Chapter Eight: Reminiscence (1)

As I disembarked, it was nearing dusk, and the sky was ablaze with brilliant clouds. Ancient stone bridges arched over the winding, narrow waterways, beneath which flowed the gentle, clear waters that meandered around the town. Banyan trees stretched out, and willows swayed gracefully, while wisps of smoke from cooking rose above the misty waters. A glance around revealed an essence reminiscent of a paradise beyond the world.

The middle-aged man, however, appeared reluctant, shrinking back and starting to sidestep. Seeing that Shen Xiquan was indeed about to pull him to dinner, he simply decided not to take the 20 yuan and hurriedly left.

That day, Shen Xiquan returned home from outside. He happened to see the little girl from the neighbor's house watering the flowers, so he walked up behind her and smiled as he expressed his gratitude.

This is Tong Xi's first visit to her father's hometown, and at first glance, she is very fond of it. Her uncle has already completed her transfer procedures, and after the school year begins, she will attend Xizhen Middle School.

Shen Xiquan couldn't help but laugh: "I am classmates with your cousin, and you call me uncle?"

The two families live next to each other, so it is inevitable that he often encounters Tong Xi. The young girl is very polite and quite adorable; when chatting with him, she often blinks her big eyes, displaying a look of "Oh my goodness." Sometimes, the charming Shen Xiquan thinks to himself that he would like to have a daughter like that in the future. However, it is merely a fleeting thought in his mind, as he is engrossed in making money and has no intention of getting married whatsoever.

Countless people describe Shen Xiquan as a smiling tiger, versatile, and opportunistic. However, in Tong Xi's eyes, he is a person of great responsibility and loyalty

Fate is in one's own hands; he is more adept than many at seeking and seizing opportunities. After studying for one semester in college, he dropped out to start a business. During the real estate boom, he registered a small company and began as a real estate agent. By the time Tong Xin completed four years of university and entered the bank, his Hengwei Company had already achieved a modest scale

Tong Xi was puzzled. Shen Xiquan appeared to be warm and courteous, with a charming smile. He exposed a scammer at the station and gallantly offered assistance, embodying the spirit of a chivalrous hero. How did he come to be seen as a villain in his uncle's eyes?

Tong Jianwen understood that children in their adolescence are not easy to manage. Coincidentally, he served as the director of education at a high school, commuting to and from work with Tong Xi. Surprisingly, Tong Xi seemed to have no rebellious phase typical of adolescence; she was well-behaved and sensible, making things very easy for him. She quickly adapted to the new school and ranked among the top in her studies. The only aspect that left him dissatisfied was her curiosity about Shen Xiquan, as she often chatted with him for a long time at the school gate.

Xizhen is a two-hour drive from City T. Due to insufficient transportation convenience and its relatively low profile, it has not been commercially developed for a long time, thus preserving the authentic beauty of a water town.

Tong Chunxiao took out her wallet and was about to buy a ticket when a clean and respectable-looking middle-aged man stopped her. He said that he had his wallet stolen at the station, had not eaten all day, and wanted to ask her for twenty yuan to buy some food, with the rest for travel expenses

Shen Xiquan does not believe he has done anything wrong. Temptation is everywhere, and most people are unable to resist it and instead blame others.

Shen Xiquan's home is located right next to the Tong family. The houses in Xizhen are quite similar, and the exterior wall of the Shen residence is also adorned with a few rose bushes, though they are poorly maintained and have grown rather untidily. Occasionally, when Tong Xi notices the flowers looking particularly dry, she casually goes over to water them a bit

The features of mixed heritage are not particularly pronounced; only the long eyelashes stand out, making one unable to resist the urge to reach out and touch them

Tong Jianwen has only one son, Tong Xin, who stayed in T City after graduating from university. Now, in the old residence, there are only Tong Jianwen and Zhou Yufang, which feels quite lonely. Tong Chunxiao and Tong Xigang happen to come to keep them company. Zhou Yufang is a virtuous person and has cleaned the two floors of the east wing thoroughly for the two sisters to stay.

Most of the houses in Xizhen are built by the water, with the front door opening to the alley and the back door facing the water. The Tong family is no exception; the old house left by their ancestors is a typical southern residence with four waters converging in the courtyard. After reaching adulthood, Tong Guoan settled down in City T, leaving the old family house to his younger brother

Shen Xiquan smiled and said it was no trouble at all. When he smiled, unlike ordinary people who lift both corners of their mouths, only the right corner of his mouth curved upward, giving a casual smile that carried a unique charm.

After trying a couple of sentences, Shen Xiquan already understood what was going on. He smiled and said, "Haven't you been hungry all day? Come on, let me buy you a few steamed buns to eat."

Tong Chunxiao recounted the incident at the station where she encountered a scammer, who was exposed by Shen Xiquan

Tong Jianwen was aware that they had arrived today, and specially rode over on his bicycle to pick them up. Upon seeing Shen Xiquan helping Tong Chunxiao with her luggage, he couldn't help but be taken aback

Tong Jianwen sighed: You have no idea that children nowadays already know how to pass love letters in elementary school. You should take some time to ask them.

Tong Chunxiao has always been kind-hearted, and without a second thought, she took out 20 yuan to give to him. The middle-aged man expressed his gratitude profusely and reached out his hand, but the money was intercepted by another hand. The owner of that hand was in his early twenties, tall and slender, with Tong Xi's height allowing her gaze to just reach his upper arm. On his wheat-colored skin, there was a tattoo of a blue dragon. Unlike the tattoos Tong Xi had seen before, this was a delicate and graceful dragon, not at all rough or fierce, and it looked quite beautiful.

Once on the vehicle, the two adults engaged in conversation while Tong Xi sat quietly beside her sister, flipping through a volume of Sherlock Holmes detective stories

Shen Xiquan also lost his parents at the age of eleven, living a life of dependency at his uncle's house. The difference was that his uncle was a sharp-tongued and bitter country man, and his aunt was even more of a shrew. After enduring two years, he returned to Xizhen, and from then on began to live on his own, racking his brain to figure out how to make money. At the age of sixteen, he went to the second-hand market in T City and bought seven computers, rented a small storefront, and opened the first internet café in the town. The boys from school would rush to the internet café after classes, including Tong Xin. Tong Jianwen did not take a liking to him, and that was when it all began.

The three of them became acquainted at this moment, and coincidentally, they all had tickets to Xizhen. Upon hearing that they were going to find Tong Jianwen, Shen Xiquan couldn't help but laugh: "What a coincidence, Teacher Tong taught me in middle school."

Shen Xiquan greeted with a smile and left first. Tong Jianwen placed the luggage in the back seat and asked Chunxiao, "How do you know each other?"

Shen Xiquan belongs to the Dragon; this was the gift he gave himself for his zodiac year when he was twelve years old

Tong Xi's first reaction was that he was an adult to be addressed this way, but upon hearing him speak, he immediately changed his tone. From then on, every time they met, he would always call out "Brother Quan" from a distance.

Tong Jianwen said: "He was particularly mischievous when he was young. After his parents passed away, with no one to discipline him, he became even more unruly. Fighting and brawling became a daily occurrence. If I hadn't spoken up for him, the school would have expelled him seventeen or eighteen times. He was the first to open an internet café in the town, leading the young people astray, spending their time idly in the café playing games."

Tong Jianwen waved his hand and said, "In short, this person is quite complex; even the local thugs do not dare to provoke him. You should have less interaction with him."

Tong Jianwen shook his head: "You should have less contact with this person in the future"

Commercialization can bring benefits to everyone, and there is nothing wrong with that

He exerted all his efforts, shuttling back and forth between the two locations for over a year. The resort project has finally been settled and preparations for its construction have begun. From this point on, he found himself spending more time in Xizhen.

Tong Xi felt a sense of novelty everywhere in her new home. The rooms were spacious, and from the window, she could see water. The exterior walls featured flower beds made of blue bricks, planted with roses, peonies, hibiscus, and canna lilies. Compared to the three-bedroom, two-living-room layout in T City, she preferred this place. During the day, she would read and review her studies at home, and when the sun set behind the mountains, she would eagerly go down the steps to fetch water and water the flowers and plants at the entrance of the courtyard.

Recently, he has been traveling frequently between Xizhen and City T. The man asking for money looks very familiar, and the one who stopped him for money is a beautiful young woman. He then acted quite chivalrously and asked the middle-aged man why he did not seek help from the police

Tong Chunxiao suddenly realized that this person was a fraud, hurriedly put away the twenty yuan, and thanked Shen Xiquan

While he was chatting with Tong Chunxiao, she finished reading that book and took out a collection of poems. As she read, she was particularly focused, her lips moving gently as she silently read aloud

Tong Xin and Shen Xiquan are middle school classmates. Shen Xiquan had previously heard Tong Xin mention that he has an uncle who has been doing business at the China-Russia border for many years. After the death of his first wife, he remarried there and had a little daughter. The beautiful little girl before them, with skin as white as snow and brown hair, is clearly Tong Xin's mixed-race little cousin.

Tong Xi did not expect to bump into him, awkwardly holding the kettle and politely calling out "uncle".

Tong Chunxiao found it impossible that Shen Xiquan, a man in his twenties, would have any thoughts about a thirteen-year-old girl

Tong Chunxiao was both surprised and delighted: "Is that so? That is my uncle"

The first time she met Shen Xiquan was on the very first day she was heading to Xizhen

In his youth, facing difficulties made him more aware of the importance of money than others. When there is no money, working hard to earn it is the only serious matter; everything else is superficial.

The middle-aged man said he did not want to trouble the police over trivial matters, to which Shen Xiquan replied, "Then I will buy you a ticket, where do you plan to go?" The middle-aged man was momentarily at a loss for words but responded, "No need to trouble you, I can buy it myself if you give me the money"

You do not know, this person is particularly adept at maneuvering. Knowing that Tong Xin works at the bank, he often seeks him out, taking the opportunity to get acquainted with the daughter of the chairman of the Jinhai Group. I do not know what means he employed, but she actually agreed to collaborate with his small company to build a resort by the Xihu Lake. Just wait and see, the town is bound to become chaotic in the future

Tong Jianwen, accustomed to a tense atmosphere as the director of education, sensed a hint of what he perceived as "early romance". As a male elder, he felt uncomfortable addressing it directly, so he advised Tong Chunxiao to be a little more cautious.

Tong Chunxiao smiled and said: "Then they can only blame themselves for being too playful and unable to control themselves; how can they blame the person who runs the internet café"

That summer was particularly hot. Stepping out of the taxi felt like being in a desert, with the hot air scorching her skin painfully. Upon entering the hall of the long-distance bus station, she felt the coolness of the air conditioning and couldn't help but exhale a breath of hot air, casually blowing up the bangs that were stuck to her forehead.

Jinhai Group is a major client of the bank where Tong Xin works. Through Tong Xin's connections, Shen Xiquan became acquainted with Xu Linlang, the only daughter of the chairman. Xu Linlang, with her discerning eye, recognized his talent and was not concerned about the size of his company, choosing to collaborate with him to develop the tourism resources of Xizhen.

In September, the grapes in the courtyard's patio are down to the last batch. Dappled light filters through the tree shade, falling upon the youthful girl in her prime. The splendid moments of life, as her heart begins to stir with feelings, it is perfectly natural to have a crush on someone.

Tong Chunxiao went downstairs and saw Tong Xi sitting cross-legged on the armchair, holding a large glass bowl filled with grapes in her arms, looking like a greedy little cat

Tong Chunxiao asked curiously: "What happened? I think he is very good."