On the outskirts of Beijing, there is a manor surrounded by green hills and clear waters. This manor is one of the places where retired government officials reside. There are such manors all over the country.
The area is lush with greenery and boasts beautiful scenery. The estate has several small courtyards, each housing a retired cadre. Some cadres live alone, while others live with their spouses, sons, and grandchildren. This is not a problem for the country, as they have worked hard for the country their whole lives and need companionship in their old age.
At this moment, several people are walking on a tree-lined path. In front of them is an elderly couple with gray hair, supporting each other as they stroll slowly. Behind them are two young people, a man and a woman, who are the elderly couple's personal bodyguard and nurse, taking care of their health.
The two young men were supposed to stay close to the elderly couple at all times, but the couple didn't like people to be too close when they were chatting. So they made sure they could get to the couple as soon as possible without hearing their conversation. But because of this, they were unaware of how bizarre the conversation between the two elderly people was.
"Qiaoqiao, it seems like time is almost up."
"Yes, time is almost up. Decades have passed in the blink of an eye. We've grown old. To be honest, we don't want this old and inflexible body anymore."
"The space has been restored and filled up quickly. It's time to leave. By the way, should I call the children and ask them to come over?"
"No need to make a phone call. I can't stand the atmosphere of parting. Just write a letter and leave it on the table.
"That's true. I was worried they'd argue a lot later, so I've decided to go back now, so as not to make things difficult for the two young people."
The two elderly people, Liu Mingfeng and Wu Qiaoqiao, turned and walked towards their small courtyard as they spoke. Decades had passed in the blink of an eye; those of their generation who were meant to leave had all passed away. Since the deaths of Lin Yuwei and Feng Minghao a few years ago, only the two of them remained. And after their passing, Liu Mingfeng and Wu Qiaoqiao felt that their days in this world were numbered.
Fortunately, the data they produced led to improvements in the country and the world. Ten years ago, their personal space completely recovered to its post-apocalyptic size. Thankfully, the recovery wasn't sudden; it grew gradually. During this time, they used various methods to stuff things into it without anyone noticing. After all, Wu Qiaoqiao still owned that supermarket, and their finances had already been distributed to their four children two years prior. Their space was already full by then, so they didn't need so much money.
After helping each other back to the courtyard, the two ate the food brought by the guard and the nurse, washed up, and watched TV for a while before letting the guard and the nurse go to rest.
Liu Mingfeng and Wu Qiaoqiao returned to their bedroom. Once inside, Wu Qiaoqiao took out two sets of clothes from the closet, giving one set to Liu Mingfeng and keeping the other for herself. These were the burial clothes she had prepared for the two of them long ago.
After changing their clothes, they each wrote a letter and placed it on the table. Then, once everything was settled, they lay down on the bed together.
Lying in bed, they held each other's hands, smiled at each other, and slowly closed their eyes. As their eyes closed, their breathing gradually stopped.
At midnight, a shimmering bead appeared above the two of them. After the bead appeared, it slowly began to rotate. As the bead rotated, two transparent figures emerged from the aged figures of Liu Mingfeng and Wu Qiaoqiao. As the figures emerged, they gradually became clearer and underwent tremendous changes.
Their once pale hair gradually turned black, their loose, sagging skin became firm, until they were restored to their youthful appearance. They both opened their eyes simultaneously. After opening their eyes, they first looked at themselves lying on the bed, their gray hair and loose skin causing them to turn away in disgust. Neither dared to look at the other's aged body, afraid of showing any sign of disdain.
Just as Liu Mingfeng and Wu Qiaoqiao were complaining, the bead floated in front of them, and a childish voice came from it.
"Master, mistress, are you ready? We're about to set off."
Liu Mingfeng and Wu Qiaoqiao exchanged a glance, then turned to the beads and said...
"Could you please help us say goodbye to the children?"
Zhu Zi said she could pull Liu Xiangjun and the other three into their dreams, but only four people, no more. Wu Qiaoqiao and Liu Mingfeng said four people would be enough.
Upon hearing Liu Mingfeng and Wu Qiaoqiao's words, the bead floated up and down as if nodding, then emitted specks of light that floated away and quickly disappeared into the starry sky.
At this moment, Liu Xiangjun and his three siblings, who had already fallen asleep, suddenly felt that they had entered a strange space. The space was completely white. They thought they were alone, but when they turned around, they saw their brothers and sisters also there, looking around blankly.
At first, everyone thought they were dreaming, but when they saw their equally bewildered brothers and sisters, they felt something was wrong. The four of them huddled together, and just as they were about to say something, they noticed that a pair of figures slowly appeared in front of them.
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