187 Manman, I'm back.
Xie Ziyu put his hands on his hips triumphantly, "No wonder I also like playing in the sand. I'm truly a child born of my mommy."
Huo Yanxi couldn't help but smile as she looked at his smug expression. She sat down on the beach and started building a houseboat with him.
"Uncle, will you marry my mommy?"
He saw it all just now. Uncle pinned Mommy against the pillar and kissed her. Grandma Wang once said that kissing without the intention of marriage is just being a hooligan.
Huo Yanxi turned her head to look at him.
Perhaps it's because the father and son have grown closer recently, but their facial features are becoming more and more alike.
As the two walked out, who wouldn't think they were father and son?
"Do you want me to marry your mother?" Huo Yanxi asked her son for his opinion.
In his eyes, his son was not a child, and he wanted to get his opinion.
Xie Ziyu pursed his lips. "After you get married, will you stop loving me?"
"No," Huo Yanxi answered with certainty.
Xie Ziyu immediately beamed with joy, "Then I approve, you two can get married."
Huo Yanxi rubbed his head. "Thank you, son."
Xie Ziyu was a little shy, and kicked the sand with his little feet. "You don't need to thank me. My mommy is very happy to be with you."
Huo Yanxi was taken aback. "Was your mother unhappy before?"
"I'm happy, but not as happy as being with you," Xie Ziyu said.
Xie Yaoyao used to be busy making money, and her life was fulfilling. She was often smiling.
However, Xie Ziyu had seen what she looked like when she was truly happy, so it seemed that her previous happiness was all an act to make him happy.
Huo Yanxi: "From now on, the three of us will never be separated again."
I helped Xie Ziyu build a houseboat. The sun sank below the horizon, and it gradually got dark.
Huo Yanxi had his bodyguards watch over Xie Ziyu while he went to Uncle Xiang's house to find the negatives.
Uncle Xiang's house is not far from the boathouse, and they now run a photo studio.
Recently, following photos has become very popular, especially among newlyweds who come here to take photos and hire photographers.
Uncle Xiang's family seized this opportunity and is now a well-known online celebrity photography studio in the small fishing village.
When Huo Yanxi arrived, Uncle Xiang had just returned from filming a newlywed couple.
Upon seeing Huo Yanxi, he warmly stepped forward to greet him, "Mr. Huo, when did you get back?"
Uncle Xiang knew that in a few days it would be the anniversary of Granny Chi's death, and Huo Yanxi would definitely come back.
But I didn't expect him to come back early. No wonder his wife said she saw someone cleaning the houseboat a couple of days ago.
Huo Yanxi said, "I just got back this afternoon. Uncle Xiang, please still call me Xiao Huo."
He couldn't bring himself to call him Uncle Xiang; Huo Yanxi's status was no longer what it used to be.
The presence of the world's richest man in his photo studio made it truly shine.
"Please sit down. Would you like something to drink? I have juice, coffee, and tea."
Seeing that he seemed a little flustered, Huo Yanxi said, "Uncle Xiang, don't be in such a hurry. I've come to you because I need your help."
Uncle Xiang was even more uneasy now. "Don't say that, I can't bear the responsibility."
Huo Yanxi didn't beat around the bush and said, "It's like this, we used to take photos here every year, but those photos were all burned. I wanted to ask if you have any negatives here."
Uncle Xiang is a very kind and warm-hearted person. He always keeps the negatives when he takes photos of his neighbors and fellow villagers.
Aunt Xiang had scolded him before, saying that it was not easy to preserve these negatives, that it cost money and energy, and that it would be better to just burn them.
Uncle Xiang said, "These are all everyone's memories. What if they need them someday?"
This is exactly where it comes in handy.
Uncle Xiang said, "Of course, of course. A few days ago, your Aunt Xiang said she was going to throw away all the old negatives, but I stopped her."
“I’ve kept these for every one of you, my fellow villagers, just in case you come back looking for them.”
These negatives are their memories.
Huo Yanxi said, "Thank you for thinking of us. Preserving these negatives must have been difficult, right?"
"It wasn't easy. The seaside is humid, and the film was easily damaged, unlike today's negatives which can be directly copied into a computer without worrying about how to preserve them."
As he spoke, he led Huo Yanxi to the attic.
"When the houseboat was being renovated, I put all the negatives in the attic. It's probably very dusty up there. Why don't you wait downstairs?"
Uncle Xiang glanced at his expensive suit and then noticed that there was dust on his trouser legs that he couldn't shake off.
He was taken aback.
Huo Yanxi said, "It's okay. Just treat me like Little Huo, not President Huo."
Uncle Xiang: "..."
He can be modest, but he cannot be without discretion.
Upon reaching the attic, which was filled with miscellaneous items, Uncle Xiang reminded him to watch his step as they walked in.
Those film negatives are precious, and they need to be protected from moisture and light, so they are all kept in a moisture-proof box.
Uncle Xiang brought up the dehumidifier box, which had names written on it, indicating which families owned the boxes.
Huo Yanxi went over to help, not caring that his trousers were covered in dust. He carried three boxes before finally reaching the box they were looking for.
The box contained many negatives, all wrapped in black light-proof professional cloth.
Uncle Xiang opened the dehumidifier and carefully rummaged through it. On the bottom layer, he found the bag of negatives labeled "Grandma Chi".
Uncle Xiang said, "This is the bag."
Just as Huo Yanxi was about to reach out and take it, Uncle Xiang said, "You can't use the negatives. You want the photos, right? I have a darkroom here. I'll work overtime these next couple of days to develop the photos."
Huo Yanxi did indeed want the photos, and he said, "Okay, then I'll trouble Uncle Xiang."
"No trouble at all," Uncle Xiang waved his hand. "You have made such a great contribution to our hometown. If it weren't for you, how many people would still be making a living by fishing at sea?"
Huo Yanxi said, "I grew up on this land, and this is what I should do."
"There's no such thing as 'should'; it's just that you have a kind heart."
After saying that, he himself was immediately embarrassed.
He had heard a little about Huo Yanxi's ruthless methods, which supposedly forced a Hong Kong tycoon to fall from the 70th floor and be smashed to pieces.
In short, this guy is no pushover.
Huo Yanxi took it as a compliment and said, "Manman is back too. I'll bring her over in a couple of days to pick up the photos."
Uncle Xiang was taken aback. "That girl is back? I haven't seen her for many years."
Huo Yanxi said, "Okay, Uncle Xiang, I'll head back now."
Uncle Xiang hurriedly escorted him downstairs, all the way out of the photo studio. Watching him walk towards the boathouse in the afterglow of the setting sun, he couldn't help but feel happy for Huo Yanxi.
Every year on the anniversary of Granny Chi's death, Huo Yanxi would always return.
But each time, only he returned; Chi Xiaoman was nowhere to be found.
Now that the two have returned together, it seems they have reconciled.
When Huo Yanxi returned to the boathouse, the house was already lit up with warm, inviting lights.
A delicious aroma of food wafted over, and he saw Xie Yaoyao wearing an apron, carrying two plates of dishes, coming out of the kitchen.
This scene instantly transported him back five years. His eyes welled up with tears, and he took a few steps forward to take the plate from her hands.
"Manman, I'm back."
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