Side Story 3: Old Stories

"And then what happened? Didn't anyone put out such a huge fire?" Lu Qingfeng couldn't believe that no one went to put out such a fire. If his little girl hadn't been quick-witted, would she have burned to death inside?

“My brother knows I have a place to hide things. Actually, you can put people in that place too. That's where I put Mom and then packed some valuables and ran away. Luckily, I was quick-witted and took out the leather suitcase that Mom hid under the cupboard, otherwise neither of us would have been able to register our household registration.”

“My mother and I originally planned to take the train south to Shenzhen to find my grandfather, but at that time it was impossible to buy train tickets. We waited for many days but still couldn’t get them. Later, we ran into the First Madam and were almost recognized by Steward Hu.”

"In the eyes of the First Madam, we all have to die, so my daughter and I can't appear in their sight. After that, there's no point in worrying about the danger. We can only find a carriage to take us to Yuncheng, and then we'll drive south from Yuncheng ourselves."

“When I met my dad, we were traveling at night when we suddenly heard gunshots. We were afraid of danger, so we didn’t dare to go any further. Later, the gunshots stopped. I’m a very curious person, so I thought I’d go and see where the gunshots came from, so we went there.”

“We met my injured dad there. Actually, we didn’t know if he was a good guy or a bad guy, but he was the only one alive at the scene. Either way, it was a life, so we saved him. You can ask me if we tied him up in the car at that time.”

“My daughter and I were afraid of encountering refugees, so we would drive at night and rest during the day. After dropping my father off at the designated location, we would continue on our way. My grandfather bought a house and shop in Shenzhen years ago, hoping that we could leave the Qu family and reunite with him.”

"I encountered my father again and again. The third time I encountered him was when I went beachcombing with my friends. Actually, I didn't know that person was my father that day. It was just as the tide was going out, and I saw something on the rocks. Curiosity led me to go and see, and that's when I saw my father in disguise. But my father is actually quite easy to recognize whether he is disguised or not. He has a mole on his palm. If you don't look at his face, you can recognize him at a glance just by looking at his hand."

“I secretly hid my dad in my treasured storage compartment and brought him back to the city, but he was so badly injured that time that he had to be taken to the hospital, which led to what happened next.”

"Dad, did you know back then that I had put something in the water I gave you?" He Caiwei had always wanted to ask this question. Her father had been in the army for so many years, so he should have been alert enough, but she had never asked.

“I know, I haven’t lost my sense of taste. The water you gave me tastes different from the water Qingfeng gave me. Especially at that time, when I was injured, I could clearly feel the changes in my body after drinking the water you gave me.”

"I didn't ask because I trusted you wouldn't hurt me. After you became my daughter, I felt even less need to ask. Mutual trust between family members is the most basic way to get along." Lu Zhiheng knew that his eldest daughter had a secret. At first, he felt that she wouldn't hurt him. Everyone has secrets they don't want others to know, so he didn't ask.

He felt that his daughter had great luck, after all, whether she went out with that brat Lu Qingzhu or went out alone, she always encountered good things that others couldn't.

For example, the time they discovered the bomb, Lu Qingzhu, that brat, went there so many times but couldn't find anything. But he took the little girl there the first time and found those things. The next time they went, they found other things. With that, it's impossible to ignore her luck.

“The time I was thrown into the sea, I could feel my life force draining away rapidly. Especially after being thrown in, I was powerless to resist the force of the waves. Just when I was in despair, the tide went out, and I was stranded on that big rock. At that time, I felt that I didn’t even have a 1 in 1000 chance of surviving. Really, when I woke up and found myself in the hospital, do you know how I felt at that time? I was so grateful to God for letting me meet you and your daughter.” Lu Zhiheng can still recall the helplessness he felt at that time.

He Caiwei took out a silver needle from her space and pricked her mother's thumb. He Yuping slowly woke up, her tears still wet on her face. She hugged her daughter and sobbed.

She was truly terrified. The burning pain of the flames, combined with the grief of losing her daughter, drove her to the brink of madness.

"Mom, I'm fine. Did you have a nightmare? Look, I'm perfectly fine. Don't cry, okay? Look how worried Dad is..." He Caiwei reached out and patted her mother's back, wiping away her tears with her own shoulder, and of course, she didn't forget her father standing next to her.

They're all in their eighties or nineties, yet they're still so clingy. They're feeding their dad dog food every day, so he had no choice but to move out and live on his own, so his dad wouldn't find them an eyesore.

"You brat, I'm heartbroken for you, and you're still teasing me. I'll beat you up..." He Yuping pinched her daughter's cheek when she heard her daughter's teasing.

"Mom, what did you dream about? Why are you crying..."

"I dreamt about the fire back then, but my dream wasn't the same as reality. In my dream, my mother and I both died in that house. You know, when I touched you and found you weren't breathing, I almost completely broke down."

"It's been 60 years, a full 60 years, and I've never dreamed of that scene before. But today, I don't know why, I suddenly dreamed of that fire for just a short while." He Yuping felt that this was an omen, perhaps indicating that her time was coming to an end, otherwise she wouldn't have dreamed of something that happened 60 years ago.

She suddenly fell into deep thought, which worried those around her.

Especially Lu Zhiheng, for some reason, felt that the dream was foreshadowing something, and he held his wife's hand with some worry.

He Caiwei reached out to take his mother's pulse. She was in good health, with no abnormalities, but seeing his parents' serious expressions, he decided to stay by their side from today onwards.

My parents are getting old, and although they are in relatively good health, what should I do if anyone around them has an emergency?

Although we're not far apart, I still feel a little worried because he's not by my side.