But happy times are always short-lived. Three months of carefree, leisurely life passed in the blink of an eye. Tomorrow at noon is the last day for Bingdao to close, which means that my clients must leave before then.
Three days prior, Yu Ji had given birth to Xiang Polun, a boy weighing 8 pounds and 7 ounces.
We all agreed to have one last party after dawn. Baozi spoke loudly in front of everyone, as if she was looking forward to this party, but lying in bed, I noticed a trace of sadness on her usually carefree face.
In the middle of the night, I was gently woken up by someone. When I opened my eyes, I saw it was Shi Qian. He made a gesture towards the window and then leaped out.
I threw on a coat and went outside, only to be startled by the sight before me. A dense crowd had gathered in front of our house, including figures like Xiang Yu and Qin Shi Huang. I asked, puzzled, "Weren't we leaving tomorrow?"
Xiang Yu gestured for me to whisper, then said in a low voice, "We're afraid Baozi will be sad, so we'll just say goodbye to you."
I looked at everyone and stammered, "You're all leaving already?"
Li Shishi pointed upstairs and whispered, "She can't see us, so she won't be too sad. We should leave now."
I could only nod, glancing at Jin Shaoyan beside Li Shishi. He was destined not to return. I squeezed his shoulder and threatened, "Kid, treat my cousin well. You're clinging to our neighbor. If you dare to betray her, I won't be able to control you, and Brother Yu and Brother Ying will hunt you down all over the world!"
Jin Shaoyan nodded vigorously: "Don't worry, Brother Qiang!"
Li Shishi couldn't help but throw herself into my arms and cry, before standing to the side, sobbing.
Xiang Yu, mimicking how I pinched Jin Shaoyan, squeezed my shoulders and said, "You also have to treat Baozi well, otherwise I can't control you..."
I chimed in, "The old accountant won't let me off the hook either."
Xiang Yu smiled slightly, then suddenly increased the pressure on his hand: "Xiao Qiang, take care!"
I took Xiang Polun from Yu Ji's hands. The little guy was full of energy, kicking and thrashing about with his little fists and feet. After looking at him for a while, I said to Yu Ji, "We should try to give the child a nicer name sometime."
Xiang Yu: "..."
Qin Shi Huang came up to me and said, "I'll keep your Xiao Mansion for you."
My nose tingled with emotion as I said, "Tell those valet parking bastards at the entrance not to be so greedy."
The fat guy slapped me and said with a grin, "You're just hanging on."
I turned to Ersha and took his hand, saying, "Kezi, if you have a son in the future and you really can't think of a name, just use mine."
Ersha looked up at the sky for a while, then suddenly said with certainty, "No, that will make me think of you all the time."
I chuckled and glanced at Liu Bang through my tear-blurred eyes. Liu Bang mumbled some polite words about taking care of myself and my health, and just as I was wondering what was going on, I suddenly saw him open his mouth at me one last time, but no sound came out. It turned out he was saying, "Take care of Fengfeng."
I kicked him without him even noticing, laughing and cursing, "You son of a bitch, you value women more than friends!"
Then came Mulan. I turned my back and said in a mature tone, "Sis, it's time to settle your personal life too."
Mulan smiled decisively and said gently, "If you can still wash my hair, then you'll have the answer."
Before I could understand what she meant, Wu Sangui rushed up and hugged me, saying a lot of sentimental things, which made Sister Yuanyuan on the side keep crying.
The others also began to say goodbye. Fang Zhenjiang, Ran Dongye, Wang Yinbao, and Jin Laowang all bid farewell to their brothers and friends, and then everyone lined up one by one to say goodbye to me. When it was Song Jiang's turn, before I could say anything, Song Jiang patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Brother 109, as long as I'm here, Liangshan will never surrender to the imperial court."
Li Shimin glanced at the long line in front of me and suddenly laughed, "When did it become our turn to be inspected by Xiao Qiang?"
Everyone laughed for a while, but it couldn't lessen the sadness. Because there were so many people, and we didn't want to wake Baozi, we whispered our goodbyes to each other, some even just exchanging a simple handshake or a hug. Throughout the whole process, I suddenly admired my own resilience. People often say that the most painful thing in life is separation by death, and this time I was facing a separation in name only, but a separation in reality. Once they left today, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we would never see each other again in this lifetime. And probably nothing unforeseen would happen; with that old charlatan Liu Laoliu gone, he took away almost all my hope. I originally thought that having experienced countless separations, I was strong enough, but now I realized that I am still just a mortal after all, and I can't bear to part with them. From the five-person group plus two to the heroes of Liangshan, from the 300 soldiers of Yue Fei's army to the emperors, even Qin Hui, my heart was breaking. I really wanted to cry out loud, but I didn't dare. I suddenly felt that these guys were really despicable—why did they think I wouldn't be sad?
As they entered the path one by one, the area grew increasingly empty, and my heart felt just as empty. I couldn't hold back any longer, so I ran up behind them and whispered, "Gentlemen, may our friendship endure forever, may we meet again in the future..."
Hu Sanniang stepped out from the crowd, put her hands on her hips, and looked at me. I instinctively offered her my head and said, "Twist it."
Hu Sanniang wiped her eyes and said, "I'll let you finish this time."
...
When I tiptoed back to bed, Baozi had already changed position, her back to me. I thought she was still fast asleep, but as soon as I lifted the blanket, I heard Baozi choke out, as if talking in her sleep, "Thank you for their kindness, it's alright this way..."
...
Two months later, our small northern town was also filled with the vibrant colors of summer. They left just after the beginning of spring, and now the trees are all green.
That afternoon, after waking up from his nap, Baozi sat on the edge of the bed, teasing Bu Gai. The little guy lay on the bed with his white belly exposed, occasionally rolling over and crawling a few steps, only to be patiently stopped by Baozi. He's really learned a lot lately. Without turning his head, Baozi said to me, "Polun is about two months old now, right? I wonder who he looks like."
Baozi and I aren't too shy about talking about Xiang Yu and the others anymore. After all, some things can't be forgotten just by avoiding them. I said lazily, "That kid has excellent genes. She'll be beautiful no matter who she looks like. It's probably dangerous for her. It's a pity we can't get married to Zhang Liang. Luckily, I have a backup plan. Erpang's daughter is also quite nice."
Baozi spat at me.
Just then, the doorbell rang. I went downstairs and saw Yan Jingsheng. He's handling everything at Yucai now; he should be incredibly busy. It's strange that he's outside my door at this hour. I opened the door and let him in, walking towards the living room: "So you have time?"
Yan Jingsheng grabbed me and said nervously, "Xiao Qiang!"
I turned to look at him: "What happened?"
Yan Jingsheng shook a piece of paper in his hand and said, "I received a letter today."
"Oh, it's another invitational tournament, right? You can arrange it."
Yan Jingsheng was still very emotional, but he couldn't find the right words to express himself. He held me tightly and said in a trembling voice, "The letter was written last December."
"So what?" I found Yan Jingsheng's rambling a bit amusing.
"To put it simply, this letter was left to us by Liu Laoliu, but he specifically instructed that it be delivered today!"
I was slightly startled: "That old charlatan has always been so mysterious..." I said, already snatching the letter and opening it. On it, written in heartbreakingly messy handwriting, was the message: "My dear Xiaoqiang, by the time you read this letter, the weather should be warm enough, right? Have you missed me even a little bit during these boring, uneventful days?" I laughed and scolded, "That old geezer is so glib." I continued reading:
"It's okay if you don't miss me, but you must miss your clients, right? I know that apart from having a problem with me, you are usually a sentimental person."
I couldn't help but mutter, "What's this old swindler up to?"