klisemfg Chapter 173 I want to get married
Chapter 173 I want to get married
After settling the matter with Liu Huang, Zhou Qi returned to Changshou Town.
It takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone, and Zhou's father's leg still needs rest, so Zhou Qi decided to stay home and help his mother take care of his father.
He plans to look for a job again once his father has fully recovered.
Chu Xu was ordered to bring Lin Nuo to Changshou Town to find Zhou Yangzhi's remains, but since they were unfamiliar with the area, they asked Zhou Qi for help.
Upon learning that they were looking for the remains of Li Xi's biological father, Zhou Qi naturally felt obligated to help and immediately took Chu Xu to Changshou Village in Changshou Town, where they found an elderly man surnamed Chen.
The old man was the oldest villager in the village and knew the terrain around Changshou Town by heart.
Grandpa Chen sat on the threshold of the old house, chewing on the mouthpiece of his pipe, staring blankly at the rolling mountains opposite.
After finishing his cigarette, Old Master Chen shook his head, his voice muffled, "There are no sinkholes in Longevity Village."
Chu Xu and Lin Nuo exchanged a glance, just as they were about to doubt whether Huang Ying was lying, when they heard Old Chen say, "However."
Ok?
“During the War of Resistance Against Japan, several hundred people from our town sacrificed their lives. In those days, conditions were poor, and there was no way to properly bury them. So we dug a pit in the valley for a hundred people and buried the fallen soldiers at the bottom of the pit.”
"The entire longevity village is just this one pit."
Old Chen said to Zhou Qi, "There are no sinkholes in the Longevity Village, only a sinkhole for a hundred soldiers."
Zhou Qi had never heard of this before and was somewhat surprised to hear it.
He looked at Chu Xu and said, "Brother Xu, maybe this is the mass grave you're looking for."
Chu Xu decided to try his luck at the mass grave. He gestured to Zhou Qi, "Zhou Qi, can you ask the old man for the exact location of that mass grave? You can lead us there."
Old Mr. Chen is getting old, his legs are not strong, and his eyesight is failing, so he is no longer able to go into the mountains.
Zhou Qi then opened the notepad on his phone, squatted down next to Grandpa Chen, and asked him in the local dialect, "Grandpa Chen, do you remember the exact location of that place?"
Grandpa Chen still has a very good memory. He has lived on this land for nearly ninety years and knows every blade of grass and every tree in this village by heart.
Grandpa Chen then explained it to Zhou Qi in detail.
Zhou Qi wrote it down word for word.
"Alright, Brother Xu, let's set off now."
"Wait a moment." Chu Xu gave Chu Ying a look.
Chu Ying ran to open the trunk and brought out a large pile of nutritional supplements suitable for the elderly.
They prepared gifts not only for Grandpa Chen, but also for all the elderly people in the village.
Staring at the pile of nutritional supplements in the main room, Old Chen said, "I'm just an old man in the family, how can I possibly finish all of this?"
Zhou Qi quickly explained, "I heard that there are many elderly people in our longevity village, while most of the young people in the village work outside. My friends specially prepared nutritional supplements for all the elderly people in the village."
“Look, those are all nutritional milk powder and calcium supplements, which are nutritional products that the elderly can use. Oh, by the way, I heard that it is not convenient to see a doctor in the village, so Brother Xu specially brought you a smart monitoring bracelet.”
"This thing can detect your heart rate and blood pressure..."
Zhou Qi gave a long, rambling introduction.
After listening, the old man looked up at Chu Xu, then took out some cigarettes from his pocket and silently rolled tobacco leaves.
Relighting a roll of tobacco, Old Chen suddenly asked curiously, "What are you going into the mountains to look for?"
"Those are places where the dead are buried. There's no need for the living to go there to look for things, is there?"
"Besides, those buried there are all poor ghosts who died without even a decent set of clothes. Going to rob a grave would be pointless."
Zhou Qi was both amused and exasperated. "Grandpa Chen, you've misunderstood. They have legitimate jobs; they're not tomb raiders."
Chu Xu and Chu Ying then realized that the old man had mistaken them for tomb raiders, and for a moment they were both amused and exasperated.
“Old man,” Chu Ying explained to Old Chen, bending down, “we’re looking for a set of remains. Decades ago, an elder was murdered near the mass grave, and we’re here to collect his body.”
"remains?"
The old man took a puff of his strong cigarette and suddenly asked in broken Mandarin, "You're looking for a man, right?"
Chu Ying and Chu Xu exchanged a glance, then quickly asked, "Grandpa, have you met him before?"
Old Chen provided a more precise clue: "Was it a researcher who escaped from the research lab at the foot of the mountain 23 years ago?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Xu could not hide his surprise, "Old Chen, how did you know?"
It was only at this moment that Chu Xu realized that the old man in front of him, wearing a patched military overcoat and holding an old pipe, might be a very important person who was not hiding his true abilities.
Sure enough, Old Chen also had an extraordinary life experience: "I am the only veteran in the entire Changshou Town who returned home alive from the front lines of the Korean War."
“I am a retired veteran and the caretaker of the mass grave. Over time, every year during Qingming Festival, I am the only one who goes back to the mass grave to pay tribute to the fallen heroes.”
“Twenty-three years ago, I met a man there who was seriously injured and on the verge of death. He said his name was Zhou Yangzhi.”
Right!
Chu Xu pressed on impatiently, "Did he say anything else?"
Mr. Chen spoke frankly, “He was beyond saving at that time, with both fall injuries and gunshot wounds on his body. When he saw me, he kept begging me to help him find his child.”
"Did you go look for it?" Zhou Qi asked.
Nodding, Mr. Chen said, "I found the child. Mr. Zhou hid her in a small cave."
“That’s not right,” Zhou Qi said. “Uncle Li said that he found Li Xi on a crooked tree on a cliff.”
This doesn't match what Grandpa Chen said.
Old Master Chen smiled mysteriously and said, "I was the one who put that child on the crooked tree outside the cliff."
"Huh?" Zhou Qi was stunned. "Why? You found that child, why didn't you hand her over to an orphanage or the police?"
Instead, they gave her to Li Chang'an?
"Because Mr. Zhou told me that the girl had a special condition and that she had to live an ordinary life in anonymity."
“I’m too old, and it’s not suitable for an old bachelor like me to take care of a baby girl. After I found her, I hid her at home and secretly took care of her. Only after the people from the underground research institute had all left did I send her to the edge of the cliff and arrange for her to meet Chang’an.”
Zhou Qi asked curiously, "Why Uncle Li of all people?"
Old Chen's reason for choosing Li Chang'an was simple. He said, "Chang'an's mother married out of our village, and I've watched that boy grow up."
"When he joined the army, it was I who wrote the letter of recommendation for him. Looking at the whole of Changshou Town, the only one who was capable of protecting that child and was also kind and righteous was Chang'an."
After saying that, Old Chen asked Zhou Qi, "I heard that girl came back for the New Year? And she brought a young man with her?"
"Are you dating?"
“Yes.” Zhou Qi pointed to Chu Xu and Chu Ying and told Old Chen, “These two are Li Xi’s friends. Li Xi is currently abroad, and Brother Chu is here on her behalf to find her father.”
"That's it."
Pointing to the mountain opposite, Old Master Chen said, "I buried Mr. Zhou under a persimmon tree outside the mass grave."
"To avoid being discovered by his enemies, they didn't erect a monument for him, just piled up a mound of earth. Every year during the Qingming Festival, when we go to the mass grave to pay our respects, we also burn paper money for him. Go find it."
After saying that, Old Chen closed his eyes and started smoking, taking one puff after another.
Seeing this, Zhou Qi and the others respectfully put down the gifts and, accompanied by Zhou Qi, headed into the depths of the mountains.
*
Late the next night, Li Xi and Gu Huaizhou arrived in Changshou Town, travel-worn.
After dozing off for three or four hours in the old house in town, Li Xi changed into a black trench coat at daybreak and got into Zhou Qi's car with Gu Huaizhou and drove into the mountains.
On the way, Zhou Qi recounted the encounter between Old Chen and Zhou Yangzhi to Li Xi.
Upon learning that the old man Chen was actually his first benefactor, Li Xi was deeply moved.
"Once this matter is resolved, I will personally go to thank the old man."
"You should thank him properly. Without him, you might have starved to death in the cave long ago."
Yes.
*
Chu Xu and Lin Nuo set up tents in the valley to guard Zhou Yangzhi's remains.
Seeing Li Xi and Gu Huaizhou walking along the forest path, Chu Xu quickly went forward to greet them and explained the situation to Li Xi.
"Mr. Zhou has been dead for 23 years, and his remains have long since decomposed. However, the forensic doctor found a metal necklace in Mr. Zhou's body, with a glass pendant on the necklace, and a USB flash drive hidden inside the pendant."
"USB flash drive?"
Gu Huaizhou paused, then asked Chu Xu, "Is it open?"
"Although the USB drive was encrypted, Chu Ying successfully cracked it."
Li Xi then asked, "What's inside?"
Li Xi believes that it contains dark secrets from the research institute.
But Chu Xu's answer surprised her: "It's footage of Ms. Fifth Dream conceiving you. In addition, there's a letter that Mr. Zhou left for Ms. Fifth Dream."
It was an apology letter.
After thinking for a moment, Li Xi said, "Make a copy of all these things and send it to my uncle."
"it is good."
During their conversation, they arrived at the burial pit.
Lin Nuo was worried that Li Xi would be afraid of the remains, so he specially covered the remains with a white cloth.
Li Xi stared at the white cloth for a while, then directly ordered Lin Nuo's men to remove it.
Lin Nuo hesitated, "Miss Xi, the remains are frightening, perhaps we shouldn't..."
"Please open it for me." Li Xi's voice was gentle, yet it carried a stubborn determination.
Seeing Li Xi's assertive attitude, Lin Nuo then had the white cloth removed.
The forensic doctor had already arranged Zhou Yangzhi's remains neatly. The stark white bones lay quietly in the deep black mud pit, his head facing the direction of Li Xi.
It was just an ordinary skeleton.
It's not scary.
Li Xi took a step back, then knelt down on one knee and kowtowed three times to Zhou Yangzhi.
Fifth Dream gave her the grace of giving birth, Li Chang'an raised her, and Zhou Yangzhi rescued her.
Without Zhou Yangzhi, she would have been imprisoned in the underground research lab for the rest of her life, becoming the youngest research subject, and then dying at the age of 8.
Whether as a father or an elder, he deserves Li Xi's kowtow.
Seeing this, Gu Huaizhou also bowed deeply to Zhou Yangzhi.
Chu Xu and Chu Ying also came over and bowed to Zhou Yangzhi in respect.
Standing up, Li Xi asked Chu Xu, "Brother Xu, how much longer until the coffin arrives?"
Old Master Chen only buried Zhou Yangzhi hastily back then, without a coffin.
Chu Xu said, "The coffin shop has ready-made coffins, but the mountain roads here are rugged, so the coffins need to be carried over by hand. They can be delivered this afternoon."
Nodding, Li Xi said, "He has been sleeping here for more than 20 years, so let's not move him. Let's bury him here."
"Once the coffin arrives, I would like to trouble you to ask a Taoist priest to chant sutras for him so that he can be laid to rest in peace."
In Changshou Town, when people die, Taoist priests are invited to chant scriptures for the deceased before the burial.
Li Xi didn't believe in this, but she hoped that Zhou Yangzhi could live an ordinary and peaceful life in his next life.
Chu Xu: "Okay."
The next day.
Zhou Yangzhi's remains were placed in a coffin and reburied.
He finally got a coffin and a stone tombstone.
The tombstone does not bear the name of his wife, only the names of his sister Huang Ying and his beloved daughter Li Xi.
Gu Huaizhou was particularly unhappy about this, and he felt that his name should be added to the list.
Li Xi said, "We're not married yet, so adding your name to the marriage wouldn't be proper."
"When will you marry me?" Gu Huaizhou wanted to propose at all times.
"We'll talk about our marriage once things have settled down with my mother."
“…Okay.” Gu Huaizhou answered reluctantly.
After holding Zhou Yangzhi's funeral, Li Xi returned to Changshou Town to rest for one night.
The next morning, she didn't invite Gu Huaizhou, but instead asked Zhou Qi to accompany her back to the Longevity Village to formally thank Old Master Chen in person.
Grandpa Chen sat on a small stool at the door of his house, peeling potatoes. He pointed to the small earthen house behind him and gestured to Li Xi, "Just put the gifts in that house."
Li Xi then brought the gift into the main room and placed it on a small wooden table.
As she came out of the main room, she heard the old man ask, "Do you want some fried potatoes? I'm having these for lunch. If you want some, I'll make a lot more."
"eat!"
Lunch was a big pot of deep-fried baby potatoes. The potatoes were fried until the skin was crispy and the flesh was soft and fluffy. They were drizzled with the old man's special spicy sauce, and the taste was incredibly delicious.
Li Xi and Zhou Qi both ate two large bowls.
After the meal, the old man dismissed them, saying, "Go back, I need to go work in the fields."
The old man had planted two rapeseed fields and was going to weed them.
Li Xi, sensing the situation, left with Zhou Qi.
Just before getting into the car, the old man called out to Li Xi again: "Li family girl."
Li Xi quickly turned around and silently gazed at the old man.
The old man said, "Li Xi, Li Chang'an gave you the surname, but the given name Xi was left to you by Mr. Zhou."
"On his deathbed, he said that he hoped his daughter would have a peaceful and smooth life, and that she should always face the sun and live with hope, so he named you 'Xi'."
“Xi Bao, that’s the name Mr. Zhou embroidered on your quilt.” But the quilt was stained with too much blood, and the character “Xi” was long gone. Only the character “Bao” could be seen.
Li Xi once thought that the character "宝" on the quilt was left by his mother, but he never expected that it was tattooed on by Zhou Yangzhi.
"Li girl, live well and don't let Mr. Zhou down."
Li Xi nodded solemnly, "Grandpa Chen, don't worry, I won't let him down."
On the way back, Zhou Qi asked Li Xi with a grin, "You found your biological father, how do you feel?"
"I'm happy to know that my father loves me."
Seeing that Li Xi only mentioned his father but not his mother in Southeast Asia, Zhou Qi asked Li Xi, "Did your mother refuse to accept you?"
Li Xi remained silent.
Zhou Qi didn't quite understand Li Xi's background and didn't know how to comfort her, so he said, "Li Xi, you can't decide your birth, but you can decide the birth of your child."
"You must become a good mother in the future, so that he can be born in love and grow up in anticipation."
“Of course.” Changing the subject, Li Xi suddenly said, “I want to get married.”
"Huh?" Zhou Qi didn't follow Li Xi's divergent train of thought.
"Brother Qi, I want to get married, to Gu Huaizhou." Li Xi crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, muttering to herself, "Tell me, how should I propose to him?"
Zhou Qi: "...Isn't proposing a marriage a man's job?"
"I love him, I want to marry him, and I can propose to him."
It seems true.