Tianjin, starting with unorthodox methods to achieve immortality

"Brother Chuan, Xiao Mo, come out for breakfast."

Chen Mo chatted with Chen Dachuan for a while, and then the two left the shop at Aunt Liu's call.

Breakfast was laid out on the stone table in the courtyard.

A bowl of slightly thin rice porridge, a dish of dark pickled vegetable dumplings, and a few cornbread buns mixed with bran, the edges of which had hardened.

Yuanyuan held a chipped ceramic bowl in both hands, sipping her porridge, but her eyes kept glancing at the brown paper package on the table.

Aunt Liu had already put away the bag of pastries, saying she would keep them to eat slowly.

Chen Mo picked up a cornbread bun, broke it open, and found it dry, hard, and rough inside. He forced himself to eat one before turning to Chen Dachuan: "Dad, is there enough rice or grain at home?"

Chen Dachuan lowered his head and ate his porridge, mumbling, "That's enough. I just bought some the day before yesterday; mixing it together will do."

He didn't mention the money used to buy the grain, or whether he had touched the silver dollars in the cellar.

Chen Mo didn't press further, but instead asked, "It seems like a new family moved into the neighboring yard? I heard some noise this morning."

Chen Dachuan paused for a moment, without even lifting his eyelids: "Yeah, they've been here for seven or eight days now. They've been acting all mysterious. You don't see them much during the day, but there's occasional noise at night."

"Minimize contact to avoid trouble."

The warning in those words is quite obvious.

Chen Mo nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

After the meal, Chen Dachuan was tidying up his carpentry tools when he casually said, "The sun is shining brightly today. Why don't you take Yuanyuan out for a walk? She's been here for days and hasn't really gone out yet."

He glanced at Aunt Liu, who was quietly washing the dishes, and said, "You should take a break too."

Aunt Liu quickly wiped her hands: "No need to trouble Xiao Mo, Yuanyuan is doing fine at home..."

"Go ahead, it's not good to stay at home all the time."

Chen Dachuan's tone left no room for argument, and he added, "Buy a bag of candy while you're at it."

Chen Mo nodded and reached out his hand to Yuan Yuan.

The little girl hesitated for a moment, wiped her hands on the old clothes, and then timidly placed them in Chen Mo's palm.

The streets of Linshui County are not bustling nowadays; the shops on both sides are half-open, exuding a desolate atmosphere.

Inside the shop, the owner and the staff mostly looked listless.

But there were quite a few people on the street, or rather, quite a few people crowded together.

Most of them were dressed in rags, carrying worn-out luggage, either sitting against the wall or lying on the ground.

These are all refugees.

Yuanyuan's little hand tightened in Chen Mo's palm, and she subconsciously moved closer to his leg.

Chen Mo pulled her closer to him, avoiding the people lying haphazardly on the ground, and slowed his pace even more.

Occasionally, a peddler carrying a load of coarse food would pass by, and he would immediately be surrounded by the refugees, who would pull out their dirty copper coins or simply stretch out their hands to beg.

A woman traded her few copper coins for two hard, dark grain cakes. She was immediately spotted by several men with gleaming eyes. She hurriedly stuffed the cakes into her bosom, covered them tightly, and staggered to a corner further away.

The corner store that used to sell needles and thread now has a broken pot set up at the entrance, simmering a thin porridge.

The shopkeeper, holding a long ladle, impatiently shooed away those who had crowded too close: "Line up! Line up! Money! If you don't have money, get out of the way!"

Chen Mo watched in silence.

This is not the Linshui County he remembers.

The world is worse than before.

He sighed inwardly, took Yuanyuan's hand, and walked slowly, pointing out the occasional shams they encountered.

The little girl was initially reserved, but her eyes gradually brightened, and she asked softly, "What is that?"

As I approached the street corner, a female student gracefully walked towards me from the opposite direction.

Wearing a blue cloth top, a black skirt, and short hair that reached her ears, she carried a wicker trunk; it was Li Siqing, the widow's daughter.

She seemed to have just disembarked; her face showed signs of fatigue, yet she still carried a fresh, scholarly air about her.

At this moment, Li Siqing also saw Chen Mo, her steps visibly paused, and her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Her gaze swept over him, then fell on Yuanyuan, whom he was holding hands with, a hint of surprise flashing across her face before turning into even deeper indifference.

As the two passed each other, Chen Mo nodded slightly as a greeting.

Li Siqing acted as if she hadn't seen it and walked straight past, leaving behind only a clean scent of soapberry mixed with ink.

Yuanyuan looked up at Chen Mo, then at Li Siqing's departing figure, and whispered, "Brother, is that sister unhappy?"

Chen Mo withdrew his gaze and calmly said, "No, that person is crazy."

He remembered that they were high school classmates, but now he felt like he owed her money.

I led Yuanyuan to a quieter end of the street, where a small general store was still open.

The shop owner was a thin old man who was absentmindedly sweeping dust off the counter with a feather duster, his eyes warily watching the doorway.

"A packet of sugar," Chen Mo said.

The old man glanced at his neat clothes and Yuanyuan beside him, his expression softening slightly. He then pulled a rough paper packet from under the counter: "One silver dollar."

So expensive?

Chen Mo was surprised, but he still paid the money.

I remember it used to cost only 300 coins.

Yuanyuan looked at the bag of candy, licked her lips, but didn't ask for it.

Stepping out of the shop, Chen Mo unwrapped the paper package, took out a rock candy, and handed it to her.

The little girl happily put it in her mouth, the sweetness melting on her tongue. She squinted her eyes, and finally a childlike satisfaction appeared on her face.

"Is it sweet?" Chen Mo asked.

"Yes." Yuanyuan nodded vigorously, then asked softly, "Brother, those people lying on the ground...don't they have anything to eat?"

Chen Mo looked at the still crowded and chaotic crowd at the other end of the street, and faint sounds of arguing and crying seemed to come from afar.

He raised his hand and gently ruffled his round head of hair.

"Hmm," he responded calmly. "Many people don't have food to eat."

Back home, as soon as I entered the yard, I could faintly hear Widow Li's voice rising from next door, trembling with sobs: "...You think you're all grown up now! Have you forgotten that if it weren't for Master Chen gritting his teeth and lending you that money, would you be where you are today? Did you waste your university education? Has your conscience been soaked away by the ink?"

Then came Li Siqing's clear response, her stubbornness palpable even through the wall: "Mom! Those are two different things! I remember the kindness of lending you the money, and I'll pay it back when I earn it! But my marriage can't be traded for this!"

"I've said it before, I could never marry Chen Mo! I... I already have someone I like!"

"You! Can what you like be eaten? Can it help you gain a foothold in this world? What's wrong with Chen Mo? He's reliable!" Widow Li's voice was both angry and anxious.

"No matter how good he is, I don't like him!" Li Siqing's voice was resolute. "What kind of era are we living in? I'll walk my own path! Please don't bring this up again!"

On this side of the courtyard wall, Chen Mo gave Yuanyuan another piece of candy.

The little girl, with a candy in her mouth, looked at Chen Mo, who had a strange expression on his face, with a blank look in her eyes.

Chen Dachuan appeared in front of the two of them at some point, holding a plane in his hand, his face somewhat gloomy.

He glanced at Chen Mo, then listened to the argument next door, his tone tinged with disappointment.

"You good-for-nothing, your wife is gone!"