The springs were sucked dry.
Shen Shi'an's first reaction was to look for Shen Xun, after much deliberation, this matter was definitely related to that great change. But the child didn't know what to ask, the big dark green eyes were clear and clear, and he looked completely ignorant and innocent.
Too. Even he couldn't explain it, how could a puppy who had just grown up for a few days know the answer.
Shen Shi'an was a little worried, but at this point, he could only accept the reality. Every once in a while, I enter the space to observe, and record the water volume of Lingquan Pool and the condition of the spring in detail, not daring to let go of any clues.
Fortunately, apart from the dryness of the spring, there is no abnormality in other things in the space for the time being. Items from the outside world can still be brought in. The newly planted tomato trees bear fruit normally, and the cherry stones buried in the soil have grown to half a meter Tall saplings.
At the same time, without Shen Shi'an's permission and leadership, Shen Xun still couldn't get half a step closer to Lingquan, and was firmly blocked by the golden barrier five meters away——
At this time, Shen Shi'an finally understood the function and significance of the shield.
In the blink of an eye, it is February 4th, the Lunar New Year's Eve.
Shen Shi'an opened his eyes at six o'clock sharp as usual. Shen Xun was going to sleep in bed, butt up and rolled himself into a ball under the quilt. Xiangxiang walked into the kitchen, her feathers fluttered like a bird's nest, and she hugged Shen Shi'an's calf sleepily: "...meat..."
Shen Shi'an tasted the chicken soup, adjusted it to a simmer and continued to cook. "Speak well, and complete a sentence." Probably because he is not familiar with human language, he found that children are cutting corners more and more when they speak, and they are determined not to use two if they can use one word. This is not a good habit, even if he can understand it, sooner or later he will find his flaws when interacting with the outside world, so he is committed to correcting it as soon as possible.
Shen Xun hadn't fully woken up yet, yawning and rubbing his face on his pants, the coral fleece home clothes were soft and comfortable, full of the owner's fresh and pleasant smell. After holding back for a while, I said it again: "...meat...I want to eat..."
Shen Shi'an dried his hands, picked him up and carried him to the bathroom: "First brush your teeth and wash your face, wash carefully, the toothpaste foam will not be swallowed when you spit it out."
"…sweet…"
"...you can't swallow the sweetness."
Staring at him standing on the children's stool after washing, he peeled two eggs for the child and poured a glass of milk: "The meat is not ready yet, wait a little longer, and you can eat it after posting the couplets."
Shen Shi'an posted it, and Shen Xun helped pass the transparent glue, and by the way, looked up to monitor whether the couplet was crooked. In the end, there was a little golden pig left. Shen Shi'an thought about it, and stuck it on his back while the child was not paying attention, and then calmly invited Wan Feng, who was opposite, to come over for dinner.
Now only Wan Feng is the only two bodyguards left. Fan Guoping's wife and daughter are both in City B. It's not easy for the other party to be separated from his family on New Year's Eve. Mr. Xiang asked for a three-day leave for him. Before the call, he thought it would take some talking, but Mr. Gu was surprisingly easy to talk, so he agreed after a moment of consideration. Of course Fan Guoping was overjoyed, and had already set off home last night.
According to Shen Shi'an's plan, he originally wanted to ask for leave for Wan Feng. Firstly, nothing abnormal happened around since the car accident, and secondly, there was space to rely on. Now it is not easy to kill him. But Wan Feng refused, saying that he was the only one left in the family, and it would be the same wherever the New Year was.
This point is already regarded as brunch. According to the Shen family's practice, noodles are served in broth. The soup base is a big bone broth that has been simmered for a few hours in advance. It is as milky in color and has a rich aroma, bubbling in the casserole. Put the boiled noodles in cold water into a large open bowl, sprinkle with chopped green onions, scald two green vegetables, spread a few slices of ham and a poached egg with a golden yellow heart, and then pour a spoonful of milky white large Bone broth, and a spoonful of chicken broth dripping with golden fat. The green onion is green, the ham is pink, the poached egg is charred on the outside and tender on the inside, the hot vegetables are refreshing and refreshing, and the steaming heat mixed with the aroma of bone marrow, chicken, and chopped green onion blows towards the face. After a meal, everyone is sweating.
Wan Feng offered to wash the dishes, Shen Xun sat on the stool and ate chicken legs, and Shen Shi'an started preparing the highlight of the night - dumplings.
Wan Feng talked less, which was different from Shen Shi'an's coldness and alienation towards most people. He either had no sense of presence, or his sense of presence was so strong that he could scare a child into tears. He washed all the dishes and chopsticks with a cautious attitude towards fine-end weapons, turned around and saw Shen Shi'an's skillful kneading movements, and was a little surprised: "Here in City H, it seems that there are more New Year's Eve dinners." Eating dumplings on New Year's Eve It's a custom in the north.
Shen Shi'an kept moving his hands, beat and kneaded the dough back and forth, and replied: "My grandma and grandpa were originally from the north. They went to study in the south in the 1980s. After graduation, they settled in City H and lived here for decades. , some northerners still have the habit of eating dumplings every New Year’s Eve.”
Wan Feng understood, it turned out to be the case. After watching for a while, he said, "Mr. Shen is very skilled."
Shen Shi'an smiled and said nothing. He still learned the skill of making dumplings from his mother, and his mother learned from his grandfather. After his mother passed away, he followed his grandfather to practice cooking. After several years of learning, the dumplings he made finally resembled those made by his mother.
The dough is thoroughly kneaded and rolled into dumplings, and then rolled into dumpling wrappers the size of palms. There are three kinds of fillings prepared, pork shepherd's purse and corn filling, leek egg and shrimp filling, and shrimp and fish minced pork filling.
The stuffing was finely chopped, and the juice splashed everywhere. Although it was still half-cooked, the aroma was already very attractive. Shen Xun followed Shen Shi'an's example and took a dumpling wrapper. , blasted out of the kitchen with a cold face and was not allowed to take a step closer.
Mr. Gu arrived at around seven o'clock in the evening.
Traveling around with a cold air all over his body, he apologized to Shen Shi'an first after entering the door: "I didn't expect it to be so late, I was delayed by something, did you wait for a long time?"
After Wan Feng greeted his employer, he said goodbye and went back to the house opposite. Shen Shi'an stood upright at the entrance with a calm expression, "No, I just finished making dumplings." Then he brought him a pair of disposable slippers for guests.
Mr. Gu took off his coat, and as soon as he lowered his head, he saw the child beside Shen Shi'an's lap. Although he had known about his existence from the bodyguard for a long time, he was a little surprised at first sight: "... this is?"
Shen Shi'an said: "My son."
Mr. Gu's handsome and elegant face seemed to twist for a moment, and he opened his mouth as if to say something. Shen Shi'an had already turned around and walked back with the child in his hand. He stood there for a moment, suppressing his doubts for the time being, and sat on the sofa to change into his slippers.
He is no stranger to Grandpa Shen's house. He came here once many years ago when he was preparing to propose to Qingran. Grandpa Shen and Grandpa Shen each visited once after his death. Shen Shi'an lived alone in the past two years, and the number of visits has increased a lot. .
The decoration didn't change from what he remembered, it was the cleanliness and generosity inherited from the Shen family. It's just that there is a mushroom-shaped doghouse next to the foggy blue fabric sofa, which looks a bit out of tune with the overall style.
His eyes flicked past the kennel, and then turned straight to the direction of the storage room. There were faint waves in his eyes, and he said to Shen Shi'an, "I'll go and put incense on your mother first."
The storage room is clean and elegant. In front of Shen Qingran's photo are the offerings that were changed in the morning. The scent of sandalwood mixed with fruit and flowers is peaceful and soft, which makes one's mind clear.
Mr. Gu looked at the photo, his eyes were red, and he smiled and shouted: "Qingran, I'm here to see you."
Shen Shi'an didn't follow in, and took Shen Xun to sit on the sofa for about half an hour, until he heard the child's stomach gurgling, walked over and knocked on the door: "Mr. Gu, it's time to eat."
The dumplings are boiled very quickly, and the pot is boiled, and the fat dumplings like ingots will turn white in a short while. Shen Shi'an first gave Wan Feng two basins, and filled up the rest and put them on the table. After setting out the dishes, cups and chopsticks, soy sauce and vinegar, he opened another bottle of red wine. The main seat was vacant, Mr. Gu sat on one side, Shen Shi'an and Shen Xun sat on the other side.
Fireworks and firecrackers are prohibited in the urban area, but sporadic explosions and the cheerful laughter of children can still be heard. The Spring Festival Gala began to play on the TV in the living room, the sound was not too loud, and with the lights in the room and the steaming dumplings, it also showed a bit of the flavor of the year.
Mr. Gu raised his wine glass, no abnormalities could be seen around his eyes, and he smiled gently and politely: "An'an has worked hard, I wish you success in your studies and everything goes well in the new year, and live up to your youthful years."
Shen Shi'an also raised his wine glass, stretched it over and touched it lightly: "I also wish Mr. Gu the best of luck and success."
Shen Xunren's small arms are short, and he can't touch them even sitting on a specially raised chair, so he can only pull Shen Shi'an's hand down to clink glasses with him. Take a sip.
"This is wine, children can't drink it." Shen Shi'an withdrew his hand and rubbed his hairy head twice: "Drink your tomato juice obediently."
Mr. Gu observed his expression, turned his eyes back and forth between him and the child twice, thought for a while, and asked: "An'an, is this really your child?"
Shen Shi'an put a few dumplings stuffed with shrimp and fish paste into Shen Xun's bowl, and nodded: "His surname is Shen, his name is Shen Xun, he is three years old, his mother doesn't want him, so I will raise him from now on." He didn't It is expected that Gu Zchen will believe this set of rhetoric, but whether the other party believes it or not, it does not make much difference to him. I raised my head and looked at Mr. Gu: "His mother and I had an ugly quarrel, and they have completely cut off contact. I don't have his birth certificate, so I can't let him register, so he is equivalent to a black household. There is a solution, but I wonder if I can ask Mr. Gu for help?"
Mr. Gu felt sour because of the obvious rustiness in his words, and was a little relieved because he rarely asked for help, so he immediately agreed: "Don't worry, I will leave this matter to me."
After saying a word, the dinner table fell into a brief silence, only Shen Xun focused on stuffing dumplings into his mouth, before he finished eating, he forked several more on the fork.
Mr. Gu is an all-powerful man in the business world, and he is good at dancing like a fish in water in the officialdom, but he has never found it so difficult to open up a chat with his son who is seven or eight points similar to Shen Qingran.
Picking up the wine glass and taking several sips, I finally found a topic: "I talked to your counselor, your grades this semester are very good, although you missed more than a month of courses in the middle, your grades in professional courses are still among the best. In this way, when determining the specific direction of study in the next semester, you will have the right to choose first. Have you thought about it yourself, which direction do you want to focus on in the future?"
"I'm going to choose pediatrics."
Mr. Gu was surprised: "Pediatrics? Didn't you want to study cardiac surgery?"
Shen Shi'an's expression remained unchanged, and he put a few more dumplings into the kid's bowl: "Well, I've changed my mind."
Mr. Gu was silent, and then nodded: "Pediatrics is fine, as long as you like it, you can study whatever you want. Your grades are very good. After graduation, you should have no problem going straight to the graduate school. Whether you want to stay in the medical university Whether you want to study a research topic in a research institute, or go to a hospital to observe an internship, or go abroad for further study, I will arrange it for you in advance."
Shen Shi'an took the initiative to respect him: "Mr. Lao Gu, don't worry."
Mr. Gu felt bitter: "You don't need to be so polite to me." He drank the red wine in the glass, poured another glass himself, and said softly: "I came here this time, besides wanting to celebrate the New Year with you, I also have a I want to tell you good news: There were some changes in the Gu family a few years ago, and now I am the official head of the Gu family. If you want, I plan to bring you back after the Chinese New Year and record it in the Gu family tree. From now on, you will be the Gu family with integrity Your eldest grandson, it should be yours, and I will get it back for you. Of course, you are still studying, if you want to continue living in City H, you can... "
"Mr. Gu," Shen Shi'an interrupted him, looked into his eyes and said word by word: "About whether you want to go back home, enter the genealogy, and become the eldest grandson of the Gu family, you asked me once when my mother passed away. , when grandpa passed away, you asked me again. Today is the third time you asked me. My answer is still the same: I don’t want to. Mom is not interested in becoming your Gu family, and neither am I. If Mr. Gu can If I convey my wishes clearly to the Gu family, I am afraid that no one will always think about killing me."
Shen Shi'an's voice was very soft, but it made Gu Zchen look as if he had been stabbed several times, and his face turned pale inch by inch.
After a long while, I smiled self-deprecatingly: "...An An, do you hate me to death?"
There was no answer, and the original silence became more obscure and stagnant.
Shen Shi'an noticed that someone had pulled his sleeves, and lowered his head, he saw a pair of dark green eyes full of concern.
Shen Xun was busy eating dumplings, he didn't listen carefully to what the two of them were talking about, but Shen Shi'an was obviously in a bad mood, he could still feel it, and immediately slammed his fist with a fork on the table, fiercely at Mr. Growl: "Aww..."
If you dare to bully An'an, you will die!
Shen Shi'an felt warm in his heart, pinched his cheeks, then shook his head at Mr. Gu: "No, I don't hate you."
My mother has loved this man all her life, and even before she died, she was persuading herself not to live with resentment and to do good every day with an open mind. Loving someone is much easier and happier than hating someone.
Mom wants to make life easier for herself, so Shen Shi'an doesn't hate him.
But it is undeniable that, looking at him like this, guessing that he may have experienced one ten-thousandth of the pain he has suffered, an almost vicious pleasure quietly gushed out from the bottom of his heart.
Shen Shi'an took a deep breath, and pushed a plate of dumplings towards his hand: "Let's eat, it will be cold later."
Mr. Gu drank another glass of red wine, and the blood on his face recovered a lot. After eating several in silence, he adjusted his mood and smiled at Shen Shi'an: "It's delicious, it tastes exactly like your mother's."
"Eat a little more if you like it, pack more in the afternoon, and there are still a lot of uncooked."
Probably because of the topic related to Shen Qingran, the atmosphere at the table gradually warmed up. After eating a whole plate of dumplings, Gu Zchen felt a little bit full, so he put down his chopsticks and prepared to take a break.
Accidentally found that there were three empty plates in Shen Xun's hand, and he couldn't help being surprised: "An An, does this kid eat too much, so there won't be any problems with eating, right?" Take away his plate to prevent him from continuing to eat.
Before his fingers touched the edge of the plate, he saw the child's eyes suddenly gloomy, two rows of small fangs bared, the whole person jumped on the chair and bit him with a "owwow".
The sharp and crisp sound of teeth clashing reverberated for a long time, Mr. Gu withdrew his hand dangerously, and his face, which was about to recover its color, immediately turned two points paler.
Shen Shi'an pushed the child back to the seat, and calmly explained: "It's okay, he's growing up."
After dinner, the three sat on the sofa to watch the Spring Festival Gala. Shen Shi'an poured a glass of tomato juice for Mr. Gu, "Freshly squeezed, sober up."
Shen Xun was also holding a glass of tomato juice, and while he was drinking, he suddenly staggered like a tumbler. Shen Shi'an sensed something was wrong, took a sip from his glass, and immediately raised his eyebrows and sneered: "Well, this little thing doesn't know either." When he was not paying attention, he actually mixed more than half of the red wine into the tomato juice, and forcibly got himself drunk.
Fortunately, he didn't drink too much when he was drunk. He lay on Shen Shi'an's lap and didn't want to get up. His dark green eyes glistened with wetness. He hugged Shen Shi'an's palm and muttered softly: "...An'an...delicious...my..."
Shen Shi'an, who was confused by this sentence, didn't understand. He just thought that he was drunk and still thinking about food. He was angry and funny, and slapped him on the ass: You are not a dog, you are clearly a pig spirit. reincarnation.
Sitting next to him, Gu Zchen couldn't help but look at the smile on Shen Shi'an's face in a daze: he looks so much like Qingran, especially his eyes, which are exactly the same when he smiles.
Sensing his gaze, Shen Shi'an looked up: "Do you want tomato juice?"
"... Ah, okay, thank you An An."
Shen Shi'an picked up the glass jug and poured him another glass. The sleeves of his sweater shrank up with the movement, revealing a dark blue tattoo of Buddha lotus on his wrist.
Mr. Gu's gaze paused, and he leaned forward: "Where are your beads?" The string of beads is a relic of Qingran, and An An never took them off in his memory.
Shen Shi'an pulled back his sleeves: "It disappeared after waking up from the hospital. The rope must have been broken in a car accident." After thinking for a while, he asked, "About this string of prayer beads, did mother tell you anything?" The specific origin of the beads may give clues about space.
Mr. Gu recalled for a moment, then shook his head: "I didn't say much, I only mentioned it once, it was said to be a family heirloom handed down from the ancestors of the Shen family." It's expensive, it's a pity to lose it like this, let alone Qingran's relic. I'm afraid the child couldn't let it go, so he specially got a tattoo around him as a substitute.
Thinking of the unknown car accident, a cold light suddenly flashed in his eyes.
With a thought, I thought of another thing, and said, "Your car was scrapped in a car accident, right? How about I buy you a new one?"
"Don't bother, I can buy it myself." His car was insured, because the damage in the car accident was too complete, the insurance company directly paid half of the purchase price of the new car. Coupled with the savings left by his mother, grandparents and grandparents, it is not a problem to pay for an ordinary car.
"It's only natural for me to buy you a car, so there's no trouble." On this issue, Gu Zchen didn't intend to back down: "It just so happens that your birthday is coming up, so it's my birthday present for you."
In order to prevent Shen Shi'an from continuing to refuse, he added: "Not only is I giving you a birthday present, but I also want to give Shen Xun a meeting gift. Xun Xun, do you have anything you want, anything is fine."
Shen Xun was half drunk and half awake, and opened his eyes in a daze: "...anything is fine..."
"Yes, everything is fine." Gu Zchen repeated patiently, "As long as it is what you want, I can give it to you."
This time Shen Xun understood, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he uttered the longest sentence since he became a human: "...meat...I want meat...I want to fill a whole house with meat..."
Shen Shi'an: "..."
Mr. Gu was taken aback for a moment, apparently not expecting such an answer, but immediately agreed: "Okay, then it's settled."
Shen Shi'an wanted to say more, the countdown to the New Year's Eve was already sounding on the TV: "...five, four, three, two, one!!"
Mr. Gu raised his glass with a smile: "An'an, happy new year."
Shen Shi'an pursed her lips, raised her glass and touched it: "Happy New Year."
The New Year's pendulum began to turn, and the sound of a series of fireworks in full bloom was faintly heard from far away from the window. Shen Shi'an turned off the TV and prepared to go to bed.
The guest room has been arranged a long time ago, the pillows and quilts have just been dried, and the sheets and quilts are all newly replaced. Mr. Gu looked at it, and said to Shen Shi'an, "I want to sleep in the storage room with your mother, is that okay?"
Shen Shi settled down for a while: "There is no bed in the storage room, it needs to be laid on the floor."
"I have no problem."
Together, they carried the quilt and pillows into the storage room and tidied them up. Standing at the door, Gu Zchen looked at the young man in front of him who was in full bloom and had a natural and inseparable connection with himself and Qingran, with boundless pride and love pouring out of his heart : "Can I hug you?"
Shen Shi'an didn't move, but Gu Zchen stretched out his hand and pulled him into his arms. After a while, he released his strength, and touched his forehead imperceptibly in the gesture of a father to his son: "Good night, sleep well."
Shen Xun was still drunk because he couldn't find Shen Shi'an rolling back and forth on the sofa. Shen Shi'an caught him in time before he fell, wiped his palms and cheeks with a hot towel, and put them under the quilt in the master bedroom.
Go to bed and lie down, leaving only a small night light. Shen Xun followed the smell and arched into his arms, his face was flushed, and his eyes were shining brightly, staring at him: "...An An..."
"What's wrong?"
"…Good night…"
"Good night, go to sleep."
However, the child did not close his eyes, put his arms around his neck, and said again: "...good night..."
Shen Shi'an had no choice but to say good night, but you are sleeping.
Shen Xun moved closer to him, emphasizing again: "...good night..."
A flash of inspiration flashed in his mind, Shen Shi'an stared at the stubborn little thing, and suddenly understood what he meant. There were a few smiles in the obsidian eyes, and he lowered his head and kissed him on the forehead: "Good night."
Satisfied, Shen Xun curled up in his arms and closed his eyes happily.