Chen Ergou always thought that his mother would live to a ripe old age, with a full head of silver hair, sitting on the kang and enjoying her later years surrounded by her grandchildren. He never thought she would leave this world behind. In fact, anyone can die, but it was as if his mother, who couldn't even close her eyes in sleep, had just gotten up and left. This sudden departure left Chen Ergou no time to even feel sorrowful. At that moment, the woman standing at the end of the corridor was a stark contrast. She was someone who, no matter how hard he tried, would always be out of his reach. She had an intellect that made him feel inferior, a family background that was unfathomably deep, and a noble elegance that was cultivated from her large and prominent family. This kind of woman, as long as she didn't let Chen Ergou crawl into bed with her, could only be regarded by him as a beautiful red carp swimming in the Ejin River - something to be admired from afar but not touched.

  Cao Jingzhi.

  The red successor, a rather peculiar definition, was heard from Wang Hu's mouth. The young master said that the dead woman, Yao Xiongzi, counted as half a person, while Chen Ergou thought she could be considered one. Xiongzi was indeed arrogant and awe-inspiring to others, but she had an additional hint of sharpness and inner depth compared to Xiongzi. Wei Duan Gong taught Chen Ergou how to show off his character with every word and action, so every time Chen Ergou delved deeper into the world, he added a bit more reverence and gratitude towards her.

  Crouching on the ground, Chen Ergou turned his head and gazed at her, unsure of how to speak, with a steel wire in his mouth and a half-finished homemade spear in his hand. He was somewhat caught off guard and felt at a loss for words, even though it was their third encounter. Chen Ergou still didn't have the composure to remain calm, just like before. The first time they met, he was just a small farmer hiding in Zhangjiashan; the second time, he was a migrant worker doing odd jobs in a small restaurant in Shanghai; and this time, he was still nothing more than a wandering security guard in Nanjing, unable to put on a good show or take center stage. Just as Chen Ergou was lost in thought, Cao Jing had already snapped a photo of him - a young man with a slightly bewildered expression, holding a simple yet menacing homemade spear, standing next to a beautiful child who looked just like him, full of spirit and energy. This was a scene that Cao Jing found very endearing.

  "Still caring about food?" Cao Qiang ran to Chen Ergou's side, blinking her autumn water eyes, with a face full of anxiety.

  "Just plain rice, no big fish or meat." Chen Ergou was taken aback, unsure what she was getting at.

  "Is that okay?" Cao Jing asked a question that would easily let ordinary men's imagination run wild, and she asked it with a straight face, not looking like she was joking at all. But she wasn't an ordinary woman, and Chen Ergou wasn't a man who was vulgar to the extreme. Most toads want to eat swan meat, but Chen Ergou really didn't have the luxury of hoping to get Cao Jing, the queen of swans. Even if he died, he would only occasionally fantasize about Cao Jing's beauty when he was rolling in the hay with Xiaoyu, and this kind of dirty thought would only flash by, not causing too much of a stir. If Chen Ergou ever got used to rolling around with other women but had Cao Jing on his mind all the time, that would be called having a dog's guts and a heavenly ambition, meaning that the seeds of wild ambition in Chen Ergou's heart had sprouted and taken root, and were about to branch out.

  "I'll help you find a house then." Chen Ergou agreed in one breath.

  It's probably because it's been too long since they last met, but Cao Jingjian appears even more stunning and captivating in Chen Ergou's eyes. Previously, Cao Jingjian was so strong that Chen Ergou deliberately ignored her appearance, but this time she is so powerful that she forcibly pulls Chen Ergou's line of sight to her body. Her face is so beautiful that it makes people think of four words: "destroying the withered and the weak". Maybe it's because she has been influenced by the Buddhist temples in Tibet and the spiritual energy of the living Buddhas, Cao Jingjian's beauty has reached its peak. Chen Ergou looks up at her, who is wearing a pair of thick black-framed glasses, and thinks that after reading some books for over a year, he knows that from a psychological perspective, people who are used to wearing hats and glasses have a certain degree of paranoia in terms of self-protection. Chen Ergou squats on the ground, looking up at this woman who has drawn a clear line between herself and the rest of the world, and suddenly thinks, "Which man will be able to take off her glasses in the future?" That man must be an extraordinary person, like a proud son of heaven! Chen Ergou smiles wryly to himself, feeling a bit self-deprecating, thinking that if he ever meets such a man, he will surely feel inferior and die from it.

  "Wouldn't you invite me in for a drink of water?" Cao Qiang asked with a smile.

  "There is still water." Chen Ergou took Cao Jing into the small room, poured a cup of water from the thermos with a disposable cup and handed it to her. After finally calming down from the initial shock, Chen Ergou asked cautiously: "How did you find this place?"

  "Don't worry, just because I can find this place doesn't mean Zhao Kunpeng will be able to. Someone went to Ah Mei's restaurant and brought your dog back to Nanjing, plus the information we got from Li Sheng's mouth, it wasn't hard to figure out where you were hiding. You did hurt Zhao Kunpeng, but the situation with Xiongzi isn't irreparable. The Zhao family is known for being protective of their own, but they're also reasonable and won't make a big deal out of this, especially since it wouldn't be good for Zhao Kunpeng's future career advancement if word got out. Of course, just because Old Man Zhao is taking a conciliatory tone on behalf of the authorities doesn't mean there aren't others who will fan the flames and take advantage of the situation. So, laying low in Nanjing for a while isn't a bad idea. You seem to be living a pretty comfortable life here."

  "Shit, that's refreshing." Chen Ergou blurted out a dirty word and saw Cao Jingjian's eyes widen in surprise, immediately scratching his head.

  This can't be blamed on Chen Ergou's narrow-mindedness. In Shanghai, he almost witnessed the miracle of a monthly salary of over 10,000 yuan in a wine bar, but an unrelated red ** suddenly intervened and ruined everything. The white and tender body like a snow-white fish was gone, tens of thousands of yuan were lost, and the original plan to attend classes and take exams was also gone. Not to mention the revenge from the Shanghai side, Chen Ergou had to start all over again from the bottom, carefully planning Zhang Sanqian's life trajectory with caution. To a certain extent, Zhang Sanqian is like his half-son, or the anthropomorphism of that white bear. Chen Ergou wants to teach this child everything he knows, and he hopes that 20 years later, Zhang Sanqian can stand up straight in big cities, even if he doesn't become a great figure like Wei Duan Gong, at least not inferior to city kids.

  Chen Ergou glanced at Zhang Sanqian, this kid was seeing Cao Jingjian for the first time, and it was strange. According to reason, Cao Jingjian's first impression on anyone should not be bad, but why did he change his tone when he came to Sanqian? This child was like a wild chicken snake that had been stepped on its tail, revealing a hostile attitude without disguise. Cao Jingjian also felt Zhang Sanqian's **naked disgust**, but she didn't get angry or disappointed, instead, she looked at him with great interest. In the end, it was Zhang Sanqian who lost, turning his head and coldly humming, as if he still didn't want to admit defeat. Chen Ergou, although he supervised Zhang Sanqian's daily activities of playing the erhu, practicing calligraphy, boxing, and studying with strictness that bordered on harshness, spoiled this young relative from the same village as him. Seeing this scene, he didn't blame Zhang Sanqian for being impolite, but instead looked at Cao Jingjian with a hint of apology and said: "His name is Zhang Sanqian, don't look at his appearance like a girl, he's actually a boy. Every day he practices Bajiquan, almost as good as a half-disciple of the rich and powerful. His temper is very wild, not afraid of heaven or earth, on snowy days he dares to go with me to play blind man's bluff, and only slightly listens to my words. You shouldn't take this little brat seriously."

  "If you follow me to Tibet, who knows, you might just enter the Dharma eyes of the living Buddhas and obtain the four characters 'congenital bone extraordinary'." Cao Jingjian smiled.

  "Don't give him any more soup, this little place eats and drinks big, can have a farting root. Go, go practice writing, copy 'The Goddess of the Luo River' once." Chen Er Gou's high praise for Cao Jingjian did not move him, his face calm and wooden as he assigned tasks to Zhang Sanqian. What he feared most was that Zhang Sanqian would stray from the right path, becoming arrogant, vain, narrow-minded, and lazy. These were all the bad tendencies that Chen Er Gou detested the most. Of course, Zhang Sanqian was intelligent and had a good understanding, Chen Er Gou knew this point earlier and more thoroughly than anyone else. Otherwise, how could Wang Hu Sheng possibly want to take him as his apprentice, and why would Wei Duan Gong come to the dog's den every few days to guide him in practicing writing? It was precisely because of this that Chen Er Gou paid even more attention to Zhang Sanqian's growth details. He would rather let Sanqian remain unknown for ten or twenty years, silently doing a small job, and finally make a stunning debut, than hope he becomes famous at a young age and ends up in a tragic downfall due to blind self-conceit."

  Zhang Sanqian sat obediently on the small stool, practicing calligraphy with a suspended brush, one stroke at a time, following the rules and norms, with a flourish of his wrist, quite elegant.

  Cao Jing sat on Chen Ergou's bed, looking around the small room. Although it was small, it was better than sharing a place with Zhang Shengli in Shanghai. As expected, the only thing they had in common was an old, faded blue water pipe. Looking at it, Cao Jing's thoughts drifted to the small village by the Ejin River, where there was a big, foolish-looking man carrying a giant bow and arrow, a remote grave mound with an unknown old man lying on it, and a vagrant humming a Peking Opera tune in the distance.

  "Where did you go?" Chen Ergou asked softly, somewhat curious.

  "Tibet's Zhebang Temple, Dunhuang's Mogao Caves, Xi'an's Terracotta Warriors, the Loess Plateau... I've been to all of them. Finally, I arrived at the place where Tsongkhapa passed away, Qinghai Lake." Cao Jingyan said calmly.

  "He's been to so many places." Chen Ergou said in surprise, astonished at Cao Jing's speed of traveling back and forth between the north and south.

  "There are still several places that haven't been mentioned, it's like a fleeting glance, can only be counted as having been there, without even stopping to take another look or think more."

  Cao Jing softly sighed, barely audible, "Indeed, it's a bit urgent."

  "How long is Nanjing going to stay?" Chen Ergou asked in a flat tone.

  "How long do you want?" Cao Qiang slightly tilted his head and smiled at Chen Ergou.

  A week.

  Chen Ergou hesitated for a moment before giving an answer, and when he saw Cao Qiang's piercing eyes, he felt a twinge of guilt, scratched his head, and smiled awkwardly: "A month, I guess."

  Cao Jing's smile remained unchanged, and she didn't say a word, which was quite a lofty and elegant demeanor.

  "One year!" Chen Ergou blurted out, unable to bear Cao Qiang's gaze, with an air of "even if I'm beheaded for saying this, twenty years later I'll still be a good man".

  Cao Cao's silence is better than Zhang Liao's smile, which brings disaster to the country and its people.

  "Don't force me to tell the truth!"

  Chen Ergou was furious, "For a lifetime!"

  Cao Jing finally spoke up, softly and gently saying a single word that shocked everyone.

  "Good." (If you want to know what happens next, please log in. There are more chapters available. Support the author and support the official version!)