Li Chu was very pleased that his wife put her family first, so she didn't need to worry about buying things for her family; he would prepare everything himself.
Ding Qiunan shrank closer to the wall and patted the spot next to her: "Aren't you going to get some sleep?"
"I'm not going to sleep, you should go to sleep."
Seeing that her husband had started reading again, Ding Qiunan stopped talking and closed her eyes.
Before long, Li Chu heard steady breathing.
He put down the book in his hand, quietly walked to the front, and picked up the newspaper on the table.
He was too busy to read it this morning, but now reading the newspaper every day has become a habit.
He sat back down on the chair by the bed, looking around casually as usual.
Upon seeing the front page of the newspaper, Li Chu's eyes visibly shrank.
Is it finally about to begin?
The front page featured a speech by a prominent figure in Shanghai.
The content of the speech was nothing special; it was simply about the establishment of a new organization in Shanghai.
It hasn't attracted much attention yet.
However, by the following month, in February, when it changed its name and was established in various parts of the country, its name became known to everyone.
"Sigh," Li Chu sighed heavily. This situation, where he knew what was going to happen next but was powerless to change it, made him feel very uncomfortable.
But what can he do? In the face of the overwhelming force, what does an individual amount to? Even if he were to reveal his reborn identity and report to his superiors, he would only be taken to a mental hospital.
He closed the newspaper in his hand; he had lost interest in reading any further.
He raised his eyes and gazed at his wife, who was fast asleep on the bed, looking at her pretty face.
Then I thought of my two lovely children.
Starting today, I need to be more careful in everything I do.
Just as Li Chu was lost in thought, next door to his house—or rather, to the west—at the entrance of that two-courtyard house, a middle-aged man stood there with a look of reminiscence on his face.
After a long while, he took out a key from his pocket and went to open the front door.
After a lot of effort, I finally opened the lock, pushed open the door, went inside, and closed the door behind me.
Standing in the dilapidated courtyard, he turned and looked around.
This middle-aged man is the son of the owner of this courtyard house.
He works in the south, and a few years ago the homeowner went to the south to stay with him.
His parents passed away one after another in the past two years due to their advanced age. Taking advantage of this business trip to Beijing, he planned to come and see if he could sell this house.
Their family lives in the south, and they probably won't have the chance to return to live here again.
Looking at the place where he lived as a child, he slowly squatted down, reached out and touched the ground beneath his feet, sighed softly, and felt a deep sense of reluctance.
But what can we do? Keeping it is a waste. We might as well try to exchange it for some money so that our family can have a better life.
He had this idea when his parents were still alive, but his father always disagreed, saying that it was ancestral property and could not be sold under any circumstances.
Now that he's truly in charge, he feels a little reluctant to let go.
But thinking of his large family, he resolutely stood up and walked towards the door.
It is true that it is ancestral property, but family is more important. People are almost starving, so what use is ancestral property?
He planned to go to the neighborhood office to ask if there was any way to sell the house. This business trip was not long, and he had even less time to deal with personal matters, so he couldn't afford to waste any more time.
After leaving the courtyard, I locked the gate again and headed towards the location of the neighborhood office that I remembered.
The neighbors passing by in the alley all watched him warily.
He was looking around when he finally spotted a familiar face and walked over with a smile.
Aunt Chen, who was sitting in the sun at the gate, looked at the stranger walking towards her with some curiosity.
Just as I was about to ask a question, the man opposite me spoke first.
"Hello, Aunt Chen! It's been so many years! Do you still remember me?"
Aunt Chen frowned, carefully looking at the middle-aged man speaking to her, and hesitantly shook her head: "I'm sorry, I'm old and my eyesight isn't good, I really can't remember. Who are you?"
"Aunt Chen, the first house on the west side, Old Wang's house."
As he spoke, he pointed in the direction of his home.
After hearing his words, Aunt Chen looked him up and down carefully, trying to open her eyes wide to see him clearly.
"Old Wang's family? Are you Weiping?" Aunt Chen asked hesitantly.
“Aunt Chen, you remember me? It’s me, Weiping,” Wang Weiping replied with a smile.
"Oh my goodness, Weiping, you've been gone for almost twenty years!" Aunt Chen stood up shakily and took Wang Weiping's hand.
156n.
Several people in the yard heard the commotion and ran out.
Seeing Aunt Chen holding a stranger's hand, everyone started asking questions.
When Aunt Chen mentioned it, the older people still remembered it.
"Weiping, are your parents alright? What brings you back this time...?"
The neighbors gathered around Aunt Chen and Wang Weiping and chatted enthusiastically.
"Aunt Chen, our alley has changed so much! I don't recognize many of the people I've walked along."
"Of course! Twenty years have passed. How could things not have changed? In a few more years, once we older folks are gone, you really won't be able to find many familiar faces," Aunt Chen said with a sigh.
“Aunt Chen, I just noticed that Brother Zhao next door has rebuilt his house…”
Before Wang Weiping could finish speaking, Aunt Chen covered his mouth, signaling him to stop talking.
The neighbors who were chatting and laughing nearby instantly fell silent.
Wang Weiping looked at everyone with a blank expression, somewhat confused about the situation.
Aunt Chen turned her head and looked at both ends of the alley before lowering her voice and saying, "I dare not mention that person again. He was a spy and was executed by the government long ago."
“Special…” Wang Weiping was extremely surprised. He had just uttered a single word when he realized something was wrong and immediately shut his mouth.
This is too surreal. He remembered that his neighbor, Brother Zhao, was about ten years older than him and worked at the coal station. He lived alone and would always give him a piece of candy when he saw him. How could that person be a spy?
Judging from the reactions of the neighbors, it must be true. Life is truly unpredictable!
"Aunt Zhao, what about the house next door to ours...?"
"Oh, that house has been vacant since the incident. A few years ago, it was bought by the younger brother of Director Li from our neighborhood office. The young couple are both doctors, and they are nice people. But it seems they enlisted in the army this year. They always wear military uniforms."
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