Chapter 137 Tracking
"It's you?!!!"
Seeing that his grandson liked it, Mr. Chen said, "If you like it, just stay at home for a few more days. I don't like it either. These are all yours."
This kid has been running around outside for several months, and Old Man Chen has been staying at home alone without anyone to keep him company. He has long been fed up with it. Since his grandson rarely comes back, he wants him to stay at home for a few more days.
"Grandpa, do you miss me?"
Chen Jing'an asked with a smile while peeling shrimps.
Old Master Chen didn't blush, "Yeah, I'm not used to not having you around as a happy person, so do you want to stay and keep me company, an old man?"
Before Chen Jing'an could say anything, Chen Guogang, the second son of the Chen family, felt guilty after hearing what his father said.
"Dad, I'll try to stay here for a few more days and spend more time with you."
Old Master Chen was stunned. He looked at his second son's weathered face and waved his hands repeatedly, "No, I don't need you to accompany me. Go and do your own thing."
Old Master Chen glanced at his son with disdain, then turned to look at his grandson. "How can anything compare to home out there? You've been living on the train for so long, seeing the same scenery and places all the time. Aren't you getting tired of it?"
Chen Jing'an was indeed a little fed up, but he didn't come home this time to accompany the old man.
"Since you missed me, Grandpa, why don't we go on the train together?" Chen Jing'an said, "Grandpa, your legs hurt in the winter, and the train has heating, which is more comfortable and suitable for you to recuperate."
Old Master Chen was stunned and didn't reply for a while, but Chen Guogang next to him was moved by what his youngest son said.
"Dad, this is indeed a good idea!" He couldn't help but think about it. "If you go to the car with Xiao Qi, it will be good for your legs. We can also be assured of your safety. You can also help us keep an eye on this kid and make sure he doesn't get into trouble."
But Old Master Chen remained silent. He let his son and grandson talk for a long time before he said, "I'm not going."
Chen Jing'an and Chen Guogang were both stunned as they didn't expect the old man to say that.
"Why?"
Chen Jing'an didn't even eat. He wiped his hands and circled around Old Man Chen. "Grandpa, why don't you want to go? It's so much fun on the train. There are so many people, it's not as good as if you were stuck in the mountains. You couldn't even find anyone to play chess with in the villa. Why don't you go on the train?"
Chen Guogang couldn't figure it out either. "Yeah, Dad, are you worried about the cost? That's okay. At worst, we can donate some supplies and exchange them for some crystals from the rescue team. That way, you can spend the winter in the car. If we can exchange more, I can bring the housekeeper and servants with me. Isn't that good?"
Old Man Chen raised his cane and banged it hard on the ground. "Donate supplies to the rescue team in exchange for crystals? Is that what I taught you before?"
No one expected that Mr. Chen would suddenly lose his temper. Not only did it scare Chen Jing'an and Chen Guogang, but even the three members of the Li family who had not yet left shuddered.
Although the old man is old, he is well maintained and still has a lot of energy. When he quarrels, everyone in the villa can hear it.
"Donating supplies is your patriotism and your social responsibility. Can you use it to bargain with the rescue team?" Old Man Chen shouted at his son. "We're in dire straits right now. We've already earned the good fortune we have. Don't keep asking for more."
After Old Master Chen finished speaking, his emotions calmed down. "Second Brother, if you're doing this for the people below you, I won't say anything. But if you're doing this for me, then I tell you, I don't need it, so don't even think about it."
Chen Guogang was scolded by his father in front of outsiders and younger generations at such an old age. He felt a little embarrassed, but out of respect for his old father, he still lowered his head.
"I understand, Dad." But he still said, "But Xiaoqi's suggestion that you spend the winter on the train, you should think about it carefully and don't rush to refuse."
Chen Guogang said, "We heard from down the mountain a while ago that the roads have been blocked by heavy snow, so coal transportation may not be as timely as before. The weather is bad, and solar power generation will definitely be restricted, so there may be problems heating the villa in winter..."
But Mr. Chen remained undeterred. "It's not like I haven't lived in a winter without heating before."
The old man disagreed, and Chen Guogang had no choice but to wink at his son.
But Grandpa was angry, and even the most favored Chen Xiaoqi didn't dare to pluck the hair on the tiger's head. He shook his head and continued to eat.
On the other hand, Mr. Chen was furious, yet he still had the mind to entertain the guests. "I'm sorry to have made a fool of myself."
The three members of the Li family shook their heads in unison. "The old man is a man of high moral character, and his children are filial. How can this be a joke?"
But although they admired the old man's virtue, the Li couple still advised, "If the family has the money, you might consider Guogang's idea. It just snowed, and it will definitely get colder. Living on the train is still better."
Old Master Chen shook his head. "No, the children are all out and about, so it's hard to contact them. I have to stay in Xishan and be the anchor."
Seeing that they couldn't persuade him, the Li family stopped talking.
The villa assigned to their family was just diagonally opposite the Chen family, not far away, so they said a few more words and then went home.
Old Master Chen was also a little sleepy, but looking at his little grandson who had finished his meal, he still dragged him to his room and asked, "Tell me? What did you do along the way?"
Chen Jing'an scratched his head and told his story about what he had seen and heard during this period. He blushed as he spoke. Although he had gone out under the pretext of helping his family, it now seemed that he had not been able to help his family much along the way.
Old Master Chen, however, was very interested in his grandson's experiences along the way. His little grandson might not even realize it himself, but after witnessing so many ups and downs along the way, his thoughts had changed significantly.
If it were the old him, he would definitely not care about such trivial matters as how much rice and eggs cost per pound, because as long as he wanted, everyone in the family would prepare it for him. He even always gave out large amounts of tips and did not realize that what he gave out might be an adult male's monthly salary, which was enough for a family of three to live on for three months.
But now, he knows all the prices of goods in the market like the back of his hand, and even discovered that some people were secretly trading on the train.
"The man wore a coat with all sorts of pockets on the lining. He'd open it and show it to potential customers, and he could sell a few things each time... But I don't know the prices, or whether he'd actually make any money that day..."
"...There's also a mother who lives with her daughter. She carries her daughter on her back every day, running between two cities looking for work, but there aren't many jobs available..."
"...We've even recruited a group of children to clean the train every day. The train provides them with food and lodging. One child told me that if he hadn't boarded the train, given how cold it is this winter, he might have frozen to death..."
"At that time, I suddenly felt empty inside, and I also felt a little disgusted. I clearly didn't do anything, but I got something that they might not get even if they worked hard for a long time. Grandpa, brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts, parents, were all busy, and what did I do..."
…
Chen Jing'an became more and more silent as he spoke, but Old Man Chen became more and more relieved.
He touched the head of the child whom everyone said was spoiled by him, and patted him gently.
"If you're not happy with yourself, then go do something. Make sure your efforts are worth what you get. Besides, haven't you already started working? I heard from your eldest brother earlier that you helped coordinate the transportation of a batch of supplies."
Chen Jing'an lowered his head and nodded.
"But, Grandpa, are you really not going to come with me this time?"
Old Man Chen shook his head. "I'm old now and don't like traveling back and forth. Xishan is a good place."
Chen Jing'an was a little disappointed, but since his grandfather had thought it through, he knew that no one could persuade him.
"You did a great job last time. Your third brother was able to prepare in advance, clean up the factory, and resume production. The bird repellent was developed so quickly, thanks in part to you," Grandpa Chen consoled his grandson. "So don't blame yourself, and don't think you're inadequate. You've done and can do far more than you imagine. Just keep working hard!"
…
Chen Jing'an stayed at home for a day, accompanying the old man. On the third day, he left home again.
When I went out, snowflakes started falling from the sky again.
The mountain wind blew snowflakes into flying shapes, and everything was gray and covered with snow. Chen Jingan and his two bodyguards could barely find their way down the mountain.
The mountain road was icy, wet and slippery, which added a lot of difficulties to their journey. Fortunately, they arrived before the agreed flight departure time.
The two bodyguards boarded the plane first with the luggage, and Chen Jing'an followed behind. After getting on the helicopter, he was about to sit down when he found that a "fully armed" man had followed behind him at some point.
Looking at the man's face, which was wrapped so tightly that even his eyes were invisible, Chen Jing'an frowned and reached behind him with his right hand to touch the belt at his lower back. "Who are you?"
The pilot in front heard the voice, turned around and looked, his face serious, "Don't you know him?"
Chen Jingan's two bodyguards had already protected him behind them. "I don't know him. There are only three of us."
Although there shouldn't be any bad guys in the base, no one lets down their guard.
After learning that Chen Jing'an didn't know the man, the pilot called the team members on duty outside and warned them, "If you are unrelated, please leave as soon as possible, otherwise the duty team will arrest you for obstructing public service."
In this solemn atmosphere, the man finally took off his mask and hat, and said reluctantly, "Don't call anyone, it's me."
The hoarse voice seemed familiar, and when the black and yellow hair under the hat appeared, Chen Jing'an finally recognized the person.
"It's you?!!!"
"What are you doing here?" Chen Jing'an walked up from behind the two bodyguards and looked at the person in front of him in disbelief.
"You can come, so why can't I?" the visitor said confidently, "This base isn't owned by your family."
"Yes, this base is owned by my family. You are free to go wherever you want. But why are you following us?"
There were so many helicopters parked at the airport, and Chen Jing'an didn't believe that the other party just happened to get on this one. Thinking of the gaze he felt in the wind and snow when he went out, he felt that he had found the source.
【Author’s words】
Update is here!
I'm still not in a good state recently, but I feel that I can't go on like this, so when I couldn't write this book, I changed my thinking. When I was not in a good state, I would conceive the content of the new article and stop myself from thinking about random things.
The good news is that although the things I used to distract myself didn’t make me feel better, I now have an outline for my new article and a 30,000-word draft in reserve, so I guess I haven’t wasted my time this week.
Unfortunately, even though I've put a lot of thought into thinking up new articles, I still can't sleep at night. I don't know when the situation will improve.
Fortunately, compared with last week, I have 30,000 more words in reserve, so it can be considered a gain.
I hope to have a bigger harvest next week, and I also hope to resume updating as soon as possible and finish this book. If I don’t finish this book, I always feel like I owe everyone something and I feel uncomfortable.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
