Courtyard House: Starting by inheriting the tradition and suppressing the barbarians.

Before we knew it, it was 1990, Qingming Festival.

"The rain falls in torrents during the Qingming Festival, and the travelers on the road are heartbroken."

This ancient poem seemed particularly fitting for the outskirts of Beijing on this particular day.

A light drizzle, as fine as cow's hair, was falling from the gloomy sky.

The wilderness of Xishan was shrouded in a gray mist.

A black Hongqi sedan with a special license plate slowly came to a stop beside the muddy path at the foot of the mountain.

The car door opened, and a large black umbrella was unfurled.

Li Xuan was dressed in a black Zhongshan suit, his temples showing some signs of age.

But his back remained as straight as a pine tree.

He helped a middle-aged woman out of the car.

That was He Yushui.

Time has been kind to her.

Despite the wrinkles around her eyes, they were the composure and elegance of an intellectual.

As a top student who graduated from a normal university, he is now a distinguished teacher with students all over the world.

She is no longer the little girl who cried in the courtyard house.

"Brother, the road is rough, be careful with your shoes," Yu Shui whispered a reminder.

"It's alright."

Li Xuan carried a bamboo basket containing incense, paper money, and a bottle of fine Moutai liquor.

The two of them trudged along the slippery yellow earth, making their way towards the mountainside.

There, it was a long-abandoned mass grave.

There were no neat tombstones, only uneven mounds of earth overgrown with waist-high weeds.

......

After walking for about twenty minutes, the two stopped in a shady corner.

There are two lonely graves here, standing close together.

Because of years of neglect, the soil on top has almost merged into one piece.

In front of the slightly larger grave on the left stands a broken stone tablet.

The words "[Tomb of He Yuzhu]" are crookedly carved on it.

The smaller burial mound on the right doesn't even have a tombstone.

Only a rotten wooden board was stuck in the ground, and the three characters "Qin Huai Ru" could be vaguely made out.

"Brother, I've come to see you."

He Yushui looked at the mound of earth covered with withered grass, her voice choked with emotion, but she did not shed a tear.

She squatted down, ignoring the mud and water on the ground, and pulled out the weeds from the grave with her bare hands.

"So many years have passed in the blink of an eye."

"Our He family is doing quite well now."

"I'm married now, and my child is in middle school."

"Our father passed away peacefully, without suffering."

"Your whole life..."

Rain sighed and lit the paper money in his hand.

The firelight flickered in the drizzle, reflecting her complex gaze.

"You've been too foolish your whole life."

"A person may not be malicious, but they are blind."

"You gave your heart to the Jia family and sold your life to Qin Huairu."

"And what happened? When you froze to death in the snow, they didn't even open the door for you."

Yu Shui turned his head and glanced at Qin Huairu's lonely grave next to him, a bitter, sarcastic smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"But things are better now."

"You two are lying here, so close together, it's a perfect ending."

"We didn't become husband and wife in life, but we became neighbors in death."

"If you're still willing to let her suck your blood over there, then let her continue to do so."

"Anyway, I can't control it anymore."

The paper money turned to ashes, swirling upwards with the wind and rain.

Li Xuan stood aside, quietly watching all of this.

He opened the bottle of Moutai, and the rich aroma of the sauce instantly filled the wilderness.

"Silly Pillar."

Li Xuan poured wine in front of He Yuzhu's grave and said calmly, "This wine was what you craved most when you were alive."

"Back then, you would fight with Xu Damao over half a bottle of Erguotou."

"Today, I'll treat you to Moutai."

"If you drink this, remember to keep your eyes open in your next life."

"Kindness is not wrong, but kindness without limits is foolish."

"That's like handing a knife to someone else to stab yourself."

Li Xuan poured another cup and sprinkled it in front of Qin Huairu's grave.

"Qin Huairu, have a drink too."

"You've spent your whole life scheming, trying to find a long-term meal ticket and hoping your son will make something of himself."

"And what happened? Your son was executed, your mother-in-law died suddenly, and you went insane."

"Heaven keeps track of all the debts in this world."

"Retribution may be delayed, but it will come."

The wind blew through the wild grass, making a "whooshing" sound, as if responding or crying.

He Yushui stood up and patted the dirt off her hands.

Looking at the two desolate graves, I let out a long sigh of relief.

Years of resentment and grievances seemed to vanish with the ashes of the paper offerings at this moment.

"Brother Xuan, tell me, what is the purpose of life?"

Rain looked at Li Xuan, her eyes filled with confusion, "Why did they scheme so hard..."

"They're so desperate to live a good life."

"But in the end, it all ended up like this?"

"And we..."

Li Xuan turned around, his gaze piercing through the rain, looking at the distant, bustling outline of Beijing.

"Rain, remember one thing."

Li Xuan's voice was steady and powerful, revealing a worldly wisdom and understanding.

In life, choices are more important than effort.

"They chose to scheme, to take shortcuts, and to depend on others."

"So they ended up desolate."

"And we chose to rely on ourselves, chose the right path, and chose to stay true to ourselves."

"Therefore, we have gained peace."

"You reap what you sow; that's the way of Heaven."

As Yu Shui pondered those words, the confusion in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by a sense of relief.

"Let's go."

Li Xuan opened his black umbrella, shielding himself from the rain and wind. "It's getting dark, let's go home."

"Our family is waiting for us to eat."

"Yes, let's go home."

Rain took Li Xuan's arm, and the two turned and left...

......