Eight Desolations and Six Directions

For important official documents, many people still prefer to use EMS. This is partly due to sentimentality. How many people have waited in the most remote mountain villages, where there are no roads, for the university admission letter that could change their lives? The company responsible for this is not any capitalist-owned courier company, but the infamous EMS.

EMS delivery drivers are generally older; they can no longer be called "young guys."

Many people's impression of the postal service is often associated with riding a bicycle with a green mailbag hanging on the back.

That's a memory that only many people who have already started to go bald have.

Liu Chang'an has such memories, but he is not bald; his hair is black, smooth, and thick, and the shiny "DUANG" makes people easily recall old jokes.

I put down the green peppers and tofu I was holding. My hands were a little damp. I tore open the blue package. Inside was another envelope with a line of text written on it, including a name.

Forwarded to Ye Chenyu personal address)

The sixth earthly branch "Si" belongs to the snake, the fifth earthly branch "Chen" belongs to the dragon, both Yu and Jin are beautiful jade.

Of those still alive today, very few still know or remember this name; you could probably count them on one hand.

If the mischievous descendants of the young ladies of the Republic of China era were to peruse their great-grandmothers' diaries and essays, or if this name appeared more often, they would know that he was incredibly wealthy, extravagant, and dashing—the dream man and the object of many women's affections.

Women in brothels, in particular, were fond of such patrons. More people might remember this name. Brothel women were ruthless; they would often turn their backs on someone and then turn their backs on them. Those young ladies were quite adept at selling people off, and of course, they would write poems or essays afterward to mourn their loss, showing their wounded hearts and tear-stained eyes to others. This was a very popular and entertaining performance back then.

"How rude! How could you call my great-grandfather by his full name?" Liu Chang'an said indignantly, then put the letter away.

The deliveryman left, but Liu Chang'an still lit a fire on the newly built mud-brick stove.

Place the iron wok on the stove, scoop out a large spoonful of lard and spread it along the edge of the wok, wash the tofu and hold it in your hand. Wait for the fire to get bigger and for the wok to start to smoke lightly, then take the knife and slice the tofu into pieces one by one. The knife work is swift and precise, and the tofu slices are almost simultaneously sprinkled into the wok and spread evenly.

Pan-fry the tofu until slightly golden brown, then sprinkle with salt and light soy sauce, drizzle with chopped chili peppers, add dried Mustard Greens, a little water, toss the pan a few times, sprinkle with chopped green onions, and it's ready to serve.

After finishing dinner and cleaning up the dishes and pots, I went back to my room to take a shower before bringing in the envelope I had forgotten outside. I closed the door, turned on the light, and opened the envelope.

"Thinking back to the bright moon of Qin and the city gates of Han, I first saw you on the battlefield. Your heroic figure, wielding a spear, seemed poised to sweep across the land. However, for hundreds of years after the Ming Dynasty, your whereabouts were hard to find in China. Today, I have learned by chance that you have descendants. I am overjoyed and will visit them on a chosen day."

There was no signature, no name.

"What kind of nonsense is this? It's printed, too. When did I ever sweep across the entire world?" Liu Chang'an casually tossed the letter aside.

Sleep.

I woke up to a damp smell in the air. I opened the door and found that it had rained again last night. Looking at the sky, I knew it would probably rain again soon. It seems that the plum rain season is far from over in the Junsha area, which is a real objective reason why people are so lazy and idle.

In this kind of weather, it's normal for a normal person not to want to go to work, not to want to go out, and not to want to go to the office. Only a dog that can't go out and run around under the eaves and is boredly wagging its tail and lying on the ground can get through this period of boredom and frustration.

While washing his face and brushing his teeth, Liu Chang'an pondered whether to eat zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) or rice noodles for breakfast. Zhou Dongdong came running over, wobbling, because she was trying to swing both arms in a circular motion, making it difficult for her small body to maintain her balance.

He finally tripped and fell on the threshold, struggled to his feet, and took the soy milk out of his pocket.

"Oh..."

"Oh."

"I'm going to get hit again." Zhou Dongdong frowned, realizing the cruel reality that was unavoidable in childhood.

Give me your packet to drink first.

Zhou Dongdong gave her soy milk to Liu Chang'an; the packet in her pocket had been crushed.

Why are you running like that?

"Because I'm a little airplane today!"

"Then what was that running style you used to have, with your arms swinging left and right?"

"I am the mighty People's People's Liberation Army uncle!"

"No might was seen; instead, an aura of foolishness spread in all directions, sweeping across the entire realm."

Zhou Dongdong could only understand the words "powerful" and "stupid," but she didn't care. In Chang'an's eyes, everyone seemed to be stupid, and it was fine as long as Zhou Dongdong wasn't the most stupid one.

Liu Chang'an simply didn't tell her who the most foolish one in his eyes was.

Zhou Dongdong swept up the spilled soy milk bag and the spilled soy milk from the floor. Liu Chang'an took off her clothes, wiped them clean, and then dried them over the fire for a while before putting them back on her. "This way, your mother probably won't beat you, but there's no more soy milk for breakfast."

Zhou Dongdong looked at Liu Chang'an, Liu Chang'an continued drinking his soy milk and then smiled broadly at Zhou Dongdong.

Zhou Dongdong pursed her lips and went home to get soybean residue to feed the loaches.

Zhou Dongdong, who had just been feeding the loaches, quickly put aside her slight grievances and ran over to find Liu Chang'an.

"That bad guy who tricks children is here again!" Zhou Dongdong quickly hugged Liu Chang'an's leg and peered out from behind it.

Liu Chang'an had no choice but to stand there and slowly drink his soy milk.

"Liu Chang'an, I'm here again." Gao Cunyi was embarrassed and awkward. Liu Chang'an was one thing, but the child always looked at him with those clear yet wary eyes, making Gao Cunyi feel that being an adult was a sin.

Liu Chang'an was neither surprised nor asked why he had come.

"Good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast. The news that my senior brother was crippled in one move quickly spread throughout the entire martial arts world. If my master still doesn't intervene under these circumstances, he will only become a laughing stock, which is no different from being disgraced," Gao Cunyi explained.

"I think you've missed the point," Liu Chang'an shook his head.

"Go on," Gao Cunyi said with respect, for this was a true master. Such skill at such a young age was admirable, just like his cousin, a prodigy of the times, a trendsetter in their respective fields.

"Zhou Dongdong was originally an innocent and lively child, but you all hurt her young heart and made her foolish." Liu Chang'an patted Zhou Dongdong's two little ponytails. "You should commit suicide to atone for your sins first, and then we can talk about other things."

"I'm innocent and lively, and... also witty and brave."

Liu Chang'an patted her little ponytail a few more times, telling the children to shut up when adults are talking.

Gao Cunyi was at a loss for words. He admitted that Wang Yibo deserved his fate, but Gao Cunyi also bore responsibility. He couldn't just commit suicide to atone for his sins. Besides, if he had already committed suicide to atone for his sins, what else was there to say?