Chapter 62: From North to South

The reunion with Qin Huai and Su Rou was a drunken one, and we slept directly in the middle of a pile of empty beer cans.

After getting drunk, Su Rou yelled at the ceiling, “I can finally go to Guangzhou. I’m going to get rich this time. I’m going to get rich…”

Qinhuai was crying like a baby, shouting, “I miss Ling Ruyue. Ling Ruyue, where are you?”

I couldn’t say anything, I just felt the alcohol spreading throughout my body, but I couldn’t find the feeling of being drunk. It was a bit sad that I couldn’t get drunk.

I dared not drink any more. I was afraid that the more I drank, the more sober I would be. I was thinking of Ru Xue. At this moment, Qin Huai got up and grabbed my collar and yelled, “If you’re a man, take Ru Xue and run away. The world is big enough for the two of you, isn’t it? Stupid!”

Su Rou shouted, “You son of a bitch, Qin Huai, don’t you dare to incite Sanwa to do this. He’s not an orphan. If people can’t find him, how can they find his parents… Mom?”

I finally swallowed another can of beer, put the can down on the ground, and yelled, “I’m not drunk, I’m not going to drink beer anymore. I’m going to drink only white wine! After drinking white wine, I’m going to find Ling Ruxue and run away with her.”

“Hahaha, stupid…” Qin Huai laughed and scolded.

“Hahaha, that son of a bitch, Sanwa, is just the same as before. Qin Huai, I’m telling you, he used to drag me away from home… away from home!”

“Running away from home for a little girl?”

“Hahaha, no, he got into trouble and was afraid of being beaten when he got back, so he dragged… dragged me to join the Red Army.”

“Hahaha…”

As Su Rou began to tell me about my embarrassing past, I lay on the ground, half-drunk and half-awake, feeling very happy to be with them.

The days in Beijing passed quickly, peacefully and fulfillingly.

I met many people and felt busy, but this kind of busyness that only ordinary people have suddenly made me feel happy and a little dizzy.

My parents were going back to Sichuan, and my sisters and their families didn’t want to stay in Beijing either. My eldest sister said there were too many people, and my second sister said she couldn’t get used to the food.

My family is like this, they don’t want to be rich and famous, they just like a peaceful and ordinary life.

Jingyi’s wife is very nice, and her son is also very well-behaved. Jingyi’s wife is now teaching at a university, which is much better than her previous state of being almost idle. It seems that her longing for Shengge has faded a lot, but I know that it is actually just in her heart.

Yuan Yi’s situation has changed in the past six months. This is what Yuan Xi told me, because she always seemed to have an emotional response to what Yuan Yi said to her.

I was very happy, and I always took time out every day to talk to Yuan Yi. When I talked about the outcome of the Miao village incident, I noticed that Yuan Yi’s eyes suddenly opened, and his eyes were filled with various emotions, happiness, sadness, longing…

That is definitely not the emotion of an unconscious person. This discovery made me very happy. Maybe Yuan Yi can really recover slowly. I have a feeling that he has already overcome the most difficult hurdle.

Two days before I left, Yiyi went to Guangzhou without hesitation. When he saw me and Qinhuai at the train station, he said arrogantly, “This time, if I don’t become a rich man, I definitely won’t come back.”

He didn’t seem to be sad, but when he got on the train, he hugged me and said, “Chengyi, I haven’t been home for years. If you have any extra money, give it to my mother and father. Tell them I’m going to be rich, and that I’ll be back soon. When I go back, I’ll definitely be driving a Santana. It won’t be long now.”

“Okay,” I solemnly promised.

At this time, Su Rou’s eyes were a little red, and Qin Huai was afraid that he would cry, so he immediately said, “Su Rou, there is no rush for you to pay back your brother’s money.

Su Rou grabbed Qin Huai’s neck tightly and said, “Don’t pretend to be like this to remind me. When I come back, I’ll scare you to death with money.”

The three of us laughed heartlessly at the train station. When Su Rou got on the train, I saw the kid pretending to yawn and wipe his face hard.

I often visited Uncle Li and Brother Chengqing, and told Uncle Li everything that happened in the Black Rock Miao village. Uncle Li listened very carefully with his eyes closed, but he didn’t say anything special after listening.

He just said, “I’m old, very old. It’s not easy for a fortune teller to live to this age. In a few days, I will resign from the country, and then I will go to the Bamboo Grove to stay for a while, to cultivate my mind and have some leisure time. Chengqing, come with me.”

Why is everyone flocking to the Bamboo Grove? The little bamboo house in the mountains has suddenly become a hot commodity.

But I’m very happy! Many people think I don’t like crowds, but in fact I do. I like it when everyone in my life can get together. What I don’t like is when I finally accept a relationship, and then it’s over, and we part ways…

The day before I left Beijing, I deliberately wore a suit. I hadn’t worn a suit or tie in so many years, but this time I had to.

Because I was going to a secret memorial service, organized by the secret department.

To be honest, I’m not a full member of this department, but I have to go on behalf of my master. This is what my master told me to do, to send these heroes off in his place.

Moreover, after so many years of involvement with this department, I have developed feelings for this department, and I should go myself.

There are some things that cannot be said out loud, and it is also destined that some heroes cannot be publicized. But as I stood in the crowd of mourners, I knew clearly that the heroes who had sacrificed their lives did not care about this reputation. They just did what they felt in their hearts, and fame was just a passing cloud.

As the sad eulogy was read, my thoughts began to wander, as if I had returned to that rainy night, when dozens of us braved the rain and fought against the insect people. That was a moment for men, a moment for heroes. People don’t need to remember anything, heaven and earth can remember, and the cause and effect have already been written.

Your sacrifice was glorious, and your parents, wives and children may not know the specific details of your deeds. They may learn of another version of the story of your sacrifice, of your heroic deeds. But that does not matter. They can stand tall and say, “I had a good son (a good husband, a good father), and he was a hero.”

This is the highest honor for a man.

There are many trivial matters in Beijing, but no matter how many there are, there will be a day when they are all finished. After staying here for more than half a month, we are leaving Beijing.

This time, the department specially arranged two cars to send us. Grandpa Hui did not accompany us. He said he would wait until Hui Gen’er came back from winter vacation.

Hui Gen’er has adapted well to school in Beijing. After all, none of his classmates know that he is a little monk, although it is strange that he always keeps his head bald.

Facing the fact that we were leaving, Hui Gen was not too willing, but when he heard that he could reunite with us during the winter vacation, the kid was happy again.

I don’t know if I’ll be going back to Beijing this time. To be honest, I don’t understand why the Master suggested that I go back to the Bamboo Grove for a while. I thought he would arrange for me to stay in the department.

But I can never guess what my master is thinking. This arrangement of his has made me a little confused about my future. What am I going to do? If I could, I would of course like to live with my master at the Bamboo Grove and devote myself to cultivation, as long as I could occasionally get together with my family and friends.

But is that possible? I don’t know myself.

From the north to the south, the cold of winter gradually faded away along the way. When we arrived in the south, Yuanxi found a new wildflower by the roadside and couldn’t help but say to me happily, “Brother Chengyi, the scent of spring can be felt here, it’s so nice. My father is getting better too.”

This time, we are taking Yuan Yi, who has hope of recovery, back to Sichuan. This is what the master said. The soil and water there are nourishing, and Yuan Yi is likely to recover more quickly there. Yuan Xi also cannot do without Yuan Yi.

Is spring coming? I hope so. This time, everyone’s life seems to be getting better and back on track. I also seem to see a better future. I hope I never have to leave in this spring.