Chapter 465

Under normal circumstances, Qin Huai should wait until the meal was finished and return to the hotel, using the excuse of needing to use the restroom, and sit on the hotel toilet to finish watching the last segment of Zhao Chengan's dream.

But these are not normal circumstances.

Because Fen Garden also has a restroom.

Qin Huai hadn't experienced the restroom of the legendary number one private kitchen in Beiping yet; it would be a real pity not to experience it once.

He didn't need Zhang Guanghang to lead the way; the restroom was located behind the private rooms. Qin Huai had seen the sign on the wall when he entered the room.

Qin Huai glanced at Zhao Chengan, who was eating everything equally—a bite of steamed bun, a bite of yam cake, and a bite of rice cake—and felt that Zhao Chengan would be eating for a while longer, so he could watch the memory first.

Qin Huai thought so, and he did so.

Qin Huai stood up silently: "You eat first, I'm going to use the restroom."

Zhao Chengan didn't suspect anything: "Mm-hmm, do you know where the restroom is? I saw it seemed to be in the back when I first came in."

"I saw it too. Eat slowly and don't choke." Qin Huai left behind a concerned remark and walked straight toward the exit.

The restroom wasn't very far from the private room, about 15 meters away. The decor was decent, revealing a blend of retro and modern styles. It must have been the original restroom of Fen Garden that had been renovated into a single-stall restroom.

Qin Huai closed the door, locked it, opened the game panel, and selected 【A Segment of Zhao Chengan's Dream】.

Thinking that he was about to see the last segment of Zhao Chengan's dream, Qin Huai felt a little excited. It had been a long time since he had watched the memories of the same spirit so smoothly and coherently.

Qin Huai clicked yes.

【Dream loading——】.

The night in Beiping city a hundred years ago was very dark.

Describing it as "not being able to see one's fingers" was not an exaggeration at all. No matter how bright the moonlight was, it was hard to illuminate the faces of people in the night like sunlight. For the poor who suffered from night blindness due to chronic vitamin deficiency, it was difficult to see clearly outside at night even with a lamp lit.

Because the light of the candle was simply too weak.

Under the faint candlelight, Qin Huai saw the expressions of Chen Qiusheng's family clearly.

Chen Pingan held a lantern. He didn't shine it on anyone but held it low, illuminating Chen Qiusheng's hands as he counted money and the small cloth bag Zhao Chengan held in his hands.

This time should be summer. Chen Qiusheng, Chen Pingan, Zhao Chengan, and Xia Mubing were all wearing short jackets. Xia Mubing had several bundles on his back, looking as if he were about to go on a long journey. The other three had nothing, only Zhao Chengan held a small cloth bag that looked more like a pouch.

Chen Qiusheng was lowering his head to count money—a large handful of money, a hodgepodge of everything: silver dollars, copper coins, broken silver, pounds, and legal tender. Some were intact, some were damaged. With the faint light of the lantern, Chen Qiusheng organized these messy coins, stuffed them all into the small pouch Zhao Chengan was holding, and told Xia Mubing to take off his shoes so he could stuff the pouch into the soles of his shoes.

"The world outside is chaotic now. The area outside the Great Wall has already fallen, and I hear the south isn't very peaceful either. The Li residence bought tickets to Jin Ling half a month ago with their whole family. Seeing that those devils are about to reach Langfang, we can't stay in Beiping. I don't know if Jin Ling is safe or not, but since the Li family has gone to Jin Ling, Jin Ling must be safer than Beiping right now."

"Mubing, you go to Jin Ling with your Uncle Liu first. Once you arrive in Jin Ling, you don't need to write back to report that you're safe. You're clever; put your own safety above everything else. If you find that Jin Ling isn't safe either, keep running further south. I've already given your Uncle Liu a sum of money; keep this money hidden for emergencies." Chen Qiusheng rambled on, worriedly touching the short jacket on Xia Mubing's body. "It's July now; I should have let you bring your winter clothes too. But the world outside is chaotic, and if you have too many things, you're easily robbed. I don't dare let you bring too many good clothes. The south is warmer than Beiping after all, and winter comes late. Once you're settled, you can buy cotton clothes yourself."

"If you run into bandits, don't be a hero. Staying alive is more important than anything else. In this world... as long as you can live, that's enough." Chen Qiusheng was like a rambling old father, wanting to bring everything for Xia Mubing, yet not daring to let him bring too much.

"Father, it's almost midnight. Xia Mubing should go. Uncle Liu said the caravan doesn't wait for anyone. If we don't leave the city tonight, it will be hard to leave later." Chen Pingan spoke up to remind them. He held the lantern, and the candlelight illuminated his face the most clearly. One could see his complexion was pale, his lips still lacked color, and he had a sickly look and a thin, weak frame.

This timeline was clearly a few years later than the last one. Chen Pingan had grown into the appearance of an adult, but his height hadn't increased much, showing that his health was still not very good.

"Yes, yes, yes." Chen Qiusheng hurriedly urged Xia Mubing, "Go quickly, don't miss it."

Xia Mubing was very reluctant. He looked at Chen Qiusheng, then at Chen Pingan, and said: "Master, let's go together."

Chen Qiusheng waved his hand: "Pingan's health is poor, and he has to drink medicine every day; he definitely won't be able to handle a long journey. If we had bought train tickets a month ago, we could have left the city, but it's too late to say that now. You go quickly, don't be late and miss the carriage out of the city."

"That's right, don't worry, Master Chen and Pingan have me. Don't you trust my skills? I definitely won't starve. Even if the devils enter the city and loot everything in the house, doesn't the house the Li residence left us have a cellar? We'll hide in the cellar, and at night I'll go out to steal food. I'll definitely keep Master Chen and Pingan plump and healthy!" Zhao Chengan patted his chest to guarantee.

Xia Mubing smiled bitterly, knowing that time waited for no one and he couldn't delay any longer. He looked back every few steps as he walked, and finally waved at the three: "Master, Pingan, Chen... Junior Brother, I'm leaving first. You must take good care of yourselves in Beiping and wait for me to return."

Then he ran into the darkness without looking back, afraid that if he ran a step slower, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from turning around.

Zhao Chengan was still there happily waving, but after waving a few times, he realized something was wrong and shouted in dissatisfaction: "Hey, why did Xia Mubing call me Junior Brother Chen? I didn't take Master Chen as my master, how did I become his junior brother?"

Chen Qiusheng was originally still in the sadness of parting, but hearing Zhao Chengan say this, he gave him a smack on the back of the head in annoyance: "You're even complaining about me? It's fortunate I didn't take you as an apprentice. Your skills and Mubing's have been worlds apart for years, and all you think about all day is when you'll get paid and what you'll eat. If I really took you as an apprentice, wouldn't you ruin my reputation?"

Zhao Chengan shouted his grievances repeatedly: "Master Chen, if I don't think about when I'll get paid and what I'll eat all day, what else is there to think about? These are the two most important things in my life."

Chen Qiusheng was rendered speechless by Zhao Chengan and shook his head: "Pingan, let's go back. The wind is strong at night, don't catch a cold."

Chen Pingan smiled helplessly, and soon this smile turned into self-mockery. His voice was low, sounding very disappointed and self-reproachful: "Father, it's all because I'm dragging you down."

"If it weren't for me, you and Ah Sheng could have left, and you could have traveled with Master Jiang's family."

"It's all my fault that you and Ah Sheng have to stay in Beiping to accompany me."

Chen Qiusheng patted Chen Pingan's shoulder comfortingly: "There's no such thing as dragging down. I'm your father, and I'm proud to have a son like you who is capable enough to get into university. Besides, I'm at this age; where would I go if I left? I originally thought about returning outside the Great Wall in a few years, but now I can't go back there, and I don't like the south either. It's better to stay in Beiping."

"Anyway, we aren't a wealthy family, we don't have anything worth looting, we won't die."