Chapter 0008: The Old House

Zhuang Rui felt that his eyes at this moment were like they had just been treated with eye drops, cool yet slightly astringent. He gently closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the entire room seemed to have become much brighter.

Zhuang Rui suddenly exclaimed in surprise, for as his eyes peered through a stack of letters and caught sight of the bottom of the box, two scrolls came into view. What astonished him was that a stream of spiritual energy penetrated the scrolls, and it seemed as if a certain aura merged into the spiritual energy in his eyes. Subsequently, that stream of spiritual energy returned to his eyes on its own, and Zhuang Rui could distinctly feel that the originally thin layer of spiritual energy had become much more substantial.

When the brother-in-law opened the door to the central room, a cloud of dust rushed in, causing Zhuang Rui to retreat repeatedly, coughing incessantly

Xiao Rui, it's quite dusty inside. You don't need to come in; I'll move the things out. You can just lend a hand from outside.

The contents of the box were unknown, but it was indeed quite heavy. After the two of them moved the box onto the vehicle and brought it home, they were both drenched in sweat. However, upon returning home, they received good news: the house next door was basically no longer an issue. Mother’s colleague promised to handle the transfer procedures after the New Year, and the price was set at 38,000, which was several thousand lower than the initial quoted price. This made Zhuang Rui and Zhao Guodong very happy. The house next door was basically no longer an issue. Mother’s colleague promised to handle the transfer procedures after the New Year, and the price was set at 38,000, which was several thousand lower than the initial quoted price. This made Zhuang Rui and Zhao Guodong very happy

Carefully taking a book from the box, Zhuang Rui glanced at the publication date and discovered that it was the 1953 edition of "Chinese Geology" authored by Li Siguang. Upon opening it, he saw numerous images of biological fossils and maps. After a brief look, Zhuang Rui cautiously placed the book back, believing that a 1953 edition could now only be found in some larger libraries.

Zhuang Rui found several keys in his mother's drawer. He tried them and, indeed, they could open the two boxes. Zhuang Rui was overjoyed and quickly opened one of the boxes, discovering that it was filled entirely with books. The covers of the books were somewhat yellowed, indicating that they were quite old.

No wonder the box is so heavy; why did Mother put several stones inside it? Zhuan Rui thought in astonishment, feeling quite resentful.

It's nothing, I rarely go into Grandpa's room. Soon this house will be gone, let's go in and take a look! This box is big enough, hey, it's really heavy. Let's carry it out together...

Originally, the matriarch would come here to clean once a month. However, now that demolition is imminent, she has not returned after tidying up her belongings. The spacious courtyard is overgrown with weeds, and a large character "拆" (demolish) is written on the outer wall. As construction is set to begin after the New Year, the neighboring residents have already moved away. While festive atmospheres fill the surroundings during the New Year celebrations, this place appears somewhat desolate and lonely.

Zhuang Rui's old house has three bungalows and a spacious courtyard, in the center of which stands a tall jujube tree and a book tree. Beneath the jujube tree, there is a stone table and several stone stools. I remember that during the summer when I was a child, the whole family would sit on the stone stools in the courtyard to eat and cool off. Now, the stone stools have not been used for a long time and are covered with moss.

Having roughly skimmed through these letters, most of them are communications from my grandfather to some classmates and teachers regarding professional matters. After reading only a small portion, and with a thick layer still remaining in the box, Zhuang Rui began to feel somewhat impatient, as some of the terminology inside was indeed quite difficult for him to understand

Early the next morning, Zhuang Rui and his brother-in-law headed to the old residence. However, the rented car could only be parked at the entrance of the alley. Zhuang Rui and his brother-in-law got out of the car and walked towards the old residence, treading on the thick layer of snow.

Zhuang Rui casually picked up a letter and opened it. Upon glancing at it, he was immediately taken aback, for the entire letter was written in cursive script, and the signature at the end read "Li Siguang." Zhuang Rui quickly began to read it carefully. The content of the letter was not long; it appeared to be a reply from this esteemed scientist to his grandfather. In the letter, there was a detailed introduction to the geological features of regions such as Yunnan, Guizhou, and Myanmar, using very specialized terminology. Zhuang Rui found many phrases difficult to understand, but he could already be certain that this was undoubtedly a handwritten letter from Li Siguang.

The room in the middle was previously inhabited by Grandpa Zhuang Rui. After his passing, the room became vacant and was usually used to store some miscellaneous items. When he was young, Zhuang Rui always felt that it was eerie inside and never dared to enter with a book. As he grew older and visited the old house less frequently, he lost interest in going in.

Zhuang Rui re-entered the room, lifted one corner of the box to test it, and felt its heavy weight in his hand

... ...

Nowadays, few people use heavy wooden boxes for storage; these two boxes are likely old items left from the past. The paint on the exterior of the boxes has begun to peel, and the surface is adorned with carved floral patterns. Two iron locks are hung on the intricately crafted lock hasps.

The old residence is located at the foot of Yunlong Mountain, a famous scenic area in Pengcheng. Just a few hundred meters in front of it is the Pengcheng Museum, which exhibits the silver-threaded jade garments that attract numerous domestic and international tourists for visits every day

Oh!

Putting down the letter he was reading, Zhuang Rui felt a stir in his heart. If he were to use spiritual energy, it seemed he could read the contents of the envelope without opening it. With this thought in mind, Zhuang Rui focused his gaze towards the bottom of the box, a flash of blue light appeared, and spiritual energy flowed out from his eyes.

Looking at the two large boxes placed in his room, Zhuang Rui felt an urge to open them. After all, the memories of the past were about to fade away with the demolition of that house. The items left behind by the elders had become exceedingly precious in the eyes of the younger generation.

The sunlight reflected off the snow and cast into the room, where two rectangular wooden boxes, each about one meter in size, were faintly visible in the corner. The purpose of the two individuals' visit this time was to take these two boxes back home, while the rest of the small items had already been taken back by the matriarch.

It was unexpected that Grandpa actually knew this great scientist whom he had admired since childhood, which greatly piqued Zhuang Rui's interest. He then began to organize Grandpa's letters. The few dark stones, being in the way, were directly thrown under the bed. If it weren't for the hassle, Zhuang Rui would have discarded them in the trash downstairs.

Throughout history, various dynasties have constructed numerous buildings at the Xima Platform, such as the platform head, the San Yi Temple, the Ming Huan Shrine, the Ju Kui Academy, the Song Cui Mountain House, and the Stele Pavilion. As time has passed and the world has changed, the once prominent structures have largely vanished. After renovations, the Xima Platform has re-emerged in a magnificent and resplendent form. In his childhood, Zhuang Rui often sneaked in with some friends to play and frolic.

However, everything changed after the father's passing. The once vast old house became devoid of vitality. After their mother was allocated housing when they were ten, they moved away from there to their current residence. Over the years, Zhuang Rui rarely visited the old house, primarily because he did not want to confront the memory of his father, who had been deceased for many years. The loss of a father in childhood is an unbearable pain for many.

After Zhao Guodong helped move the boxes, he took his leave. After all, the New Year is approaching, and he has a lot of matters to attend to at his parents' home. After his brother-in-law left, his mother planned to visit an old colleague. Only Zhuang Rui was left alone at home.

Originally, Zhuan Rui was thinking of visiting the Xima Platform today, but upon seeing these two large boxes, he completely lost the desire to go out.

Not far behind the old residence, on the Hube Mountain, is where the legendary hero Xiang Yu declared himself the Hegemon-King of Western Chu after the fall of the Qin Dynasty, establishing his capital in Pengcheng. He constructed the Congtai, a famous site for watching horse performances, military displays, and parades. Historically, it was ranked alongside the Suzhou gardens and the stone carvings of the Six Dynasties in Nanjing as one of the three treasures of Jiangsu. Unfortunately, it was destroyed in the ravages of war and did not survive intact like the aforementioned two sites.

Zhuang Rui has complex feelings towards the old house. In his vague memories, the image of his father is intertwined with the old residence. Memories from before the age of five are pleasant, nestled in his father's embrace, eating jujubes picked from the jujube tree in the yard of the old house, listening to his father tell Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales. Undoubtedly, Zhuang Rui was the happiest during that time.

Regarding this grandfather whom he had never met, Zhuang Rui only learned from his mother that his grandfather was a geologist who had worked in the Yunnan and Myanmar regions after the liberation. It was also for this reason that during those tumultuous ten years, he was falsely accused of collusion with the enemy and suffered persecution, which also implicated Zhuang Rui's grandmother, leading to the early passing of both elders

Flipping further down, he found only some geology books, which caused Zhuang Rui to lose interest. He opened another box, only to discover a stack of letters and a pile of notebooks. In one corner of the box, there were surprisingly four or five dark, fist-sized stones.