Chapter 368 - 169: A Love of Unknown Origin, Yet Ever So Deep

Chapter 368: Chapter 169: A Love of Unknown Origin, Yet Ever So Deep

In life, we do not meet, moving like stars in separate skies.

She waited a lifetime, and in the end, he returned.

She waited a lifetime, and in the end, she lost him completely.

Qin Liheng departed with a sense of fulfillment, leaving Luo Shumin with a lifetime of regret.

A lifetime—over seventy years. Less than five years together in exchange for half a century of waiting. Was it worth it? She simply smiled, her mind filled with those brief, sweet moments.

’With him, this life has no regrets.’

Su Ran admired their generation. Most believed in one partner for a lifetime. Even if their other half passed away, they wouldn’t remarry, choosing to raise their children alone for the rest of their lives until they, too, died and were buried in the same grave.

Aunt Luo was like this, as were many of the seventy- and eighty-year-olds in Linxi Village. Their husbands had died when they were young, and they had remained alone ever since.

Their generation knew how to endure loneliness.

The Mercedes G-Wagen drove slowly along the country roads of Linxi Village and stopped in front of the mud-brick house. It was already surrounded by villagers, murmuring in low voices. None of them had ever imagined that Madman Qin was once so formidable—a Tsinghua graduate, a former diplomat, a man who had even been to war.

Along the way, Su Ran pointed out to Aunt Luo the places where Uncle Qin used to spend his time. Sometimes he would sit under the trees reading. If it rained before someone had brought in their grain, he would rush out in the downpour to help them. Other times, he would sit by the fishpond, fishing, and so on...

But now, the Uncle Qin who had helped Su Ran watch over his home was gone.

Aunt Luo entered the mud-brick house to sort through her late husband’s belongings. A framed photo on the wall was particularly conspicuous. She gazed at it with tear-filled eyes, her mind drifting back decades to the Summer Palace. To that midsummer, to the young Qin Liheng, to the girl she was, dressed in a long white skirt...

The past was vivid in her mind, but it was gone and would never return.

While clearing out Uncle Qin’s belongings from under the bed, Su Ran discovered a small box. He opened it and saw that it was filled with mementos from a bygone era of turmoil: grenades, bullets, and more... He had preserved them well, waiting for the day he might be recalled to fight for Huaxia!

Aunt Luo looked back at the box of munitions and smiled faintly. "He always said, ’Without a country, there can be no home.’ Liheng was one of those unsung heroes willing to sacrifice his own small family to protect our Huaxia."

"Su Ran, without a country, there can be no home. You are a capable person. In the future, you must be someone who contributes to the nation. You have to have a strong backbone, understand?"

"Yes, I understand."

As she walked out of the mud-brick house, Aunt Luo stopped and gave a deep bow to the surrounding villagers. "Thank you all for taking care of my husband for so many years. Thank you."

Watched by the crowd, the G-Wagen slowly drove away. The villagers sighed with emotion. The Village Guardian was no more.

...

In the heart of the Loess Plateau sat a small hamlet called Wangu Village.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but the plateau—the kind of Loess Plateau where singer Ah Bao sang of "lily blossoms blooming fiery red." The view was a panorama of desolation, dotted only by cave dwellings.

There was almost no sign of green, vibrant life.

This was Qin Liheng’s birthplace. He was a scholar who had walked out of the Loess Plateau.

And now, like a fallen leaf returning to its roots, he had come back. He was buried in the same yellow earth that had nurtured him, next to the grave of his son, Qin Ping’an.

Su Ran and the four young women had accompanied Aunt Luo to the funeral. The group paid their respects one by one. When it was Xie Yiren’s turn, she lit a stick of incense and knelt with sincere reverence. She kowtowed three times to Qin Liheng’s grave, then turned to the adjacent tombstone engraved with ’Qin Ping’an’ and kowtowed three more times.

They all knew Aunt Luo’s tragic story. The husband she had waited half a lifetime for had died right after they were finally reunited.

Her son had also died more than a decade ago from depression. No one would ask why her son had committed suicide—who would want to reopen old wounds? It was just common sense.

In short, everyone deeply sympathized with Aunt Luo, this incredibly wealthy and powerful old woman.

And she had been very good to Xie Yiren, even helping her find a job. Sharing a sense of sorrow, Xie Yiren’s gesture of kowtowing to her family came from the heart.

She murmured under her breath, hoping the spirits of Grandpa Qin and Uncle Qin in heaven would watch over Aunt Luo.

Standing to the side, Aunt Luo was very moved.

A butterfly that had been resting on Qin Ping’an’s tombstone fluttered its wings, circled in the air, and landed on Aunt Luo’s shoulder.

She didn’t brush the butterfly away, letting it remain on her shoulder.

Su Ran said, "The ancients believed that after people die, they become butterflies to visit their loved ones. Aunt Luo, your son has come to see you. You have to stay strong, you know?"

Aunt Luo managed a faint smile. "Perhaps. Let’s go. Time to head back." She turned to walk toward the cave dwellings down the mountain. The butterfly left her shoulder and, as everyone watched, flew over and landed in Xie Yiren’s hair, where it settled.

Su Ran asked, "Are you afraid of butterflies? I can get it off for you."

Xie Yiren replied, "It’s fine. Just let it be."

"Yiren..." Aunt Luo beckoned. Xie Yiren went over to support her, and they chatted as they walked down the steep mountain path.

Su Ran’s hands were full as he led the three delicate girls down the mountain, holding their hands. At one point, Liu Jinyu nearly fell, and Su Ran wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into an embrace. Then, Xiao Wanqing also lost her footing, so Su Ran used his other arm to catch her by the waist, pulling her in as well. This left Aina mercilessly abandoned. She promptly tumbled to the ground and, furious, threw a tantrum, refusing to walk any further. Su Ran was exasperated. ’Damn it, these girls are so annoying. I just want some peace and quiet. I’ll just have to endure it. In two days, I can fly back to Jiangning by myself and finally get some peace.’

So, he had Liu Jinyu and Xiao Wanqing support each other. He then walked back to give the "special attention" she craved to the little pest Aina, hoisting her onto his back and carrying her down the mountain.