All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

In mid-1985, under He Yuzhu's arrangement, the two were sent to the south. Xu Xiaonuan continued her studies, while Qin Jingru entered a private company as an ordinary employee, allowing them to start their lives anew.

He Yuzhu left them a sum of money, enough for them to start over. This money was for Xu Xiaonuan because He Yuzhu found that this girl was more independent and stronger than Qin Jingru.

Before leaving, Xu Xiaonuan tugged at He Yuzhu's sleeve and cried as she asked him why he was so good to her and her daughter. He Yuzhu sighed helplessly, looked at Qin Jingru sitting silently on the edge of the bed, and then looked at Xu Xiaonuan.

Finally, he smiled, turned around, patted Xu Xiaonuan's head, and said casually.

"Because you are my daughter!"

Xu Xiaonuan was startled, staring blankly at He Yuzhu, then slowly glanced at her mother sitting on the edge of the bed. Seeing her mother lower her head in silence, she had clearly acquiesced.

Xu Xiaonuan stood there dumbfounded, at a loss. Seeing this, He Yuzhu helplessly comforted her.

“This was supposed to be a secret for the rest of my life, but I don’t want to keep it a secret any longer. The truth is what it is. From the time you were little, I’ve always wanted to acknowledge you as my father, but I can’t because I don’t want our elders’ affairs to affect you for the rest of your life. Xiao Nuan, it’s okay if you don’t acknowledge me as your father, but you will always be my daughter!”

Looking at He Yuzhu's serious face, Xu Xiaonuan finally burst into tears, threw herself into He Yuzhu's arms, and desperately pounded his chest with her little fists, sobbing incessantly.

She only looked up when she was exhausted from crying, and then looked at He Yuzhu earnestly.

"Are you really my dad? You're not lying to me?"

He Yuzhu nodded solemnly.

Xu Xiaonuan suddenly burst into tears of joy, throwing herself into his arms once more and sobbing as she spoke.

"Dad, do you know how envious I was of He Zhen and He Hua when I was little? Do you know how many times I cried behind their backs when I saw them enjoying their father's love? Waaah...waaah, why didn't you acknowledge me sooner! You made me miss out on a happy childhood, waaah...waaah, you mean dad! You mean dad! Waaah..."

He Yuzhu was speechless. How was he supposed to respond to that?

Of course I couldn't acknowledge her and her daughter back then. If I had, Xu Damao would have fought me to the death!

Qin Huairu's ending has already explained everything. Moreover, if she really acknowledges Xu Xiaonuan, will she and Ran Qiuye still have a good life?

He Yuzhu's sudden decision to acknowledge Xiao Nuan now was also out of helplessness. He was certain that he would wake up soon. Once he woke up, he didn't care what the world was like!

He Yuzhu sighed helplessly, stroked Xu Xiaonuan's hair, and met Qin Jingru's gaze as she sat on the edge of the bed. In Qin Jingru's eyes, He Yuzhu saw helplessness, heartache, relief, and joy!

Chapter 131: A Thousand Lights, Who Is Making the Sacrifice?

Looking at Qin Jingru's appearance, He Yuzhu sighed. That silly girl from back then is now a woman in her forties. Time really flies!

However, he and Qin Jingru will definitely not rekindle their relationship, and even his affair with Xu Xiaonuan and her father is a secret known only to the three of them.

Ran Qiuye must not know about this. I had to come to the South with countless excuses to make this trip.

After settling Qin Jingru and her son in, He Yuzhu returned to Yanjing. He had a premonition that his awakening would not be too long, perhaps within the next year or two, or perhaps within the next day or two!

Sometimes, the more you expect something, the less likely it is to happen. It's a very mysterious thing. He Yuzhu can only rely on this kind of self-comfort. Maybe the more he tries to be clear-headed, the less clear-headed he becomes?

Let everything take its natural course!

Since recognizing Xu Xiaonuan, He Yuzhu has been free of worries and can let things take their natural course. He secretly calls her every month to check on the mother and daughter, and only feels at ease after confirming that everything is alright.

Xu Xiaonuan's excellence also saved him from any carelessness.

Lou Xiao'e was the same; she would call once a month to nag, or she would personally send someone to take care of her. Occasionally, she would make a long-distance call to He Xiao, and the two of them would chat about everyday things and their own interesting lives.

In short, with a happy family and healthy children, He Yuzhu feels that he has no regrets at all.

Life in the compound soon returned to normal; that's how it is for poor families—how much poorer can they get?

After this incident, the loving family life in the courtyard was completely gone, and the phrase "a courtyard full of affection" seemed to have lost its flavor and meaning.

Every household is worried about the daily necessities of life. The experience with Health Code also plunged many families into a state of depression and hardship for several years. However, as China has gradually developed, the thousands of yuan that once bankrupted them have gradually recovered.

Time flies, and He Yuzhu's long-awaited awakening is finally showing signs of happening. Unfortunately, it has been eight or nine years since then, and it is now Lunar New Year's Eve.

That day, the family gathered together for a reunion dinner. After the meal, He Zhen asked for a red envelope with a smile. He Yuzhu patted the young man, who was taller than himself, on the shoulder, and was about to say a few words of encouragement.

Suddenly, a burst of firecrackers rang out in the courtyard. He Yuzhu felt as if the sound of the firecrackers was right next to his ear, and the sound was somewhat unreal, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was unreal about it.

Why does this firecracker sound a bit like Phoenix Legend's "Above the Moon"? Has that song been released yet?

Yes, it's only been eight or nine years, why would there be anything about "above the moon"?

No, I'm about to wake up!

He Yuzhu tried hard to calm himself down and not wake up so quickly, so that he could at least say goodbye to his son, daughter and wife. But he gradually felt his thoughts slowly leaving his body.

He floated higher and higher, feeling as if his thoughts, like a soul, had drifted to the rooftop. He thought he could see He Yuzhu's head, but he couldn't make a sound, and even when he tried to struggle, there was no response.

Suddenly, he saw He Yuzhu slowly raise his head and glance at the rooftop. It was as if the two were looking at each other across time and space. Suddenly, a smile appeared on He Yuzhu's face. That smile said everything without saying a word!

After breaking free from He Yuzhu's thoughts, the memories in his mind slowly returned, and Zhang Peng's name reappeared in his mind. He Yuzhu's memories were gradually stripped away and hidden, just like memories in a dream, while Zhang Peng's memories slowly took over his thoughts.

His thoughts drifted higher and higher as he saw He Yuzhu pat He Zhen's shoulder with a smile and say some encouraging words. He Zhen nodded with a grin, while He Hua, with her round face, also reached out to He Yuzhu for a red envelope. He Hua's round face was starting to look more and more like He Yuzhu's; the two of them seemed to be cut from the same mold.

Ran Qiuye smiled and said something to He Hua, but He Hua wouldn't listen. She went up and hugged He Yuzhu's arm, acting coquettishly. An old man stood to the side, beaming. He picked up a bone and threw it under the table. The pug, which had grown from a small yellow dog to an old yellow dog, wagged its tail happily, took the bone, and hid under the table.

It turns out that even after I left, He Yuzhu was still the same He Yuzhu. It seems that the memories from all these years still exist. Perhaps the glance he just gave me was just a dream.

Zhang Peng's thoughts drifted higher and higher, and his gaze gradually became able to see the entire compound. He could even see the scenes inside each household through the rooftops.

At Uncle Erda's house, Liu Haizhong sat blankly at the cold table. Flour and oil delivered by the street that afternoon were still on the table, but his eyes were vacant, and he sat motionless in the chair. The room seemed gloomy, completely unrelated to the joy outside.

At Uncle San's house, the whole family was huddled around a table with a hot pot on it, but there were only a few plates of cabbage and potatoes. The family members were frantically picking food out of the pot, afraid that they would miss out. Uncle San picked up a cornbread, took a small bite, and looking at the scene before him, he felt a pang of sadness. He took off his glasses, wiped them, and exchanged a glance with Aunt San, both of them seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes.

The steam from the hot pot rose slowly, obscuring the dim light and making the room even more indistinct. Zhang Peng's gaze slowly shifted away, and suddenly a thought struck him, his eyes landing on Qin Huairu's house.

The house was in a dilapidated state, almost exactly the same as it had been five years ago. The overturned table was still lying on the ground, the bed board was overturned, and the window glass was already shattered. Years of rain and snow had soaked the house, making it look like it was about to collapse. On the damp floor in the corner, a family photo in a glass frame was covered by a wooden board. The people in the photo were already somewhat blurry, and only Qin Huairu's youthful smile could be vaguely seen.

Zhang Peng's thoughts slowly rose again, and he gradually saw many streets, many alleys and courtyards, and the lives and joys and sorrows within those alleys. He felt his body getting lighter and lighter, and the world seemed somewhat blurry.

It seemed like it was snowing. Zhang Peng could almost feel the snowflakes drifting past him from the sky, white, one by one, slowly falling towards the entire city of Yanjing.

His gaze traveled further and further, until he could see the lights of every household in Yanjing City right below him. He saw children playing on the street corner, and children in new clothes setting off firecrackers. Further still, he saw a cart selling roasted sweet potatoes that had just closed up shop. The old man was pushing his tricycle with difficulty through the snow. On New Year's Eve, he probably hoped that a child would buy one of his steaming hot roasted sweet potatoes, but the streets were deserted.

There was only a disheveled woman on the street corner, carrying something and stumbling forward. When she saw the old man selling roasted sweet potatoes, she stumbled forward, took out a piece of paper, and asked the old man something.

Zhang Peng's consciousness grew increasingly blurred, as if he were about to leave this world at any moment. He tried to look at the woman, but it seemed that his vision was too far away and he could no longer see her clearly.

Just then, the woman suddenly raised her head, as if sensing something, and glanced at the sky. Zhang Peng saw her face, and his blurry vision cleared up a little.

The woman was Qin Huairu. She was wearing a tattered cotton-padded jacket, her hair was disheveled, and her white hair was tangled and messy. But she seemed not to care at all. In her hand, she was holding a missing person notice with information about Bang Geng. She was asking the old man about Bang Geng, but all she got was blank stares and a shake of the head.

The old man pushed his sweet potato cart forward again, but after a few steps, he stopped. He looked back at the woman not far away, picked up a sweet potato from the oven, put it in a brown paper bag, and slowly walked up to her, handing it to her.

Qin Huairu raised her head, glanced at the old man, said nothing, took the bag of sweet potatoes, and put it in her arms, letting the hard-won warmth warm her chest.

The old man pushed the cart slowly away, leaving Qin Huairu standing there. Snowflakes gently fell on her head. She looked up at the snowflakes and suddenly felt so calm. The warm snowflakes reminded her of the times when her family sat at the table eating a reunion dinner, the children's laughter, and her mother-in-law's nagging. It was all so vivid in her mind. A happy smile appeared on her face as she let the snowflakes cover her cheeks.

Music drifted from a window of some house on the street.

长路奉献给远方

Roses are offered to love

What can I offer you?

my sweetheart

...

I kept asking

I kept searching

Keep thinking

White doves offer their love to the blue sky.

Starlight offered to the long night

What can I offer you?

My child

The rainy season is a gift to the earth.

Time is dedicated to the seasons

What can I offer you?

...!

Chapter 132: Zhang Peng and Chen Ling

"Above the Moon!"

How many dreams are taking flight freely?

"Yesterday's forgotten sorrows have dried up!"

"Honey, turn off the alarm!"

Zhang Peng opened his eyes, looked at the fan on the ceiling, and the loud singing of Phoenix Legend in his ears brought his thoughts back to this body.

He shook his head, trying to dispel the last image of Qin Huairu from his mind. His eyes gradually focused as he looked at the cramped rented room. Suddenly, Zhang Peng felt the tightness in his chest return to his heart.

"Honey... turn off the alarm!"

Zhang Peng was now fully awake. He climbed over the hill, turned off the alarm clock, and was no longer sleepy. He shook his head and got up.

Looking at his girlfriend, who was still half asleep, Zhang Peng gave a bitter smile. This was real life; the life in his dreams was ultimately not his.

Zhang Peng squeezed out toothpaste and began washing up. These single rooms are extremely common in urban villages. They are small, with walls that offer almost no sound insulation. The opposite wall is right next to his, and he can see it from the window on this side. On the opposite side, a set of wrinkled women's underwear is hanging on the window.

The only advantage is that it's cheap; a single room costs 360 yuan, which is the cheapest room available in this first-tier city.

Zhang Peng was quite satisfied with the room he rented. Although it wasn't very big, it had a kitchen and a bathroom, though it was a bit cramped.

Living in such a room for a long time can make you feel very depressed and unable to see the future. But in reality, this is the kind of place that accompanies countless migrant workers, who spend the best years of their youth in these rented rooms.

Across the street lived a couple who worked the night shift, returning home early and leaving late. Every morning, the man would get up while the woman had just finished her shift. The woman would take a shower and cook.

Zhang Peng guessed that the other party was probably from Nanxiang. The pungent smell of stir-fried pork with chili peppers caused countless coughs to erupt from nearby rooms.

However, Zhang Peng quite liked this taste because it was somewhat like the taste of his hometown, since he was also from Hunan. Although they were only a few meters apart, Zhang Peng had never greeted the person opposite him. This was the way migrant workers made friends; even if they were several meters apart, they wouldn't greet each other if they weren't familiar with each other.

For some reason, Zhang Peng felt something was off about the smell of this dish today. There was too much salt, the meat slices were overcooked, and the chili peppers shouldn't be spicy. This was a very unsuccessful chili pepper stir-fried meat dish!

Zhang Peng dismissed the somewhat absurd idea with a self-deprecating laugh. Looking at the cramped little kitchen, he suddenly felt an urge to try something. He checked his phone and realized there was still time.

Zhang Peng picked up a cleaver, took out a piece of lean meat from the small refrigerator, and quickly started slicing it into strips. He also found a green pepper, ginger, garlic, and scallions, and chopped them all up for later use. For some reason, Zhang Peng felt as if he was born to be in the kitchen.