Chapter One: The Great Definition

  Qian Lao had already achieved his goal of bringing Long Biao to visit Jing Er's grandfather, and looking at the time, it was already 3:30 in the afternoon, so he stood up to bid farewell.

  Jing Er's grandfather never deliberately kept guests from leaving, but seeing Old Qian insistently urging him to stay, he also stood up to see them off.

  At the bridgehead, Qian Lao looked at the faces of these young people, looked at their eyes, especially when he saw the unspeakable charm in Long Bao's eyes, he suddenly felt a surge of sourness rising up. He hadn't had this kind of heart-shaking comfort for a long, long time! He quickly turned his face to Jing Er and De Lao, pointing to the road on the other side of the bridge, covering up the excitement in his chest with a self-mocking smile: "Su Lao, De Lao, I also want to learn from you two 'picking chrysanthemums under the east fence, carefree seeing the south mountain', fully enjoying the little remaining time, but it's not possible! Too many mundane tasks can't be neglected, have to go back and deal with them! Look, next I'll have to go back along the same road! Snow water boiling tea, idle chatter, really want to keep this atmosphere!"

  De Lao also sighed: "Qian Lao, thank you so much for taking care of Bao Er and valuing him. I'm really happy that Bao Er has you... I will definitely visit your home!"

  Qian Lao laughed loudly: "Welcome, welcome, I'll definitely sweep the floor to wait for you!" Qian Lao looked at Jing Er's grandfather who was admiring the view and asked, "Su Lao, did you come together with your wife? When the time comes, we can chat, drink tea, and sleep with our feet touching, how about that?"

  Grandfather Jingzi smiled faintly, his eyes seemed to see the future as he gazed at the clouds in the sky, the water flowing under the bridge, and the wind blowing against his body. His voice was ancient and mysterious, low and soft, saying: "Life is like clouds, water, and wind, born, gone, and gone, old guys, if we have fate, we will naturally meet again, don't we all know this?"

  Qian nodded: "Yes, for example, this cloud, drifting and changing, disappeared, only those who have seen the cloud remember that there was a cloud floating in the sky."

  The old man nodded: "Yes, just like the wind, blowing and passing, disappearing, only the lives that have been blown by this wind still remember that there was a gust of wind blowing around.

  The old man nodded slightly, almost imperceptibly: "It's just like this water, flowing from somewhere and rushing to somewhere else. Life has the nature of water, it naturally declines and returns to where it should go. The origin and destination of water are originally a cycle, who can distinguish its origin and destination?"

  Qian Lao and De Lao nodded in agreement, saying in unison: "Yes, who can distinguish its origin and destination?"

  Three old men sat facing each other and burst out laughing together.

  Winter nights naturally fall earlier than summer nights, and by just after six o'clock, the sky has already darkened. However, on snowy nights, a vast expanse of land is illuminated with a soft, warm glow that seems to emanate from the snow itself. The stars twinkle like diamonds scattered across the sky, each shining down on its own little corner of the world. As one gazes out into this tranquil scene, the entire region takes on a mystical quality, as if it's shrouded in a thin veil of mist that blurs the line between reality and fantasy. The atmosphere is faintly, quietly, distantly, and lightly imbued with an ethereal beauty that makes it impossible to distinguish whether one is still in the mortal world or has already entered the realm of heaven.

  Shi Wei, Long Bao, Qiu Ya, Jing Er and Du Ci were in Jing Er's study. Qiu Ya seemed to realize again that she and Jing Er were in a competitive state, so she tightly grasped Long Bao's arm and leaned against him with a happy posture.

  Jing'er was in a bad mood and feeling down, but she didn't actually blame Qiuya for deliberately showing off her unusual relationship with Longbiao in front of her. To be precise, it was Longbiao's indifferent and dismissive attitude towards her that had hurt her. So Jing'er made an excuse to leave her small study room.

  Shi Wei Chao nodded his head in understanding and made a wry face as he watched Jing Er walk away.

  When Long Bao and they went downstairs and walked into Jing Er's grandfather's study, they unexpectedly found that Jing Er was secretly crying there. Two rows of sparkling tears were sliding down her pale face with a hint of red, and her eyes full of tears seemed to be filled with the sorrow of a young girl when they met Long Bao's eyes.

  De Lao was comforting her with kind words, Jing Er looked at Long Biao with infinite sorrow and grief after glancing at him, turned back and wiped away her tears with a tissue, forcing a smile to greet them: "You're here, come sit down, I'm listening to De Grandfather's touching story, De Grandfather tells it so philosophically, it's really moving, I even cried."

  Shi Wei is muddle-headed, yet he's not muddled at all; say he's not muddled, and he's just a mess of nonsense. He immediately put on an "oh yeah, what's the big news?" expression, and hastily asked: "What story, what philosophy, Jing Er, quickly tell me!"

  After everyone sat down, Jing'er said to Shi Wei: "Before you came in, Grandpa De was just telling me that 'even gods find it hard to remain wise in love', and he also told us stories about what he and Grandma De went through during the Three-Anti and Five-Anti Campaigns. He even talked about how Grandma De never abandoned him when he was labeled a rightist, I'm so moved that I almost cried!"

  Grandpa De sighed secretly: What a clever and kind-hearted little girl! He was trying to comfort her because she was crying, but unexpectedly, she avoided the awkward situation with just a few words!

  Shi Wei Da Xi, delighted, said: "Jing Er, quickly retell it to me, I also want to be moved! Also want to understand the philosophy of love! I will use this philosophy to guide my love practice with Bao Zi! Quick! Quick say!"

  Long Bao suppressed the hidden waves in his heart, forcing a smile on his face to show everyone, and also let Qiu Ya lean against him, clinging tightly to him.

  Jing'er's eyes regained their luster and brightness, sparkling with clarity. Her voice was like the snowflakes outside that occasionally hit the windowpane, making a crisp and pleasant sound, ting-ting-tang, so clear and sweet.

  Quietly, softly, and roundly, the words of a Jiangnan water town dialect said: "Do you ask what love is? When we find an empty space in our own thoughts, and then call out to and seek resonance with things within us from among all things under heaven, that irresistible and powerful attraction to things we feel, fear, and hope for is love."

  Jing'er's eyes moistened inexplicably, shining with tears, and her voice choked as she continued to recite: "We pray that the numb and icy lips will not mock or ridicule another fiery heart and trembling lips. This is love, this is the sacred contract and bond that connects not only people but also people and all things! ... When we find the corresponding object of our soul in the vast world, when we discover the kindred spirit that can accurately evaluate ourselves among all things, we and the corresponding object are like two beautiful harp strings, emitting a sound under the accompaniment of a happy voice. This sound resonates with the tremors of our own nervous system. This is the intangible, unattainable goal that love strives for."

  Jing'er's eyes gazed at Long Bao with a deep, melancholic stare. Tears slid down her face as she choked out the words: "It is this that drives people to pursue its faint shadow; without it, the heart controlled by love would never be at peace, never rest. Therefore, in solitude or among those who do not understand us, we will fervently love flowers, grass, rivers, and the sky. Under the blue sky, amidst the trembling of spring leaves, we find the secret response of our hearts; in the silent wind lies a kind of eloquence; in the flowing streams and the rustling reeds by the riverbank, there is a ballad. The mysterious resonance between them and our souls awakens the spirits within us to dance with unbridled joy, filling our eyes with mystical, gentle tears - like the passion of a victorious warrior, or the sound of a lover singing solely for you."

  Jing'er could no longer control himself, looking at Long Bao, looking at the speechless Long Bao, finally bursting into tears! Choked with sobs, he exclaimed: "When the need and power of love are gone, a person becomes a living tomb, and what's left is just an empty shell!"

  Long Bao's heart was like an ancient bell, being heavily struck by Jing Er's tears like a hundred-pound hammer! He looked at Qiu Ya, then at Jing Er, and silently lowered his eyelids.

  Actually, these days, he has been thinking about Akiya and Jing'er's feelings for him, and he feels that he doesn't know how to face or deal with it. Akiya, Jing'er, and he, a triangular emotion, contradictions intertwined in his heart, he had also secretly and shamelessly fantasized: if only I could marry both of them, wouldn't that be great? Didn't our ancestors also have multiple wives? But now is modern society, must he still split his heart in two? Isn't that a desecration of sacred love?! He even wondered: am I cursed by the heavens, even my emotions are affected?!

  Now, Jing'er's words are actually a heartfelt confession to him, how could he not know that Jing'er is reciting Shelley's poem, subtly expressing her current emotions of "carrying unbearable reality, in gentle tremors and weakness, searching for kindred spirits at the ends of the earth, but only getting hatred and disappointment"?

  Shi Wei deliberately teased Long Bao, saying: "Hey, Old Six, what is love?"

  Under everyone's gaze, Long Bao cleared his throat which seemed to be stuck, adjusted his stiff smile and said vaguely: "What is love? The benevolent see it as benevolence, the wise see it as wisdom. But in my opinion, to understand what love is, you must first figure out what life is."

  Grandfather Jing and De Lao looked at these children with the tolerance unique to older people, they understood that confusion about love was a necessary process for the kids as they grew up.

  The next day, Jing Er's grandfather took everyone on a boat trip around Taihu Lake.

  The morning lake breeze is clear and calm, the lake light is always overlapping with the distant mountain color, reflecting this seemingly quiet and mysterious scene. A group of wintering ducks are excitedly flapping their wings on the lake's surface, the water droplets falling from their wings are flashing in the air, shining with the morning sun's crystal light. The sparkling water waves are surging and rolling, dividing and merging, drawing circles, far away is peaceful, near is undulating, everything is still yet everything is lazy, everything is separated yet everything is attached.

  The ripples on the lake shimmered, the morning clouds and spring trees, the mountains and water were flowing lightly like a young girl dancing and playing, vague and distant. The line of sight was no longer curved, but became exceptionally sharp, even the withered reeds by the lake shore could be seen clearly, their bent figures a picture of despair. Hearing was no longer disturbed by worldly noise, but became exceptionally acute, to the point where one could even hear the sigh of a fish crawling on the bottom of the water! This is indeed a living and natural world!

  The lake water is actually deep and immeasurable, not that kind of pure and transparent clarity. The lake water is cool and yet profound, Long Bo makes an effort to see through the lake, Jing Er grandfather looks at Long Bo, smiling and nodding: "Can you see through it?"

  Long Bao sighed and shook his head: "I can't see through it, I'm just an ordinary person after all."

  The scenery in front of one's eyes, with mountains and rivers entering one's vision, several layers of artistic conception, lake breeze filling one's bosom, another kind of poetic sentiment.

  "On a snowy night, who blew the short flute sound, wanting to urge thoughts into a small building."

  Jing'er was filled with emotions, and suddenly remembered last night. She saw a wild duck flying low over the lake, quacking, and immediately followed with: "The candle screen is shadowy, the old tune is cold, the frost is innocent, and the snow is sorrowful."

  Although Grandfather Jing was already eighty years old, his mind was indeed quick-witted. He immediately responded with the next line: "Ren Deqi's mountain is strong and windy, what harm is there in crossing the waves in a small boat?"

  Long Wang at this moment seemed to have realized something, he also looked at the wild duck flying far away, flying far, straight to the Turtle Head Islet, and then got a sentence, saying: "Laughing, two wings fly in the sun and moon, I will go to the Turtle Head by myself."

  Shi Wei applauded loudly and asked Jing Er, "Jing Er, what's the name of this seven-character poem?"

  Jing'er looked at Qiuya and then glanced at Longbiao, turned her face to gaze at the lake water, and said in a low voice: "Four people recite together, but each has their own theme, let's just call it 'Untitled'!"

  The reeds on the shallow beach of the lake grew in a disorderly manner, and whenever there was wind, they would wave about restlessly. The fine yellow tips of the reed stalks supported those white reed flowers, which seemed to be dancing joyfully in the ripples of the lake, shining brightly without any fixed shape. It seemed that as long as an onlooker let out a excited cheer or a nostalgic call, it would stir up the lake water, the earth, the sky and all the aquatic plants and trees from their peaceful slumber.

  Jing'er and the other two girls were happily searching for novelty on this lake beach, while Longbiao stood with the two old men, trying to find signs of moving life in the shadows at the base of the reeds.

  Jing Er's grandfather looked at the children's figures and asked Long Bao beside him: "Little Dragon, what are you looking for?"

  Long Bao raised his head and took a glance at the sun hanging in the sky, rubbed his eyes with his hand, and said, "Looking for fish."

  The old man chuckled: "These are all small fish, there aren't any big fish by the shore."

  "Ah, yes," said Old Man Jing with a smile. "These small fish will never grow big. If you want to catch the big ones, go to the deep waters of Taihu Lake. The old folks say there are dragons in that lake."

  Long Bo looked at the two old men and replied, "Small fish have their own way of living, big fish have their own territory. I don't know if there are dragons in this lake, but I just want to see how far the small fish in the reeds can swim."

  The old man looked at Long Biao, who was bowing his head, and the expression on his face was like that of a three-year-old child watching ants return home. He let out a soft sigh and said, "Child, take a good look at how big Taihu Lake is, how high the sky is, and how vast the world is."

  Grandpa Jinger started to chuckle and said, "Little fish can't swim far, but big fish aren't something that small reeds can trap. They don't need to rely on the nutrients in the reeds to survive, they have to go to the lake to grow up."

  Long Bao raised his head and asked in a low voice, "How far can the big fish swim in the lake with so many fishermen fishing?"

  At this time, Shi Wei and the others came over. Jing'er picked up where she left off and said: "I remember last time you mentioned fish to me? A clever spirit fish that the fishermen can't catch. I heard that the biggest fish in this lake can weigh several hundred pounds." Jing'er blinked her big eyes a few times, mischievously saying: "Aren't you just a clever spirit fish? No one can catch you!"

  Long Wan said faintly, "It's said to be a spirit, but in fact it's just a faded spirit. It's just a fish that can't swim far, and who knows, maybe halfway through it'll sink to the bottom of the lake and disappear forever."

  All of a sudden, everything fell silent.

  The old man suddenly pointed to the waves in Taihu Lake and said to the young people, "The bamboo is formed after the arrow is dropped."

  De Lao immediately understood and smiled at Jing Er's grandfather, continuing to chant: "Fish turn into dragons from hard work!"

  At night, Jing'er's grandfather and De Lao as well as Jing'er were talking in the study room. The two elderly people were both worried about Jing'er's emotional problems.

  "De lao, you are Long Bao's grandfather, so I won't hide anything from you. To be honest, I didn't want my Jing'er to like Long Bao in the first place, but I couldn't interfere, and no one can control Jing'er, so I just had to go along with it."

  De Lao looked at Jing Er, he also felt a bit tricky, sighed and said to Jing Er with concern and heaviness: "Jing Er, sometimes people have to take a step back and think. You're studying Chinese, you can't be too influenced by literary works, it's not good to force yourself too much, do you understand?"

  "Grandfather, De Grandfather, I know."

  Grandfather Jing decided to explain the mystery of Long Bao's body to Qian Lao, as his maternal grandfather, he had the right to know. He sipped his tea, took a shallow sip, held it in his mouth, letting the refreshing and subtle aroma linger between his teeth, and slowly swallowed before saying: "De Lao, you are a master of orthodoxy, your attitude towards mysterious things is 'store but not discuss', however, there are still some things in this world that modern science cannot explain, such as the Long family's curse that has been carried for 64 generations."

  "Our sect has records that our ancestors had a falling out with the Long family after calculating their fortunes, and my fellow disciple suffered greatly for many years after doing an eight-character reading and bone analysis for the young master. I still don't understand what's going on with this curse, and if I followed superstition, I'd think it was some kind of evil curse placed by a mysterious person on the Long family. But after reviewing all the records from our sect, I've ruled that out - even if someone had placed an evil curse, it wouldn't be possible for it to last for 64 generations of the Long family."

  De Lao shook his head, saying: "In psychology, there is a theory called psychological suggestion. I think this curse may have become a kind of subconsciousness that has penetrated deep into the consciousness of the Long family members and their spouses."

  Grandfather Jing disagreed, saying: "I've seen this theory before, but it can't explain the deaths of those children and the in-laws. Moreover, every member of the Long family has a strong personality, and subconsciously they don't have an obvious fear of death. This theory only has reference value and cannot solve the practical problem of the curse."

  Grandfather Jing thought for a moment and told Jing'er to go call all of Longbiao's family over.

  "De, you should be mentally prepared for something. Your face is dark red with a hint of purple, your lips are pale, the bridge of your nose is slightly black, and the tips of your ears have begun to dry out. Your voice is not clear, and your spirit is not at peace. De, next year's lunar May and August will be a critical juncture for you. If you can get through May, you won't be able to avoid August. You should cherish the remaining days and spend more time with this good grandson!"

  The old man was taken aback for a moment, then continued: "Hehe, I've long been prepared. A lifetime is like the spring of grass and trees, coming like wind and rain, going like dust."

  At this moment, Jing'er and a large group of young people came in, and Grandfather Jing'er stopped talking.

  Shi Wei's face was full of respect, and he said in a serious tone: "Uncle Su, Uncle De, you two elders have called us here, are you going to evaluate our merits and rewards? We've been so obedient and well-behaved, what reward do you have prepared for us?"

  Grandfather Jing chuckled and stroked his long beard, saying: "Alright, Xiaoshi, you all tell me what happiness is. Whoever says it well will be rewarded by me."

  Shi Wei immediately replied, "Ha, I know this one. Happiness is when you have five 'zi's: a son who passes the imperial exam, a position of power, a car, a house, and a horse. The son should be so successful that your hands ache from counting his achievements, the position should be so powerful that your butt hurts from sitting on it, the house should be so big that your feet hurt from walking around it, the car should be so luxurious that the doors hurt when you open them, and the horse should be so magnificent that your eyes hurt from looking at it..."

  Du Cui glared at him, and Shi Wei hastily made excuses for himself: "Just kidding, just kidding."

  Jing Er's grandfather chuckled and looked at Du Ci: "What do you think, little Du?"

  Du Cui still stared at Shi Wei with a hateful gaze, and said in a bad tone: "Happiness is just plain and safe, warm and harmonious family, not worrying about food and clothing, nothing else dare to think or can't think of."

  Jing Er's grandfather nodded his head and smiled as he asked Qiu Ya: "Little Huang, what about you?"

  "If happiness is not allowed to have more extravagant hopes, I think that only being inseparable from the one I deeply love is true happiness."

  Grandfather looked at Jing'er, and Jing'er knew it was her turn to speak. She said, "This question is too big, and I also can't answer it. If you insist that I say something, then all I can say is that happiness is having no regrets in life."

  De Lao nodded in approval and together with Jing Er's grandfather, cast his gaze on Long Biao.

  All along, Long Bao has always felt that so-called happiness is far away from him. For him, only living a peaceful life can be considered the most fundamental cornerstone of happiness! Long Bao simply answered with two words: "Living."

  His heart was shattered, and De Lao's emotions suddenly became complicated, losing his usual calm and peaceful state of mind. He blurted out: "Bao'er, how can you be so pessimistic? In today's world where science and technology are highly developed and society is rapidly advancing, it's not difficult for you to have a good life. How can you still be blinded by the shadow of idealism, clouding your eyes and wisdom?"

  Grandfather Jing saw that De Lao was getting worked up, so he patted De Lao's slightly trembling hand and said with a smile: "De Lao, De Lao, it's all about asking the children. As they say, people have different hearts and minds, young people have their own ideas, why are you offending Master Fu?"

  Shi Wei changed the subject and asked Grandfather to read his fortune. Grandfather was annoyed and said to Jing Er, "Jing Er, you say something first."

  "From my observation, this person's facial features are irregular and asymmetrical, with a dark complexion, a pointed chin, broad cheekbones, visible ears from behind, sparse and yellow hair, a small head and long neck, eyebrows that grow in the opposite direction and are thick like silk threads. His eyes are like those of a pheasant, with an evasive gaze, his ears lack shape, his mouth lacks definition, his nose is upturned, and his eyes lack spirit..."

  Shi Wei, who didn't believe Jing Er could see fortunes, hastily stopped him and said: "I knew you'd use the most despicable words on me! When did you become so elegant and refined, yet still insult me like this?! A handsome guy like me is being called a Wu Mengda, an Eight-Two Gold! You're such a deceitful girl with no conscience!" Then he begged Jing Er's grandfather, saying: "Grandfather Su, didn't you see that?! Please just take a look for me, just once!"

  Grandpa Jing smiled and thought for a moment, then said: "Xiao Shi, I'll give you a sentence first: 'A harmonious family has plenty of food and joy; when relatives are at odds, even delicious food loses its flavor.' Your situation is actually very good, with such good brothers and friends, and a girlfriend who is always thinking of you. You're also so smart and clever, no problem, you can handle future things well."

  Shi Wei waited for a while and saw that the old man didn't say anything else, so he disappointedly said: "Is that all?"

  Grandpa Jing'er smiled and nodded.

  Shi Wei was extremely disappointed and said sorrowfully, "I thought you would tell me my fortune..." Shi Wei suddenly realized his mistake and quickly changed the subject with a smile, "When will I finally gain weight? Master Su, please tell me."

  Jing Er's grandfather was very appreciative of Shi Wei's quick wit and eloquence, saying: "Little Shi, officials are thin and poor, while temple priests are fat. What do you want to be fat for? Isn't it good the way it is now?"

  "Xiao Du, you will give birth to a pair of twins. Xiao Huang, there are no parents in the world who are not flawed, beware of being annoyed by one person and one thing that is not finished. Jing Yaotou, also remember 'in stillness, one can observe the movement of things', don't interfere with other things."

  Then, Jing Er's grandfather turned around under everyone's inexplicable gaze, took out a stack of printed maps from the drawer, and placed them on the table. He said to Long Bao, who was deep in thought: "I went to your hometown, Shan Cheng, with Jing last year, and also visited Xiong Mountain. I personally surveyed the feng shui of your family's house and ancestral tomb... Little Long, don't always be worried about your fate. Look at these topographic maps. This is not an unlucky place; on the contrary, it's a superior location. See how this mountain range stretches continuously, with the dragon's head entering the river, and no obstacles in between? Your ancestors were buried here and settled here, which can ensure that your family's bloodline will never be cut off! The fact that your family has been living here for generations is not a coincidence; you must have received guidance from a master."

  He gazed intently at these mountains and rivers, which were so familiar to him, the places that often appeared in his dreams. His soul suddenly trembled with excitement, and he muttered: "Grandpa, Mom is sleeping here, Dad is sleeping here, Uncle Qi is sleeping here, and I will sleep here too..."

  Jing Er's grandfather suddenly raised his hand and pointed at Long Bao's head, striking it with a loud crack. A fierce shout burst from his throat: "Halt! You've gone mad!"

  ……

  Blind! Almost everyone is blind!

  An eighty-year-old god-like figure actually hit someone! Isn't this a joke?!

  What a wonderful move! De Lao was stunned at first, but quickly understood the intention behind it. Jing Er also understood her grandfather's intention.

  The most mysterious conversation has begun.

  "Are you scared?" - Grandfather Jing

  "Yes."

  "Grandpa Jing: 'What are you afraid of?'"

  "Lost."

  "Is it life?" - Jing Er's grandfather

  "Yes."

  "Whose is it?" Grandpa Jing said: "Who's?"

  Long Wan was speechless.

  "Grandfather Jìng: 'Is there a beginning to life?'"

  Long Wan: "Yes."

  "Grandfather Jìng: 'Is there an end to life?'"

  Long Wan: "There is also."

  "Grandpa Jing: 'Why did you add a 'also' in your answer?'"

  Long Wan hesitated: "Different things have different lengths."

  "Does it matter if it's long or short?" - Ye Ye Jinger

  "Important."

  "What's so important?"

  "Length and brevity are a journey, length and brevity are life."

  "Is length value?" continued De Lao.

  "Isn't it valuable?"

  "De lao: "Why is it valuable?""

  Long Wan: "Life is needed."

  Jing Er's grandfather: "Whose life is in need?"

  Long Bao: "It's me, it's everyone, it's every single person I don't want to bring harm to."

  Grandpa Jing: "What is it that you need? Think carefully."

  The place where Long Bao was beaten: "Wrong, it's the heart."

  Jing Er's grandfather stroked his beard, De Lao smiled and said in unison: "Does the heart need length or shortness?"

  "Isn't it needed?"

  ……

  It's time to move on, Jing Er's grandfather stood up and poured a full cup of tea for everyone in the study room. He said to Long Bao: "Little Dragon, there is no all-around talent in the world, no complete blessings among people, and the Tao has no end. The Tao is not only in heaven but also in man, not only in body but also in heart. The heart of God is God's wisdom, which is the Tao, how can it be exhausted? You have a superficial understanding of curses, muddled and confused, don't you think you are too shallow?"

  Grandfather Jing, amidst the crowd's rapt attention, including De Lao, spoke in a voice as gentle as possible: "Xiao Long, you may not be able to digest these words now, don't worry, take your time. We're all not afraid, what are you afraid of? You have a fate, this I and your grandfather both acknowledge, now I'll say two more sentences to you, hoping you can benefit from them for the rest of your life: Nothing is more bitter than fate, nothing is more brutal than blades, if you want to survive amidst death, it's impossible without great virtue. Hope you remember."

  Long Wan seems to have understood.

  Zheng Xue, who had just entered the detention center where prisoners were being held, was kneeling on the ground and was being played with by two fellow inmates.

  A tall and sturdy man lowered his voice and scolded Zheng Xue: "You son of a bitch! You're a bastard! Be honest with me, kneel down!" After that, he angrily poked Zheng Xue's head with his hand.

  Another pale and thin prisoner was sneering and probing Zheng Xue's ** with his foot, Zheng Xue cowered and shrunk back, and fell to the ground, trembling with fear and begging in a low voice.

  A tall and sturdy man said in a gloomy tone: "You son of a bitch! Weren't you very arrogant before? Didn't you have many cops backing you up?"

  Zheng Xue did not dare to answer, and wept to beg for mercy.

  "Ah! You still dare not to answer?! Come on, mom's going to help you quit drugs!" The tall and sturdy man recalled the things his brothers outside had been oppressed by Jin Ge before, and his anger rose again. He growled in a low voice, "Tell me, do you want to drink coffee, cola or milk? Choose one yourself!"

  Zheng Xue knew that coffee was urine, Coca-Cola was saliva, and milk was semen. The big black man wanted to force him to swallow such things, so he could only desperately knock his head, trying to escape this disaster.

  ……

  Crime and insult in prison are just a game for the strong, Zheng Xue is now in their eyes just an animal that can be slaughtered at will, his begging did not save him from this disaster.

  Zheng Xue was so humiliated and in pain that it was indescribable. In the middle of the night, after waiting for the two men to fall asleep, he quietly made his way to the corner of the cell where the toilet was, and with great effort, inserted his fingers deep into his throat, trying to vomit out the foul things from his stomach. His soft and weak fingertips probed deeper into his even more fragile and tender throat, causing a severe discomfort that triggered a violent contraction of his empty stomach, almost making him collapse!

  He tried to control the sound of his squatting, biting his lower lip tightly, swallowing every silent sob, and on his once handsome face, not a single clean skin could be found. The strong smell of urine mixed with the strange nausea from the toilet made his face extremely distorted.

  The urine that had been swallowed was definitely not going to come back up, so he carefully turned on the faucet a little bit, hoping to use some clean water droplets to rinse his mouth and wipe his face clean, washing away the semen and urine residue from between his lips and on his cheeks. Moreover, he absolutely could not make any noise that would wake them up, or else tomorrow's punishment would be even more unbearable.

  It's finally done with ease.

  Zheng Xue stared foolishly at the small iron window high up on the wall, looking at the moon outside. The dim and gloomy light passed through the iron bars, Zheng Xue looked at this pitiful fragmented light and thought of his mother.

  He was also thinking of the bright red glow of dawn, the misty water vapor on Donghu Lake, the swaying green trees, the lush grass, and the clear breeze at dusk.

  He especially likes the flapping wings of flying birds.

  Jiao Rong Sen was extremely furious, grabbing everything that could be moved and smashing it violently everywhere!

  He was too greedy in this wave of oil price fluctuations and did not close his position early, without thinking that the oil price would come down all at once, resulting in no expected income. This matter is unfavorable to the progress of his overall plan.

  On New Year's Eve, it was a day for Qian Lao's family reunion. Qian Lao had a premonition that this would be the last New Year's Eve of his life.

  After dinner, Qian Lao narrowed his eyes and scanned the children and grandchildren sitting around the huge round table, not making a sound.

  The originally lively atmosphere suddenly became oppressive, and everyone sat there with a sense of unease, especially Qian Tonghua, whose expression was even more bizarre.

  Qian Lao gritted his teeth, and suddenly a pair of sharp eyes stared at Qian Tonghua, saying unexpectedly: "Qian Tonghua, have you done something shameful? Why are you so distracted? If so, just say it out loud, and let us all open our eyes!"

  Ye Zi Hen hastily put on a sincere and respectful expression, facing Qian Lao and saying: "Dad, recently Tong Hua has also been busy with the board meeting after the holiday, he's exhausted."

  Qian Tonghua felt that his father's words were like a series of undetectable landmines, scaring him so much that his heart was racing and his flesh was trembling. But Ye Ziheng's ambiguous words made him feel as if he had swallowed fifty cockroaches, eighty flies, one hundred and thirty earthworms, and a bucket of hot pepper water, making his whole body extremely uncomfortable. His face changed color constantly, and he forced himself to calm down, saying: "Dad, my brother-in-law is right, I haven't been sleeping well lately, the summary report book for the part of the group I'm in charge of has not been written satisfactorily, so I've been working a bit harder recently. Please don't mind."

  Qian Lao's tone became extremely stern, saying: "Qian Tonghua, my good son, Qian Zhengsheng's clever son, Qian Zhengsheng's eldest son, you're already on the verge of death, how long do you want to hide? Do you have to wait until our enemy strikes at the head of the Qian family before you'll speak? Today, in front of your brothers and sisters, tell me everything clearly! Otherwise..."

  Qian Tonghua's face turned deathly pale, his whole body began to tremble, and in the midst of everyone's shock, he let out a mournful wail like a dying pig. He suddenly knelt down in front of Old Man Qian, his voice hoarse as he said: "Dad... dad... I... I was wrong... I..."

  Ye Zi Hen's heart was beautiful! His expression was very surprised, and he quickly got up to help, pretending to use force to try to pull Qian Tonghua up. He said: "Tonghua, what's wrong with you? What happened? It's the New Year! Whatever happens can be discussed, get up, don't scare the kids! It doesn't look good either!"

  Qian Tonghua was so angry that he wanted to stab this hypocritical and sinister servant boy with a knife. He shouted in a hoarse voice, full of resentment: "Get out! It's all your fault! It's all your fault!"

  Qian Lao wanted nothing but this result, and he coldly ignored Ye Ziheng, first ordering the servant to take Kai out before turning to Qian Tonghua and saying: "You can say it while kneeling, tell me everything that happened!"

  Qian Tonghua cried out in grief and spat out everything...

  The crows and sparrows around were silent, and everyone was speechless. Qian Lao Ren, who had been kneeling there with a mixture of regret and hatred, suddenly spoke in a calm tone: "I'm very disappointed."

  Qian Lao pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it up, and said with a determined gaze: "I've lived to be 73 years old, working hard for food, starting my own business, raising children, nurturing them, listing the company on the stock market, expanding its scale. In ordinary people's eyes, I, Qian Zhengsheng, am truly a blessed person - I have a career, money, sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters, status, and fame. What more could I possibly lack? It seems like I don't lack anything! Is it that I, Qian Zhengsheng, still have something to be discontent about? Am I just being paranoid?"

  Qian Laozheng knocked the ash off his cigarette, his voice somewhat stern and weathered, saying: "People are truly insatiable beasts! The sky is high, but human hearts are higher. They sell well water as wine and still say there's no food for pigs to eat! I, Qian Zhengsheng, can't even jump out of this mundane life! I'm worried, I'm anxious, I'm on tenterhooks, what am I afraid of? I'm just afraid that after a lifetime of living upright and honest, I'll end up dying without a good ending!"

  "Why should I worry about not getting a good end? Isn't it just worrying about this family business! Isn't it just worrying that you, this group of children and grandchildren, will have a miserable future!" Qian Lao glanced at Qian Tonghua, who was still kneeling there crying, and shouted in disgust: "Get out! Good-for-nothing!"

  He raised his head again, with a hint of vicissitude, "If I'm in a good mood, maybe I'll give each of you hundreds of thousands or even millions so that you won't end up on the streets. But don't think about hoping for an equal share of this family business, I'm telling you, don't have such foolish fantasies, no way! I will leave my entire estate to the person I trust the most and who is capable of managing it well and making it prosper, so that you won't have to waste your minds thinking about how to scheme against each other."

  Qian Lao suddenly fired at Qian Yu Hui again: "Qian Yu Hui, don't use your illegitimate child to humiliate my Qian family! I've finally seen through you, you're just a useless good-for-nothing!"

  After a pause, he seemed to calm down and turned to Ye Ziheng with a gentle tone: "Ziheng, although you are my son-in-law, I have always treated you like my own son. Over the years, I am aware of your contributions to the group. As a man, one must be magnanimous and tolerant, with a heart as vast as the ocean. If your siblings have any misunderstandings towards you, don't take it to heart. Having been in business management for so long, you should know this principle. You can't let everyone down!"

  "Yes, Father, I will definitely remember your words. As a member of the family, I will do my best and fulfill my responsibilities!"

  Qian Lao then said, "Well, Zi Heng, what do you think should be done about this prodigal son? How should we explain it to the board of directors? And if the news gets out, how will we explain it to the media and our shareholders?"

  As for how to answer this question, Ye Zi-Heng had already thought it through clearly, but at this moment he had to pretend to be thinking hard and looking very troubled before finally saying: "Dad, I think the first thing we need to do now is to proactively admit this matter to the board of directors. We can't keep it hidden, there's no wall that doesn't leak. The second thing we need to do has three options: one is for you to decide whether or not to buy back the shares; two is if you decide to give up, then see who is willing to buy at a reasonable market price; three is we ignore this matter and take legal action to file a lawsuit. However, the key to this matter is that Tong Hua opened so many blank checks, so I still tend to support the first two options."

  Qian Lao didn't respond, and asked the other children again. Each of them remained silent, thinking that Qian Lao had already decided on a successor, either Ye Ziheng or Dajie's family. After a while, Alang, the young daughter-in-law, spoke up with a sarcastic tone: "I think, since brother-in-law is so enthusiastic, why not let him take out the money to continue? It's just a few billion, isn't it? Brother-in-law can just write a check for this small amount of money?"

  Ye Zi Hen's expression was somewhat unnatural, he quickly glanced at his wife Qian Su Xue, then looked at Qian Lao and awkwardly explained: "Alan, you're not unaware of your sister's family background, our livelihood still relies on that little dividend and salary, how could we possibly afford it? This matter still needs Dad to make the decision, I just made a suggestion to Dad."

  A Rong immediately spoke out the grievances that had been suppressed for a long time, saying: "Deputy General Manager Ye, you are too modest! You have half of the world in Li Heng, and this time in the personnel reform, how many cronies do you plan to promote? When you sneeze, the whole group will catch a cold! When you stomp your foot, Li Heng will have an earthquake!……"

  Ye Zi Hen's face changed dramatically, trying to explain to Qian Lao. Before he could speak, Qian Lao waved his hand and comforted him, saying: "Zi Hen, let's do this, you must find your friends to raise funds within these ten days, use your name and ability to collect the necessary funds, discuss with them how to operate, anyway, it must be done in a way that other directors can't pick out any flaws. Zi Hen, this is the most critical test of your abilities!"

  Ye Zi Hen hastily nodded in agreement.

  One by one, the numbers are staggering, but how many of them are decent? Looking at their awkward and unnatural expressions, looking at their silent yet strange eyes, thinking about their colorful inner hearts, Old Qian seems to be torn in two alive, his old family master's heart is cut with blood!

  Qian sighed: Are these really the descendants of Qian Zhengsheng? Is the power of interest so great? Alas, as the ancients said, if one's children are better than oneself, what is the point of leaving them wealth; if they are not as good as oneself, what is the point of leaving them wealth?!

  In Shancheng, Jiangping Town, Wenli's own home.

  This year's weather is obviously colder than in previous years, and two days ago there was a heavy snowfall here. I remember it has been many years since we had such a big snowfall. Looking around, everything is white and thick, with a warm feeling.

  However, Wenli was unhappy. Although she was now at home by the fire, her whole body felt cold. Her mother would intentionally or unintentionally use words to stimulate her, and the surrounding villagers would look at her with strange eyes, making her feel that she could no longer stay here.