The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 468 Life and Death (Part 9)

For the next few days, Chen Qiusheng and the other two didn't go out much.

Zhao Cheng'an was ordered to stay home by Chen Qiusheng and was not allowed to go out. Chen Ping'an would sometimes go out in the late afternoon and return quickly, while Chen Qiusheng would secretly go out every night for several hours. In order to make Zhao Cheng'an feel that it was unfair that only he was not allowed to go out, Zhao Cheng'an was provided with plenty of food while he was confined to his home.

He only ate the best food, whatever was expensive. Smoked chicken, cured meat, pig's head meat, offal, white rice, white flour, pastries, candied fruit, nuts—he ate them all to his heart's content, and most of them ended up in Zhao Cheng'an's stomach.

Chen Ping'an had a small appetite due to poor health, and Chen Qiusheng couldn't eat much meat because of his age. Only Zhao Cheng'an ate with gusto, wishing he could eat Xia Murui's portion for him as well.

When they weren't eating or going out, the three of them stayed in Chen Ping'an's room, and Chen Qiusheng watched Chen Ping'an teach Zhao Cheng'an to write.

Zhao Cheng'an simply has a mental issue; he's a spirit at heart, and his thinking hasn't shifted to be human-like, but that doesn't mean he's stupid. Qin Huai could tell from Chen Ping'an's skillful teaching style that Chen Ping'an had taught Zhao Cheng'an to write extensively over the years. Zhao Cheng'an wasn't illiterate; he recognized all the characters in Chen Ping'an's textbooks, and he could even do arithmetic, solve linear equations, understand English, and comprehend some physics formulas.

He was just too lazy to practice calligraphy. He never wrote anything normally, but now that he was stuck at home with nothing to do, he had no choice but to obediently follow Chen Ping'an's lead and practice calligraphy. He practiced both brush calligraphy and pen calligraphy, but the characters he wrote were all crooked and messy, clearly the handwriting of a primary school student, so ugly it was unbearable to look at.

Chen Qiusheng stood by and watched Zhao Cheng'an write, shaking his head as he watched. After Zhao Cheng'an wrote two pages of large characters, he complained that it was a good thing he hadn't been foolish enough to send Zhao Cheng'an to a children's calligraphy school, otherwise it would have been a waste of money.

Zhao Cheng'an was so angry that he shouted on the spot that he wouldn't write anymore, not even a single word.

Chen Ping'an asked with a smile, "Under normal circumstances, shouldn't someone who receives such ridicule be motivated to practice their handwriting for another two pages to prove they're not hopeless but have potential? Why did Zhao Cheng'an just throw down his pen and give up?"
In response, Zhao Cheng'an argued, "That's something only a stubborn person like Xia Murui would do. He'll secretly practice until he can do it, no matter what others say. There are plenty of things that can't be done. If you can't do it in this life, you can do it in the next."

Chen Ping'an was both amused and exasperated: "Ah Sheng, you still believe in reincarnation."

Zhao Cheng'an shook his head solemnly: "No one has a next life. None of you have a next life. Only I have a next life."

"To be precise, I don't have an afterlife yet. But if I work hard for a while longer, I will have an afterlife."

"So only I can die freely, but none of you can. I promised Xia Murui before he left that I would take good care of you, and if I were to die, I would die before you."

"Pah, pah, pah, what nonsense are you spouting?" Chen Qiusheng saw Zhao Cheng'an start talking nonsense again and gave him a hard slap on the head, his favorite kind of slap. "Confucius said, 'You should not talk about strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits.' You can't just say such things."

"Father, the saying 'The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits' doesn't seem to mean that," Chen Ping'an said weakly.

Chen Qiusheng glared at Chen Ping'an: "Don't nitpick over words at a time like this."

After being slapped, Zhao Cheng'an's thoughts drifted back to what they would eat later: "Master, do we have any flour at home? Let's have dumplings tonight, and make a lot."

“We have flour, but we’re out of meat. There’s only a little bit of cured pork left in the kitchen. If we want to make dumplings, we can only dice the cured pork, steam the potatoes, and use them as filling to make potato dumplings,” Chen Qiusheng said.

"Potato dumplings are delicious too! Master, let's stop practicing calligraphy and go make potato dumplings. I'll knead the dough!"

Chen Ping'an also smiled and spoke up for Zhao Cheng'an: "Yes, Father, we've been at home for several days now. I've been reading stories to you and teaching Ah Sheng to write. We should do something else too."

“I can’t help you and Ah Sheng with cooking, but I can still do my part when making dumplings. At least I can help peel the potatoes.”

Chen Qiusheng stared at Zhao Cheng'an with a stern face for a while, then his expression softened, and he finally nodded in agreement: "Okay, let's make dumplings."

"Great! Finally, I don't have to write anymore!" Zhao Cheng'an cheered and ran towards the kitchen. Chen Ping'an and Chen Qiusheng followed behind. Only after Zhao Cheng'an had disappeared from sight did Chen Ping'an ask with some concern.

“Father, I heard that Beiping is about to fall, Langfang is gone, and the garrison is retreating to Nanyuan. It seems the situation is very bad. Should we leave Asheng in Beiping…”

Chen Qiusheng shook his head, signaling Chen Ping'an to stop talking: "At this point, there's no way to escape now. I sneaked out the night before last to scout out the situation, hoping to find a way to get Asheng out through connections. Back then, even when Langfang was still there, we couldn't leave the city, and now it's even worse..."

After saying that, Chen Qiusheng sighed: "At first, I thought that Asheng was not very bright and that he would be in an unfamiliar place in the south. Mu Rui could not control him and would easily offend people by stealing. It was not safe. But after sending Mu Rui away, I have been regretting it these past few days."

"If it's not safe in the south, is it safe to stay in Beiping? Won't those beasts do the same things they did outside the Great Wall in Beiping?"

“I have my own selfish reasons. Your health is not good, and I am also getting old. If Asheng and Murui both go south, it will be somewhat unsafe for the two of us to stay in Beiping. With Asheng here, you will at least have some protection. But these past two days, the more I think about it, the more I regret it. I toss and turn in bed every night and can't sleep. I always feel that letting Asheng stay in Beiping is harming him.”

Chen Ping'an lowered his head somewhat dejectedly: "Father, I've dragged you and Asheng down. If it weren't for me, you would have gone to Jinling long ago."

"Silly child, what's the big deal about being a burden?"

As the atmosphere grew increasingly somber and melancholic, Chen Qiusheng and his son Chen Ping'an stood silently in the room. Suddenly, Zhao Cheng'an rushed in from the doorway and whispered, "Ping'an, Master, why aren't you in the kitchen making dumplings yet? I've already washed the potatoes. Are you going to back out of making dumplings? I really want to eat dumplings."

"What's the rush? Wash the potatoes and then knead the dough. If you want dumplings, you'd better put in some extra effort. Ping An and I have something to say," Chen Qiusheng said sternly.

"Oh." Zhao Cheng'an left silently and went to the kitchen to knead dough.

Chen Qiusheng continued the previous topic, saying, "However, the situation is not too bad. I have carefully examined the house that the Li family left us these past few days. It has two cellars, one of which is very well hidden and can be used to hide people."

"Given the current situation, those Japanese devils will be invading within the next day or two. We can't stay here any longer. After we finish making dumplings, let's pack up everything we can in the house, and we'll move over there after midnight tonight."

"When you get there, stay in the cellar. Don't let anyone think there's anyone in the house. That way, you'll be safe."

"Okay father."

After discussing it, Chen Qiusheng and Chen Ping went to the kitchen as if nothing had happened. Zhao Cheng'an had already started kneading the dough in the kitchen. Seeing the two of them arrive late, he pointed to the work he had just finished and boasted, "Master, look, I washed and chopped the potatoes, and I'm kneading the dough now. I'll count these dumplings as something I made all by myself today."

Chen Qiusheng chuckled: "Yes, yes, yes, count it as you doing it all by yourself."

The only work Chen Ping'an could do had already been done by Zhao Cheng'an, so he had nothing to do. He could only stand next to Zhao Cheng'an and watch him knead the dough. After watching for a while, he couldn't help but ask, "Asheng, you used to call my father Master Chen, why have you started calling him Master these past few days?"

Hearing Chen Ping'an ask this question, Chen Qiusheng didn't react much, but just tilted his head slightly towards the two of them, obviously wanting to hear how Zhao Cheng'an would answer.

“It’s because Xia Murui left. Now that he’s gone, no one calls Master Chen ‘Master.’ I’ve noticed Master Chen hasn’t been sleeping well these past few nights. He’s either tossing and turning in his room, making the bed creak and keeping me awake, or he sneaks out in the middle of the night. He must miss Xia Murui. Since no one calls him ‘Master,’ I’ll call him that for Xia Murui.” Zhao Cheng’an said. Chen Qiusheng: …

Judging from Chen Qiusheng's expression, Qin Huai felt that he really wanted to throw the sliced ​​cured meat in Zhao Cheng'an's face, but considering that there was only this little bit of cured meat left in the house, Chen Qiusheng held back.

The three of them spent half an afternoon making dumplings from the only potatoes and flour they had left. That evening, they cooked a whole big pot of dumplings, and Zhao Cheng'an ate three big bowls by himself, burping as he ate.

After finishing the dumplings, Chen Qiusheng said, "Asheng, take all the food you can carry from home, and anything else you like. Tonight we're moving to the house the Li family gave us."

Hearing Chen Qiusheng say this, Zhao Cheng'an's eyes lit up, and he almost cheered on the spot: "From today onwards, can I live in that big house and sleep in a big room?"

"No, we can't," Chen Ping'an shook his head. "We have to live in the cellar."

Zhao Cheng'an clearly didn't understand why they would choose to live in a dark, damp, and cramped cellar instead of a perfectly good house. Chen Ping'an spent five or six minutes explaining the pros and cons and the life they might have to live for a long time to come to Zhao Cheng'an. After learning that he would only be able to live in a cellar, eat cornbread, eat sorghum flour, and drink cold water, Zhao Cheng'an sighed at his miserable life.

Just when Chen Ping'an thought Zhao Cheng'an would complain, Zhao Cheng'an simply said helplessly, "Sigh, there's nothing we can do about it. So, after we move into the cellar, can I go out and steal things at night?"

Chen Ping'an, Chen Qiusheng, and Qin Huai: ...

Qin Huai thought that Zhao Cheng'an was actually a pastry chef instead of a thief in this life, thanks to the good teaching he received from Chen Qiusheng and Chen Ping'an in his first life.

Chen Qiusheng: "It will be very dangerous outside at that time. If you can avoid stealing, then don't steal. No, you should only steal as a last resort!"

Zhao Cheng'an nodded in disappointment: "Okay."

That evening, the three of them packed up all the things they wanted to take from the house.

The Chen family home wasn't actually very big; besides the courtyard, there were only a few rooms, and the furniture was rather meager. But even a dilapidated house is worth a fortune, and when it came time to move, Zhao Cheng'an wanted to take everything with him: pots and pans, jars, writing brushes, ink, paper, clothes. If he hadn't been so full, he would have even taken the little stool from his room.

Moving secretly can't be done by donkey cart or wooden wagon; it has to be done by carrying things on one's back. Chen Ping'an's physique is already at its limit for carrying a small cloth bag, so expecting him to carry anything large is basically impossible.

A few years ago, Chen Qiusheng could have been the main player, but he is indeed getting old now, and his physical strength is not as good as before. Zhao Chengan still has to do the heavy physical work.

At times like these, the true value of the "King of Bandits of Beiping" becomes apparent.

Zhao Cheng'an hasn't studied much these past few years, hasn't practiced his calligraphy, and his cooking skills are so-so, far behind Xia Murui's. The only thing he hasn't neglected is his thieving skills, as he goes outside the city every year to practice on human traffickers.

He stole for half a month straight, stealing several sacks every day. It was a way of practicing his skills, strength, and carrying abilities.

All that hard work was put into practice tonight.

As the kingpin of Beiping, stealing was only one part of Zhao Cheng'an's unremarkable skills; luck was the key.

The house that the Li family left for Chen Qiusheng was a good seven or eight miles away from the Chen family. It was such a long distance that even Chen Ping'an would have a hard time walking there in the dark at night. Chen Qiusheng had to go with Chen Ping'an, and the responsibility of carrying things was handed over to Zhao Cheng'an.

Zhao Cheng'an was incredibly fast and precise when carrying things. He could walk silently with a sack on his back and run very fast; he was almost invisible in the darkness of night.

Qin Huai followed behind Zhao Cheng'an, not daring to be distracted for a moment or fall behind, otherwise he wouldn't be able to see Zhao Cheng'an even if he ran a few steps forward.

In the time it took Chen Qiusheng and Chen Ping'an to make one trip, Zhao Cheng'an made a round trip, and on his second trip, he even brought over the little chair he had been longing for.

If Chen Qiusheng hadn't insisted that Zhao Cheng'an not go again, Zhao Cheng'an would have wanted to go home and bring the cabinet over as well; he really couldn't bear to part with the cabinet in his room.

Moving into the new house, even though it was the cellar, Zhao Cheng'an still made a ceremonial gesture by laying out a soft bed of straw for everyone.

Upon discovering that the cellar was too dark and that nothing could be seen without a light, and that the candles and lamp oil he had brought were insufficient, Zhao Cheng'an asked Chen Qiusheng if he could go out the next night to steal some lamp oil for Chen Ping'an so that Chen Ping'an could read the stories to everyone. After being rejected by Chen Qiusheng, Zhao Cheng'an was unwilling to go to sleep.

That night, chaos erupted in Beiping.

Even though they were hiding in the cellar, the Chen father and son could still hear the noises outside.

Cries, roars, groans, shouts, screams, gunshots, the sound of heavy objects hitting each other, and noisy footsteps filled the air.

Qin Huai was very familiar with these sounds; he had heard even more tragic sounds in Luo Jun's memories.

However, the three people in the cellar were not Bifang; they did not have the ability to read newspapers by firelight on the ground during the bombing.

They were just ordinary people who needed to hide in cellars to survive in the chaos of war.

The three slept on the straw, but none of them were truly asleep. In the darkness, Qin Huai couldn't see their expressions at all; he only knew that their breathing was uneven.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhao Cheng'an said, "Go to sleep."

"With me here, I won't let you die first."

“I will definitely die before you. I haven’t found a way yet. I can’t die, and neither can you.”

"Pah, pah, pah, stop saying such unlucky things," Chen Qiusheng cursed, and stopped patting Zhao Cheng'an's head.

"Go to sleep, you'll get used to it," Chen Qiusheng sighed.

(End of this chapter)