bit stealing game

Chapter 4 People who know the truth

I followed the second elder through the door.

There were probably some wooden tables and rattan chairs in the square courtyard. There was a deciduous crabapple tree growing near the courtyard wall, and there were several unripe persimmons hanging on another taller tree.

Up. In the southeast corner of the yard, there is a pigeon cage that is a little dusty, with a grape trellis climbing on it. In addition, there is still space for planting some flowers and plants.

Although it was cleaned very well, it could be felt that no one had lived there for some time. It seemed that Li Zhiyun and Yin Jue came back specially for the funeral of Mr. Ding.

This is a large and small house with two courtyards, and there should be a courtyard behind the house.

Li Zhiyun's study was at the back of the house, and I followed him through several doors without squinting.

The study room is in line with the characteristics of a courtyard house, and is decorated in an antique style. The long mahogany desk, the towering bookcase, the upright Taishi chair, and even the teapot on the low table all have distinct characteristics of the era and class.

Li Zhiyun asked me to sit down first while he went to pour tea. I failed to refuse, so I sat down obediently.

The old-fashioned window faces the backyard. There is a golden osmanthus and a plum tree planted outside, and the whole house is filled with the fragrance of osmanthus. The autumn sunshine is swayed by the treetops, and the shadows of the trees are dancing in the heart.

There is a picture frame on the mahogany desk with glass panels.

"That's a photo of Li Yuan when he was a child." Li Zhiyun's voice came from behind. He put the teacup on the table and turned the photo frame towards me. "This kid won't like taking pictures when he grows up."

I could hear the nostalgia in Grandpa Li's words, so he continued: "Everyone is the same. When I was a child, I had a lot of photos, but when I grow up, I rarely take photos."

As I said that, I looked at the photo. Li Yuan was probably in his teens, and his face had some edges but no smile.

"That time he just came out of Shichahai Sports School, and his grandmother and I took him to Beihai to see the chrysanthemums."

"I remember when we were young, we wanted to go to Shichahai Sports School to practice martial arts together. But I lived far away, so we never went." I asked casually, "Did he go to practice martial arts later?"

Grandpa Li waved his hand. "Yuanyuan has been living with us in Guangxi since you left home. He went back to BJ for a while before going to Japan with his father." I nodded, and Grandpa Li continued, "He has always wanted to

I'm going to see you. But there are some things at home that we haven't dealt with, so it's been delayed."

In fact, maybe when I was six years old, I cared whether Li Yuan wanted to visit us again, but now I don't mind at all. Compared with whether Li Yuan was thinking about me when he was a child, I want to know whether Li Yuan is going to Egypt now.

do what.

So I just smiled and said that after all, everyone has their own arrangements.

Li Zhiyun pulled out a plastic-sealed photo from under the glass plate of the desk.

On the top, I put my arm around Li Yuan's neck and laughed at the camera. He had cake on his face and looked at me whether he wanted to cry or not.

On the back of the photo is written "Yuanyuan's sixth birthday, in Hepingli". It is my grandma's calligraphy.

"After Li Yuan was brought back by us, you wrote letters to each other for a period of time. The photos were sent together at that time. Li Yuan was very happy. You celebrated his birthday in advance."

Li Yuan's birthday is on the Mid-Autumn Festival, and my birthday is on the Lantern Festival. They are both big days. For this reason, grandma always said that we are destined.

But it was not the Mid-Autumn Festival when Li Yuan left my house. I didn’t know he was leaving at that time and thought he was just eating a cake in advance. No wonder he was crying in the photo, and I thought he was giving me eye drops.

Li Zhiyun didn't say much more about this topic, and then told me interesting stories about Li Yuan's study and life in various places over the past ten years. I didn't expect that Li Yuan, a child, was quite homeless. This was different from his family's rich family background.

There is some deviation from the harmonious family atmosphere.

After chatting about family matters for a while, Li Zhiyun suddenly said: "Yuanyuan likes astronomy, which has something to do with me and your grandfather."

I nodded.

My grandparents, Li Zhiyun, and the late Mr. Ding are all geologists. My interest in archeology cannot be said to have been influenced by them. Many scientists who study celestial bodies also have a background in geology. Li Yuan later went to the planets

The same is probably true for the research path.

Speaking of Li Yuan, he was a different kid when he was a child. At that time, I liked to play police catching thieves, and Li Yuan always liked to look at the moon when he had nothing to do.

"The child often asked me when he was little, 'Where does the moon come from?' 'How far away are these stars from us, and why don't they fall?' But I could answer him everywhere. So I told him,

These can be found later when he grows up and can find the answers on his own."

I couldn't help but smile as I listened. Li Yuan was quite lucky. His family responded to his curiosity and expectations about the world.

When Li Zhiyun said this, he seemed to be lost in memories. Elderly people like to recall the growth of their children and grandchildren, and even when they look back at the past from a distance, they can reveal their love. I did not interrupt this warmth that had nothing to do with me.

"But I can't help this kid." When Li Zhiyun said this, I tilted my head in confusion. But he didn't continue, he just nodded at me with his hand and said, "Actually, you look a lot like your grandfather."

I laughed. "Very few people say that I look like grandpa."

Li Zhiyun also smiled and said, "Not only do you and your grandfather have similar personalities, you are also very calm."

After hearing this, I knew that the highlight of today was coming.

Li Zhiyun paused for a moment: "And you are very good at keeping secrets, whether they are your own or others'."

After saying that, he looked at me kindly.

After thinking for a while, I said: "Thank you for not telling me about going to Egypt in front of my grandparents. But I just recently planned to go to Egypt at the end of this year. I didn't expect you to know about it. If Yuanyuan

If you go too, if the time is right, we can say hello. After all, we haven’t seen each other for a long time.”

Seeing my happy admission, Li Zhiyun smiled: "Why don't you let your family know that you are studying archeology? You are so independent, your family should respect your will."

I shrugged and pretended to be helpless and said: "It's not that I'm worried about their objections. It's just that my family is a bit superstitious and thinks that it's easy to get into trouble in this business. For example, this time, if they knew that I was going to Egypt for archaeology, they would probably do it every day.

If I have to be on tenterhooks, I might as well let them think I'm doing an experiment."

Li Zhiyun nodded slightly after hearing this, and then said: "Your grandfather and I were exposed to these things when we were prospecting, and I didn't realize that he had any taboos about these things that were silent."

I sighed: "To tell you the truth, how could proletarian intellectuals like my grandparents believe in those feudal superstitions? This is not because my third uncle was on a business trip a few years ago, but he had an accident while going to the mines, and almost

My son never came back. Since then, my family has become somewhat resistant to engaging in related majors.”

I did not lie to Li Zhiyun.

I was almost graduating from elementary school when my third uncle had an accident. The atmosphere at home was very tense at that time, and my dad and I were all anxious. Later, we learned that my third uncle's injury was stable, and they calmed down and concentrated on comforting my grandfather.

Grandma. At that time, the third uncle wanted to hide his coming from the family. He didn’t go home during the Chinese New Year and stayed in Sichuan to recuperate. But the trip lasted from two months to more than half a year. Grandma became suspicious, so the third uncle had to come back.

At that time, he had been injured for more than half a year, and when he came back he still looked sick. My father, who had always been good-tempered, turned pale with anger, and even fanned the flames when he took his third uncle away for education.

After listening to what I said, Li Zhiyun was thoughtful. "Did your third uncle go to Sichuan twelve years ago?"

After calculating the time, I nodded and said yes. "How did you know?"

Li Zhiyun said: "Because Li Yuan's parents were also in Sichuan at that time."

There was an inexplicable emotion in my heart. Three generations of my family have some connection with the Li family, but I have always been kept in the dark.

Li Zhiyun comforted me: "Don't think too much about it. What happened to your third uncle should be a coincidence. But I can't say for sure that you and Li Yuan went to Egypt, so I asked you to come over and ask."

"Then what if I don't accompany my grandparents to Mr. Ding's farewell party today? How are you going to ask me?"

Li Zhiyun laughed. "If you don't come to Lao Ding's farewell party, I might as well go visit my old colleagues. You always visit your grandpa on Tuesdays."

I asked why the people who died in the past few months had to return to their roots now. Mr. Ding, who co-authored this, was using it as a cover to get me to take the bait. Can he even use this? And Yin Shuo actually agreed.

However, there are many people who have been waiting for years to get into Babaoshan. As soon as I was going to Egypt, Mr. Ding buried him directly. Who could have such great power? And why did they have to count me in?

"Then you just said that my grandfather kept other people's secrets. What did you mean?" I didn't dwell on this topic anymore. If I dig deeper, who knows what else I can pull out.

"Actually, you should have guessed that the secret your grandfather kept has something to do with me." Li Zhiyun said calmly, "If it hadn't been for your grandfather's help, my family and I would not be alive today."

I shook my head repeatedly. "No, my grandfather did mention you, but he only said that you and Grandma Yin took care of him when they were in Guangxi. He was too sick to get out of bed at that time, and had to be transferred back to BJ. Why?

Maybe I can help you?"

"Your grandpa said we took care of him?"

I nodded vigorously.

Li Zhiyun showed something familiar to me, the expression that old people wear when recalling the past. "But your grandfather's disease was also caused by us."

I never expected this, so I subconsciously blurted out: "Is it related to the Qilian Mountains sixty years ago?"

"Do you know about Qilian Mountain?" Li Zhiyun showed a little surprise for the first time.

I shook my head. "I just heard Uncle Yin Shuo mention it today. You were there back then, right?"

Li Zhiyun nodded. "You are indeed a good kid, both coarse and fine. You don't seem to care much about what is happening around you, but you collect information carefully."

"You are so complimentary. I just overheard it unintentionally."

"Aren't you curious?" Li Zhiyun asked. "You seem like the kind of person who would search for the truth for the sake of a mystery."

Curiosity? I laughed. Curiosity can’t be eaten for food. Regarding the matter between their Li family and that Yin Shuo, I probably won’t be able to enjoy this curiosity.

Li Zhiyun did not hold on to it. He said, "Besides them, the only people who went to Qilian Mountain back then were me and your grandfather."

I frowned. I still haven’t forgotten the sentence I “accidentally” heard in the morning: “One less person knows the truth.”

What is the truth? Who are "them"? It sounds like it has something to do with my grandfather and the Qilian Mountains sixty years ago.

"There are two questions here. Let me answer you first." Li Zhiyun said, "That truth is related to the Yin family."

"Is my grandpa in danger?" I stared at Li Zhiyun. "What do you need me to do in such a big circle to call me here? Please tell me. I will just do it."

"You kid."

My whole body tensed up, but Li Zhiyun smiled.

"Don't worry, your grandfather is not in any danger, and they are not extremely evil people. It's just that the truth is very involved, and you and Li Yuan are also involved."

Li Yuan and I haven't seen each other for more than ten years, and we are not even close to each other professionally. How could we be related to these nonsense?

"All of this started more than sixty years ago."

As Li Zhiyun told it, a story unfolded that was far beyond my scope of knowledge.

The next chapter is about the Yin Jue and Yin Shuo families.

(End of chapter)