I said, "How could that be..." But I immediately thought that Deng Yuanjue might not be called by that name here, so I quickly said, "Then maybe I remembered wrong. The person we are looking for is about 1.9 meters tall, strong, and has very short hair. Can you help me think of who it is?"
The old man said impatiently, "Go look somewhere else." He then tried to go inside.
Li Shishi hurriedly went up to him and said, "Grandpa, the man we were talking about saved my life. I came here today specifically to thank him. Please do me this favor."
The old man, holding a glass of water, scrutinized Li Shishi and asked, "Is it true?"
Li Shishi embellished her story, recounting her experience that day. By the end, tears were glistening on her eyelashes, yet she wouldn't let them fall, effectively deceiving the audience.
The old man, hands on his hips, said, "If that's the case, I'll tell you about it. You're probably looking for Bao Jin. Jin is a loyal and righteous man, but he has a terrible temper. He gets into fights as soon as he goes out on the street, and many people have come to his workplace because of that."
I asked, "Where is Brother Bao?"
The old man sighed, "Alas, I don't know why, I suddenly resigned a month ago."
"Oh, did he say anything?"
"He didn't say anything, just rolled up his bedding and brought it to the door for me. He knew I had rheumatism and that winter was tough for me. Ah, Jinzi is such a good person."
I quickly asked, "Does he have a wife and children?"
"No, I'm a bachelor living alone. My parents passed away a long time ago, and I only have one brother who doesn't live in the area."
I was sweating profusely: "So that means we can't get in touch with them?"
"Yes, there's no other way."
A little over a month ago, on the day the heroes arrived, Bao Jin resigned. That's strange.
I decided to learn more and asked, "Is Brother Bao from out of town?"
"No, they grew up right in front of me since they were little."
"How good is his kung fu? Is it so that dozens of people can't get close to him?"
The old man chuckled: "He has no real skill. He may have some strength, but he often gets beaten up by three or five people and ends up with a black eye and a swollen face."
The more I listened, the more confused I became. He grew up locally, had never practiced kung fu, and apart from his mysterious disappearance a month ago, this person didn't resemble Deng Yuanjue at all.
I said, "Sir, do you have a picture of my brother Bao? Maybe we're not talking about the same person."
The old man waved his hand and said, "What are you looking at in the photo? He has a big head that's round like a ball. Besides, there's no one in our entire factory who's over 1.8 meters tall except for him."
Li Shishi tugged at me secretly and whispered, "It's him!"
I said to the old man, "One last question for you, does he believe in Buddhism?"
The old man got angry when he heard this: "What does he believe in! I used to have several clay Buddha statues in my little house, but this kid stole them all and used them as chalk to scribble all over the place."
"……thank you."
On the way back, feeling lost, I asked Li Shishi, "Do you believe in reincarnation?"
"I didn't believe it before, but it's hard to say now."
"What's the meaning?"
Li Shishi laughed and said, "Since we can travel to the present a thousand years in the future, what is impossible?"
I nodded: "That's true. But Bao Jin doesn't look like Deng Yuanjue at all."
Li Shishi said, "You've driven yourself to your death. Who told you that the person I met was definitely Deng Yuanjue?"
I said, "No matter who it is, Bao Jin has suddenly become quite a fighter. The old man said that before, he could only barely beat me, and that was only if I didn't use a brick."
"Could it be the legendary enlightenment? Or is it because seeing an old friend suddenly brought back memories of the past?"
"That's even more wrong. There are ready-made examples right here, how come Zhang Bing didn't think of anything?"
"...maybe I'll remember it sometime."
I said, "I can't remember who I was in my past life." I touched my chin and glanced at myself in the rearview mirror. "I guess I was either Pan An, Song Yu, or Zhao Zilong. I couldn't be any different."
Li Shishi laughed and said, "Cousin, which of the three do you think used a brick?"
I retorted, "What's wrong with a brick? Oh, by the way, can you help me think of anyone in history who used a brick?"
Li Shishi said, "Where?"
I thought for a moment and said, "Isn't that what Lin Xiangru was like? He held up a brick and threatened the fat man's ancestors: 'Hey, if you don't give me back this place, I'll show you what kind of filling you have!'"
Li Shishi was speechless: "That's the He Family Jade!"
"Exactly, why bother? It's just a brick."
Li Shishi: "..."
I glanced at my watch; it was almost 6 o'clock. I said, "Let's find somewhere to eat out. Let's invite your sister-in-law and the others too, as a way to calm you and Bangzi down." Before she could reply, Xiang Yu called and immediately said, "Let's eat out today. Let's invite everyone."
"Great minds think alike."
"Is Shishi with you? Bring her along and I won't notify you again. Come to Hongqing Restaurant now, Zhang Bing is treating."
After hanging up the phone, I muttered to myself, "What kind of guests did Zhang Bing invite? Have you seen her recently?"
Li Shishi said, "No, I feel really sorry for her, and I don't know how to get along with her anymore."
When we arrived, I gave Zhang Bing's name, and the waiter led us to a large private room on the third floor. Zhang Bing stood at the door, while Xiang Yu sat with his back to us in the chair closest to the door. As soon as Zhang Bing saw Li Shishi, she rushed over and gave her a warm hug, saying, "Thank you for coming." She released the bewildered Li Shishi and faced me. I said expectantly, "Will I get the same treatment?"