughter-in-law, and now the plan was postponed.

A villager asked: "What's the background of these two people? The village head is so willing?"

Someone guessed: "I know a little about this. It is said that these two have a great background. Isn't the village head's son working in the commune? I heard there is hope for him to be transferred to the county seat."

"Ho, there's such a good thing? No wonder the village head's wife has been tidying up the new house for the past two days, with tables and stools, and even hung a few pieces of air-dried meat over there. This is to curry favor with them."

"Isn't it? When encountering such a good thing, who wouldn't serve them like an ancestor?"

Other villagers said in hindsight: "I saw that these two people had extraordinary momentum, with cars and bodyguards, they must not be ordinary families."

"..."

Amidst the whispering and murmuring, the two arrived at their landing point, the new house located at the village brigade headquarters.

Don't look at the new house as a wooden house; it had a relatively large area, about 140 square meters, two stories, tiled on top, and four rooms on the first floor.

Behind the house was a large courtyard with a well, and there were neighbors in front, behind, left, and right, so it wasn't lonely.

After walking around the house inside and out, Li Heng asked: "Teacher, did you arrange for someone to get these bedding and furniture?"

"Mm, time was tight, so it's not as refined as in Beijing, but they are all new. What do you think?" Yu Shuheng asked.

"Very good, even better than I imagined. I originally thought about coming to live a hard life, but ended up falling into a rich nest."

Looking at everything in the house, Li Heng was very surprised but also very satisfied. Later, he came to the backyard and looked at the basketball hoop in the courtyard: "This was also arranged by you, Teacher, right?"

Yu Shuheng came to his side, looked at the basketball hoop, and said: "It's relatively simple. This is a basketball hoop from the town's junior high school. I borrowed it for temporary use. Due to the limited space, only one was installed. You'll have to make do."

"It's not simple; it's already very luxurious. I just mentioned wanting to buy a basketball, but you even helped me get the basketball hoop ready. Hey! Teacher, you are so good to me, I have nothing to repay you with," Li Heng said sincerely.

Yu Shuheng asked: "Why, want to thank me?"

Li Heng said: "I want to, but I don't know how to thank you. I feel like you don't lack anything, Teacher."

Yu Shuheng said: "When you have time, come home with me."

"Ah?"

Li Heng gasped, startled by this sudden request.

Seeing his reaction was so big, Yu Shuheng said: "What are you thinking? Just come home with me for a meal."

Li Heng scratched his head, not daring to agree immediately: "Since ancient times, they say there is no good feast. This... this wouldn't be a Hongmen Feast, would it?"

The smile on Yu Shuheng's face flashed and disappeared, and she said meaningfully: "Hongmen Feast? What do you have? What could our family possibly want from you?"

What else could they want?

Isn't Aunt Shen Xin trying to plot against my hundred-plus pounds of meat...?

Li Heng asked: "Is it really just a meal?"

Yu Shuheng suddenly leaned over, her full body against his arm, breathing hot air as she said softly:

"Little boy, do you know how many people want to be my family's son-in-law? You seem to have suffered a big loss."

Seeing the two like this, the two female bodyguards behind looked at each other, and a moment later, with great tact, disappeared from view, and thoughtfully closed the outer door.

"Ah? Really be a son-in-law?" Li Heng widened his eyes.

Yu Shuheng stared straight into his eyes and smiled.

From the first time they met, Li Heng was a bit uncomfortable every time he looked at her.

Because her aura was too strong, and her eyes were as deep as a bottomless black hole, which could attract people and crush them.

Moreover, the distance at this moment was too close, and her chest was almost pressed against him. Li Heng stepped back unconsciously, leaning against the door frame wanting to say something, but his lips moved several times, yet nothing came out, and finally, he simply stopped speaking.

Just like that, the two stared at each other in the sunset, and for a time, there was silence.

As time passed second by second, I don't know how long it had been...

In the confrontation, Li Heng finally lost and looked away, calling out with difficulty: "Teacher."

His voice wasn't loud, but it finally broke the deadlock.

Seeing that he didn't dare to look at her directly, the corners of Yu Shuheng's mouth curled up imperceptibly, revealing a faint smile, and she suddenly said: "You are allowed to have two concubines outside."

"Ah?"

In a short period of time, Li Heng gasped for the third time, truly stunned.

Yu Shuheng smiled elegantly, this time laughing out loud, withdrew her gaze, and said: "Your Aunt Shen Xin said your new book is written very well, and she likes it very much, so she just simply invited you to have a meal at home."

After speaking, she turned and walked toward the outer room, and a sentence drifted lightly in the air: "Don't think too much."

Phew!

She finally left! Damn it, she finally left!

If it were another woman, he might have joked around as he pleased, but since it was Yu Laoshi, he didn't dare, it wasn't good, and he was even less willing.

Because he couldn't tell which of her words were true and which were false.

It felt like every sentence was true, but it also felt like every sentence was false!

But one thing was certain: Aunt Shen Xin seemed to have really taken a fancy to him and wanted to plot to make him her son-in-law.

Fortunately, Yu Laoshi was the same as when they first met, cold and indifferent most of the time, looking like a stranger who shouldn't be approached, which wouldn't make people have wishful thinking.

Returning to the front room, Yu Shuheng was helping him organize his books. These were transported from Lushan Village, about 200 in total.

Li Heng didn't talk nonsense and walked over to organize them together.

Yu Shuheng said: "We will live on the left at night. This room will be used as a study, and they will sleep in the inner room."

The entrance of the new house was the main hall. There was a suite on the left side of the main hall, just like Le Yao's hometown. There were two rooms in the suite, connected by a door.

The layout on the right side of the main hall was the same, but the outer room was used as a temporary study.

Li Heng said alright, then asked while organizing: "What shall we eat tonight?"

Yu Shuheng's answer was concise and comprehensive: "Anything is fine, you decide."

Li Heng asked: "Can they cook?"

They referred to the two female bodyguards, one named Zeng Yun and the other named Wu Bei.

"A little, but the level is very average."

As Yu Shuheng said this, she instantly understood what he was planning, and smiled: "If you don't mind, you can also let them cook, as long as you can eat it."

Li Heng asked: "Are both of them left for me?"

Yu Shuheng said: "The one with the scar on her face is left for you."

The one with the scar on her face was Zeng Yun, who looked a bit ugly at first glance. He instantly understood what Yu Laoshi was planning—deliberately leaving an ugly one for him to avoid problems after staying together for a long time.

Li Heng asked: "That scar should be acquired later, right? How did it happen?"

Yu Shuheng said: "She was injured at the border a few years ago."

Hearing this, Li Heng immediately lost his desire to inquire, and instead asked: "When are you leaving, Teacher?"

Yu Shuheng said: "It depends on the situation. When you are familiar with the environment here, I will go back. Perhaps, I won't go back either, and will resign directly."

Li Heng: "..."

Then she added: "For daily meals, you only need to take care of yourself. You don't need to worry about Zeng Yun. If you don't want to cook, leave it to her."

Li Heng sincerely said thank you.

After organizing the books, the two began to prepare dinner.

There were many vegetables at home, including chicken, duck, fish, beef, mutton, dog meat, and jarred vegetables, but most of them were dried goods or cured meat. These were all arranged by Yu Shuheng remotely over the past few days.

Li Heng picked and chose, and finally said: "Let's have dog meat hot pot, and stir-fry some sour and spicy chicken giblets and green vegetables. It's simple and fast; I don't really want to move anymore."

Yu Shuheng was checking a bottle of Erguotou: "Okay."

The dog meat hot pot took a bit longer, and it took half an hour to get out of the pot.

As for the sour and spicy chicken giblets and green vegetables, the cold dishes took less than 15 minutes before and after.

Placing the dishes on the table, Yu Shuheng looked at the three dishes very comfortably, then picked up the Erguotou to pour wine. Before pouring, she specifically asked him: "Still writing tonight?"

It was truly comfortable, unrestrained here. Unlike in Lushan Village where there were others, and unlike in Beijing where there was Zhou Shihe, she had to take care of their feelings.

Li Heng looked at the sky outside: "Not writing tonight. After dinner, let's go out for a walk to get familiar with the evening local customs. If there is still time, we will read some books."

This arrangement was exactly what Yu Shuheng wanted, and she immediately poured him a full glass of wine.

PS: Please subscribe!

Posted first, edited later.

(More to come)

(End of chapter)