False evidence

Chapter 294 Gu

On the morning of the third day of the Lunar New Year, I received a call from an unknown number.

After the call connected, a man's voice said, "It's me."

Immediately afterwards, an aged voice rang out: "Sanqi, I am Liu Yier!"

My eyelids twitched: "What was that just now...?"

"It's Liu Hong! He's not dead!"

Liu Yi'er suddenly burst out cursing: "Bastard! Why didn't you tell me about something this important sooner?!"

I was completely confused. Isn't it a good thing Liu Hong is still alive? Why is he getting angry?
Liu Yier said in a commanding tone, "I'm at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital now, you'd better come over right away!"

After saying that, he actually hung up the phone.

Just as I was wondering what was going on, Xiao Shen San popped up from the side, glanced at me sideways, and asked, "Who is it?"

Seeing his indignant expression, I asked, "Who has offended you this time?"

Xiao Shen San said angrily, "Who else could it be? It's your mother-in-law! She has bad sportsmanship; she kicked me out after only two rounds without winning!"

I was speechless for a moment, then said, "We're practically birds of a feather, so why don't we go for a walk together?"

That's right, I was kicked off the card table before Xiao Shen San.

It's not that Pidan's mom can't afford to lose; it's just a game of mahjong, costing a few dollars.

It's all the fault of that swindler Lü Xin and Liang Kaiyuan, who used to be the young master of Baoju and were too unrestrained, winning every hand. Who would want to play with you then? It's the New Year, so I can't really say anything to them.

Xiao Shen volunteered to play, but this old rogue from Northeast China, who looked like a child, was very skilled at playing cards. When it came to mahjong, he was really not to Pidan's mother's liking, so he followed in my footsteps.

I said goodbye to Pidan, who had been forced into the role, and went out with Xiao Shensan.

We arrived at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital.

In the ward, besides Liu Hong and Liu Yi'er, I also saw someone I absolutely did not want to see—Chen Zudao.

Chen Zudao seemed to know that I didn't like him, so he gave an awkward greeting and got up to leave.

His leg injury has healed, but because it was his knee that was injured, and because he is very tall, he walks with a limp.

I saw it all and felt a pang of guilt.

He is, after all, a centenarian. He may have made mistakes in the past, but he has not only not harmed me financially, but has also indirectly given me a home.

Lü Xin seemed to sense my emotional shift and silently reminded me in his mind:
"His greatest talent is taking advantage of others' opportunities. Although he's old, his nature is hard to change. Do you want to cause trouble?"

Thinking of Chen Zudao's unconventional sexual orientation, I swallowed back the words that were on the tip of my tongue and only said to him, "Happy New Year."

Wei Min lay flat on the hospital bed.

Liu Hong and Wei Lan were sitting on either side.

Liu Yi'er was sitting in the chair opposite her.

Not long after Chen Zudao left, Liu Yier pointed at me and shouted, "You should have told me sooner!"

Along the way, I had already figured things out. I looked at Liu Hong and saw him nod slightly at me. I knew what was going on, so I smiled and cupped my hands in a respectful gesture towards Liu Yi'er.
"Happy New Year, sir! Congratulations on your family reunion and the joy of three generations living together."

Liu Yi'er seemed to have been suppressing his excitement, but now he couldn't hold back any longer. He grabbed my wrist and said, his whole body trembling:

"It's me! I killed my children! I took away their lives, didn't I? If I had known it would be like this! What... what was the point of me living?!"

I sighed inwardly.

Given Liu Hong's personality, he would never tell him this secret. But there are no secrets that last forever. Although he didn't know how, Liu Yi'er still found out—the reason he lived so long was because he had taken away the lifespan of his children and grandchildren!

Xiao Shen had overheard my explanation on the way here. Seeing this, he went straight over, grasped Liu Yi'er's hand, and said:

"To be honest, if we're talking about real age, you might have to call me 'old brother'! You're quite old and knowledgeable, so there's no need to go into the details, right? Come on, let's go out for a smoke and reminisce about the old days."

Liu Yi'er was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Wei Lan: "This...this is my granddaughter..."

Xiao Shen waved his hand casually: "Since we come from a legendary family, our daughters need to mature early! When we take the kids out, we're not afraid to let her hear what we're saying!"

Liu Yi'er was easily fooled by Xiao Shen's few words and went out.

I glanced at Wei Min on the hospital bed, then turned my gaze to Liu Hong.

Liu Hong's expression was complicated: "I'm not dead..."

"I can see that." It seems like a 'duh' is still necessary.

I picked up the medical record book at the foot of the bed, flipped through it, and sighed inwardly.

Liu Hong said, "I can't stand up."

I glanced at Wei Min, hesitant to speak.

Liu Hong said, "I've talked to Xiaomin. I'll tell you what you want to know."

I hesitated for a moment, then walked to the spot where Liu Yier had been and sat down facing him.

Liu Hong looked at me and asked, "Gu Han is dead, isn't he? The short guy?"

I nodded.

Liu Hong nodded, but said, "I met Xiaomin by the Suzhou River. At that time, all I knew was that she had been trafficked... To be honest, at first, I looked down on her. Or rather... I looked down on myself."

I knew I wouldn't live past forty, and I didn't want to hurt anyone, but I was also unwilling to give up. So... when I learned she had nowhere to go, I... had a relationship with her.

I shook my head: "Whatever your reasons for getting together with her in the first place, you can't live without her now, can you?"

Liu Hong said, “I overestimated myself. I thought that keeping her was just a way to vent my desires and pent-up emotions. But the first year... the first year on my birthday! Right there in that little building, I held her and cried. That’s when I knew that this woman was not dispensable to me.”

I asked, "What's the story behind 'Suzhou Riverside'? I mean the song."

Liu Hong smiled bitterly: "It was on that birthday that she suddenly sang for me, and even changed her clothes... At that time, I still thought that she was just helpless and wanted to please me so that I would take her in... Hahaha... But when I hugged her, I... Haha... I was such an idiot, a complete fool!"

"So, singing the song about the place where you first met while wearing a cheongsam became a regular part of your birthday celebration."

I found it somewhat amusing.

Thinking about it, this way of celebrating a birthday is quite charming.

Liu Hong's face flushed slightly: "When she told me she was pregnant, I was completely stunned. After I came to my senses, I told her about the 'curse of the Liu family.' I gave her a large sum of money, enough for her to live on for two lifetimes. But she wouldn't leave, she didn't want the money, she just said—'You really won't live past forty, then I'll leave.' And then...and then in the blink of an eye, the time was up."

I felt quite sad listening to it.

Perhaps it was due to his experiences, or perhaps it was influenced by Lü Xin.

I seem to have understood before this that feelings can be sold, but more often than not, they are beyond human control!
For example, right now, I have some feelings; I am more or less dissatisfied with Liu Hong's initial attitude towards relationships.

But most of the curiosity stemmed from personal concerns.

I said directly to Liu Hong, "If you really don't know why you were at the bottom of the river last time, then you should know that Wei Min is no ordinary person. Perhaps I couldn't help you this time, but my friend was injured, and so was my dog... I need an explanation."

Liu Hong glanced at Wei Min, then turned to me and said, "I really didn't know she knew how to raise Gu poison..."

(End of this chapter)