Chapter Thirty-Two: Aunt Zhao

  Li Sansheng could smell the unique scent of pomegranate flowers emanating from Zhao Yi's body, even with his eyes closed. It was slightly bitter, but precious in its fragrance. Moreover, it was a voice he had grown familiar with over the past three years, soft and gentle with the distinctive tone of a noblewoman. Li Sansheng would sometimes indulge in shameless fantasies about what Zhao Yi would be like in bed, but one thing was certain: no man had been able to get close to her in the past three years, since her husband's death almost four years ago - or over a year before Li Sansheng met her.

  Li Sansheng hasn't been here for a long time. During the summer vacation, Li Sansheng went to Shaanbei, the poorest and richest place in Shaanxi Province, alone with his backpack. He stayed there for two months, eating bitterness, sweating, and bleeding, almost leaving his life there, but it was not a futile trip.

  After changing his phone number, he only told a few close friends about it, and the rest of the people, including Uncle Long and Aunt Zhao, didn't know. Li Sansheng thought that he shouldn't bother them with his life anymore, as everyone has their own path to live on, and maybe there will be some intersections, but only a few people will walk with you all the way. More often than not, they will drift apart. Moreover, Aunt Zhao, who still didn't know the details and background of Li Sansheng's situation, had a different feeling in his heart. Li Sansheng could also sense that his relationship with Aunt Zhao was not as clear-cut as others.

  It's been over five months since I last came here. In the past, when Li San Sheng worked here, he would often bring along his friends from Qinling College to drink tea and chat. Wang Zi and his gang would come here for a cup of sobering tea after clubbing at night, and then head back to Qinling College with Li San Sheng. Most of them were quite familiar with Zhao Ayi, but now they all have their own life goals and directions. Xi'an is just a stopover in their lives arranged by their families, not a place where they can relax and be themselves. The city is too small for these big shots.

  Later on, this place became their hangout spot, and they would come here whenever they had nothing to do on Sundays or skipped class. Due to Li San Sheng's relationship with Zhao Ayi, she reserved a private room on the third floor just for them. However, Li San Sheng and Hei Zi were not the type of people who would take advantage of others' hospitality as their own capital.

  The third floor was a place where only important guests would go, according to Zhao Ayi's standards. They were familiar with her, but not close enough to be considered true friends. So most of the time, they would stay on the first or second floor. Yu Er and Xin Xin liked European-style decor and enjoyed coffee and best-selling books and magazines. Li San Sheng and Da Da preferred a more classical Chinese cultural atmosphere, while Hei Zi, Ban Liu, and Qing Wa didn't care about any of that and just went wherever was lively.

  In reality, they were all quite wild at heart and not too fond of this kind of leisurely activity.

  I remember during the college entrance exam period, Li Sansheng finally let these guys use the medium-sized private room on the third floor so as not to disturb other customers. In order to meet the family's requirements, they also made an effort one by one, but those guys who didn't care at all continued to hang out in their own nightclub and hook up with girls.

  The overall layout here was all created by Li San Sheng, who could find every corner of this place with his eyes closed. Li San Sheng had a special feeling for this place and also for Aunt Zhao.

  "Zhao Yi" Li Sansheng respectfully called out, and when he looked up, Zhao Yi was still as elegant and noble as ever, with an extraordinary demeanor, like a ripe peach that had released its unique fragrance of a mature woman.

  Liu Yiran followed Li Sansheng's gaze and looked up to size up the woman who seemed to be the owner of this leisure club. She was exceptionally beautiful, with a unique elegance, like a noblewoman, but also had the charm that only mature women possessed. Her age couldn't be discerned from her appearance, probably due to good maintenance.

  "Three lives, don't introduce me to Auntie" Zhao Aunt's hair was high and tied up, wearing a low-cut silk short-sleeved shirt with black lace trim, below which were black straight-leg pants, and she wore golden high-heeled slippers. Every move she made had an inherent special charm.

  Li Sansheng was still unclear about Zhao's thoughts, and just wanted to know the relationship between Liu Yiran and himself. Li Sansheng looked at Liu Yiran, who had been sizing up Zhao, and smiled, saying "Yiran, this beautiful sister is the owner of this club, I spent every Sunday of my three years in high school here."

  "Good sister" Liu Yiran smiled very sweetly, with a very shallow dimple that was almost invisible, but always stunning. She didn't call Zhao Yi like Li San Sheng, but instead cleverly called out "sister".

  Mrs. Zhao's heart was filled with joy when she heard Liu Yiran's call, and her good impression of Liu Yiran also rose sharply. Seeing Li Sansheng's helpless smile, she had a pretty good idea about the relationship between Li Sansheng and Liu Yiran.

  "Sister is really beautiful, not Aunt Zhao's lie, it's the most beautiful and elegant woman I've ever seen." Aunt Zhao also admired Liu Yiran's beauty, her tall figure, perfect body shape and facial features, which made people feel very comfortable and had a great temperament. Compared to the girls here, they are not only one level higher, but also, every girl who is with Li Sansheng is a proud princess through and through.

  "Sister is also the most charming mature woman I have ever seen," said Liu Yiran politely.

  Zhao Yi sat down, pushed Li Sansheng aside, and started chatting with Liu Yiran. Li Sansheng became a drizzle of soy sauce, helplessly becoming a waiter for the two women who seemed to have known each other from their past lives, pouring tea for them as they chatted endlessly.

  "Moon, why the worried look on your face?" The girl called Mingyue by Li Sanyou frowned and stood in front of them with a worried expression, asked Aunt Zhao curiously.

  "Aunt Zhao, Mingyue is making me angry" Li Sansheng scratched his head and saw a beautiful young girl standing in front of him, looking pitiful as if she was about to cry.

  Liu Yiran couldn't help but mock herself, guessing that she was born to be angry, and could only sigh that Li San Sheng's luck with women was really too good.

  Guan Mingyue, Zhao's daughter, is only 15 years old this year. Although she is only 15 years old, she is already a beautiful and elegant young woman. She will definitely be a stunning beauty in the future. She has inherited most of her mother Zhao's genes, otherwise she wouldn't have grown up to be so pretty. Wearing a purple cheongsam, she shows off her well-developed figure that surpasses those of girls of the same age.

  The little girl furrowed her brow, bit her lip, and entwined her two small hands together, gazing at Li San Sheng with a resentful look in her eyes. Anyone who didn't know would have thought that Li San Sheng had done something that outraged both heaven and man.

  When Li San Sheng first went to Aunt Zhao's home in Qujiang Gongguan, he was tortured by this little girl, and also by Guan Yuanshan, who was even more crazy than her, and was Aunt Zhao's son. The two big demons used their eighteen martial arts to torture Li San Sheng, but Li San Sheng was a person who regarded all monsters and ghosts as nothing, and he used his own skills to subdue the two monsters. From then on, the two big monsters looked up to Li San Sheng as their leader, and even regarded him as their idol.

  The guqin of Mingyue was taught by Li Sanyou, who told her that women who can play the guqin are special and have a unique temperament. They are also particularly loved by people, and more importantly, when Mom is tired from work, playing a piece will relieve fatigue. Anyway, Li Sanyou unexpectedly found that this girl was indeed born for the guqin, with the genes of the guqin in her bones. She learned quickly, and in just three days, she made people look at her with new eyes. With great difficulty, Li Sanyou finally saw a seedling of an ancient zither, and naturally, he carefully cultivated it. The guqin called "He Ming Xian Lu" was given to her by Li Sanyou, which was a famous guqin from the Song Dynasty, hidden in his treasure house with unknown history. Li Sanyou gave it to Guan Mingyue without hesitation, and this guqin seemed to be specially prepared for Mingyue. Mingyue's guqin skills progressed rapidly, surprising Li Sanyou, who had already surpassed the seventh level of guqin at a young age, with strength above the seventh level.

  From now on, Li San Sheng not only had to work in the club, but also became the private tutor of two big monsters. Guan Ming Yue is now in junior high school, and his brother, the big monster Guan Yuan Shan, is already in senior high school this year.

  "You deceived Mingyue," Mingyue said with tears in her eyes.

  "How did I cheat Mingyue?" Li Sansheng asked in confusion, and Liu Yiran's eyes told Li Sansheng that who knows what other terrible things you've done to harm the country's flowers, now the girl has come to your doorstep, see how you deal with it.

  "You said you'd come back to see Mingyue, you said you'd still teach Mingyue the guqin, but it's already been five months since you came" Guan Mingyue said, and as she spoke, she started crying, confusing Zhao Ayi as well. Li San Sheng didn't think that his casual words of excuse would be taken seriously by this little girl, but indeed he had said those words himself. After the college entrance exam ended, Li San Sheng was going to go home, and also wanted to travel alone, so he couldn't stay here anymore, and thus had to bid farewell to Zhao Ayi and them.

  Li San Sheng thought back to when Guan Mingyue asked, "Third Brother, will you come back to see me and Brother?" Li San Sheng replied very certainly, "With a lovely little sister like our family's Mingyue, Third Brother definitely won't be able to bear to part with her, and will definitely often come back to see you and Brother." Guan Mingyue listened and happily said, "Then Mingyue and Brother will wait for Third Brother to come back." In the end, she even made a pinky promise with Li San Sheng. Who would have thought that when Li San Sheng came back again, it was already half a year later?

  Thinking of this, Li San Sheng was also helpless. These words were spoken by himself, and Li San Sheng grasped Guan Ming Yue's shoulders with both hands, bitterly smiling and saying "Ming Yue don't cry, if you cry then you won't be beautiful, are you still angry at San Sheng Ge Ge?"

  Guan Mingyue's eyes reddened as she nodded vigorously.

  "Then Brother San Sheng won't leave again, is he still angry?" Li San Sheng asked with a smile.

  Guan Mingyue thought for a long time and finally shook her head with great effort.

  "Come on, Mingyue, stop being a crybaby. You're already so big and still crying like that, it's embarrassing." Li Sansheng said with a smile as he helped wipe away the tears on Mingyue's face.

  The children in the first year of high school are just at the age when their emotions are beginning to awaken. Li San Sheng knew that these children had a special feeling towards those they admired, and he was no exception back then either.

  A very silly and naive, shabbily dressed boy who is looked down upon by many people, including teachers and classmates, still likes a girl wearing white clothes with a bow tie. She is so proud, she is also so beautiful, studying is also so good, but she always looks down on herself, and at that time, except for the bad kids who hang out with themselves every day, who else can look up to themselves?

  Now thinking back, it wasn't love, but at least it was a memory from my student days that I'll never forget. Nowadays, everyone has set sail in their own direction, perhaps our lives won't intersect again, and maybe we'll forever be just a figure treasured in memories.

  There is always someone in everyone's life who will not change with the passage of time and will forever remain at that moment when you fell for them.

  "This child," said Zhao Ayi with a smile at Liu Yiran.

  Liu Yiran smiled lightly and shook her head. Children also have their own serious moments, who isn't from being a child, which child doesn't have his own world.

  Mingyue, who had wiped away her tears, was quiet and sat beside Li Sansheng without saying a word. Li Sansheng poured Mingyue a cup of Longjing tea, and the little girl drank it with a gentle and elegant demeanor, just like when she played the piano, evoking affection in people's hearts.

  Only Zhao's aunt knew the hardships of raising these two children alone. Before, the two children did not understand why their mother was always busy and had no time to accompany them, and they also had complaints about Zhao's aunt, and their relationship with her was very cold. But later they understood, because that was what Li Sansheng had entrusted to them.

  Li Sansheng told them that children can complain about anyone, including their parents, but they cannot hate. If they do, it is a sin.

  A woman pays a much higher price than a man when she has to rely on her own shoulders in the absence of a man's support. We always see other people's bright side, but we can't see their bitter side.

  Li Sansheng looked up and saw the fatigue and exhaustion in Zhao's eyes, thinking that only she knew her own bitterness and hardship. The greatest help he could offer was not to let these two children complain about her, because that was her last reliance. Having lived a lifetime, having worked hard for a lifetime, but not getting recognition from one's own children, it's indeed the sorrow of being a parent.

  Li Sansheng thought of himself again, he wanted to complain but couldn't find anyone to complain to, there was only that old man who shouldered all the complaints, suffered and tired, took a sip of Du Kang, shouted a Qin Opera, but never spoke.

  We always think that the world owes us, but in the end, we find out that we owe many people, and most of the time, we don't have the chance to pay them back.