Xiang Mingzhang couldn't make out the words on the newspaper at all. He could only hear every word Chu Shichen said clearly and pleasantly. He didn't need to raise his arms or speak loudly, but his words sounded like beating drums, and his heart began to beat wildly.
After Chu Shichen finished reading, he took a step closer to the old newspaper. He reached out to touch it, afraid that the paper would become brittle and residue would fall off, and that the ink marks would fade. His movements were so light and slow that he forgot there was a layer of glass between his palms.
Xiang Mingzhang had never seen Chu Shichen like this before. He was absorbed in the Tao, his eyes full of piety, as if he was not looking at a newspaper but an enlightened god or Buddha.
He wanted to call Chu Shichen, but stopped himself when he opened his mouth. Suddenly he understood what that meant… He dared not speak loudly for fear of alarming the gods in heaven.
Chu Shichen's fingertips stroked over every word on the notice. He was already a lonely man when he wrote it. He was filled with sorrow and loneliness. There was no way back after it was published, and he was filled with only determination.
The last time he read this notice was on the ship where he was safely transferred. Then a storm hit, and his old belongings were submerged in the sea. Along with them was buried the fleeting half of his life that was forever erased.
At this moment, Chu Shichen had just completed a bank analysis report. The vast amount of data was rummaging through his mind, piecing together a history of the development of the banking industry.
An old wish has been fulfilled and I am fortunate to have witnessed it.
Chu Shichen withdrew his hand, took a half step back, tilted his neck back and let out a long sigh.
Xiang Mingzhang was feeling confused. He witnessed Chu Shichen's shock, sadness, and his carefree and relieved expression just now. A surge of questions blocked his chest, wrapping around his beating heart.
After a while, Chu Shichen regained his composure. The empty exhibition hall echoed with his voice. He said solemnly, "I lost my composure."
Xiang Mingzhang, however, felt alive and asked carefully, "Because of this announcement?"
Chu Shichen boasted shyly: "This announcement is very moving, at least it touched me."
Xiang Mingzhang was thinking secretly. The announcement was published in 1945, which coincided with the time when the bank was closed according to the information. Shen Zuorun had already passed away at that time. So who was the person who issued the announcement
Could it be the bank president who left no information in the last four years
Xiang Mingzhang looked at the signature at the end of the notice, which only said "Fuhua Bank". He said disappointedly, "It's so touching, but it's a pity that there's no signature."
Chu Shichen said subconsciously: "Yes."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "I mean the author who wrote it."
Chu Shichen's eyes drifted to Liu Zongyuan's poem, and he changed his words and said, "Since it is an announcement, it is probably enough to just write the name of the bank."
"No." Xiang Mingzhang retorted, "'I pray for peace and prosperity for the country and the people' is a personal tone. Why didn't the person who wrote the announcement leave his name?"
Chu Shichen was stunned and said, "Maybe he has a compelling reason."
Xiang Mingzhang looked at Chu Shichen's expression and did not continue talking. He picked up the bag that fell on the ground and said, "Let's go and have a look somewhere else."
Chu Shichen left reluctantly. He really wanted to pry open the glass, take down the old newspaper and hide it in his bag. But then he changed his mind and let it go. Exhibiting it openly to the world was probably the best ending for a piece of history.
The two of them toured the four floors. Ordinary tourists just took a quick look, but Chu Shichen was looking for plum blossoms in the snow, and he wanted to stop in front of each display case to appreciate them carefully.
One cultural center exhausted all his energy and he had no strength to go anywhere else. Chu Shichen spent most of the day talking about projects and reading announcements, and when he came out under the early winter sun, he couldn't help but feel dry mouth.
Xiang Mingzhang was also thirsty and said, "There's a cafe up ahead."
Chu Shichen didn't want to drink coffee, but his mood was so up and down that he deserved a cup of wine: "Shall we go have a drink?"
Xiang Mingzhang said: "Okay, I'll accompany you."
After leaving Lanxin Cultural Park, Xiang Mingzhang drove Chu Shichen to Yunjiao. The weather was getting colder and people were too lazy to join in the fun, so the quiet atmosphere of the bar was just right.
There were more customers than usual. The sound of wine glasses clinking was mixed in with the lively conversations. Xiang Mingzhang and Chu Shichen were still sitting in their fixed booths.
The sofa cushions were replaced with dark colors and were very soft. Chu Shichen was so comfortable that he fell asleep when he came for the first time.
The bar manager came over and handed over two drink orders: "Mr. Xiang, what would you like to drink with your friends?"
"Open a bottle of light red wine," Xiang Mingzhang said, worried that Chu Shichen would feel uncomfortable drinking on an empty stomach, "and add a dish of lemongrass shrimp, a dish of crab meat and grouper, and a blood orange salad."
The red wine and food came up quickly. After he sobered up a little, Xiang Mingzhang poured two glasses and said, "Try it."
Chu Shichen held the goblet to his lips and sniffed it, smelling a light fruity aroma. He took a sip and tasted the flavor with the tip of his tongue.
Xiang Mingzhang looked at him and inexplicably thought of Ling Tuan'er eating canned food. He smiled and said, "Didn't you decide to quit drinking before?"
Chu Shichen said: "After all, I am a layman. I can't give up drinking, but I have to rely on alcohol."
After drinking for a while, the manager brought a bottle of brandy and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Xiang, I almost forgot. This bottle is new from the boss. He said if you come over, he'll give it to you to try."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "Then open it."
Chu Shichen remembered that the last time he came here, he ran into Xiang Mingzhang and a man sitting here. He guessed: "Is the boss here the man you met last time?"
Xiang Mingzhang admitted: "Yes, his name is Xu Liao."
Chu Shichen was not sure what their relationship was. Xiang Mingzhang asked Xu Liao to investigate. The two seemed to be more obedient than friends. He asked, "Mr. Xu is not here today?"
Xiang Mingzhang said, "He's going out."
Chu Shichen didn't ask anything else. He drank the glass of light red wine and the glass of brandy in front of him equally.
Coincidentally, the first time he drank heavily was because he visited the old site of Fuhua Bank, and this time was because he saw the closure notice of Fuhua Bank again.
And every time he would ask Xiang Mingzhang for wine.
Chu Shichen drank a little too much, without any rules and just based on his mood, but he remained calm among the crowd, his hands didn't shake, his voice wasn't loud, and even if he drank quickly, not a single drop would flow from the corners of his mouth, only a thin layer of red would appear on the top of his lips.
Even drunk, Chu Shichen's breathing slowed down, his bright eyes lost some of their brightness, and he looked quiet and empty, as if he was thinking about something serious.
Xiang Mingzhang peeled the shrimp and said, "Eat something."
Chu Shichen said, "How can I trouble Mr. Xiang to do such trivial things?"
Xiang Mingzhang wiped his hands and said, "Then peel one for me."
Chu Shichen declined politely, "It's a courtesy to return the favor, but I mind the smell of the sea on my hands. It's really hard to bear when I hold a pen and play with beads."
Xiang Mingzhang paused: "What is a bead?"
Chu Shichen said: "Vernacular is like using an abacus."
It is certain that Chu Shichen is drunk.
Xiang Mingzhang discovered that Chu Shichen spoke in a flowery manner after getting drunk. He had even mentioned Peking and France before, and his choice of words was totally unlike that of a modern person.
The peeled shrimps were still in the bowl, and Xiang Mingzhang asked, "It will get cold soon, do you want to eat it?"
Chu Shichen poked the shrimp lightly with the tip of his chopsticks. The shrimp meat was plump and firm, and it was peeled cleanly and completely. He picked it up and rarely explored the details: "Mr. Xiang, who have you peeled for?"
Xiang Mingzhang asked back: "Who do you think would bother me to do such trivial things?"
Chu Shichen said: "Aunt Bai."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "She doesn't eat meat."
Chu Shichen said again: "Director Xiang."
Xiang Mingzhang added: "High protein is difficult to digest, he can't eat it."
Chu Shichen pointed out: "So I am the first one?"
"If you don't like it, this is the only one and there won't be a next time." Xiang Mingzhang said, "If you like it—"
Before he finished speaking, Chu Shichen lowered his head and swallowed the half-palm-sized shrimp whole. His thin cheeks puffed up a little and he said vaguely, "... I like it."
In public, Xiang Mingzhang couldn't get up and walk around the table to do anything. He could only hold the wine glass tightly and drink the brandy up.
After spending the evening, Xiang Mingzhang called a driver to take Chu Shichen home first.
Turning at the intersection, Chu Shichen leaned over and bumped into Xiang Mingzhang's arm. Xiang Mingzhang deliberately let out a low "ah" and joked in his drunken state: "It hurts, rub it for me."
"Childish." Chu Shichen lifted Xiang Mingzhang's forearm and childishly smelled his fingers that had peeled shrimps. He only smelled the scent of hand sanitizer.
Xiang Mingzhang leaned close to Chu Shichen's ear and asked in a low voice, "Check me? If there's a smell, will you not let me touch you?"
Chu Shichen's ears burned, and he glanced at the driver's seat: "Mr. Xiang, please respect yourself."
"I'm talking about the pen and the abacus." Xiang Mingzhang said, "Secretary Chu, what do you think I want to touch?"
Chu Shichen was fooled: "I didn't think so."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiang Mingzhang wrapped his right hand in his palm, half-hidden in the hem of his coat. Xiang Mingzhang said, "Eating a shrimp made me feel uneasy. Do you know how much I wanted to pinch your face at that time?"
Chu Shichen didn't move at all, and said in his heart - Do you know that I broke the rules
Xiang Mingzhang didn't let go of Chu Shichen's hand until the car stopped outside the Chu family's door. Chu Shichen's knuckles were red from being held by him, and then he put them into his pocket modestly. In the evening breeze and the setting sun, Xiang Mingzhang helped Chu Shichen into the garden.
Mrs. Chu heard the noise and came out, and asked in surprise: "Mingzhang, did you send Xiaochen back?"
Xiang Mingzhang said: "We drank some wine."
Mrs. Chu was wearing a satin quilted gown. Chu Shichen was a little dazed, as if he saw his mother in a cheongsam. He stretched out his hand: "Mom, I'm not drunk."
Mrs. Chu held him and said, "Don't be so stubborn. I'll make you some hangover soup later."
Xiang Mingzhang loosened his grip, and his phone suddenly vibrated. He said, "Aunt, send the person off, and I won't bother you anymore."
After watching Chu Shichen enter the villa, Xiang Mingzhang turned around and walked out. He took out his cell phone and the caller ID showed "Xu Liao".
Two days ago, he sent Xu Liao to Ningbo.
After walking out of the Chu family's front door, Xiang Mingzhang answered the phone: "Hello?"
Xu Liao got straight to the point: "Mr. Xiang, I checked according to your instructions. There was indeed a family named Shen in Ningbo in the past. They opened a money shop in Jiangxia for several generations."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "So there are clues?"
Xu Liao replied: "There are only some rumors left. Those houses and shops have been demolished for decades. There is no news about the descendants of the Shen family, and there are no relatives from the side branches."
Xiang Mingzhang was mentally prepared. After all, these were people and events from generations ago, and they had experienced war and chaos. There were very few things that could be preserved after all this. He asked, "Did you gain anything else?"
Xu Liao said, "I didn't have any hope, so I just checked casually, and today I found Shen Zuorun's tomb."
Xiang Mingzhang was surprised and asked, "Shen Zuorun was buried in Ningbo? Are you sure?"
"Yes, and it is well preserved," Xu Liao said. "Due to urban development and land planning, Shen Zuorun's tomb has been moved several times, but one family has been taking care of it for more than half a century. Cemetery staff said that this family comes to worship every Qingming Festival."
Xiang Mingzhang had a feeling that he was about to expose the hazy past, and asked in a deep voice: "Have you found out who this family is? What is their relationship with Shen Zuorun?"
Xu Liao said: "I asked the cemetery management office and only knew that the family's surname was Yao."
In the bedroom on the second floor of the villa, Chu Shichen opened the lid of the small incense burner, lit a piece of Canaan incense and put it in. The thin white smoke diffused, making people feel calm.
Chu Shichen thought of the old housekeeper who used to burn incense and worship Buddha every day. He would smell a faint fragrance whenever he passed by the door.
The old butler said he had a destiny with Zen and asked him if he wanted to accumulate some skills. He asked how, and the old butler said to start with the simplest thing - abstaining from food and drink.
Chu Shichen agreed to be a vegetarian four days a week. He did not believe in Buddhism, but just wanted to learn to control his desires.
From the most basic desire for food and drink to the seven emotions and six desires of a mortal body, he had originally made up his mind to suffer and suppress himself forever.
He has maintained this habit for nearly ten years since he turned eighteen, but it was broken today when he was peeling a shrimp for Xiang Mingzhang.
As the years passed, only dusk came day after day. Chu Shichen clasped his hands, unsure whether the old friend could hear his confession.
"Butler Yao, I broke my vow."
He smiled almost shyly: "Compared to Zen fate and cultivation, I care more about him."
(End of this chapter)