Chapter 215: The Hills Close By

Li Xian felt that the biggest challenge between him and Su Ya was the distance in their mindset, making him feel like the journey ahead would be long and arduous. When it came to relationships, he was actually a very cautious person. Flirting was one thing, but in his heart, he always had a clear boundary between understanding emotions and not.

Once he fell in love, he wanted it to be perfect.

Su Ya was a deep thinker, always pondering over things. Although she wasn't introverted by nature, she sometimes acted too impulsively, possibly because she couldn't express herself in time. This wasn't good.

So, he wanted to help her improve.

Li Xian's idea was to take Su Ya out of Bangye and have her stay by his side for a while. This girl was clever and quick-witted; given some time, and exposure to the wider world beyond Bangye, she would surely broaden her horizons.

He had no doubt about that.

But this was a long-term matter, not something to be rushed.

That evening, Zheng Weishi, who had been completely defeated, got thoroughly drunk, holding a bottle and shouting, "Man proposes, but God disposes," before being forcibly carried back to his room by Lao Wu and the others, where they managed to put him to sleep.

Early the next morning, Zheng Weishi said goodbye to Li Xian, saying that he had stayed too long and missed his old comrades at the retirement home.

He had once thought he was close to happiness, only to suddenly realize it was an illusion, which was a big blow to the old man.

Li Xian could somewhat understand that feeling. It was like playing PUBG: your teammates die early, leaving you alone, and after some brilliant moves, fully equipped with a level 3 helmet and vest, an M4, and an AWM with an 8x scope, you make it to the final circle, only to be sniped by someone hiding in a ghillie suit.

It's like having a lump of old blood stuck in your chest, wanting to spit it out but unable to.

Li Xian couldn't force him to stay, thinking it was better for him to go back and calm down. Otherwise, seeing Lao Wu and Su's mom together every day might make him uncomfortable.

However, Li Xian believed that with Zheng Weishi's wisdom and experience, he would come to terms with things.

He and Wu Shengli had been close for half their lives; it wouldn't lead to a complete break over this.

Wang Lin and Lao Qin also decided to leave, seeing that Zheng Weishi wasn't doing well. Lao Wu, who had just confirmed his relationship with Su's mom and was in a state of euphoria, suddenly felt a bit melancholy when he saw his three old friends leaving.

After some thought, he took out the set of chess pieces carved from black clay by Yang Shuzhen and found Zheng Weishi, who had packed up and was waiting for Li Xian to arrange a car.

"Old Zheng..." Wu Shengli struggled to find the words.

Standing at the gate, seeing Wu's hesitant expression, Zheng Weishi smiled slightly, "You old bastard. I've beaten you my whole life, lost once, and you're acting like this."

Lao Wu didn't know what to say. He felt a bit embarrassed—after all, Zheng Weishi had taken care of him for so many years. Even Li Xian, his godson, had been tricked by Zheng Weishi.

Even when they were competing for Su's mom, they bickered but still spent time together every day. Now, it was clear that he was going to stay at the house, but thinking of his old friend going back to the retirement home alone, he felt uneasy.

To Li Xian, it seemed like he had betrayed his best friend.

Looking at the chess set, Zheng Weishi grinned, glancing at Wang Lin and Qin Dashai, "See? I told you this old bastard was no good. Now that he's got a partner, he's acting like he's left our revolutionary team. Even giving away his chess set. What's the deal?"

He punched Wu Shengli on the shoulder, "Are you just going to stay here and wait to die? Don't give me that crap, take good care of Xiao Su, but you can't just stick to her all day. From now on, show up at the retirement home every morning, bring the chess set. But let me tell you, you have to come alone. Our retirement home's revolutionary team is pure, all old bachelors. If you dare bring your partner, we'll have to take action!"

"Alright!"

Seeing them finally talking and joking like before, Lao Wu chuckled, scratching his head and looking particularly simple and honest.

...

The renovation work on the house was almost complete. Wang Qinghe and his brothers had finished their task; since Li Xian had arranged for toilet paper and liquor, the rest of the renovation had been left to them.

The tin roof and tiled walls were now popular around Bangye, and with July being a busy time, they had gone back a few days ago. Only Zhang Yaba and a few old masons remained, making detailed repairs to the roof tiles and some windows and doors.

Zhang Yaba had also received several orders for coffins recently, and remembering that his first big earnings from coffin sales were thanks to Zhang Yaba's efforts, Li Xian had used his connections to advertise for him at the county hospital.

This was essentially a direct B2C model, and a regional monopoly at that. Zhang Yaba's coffin business was now booming.

If it weren't for his gratitude to Li Xian, insisting on staying to finish the tasks Su Hui couldn't handle, Zhang Yaba would have left by now. Not wanting to keep him from making money, Li Xian decided to stop the renovations after returning from the retirement home, planning to resume during the idle winter season.

After sending the three old men back, and with Zhang Yaba and Su Hui also leaving, Li Xian felt the house suddenly became quiet.

He regretted buying such a big house—so many rooms, yet only four were occupied. It felt too empty.

Standing in the house with his hands on his hips, Li Xian wondered if he should ask Lao Zhu's family to move in. After all, after selling the black pottery made by Yang Shuzhen, Lao Zhu had been planning to buy a new house. But this old stickler was reluctant to leave the neighborhood and had been hesitating despite having the money.

Having them live in the house seemed like a good idea.

But then he thought of Zhu Juan, who seemed like she wanted to eat him alive, and Zhu Jing, with her shifty eyes always plotting revenge, and he shivered.

Those two made him a bit uneasy.

As he was wrestling with this decision, there was a knock on the door.

Hearing someone shout, "Is Xianzi home?" Li Xian grinned.

"Seven-inch!"

At the door, a guy with thick glasses, a big head, and a thin neck peeked in.

After not seeing each other for over a month, Liang Yonghe had lost weight, making his head look even bigger.

Seeing Li Xian, he smiled slightly, "Xianzi, this place is hard to find."

"Of course! What's the point of living in an easy-to-find place?" Li Xian walked up, giving Liang Yonghe a hard slap on the shoulder, and pointed at the woven sack he was carrying, pretending to be angry, "You didn't have to bring anything!"

When Li Xian returned from Beijing, he had told Liang Yonghe the address, but this guy, being lost in thought, hadn't come over.

Liang Yonghe scratched his head, "It's nothing, just some water chestnuts. I remembered you liked them in school, so I brought some."

Li Xian was delighted to see him. He immediately asked Su's mom to prepare some side dishes and set up in his room on the kang.

After touring the house, Liang Yonghe seemed a bit reserved.

But after a couple of drinks, the camaraderie from four years of sharing a bunk returned.

"How do you have the time?" Li Xian asked, sitting cross-legged on the kang, chewing on some fried peanuts.

Liang Yonghe hesitated for a moment, "Xianzi, I quit my job."

Snap.

Li Xian got so excited he spread his legs too wide, and his suit pants split at the crotch.

"Huh?"

You were so determined about this job you almost jumped out of a building, my friend!

Liang Yonghe, knowing his own embarrassing history, smiled sheepishly, "I don't have any ties now, so I want to go out and explore."

Li Xian gave him a thorough once-over, feeling a bit gratified.

He looked up at the calendar on the wall, with its slightly inappropriate swimsuit model, and noticed the date had already reached mid-to-late July.

Hmm, 1993. A year full of hope, when civil service jobs were still at a disadvantage compared to dreams. Young people had dreams, places to chase them, and the hope of success.

"Where do you want to go?"

"I'm not sure." Liang Yonghe adjusted his glasses.

In the middle of the day, the cicadas were chirping outside.

He pointed out the window, "I used to think the Forestry Bureau was a distant and promising place for me. Back then, with my parents around, I felt that was my root. But now that root is gone, I want to go out and explore. To find my own branches and twigs."

Li Xian, holding his torn pants, looked out in the direction he

 pointed.

Outside the house were the rolling hills near the Forestry Bureau.

Indeed, they did seem a bit small and insignificant.

"Beijing or Shenzhen, perhaps."

Thinking of the future prosperity and success, Li Xian offered two options.