When Liu Zengyun saw the old man, his first reaction was to take off his reading glasses, wipe them, and put them back on. When he realized that he had not mistaken the man for someone else, his voice trembled.
"Cheng Jun? Is it really you? I haven't mistaken you for someone else, have I? Where have you been all these years?"
"Old Liu, old buddy, you're still alive! Haha, my trip wasn't in vain, it was worth it, really worth it!"
The two old men, whose combined age was nearly 180, cried like children when they met.
Sun Jianjun stood to the side, watching with his eyes twitching.
However, the old man's reaction reassured him; at least he wasn't an enemy.
"Ahem... Gentlemen, it's chilly outside, let's go inside and chat."
After retiring, Uncle Liu went to live with his children in another city for a while, but he didn't feel comfortable, so he came back. Now he lives in a sanatorium surrounded by other retired elderly people.
"Old Liu, where are Quanyou and Yajie now?"
As soon as he sat down inside, the old man asked impatiently.
Uncle Liu fell silent. He took off his glasses, wiped the tears from his face, and glanced back at Sun Jianjun, who was pouring water.
His reaction made everything clear to the old man.
"Old Liu, they...they...aren't they gone?"
"Hey, Lao Cheng, do you remember what you said during the investigation back then, about the locations of those spies you speculated about?"
"Yes, I remember. I remember giving out five addresses in total."
The conversation between the two old men made Sun Jianjun, who was pouring water, tremble involuntarily, almost scalding him.
Sure enough, his guess was right; the old man really was one of those sent out back then.
As for why he only came to Beijing now and why he looks so down and out, that remains unknown.
He didn't linger in the room any longer. After placing the water he had poured on the table, he made an excuse and left.
He didn't want to know anything about things that hadn't been deciphered; sometimes knowing too much wasn't a good thing.
He pulled up a small stool by the door and sat down in the yard, lighting a cigarette and leisurely smoking it.
The two old men inside chatted for more than two hours.
"Old buddy, I'm not going to make it." Seeing that Old Liu was about to say something, the old man waved his hand, signaling him not to speak yet.
“I know my body well; it’s already exhausted. I came here this time for two reasons: first, to see you, Brother Quanyou, and Sister Ya; and second, to see our old Beijing. I haven’t really looked around properly since liberation.”
"Old Cheng, if you want to see Beijing, you can do it anytime, but you have to take care of your health first. If you're sick, we'll treat it."
"Hehe, there's no other way, there's really no other way."
"Whether there's a cure or not isn't up to you; it's up to the doctor. Don't you want to see Quanyou and Yajie's child? Xiaoqin, Xiaoqin, you remember, right?"
"Isn't that obvious? How could I not remember Xiaoqin? That girl... no, no, she's not a girl anymore. If I remember correctly, Xiaoqin should be over sixty now."
"That's right, Xiao Chu, who is Quan You's son. You haven't met him before. He's over fifty years old this year and is a grandfather."
"What did you say? Quanyou and Ya have a son? When did he have one? I had no idea about this."
"They took Xiaoqin to Nanniwan alone back then, and they had this son not long after they arrived. This kid is now the director of the military health committee, and he's very good at traditional Chinese medicine. Go ask him to take a look at you."
"I definitely want to meet Quanyou's son. As for whether my illness can be cured, that doesn't matter."
"I can't say for sure whether it can be cured, but I'll only believe it if he says so."
After Uncle Liu finished speaking, he raised his voice, looked towards the door, and called out, "Jianjun!"
"Yes, Master."
"Come in."
"Master, please speak."
"Does Xiao Chu go to work this afternoon?"
"It's hard to say in the afternoon. In the morning, if there's nothing wrong, they're usually at the hospital."
“Come on, Jianjun, you take us to his house. It’s perfect timing, he and Xiaoqin live next door to each other.”
The old man didn't refuse this time. He was now separated from the two people he most wanted to see by death, so it was good to be able to see their children.
"Let me tell you something, Lao Cheng, you can't even imagine what rank Quan You's son holds in the military now," Uncle Liu said mysteriously on the way into the city.
"What? Is it very high?"
"Tsk tsk, if the old director were still alive, he would be proud of his son. Let me tell you, he was awarded two gold medals this time, two." Uncle Liu deliberately held up two fingers to show them.
"Hiss..." Although the old man had been on the farm all these years, he still read the news and newspapers regularly.
"Was it compensation from above?"
"Old man, that's a real position, not a nominal one."
"My goodness, this kid is amazing." Since it's a real position, it definitely isn't a compensation-based one. If you don't have the skills, how could they have promoted you?
As soon as the car entered the city, Uncle Liu pointed out the outside to the old man and started introducing the area, saying that it was a newly developed area, but there wasn't much to say about it.
Once they reached the western part of the city, the old man became excited. He pressed his face against the car window, looking outside, muttering something under his breath, and tears streamed down his face.
For the rest of the afternoon, Sun Jianjun's heart was in his throat. The two old men were so excited, and he was afraid that something might happen. Now he was rushing to Li Chu's house, and he wished he could step on the gas pedal as fast as possible so that he could feel at ease.
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But his master specifically told him to drive slowly so that the old man could have a good look outside.
After finally managing to slowly make his way to Li Chu's house, he turned a corner and saw that there were no cars parked at the entrance of the alley.
"Master, I don't think he's back yet; I haven't seen his car."
"It's okay, let's go to Xiaoqin's first. It's only an hour before I get off work."
The old man glanced outside and asked with some confusion, "Why doesn't he live in the military compound?"
“He doesn’t want to live there. Let me tell you, this kid is really enjoying himself. He bought a courtyard house here, and it’s much nicer than the sanatorium I’m staying in.”
The old man didn't react to these words. He had enjoyed it when he was young, and it was something that not everyone could experience.
After getting out of the car, Sun Jianjun went straight to Li Chu's front door and rang the doorbell. The dog could smell his scent but didn't bark, though he could hear whimpering sounds from inside, indicating that no one was home.
He then turned around and went next door to ring the doorbell.
Soon a small opening in the main gate appeared, revealing Li Qin's face.
"Build an army?"
"Sister, it's me. My master is here too. Brother Chu isn't home."
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