Chapter 149.2

After all, even though she had been given away voluntarily, she still counted as an abandoned baby. She had a hard fate. My parents also wanted to treat her as one of our own, so her background would be clean and she wouldn’t have to suffer people’s prejudice.

My wife joined my family, took the surname Zhang, and was called Zhang Shunqing.

Well, actually, my wife and I both knew from a very young age that we weren’t blood-related. The two of us never called each other ‘brother’ and ‘sister’ growing up. We always just called each other by name.

Then when I was in college, we secretly started dating. We’d originally planned to keep it from the family, but then... she got pregnant.

You have no idea. My dad nearly beat me to death with a belt, my mom nearly cursed me to death, and the two of us were thrown out of the house. They said they were cutting ties with us.”

Tan Wenbin took the cigarette tucked behind his ear, lit it, and said thoughtfully in agreement, “I can understand that.”

If this had been the kind of child bride arrangement they used to have in rural villages, that would be one thing.

But his parents had genuinely raised her as their own daughter, and then she ended up with their son. It really was a huge family scandal.

“But less than a month after kicking us out, my parents softened up. My wife was pregnant, after all, so they let us move back in. Gradually, they more or less accepted it.

But they still changed my wife’s name. She couldn’t keep sharing my family’s surname anymore.

As it happened, when my dad had picked her up on that train all those years ago, she’d had a longevity lock on her with her surname engraved on it, so they changed her back to her original surname.

And what’s even more ridiculous, after finding out we were having twins, my dad went out of his way to wash the stain off me even more. He specifically decided ahead of time that the second child would take my wife’s surname.

Heh, and it turned out my son was the younger twin.

My dad really had accepted it, but I figure he probably still woke up angry in the middle of the night on a regular basis.

Hahaha!”

Tan Wenbin asked seriously, “What is your wife’s name now?”

“Xie Shunqing.”

…

In the soft sleeper compartment, Runsheng settled the still-unconscious Little Yuan on the upper berth.

Tan Wenbin sat on the lower berth and turned to look out the train window at the platform.

The train had not departed yet, and the platform was crowded.

Tan Wenbin saw a little boy outside leading an even younger girl toward this side. The little girl skipped along, then reached up and grabbed at the edge of the window.

The sight startled Tan Wenbin so badly that he jumped to his feet.

The little girl flashed him a smile and called out in a crisp voice, “Cherries! Want some cherries? We picked them ourselves. They’re really sweet and delicious!”

Tan Wenbin let out a breath, nodded with lingering fright, and said yes.

“Hehe.” Seeing that Tan Wenbin wanted some, the little girl beamed happily and turned to the older brother behind her. “Brother, hurry and give them to me, hurry! He wants our cherries!”

Then she turned back again. “Uncle, how many do you want?”

Tan Wenbin said, “All of them.”

“Haha!” The little girl laughed even harder and urged, “Brother, hurry up! He wants all of them!”

Tan Wenbin pulled several large bills from his wallet and handed them to the little girl.

Her eyes went wide, and her mouth formed a perfect O.

She immediately grabbed the money, then helped her brother pass over bag after bag of cherries wrapped in folded newspaper.

Tan Wenbin took them one by one.

Just then, a station worker blew a whistle, and the train slowly began to move.

The transaction complete, Tan Wenbin sat back down. He saw that where the girl had been standing, she was now pulling out the money he had given her to show her brother. She was so happy she danced with delight, like a cheerful butterfly.

Yin Meng came over from the next carriage. Seeing the table piled full of newspaper-wrapped bundles, she reached out and opened one, then asked in surprise, “You like cherries that much?”

“Ah You likes them.”

At that moment, Lin Shuyou came in from the dining car carrying two large bags of boxed meals.

Yin Meng pointed at the cherries on the table. “Ah You, Brother Bin bought these for you. Don’t waste them. Eat them all.”

Lin Shuyou froze. That many cherries? If he ate them all, his pee would probably turn red.

The train was already picking up speed and was about to leave the station.

Then, just then, a figure came sprinting over. It was the little boy.

His lips were tightly pressed together. Summoning all his strength, he ran along the platform. When he caught up to the window, he jumped and tossed the money in through the opening.

Among the money he threw back were the large bills, along with exact change.

The little boy stopped running, bent over with his hands on his knees, and looked up. While struggling to catch his breath, he waved goodbye to Tan Wenbin.

Tan Wenbin gathered up the money and put it back into his wallet.

That little boy was not Jie Shunan, and that little girl was not Xie Shunqing.

But perhaps the story of that brother and sister could have unfolded some other way, like what had just happened.

No, it could not have.

As long as those three families still coveted the General’s power, still believed the Xie family had always profited from the General’s tomb, still wanted to wipe out the whole line and seize everything—

then there could never have been any other version of that brother and sister’s story.

Little Yuanhou had once said that human empathy is a strange thing. Many conditions have to be met before it can happen.

At this moment, deep down, Tan Wenbin rather hoped that the Xiong couple would carry their revenge through even more ruthlessly.

The train left the station.

Yin Meng popped a cherry into her mouth. “Pretty sweet.”

Beside her, Lin Shuyou had already started stuffing himself.

Yin Meng said, “So if Jie Shunan really detonated that curse power, then his sister, her husband, and her two children would definitely die too.”

Tan Wenbin nodded. “They were too close. Even now, we may not have left the disaster zone yet.”

“He probably didn’t know his sister had come looking for her family, right?”

“He probably didn’t. If he had known, he would have sent her whole family away in advance, the farther the better, just like what he did back then.”

Lin Shuyou said, “I seriously can’t eat anymore!”

…

The train arrived in Jinling, and the group returned to school.

Little Yuanhou still had not awakened and remained in a deep sleep.

Tan Wenbin did not take Little Yuanhou back to the dorm. Instead, he carried him straight to Granny Liu’s house.

The moment he pushed open the courtyard gate, the floor-to-ceiling window on the first floor was pulled open at the same time.

Ah Li stood by the window, looking at the boy on Tan Wenbin’s back.

Tan Wenbin did not stand on ceremony. After taking off his shoes by the window, he went into Ah Li’s room. Without even waiting for Ah Li to pat her bed, he laid Little Yuanhou down on it.

He believed that Little Yuanhou would definitely sleep and recover better here than in the dorm.

After leaving Ah Li’s room, Tan Wenbin looked around the first floor but could not find Uncle Qin or Aunt Liu, so he went upstairs to the second floor.

Liu Yumei was sitting in a rattan chair in the open room on the second floor, both hands folded over her chest. She did not even bother drinking tea before asking directly:

“Is Little Yuan badly hurt?”

“Not badly. Little Yuanhou just overexerted himself. Uh, where’s Aunt Liu?”

Tan Wenbin remembered that the last time something like this had happened, at Grandpa Li’s house, Aunt Liu had spent a long time decocting medicine for Little Yuanhou.

“Are you blind?”

“Not yet, but he can’t see clearly anymore.”

“Then it’s nothing serious. No need for medicine. More sleep and he’ll be fine.”

“With your word on it, I’m relieved.”

Tan Wenbin came over, sat down on the stool beside her, and poured himself tea.

Liu Yumei said, “Those two went to pick something up. They’ll be back in a bit.”

“What kind of thing takes both of them to fetch?”

“Something delicate. It can’t be bumped or knocked around. A few musical instruments.”

“Oh? Sounds like you’ve been in a pretty good mood lately.”

“Not for me. They’re for Ah Li.”

“Ah Li knows how to play?”

“The granddaughter I raised with my own hands. Isn’t qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting just the basics?”

“Well then, when I have kids in the future, can I bring them over and have you take a look too?”

“Are you a monkey? Give you a stick and you’ll start climbing?”

“No harm in trying. Maybe there are dates on the tree, maybe there aren’t, but there’s no loss in shaking it a few times.”

“Then when are you planning to make that tree bear dates?”

“That won’t do. Maybe later. Right now I’ve already made one mistake. I can’t just keep making more.”

Liu Yumei knew what Tan Wenbin meant.

This kid had never planned to date anyone in the first place. He had been afraid that one day he would die while walking the river and end up ruining someone else’s life.

By sheer chance, he had a girlfriend now, yes, but beyond that, he did not dare do anything more.

Liu Yumei said, “Sometimes, when you’re human, you’re allowed to be a little selfish.”

Tan Wenbin scratched his head. “I think even thinking this way already makes me pretty selfish.”

“Not bad. That silver tongue of yours has gotten slicker. What, did you go train in the palace?”

“You actually guessed it.”

“Tell me.”

“Sure, just wait a sec. I need to organize my thoughts.” Tan Wenbin first prepared a few code names and hints. Once he had more or less arranged them, he began telling the story.

Liu Yumei listened while pressing at her brow.

To be fair, Zhuangzhuang actually told it pretty well, really pretty well. But Zhuangzhuang suffered from not having enough education.

Even if he was a proper college student, his grounding in classical texts and history was far worse than Little Yuanhou’s.

When Little Yuanhou told a story, he could quote classics and historical examples, and listening to him was a pleasure. When Zhuangzhuang told one, it felt like deciphering a code.

At long last, he finished.

Liu Yumei felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted. She even felt that rather than listening to Zhuangzhuang’s version, she would rather sneak over next time and eavesdrop on Little Yuanhou telling Ah Li himself.

So what if she coughed up a few more mouthfuls of blood? That would still be better than suffering through this.

Tan Wenbin also knew perfectly well how good his storytelling was. With an embarrassed laugh, he continued mooching tea.

He felt he had improved a lot in this area, but the problem was that every new wave in river-walking was coming with more and more complicated background.

“All right, you’ve just come back. I’m sure you’ve got things to deal with. Go handle your business first.”

“Got it. You rest a bit more and recover.”

Tan Wenbin stood up. He still had to get hold of a blueprint so he could make a super-tough armor plate for his “godfather’s” vehicle.

But before leaving, he still had to coax the old lady back into a good mood.

“Hey, old madam, you still haven’t given me a straight answer. If I have kids someday, will you help me take a look at them or not?”

Liu Yumei spat at him and said irritably,

“I’ll be busy then. Where would I find the free time to help you look after children?”

“All right, all right, my mistake for asking. You’re busy, you’re busy.”

Tan Wenbin left with his head hanging in fake dejection.

The expression on Liu Yumei’s face gradually brightened from cloudy to clear. She picked up a cape gooseberry and put it into her mouth.

“Heh. Of course I’ll be busy.”

…

Li Zhuiyuan did not know exactly how long he had slept, but it must have been a long time.

He wanted to wake up, but he could not open his eyes.

With a fierce effort, he forced them open.

His eyes opened, and he himself came out as well. He had entered a shade-walking state.

Looking around, he knew where he was.

What surprised him somewhat was that after he entered the shade-walking state, Ah Li had not come with him into it.

Could it be that she was not in the bedroom right now?

She should be in the bedroom.

And in his shade-walking state, to Ah Li he would look just like a ghost. She would not even need to enter the shade-walking state to see him.

The reason the girl had not followed him into the shade-walking state was probably because she did not want to play with him in that state and worsen his exhaustion.

It was just that Li Zhuiyuan felt that even if he ended his shade-walking state now, his exhausted body probably still would not wake up for the time being.

He now understood a little better how Yin Meng’s grandfather must have felt back then.

Lying in a coffin all day long, only able to come out for a bit of air at night by entering the shade-walking state.

Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the bedroom and went up the stairs.

It was dark outside, still nighttime.

He had no intention of going into anyone else’s room. Instead, he went straight up to the third floor and entered the room where the memorial tablets were kept.

The boy stood before the altar table, his eyes moving across the ancestral tablets of the Qin and Liu families.

These memorial tablets varied in age. Some were newer, some older.

There was not really much to look at.

But when your gaze passed over each and every name, it was as though you could taste a weightiness in your mouth.

Behind every name was a stretch of history, full of turmoil and grandeur.

He had already encountered two waves in a row connected to Qin Kan, and Qin Kan was only one among many names there.

Xiong Shan could misjudge the intention of a wave, but it was hard for him to make that kind of mistake, because he could work backward and verify things through Ah Li’s dreams.

And the reason he could do this was not because he was so exceptional, but because he carried the inherited legacy of the Qin and Liu households.

The inheritance of one top-tier Dragon King lineage might not have been enough. Only when the two families were joined together could they give him such a detailed question bank.

The spirits of the Qin and Liu ancestors were gone.

But the shelter of the Qin and Liu families was still being given to him.

“What made you suddenly want to come here and take a look?”

The old lady’s voice came from behind him.

Li Zhuiyuan turned around and saw Liu Yumei.

The real old lady should be lying in bed resting right now. The one before him was in a shade-walking state as well.

“Sorry for disturbing your rest.”

“Heh, when people get old, they sleep less to begin with.

Besides, you were already being quiet enough. You even came upstairs in a shade-walking state. Who would have the nerve to say you were making noise?”

Liu Yumei walked to the altar table and waved a hand. The candles on the altar all lit up, and the room became bright and solemn.

“Little Yuan, what made you think of coming here?”

“No special reason. I just wanted to take a look.”

“Feeling the burden is heavy now?”

“No. It’s just that the pole has carried me too high.”

“Oh, so you think your virtue doesn’t match your position?”

“Yes.”

“Why think nonsense like that? You may be surnamed Li, but now you’re also one of our own children of the Qin and Liu families. When our ancestors forged all that glory, they were already thinking of letting it shine upon their descendants.”

“I thought you were going to say protect.”

“They could have protected them originally, but they don’t have that ability anymore. Besides, if descendants still need protecting, doesn’t that just make the descendants seem too useless?”

“You’re right.”

“Remember Grandma’s words. Treat yourself as one of the family. Don’t be distant, and don’t stand on ceremony.”

“Thank you, Grandma.”

“Go back to your body and rest soon. You absolutely must not tire yourself out anymore.”

“I know. I’ll stay a little longer.”

“Mm, and one more thing...” Liu Yumei said very seriously, “If one day you’re tired, Grandma will help you bring over the lamp. Our family is wealthy and powerful enough. We don’t need that worthless false reputation. We could still live a whole life in peace, prosperity, and safety.”

“All right. Thank you for your concern, Grandma.”

Liu Yumei disappeared.

The room was left with only the boy again.

Lighting the lamp a second time meant admitting defeat and ending things. That was a rule the entire jianghu knew.

He wondered whether Xiong Shan had finished taking revenge, and whether he had lit the lamp a second time.

Uncle Qin had failed at walking the river, and after lighting the lamp a second time, he was still alive and well now.

But in truth, Li Zhuiyuan had always had a suspicion deep in his heart.

He had never lit the lamp with his own hands. The river itself had dragged him down by force.

If the beginning of the process was unjust, could the ending really become just?

As for this river, he would either walk it successfully and transform from flood dragon into true dragon, or become a corpse sunk at the bottom of the river.

There was no third path.

Because very likely, he simply did not have the right to surrender and admit defeat.

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