Chapter 224

On the second-floor balcony, the radio wrapped in thin wooden boards and hanging on the wall was playing the twelfth episode of Shan Tianfang's "Seven Heroes and Little Five Gallants":

"Earth-Piercing Rat returns home to adopt a foster son, Thunder Ghost leaves home to find his godfather."

Li Sanjiang was lying very leisurely on a rattan chair, a cigarette clamped in his left hand and a large tea mug filled with dried orange peels in his right.

It wasn't summer yet, and the weather wasn't hot, so there was no need to worry about not having a free hand to hold a cattail fan.

"Great-grandfather, time for your medicine."

"Ah, alright."

Li Sanjiang took the bowl of medicine, blew on it, and sipped it in small mouthfuls; there was no helping it, this medicine was truly bitter, but since it was the heartfelt intention of his great-grandson, he had to drink it no matter how bitter it was.

Over here, Li Sanjiang had only drunk a third when Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan, sitting opposite him, had already finished his bowl and picked up a second one to continue drinking.

The first bowl was the same as his great-grandfather's, which he had gathered and decocted himself; the second bowl was prepared for him by Liu Yi, and while the medicinal effects of both were to calm the mind and spirit, they were calming different spirits.

"Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Hou, don't you find it bitter?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan finished the second bowl, set it down, and shook his head:

"Not bitter, just a bit filling."

Seeing this, Li Sanjiang was unwilling to be outdone by his great-grandson, so he simply tilted his head back and drank the rest, then leaned back, mouth agape, feeling as if his entire body had been washed through by the bitterness.

After recovering for a good while, Li Sanjiang finally lifted his head again, took two puffs of his cigarette, and let out a heavy sigh.

The medicine was hard to swallow, but the effects were truly good; these past few nights lying in bed, he would close his eyes and open them, and hey, it was already dawn.

He would wake up full of energy, wishing he could immediately shoulder his hoe and head to the fields.

"Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Hou, do I still need to keep drinking this medicine?"

"No need, that was the last bowl."

"It's truly bitter, much more bitter than the coffee You Hou brought back."

"Then why did you say it was good and that you liked it, Great-grandfather?"

"It was a heartfelt gift from someone, how could I say I wasn't used to it or that it tasted bad?"

"Next time, Great-grandfather, you should just tell the truth."

"What's wrong?"

"A You saw you liked the coffee so much and is already thinking about opening a coffee shop in the village; he probably thinks that since the villagers can endure hardship, they'll like drinking coffee too."

Li Sanjiang was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then turned his head to look below.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You was sitting on a stool with Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, making paper effigies while watching TV.

"You Hou!"

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You looked up: "What is it, Old Man Li?"

"I heard you're going to open a coffee shop in the village?"

"Ah..." Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You scratched his head in embarrassment, "Not anymore, not anymore, I just had a momentary lapse in judgment, didn't think it through, haha."

At this moment, the TV was playing a Hong Kong gangster film, with the protagonist fighting a hitman in a gym.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng said: "Opening a coffee shop in the village isn't as good as opening a gym; that way, after everyone finishes farming every day, they can go to your gym to exercise."

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You's Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face flushed red, and he reached out to grab Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng by the neck, shaking him vigorously:

"Ah! You keep talking, you keep talking."

Li Sanjiang watched the scene below and smiled; he remembered that when You Hou first came to his house, he was quite reserved and awkward, but now he had blended in perfectly with the local mules of the family.

Just then, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's pager beeped; he looked down and saw it was Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin calling him.

"Great-grandfather, Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Zhuangzhuang is looking for me, I'm going to return the call."

"Mm, go ahead."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan walked to Zhang Shen's small shop and dialed the number displayed on the pager.

"Hello, Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Ge?"

"Mm, it's me, how are things on your end, Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Binbin Ge?"

"I've found the Heartless Island, but this island only surfaces for two months each year—one month in the first half and one month in the second half; there are ten days left until it surfaces."

Ten days... Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan pondered this timeframe in his mind.

"Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Ge, when I went to book a fishing boat, I found that a few others had already booked one, and I even made contact with two of them. Those two don't know each other, but they seem to know what the other is there to do, and they've even lumped me into the same identity and purpose as them.

I plan to stay here and spend some more time interacting with them, trying to dig up more information about the Heartless Island and the Qiu Manor."

"Stay safe."

"There's no danger; these two... are quite upright."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan thought of Xin Xin Jiyue; although she was clearly driven by self-interest and her methods were somewhat extreme, it couldn't be denied that she truly held a simple creed of punishing evil and promoting good in her heart, which was why Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan had let her go back then.

The two people Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin had met now should be very similar to Xin Xin Jiyue, though those two had likely collected their karma in advance and were preparing to go to the Qiu Manor on Heartless Island to "deliver the goods."

"Do you need me to send someone to support you?"

"No need, Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Ge, having more people would actually be inconvenient, and there are at least ten days until we set sail to land on the island; even if you came, you'd only be able to fish with me."

"Then that time is freed up; I need to make a trip to the capital."

"To the capital, is it?"

"Private business. It just so happens that Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang Ge is organizing an event in the capital, and my great-grandfather won a raffle ticket for a luxury solo trip to the capital."

"Oh... then it's not a 'wave' after all; with Old Man Li's good luck, the waves shouldn't be able to drag him in."

"Mm, so for now, I still believe that where you are is the starting point for our next wave."

"Rest assured, I will handle this forward post well."

"Thank you for your hard work."

"Heh, isn't this what the Long Wang ship's bow-caller is supposed to do? Scout the field in advance."

"Contact me immediately if anything happens."

"Understood."

After hanging up, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan dialed again to call Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang, informing him that he agreed to attend the exchange meeting in the capital and asking him to arrange things in advance according to his schedule.

After hanging up again, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan hesitated for a moment, but ultimately didn't dial that number; he would wait until he reached the capital to call, as the person might still be at the old place.

In fact, Li Sanjiang had originally intended to give up the travel opportunity just like he did when he won the prize last time, but after Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan told him that he would be arranged by Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang to attend an exchange meeting in the capital and that they could go together, Li Sanjiang finally nodded in agreement.

On the way home, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan ran into Auntie Auntie Auntie Xiang Hou riding a tricycle, with Liu Liu Jinxia sitting in the back.

Auntie Auntie Auntie Xiang Hou: "Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Hou, has your great-grandfather finished packing his things? When are you setting off?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "You all know already?"

Liu Liu Jinxia, sitting in the back, said huffily: "Sanjiang Hou is so full of himself; he's dying to tell everyone he meets, even if you talked to him about a bird's nest in a tree, he'd find a way to link it to the sparrows in the capital."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Grandma Liu, you could come along too; the travel agency can arrange it."

Liu Liu Jinxia: "Not going; even if I went, my eyes wouldn't be able to see a thing, it would be a waste of money."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "When Li Li Li Cuicui gets into a university in the capital in the future, you can send her to the capital."

Upon hearing this, Liu Liu Jinxia's wrinkled old Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face immediately blossomed into a chrysanthemum-like smile.

Auntie Auntie Auntie Xiang Hou said: "Li Li Li Cuicui said that you and that Miss A Li have been helping her with tutoring; thank you for your hard work, Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Hou."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Li Li Li Cuicui is doing fine."

Children with a "hard fate" are often more precocious than their peers; being able to be sensible two or three years earlier than children of the same age is already a huge advantage.

After parting ways with Liu Liu Jinxia and her daughter, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan returned home.

Liu Yi brought out a table and turned on the light bulb extended from a pole, and Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei picked up a brush to start designing A Li's new clothes.

Seeing the boy return, Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei beckoned him over.

"Grandma Liu."

"Are you going to the capital?"

"Mm."

"Private business?"

"Mm."

Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei nodded; she had guessed that this trip to the capital wasn't for "walking the river"—this child would never take Li Sanjiang on an adventure.

"Stay at our place; it just so happens we have a place to stay in the capital."

"Thank you, Grandma, but I don't know exactly where the exchange meeting is being held yet."

"It's fine, our family's courtyard isn't the only one we have."

"Still, no need; I won't be staying long, and packing up temporarily is quite troublesome."

Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei didn't insist further and pointed to the design she had already drawn, asking: "How is it?"

"If A Li wears it, it will definitely look good."

"Hehe, go on and get busy."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan went upstairs.

Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei's gaze flicked slightly toward Liu Yi, who was standing nearby.

Liu Yi: "Everything has recovered."

Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei: "It seems your medicinal soup is quite effective."

Liu Yi: "I think it's because he has been consciously doing self-regulation."

Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei: "That's what makes this child most reassuring; he not only knows what he needs to do, but also how to do it. Unlike our A..."

As she said this, Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei looked up and happened to see Qin Li walking onto the dam barefoot, holding a hoe.

Qin Li only paused briefly before walking over naturally to fetch well water to wash his feet; he had already become accustomed to being compared to "the family's own child."

Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei sighed and said: "It's good now, his skin is thick; if he had had this thick skin back then, he wouldn't have ended up in such a state."

Qin Li: "..."

When Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan returned to the terrace, his great-grandfather was no longer in the old-fashioned rattan chair.

He walked to the door of his great-grandfather's room, pushed it open, and found his great-grandfather facing the wardrobe, trying on clothes; there were several outfits laid out on the bed, and several pairs of new shoes underneath.

Elderly people who have experienced times of material scarcity all have the habit of hoarding things; new clothes must be kept at the bottom of the trunk, and they are reluctant to wear them on ordinary days.

Li Sanjiang did not have this habit; he had lived a very carefree life, but he truly did not have the habit of wearing new clothes. After all, he often had to retrieve corpses, and after coming into contact with them and carrying them back, the stench of the corpses would soil the clothes so much that no matter how they were washed, the smell would not go away.

Seeing that the scene of him trying on clothes had been witnessed by his great-grandson, Li Sanjiang felt a bit embarrassed.

Regardless of how he said "too much trouble," "what's the point of traveling," or "it's fine at home" with his mouth, his heart had long since flown to the capital.

"Great-grandfather, let me help you choose."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan walked in and very naturally helped his great-grandfather coordinate his clothes.

These new clothes of his great-grandfather were basically all bought for him by Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan, so he was more adept at matching them.

In the end, he chose a somewhat serious outfit, which had both the feel of a Zhongshan suit and the style of factory workwear, and then clipped a fountain pen to the chest pocket.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan nodded: "Like a cadre visiting the capital."

Li Sanjiang: "Hahaha!"

His great-grandfather was not used to wearing leather shoes, so in the end, he simply chose two pairs of new cloth shoes with thick soles, which also took into account that the attractions in the capital were generally hard on the feet.

After returning to his own room, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan accompanied A Li to appreciate the new painting that had just been completed.

The painting featured an auspicious cloud fairyland paired with a scene of world destruction, possessing extreme contradiction and impact, allowing Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan to instantly recall the feeling of witnessing it with his own eyes at the scene.

Excellent paintings should inherently contain excellent stories.

A Li put this painting into her sketchbook frame, and Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan reminded her to "hide it well."

It was mainly because he was afraid that the old lady with heavy curiosity would vomit blood after stealing a look.

Then, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan opened the wordless book; it was time to fulfill the agreement.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan did not stand on ceremony and directly extracted three times the share of deduction volume. After the deduction was completed, the red silk threads in the youth's blood-mist palm had solidified, though they were relatively short.

The white bones in the painting had turned into a pool of bone ash, as if they had just been burned in a crematorium boiler.

However, since this painting had not disappeared from the wordless book, it proved that the "Evil Book" still existed and had not perished; it had just been squeezed dry like marrow from bones.

After thinking about it, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan still put the wordless book into his backpack so that the deduction progress would not be delayed when going to the capital; furthermore, it was also very reassuring to use it as a brick.

Just as they were about to set off for the capital, an accident occurred: Yin Meng had fumigated herself into numbness while testing a new toxin.

Because Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan had set up an isolation barrier in the west room where she lived, it was not discovered until the next morning when she did not come out for breakfast.

When entering the room to check, they found Yin Meng lying on the ground; she was conscious, but her limbs were numb and she could not exert any strength.

On the table where she tested the toxins, there were many cosmetics that Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You had given her, all with their lids open.

Clearly, she had whimsically tried to mix cosmetics into the poison, and ended up playing herself.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng said while carrying her back to bed: "You must take good care of your body; next time, just poison your brain."

Yin Meng said very aggrievedly: "I didn't expect the toxin content in the cosmetics to be so high."

Liu Yi had come to check and said it was not a big problem; after resting for a few days, her body would recover.

Just like that, Yin Meng could only stay at home and could not follow them to the capital.

On the day of departure, Qin Shu and Xiong Shan each took a tricycle, carrying Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan, Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You, and Li Sanjiang to Xingdong Airport to catch a flight.

Li Sanjiang, who was flying for the first time, appeared very calm, but when the plane accelerated for takeoff, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan noticed his great-grandfather's body trembling, yet his great-grandfather still grabbed his hand and comforted him:

"It's okay, Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Hou, don't be afraid."

After the plane leveled off, Li Sanjiang looked through the porthole at the white clouds below and laughed like an old child:

"Ha, what a big piece of cotton candy down there."

But not long after, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan noticed that his great-grandfather was feeling uncomfortable because smoking was not allowed on the plane.

After the plane landed, as soon as they left the airport, Li Sanjiang couldn't wait to take out a match and light one for himself.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng took out a "cigar" and accompanied him with one.

The travel agency that his great-grandfather had won in a lucky draw, under Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's prior notice, only retained the round-trip air ticket portion; in the end, the four of them got into the car arranged by Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang's side and checked into a hotel.

In the evening, Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang also came over and led everyone to eat roast duck.

After eating, Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang asked if he needed him to arrange a tour guide, and then when he looked at Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan, he slapped his forehead and laughed: "Forgot, with you here, what kind of tour guide do I need."

After returning to the hotel that night, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan took Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng and Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You out for a trip, but the unit in his memory had been stripped of its sign, and one could not smell that scent of sesame oil inside.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan had no choice but to return to the hotel.

For the next three days, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan took his great-grandfather to visit attractions in the capital.

For Li Sanjiang, the most boring attraction was the Forbidden City.

Because Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan had a good memory since childhood, the restoration in his dreams was extremely high; Li Sanjiang had long since taken the zombies to run through every part of the palace.

Moreover, in reality, all the major halls had ropes placed inside the doors, and tourists could only step over the threshold a little bit; there was no way to really walk around inside, which made Li Sanjiang even more dissatisfied, thinking to himself that it was not as good as his own dreams, where he had even climbed onto the dragon throne.

His great-grandfather liked fried liver and stewed tripe, and Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan also ordered three bowls of mung bean milk, purely to enrich his travel memories.

After Li Sanjiang took a sip of the mung bean milk, he exclaimed: "So fresh and lively!"

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng and Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You, upon hearing this, immediately picked up their bowls and took a big gulp as if it were soy milk.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You: "Ugh!"

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng: "Delicious."

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You thought his bowl was bad, so he picked up the bowl in front of Li Sanjiang and took another sip, then: "Ugh!"

There was an attraction that was very small, but the queue was very long; when queuing, one hoped that the people in front could walk faster, but after entering, one wished their own footsteps could be as slow as possible, and after coming out, many people started to cry.

His great-grandfather said he was tired today and wanted to go back to the hotel to sit for a while alone, letting Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan take Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng and Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You to continue the other itinerary in the afternoon.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan agreed, but still decided to send his great-grandfather back to the hotel first.

After getting into the taxi, Li Sanjiang rested his head against the car window, his mood very low.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan sniffed; he smelled a familiar scent of sesame oil in the car.

This scent, he had just savored in his dream a while ago, the memory was fresh, and it could not be wrong.

"Master, did you pick up a monk today?"

"Yes, a young monk."

"Where did you send him?"

"A small temple in Tongzhou."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan nodded; it seemed there was no need to make that phone call.

The youth cast his gaze on his great-grandfather sitting in the front passenger seat.

Upon arriving at the hotel entrance, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan signaled Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You to stay in the car, and he got out to send his great-grandfather back to his room.

After entering the room, Li Sanjiang waved his hand to urge Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan to continue taking Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng and the others to play, telling him not to worry about him.

After Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan brewed a pot of tea for his great-grandfather, he left the hotel, sat back in the taxi, and said to the driver:

"Master, go to that temple."

After Li Sanjiang sat in the hotel room for a while, he felt a tightness in his chest, so he left the room, walked out of the hotel, and began to wander aimlessly.

Although he was old, his legs and feet were good, and he remembered the way even better; it was just that his own Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Hou was too concerned about him, so how could he possibly get lost.

The hotel was not far from Shichahai, and Li Sanjiang walked until he arrived here; of course, he did not know what this attraction was called.

A rickshaw driver came over to solicit customers, saying he could take him around here and explain and introduce it to him along the way, but Li Sanjiang refused; he was wandering alone and couldn't bear to spend this money.

Besides, through these few days of playing, he had also discovered that when it came to tour guide introductions, his own Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Hou was the best; no matter which attraction they went to, he could explain the past and present thoroughly; since there was a free one at home, why would he go outside and spend money to listen.

As he walked, he felt a bit tired, touched his pocket, and well, the matchbox was left in the hotel.

Li Sanjiang saw a bench in front with an extraordinary-looking white-haired old man leaning on a cane sitting on it, so he took the initiative to walk up and ask:

"Brother, lend me a light."

The old man turned his head to look at Li Sanjiang and nodded.

At this moment, a young man in formal attire appeared from nowhere, holding a lighter in his hand.

The old man reached out first, took the lighter from the young man's hand, and handed it to Li Sanjiang: "Here, brother."

"Hey, do you want one too?"

Li Sanjiang pulled out two cigarettes and handed them to the person in front of him.

The young man, seeing this, was about to speak, but was stopped by a look from the old man.

The old man took a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

Li Sanjiang lit his own first, then went to help him light his; the old man lowered his head and used his hand to shield the wind.

Soon, smoke swirled in the chests of the two very old men, making their longevity even more difficult.

Li Sanjiang: "Are you used to smoking this cigarette?"

The old man looked at the cigarette in his hand and said: "I've even rolled grass leaves to smoke before, how could I not be used to it."

"How miserable, I haven't stopped smoking my whole life."

"Then you are blessed, brother."

"Can't say I'm blessed, but it's been quite smooth."

Li Sanjiang remembered the most difficult times, on the battlefield, he could also pull cigarettes out of the pockets of corpses.

However, when he smoked, he would also insert one into the mouth of the corpse and light it.

"Listening to your accent, brother, you're not a local, right?"

"No, I'm from Northern Northern Northern Jiangsu; my great-grandson brought me to the capital for a trip."

Actually, the air ticket was won in a lucky draw by himself, but it was indeed his great-grandson acting as the tour guide; Li Sanjiang was deliberately vague about it because he wanted to show off his filial descendant.

"Then your great-grandson is a filial one."

"That he is, very filial. He's a well-behaved boy, sharp-witted, and a university student to boot."

"Does he have a partner then?"

"He does. She lives at my place. Whenever he comes back, the two of them are inseparable, always playing together. They get along very well."

"A child bride?"

"Not at all. Her family is around too, especially her grandmother, who is a bit mercenary. I'm afraid it might be difficult when they get married later."

"That is true."

"But it's no matter. I'll save up slowly; there's still time. Don't look at me as if I'm old; like you—no, like that young man there—I could carry him on my back and run two miles, easy!"

"Mm, I can see that. You're in excellent health, brother."

"Brother, you don't look too bad yourself." Li Sanjiang patted the other man's chest.

The old man's expression tightened.

"Eh, what's wrong?"

"Just had a surgery."

"Oh." Li Sanjiang hurriedly pulled his hand back and wiped it on his trousers. "My apologies, my apologies."

"It's nothing. Back in the day, getting cut like this wouldn't even be worth calling an injury."

"Then you've certainly suffered a great deal."

"No, I'm lucky. Lucky to have lived until now, to see what I see today."

"Indeed, things have changed so much. Truly, a complete transformation."

"Have you been to the capital before, brother?"

"Never been here, but I've been to this region many years ago. Back then, we entered from outside the pass and passed through this area."

"You've even been outside the pass, brother?"

"You bet. We were fighting a war back then, and it was fierce. Later, we entered the pass and headed south, tsk."

Li Sanjiang took a puff of his cigarette and exhaled slowly, as if recalling the past.

The old man asked with some excitement: "Brother, were you also with the Fourth Field Army?"

Li Sanjiang: "Cough, cough, cough..."

Li Sanjiang choked on his smoke and began to cough violently.

The old man reached out to pat his back.

But the more the man patted, the redder Li Sanjiang's Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face became; it felt like he was being moved to the point of being speechless.

Seeing Li Sanjiang finally stop coughing, the old man asked with a smile: "Brother, which unit of the Fourth Field Army were you in?"

Seeing there was no way to dodge the question, Li Sanjiang could only twitch his lips and whisper:

"Well, I was on the opposite side of the Fourth Field Army."

The old man looked thoughtful. On the opposite side of the Fourth Field Army—which unit was that again?

Seeing the other man actually pondering it, Li Sanjiang simply gave up and slapped his thigh, saying:

"Oh, I just had bad luck. I kept getting pressed into service, escaping every time I was caught, then getting caught and escaping again. I fled from the Northeast all the way here, and then on to Xuzhou."

The old man finally understood. After a map of the route appeared in his mind, he opened his mouth slightly, and only after a long while did he say: "Brother, you call that bad luck?"

Li Sanjiang explained: "I never fired a shot at the other side. Every time, I'd just fire a few shots into the air and slip away. And I didn't just slip away myself; I took the people around me with me, and each time I brought more people along."

The old man first laughed, then his expression turned solemn. He reached out to cover the back of Li Sanjiang's hand and said seriously: "Then, brother, you also made a great contribution."

Li Sanjiang's Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face flushed, and he waved his hands hurriedly: "I'm too embarrassed to say that, I really can't say that."

Hoping to change the subject quickly, Li Sanjiang pointed at the young man and asked: "Is this your grandson?"

The old man shook his head: "No."

Li Sanjiang: "Then he must be your nephew."

The old man replied: "Something like that."

"Then is it a daughter you have?"

"I do have several sons, but they are all busy with work and I don't see them on weekdays; well, they don't like to see me either, because I have too many rules and a bad temper, and I always like to lecture them. It's also because work was busy in the past, and I didn't have much time to accompany them when they were young, though later I had a youngest son..."

"It was also because I was busy with work in the past; I didn't have much time to accompany them when they were young, though later on, there was the youngest son..."

"Mm, the youngest is good, he was the most obedient and sensible. It's just a pity that after he got married and had a child, he divorced, and now he doesn't come home either."

"If he doesn't come home, what about the child?"

"The child went to the mother, and even changed his surname."

"Did your youngest son mess around outside?"

"No, he loved her to death. My daughter-in-law was truly excellent, really. It's just that my son lacked the fortune; he didn't have that kind of fate."

"You're quite something, the child has even changed his surname and you can still speak well of her."

"One thing is one thing, personal feelings cannot be mixed with work. Sigh, it's been over a year, almost two, since I've seen my grandson."

"The child's mother won't let you see him?"

"Mm."

"Brother, you're a fool. If she won't let you, just go see him secretly. Slip the child some pocket money to buy toys. Children, what do they know? Whoever gives them fun things and good food, they'll be close to."

"My grandson... doesn't like those things."

"Hey, listen to you. What child doesn't like those things?"

"The main thing is, I promised my former daughter-in-law I wouldn't see him, and I don't allow anyone in my family to see him either. His grandmother has thrown a tantrum with me several times over the past two years, saying she wants to see her grandson, but I haven't budged."

"Mainly, I promised my former daughter-in-law that I wouldn't see him, and I don't allow anyone in the family to see him either. His grandmother has thrown a tantrum with me several times over the past two years, saying she wants to see her grandson, but I haven't given in."

"Then hasn't your grandson looked for you in these two years?"

"Then, hasn't your grandson looked for you two over these past two years?"

"Did they move out of town?"

"He remembers the phone number and the address."

"If the child was young, it would be normal for him to forget."

"My grandson has a good memory; he won't forget."

Li Sanjiang comforted him: "Then he's just a little heartless; if he's gone, he's gone."

The old man laughed: "Haha, but my grandson is smart, truly smart."

As Li Sanjiang turned his head to exhale a smoke ring, his mouth opened and closed silently several times: *Heh, smart? That's because you haven't seen someone truly smart like my Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Hou. *

Ever since he brought Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Hou home, whenever Li Sanjiang heard someone bragging about how smart their child was like a peddler selling his own melons, he couldn't help but roll his eyes in his heart. *Smart, you say? Then go pass the imperial examination and come back. *

"Brother, are the relationships in your family good?"

"In my family, the relationships are very good."

"My wife regrets it very much, saying she should have gotten along well with our daughter-in-law back then. Now it's gotten to the point where we can't see our son, and we can't see our grandson either."

"Heh, there's no mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflict in my house."

After all, he had no wife and no daughter-in-law; only the names of the grandfather and grandson were on the household register, which was as clean and simple as could be.

After all, he had no wife and no daughter-in-law; only the names of the grandfather and grandson were listed on the household register, which was as clean and simple as could be.

The old man sighed. In truth, every time his wife lay in bed at night expressing her regrets, he couldn't help but want to comfort her, saying it wasn't her fault.

However, he didn't allow himself to speak ill of his former daughter-in-law; after all, she was a comrade who dared to take on high-mortality scientific research missions multiple times.

The two old men sat on the bench and chatted for quite a while longer.

It wasn't until the young man stepped forward for the third time to urge him with body language that the old man said regretfully: "Brother, I have to go to the hospital for a check-up."

"Oh, then hurry up and go. Seeing the doctor is important; you can't delay that."

"Where are you staying? I'll have someone send you back to your hotel."

"No need, I'm staying nearby, just a few steps away. Look, we've been sitting here for so long, I actually want to walk around and look some more. Don't trouble yourself."

"Very well." The old man took a business card from the young man and handed it solemnly to Li Sanjiang: "If you have leisure, feel free to call and come to my home for tea."

"You are too kind." Li Sanjiang put the business card away.

At this moment, a small sedan drove over. The young man stepped forward to open the door, and the old man sat inside.

Watching the car gradually drive away, Li Sanjiang casually stuffed the business card into his pocket. Meeting is fate, but he had no intention of bothering the man again.

On this bench, everyone could chat freely, but once you go to someone's home, there's no bench like this to sit on.

Li Sanjiang hummed a little tune and continued his stroll to enjoy the scenery:

"This capital is really just like what they sing in the operas; you could throw a sign anywhere and hit a big shot, hehe."

"This capital city is really just like what they sing about in the plays; you could hit a big shot just by randomly knocking down any signboard, hehe."

The taxi dropped the three of them off in front of a small temple. It wasn't desolate, but it was isolated from everything else, making it quite tranquil.

The temple gate was very small, the courtyard wall was very low, and a wisp of thick incense smoke rose from within, drifting upward.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan glanced at the plaque on the temple gate and said softly:

"Old monk, I've come to visit."

(End of chapter)

(End of chapter)