After coming out of Zhengde Garden, half of the afternoon had passed and Ethan Gu drove towards the West City Cemetery.
Since Shen Rou passed away more than ten years ago, Ethan Gu would go to the cemetery where his mother was buried to pay homage every one or two months. When he was a child, he did so out of fear and nostalgia. Although he no longer felt fear about the future as an adult, he had developed a habit. He would come over at about the same time, sit for a while, and talk, and he would feel calm from the bottom of his heart.
In three years, this strictly managed private cemetery has not changed much. Ethan Gu walked up the steps and came to the location of the tombstone, but found that someone had arrived there before him.
He was a 20-year-old young man with blond hair, pierced ears, and baggy clothes with a skull printed on them, which did not match the huge bouquet of lilies in his arms. At this moment, he was bowing his head and saying something to the tombstone, and then he bowed several times before placing the lilies in his arms in front of the tombstone.
Ethan Gu approached the tombstone. Private cemeteries would not let anyone in casually. From the first sight he saw the person, he recognized him: Shen Hui, the seventh young master of the Shen family, one of his twelve cousins.
The person who was worshipping also felt someone approaching. He turned his head nonchalantly and saw who it was. His expression immediately turned into surprise: "Cousin? Why are you here? When did you come back from abroad?"
This means that they all met by chance.
Ethan Gu smiled and said, "Come to pay tribute." He stood there with empty hands, which made Shen Hui seem more sincere in comparison.
Shen Hui immediately knew that what he said was wrong: her mother was here, it was natural for her to come here, but why was she here? He immediately laughed and said, "What a coincidence, my parents were supposed to come here today, but they were called away at the last minute, so I came here alone to pay my respects. I didn't expect to run into Brother Shen Zhou. If I had known earlier, my parents would definitely have postponed those things. They haven't seen my cousin for a long time, and so has grandpa. Every time we have a meal together, grandpa always talks about you."
"I have already told my grandfather that I am back, and it will be over in the next two days." Ethan Gu said.
"That's great. Now everyone is ready for dinner." Shen Hui said, his eyes turned to the small photo on the tombstone, "If aunt was here, grandpa would be so happy. Grandpa only has aunt as his daughter. Although aunt's health was not very good, it was not a serious illness. How could she suddenly..." He stopped talking here and found that Ethan Gu looked indifferent. He said, "Cousin, since you are here, I will go back first."
"Give my regards to my uncle and aunt." said Ethan Gu.
"Yes, they will be very happy to know you are back!" Shen Hui bowed to the tombstone again before turning around and leaving.
Ethan Gu waited until Shen Hui disappeared from his sight before he sat down. He placed his hand on the stone tombstone, and the sun-baked stone was hot, gently burning his palm.
"Mom, I'm back."
"Grandpa is fine, and so is grandpa. Grandma looks a little old, Minister Gu... Dad is in good health and career."
"Don't worry about me irritating him. After all, he has a good and well-behaved son."
"I'm fine too. I learned a lot abroad. I won't go out again after I come back this time."
"There are some things I don't understand..." He rubbed the stone with his fingertips. The carefully polished stone was smooth. Except for the edges, there were some edges and corners, and there was no flaw. He stood up and looked at the tombstone:
"I'll find out."
"I will remember that I am a descendant of the Gu family."
Walking out of the cemetery, the setting sun just dyed the asphalt road red. Just as Ethan Gu was about to walk to his car, an off-road vehicle honked at him twice.
Ethan Gu looked in the direction of the voice and asked, "Why are you here?"
"I have an important mission," Jordan Wei said, "According to the instructions of the old leader, I am welcoming Mr. Gu to my home for dinner."
Ethan Gu couldn't help but laugh: "Of course, I should go visit Grandpa Wei."
"Not only my grandfather, but my grandmother misses you too." Jordan Wei said. The two families lived next door to each other and grew up together. Both families treated the other child as their own grandson. "Now that you are back, I estimate that you will be busy for at least one or two months. Just visiting the elders will take more than ten days."
Ethan Gu smiled casually, got into Jordan Wei's car and said, "Take your car and go back. I'll find someone to drive mine back later."
Jordan Wei was a little surprised, but he didn't think much about it. He just thought Ethan Gu was too lazy to drive, so he started the car and said, "I just saw your cousin coming out. He's the seventh child, the one called Shen Hui, right?"
"Um."
"One month in a year, I can call out the names of all your cousins," Jordan Wei said jokingly while turning the steering wheel, "Why don't you just show your attitude? It's not easy for them to go to such great lengths to meet you by chance."
"Grandpa has already made plans." Ethan Gu had never expressed his opinion on such things, and then changed the subject, "I haven't been back for three years, how is Sai Wan going?"
"Want to play with the car?" Jordan Wei thought, "Nothing has changed, except that the ever-victorious general has changed from you to Blake. He is the same as you, both of whom dare to speed up. If you want to play, we can go together later."
Still not interested in racing like before. Ethan Gu rubbed his neck which was a little stiff leaning on the seat, and did not respond to Jordan Wei's question, but asked: "After driving off-road for so long, don't you plan to change to a more comfortable one?"
Jordan Wei, who was driving, immediately raised his eyebrows: "What other car is more comfortable to drive than an off-road vehicle?"
There is no plan to change the car. Ethan Gu tapped the armrest with his fingers. Others may not know, but he knows that Jordan Wei's car has been modified, with thickened steel plates, bulletproof glass, and very good safety measures. Moreover, the safety of off-road vehicles is much higher than that of ordinary vehicles... In addition, Jordan Wei never drives fast unless necessary. What kind of car accident can kill him on the spot?
Even if he had a dream for a month, Ethan Gu could only remember some very impressive events. This was the result of him listening to the advice of some experts in this field and deliberately recalling and recording. In the first few days, he even repeated the process of being awakened repeatedly but remembering nothing. But even if he deliberately remembered some details, or the process that led to the outcome of the event, he still had no impression at all: for example, the He family came to power---Why did the He family come to power? Jordan Wei had a car accident---When and how did Jordan Wei have a car accident?
Or maybe these things never appeared in his dream...
The ringing of the cell phone interrupted Ethan Gu's thoughts. He glanced at the number on the screen and picked up the phone: "Zhengjia?"
"It's Big Brother..." Gu Zhengjia's voice, who took the initiative to call, sounded less natural than Ethan Gu's. He said, "Big Brother, where are you now?"
"I'm heading to Tianrui Garden." Ethan Gu said, "What's the matter?"
"Well, it's like this. Dad has an unexpected dinner party tonight and won't be home for dinner. Mom... Auntie got the news after she had finished cooking the dishes. Now I have to go to the dinner party with Dad. We have a lot of food cooked at home, but... I'm asking you, big brother, if you want to come back and eat with us."
Ethan Gu also said: "I'm going to Mr. Wei's house tonight---"
"Go back," Jordan Wei, who was listening to the phone call, suddenly interrupted, "I'll tell Grandpa, I promise he'll be happier than if you went home for dinner."
The two families had a good relationship. If it was any other old man, Ethan Gu would never do this. Only with Old Man Wei, who had watched him grow up, did Ethan Gu know that he was just like his grandfather. He hoped that he would be well. He was no longer polite and said to the phone, "I'll be there in a minute."
Gu Zhengjia's breathing could be heard through the phone, and his voice sounded a little relieved: "Then I'll wait for you, brother."
Ethan Gu made the decision. Jordan Wei picked up the phone and called home to explain to Grandpa Wei. After a while, his expression became a little strange: "Oh, oh, I know, Grandpa... I understand, I will pay attention... Okay, goodbye, Grandpa."
"What?" Ethan Gu asked.
"You need to call back and ask your brother if he has my meal. The old man instructed me to go with him and report to him how you are getting along."
"You are not qualified to be a spy." Ethan Gu couldn't help but say.
"What spy? He's obviously working undercover for you!" Jordan Wei retorted, "First-hand information, 100% accurate, just laugh."
Ethan Gu really laughed: "No need to call, there will definitely be one for you."
"Um?"
"Didn't you say on the phone just now that you only knew you had to go out after you cooked?" Ethan Gu said.
Jordan Wei thought about it and realized that was right. Even if it was just to create an opportunity for Ethan Gu and Gu Zhengjia to get along, since that was what he said, there were three people in the Gu family, so the meal would have to be prepared for three people, otherwise it would seem fake.
When we got back to Tianrui Garden, it was just time for dinner.
Gu Zhengjia was alone in the living room, randomly pressing the remote control to change channels. When he saw Ethan Gu and Jordan Wei come in, he called out in surprise: "Big brother, Third brother Wei."
Jordan Wei patted Gu Zhengjia's shoulder as he approached: "I don't have any food tonight, come over and have a meal."
Gu Zhengjia was stunned for a moment, but after a few seconds he felt that this was a better idea, and couldn't help but smile: "That's great, it's rare for Brother Wei San to come to our house for dinner!"
Jordan Wei didn't react to this. Ethan Gu remembered that because of his relationship with his family, Jordan Wei seldom came here. Occasionally, when he met Minister Gu outside, he had to take a detour.
Dinner was already prepared and on the table.
There were four dishes and one soup, two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes. The soup was steamed chicken soup with abalone, which tasted very delicious. It was obvious that the dishes were prepared with great care, but not exaggerated. Because Jordan Wei was at the table, the two brothers who didn't have much affection for each other didn't have a dull meal. After the meal, Gu Zhengjia took the initiative to roll up his sleeves to clean the table, while Ethan Gu took Jordan Wei upstairs to his room.
"I haven't been to your house for a long time." Jordan Wei said casually while leaning against the wall waiting for Ethan Gu to open the door.
"Me too." Ethan Gu replied, found the key and unlocked the door. As soon as he opened the door, he saw that the furniture in the bedroom was carefully covered with cloth, and there was a thick layer of dust on the furniture and the floor.
Jordan Wei looked at the half-inch thick dust on the ground: "...It seems that no one has entered your room in the past three years."
Ethan Gu was not surprised at all. He went to open the window to ventilate the room, and then lifted the cloth covering the desk, cabinet and other furniture. He also said to Jordan Wei: "Find a place to sit."
Jordan Wei decided to digest his food while standing.
Ethan Gu didn't care much. He first opened his desk and took out a few boxes, then went to the safe against the wall and pressed the electronic code to unlock it.
Jordan Wei, who had nothing to do, walked to the desk and fiddled with the box that Ethan Gu had just taken out and casually threw on the table: "What is this?"
"You open it." Ethan Gu said without turning his head.
Jordan Wei opened the box as he was told and found a padlock on it. However, the quality of the padlock was obviously poor. It broke when he pulled it lightly before he even put much force on it.
What does this mean? After studying the lock that had obviously become fragile due to human factors, Jordan Wei was a little puzzled. Then he took a look at the opened box and was immediately shocked by the colorful things inside: "You put these things like this, aren't you afraid of being robbed?"
At this time, Ethan Gu also opened the safe. He took out the things inside, pulled out a chair and sat down: "It's not robbed, right? What kind of thief can rob here?"
This statement has a lot of meaning, Jordan Wei pondered.
Ethan Gu had already picked up several other boxes, took a quick look towards the lock, and then opened them directly.
In an instant, boxes of jewelry appeared under the incandescent light, ranging from jade bracelets to gemstone necklaces, from pearl earrings to diamond rings, all of which sparkled with a unique brilliance under the bright light.
Seeing one box made me feel shocked, but after seeing a few boxes, I became numb. Jordan Wei noticed the styles of the jewelry in the box and found that they were all a bit old.
Ethan Gu's voice also rang out: "These are the jewelry my mother used to wear." He explained and closed the lid again, stacked up several boxes, and put them all in the safe and locked it. The few things that were left in the safe were moved to the desk:
A few exercise books, old toys, old photos... and many things that are not very valuable.
Jordan Wei stood against the wall and saw Ethan Gu take out a piece of cloth from the room, wipe the dust off the surface of these things, and then put them in categories: homework books were put in the drawer, toys were placed in the grid of the bookshelf, photos stood on the table...
The lights on the ceiling flickered softly.
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