In the seventeenth year of Xinglong, during Huai Xu.

The harsh summer had arrived, and the cicadas chirped in the forests, sounding as if they were right nearby, yet nowhere to be found.

The wonder of nature perhaps lay here—what you saw and heard was nature itself, seen with your own eyes, heard with your own ears, yet nowhere to be traced.

A summer breeze stirred and oddly blew up some grains of sand, with no idea where they came from; in the blink of an eye, the sand grains piled up and transformed into a blue robe, revealing a face.

Chen Changsheng opened his eyes and looked at the world again, which seemed unchanged.

He stretched his arms and yawned repeatedly.

After swaying a bit, the Green-Robed Gentleman smacked his lips as if thirsty, then hurried off toward the distant city without a pause.

After much wandering in the Great Dream, when Chen Changsheng arrived at Qingshan City again, he realized it had changed a lot.

The Righteous Army guarding the city gate was gone, and that tense atmosphere had vanished in the river of time.

He had long been used to places remaining the same but people changing.

With no mind to care about what had happened in Qingshan City, Chen Changsheng strode toward the wine shop from his memory.

Li Lao’er at the wine shop had grown a beard, looking much fiercer, and his bulging flesh didn’t seem like that of a wine shop owner—more like a butcher.

“Pour some wine.”

“Coming!”

Li Lao’er ran over at the sound.

As he walked, he said, “How much wine? Did you bring a flask?”

“Two taels. I forgot the flask.”

Li Lao’er looked up and suddenly froze.

“Hey, you…”

Li Lao’er snapped out of it, then stammered, “Aren’t you, aren’t you…”

“Mr. Chen, it’s you!”

Li Lao’er finally recalled how to address the person before him.

Chen Changsheng smiled and said, “I didn’t expect that after so long, Li Erge still remembers me.”

“I remember, I remember!”

Li Lao’er said, “I remember Mr. Chen’s story ‘Nie Xiaoqian,’ yes, ‘Nie Xiaoqian’!”

Chen Changsheng said, “Back then, Li Erge seemed not to have heard it.”

“I didn’t hear it from Mr. Chen then, but later I heard Master Cao tell it. Only after hearing it did I know why everyone found it so magical.”

Li Lao’er chatted merrily with the gentleman, even forgetting about pouring the wine.

The two talked for a long time.

Where he had been, where he came back from, whether he still told stories, and if he still lived in Chuanfeng Alley…

When old friends met, they always chatted about many unimportant things, not because they were naturally talkative, but just suddenly wanting to talk more.

Often, things from the alley were where the warmest human feelings lay.

“Oh!”

Li Lao’er slapped his head and said, “Look at my memory—I forgot to pour wine for the gentleman. This round of wine is on me, Mr. Chen must not reach for silver.”

Chen Changsheng thought for a moment, then smiled and said, “In that case, I really won’t take out my purse.”

Whether to pay or not seemed to have its meaning.

But in Chen Changsheng’s view, it seemed there was no need to pay anymore.

“That’s more like it!”

Li Lao’er laughed, finally giving a flask of wine to the gentleman he had known for so long.

After saying goodbye to Li Lao’er, Chen Changsheng carried the wine and headed toward Chuanfeng Lane.

The medicine shop outside the alley was still open.

But at this hour, he didn’t see the doctor who usually squatted at the door eating noodles.

Chen Changsheng planned to visit later and first entered the alley.

“Elder Sister, hurry!”

Just as he turned the corner, he suddenly got bumped into firmly.

“Ouch.”

The child before him almost fell to the ground, but luckily Chen Changsheng acted quickly and caught the child.

“Ping’an!”

Ruyi cried out in surprise, rushed forward, knelt down to check Ping’an, and said anxiously, “Did you get hurt? Does it hurt?”

Ping’an shook his head and said, “I didn’t fall. It doesn’t hurt.”

Only then did Ruyi sigh in relief.

But then came a voice from above.

“You’ve grown so tall.”

Ruyi paused; she then realized Ping’an had bumped into someone and quickly said, “I’m sorry, Ping’an he…”

But when she saw the blue robe, she froze in shock.

“Uncle Chen!”

She recognized him at a glance.

Probably because Uncle Chen always wore that blue robe, never changed, even his face looked exactly like when he left back then.

Ping’an paused and looked up.

“Ah!”

Ping’an gasped in surprise, then immediately ran off.

As he ran, he shouted.

“Mother! Mother!”

“Mother!”

“Uncle Chen is back! Uncle Chen is back!”

The six-year-old Ping’an stumbled as he ran, charging all the way into his home.

Ruyi watched Ping’an run off and couldn’t help but chuckle.

Chen Changsheng smiled and muttered to himself, “The Ping’an in my memory never seemed so flustered…”

Ruyi snapped back and said, “Mother says Ping’an gets lively when he grows up.” 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

“What about Ruyi?” Chen Changsheng asked.

Ruyi looked at Uncle Chen before her and grinned, “Maybe…”

“Grew a bit taller?”

After hearing that, Chen Changsheng couldn’t help but laugh; he then scooped up Ruyi with one hand and held her on his arm.

“Come on, let’s see what your mother is busy with.”

Ruyi gasped in surprise, then laughed along with the gentleman.

She didn’t know why she was laughing, but she felt happy.

After stepping inside,

Chen Changsheng saw Wang Sanniang wearing plain clothes.

Now Qingshan City was peaceful, so Wang Sanniang no longer disguised herself as ugly; but after all these years of hard work, she was full of weariness, with wrinkles around her eyes and calloused hands.

“Brother Chen! It’s really Brother Chen!”

Wang Sanniang was naturally happy to see Chen Changsheng return.

“How have you been lately, Sanniang?” Chen Changsheng asked.

“Fine, all fine. Life is peaceful now,” Wang Sanniang responded with a smile.

After sitting down, there was endless talking.

Just like with Li Lao’er at the wine shop, it was all about everyday matters.

Ping’an and Ruyi sat nearby listening, chiming in now and then; both were overjoyed at Uncle Chen’s return.

For this, Wang Sanniang went to the market to buy some pork, mixed the dough, and started making dumplings.

When Chen Changsheng saw the meat filling, he understood.

It seemed life really was peaceful now.

Back then, the dumplings had only vegetable filling.

Wang Sanniang wrapped the dumplings, and Ruyi and Ping’an came to help.

Chen Changsheng wanted to wrap a couple himself.

But Wang Sanniang pushed him away, saying, “The teacher at the academy said, a gentleman stays away from the kitchen.”

Chen Changsheng shook his head and said, “I am no gentleman; the academy teacher can’t boss me around.”

Saying this, he went to work.

Wang Sanniang tried but couldn’t persuade him and had to smile helplessly.

Ruyi wrapped the dumplings very seriously, getting flour on her face; she swiped here and there, looking like a little kitty.

“Why aren’t mine as pretty as Mother’s?”

“Uncle Chen’s seem even prettier than Mother’s.”

Ping’an nodded in agreement and said, “Uncle Chen is amazing.”

Chen Changsheng asked, “Really?”

Ruyi answered firmly, “Yes.”

“Then are Ruyi’s not pretty?”

“Hmm, not pretty.”

“But I think they are pretty.”

“Uncle Chen…”

“Yes?”

“Ruyi is eight years old now, no longer a child. Uncle Chen can’t fool Ruyi with those old tricks anymore.”

After hearing that, Chen Changsheng laughed and said, “Is eight years old no longer a child?”

Ruyi snorted lightly and said, “Anyway, no longer.”

She was grown up.