The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 467 Life and Death (Part 8)

Normally, Qin Huai should have waited until after the meal to return to the hotel, then used the excuse of needing to use the restroom to sit on the hotel toilet and watch Zhao Cheng'an's last dream.

But this is not the normal situation now.

Because Fen Garden also has toilets.

Qin Huai hasn't yet experienced the toilet at the legendary No. 1 private restaurant in Beiping. It would be such a pity not to try it at least once.

There was no need for Zhang Guanghang to lead the way; the restroom was just behind the private room, and Qin Huai saw the sign on the wall when he entered the room.

Qin Huai glanced at Zhao Cheng'an, who was eating a steamed bun, a yam cake, and a rice cake, and thought that Zhao Cheng'an should eat for a while longer, while he could look at his memories first.

Qin Huai thought this way, and he did it.

Qin Huai silently got up: "You eat first, I'm going to the restroom."

Zhao Cheng'an, unsuspecting, said, "Hmm, do you know where the toilet is? When I came in, I thought it was in the back."

"I saw it too. Eat slowly, don't choke." Qin Huai left with these words of concern and walked straight outside.

The toilets weren't far from the private rooms, about 15 meters away. The decor was decent, a blend of retro and modern styles. It was probably converted from the original toilets at Fenyuan, and they were single-room toilets.

Qin Huai closed the door, locked it, opened the game panel, and selected "[Zhao Cheng'an's Dream]".

The thought of seeing Zhao Cheng'an's final dream segment soon filled Qin Huai with excitement. It had been a long time since he had seen the same spirit's memory so smoothly and coherently.

Click on Qin Huai.

[Dream loading—]
A hundred years ago, the nights in Beiping (Beijing) were very dark.

It's no exaggeration to say that it's pitch black. No matter how bright the moonlight is, it's hard to illuminate a person's face in the darkness like sunlight does. For the poor who suffer from night blindness due to vitamin deficiency, it's difficult to see clearly even with a light on at night.

Because the candlelight was too dim.

In the dim candlelight, Qin Huai could clearly see the expressions on Chen Qiusheng's family's faces.

Chen Ping'an held up a lantern, but instead of shining it on people, he held it low to illuminate Chen Qiusheng's hands as he counted money and the small cloth bag that Zhao Cheng'an was holding.

It must have been summer. Chen Qiusheng, Chen Pingan, Zhao Cheng'an, and Xia Murui were all wearing short jackets. Xia Murui was carrying several bundles on her back, as if she was about to embark on a long journey. The other three were carrying nothing, except Zhao Cheng'an, who was holding a small cloth bag that looked more like a purse.

Chen Qiusheng was counting money, a large wad of cash, a motley collection of coins: silver dollars, copper coins, loose silver, pounds, and legal tender, some intact, some damaged. By the dim light of the lantern, Chen Qiusheng neatly arranged the rags and stuffed them all into the small purse Zhao Cheng'an was holding. He then had Xia Murui take off his shoes and stuffed the purse into the soles of his shoes.

"The world outside is in chaos right now. The area outside the Great Wall has already fallen, and I've heard that the South isn't very peaceful either. The Li family bought train tickets half a month ago and went to Nanjing. It seems that the Japanese are about to reach Langfang, so we can't stay in Beiping. I don't know if Nanjing is safe or not, but since the Li family has gone to Nanjing, Nanjing must be safer than Beiping now."

“Mu Rui, go to Jinling with your Uncle Liu first. Once you get there, don’t write back to let us know you’re safe. Be smart, and prioritize your own safety. If you find Jinling unsafe, then head south. I’ve already given your Uncle Liu some money; keep it safe for yourself in case of emergency.” Chen Qiusheng rambled on, then worriedly touched Xia Mu Rui’s short jacket. “It’s July now, and I should have had you bring your winter clothes too. But things are chaotic outside, and too much stuff can get stolen, so I didn’t dare bring you too many nice clothes. The south is warmer than Beiping, and winter comes later there. You can buy your own cotton-padded clothes after things settle down.”

"If you encounter robbers, don't be reckless. Preserving your life is more important than anything else. In this world... as long as you can survive, that's enough." Chen Qiusheng was like a nagging old father, wanting to give Xia Murui everything, but not daring to let him take too much.

“Father, it’s almost midnight. Xia Murui should leave. Uncle Liu said the caravan can’t wait. If they don’t leave the city tonight, it will be difficult to get out.” Chen Ping’an reminded him. He was holding a lantern, and the candlelight illuminated his face most clearly, revealing that he was pale, his lips were still bloodless, he looked sickly, and his figure was very thin.

This timeline is obviously several years later than the last one. Chen Ping'an has grown into a fully grown adult, but he hasn't grown much taller, which shows that his health is still not very good.

"Yes, yes, yes." Chen Qiusheng hurriedly urged Xia Murui, "Hurry up, or you'll miss it."

Xia Murui was very reluctant to part with him. She glanced at Chen Qiusheng, then at Chen Ping'an, and said, "Master, let's go together."

Chen Qiusheng waved his hand: "Ping An is not in good health and has to take medicine every day. He definitely can't handle a long journey. If we had bought the train ticket a month earlier, we could have left the city. It's too late to say this now. You should go quickly, or you'll miss the carriage leaving the city."

"Yes, don't worry, Master Chen and Ping An are here for me. Don't you trust my skills? They definitely won't starve. Even if the Japanese invade the city and loot everything in the house, there's still a cellar in the room the Li family left us, right? We'll hide in the cellar, and at night I'll go out and steal food. I'll definitely fatten Master Chen and Ping An up!" Zhao Cheng'an patted his chest and assured them.

Xia Murui smiled bitterly, knowing that time was of the essence and she could not delay any longer. She took a few steps, turning back every few steps, and finally waved to the three of them: "Master, Ping An, Junior Brother Chen, I'm leaving first. You must take good care of yourselves in Beiping and wait for me to come back."

Then he ran into the darkness without looking back, afraid that if he slowed down even a step, he would be tempted to turn back.

Zhao Cheng'an was still waving his hand foolishly when he realized something was wrong after a few waves. He complained, "Hey, why is Xia Murui calling me Junior Brother Chen? I didn't become Master Chen's disciple, so how did I become his junior brother?"

Chen Qiusheng was still feeling sad about parting when he heard Zhao Chengan say this. He gave him a light tap on the back of the head and said, "You're looking down on me now? I'm so glad I didn't take you as my apprentice. In the past few years, your skills have fallen far short of Mu Rui's. All you ever think about is when you'll get paid and what to eat. If I had taken you as my apprentice, you would have ruined my reputation."

Zhao Cheng'an repeatedly protested his innocence: "Master Chen never thinks about when he will get paid or what he will eat. These are the two most important things in my life."

Chen Qiusheng was speechless with anger at Zhao Cheng'an. He shook his head and said, "Ping'an, go back. It's windy tonight, don't catch a cold."

Chen Ping'an smiled helplessly, but the smile quickly turned into self-mockery. His voice was low and sounded very disappointed and self-reproachful: "Father, it's all my fault for dragging you down."

“If it weren’t for me, you and Ah Sheng could have left, and you could have even traveled with Master Jiang’s family.”

"It's all my fault that you and Ah Sheng have to stay in Beiping with me."

Chen Qiusheng patted Chen Ping'an's shoulder reassuringly: "What's this about being a burden? I'm your father. I'm proud to have a son like you who's done so well and got into university. Besides, I'm already this old. Where can I go if I want to? I was thinking of going back to the Northeast in a few years, but now I can't go back there. I don't like going to the South either, so I might as well stay in Beiping."

"Anyway, we're not a wealthy family, there's nothing to steal, we won't die." "It's just that we're a burden to Ah Sheng, he has to stay in Beiping to take care of us."

Zhao Cheng'an opened his eyes wide: "What's the problem? Right now, the university has moved away and Ping An can't go to university. When the university moves back, Ping An will graduate and work for the government. Ping An will support me for the rest of my life."

"You agree, right, Ping An? You promised me that once you graduate from university and start working for the government, you'd take care of me. You can't go back on your word. I've been supporting you for years!"

Chen Pingan chuckled: "I will definitely keep my word. I'll take care of you when the time comes."

"Alright, go inside now. Ah Sheng, get up early tomorrow and go to the grain store to queue up for cornmeal and sorghum flour."

"Can I steal it?"

"Not now, it's not the right time."

"Fine." Zhao Cheng'an went back inside, disappointed.

Qin Huai: ...

I don't know why, but what should have been a sad farewell scene turned into a dejected scene of a legendary thief king having no place to use his skills.

The three of them went back to their respective rooms and went to sleep.

When Zhao Cheng'an first stayed at Chen Qiusheng's house, he slept in the woodshed. Now, he has been upgraded and is sleeping in the room that the old servant used to sleep in. The room has also been changed. A straw mat has been laid on the bed, and there is a cabinet in the room with a thin quilt and some clothes inside.

There was a small stool by the wall, and on the stool was a small package wrapped in oil paper, which most likely contained food.

It's clear that Zhao Cheng'an has been living a very comfortable life at Chen Qiusheng's house all these years; he even has his own wardrobe.

Zhao Cheng'an went straight to bed after returning to his room, clearly not taking Xia Murui's departure seriously. Chen Qiusheng and his son Chen Ping'an were a different story; one was frowning and the other was filled with self-blame. Both of them barely slept all night and got up the next day with dark circles under their eyes.

Zhao Cheng'an was shocked to see the dark circles under their eyes. He exclaimed, "It can't be that bad! Xia Murui has only been gone for one night. You must miss him like this right after he left."

Unable to bear it any longer, Chen Qiusheng, while cooking porridge, slapped Zhao Cheng'an on the back of the head with his favorite slap.

The three of them ate a very hearty breakfast of preserved pork and congee, which showed that the Chen family didn't usually eat like this. However, with war approaching, the Chen family couldn't escape because Chen Ping'an was in poor health and had to stay in Beiping. Chen Qiusheng's years of survival wisdom told him that if they didn't eat the good things in the house now, they would be stolen later anyway, so it was better to eat them now for safety.

Indeed, after breakfast, Chen Ping'an and Zhao Cheng'an ate a lot of snacks and candied fruits. Chen Ping'an was not feeling well and couldn't eat much, while Zhao Cheng'an ate with great relish.

After finishing their hearty breakfast and snacks, it was still barely dawn when Chen Qiusheng led Zhao Cheng'an to the grain store to queue up for food. After they left, Qin Huai followed them around the neighborhood and discovered that most of the residents near Chen Qiusheng's house who could escape had already done so. At this moment, most of those still remaining in Beiping City were people like Chen Ping'an, the elderly, women, children, and commoners who couldn't escape due to health reasons, as well as those who had no money to flee.

The grain store is still open, but the manager has run away. Only the diligent and stubborn clerk is still guarding the store, selling some grain that is mixed with mud and sand, and is damp and spoiled.

Chen Qiusheng didn't buy much, mainly because there wasn't much grain to buy. He bought a bag and a half of sorghum flour. Zhao Cheng'an carried one bag, and he carried half a bag. Then they went to the pharmacy to get a two-month supply of medicine for Chen Ping'an before they went back.

Even when I go back, I won't be able to relax.

The house the Chen family lives in now also has a cellar, but the cellar is very small.

Chen Qiusheng divided the family's grain in two, putting half in the cellar of the house they were currently living in and the other half in the cellar of the house the Li family had left them.

The house left to them by the Li family was located on a relatively bustling street. It was probably because the Li family heard about Chen Ping'an's situation before they fled and learned that Chen Qiusheng would stay in Beiping, so they specially left them a relatively safe place to live.

There are five rooms in total, and the cellar can easily hold four or five people, as well as enough supplies to sustain them for several months.

Despite having such a nice house, Chen Qiusheng had no intention of moving in. In his words, this house was only used as a last resort for refuge. Normally, everyone knew that no one lived in the house, and since the Li family had already left Beiping, no one would care. If they moved in, it would be tantamount to telling the neighbors that someone lived in the house, and the originally safe house would no longer be safe. It was better to stay in their old place for now.

These were the words Chen Ping'an said to Zhao Cheng'an when explaining why they didn't move in. Qin Huai didn't know if Zhao Cheng'an understood, but he felt that Zhao Cheng'an didn't really care about these things.

It's understandable. For ordinary people, encountering war and not fleeing is a matter of life and death, and they must be careful in everything they do. But for spirits, death is a trivial matter, an inevitable part of their tribulation.

Judging from Zhao Cheng'an's current appearance, he should not have failed to transcend the tribulation. At most, he would feel a little reluctant to die, rather than fear and worry.

Chen Qiusheng kept nagging Zhao Cheng'an, telling him to be careful about this and that in the future, not to run around outside all the time, not to be too reckless, to speak softly, and to hide when necessary. If he really had to go out and steal things because his family was starving, he shouldn't steal too much at once like before, as it would be difficult to bring back and easy to be exposed. He should steal less and not be picky when he steals.

After listening, Zhao Cheng'an replied, "Master Chen, what are we having for dinner tonight? There's a smoked chicken in the kitchen. Shall we have the smoked chicken tonight?"

Zhao Cheng'an has taken the saying "Nothing is more important than eating" to the extreme.

Chen Qiusheng nodded helplessly: "Okay, let's have smoked chicken."

"Remember what I said. Starting tomorrow, don't go out unless you have to. Stay at home. If you're really bored, let Ping An teach you to write. It's really not safe outside right now."

“I know Master Chen.” Zhao Cheng’an nodded, then thought for a moment and asked, “Should I check Ping An’s medicine for the next two months? What if we run out of medicine and I have to steal medicine for Ping An?”

Chen Qiusheng: ...

"You should learn to recognize them. I'll have Ping An teach you when we get home tonight."

(End of this chapter)