1987 My Era

Chapter 124, Second Work
Zhao Jing is a cultural worker and a research scholar. Her main job is to record scenic spots and cultural sites in various places.

She spent the first half of her life visiting many places of interest, both at home and abroad.

Places in China include Lushan Mountain, Dujiangyan, Tianyi Pavilion and Liuhou Temple.

I have been to foreign countries less frequently, but I have also visited Europe, Paris, London, Egypt, etc. My main purpose was to explore the diversity of world culture.

Therefore, her study is very large and contains many precious documents.

The main reason why Li Heng came to Gansu this time, besides visiting Li Li on behalf of his elderly parents, was to get the materials in her study.

The next day.

After breakfast, Li Heng first went to the inner ward to visit Li Li. However, no matter how he called out to him, the latter just stared at him with his eyes open without any response.

Li Ran wiped his father's body with a wet towel and said, "My dad hasn't eaten for three days. Sometimes he's awake, sometimes he's confused. He may not recognize you."

This kind of situation was not uncommon for Li Heng. He had seen a lot of birth, aging, sickness and death in his previous life, so he naturally understood everything at a glance.

After leaving the room, Li Heng found Zhao Jing and asked, "Auntie, can I go into your study and take a look?"

Unexpectedly, Zhao Jing asked directly: "You have finished reading your father's books and have set your sights on my study, right?"

Li Heng smiled and agreed.

Zhao Jing leaned over and looked at him carefully, then suddenly asked seriously, "Yun'e said you are a great writer and has been bragging about you in three consecutive letters. Do you think I would support the son of an "enemy"?"

Li Heng knew that the other party was joking, so he said calmly: "I am also the son of Comrade Li Jianguo."

Hearing this, Zhao Jing frowned, and after a long while she smiled and said, "You have learned a lot from your mother. At such a young age, you know how to grasp the weaknesses of human nature. Tell me, what are you going to do in my study? Are you preparing for the next novel?"

Li Heng did not deny, "I have some inspiration, but I need a lot of information to fill it."

Zhao Jing asked curiously, "Is it related to scenic spots, historical sites, and cultural relics?"

Li Heng said: "It is of great help to me."

Zhao Jing glanced at the group of people chatting outside the door and said in a low voice, "It's not impossible, but I have a request."

Li Heng asked: "What is the request?"

Zhao Jing said: "Marry Li Ran."

Li Heng lifted his eyelids, his eyes full of disbelief: "Doesn't Sister Li have a fiancé?"

Zhao Jing shook her head and said in a lukewarm tone: "It's temporary. Within half a year, she will become a former unmarried woman. I know my daughter too well."

Li Heng wanted to laugh, thinking to himself: No one knows a daughter better than her mother, and you know her very well.

He refused: "I'm sorry, Auntie, I have a fiancée at home."

Zhao Jing didn't believe it: "Who?"

Li Heng said, "Chen Zijin."

Zhao Jing seemed to know her. "That girl from the Chen family? The one who went to the capital? The one from the Chen family who pissed your mother off to death?"

Li Heng looked embarrassed, but he still reminded tactfully: "I came here from the capital this time."

Hearing this, Zhao Jing looked at him for a long time, and finally turned and walked towards the study: "Forget it, forget it, it's fate. I can't get your father, and even my daughter can't get his son. It seems that my decades of hard work will be in vain for you again."

Li Heng didn't respond and followed him into the study.

At first sight, he fell in love with this study, which was filled with all kinds of books and materials, antique in style, and exuding a faint smell of ink.

Zhao Jing observed his expression, "Do you like it?"

Li Heng said frankly: "I like it."

Zhao Jing said: "If you like it, feel free to watch it. If you don't have time to finish it, just make a list and I'll ask someone to ship it to you."

"Ah?" Li Heng was very surprised and uttered out loud.

Zhao Jing looked around the study and said in a long voice, "If nothing unexpected happens, your Uncle Li will be gone in a few days. Li Ran is a person who can't hold back his temper. In the days to come, I will definitely be running around. Now that they are gone, I am tired of staying in this place. I plan to return to my roots and go back to Changshi.

Some of these books are just gifts for you. When you have written something good, please show it to me.”

Li Heng was silent for a moment and said okay.

In the following days, Li Heng stayed in the study room. Occasionally, he would take his English teacher, Quxinyan, Sun Aimin, Li Ran and others to visit the nearby villages. The rest of the time he was cramming material.

When he was alone at home reading books and looking through materials, with Li Ran as his guide, the English teacher and Quxinyan were not bored either. They often wandered around the streets and alleys of Yulan City, eating delicious food, observing the local customs and having a great time.

Every time, the two of them would bring back some delicious food for Li Heng, and then go out shopping again the next day, and this cycle would repeat over and over again.

On the sixth day after arriving in Gansu, Li Li passed away.

The scene was very touching.

Before he died, Li Li, who was in his last moments, grabbed Zhao Jing's hand tightly and said with great effort: "I'm leaving. I can't accompany you anymore. You go back to Shao City and meet him. I don't blame you. You have accompanied me for so many years. I am satisfied."

These were the last words Uncle Li said. After he finished speaking, he seemed to have fulfilled a wish. He turned his head and passed away.

Having taken care of her bedridden husband for several years, Zhao Jing thought she would not be sad or cry, but she ended up lying on the edge of the bed and crying for a long time. Her eyelids were swollen from crying, and finally everyone had to pull her away.

According to Li Li's last wish, no rituals were performed, only a simple memorial service was held, and then he was buried in the low hill opposite the house. Li Ran was sad for a few days, and after all the funeral arrangements were completed, she found Li Heng and said, "I heard from my mother that you are interested in cultural relics, and your new book is also related to this aspect. I just want to accompany Sun Aimin to do archaeological research. Do you want to go?"

Li Heng asked: "Where are you going?"

Li Ran said: "Dunhuang, Crescent Moon Lake."

Li Heng's eyes lit up when he heard this. "Come on, I'll go with you."

After saying that, he hurried to find his English teacher and the fool.

Li Ran stopped him and asked, "My mother said you refused to marry me?"

Li Heng was speechless: "Stop making trouble."

Li Ran agreed and nodded vigorously, "She just lost her husband, so she is indeed acting crazy. You have to understand. But are you really the great writer "December"? "

Li Heng agreed.

Li Ran put his hands behind his back, circled around him three times, and said, "No wonder my mom loves your dad so much. I guess your dad is also a refined man. I have to go see him when I get a chance. What's so charming about him?"

Li Heng blurted out, "You've never seen a photo of my dad?"

Li Ran nodded and shook his head. "I saw it when I was a kid, but I don't remember it clearly now. Later, when we moved, my mother lost a box and all the treasures inside were gone. My father was so happy about it that he drank a pound of Erguotou."

Li Heng was silent.

The following week, the group said goodbye to Zhao Jing and went to the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, where they listened to the chanting of Buddhist scriptures, the sound of wooden fish, the recitation of scriptures, the laughter of the people, the fluttering of flags, as well as the sounds of mountain breeze, flowing water, horse hooves and camel bells outside the grottoes.

Seeing that Li Heng was completely absorbed in Buddhist culture, the English teacher finally asked what he had been thinking: "You took so many notes, are you preparing for a new book?"

Li Heng nodded and said yes.

After her guess was verified, the English teacher stopped being so casual and stayed by his side from then on. When he wanted to drink water, she handed him some. When he lowered his head to take notes, she stood beside him and looked at the words under his pen. She felt an inexplicable sense of tranquility in her heart, and her spirit seemed to be sublimated.

Quexinyan and Li Ran are both extroverted and lively. Plus, Li Ran is not a beauty, so Zhang Zhiyong doesn't have any psychological pressure. The two get along very well once they meet.

Seeing the English teacher leaning on her right hand while watching Li Heng write his reflections, Li Ran quietly asked Zhang Zhiyong: "Is this sexy woman really your teacher?"

Zhang Zhiyong looked back at Wang Runwen: "That's right, what's wrong?"

Li Ran said: "It feels weird, doesn't look like it?"

Zhang Zhiyong looked back for a while, scratched his head and said, "What's different? Don't you think our teacher cares too much about Lao Heng?"

Li Ran said: “That’s the feeling.”

"Oh my! I thought it was a big deal. You're mistaken. My teacher has always been partial to Lao Heng. I don't know when it started, but it has been like this for a long time." Zhang Zhiyong was not surprised and didn't think there was anything wrong.

Noticing that Li Ran and Zhang Zhiyong were looking over here frequently, Li Heng, who had just finished writing the two chapters "Taoist Tower" and "Mogao Grottoes", put down his pen, rubbed his sore wrist and said with emotion:
"Teacher, aren't you afraid of rumors from outsiders?"

Wang Runwen was still savoring the beautiful words he had just written, and for a moment he was stunned. "What rumors?"

Li Heng tilted his head to look at her, then retracted his gaze, looked up at the distant skyline and said, "Nothing."

Unexpectedly, Wang Runwen's voice came at this time, "What? Are you scared?"

Li Heng was silent for a while, then shook his head and said, "I'm not afraid of anything, I'm just worried about getting you into trouble."

Wang Runwen sneered, "Don't say we don't have anything. Even if we do, would Zhang Zhiyong dare to tell anyone?"

Hearing this lewd remark, Li Heng blushed. After taking a few calm breaths, he changed the subject and said, "After we go to the desert tomorrow, I suddenly want to go to Dujiangyan, and then go back to my hometown via Yongzhou Liuhou Temple. Teacher, do you and Quexinyan want to continue with me? Or do you want to go back home directly to Shao City?"

Wang Runwen asked: "The college entrance examination results will be out soon, don't you want to go back and take a look?"

Li Heng shook his head. "It's a rare opportunity for me to come out. I'm in a good mood for writing, so I'm not in a hurry to go back. As for the college entrance examination results, I can call my homeroom teacher and Sun Manning to ask."

Wang Runwen stared at the back of his head for a long time, and finally said, "Don't worry, wait until we finish visiting the desert. I have never seen a desert in my life, and I am very curious."

"to make."

There may be roads in the desert, but there are none here. From a distance, there are several lines of crooked footprints. Following the footprints, Li Heng and his party finally climbed over the Mingsha Mountain with difficulty and arrived at the Crescent Lake.

That night, Li Heng talked to Quexinyan about going south, and Li Ran and Sun Aimin were also present.

After listening to him, before he could express his opinion, Li Ran fiddled with his camera and said excitedly: "Dujiangyan, what a great place. I'll go there."

Then she cast a vote for Sun Aimin.

Li Heng asked Zhang Zhiyong: "What about you?"

Zhang Zhiyong didn't say anything. The first thing he did was to look through his wallet and count it. "Uncle Heng, the money I brought is enough for now, but what about the English teacher? Will she go? If she doesn't go, it's not safe for her to go back to Shao City alone."

"I'll go." Just then, a voice came from outside the door, and then the door was gently pushed open. The English teacher, who had just finished a shower, had wet hair and stretched out her right hand to Li Heng: "Give me two pieces of manuscript paper, I'll write a letter."

"For your bestie?"

"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask."

Well, it's getting mysterious. Li Heng took out a small stack of manuscript paper from his bag and put it in her hand.

After Wang Runwen got the manuscript paper, he returned to his room, closed the door, and after curling up at the table for a while, he began to write:
Shuheng, long time no see, how are you? How are you these days?
I just walked the sand dunes and visited Crescent Lake today. Along the way, I have been very careful in my self-reflection, but unfortunately, my literary literacy is not enough, and the beauty of my soul is not even one tenth of what he wrote. I decided to go to Dujiangyan with Li Heng to broaden my horizons, and then take a detour to Yongzhou Liuhou Temple.
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(10,000 words have been updated.)
(End of this chapter)