Chapter 47: Private Matters

Li Yancheng clearly remembered that after classes resumed this time, there was an unprecedented graduation of six cohorts of students at once. Because the number of people was simply too large, the city was completely incapable of arranging jobs for so many.

In the end, the vast majority of them were sent down to the countryside to join agricultural production teams.

The current situation remained unclear, and seizing this opportunity to act early to secure a job for his child—whether it was as a temporary worker or an apprentice—was the right move as long as they could get a position.

Old Zhao narrowed his eyes, just about to ask Li Yancheng how he could be so sure that these kids would definitely be sent down to the countryside, when he suddenly thought of the plaque hanging by the door of this very room, and a thought stirred in his heart.

"I understand, Dacheng, thank you."

"You just said we shouldn't be so formal with each other."

"Haha, good, you go get some rest."

Old Zhao left, and Li Yancheng walked out of the room as well.

The courtyard was deserted now, except for the occasional sounds of tidying up coming from the southernmost room of the east wing, making it exceptionally quiet.

The boisterous shouts of Old Zhao's third son playing with his friends in the outer courtyard kept drifting over.

Standing at the doorway, Li Yancheng sighed. The atmosphere of the inner courtyard could never return to what it used to be; he only hoped that the newly moved-in widow wouldn't be too much of a troublemaker.

With this thought, he turned his head to glance at the plaque hanging on the pillar by his doorway. Over the past few years, this plaque had proven remarkably useful, capable of warding off quite a few malevolent spirits and monsters.

At this moment, he eagerly longed for these years to pass quickly.

Just as he turned around, preparing to step back into the room, the corner of his eye caught two figures suddenly walking through the moon gate.

Turning to look, he was slightly startled when he recognized who had entered, and asked in utter surprise, "Luo Yang? Why are you here right now?"

The person who walked in was none other than Luo Yang, who had been receiving treatment from him these past few days, and accompanying him was a young man of similar age wearing a military uniform.

The morning treatment had already been done, and it was still a long way off until the next session of acupuncture. Seeing him come over at this hour, Li Yancheng was genuinely surprised.

Although their relationship was somewhat better than that of a regular doctor and patient, it certainly wasn't close enough for casual drop-ins at each other's homes.

"Came over to talk to you about something. I was worried you'd be sleeping after your night shift, but it's great that you're awake."

As he spoke, Luo Yang walked closer, raising a hand to point at the young man beside him by way of introduction: "This is Su Xiaotong, a friend of mine."

As soon as the man named Su Xiaotong entered the inner courtyard, his gaze locked onto Li Yancheng. Hearing Luo Yang's introduction, he nodded with a smile and extended his right hand from afar.

Seeing this, Li Yancheng had no choice but to step down from the threshold of the doorway and take a couple of steps forward to shake the hand that was already held out.

"Hello, I am Li Yancheng."

"Hello, I am Su Xiaotong. Very glad to meet you."

Li Yancheng genuinely wanted to ask just what there was to be so glad about, but he managed to swallow the words back down. After releasing Su Xiaotong's hand, he gestured toward his own house.

"Welcome, the two of you, please come in."

"Yancheng, don't bother pouring water."

Just as they sat down inside the room, Luo Yang saw Li Yancheng reaching for the kettle to pour water and stepped forward to stop him.

"What's this? Is the water in my house unpalatable?"

"You guessed right, the water in your house is unpalatable, so I won't drink it. I'll bring you some tea leaves tonight, and you can brew tea for me next time."

"Heh heh, alright then, I'll be holding you to those tea leaves." Hearing that Luo Yang would bring some tea leaves over tonight, Li Yancheng's eyes practically began to glow.

Tea leaves were precious goods nowadays; even the lowest-grade tea dust couldn't be bought with money alone.

The crucial point was that buying such items required rationing coupons, and he couldn't get his hands on any coupons. Ever since his soul transmigrated here over a month ago, it had effectively cured his craving for tea.

"Here, have a cigarette, don't mind the crude quality."

Since there was no need to pour water, cigarettes still had to be offered. Although Li Yancheng wasn't exceptionally stingy, during this era, he remained quite cautious in his daily life. Aside from indulging his palate with a slightly more meticulous diet during meals, he never bought filtered cigarettes, smoking only these ordinary Daqianmen brand ones instead.

Luo Yang and Su Xiaotong didn't mind at all, taking the cigarettes he offered and lighting them.

"What is it, Luo Yang? Is there something you came here for?"

"I came here today mainly for two matters, both of which are news brought by this friend of mine, and both concern your private affairs." Luo Yang held up his hand and made a V-sign.

Hearing that it concerned private affairs, and that they were brought by this person named Su Xiaotong, Li Yancheng turned his head to glance at the latter.

Seeing Li Yancheng looking over, Su Xiaotong smiled at the corners of his mouth, nodded, and spoke directly: "My line of work is rather specialized. I just went to Hong Kong a few days ago and returned only last night. While I was there... I happened to see your ex-wife's family.

"I know Luo Yang has been receiving treatment from you, and he has also mentioned to me that you're quite an interesting person. I went to look him up this morning and mentioned this to him, and he said it would be best to let you know, since she was your ex-wife after all.

"They always say a hundred days of grace between husband and wife, though personally, I doubt you'll have any such grace left for her, considering she harmed you quite deeply."

??!

The Chen family? Chen Yunwei?

Hearing that the two of them had come to talk about her family, Li Yancheng frowned. To be honest, he had zero interest in that family's affairs now; whether they were living well or poorly had nothing to do with him.

"Luo Yang, um... I think I'll just call you by your name. Su Xiaotong, first of all, thank you both, but there's really no need to tell me anything about her family. Whatever state their household is in now has no bearing on me whatsoever."

Su Xiaotong turned his head to look at Luo Yang beside him: "See? I told you he wouldn't be interested in knowing, and you wouldn't believe me."

Luo Yang smiled and shook his head: "Yancheng, I thought you'd want to hear about their family falling on hard times."

"No, I don't want to hear it." Li Yancheng shook his head quite decisively without even a second thought.

"I stand by what I said: whether good or bad, it has nothing to do with me. Still, I am deeply grateful to both of you. Truly, thank you for making a trip over just for this trivial nonsense."

"Haha, don't mention it, don't mention it."

"Luo Yang, what's the second matter?"

"Uh... the second matter is actually still related to your ex-wife's family. It's an extension of the first matter, or rather, the two matters could just as easily be considered one."

???

At this moment, Li Yancheng had dark lines of frustration all over his forehead. It turns out you came to my door today entirely because of her family! He rolled his eyes in helpless exasperation.

"Then that's convenient, you don't even have to say it, I have no interest in listening."

"Hahahaha... Luo Yang, look at the way he rolled his eyes, doesn't it look just like my sister?"

"Heh heh, he probably learned that from a little girl about your sister's age."

Before Luo Yang's teasing words could fade away, the clamoring voice of little Nining drifted in from the courtyard.

"Big Brother Dacheng... Big Brother Dacheng... Uh... Ah, there are guests? Sorry, sorry."

The voice came closer from afar, the curtain was lifted, and Jin Wenning, flushed with excitement, ran in wanting to say something, only to see two men sitting in the room—one she recognized because he had been coming every day to receive acupuncture from Big Brother Dacheng, while the other she had never seen before.

She stuck out her tongue in slight embarrassment and hurriedly muttered an apology.