Chapter 267

The two sisters turned back to look and saw it was their sister-in-law Wang Han, who had caused a scene earlier; they didn't know when she had started following them.

Perhaps they had spoken too loudly and were overheard, so she chimed in.

Zhang Yueran nodded and said, "Yeah, sister-in-law, do you like him too?"

"Like him? He's a handsome guy, who doesn't like him? Pfft." Wang Han spat out a sunflower seed shell, fished a few more from her pocket, and while cracking seeds, walked leisurely to their side, "It's stifling inside the house, I'll go for a walk with you guys too. Pfft."

With Wang Han following, Zhang Xiaomei didn't say much, and along the way, only Zhang Yueran and Wang Han were talking.

Zhang Yueran still seemed unwilling to give up and asked again, "Sister-in-law, do you have any friends who went to Maoping Town?"

Wang Han said, "I do, why wouldn't I? Don't talk about my friends, I've even been there myself. And it's not just me; there were many people who came from Wuhan and Chongqing. Some drove, some took buses. When I went, there was a line of cars parked at the entrance of Maoping Town every day, all rich people running over to chase stars. It's only these few days of the New Year that there's no one there."

Zhang Yueran asked a bit nervously, "Then did anyone see them?"

Wang Han glanced at her and chuckled, "See a ghost, maybe. They've been filming for half a month, right? Let alone Chen Nuo, no one has even seen Liu Yifei, and not a single person from the crew has shown their face. It's very mysterious; they film every day inside that abandoned military factory."

"I heard they are waiting until after the New Year to come out and film location shots. If you're lucky then, you might be able to see a silhouette if you stand far away with binoculars."

Zhang Yueran said "Ah" with a face full of disappointment and said, "By that time, I'll have already returned to Zhejiang."

Wang Han said, "Hey, then there's nothing to be done."

As they were talking, they followed the road at the entrance and walked to the side of the neighboring courtyard.

Before they even reached the entrance, they saw Old Zhang walking out of the courtyard.

The middle-aged man was walking while turning back to wave goodbye to the people in the courtyard; his dark face was piled with smiles, squeezing out many wrinkles, and he looked truly very happy.

Zhang Xiaomei called out, "Dad, Mom told me to come call you back to eat."

Old Zhang turned back, saw his daughter, daughter-in-law, and niece, and his smile faded a little, saying, "Alright, let's go, go back to eat."

Zhang Xiaomei waited for him to walk over and asked curiously, "Dad, who were you talking to?"

Old Zhang said, "Xiao Wang and his wife."

Zhang Xiaomei realized, "The young couple you and Mom mentioned before, the ones who are really nice, right?"

"Yeah, that's right." Old Zhang looked back and said, "The couple has it tough. Young as they are, they didn't even go home for the New Year to do a little business. When I went over just now, their house was still cold and empty; they hadn't even eaten their New Year's Eve dinner."

"And I heard they only rest for one day during the New Year and have to leave again tomorrow. It was hard enough for them to earn a little money in the past few years, and they still have to send it home. Xiao Wang's father isn't a worry-free person; he's always getting into some bullshit trouble and still needs his son to give him money to cover it."

"But to tell you the truth, if one day you and Zhang Yongsheng could treat me like that, I would truly wake up laughing in my sleep."

Before Zhang Xiaomei could speak, Wang Han said, "Dad, the way you say that, it's like we aren't filial. When the time comes, when you and Mom are old, won't you still have to rely on me and Zhang Yongsheng to provide for you and see you off?"

"Dad, just rest assured, Zhang Yongsheng and I have already discussed it. When you really can't move anymore, there's a pretty good nursing home in the city, and the monthly fee isn't too high. When the time comes, we'll sell this old house in the town, and it will definitely be enough for you and Mom to live until the day you pass."

Old Zhang gritted his teeth; he felt that if he hadn't strained his back doing heavy labor the year before last, which had made his temper much milder since then, he definitely wouldn't have been able to stop himself from cursing out loud right now.

Zhang Xiaomei shouted, "What nursing home? My mom and dad won't go to a nursing home; when the time comes, I'll take care of Mom and Dad."

Wang Han asked in surprise, "What's wrong with a nursing home? Times are different now, Xiaomei; the service in nursing homes is very good."

Zhang Xiaomei said, "If you want to live in one, you go live in one."

Wang Han said angrily, "Hey, what kind of talk is that?"

As the sisters-in-law were bickering, a van suddenly passed by. The passenger window was rolled down about a third of the way, and the man sitting in the seat was very tall, revealing almost half of his face.

The van was moving very slowly; it seemed they were intentionally trying to say hello.

The man's gaze swept over the women and then landed on Old Zhang's face. His eyes curved, and he said with a smile, "Uncle Zhang, we're leaving now; please say Happy New Year to Auntie for me."

Old Zhang's expression changed, and he immediately smiled as well, "Alright, alright, Xiao Wang, you guys take it slow. Oh my, I told you to eat and you wouldn't."

"Next time, next time, after the New Year, we'll definitely come." The man smiled and waved again, then the van accelerated and drove off in a puff of smoke.

Old Zhang looked at the tail of the van, shook his head, and sighed, "See, how sensible Xiao Wang is. He still had to say hello when he left. Xiaomei, you should learn more from them... eh, what's wrong with you guys?"

Old Zhang was walking in front and had gone quite a distance before realizing there was no one beside him. He turned his head and discovered that the three younger ones had all stopped simultaneously, standing by the side of the road, motionless.

Even their expressions were very strange, as if they had seen a ghost.

Especially his niece Zhang Yueran, who was breathing heavily through her nose, her entire face flushed an abnormal red.

Old Zhang was startled and asked, "What's wrong, what's wrong? Oh my, what's up with you three? Don't scare me."

Zhang Xiaomei had clearly been helping Old Zhang argue with Wang Han just a moment ago, but now she turned a deaf ear to Old Zhang's words and instead turned to Wang Han and said, "Sister-in-law, you were the closest, you saw it the clearest. Tell me... was it him?"

The last few words were spoken exceptionally softly, so soft it was as if she were afraid of waking from a beautiful dream.

Wang Han also seemed like a different person at this moment, completely devoid of her earlier overbearing and willful demeanor, as if she had been bewitched, dazed and foolish, her brows furrowed, as if she were contemplating some cosmic mystery or a major life event.

"I... I think it was him, very similar... too similar. It should be, it couldn't not be him... it's definitely him, and the one driving, I think... it seems to be, Liu..."

Wang Han's tone of voice was even stranger, rising and falling, heavy and light, stuttering, contradictory and repetitive, her eyes fixed on the direction the van had left, as if she were recalling a certain scene in her mind.

Zhang Yueran's chest was heaving, and she kept taking deep breaths. After hearing Wang Han's words, she didn't hesitate for a second and said, "It must be. I couldn't have recognized him wrong. It's 100% him. It's him. I dare to bet all my red envelope money! It's absolutely him. My bedroom is full of his posters; could I not recognize that pair of eyes? It's absolutely impossible to find a second person in all of China!"

Wang Han frowned and pondered, "But how is that possible? It's impossible. How could he..."

Zhang Xiaomei suddenly spoke up, "Dad, who did you say he was?"

Old Zhang blinked, "What are you guys talking about?"

Zhang Xiaomei asked urgently, "The person who just said hello to you, who is he?"

Zhang Yueran and Wang Han also stared at him intently, both looking very nervous.

Old Zhang said "Oh," and said, "Him? He's Xiao Wang. Didn't I tell you guys before?"

Zhang Xiaomei said incredulously, "Wang? His surname isn't Chen?"

Old Zhang said "Hi," and said, "His surname is Wang, his name is Wang Xiang. Chen what Chen, did you guys recognize the wrong person?"

Wang Xiang, handsome in appearance, from Xichuan, moved next door to Old Zhang on December 15th, accompanied by a delicate and pretty young wife, surnamed Liu.

On this day, the lunch at Old Zhang's house was not going to be eaten well.

Old Zhang and his wife were interrogated back and forth, just like Old Old Zhang had been interrogated back in the day, about who exactly that young couple next door was and where they came from.

Especially the younger ones; at this moment, there was no distinction between daughter, daughter-in-law, niece, or nephew.

They asked about every detail of Wang Xiang and his wife's interactions with the Zhang family, over and over again, several times.

When they heard he was from Xichuan, Wang Han and Zhang Xiaomei exchanged glances, and when they heard his wife's surname was Liu, Zhang Yueran and Zhang Xiaomei also looked at each other. Finally, when they heard they had gone out to do business on January 10th and only returned this morning, the young people were all incredibly excited.

"I told you, it's definitely them, right!?" Wang Han said with glowing eyes.

Zhang Xiaomei muttered, "Chen Nuo and Liu Yifei were guests in our house? And stayed for several hours? My god, is this for real?"

"Real, real, it's absolutely real!" Wang Han paced around excitedly.

Zhang Yueran's eyes were filled with tears, and she couldn't say a single word.

The other three children were even younger, and at this moment, they couldn't help but start playing role-play.

One played the Hero of the Condor Heroes, one played the Condor, and the youngest little girl was Little Dragon Maiden.

Zhang Yueran's mother said helplessly to Old Zhang on the side, "Our Yueran has always liked Chen Nuo; she's obsessed. To tell you the truth, this time it was her who insisted on coming back; otherwise, our factory needs people to work overtime, and with triple pay for the New Year, I might not have been willing to come."

Old Zhang frowned, "You mean to say that Xiao Wang and Xiao Liu are actually Chen Nuo and Liu Yifei, who played the Condor Heroes?"

Zhang Xiaomei nodded fiercely, "That's right, Dad."

Old Zhang sat on the stool with a face full of disbelief, "No way. Such a big star. How could that be?"

Wang Han chimed in from the side, "There's nothing impossible about it, Dad. The timing and everything match up. And I saw it clearly just now. It must be them..."

As she spoke, Wang Han shook her head and shouted, "Mom, Zhang Yongsheng, come over and support me, hurry. Chen Nuo might have been only one meter away from me just now; I'm dizzy, I'm dizzy."

After the identity was finally confirmed, it was a big deal, and the whole family immediately started discussing it lively.

Old Zhang and his wife were no longer being interrogated by the youngsters; they were practically imprisoned in the Zhazidong prison, being interrogated repeatedly under white terror.

When they heard that when they came to visit, they sat in those two chairs, Zhang Yueran immediately crawled over and begged, "Third Uncle, can I sit for a while? Please, I just want to sit where Chen Nuo sat."

When the third of the Zhang family stood up helplessly, Zhang Yueran sat down on it, touching it left and right, and asked Old Zhang, "Uncle, did Chen Nuo put his hands on this?"

However, the most crucial part was the segment where Chen Nuo and the others listened to the story.

When they learned that Liu Yifei had actually shed tears listening to Old Old Zhang's story, and Chen Nuo had also shaken his head and sighed,

Wow, that was a big deal.

Everyone in the room gathered around, one after another demanding that Old Zhang repeat that story again.

Yes, not the original version, but the abridged version of how they fell in love at first sight and were mutually attracted.

Old Zhang looked at these big and small people, all looking expectant, and smiled a bit helplessly.

This story of his had been kept in his heart for a lifetime, and let alone his son and daughter, even his younger brothers and sisters back then hadn't been interested in it.

But now, it was like he was a different person.

Under unprecedented attention, Old Zhang was also in high spirits; not only did he tell the story in detail, but he also emphasized the reactions of the two young people at every stage of hearing the story.

His wife sat on the side, adding details at any time.

This telling lasted for a full hour; the food on the table had gone cold, and they were all hungry after walking for half the morning, but not a single person went to the table.

It was not only wonderful, but even peerless.

Until Old Zhang finished telling the story.

Even after a good while, the entire living room remained silent.

Subsequently, Zhang Xiaomei wiped her tears and said, "So that's how Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma went together. Dad, why didn't you tell me before? If I had known... if I had known, I would have gone to buy them some more spirit money this morning."

Old Zhang wanted to say, when did I ever start a conversation before you guys ran off? Now you're blaming me?

Zhang Yueran also choked up on the side, "It's so touching. I think if it were written into a book, it would definitely be very good. Sigh, I want to go to Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma's grave again this afternoon to take a look."

Zhang Xiaomei immediately said, "I want to go too."

"Then let's go, I'm going too. Zhang Yongsheng, after you finish eating, go buy some more spirit money and some more firecrackers." Wang Han said with red eyes, "I... I didn't even kowtow this morning, I, I, I, I'd better go and make up for a few."

Everyone knows that during the New Year, the bigger the city, the emptier it is, and the smaller the place, the more crowded it is.

Yichang belongs to the kind of place that isn't too big or too small, but it's quite crowded.

Chen Nuo and Liu Yifei found a parking lot for their car, but as soon as they got out, they discovered it was actually a movie theater.

The parking lot was quite empty, there weren't many people watching movies, and there were only three movies released for the Spring Festival season this year.

"Look for a Star" by Andy Lau and Shu Qi, the Hollywood movie "Bridge to Terabithia," and "If You Are the One" by Feng Xiaogang, Ge You, and Shu Qi.

Shu Qi was basically fighting against herself.

But it was also from this year that she officially stepped into the status of a first-tier film actress.

Since it was such a coincidence that two actors parked their car at a movie theater, whether they watched a movie or not, they naturally had to look at the promotional posters.

When they walked to the entrance of the theater, Liu Yifei looked at the poster for "If You Are the One," read the promotional copy on it softly, and said, "What is most precious in love... Chen Nuo."

Chen Nuo was stunned, "What promise? It's sincerity. What is most precious in love... sincerity. That's why it's called 'If You Are the One' (If You Are Sincere, Don't Disturb)."

Liu Yifei said "Oh," and said indifferently, "I didn't see it clearly. I'm American, my Chinese isn't good."

Chen Nuo couldn't help but laugh and said, "I said I wouldn't laugh at you anymore, can you not give up on yourself?"

Liu Yifei hummed and said, "I want to watch this movie."

Chen Nuo hesitated for a second, thinking about whether he should contribute these dozens of yuan in box office revenue to Huayi.

In the end, Brother Nuo decided to be the bigger person and just send the Wang brothers a blessing.

It just so happened he was also quite curious.

He had poached Pang Haoxiang, so how did the "Little Steel Cannon" solve the problem of the "Divergence Terminal"?

PS:

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If you enjoyed these two chapters, give me a vote, okay~ mua~

(End of this chapter)