After breakfast, Wu Sicheng, wearing the gloves An Moxue had made for him, led the two little ones and left An Moxue's house contentedly.
"Sicheng, why are you here at this time?" a slightly hoarse voice asked Wu Sicheng.
"Uncle Qian, I've come to see you for the New Year. How have you been lately?" he said, putting the things he was carrying on the ground.
Qian Weiyong glanced at the things he brought and said, "You saw it, it's fine as it is."
"How long has it been since you last spoke? Your voice is a little hoarse," Wu Sicheng asked curiously.
"I don't remember, who knows how long it will be. You wait here." After saying that, he went into the cave ahead without waiting for Wu Sicheng's reply.
A moment later, he took out a notebook, handed it to Wu Sicheng, and said, "Keep this safe for me. If you lose it, I'll make you regret it."
"Yes, I understand. Uncle Qian, now that you're a missing person, aren't you afraid of being a missing person for life?"
"What's there to be afraid of? It doesn't matter where I am. Even if I'm sent down to the countryside, I might be considered a missing person, but they dared to torture me like that. Who knows what's going on? As long as I'm alive, I can plan for the future. For me, the most painful thing isn't being sent down, it's not being able to continue my research. It's pretty good here. I'm all alone, but there's no one to talk to! Don't be so rigid."
"Yes, you're not rigid enough; you've ruined yourself. Let's see what you do when you regain your identity?"
"What should we do? There's always a way out. We'll figure it out when the time comes! Bring me more supplies next time. You come so unpredictably. I'm not getting enough to eat these days."
"Uncle Qian, Aunt Qing has been looking for you for years. Aren't you going to tell her? Are you just going to let her keep searching like this?"
"What good would it do to tell her? She'll get tired and fed up with the search and eventually give up. If I tell her where I am, what will she do? We both know the answer, so why bother? Nobody knows what the future holds. Let's just leave it at that!"
"But..."
Wu Sicheng wanted to say something more, but Qian Weiyong interrupted him, "No buts. Hurry up and help me with the work."
Wu Sicheng had no choice but to get to work, chopping wood and gathering the wild animals he had brought.
During lunch, Qian Weiyong asked, "How is your Aunt Qing doing lately?"
"It should be alright!"
"What kind of talk is that? Good or bad?" Qian Weiyong said somewhat angrily.
“I don’t even dare to see Aunt Qing anymore. I’m afraid I won’t be able to withstand the pressure and will tell her about you. Besides, you don’t know, I suspect Aunt Qing has already guessed that I know where you are. Every time we go out to eat, she charges me the same price as outsiders. I can’t afford to go anymore. I only earn eighty yuan a month.” Wu Sicheng was very helpless, caught in the middle between the two elders.
"Just keep an eye on her and make sure she's not mistreated. I gave you all my savings, so go spend some more of that. It's good to have some money on hand so you won't panic in case of trouble." Qian Weiyong took a bite of pheasant meat and said, "Your cooking skills have improved! How did you do that?"
When Qian Weiyong asked this question, Wu Sicheng beamed with joy, which he couldn't hide.
"Oh my! What a monumental question! My nephew is in love?" Qian Weiyong looked at him as if he were looking at something extraordinary.
"Sigh! Don't even mention it. I like someone, but they just don't get it. What am I going to do?"
"No way! With your status and looks, she wouldn't even be interested in you? That young lady has good taste! Not bad. I'll definitely get to know her sometime." Qian Weiyong laughed heartily, then picked up a piece of chicken and continued eating.
Wu Sicheng sighed helplessly. What kind of elders were these?
They're all unreliable, no wonder they hit it off with Aunt Qing, they're all equally eccentric.
Look at how unkempt he looks now, Aunt Qing should really take a look at him.
He angrily picked up a piece of chicken and ate it through gritted teeth.
"Don't worry about Aunt Qing. I've asked a reliable friend to keep an eye on things. She'll contact me if anything happens. Even if I'm not around, my comrades will help. I've already made arrangements. It's just that she hasn't stopped trying to contact you."
"It's alright, let her look for it! Having something to do will keep her from being lonely." Qian Weiyong said casually, but the loneliness in his eyes betrayed him.
"How about I find a way to get you abroad?" Wu Sicheng suggested.
"No, I'm not going anywhere. This is my home. I'm not going to work for foreigners."
"Go there and live like an ordinary person. Come back when the situation here improves."
"Are you sure I can go there and live a normal life, and come back later? Do you even believe that yourself? Anyway, I'm not going abroad. I'd rather die in China. Don't say that again. And put my things away carefully."
"All right!"
"Come on, tell me about your girl. I'll give you some advice. We can't just stand by and watch you stay single forever!"
Wu Sicheng rolled his eyes inwardly and said irritably, "Are you offering advice or just looking to see me make a fool of myself?"
"Two heads are better than one! Look at your Aunt Qing, she's still devoted to me all these years."
Wu Sicheng thought about it and realized it made sense. It was a pity that this emotionally naive little rabbit was being fooled by Qian Weiyong, that middle-aged man.
“She is the orphan of a martyr; both her father and mother sacrificed their lives. She is currently working in the countryside nearby, but she said that her mother’s will stipulated that she was not allowed to date or get married before the age of twenty, and she agrees with this, but she will only be seventeen this year. We are friends now. She is a very independent girl.”
“You little brat, you didn’t just happen to come see me on the side, did you?” Qian Weiyong leaned closer to Wu Sicheng, looking him up and down.
Wu Sicheng felt extremely uncomfortable looking at him, so she pushed him away and said angrily, "Why are you two grown men standing so close to me!"
"Feeling guilty, feeling guilty! See, I guessed right!"
"So what if you guessed right? Look at yourself now. Even if no one's watching, you can't be this casual, can you?" Wu Sicheng said disdainfully.
"It's a crucial time lately, I'm so busy! Give me a haircut after dinner."
"You never seem to be in a situation that isn't crucial. You can just ignore it; it's very much in the style of an impressionistic painter."
"That's right, I'm just that carefree, and I'm so handsome it's outrageous. If I weren't handsome, would your Aunt Qing have fallen for me?" Qian Weiyong said confidently.
"Yes, you're the most handsome!" Why bother arguing with a narcissistic old man? It's just making yourself uncomfortable.
"Tell me, how did you develop such excellent cooking skills?"
"I had the head chef from the military mess hall teach me. How's it going? Have you really improved?"
"Why did you decide to learn to cook?"
"Sigh! You don't know, the girl I like is too independent. She didn't even tell me she was being chased. I only found out because my boss told me."
"Who is this person? Being chased? They're not simple!"
"Anyway, he's not an ordinary person."
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