Let the true energy circulate for a while

……

In the old Xiguan Street of Luocheng, there is an old building complex dating back to the 1990s.

In previous years, regulations were not strict, and many residents spent money to add two or three floors to their homes.

This area is adjacent to the old city. With the rapid development of the city, it has become a prosperous area. Before the pandemic, this prime location was slated for demolition to build high-rise buildings. The old residents were eagerly anticipating becoming super demolition heirs and then lying down and living off the land.

After the pandemic, no one mentioned demolition anymore. The government turned this area into an old town cultural street and carried out renovations.

This creates a desirable place where every household has its own independent courtyard, yet it is close to the bustling areas.

This is what they mean by finding tranquility amidst the hustle and bustle.

The street is called Jiuqu Street, and Gong Rongrong's maternal grandfather, Shen Yuanchao, is the boss of this street.

Back then, Shen Yuanchao's father returned from the battlefield, gave up his job in Beijing, and went back to his hometown to actively develop his hometown. This house was built by the older generation themselves. Of course, it was renovated and rebuilt later, so Gong Rongrong's maternal grandfather's yard is very big, yes, very big.

Grandpa Shen was born in the 1960s. He didn't like studying as a child and was very mischievous. He never caused any major trouble, but he was always getting into minor trouble. Later, his father found him a martial arts master through the connections of an old comrade-in-arms. Back then, the teaching methods were different. If students didn't listen, the teacher could hit them!

Once you become his apprentice, he's practically like a father to you. Shen Yuanchao wished he could be beaten eight times a day by his master. Everyone says that everyone has their own unique talents. Shen Yuanchao wasn't good at studying, but he was extremely talented in martial arts. Later, he became an inheritor of Baguazhang, an intangible cultural heritage.

When Grandpa Shen was young, he worked as a driver for a passenger transport company, which was a state-owned enterprise. Back then, there were road bullies who would stop the bus and extort money from drivers on long-distance routes. Once, a fight broke out, and Grandpa Shen, who was young and hot-blooded at the time, chased after seven or eight road bullies with a coal awl, causing chaos all the way!

Grandpa Shen's courtyard is about 300 square meters in size. There are several large water tanks and a lot of broken and miscellaneous items, such as old bicycles and carts, piled up in the corner.

After retiring, Grandpa Shen started a training class for teenagers, teaching local children to practice boxing.

The fee isn't expensive either; it's 800 yuan per child per year, with classes on Sundays and Saturdays, including summer and winter vacations. In the old man's own words, it's purely for the children's enjoyment.

Under the pomegranate tree in the courtyard, Grandpa Shen squinted, holding a calico cat in his arms, lying on a rocking chair drinking tea, while the opera "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy" played from a small Bluetooth speaker next to him.

The big yellow dog lay on the ground, its ears twitching from time to time.

Grandpa Shen sneezed and called out towards the kitchen, "I say, Rongrong should be getting off the high-speed train by now, right?"

A voice replied from the kitchen: "Just sent a text message, they're almost here. They said they brought a friend along."

"Oh, then please order two more dishes. What kind of friend are you?"

"I don't know, they said it was a man."

Grandpa Shen sat up straight. Was he a man?

"What man? Who is he?"

"I don't know, maybe we met at Little Thompson's gym."

Tang Long is Grandpa Shen's cousin and Gong Rongrong's uncle.

Grandpa Shen muttered a few words, turned off the Bluetooth speaker, and casually picked up a copy of "The Secret of Taiyi Golden Flower" and started reading it.

"Heaven and earth regard man as a mayfly, and the Great Dao regards heaven and earth as a bubble. Only the primordial spirit and true nature transcend the primordial cycle..."

The calico cat in Grandpa Shen's arms shifted to a more comfortable position and began to purr.

After reading for a while, Grandpa Shen sighed, "Alas, the book doesn't even have a proper translation of the primordial spirit, the consciousness, and the three flowers gathering at the top of the head."

"I don't understand it at all, I don't understand it at all."

Grandpa Shen covered his face with the Taoist book, and then, surprisingly, he fell fast asleep.

"Meow~" "Woof woof~"

The old lady came out of the kitchen and saw her husband asleep, with the calico cat sitting on his head for some reason.

"Sanhua, come down quickly, you can't lie on people's heads."

Meow~

The old lady took a picture of the old man dozing off with her phone and sent it to Gong Rongrong.

He asked via voice message: "Rongrong, are we almost there? Your grandpa's fallen asleep waiting."

Gong Rongrong replied with a photo: "My friend said that Grandpa has achieved the 'Three Flowers Gathering at the Top' (a traditional Chinese astrological configuration)."

The old lady quickly went inside to get a blanket and covered the old man with it.

On the other side, Gong Rongrong looked down at her phone screen and chuckled.

Chen Ye walked beside her with his hands in his pockets. They didn't use the shared bikes because it was still early.

"Look, I sent your evaluation of my grandfather to my grandma." Gong Rongrong turned her phone screen sideways.

Chen Ye: "..."

"So, you grew up at your maternal grandfather's house."

Gong Rongrong said, "Yes, when I was eight years old, my mother passed away, and my father was sentenced to life imprisonment. My maternal grandparents raised me."

After a brief silence, Chen Ye asked:

"What crime did your father commit?"

"Hit someone, use a fire axe, and smash them until they are seriously injured or killed."

He sounds like a ruthless person.

Gong Rongrong: "My mother was hit by a car and injured her leg. She wouldn't have died otherwise, but the driver repeatedly ran her over and crushed her to death. In the end, the court ruled that the car was out of control. My father knew that the other driver was worried about having to support a disabled person for the rest of his life, which is why he did this!"

Chen Ye could roughly understand and finally comprehend why Gong Rongrong's father used an axe to hit people instead of chopping them.

They both lost their parents at the age of eight; their fates are remarkably similar.

Gong Rongrong shrugged, a nonchalant expression on her face—a facade of strength—and said with a smile:

"So what if I didn't have parents growing up? My maternal grandfather was very good to me. When I was little, someone insulted me by saying I was a child without parents. When my grandfather found out, he started banging pots and cursing in the street. Nobody dared to interfere, and he even threatened to burn down the house."

Chen Ye said, "I was separated from my parents when I was eight years old. At that time, I had my senior sister, master, and fellow disciples. Sometimes I would wake up crying in the middle of the night from a dream, and my senior sister would hold me and play the flute for me!"

Gong Rongrong looked a little strange. "What did your senior sister play for you?"

"My senior sister is a master of music. She can not only play the xiao (vertical bamboo flute), but also play tunes on leaves. When I sang 'Only Mother is Good in the World,' she heard it once and could play it on the xiao. She was amazing."

"How old is your... senior sister?"

"My senior sister is 28 years older than me. In Master's words, she is like a second mother to me and my fifth senior brother."

"Oh, then your senior sister must be over 50 by now." For some reason, Gong Rongrong felt a quiet joy in her heart, and lowered her head, "Oh. That's good."

Chen Ye asked, "Miss Rongrong, can you play the flute?"

Gong Rongrong shook her head frantically.

"How about I teach you to play the flute? If you feel sad because you miss your parents, you can play it for yourself."

"good……"

Chen Ye said earnestly, "When you learn it, you have to be the first one to play it for me."

Gong Rongrong's expression stiffened, and her cheeks flushed. Was he deliberately being wicked, or was I just imagining things?

The two walked along the sidewalk until they reached the foot of the overpass.

A row of stalls stretches along the bridge, with plastic sheets piled haphazardly with all sorts of items: household goods, old thread-bound books, bracelets, Buddha statues, bamboo flutes, bamboo pipes, harmonicas, and more.

The shouts, bargaining, and honking of electric bikes blended together in a chaotic cacophony. A bustling, noisy atmosphere greeted the eye.

Chen Ye saw a bamboo flute for sale at a street stall, so he bought one and played with it in his hand.

"I'll teach you a piece of music called 'Moon in the Well,' which was composed by a princess named Zhao Youzhen."

Chen Ye walked and played the flute, not caring about the onlookers. He played casually, and the ancient-style flute music echoed through the street.

He recalled that day when they were lost in passion at the dry well, and how he and Zhao Youzhen had been on the run for half a year, inseparable through life and death. He remembered the fall of Yun'an City, the torrential rain, and the overgrown weeds of their old hometown. He had heard that she had always been alone.

When the song ended, Chen Ye asked, "Was it good?"

Gong Rongrong bit her lip and asked, "Chen Ye, who exactly are you?"

Chen Ye thought for a moment: "Do you really want to know?"

"Um."

"I'll tell you once you've learned to play the flute."

Gong Rongrong: "..."

Chen Ye smiled calmly, wondering where his father and they were talking about.

.

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P.S.: As usual, I'll be uploading it as I write it, and the next chapter will be released before 12 PM. It's climbed to #2 on the light novel category's new release chart! It's reached #21 on the overall site's new release chart!

Before it goes on sale, I can only write two chapters a day. Please, dear readers, don't let this book die out!