Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 220

"Yes, uncle."

"What?"

Li Sanjiang looked at the old man in surprise. What did he just say?

Old man: "Same as the characters in the book."

Li Sanjiang smiled and said, "Oh, so that's it. Of course, it's just like what's said in the storytelling."

Li Sanjiang liked listening to storytelling. The various heroes in the story would first be described with gestures about how handsome and elegant they were. When Li Sanjiang listened to these words, what he thought about was what his own little Yuanhou would look like when he grew up.

Thinking about his own little Marquis Yuan doing chivalrous things and fighting evil in the world, Li Sanjiang felt a strong sense of substitution.

There was a hint of longing in the old man's eyes. When he saw the young man, he thought of his youngest son.

Half a year ago, my family received a letter containing a photo forwarded by my youngest son’s unit. The photo was a group photo taken by the geological exploration team to celebrate the success of an exploration mission.

He and his wife looked through the photo three times before they found which one was their youngest son. He had changed so much.

Li Zhuiyuan saw the old man.

Beijing is so big, the boy didn't expect to meet his Grandpa Bei here, and it seemed that Grandpa Bei was very familiar with his great-grandfather.

At the same time, the boy also heard Grandpa Bei address Li Sanjiang as "Uncle".

Grandpa Bei and Li Weihan are in-laws, of the same generation. Li Sanjiang is one generation higher than Li Weihan, so it is right for Grandpa Bei to call Li Sanjiang uncle.

However, Grandpa Bei just shouted once, and then covered up and changed his words.

Li Zhuiyuan knew that this was because Li Lan had made an agreement with Grandpa Bei, asking them not to contact and disturb them as "mother and son".

Grandpa Bei is a very principled man. He will never go back on his word or fail to keep his promise.

This is also the reason why my family in the north has never formally contacted me for such a long time.

Li Zhuiyuan was not disappointed about this.

Because for such a long time, he never took the initiative to contact his family in the north.

After all, the boy inherited the same indifference as Li Lan in his bones. He did not really need the "family warmth" in a broad sense, nor did he intend to borrow any "family benefits".

If there is no demand in the relationship, there will naturally be no initiative.

Li Zhuiyuan walked up to Li Sanjiang with the report in his hand and said with a smile: "Grandpa, the physical examination report is out. There is nothing wrong with your body. You are very healthy."

Li Sanjiang took the report, looked at it pretentiously, and said, "I've already said it before, I'm in good health, there's no need to waste money here."

As he spoke, Li Sanjiang patted the report sheet with his hand and said to the old man beside him:
"Brother, take a look and see if I am right."

Li Sanjiang originally wanted to hear this brother cooperate with him by saying a few words like "the child is filial" and "the child's love", but he didn't expect that this brother was stunned.

"Brother, brother?"

"Brother, let's have a meal together."

"This..." Li Sanjiang was just about to organize his words to refuse. He knew that this "brother" had an unusual identity. The more so, the more he disliked having anything to do with him beyond a chance encounter.

He knew that if he were in a different environment, he would be embarrassed to call him "brother" again.

However, before Li Sanjiang could organize his words, the old man continued:

"There's a noodle shop on the street ahead. Let's go there and have a bowl of noodles. You came to the hospital for a checkup so early in the morning. You probably haven't eaten anything. Even if you're not hungry, the child is hungry."

The old man set his eyes on Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan just stood there with a calm expression, and did not take the initiative to say that he was hungry in order to promote the dinner.

Li Sanjiang frowned. He could accept going to a noodle shop to eat noodles, but...

"Brother, I really can't get used to your Beijing fried noodles."

The old man: "That's a Henan noodle restaurant."

Li Sanjiang's brows relaxed and he said, "Okay, let's go and have some noodles, but I'll treat you."

The old man nodded: "Okay."

Li Sanjiang turned his head and looked at Li Zhuiyuan, "Little Marquis Yuan, do you want to go eat noodles?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Okay."

Li Sanjiang said to the old man, "Brother, why don't you go first and we walk over slowly."

Li Sanjiang remembered that the brother was riding in a car.

The old man: "Let's walk together. It's not far."

"Okay, let's go on foot. Come on, Xiao Yuanhou, get up!"

"Master, I can walk by myself."

"Didn't the doctor's report say that Grandpa is fine? Besides, you've just been running around the hospital for Grandpa, you must be tired. Come on!"

Li Zhuiyuan had no choice but to climb onto his grandfather's back.

Li Sanjiang held the boy with his hands behind his back and said to the old man beside him with a smile: "While you are still strong, carry him as much as you can. The older he gets, the older we will get. Even if we want to carry him in the future, we won't be able to do so."

The old man looked at the boy being carried by Li Sanjiang, with undisguised envy on his face, and agreed, "Yes, that's right."

The three of them walked towards the hospital entrance together.

"By the way, brother, you said the other day that you have a lot of children, so you must have a lot of grandchildren, right?"

"Well, it's quite a lot."

"Is it noisy?"

"We're not noisy. We only take time to get together during festivals. On weekdays, we're all busy with our own things. Didn't I tell you, brother, that my children don't really like me?"

Li Zhuiyuan knew that what Grandpa Bei said was true.

He was too strict and the atmosphere at home was too depressing. He would often criticize my uncles and aunts harshly for any problems in their work and personal lifestyle, and he would never tolerate the laziness and excessive behavior of the younger generation.

My uncles and aunts have been working for a long time and are well-known figures in the outside world, but every time they go home they have to prepare themselves mentally and be ready for the old man's scolding.

When the younger generations hear that they are going to their grandparents' house, they will be worried and depressed for a week in advance. When they arrive, they will sit upright for fear of attracting attention.

After Runsheng bought the sweet potatoes, he saw Uncle Li and Xiaoyuan coming out, so he took the sweet potatoes and walked over to them.

On the way, he met a young man with a sharp gaze. He stopped him and began to look him up.

Runsheng was about to reach out and push him away, and the young man also took a half step back, as if ready to attack.

"Marquis Runsheng, come here."

Li Sanjiang's shout made the young people put away their stance and make way.

Runsheng looked at him with some confusion, then quickly chased after him.

"Uncle Li, sweet potatoes."

"Why did you buy just one?"

"Uncle Li, you don't know how expensive sweet potatoes are here."

Runsheng made a gesture to Li Sanjiang.

Li Sanjiang glared: "It's so expensive, are you trying to rob me? Why are you buying it?"

Runsheng: “…”

Li Sanjiang took out the sweet potato, broke it into three pieces, kept one piece for himself, and then handed it to Xiaoyuan and Runsheng, then turned to the old man beside him and said:
"Brother, save your room for the noodles."

The old man smiled and nodded.

Li Sanjiang said to Xiaoyuan and Runsheng, "Let's try it and see what's different about such an expensive sweet potato."

He took a bite, tasted it carefully in his mouth, and wondered, "It seems to be no different from the ones grown in our fields?"

Runsheng: "It's not as good as the ones grown in our fields."

Li Sanjiang: "Runsheng, why are you still peeling the skin? It's so expensive, and the skin is worth a lot of pounds."

Runsheng scratched his head: "My grandfather taught me that you have to spit out the skin when eating sweet potatoes, otherwise it will show that there is no food at home and you can only eat sweet potatoes."

Li Sanjiang licked his fingers, smacked his lips and said, "You are lucky to have followed Shan Pao and not starved to death."

We have arrived at the noodle shop.

Li Zhuiyuan, Li Sanjiang and Bei Yeye sat at the same table.

Runsheng took the initiative to sit at the same table with the young man who followed in.

Li Sanjiang waved to the young man who had handed over the lighter that day and said:
"His nephew, what kind of noodles do you want to eat? Don't be polite!"

Young man: "Thank you, sir. I'm not hungry. I ate at home before I left. I'm not being polite. You guys eat."

"Oh, is that so, Run Sheng Hou, then hurry up and order something. Why are you sitting there like an idiot? Ask the boss to serve you ten bowls of noodles first."

Runsheng shook his head: "I'm not hungry either, Uncle Li."

If the person opposite him doesn't eat, he won't eat either. He will keep an eye on the other person all the time.

Li Sanjiang touched his head in bewilderment: "Not hungry? The sun rose from the west today?"

Seeing that the two of them really didn't want to eat, Li Sanjiang ordered three bowls of stewed noodles and two small plates of cold dishes.

"Brother, do you drink?"

"I can drink with you, brother."

"Okay, then let's have a drink, Xiao Yuanhou, go help Grandpa choose some wine."

Li Zhuiyuan left the table and went to the counter to get two bottles of beer.

When he saw that it was beer, Li Sanjiang felt a little resentful.

"Grandpa, I have another schedule this afternoon."

"This beer doesn't taste good..."

"The wine here is expensive."

"Okay, beer is refreshing."

Li Zhuiyuan opened the bottle cap and poured wine for Grandpa Tai and Grandpa Bei.

"Come on, brother, let's go."

"Okay, let's go one."

The two old men clinked their glasses and drank the wine in one gulp.

The young man at the next table stood up immediately, and Runsheng's eyes fixed on him.

The old man waved his hand, and the young man sat back down.

Li Zhuiyuan took out a head of garlic from the jar on the table and started peeling it.

After the noodles came, the boy divided the peeled garlic into two parts, one part for Grandpa Tai and the other part for Grandpa Bei.

Li Sanjiang took a bite of the garlic, then ate a mouthful of noodles. Then he opened his mouth. The garlic was so spicy that his cheeks went numb.

The old man smiled and said, "Brother, you don't have the habit of eating noodles with garlic at home, right?"

Li Sanjiang quickly took a sip of wine to suppress his appetite and said, "We don't have this custom there. Do you want to eat it?"

"I eat."

"Then I'll give you everything I have here?"

"it is good."

The old man took the peeled garlic in front of Li Sanjiang and put it in front of him, saying, "I didn't have this habit when I was young. Haha, how could I eat white flour at that time."

Li Zhuiyuan had originally peeled enough garlic for two people, but the old man ate it all by himself and was reluctant to leave any left. He took one mouthful of noodles and one garlic clove. He was old and his health was not as good as before, so he ate so much that sweat broke out on his forehead and his eyes were slightly red.

"Brother, another bowl please."

"No, no, I can't eat anymore. My appetite is not as good as before. If I could eat as much as I wanted, I could eat five big bowls of food like this!"

Li Sanjiang: "Haha, at that time people were short of oil and water, so they ate a lot. But no matter how much they ate, they would get hungry quickly."

The two old men started a standard dinner, reminiscing about the good and bad times.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't feel much about this. He had never lacked food and clothing when he was a child. After returning to Nantong, he only ate porridge at Li Weihan's house for a few days, and then he was taken back by his great grandfather to have meat for every meal.

Runsheng was deeply moved by what he heard, but he didn’t have enough to eat before... he really couldn’t blame it on the times.

The old man said, "Come on, I'll accompany you to visit the Military Museum."

Li Sanjiang waved his hand and said, "No, no, you must be busy."

The old man said: "You buy me noodles, and I'll be your guide. That's only fair."

Li Sanjiang blinked and said, "Okay, then let's go together. Xiao Yuanhou, go get a taxi."

"it is good."

Li Sanjiang was reluctant to drink white wine, but he was even more reluctant to let Xiao Yuanhou walk, and the buses in Beijing were... really too crowded.

He advocates that he should save money and his great-grandson should spend money.

After hailing a taxi, Li Sanjiang sat in the back seat, and Grandpa Bei also got in. Li Zhuiyuan had to sit in the passenger seat.

Runsheng wanted to squeeze in as well, but was stopped by the young man. Then a car drove over and Runsheng got into the leader's car.

While driving, they passed many scenic spots and famous buildings. Li Sanjiang showed off deliberately, pointing at them and asking questions, and Li Zhuiyuan immediately began to introduce them.

Li Sanjiang felt relieved after hearing this. Seeing that the old man sitting next to him was also smiling while listening, he asked:
"How's it going? My great-grandson is smart, right?"

"Yeah, it works."

"That's right. At first I was thinking of using my connections to get him into a better elementary school in town, but he ended up going straight to high school.

I thought I had met a scammer, but later I took his grandparents from the south to the high school, where I was personally received by the principal and explained the situation.

I really believe that the ancestral tomb of my Li family has caught fire again!"

The last time was when Li Lan was admitted to Jingli University.

The old man asked, "Grandpa Nan, that's grandpa and grandma, right?"

"Yes, we don't call them grandpa and grandma. We call them grandpa and grandma. We don't want the children to call them strangers."

"Oh, then why didn't his grandpa and grandma come to Beijing this time?"

“We don’t live together.”

"Don't live together?"

"Well, our little Yuan Hou will live with me."

"You've worked really hard."

"What's the hard work? The child and his grandfather Nan are the ones who complain. They drink porridge every day."

"The conditions are so bad?"

"I had no choice. I had to raise four sons and a bunch of grandchildren. When it came time to eat, it was like calling piglets back to their nests. How could such a large group of people afford to eat anything?

There was also the money sent by his daughter, Xiao Yuanhou's biological mother, but they were stubborn and refused to use it, saying that it was to save for their daughter's future. They lived a very tight life.

As for me, if I eat well, the whole family will not be hungry. If I take care of a child, then the child can also have a good meal with me. "

Grandpa Bei nodded. He understood that the old people next to him were not his former in-laws' biological parents, but should be elders with the same surname.

Therefore, it is really not easy for the elderly to achieve this.

"That child is really blessed to be with you."

Li Sanjiang: "What kind of blessing is this, brother? We are from the old times. Nowadays, anyone with healthy hands and feet will not go hungry. But I also know that if this kid wants to have a good future and a good life, he can't just rely on having enough food."

"Yes, the competitive pressure on young people will become greater and greater in the future."

"It means that if the child works hard on his own, there is no need to worry about exams or anything like that. If the child is not so smart, I might really delay the child's development if I were to take care of him.

His grandparents in the north are really nice. His mother just changed his surname, but his bloodline is still the same.

Hey, I understand that you differentiate between close and distant people because of this, but how can you be so cruel and just ignore it?"

"They probably have their own difficulties."

"It's a fart problem, it's just that you think your own face is more important than anything else and put on airs.

I am a country boy, I don't have that ability, but if there is any way I can help you, I will kneel down to help you."

The old man adjusted his sitting posture and looked at the young man sitting in front of him.

Li Sanjiang continued, "The boy's mother is also confused. She knows that the boy's family is well-off, but even for the boy's sake, you have to coax your parents-in-law.

When your parents-in-law pass away, won't everything left at home belong to you and your son?"

"She has her own difficulties, too."

The old man felt a headache when he thought of his former daughter-in-law.

His family has no tradition of arranged marriages, and he doesn't allow it. The families of his children's spouses are all quite ordinary, and he has no prejudice against Li Lan because of her rural origin.

But later he discovered that his former daughter-in-law was prejudiced against them.

When they first got married, they could still communicate normally, but later they contacted each other less and less, and their relationship became gradually distant. For a long time, even his youngest son rarely came home, for fear that his wife would be unhappy.

This has caused my wife to reflect on herself until now, and she feels that she has been a wicked mother-in-law.

The old man felt that if this ex-daughter-in-law was really willing to take the initiative to get close to her as Li Sanjiang said, even if it was just lies and coaxing, he and his wife would not have to wait until they died. They should have given her everything they could before they died.

He really admired the abilities of his former daughter-in-law, she carried out her work on her own and never relied on the family's support, unlike his other children and their partners. Although he had never sought or arranged anything for them, they would inevitably receive special care at work because of their relationship with him, which was unavoidable.

Moreover, the youngest son is the couple’s favorite. They were busy with work before and had no energy to take care of the child. When the youngest son was born, they felt completely settled and were able to devote more love to him.

Not to mention... my grandson who started attending the junior class at a very early age.

When his grandson was in the junior class, he was the youngest in the class.

Li Sanjiang shook his head: "I don't understand. There are some things that I really don't understand. Why do people make such a fuss when they have such a good life right in front of them?

You see, my son Xiaoyuanhou, who originally had a Beijing hukou, suddenly became a Nantong rural hukou like me. "

The old man said: "He is a college student now, so the household registration problem should not be difficult to solve."

Li Sanjiang said with surprise: "Brother, do you have a way to do it?"

The old man: "He should be able to go through the eligible process."

Li Sanjiang immediately called to Li Zhuiyuan who was sitting in the front: "Little Marquis Yuan, come quickly and ask me how to do it."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Nantong hukou is quite good."

Li Sanjiang slapped his thigh and said, "You are stupid, how can it be the same?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Grandpa, to me, there is really no difference."

Even if he has not entered the family, has not left the country, and lives like a normal person, the hidden benefits brought by the household registration will have no effect on him.

Li Lan moved her household registration back mainly to sever the mother-son relationship, not to suppress herself in this way. This is too naive. There is still trust in each other between mother and son.

Li Sanjiang sighed and said to the old man beside him: "Look, my great-grandson is also stubborn."

The old man said, "This is self-confidence. I have the ability. I really don't need these." Li Sanjiang said, "If you have the ability, and your family can help you, can't you fly higher?"

The old man: “That’s true.”

Li Sanjiang: "So, it's still his fault that Grandpa Bei pretended to be dead."

Old man: "..."

While driving, the taxi driver would look through the rearview mirror from time to time to see the car following him. Even though taxi drivers in Beijing have seen more of the world, they still couldn't help but tremble with fear when they saw the license plate number of the car behind them.

Several times he deliberately gave way to allow the other party to overtake, but the other party refused to overtake and just followed him.

Seeing this, the driver had to look at the two old men in the back seat through the rearview mirror, focusing on the one with an extraordinary demeanor.

When they reached their destination, the old man tried to search his pockets, but ended up with something embarrassing.

Li Zhuiyuan paid the money.

Li Sanjiang stood on the side of the road, looking at the museum and exclaimed: "Wow, the food here is still delicious!"

"Brother, we've been to An..."

Before the old man could finish his words, he saw his "older brother" run to the pillar on the other side of the entrance, stretch out his hands, and hug the plaque.

This looks a bit funny.

Then, he saw his grandson, and after his "older brother" had done the same, he followed suit and hugged the baby.

"Xiao Yuanhou, hold this for a while longer, it's more effective than the police station!"

"Hey, Grandpa."

Li Zhuiyuan remembered that he had learned this trick from his grandfather. One time, when he was not in time to go to the police station to pick up Tan Wenbin before going out, he simply went with Runsheng to pick up Tan Wenbin.

The old man walked over and wanted to join in, but in the end he was too embarrassed to open his arms to hug it, so he just reached out and touched it.

When he withdrew his hand, he saw the tall young man who had bought sweet potatoes earlier came forward and hugged the plaque tightly, and deliberately wiped the dust off his body.

The security personnel noticed the situation here and came over to inquire.

Li Sanjiang smiled and said, "This is the custom in our place, haha, custom."

Seeing that the other party was just holding the plaque and not making any other moves, the security personnel also guided him: "Comrade, go through security check there."

After entering the museum, the old man really acted as a tour guide.

Other tour guides tell historical stories, but he talks about his personal experiences.

Well, Li Sanjiang is also a witness to history and has enriched the historical perspective.

Runsheng came over and asked quietly, "Uncle, do you have the equipment you left behind?"

Li Sanjiang raised his leg and kicked Runsheng: "Can the captured young man in your family drive a tank?"

When they arrived at the Korean Aid Exhibition Area, Li Sanjiang's interest suddenly became high. While listening to the explanation, he looked here and touched there.

Starting from the previous exhibition area, visitors came closer to listen to the explanations. When they reached the lower exhibition area, more people gathered around, and staff came to maintain order.

After the explanation, a staff member brought tea. She didn't know the identity of the old man in front of her, and the tourists around her who had also listened to the explanation also applauded.

If you just come in to take a look, it's easy to get carried away. What is displayed here are exhibits, but what is actually on display is the history behind them.

As they walked out, Li Sanjiang saw that the old man was really tired, so he advised him, "Sit down and rest for a while. You just had surgery, and you are weak."

The old man shook his head and insisted on waiting until he walked out of the museum. He then turned a corner stubbornly, found a place, sat down, and bent down.

The young man who had been walking side by side with Runsheng stepped forward, took out the medicine, and fed it to the old man.

The old man breathed a sigh of relief, looked back at the museum in the distance, and turned to Li Zhuiyuan and said:

"What is in there is history, but the future is too big to put down. What they have, we will have in the future, and it will be better than theirs."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded: "Yes."

The old man then looked up at Li Sanjiang and said, "Brother, would you please do me the honor of having dinner with me?"

Li Sanjiang: "We no longer owe each other anything."

The old man: "I haven't been so happy and talked so much in a long time. I owe you a lot, it's hard to repay you."

Li Sanjiang: "Hey, are the people in Beijing so hospitable?"

The old man: "This proves that we are destined to be together. Brother, you said before that you would go back tomorrow, right?"

"Ah."

"At our age, every time we meet, we treat it as the last time."

When the old man said this, he looked at Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Sanjiang reached out and touched Xiao Yuanhou's head, saying, "Okay, let's have another meal together. It's fate, but it's still our treat. By the way, Xiao Yuanhou, what did you originally say you were going to eat tonight?"

After entering Fengze Garden and asking for a private room, Li Zhuiyuan ordered the dishes and asked Li Sanjiang if he wanted anything else.

Li Sanjiang took the menu, flipped through it, and rarely said that the dishes were expensive.

In the middle of the meeting, Runsheng called Lin Shuyou who was attending the exchange meeting.

Before dinner, Lin Shuyou came in a taxi.

Today's report was very successful. Everyone was particularly interested in the "weird" things that go beyond the books.

It was originally planned to be only half a day in the morning, but because the response was so good, Lin Shuyou was allowed to speak in the afternoon as well.

In the morning, Lin Shuyou was still a little nervous and stuttered, but in the afternoon he completely relaxed. After finishing the contents of the manuscript, he simply started telling the stories he had heard in the temple since he was a child.

As soon as he entered the box, Lin Shuyou excitedly shared his experience of the day with Xiaoyuan.

When he sat down, he realized that there were two outsiders, one of whom was an old man. When Lin Shuyou looked at him, he felt his eyeballs begin to swell and he felt as if he couldn't look him in the eye.

Today, he has a closer relationship with the boy, which means that even the boy doesn't dare to show his power in front of this old man, or even reveal his aura.

While eating noodles at noon, the old man mainly talked to Li Sanjiang, and at dinner, he talked more with Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Sanjiang was focused on eating the dishes. He ate a lot of the braised sea cucumber with scallions and the large intestine, especially the large intestine, which he liked very much.

The old man asked a lot of questions from study to life, and Li Zhuiyuan answered them all. The atmosphere was very harmonious.

Li Sanjiang picked up some food for Lin Shuyou and asked, "What's wrong with you? Why are you acting like a little girl tonight?"

Lin Shuyou didn't know how to explain it. Ever since he discovered the existence of this old man, he had been feeling uneasy and his breathing was a little difficult.

Runsheng lit the incense and chewed it while eating.

Li Sanjiang explained with a smile: "This child has had this problem since childhood, don't be surprised."

The old man smiled and said, "Strange people, normal people, must be extraordinary."

Li Sanjiang: "He is indeed extraordinary and a good worker. As long as he is well fed, he can carry you from the border to Xuzhou in one breath."

The young man came close to the old man and whispered something. The old man looked thoughtful and said, "Let her wait."

The young man walked out of the private room.

When the meal was almost over, the old man raised his glass and said, "Brother, come on, I'll toast you."

"Come, come." Li Sanjiang stood up and the two clinked glasses.

At noon, they rinsed their mouths with beer, and at night they drank white wine. Both old men looked a little tipsy.

"Brother, it's not easy for you to raise a child alone."

"Ha, others can't wait to envy me, it's not that hard at all. Don't mind if you laugh at me, I originally thought that I would live out my life happily, lie down in a coffin, and be buried in the dirt, so that I would have not lived in vain.

When I met my little Yuanhou, I realized how good it felt to have a child by my side.

Sometimes I feel like it’s not me who’s taking care of my child, it’s my child who’s taking care of me.”

"Xiaoyuan is indeed a good kid."

"Of course not. We should also thank them. They gave birth to a child but didn't raise it. I got a great bargain for free. Hahaha!"

The old man smiled bitterly.

Li Sanjiang seemed to be really drunk. He shook his body twice and muttered:

"Such a good child, but he is so cruel. He just said he didn't want her and didn't even take a look at her. I am really curious about what kind of family she is from. Is everyone in her family laying dragon and phoenix eggs, and flying them to the sky?

Although I am in college now, I am already doing an internship. In a few years, I will be able to make it on my own and I won't need anyone to flatter me. Even if someone comes up to me, I won't need anyone to flatter me.

Brother, do you think this is true? "

"Brother is right."

The two old men toasted each other again. Li Sanjiang seemed to be drunk and slumped in his chair.

The old man turned the empty wine glass in his hand, his eyes fixed on the young man, looking at him for a long time.

Finally, he closed his eyes and stood up: "Brother, I will arrange for someone to take you back to the hotel."

Li Sanjiang waved his hand and said, "Don't bother, we can go back by ourselves. I'll go outside for a walk and get some fresh air later. Brother, you go back first and take care of yourself. We're both not young anymore, so you should drink less and smoke less."

After saying that, Li Sanjiang took out a cigarette box from his pocket and handed a cigarette to the other person. The two old men got together and lit the cigarettes.

Li Sanjiang put the lighter into the old man's pocket: "Your lighter, I return it to you."

"Brother, please stay here as a thought."

"Why would I need it, Nianxiang, I already have it, hehe, hiccup!"

The old man left the room.

Li Zhuiyuan sat in his original seat, helping Runsheng pick up dishes and clearing the table.

Lin Shuyou rested his head on the table, gasping for breath. The pressure on his body finally disappeared.

If Uncle Li hadn't been here, Ah You really wanted to ask Brother Xiao Yuan who that immortal was who could have suppressed the White Crane Boy like this.

Moreover, Lin Shuyou could sense that the other party was not doing anything deliberately and most of the time his attention was on Brother Xiaoyuan.

Li Sanjiang, who was sitting in a chair, took out money from his pocket and pointed outside: "Xiao Yuanhou, go and pay the bill."

Li Zhuiyuan: "The bill should have been settled."

Li Sanjiang put the money on the table in front of him, turned his head, looked at the boy with drunken eyes, and said:
"Then go and see your Grandpa Bei off."

……

Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the hotel and walked some distance away. He saw the figure in the shade of the trees under the overpass.

Next to Grandpa Bei, there was an old woman with gray hair and red eyes, who was complaining about something to Grandpa Bei.

Grandpa Bei stood there without any explanation, just letting his wife vent her anger on him.

Seeing this, the young man next to him could only remind the leader that he had just completed surgery.

"He just finished the operation and he started smoking and drinking. People saw him, but he didn't allow me to see him..."

At this time, Li Zhuiyuan appeared and stopped a few meters away from the two old men.

The old woman was stunned at first, then looked surprised. When she was about to pounce on him, Grandpa Bei coughed.

The old woman closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, walked forward, and hugged the boy:

"This child, I miss him so much, I miss him so much!"

The old woman shed tears, then stroked the boy's face with her hand and looked at him carefully.

In fact, Li Zhuiyuan and Grandma Bei did not spend much time together. Even when Li Lan's condition was not so serious, their small family only maintained the minimum level of contact and communication with Grandpa Bei's family.

In comparison, my cousins ​​are closer to Grandma Bei, and I can see and accompany her more often.

But the feeling of missing you at this moment is not false.

After all, his poor father, who was hurt by love, had completely exiled himself to work.

The two old people also placed their longing for their son on themselves, and the more unattainable it was, the more they longed for it, as well as the classic saying "things far away are fragrant, but things nearby stink".

Li Zhuiyuan let her hold him and look at him, his face calm and with a subtle, faint smile.

There was indeed no fluctuation in his heart.

In the past, he would have felt negative and helpless about the fact that he had no inner emotions, and would have felt frustrated at not being able to express positive and genuine emotions.

Now, he doesn't.

Since there is not such a deep emotional connection, there is no need to force yourself.

The old woman turned her head and looked at the old man: "Can't you take the child back to stay for one night? I will make him some food myself..."

The old man: "Go ask for her consent first."

The old woman bit her lips hard, with a fierce look in her eyes.

Grandma Bei hates Li Lan very much.

Li Zhuiyuan believes that Grandma Bei’s hatred is right and justified.

My father had performed impeccably both as a husband and as a father, but for such a person, it was okay for him to have his feelings toyed with...but his emotions were destroyed.

It can be said that from Grandma Bei’s point of view, her most beloved youngest son was ruined by Li Lan herself.

The old woman secretly put a piece of paper into Li Zhuiyuan's pocket, put her face close to the boy's face, and deliberately lowered her voice in the boy's ear and said:

"My grandson, whatever you want or want to do, remember to call grandma or write a letter. Grandma will help you. We can hide it from that stubborn old man and your vicious mother!"

"Ah."

"Haha, good boy!"

The old woman burst into laughter. This simple response gave her great comfort, and in a sense, it was even a kind of salvation.

In fact, Li Zhuiyuan could see that Grandpa Bei saw Grandma Bei's little action, but this time he deliberately turned his head away and pretended not to notice.

Grandpa Bei: "Let's go, the kid has to catch a plane back tomorrow morning."

The old woman was reluctant to let go of his hand and left, looking back every few steps.

Li Zhuiyuan stood there and watched them gradually leave.

On the road beside them, the car was slowly following them.

Only after Grandma Bei looked back and could no longer see him did Li Zhuiyuan turn around and prepare to leave.

His heart remained calm from beginning to end, but what was rare was that he did not feel any aversion because of it.

This is also a huge improvement, from negative to zero.

Ever since I turned myself into an inner demon to suppress my true body, the risk factor has increased, but the impact of the disease on me has also decreased.

Li Zhuiyuan quite enjoyed this feeling.

After walking a few steps, the boy stopped.

On the overpass stood a woman.

"Xiaoyuan?"

The person who came was Li Lan's secretary, Aunt Xu.

Li Zhuiyuan has always felt that Li Lan chose Aunt Xu as her assistant because she valued the fact that Aunt Xu was also from Nantong.

With Aunt Xu as the intermediary, Li Lan can be cut off from contact with her hometown and family.

Aunt Xu should be responsible for grandpa and grandma's monthly support and festival gifts, including answering calls from their hometown.

Li Weihan and Cui Guiying could no longer distinguish their daughter's voice.

Aunt Xu walked down the overpass, came to Li Zhuiyuan, and asked:

"Xiao Yuan, who were those two just now?"

"You know him, but you just didn't dare to come out."

Aunt Xu was stunned.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Li Lan is not in Beijing now, right?"

"Your mother went to participate in a new project, but she knew you were coming to Beijing, so she asked me to come..."

"Disgusting me?"

Aunt Xu pursed her lips. At this moment, she confirmed that she felt the same pressure from this young man as her boss.

"Xiaoyuan, I don't know how to do what I just did..."

"You can't hide it from her. You don't have the confidence to lie to her."

"I……"

"Just tell her everything. It's okay. She'll be happy to hear it."

"That……"

At this time, Aunt Xu's pager on her waist rang. She looked down and said, "Xiaoyuan, your mother asked you if you would like to talk to her on the phone."

There was a newsstand just ahead. Li Zhuiyuan walked over and Aunt Xu followed.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at her.

Aunt Xu picked up the phone and dialed the number.

Soon, the call was connected.

Aunt Xu handed the microphone to Li Zhuiyuan and walked away.

The newsstand owner was dozing off with his head resting on his back.

Li Zhuiyuan: “Hello.”

Li Lan: "Haha, you don't even call me 'Mom' anymore?"

Li Zhuiyuan's eyes fell on the story-telling newspapers displayed outside the newsstand. There were both new and old ones. The boy reached out and took several copies, intending to take them back for his great-grandfather to read on the plane tomorrow.

He put the newspaper on the table and asked the newsstand owner to count the money. He also took the time to answer Li Lan's question:

"Do you think a loser who can't even control her illness is worthy of me calling her 'Mom'?"

"My son, I really envy you for still keeping those unrealistic dreams and expectations in your heart. You know, some things are not only beautiful to look at, but also make more beautiful sounds when they peel off."

Li Zhuiyuan asked the newsstand owner, "How much?"

The newsstand owner counted the copies, calculated the money, pointed at the phone, and reminded: "You haven't made the call yet."

Li Zhuiyuan handed over a piece of money and pointed to Aunt Xu standing in the distance: "She will pay the phone bill."

"Okay, I'll give you the change, young man, who are you talking to on the phone?"

"my mother."

On the other end of the phone, Li Lan suddenly fell silent.

As Li Zhuiyuan took the change, he said into the microphone:

"Li Lan, your incompetence makes me sick."

(End of this chapter)