Chapter 1359: Ten Days' End

Chapter 1358: "Ten Days' End"

Chen Jun Nan got on his old bicycle, whistling as he rode through Bai Hua Shen Chu Hu Tong.

He passed by the shoe repair stall that had been at the street corner for twenty years and noticed that the old man there was different from yesterday. The old man had picked up a flat piece of wood somewhere, dipped a brush in shoe polish, and carefully made himself a signboard.

From today on, he wouldn't be known as "the shoe-mending Zhao Da Ye at the corner" anymore; he'd be called "Xiu Xie Zhao."

How fitting for an old Beijing signboard? Like Xiao Chang Chen, Bao Du Feng, Cha Tang Li, Hun Tun Hou, or Han Bao Wang.

Who knows, one day in the future, "Xiu Xie Zhao" might become a name passed around by word of mouth.

Wait a minute, Chen Jun Nan thought to himself, "Han Bao Wang" doesn't seem like a local brand.

"Da Nan ah..." Xiu Xie Zhao threaded a sharp needle through a leather shoe without looking up, casually calling out.

"Yoho!" Chen Jun Nan quickly stopped his bicycle and dismounted. "Hey, isn't this Zhao Da Ye? Have you eaten yet?"

"Buddy, I've been sitting here for so many years, and every time you pass by, you pretend not to see me. Aren't you afraid I'll pick a fight?"

Xiu Xie Zhao lowered his head, peering out from under his reading glasses, staring straight at him.

"How could I?" Chen Jun Nan said with a smile, pulling a small bottle of Er Guo Tou from the basket on his bicycle. "You're just too quick to get upset. I was testing your eyesight, you know? I brought this bottle of Er Guo Tou and deliberately came this way. Who knew your eyes were still so sharp?"

"Er Guo Tou...?" Zhao Da Ye's eyes lit up instantly. "You little rascal... hand it over for me to see!"

"There you go!" Chen Jun Nan laughed and handed the Er Guo Tou to Zhao Da Ye. "I've got some business, so I'll be off."

With that, he grumbled to himself as he got back on his bicycle, thinking that today was off to a bad start—losing a bottle of Er Guo Tou right after leaving the house.

And he had planned to use it as a meeting gift... now what?

He kept whistling, riding from Bai Hua Shen Chu Hu Tong all the way to Xin Jie Kou Nan Da Jie, then past Qing Yang Da Dao, around Wu Hou Ci, and finally turning left when he saw Nei Meng Gu Jie. That was finally the right way.

They say if you follow this road for another half hour and then turn... Chen Jun Nan thought he should have taken a taxi instead.

When he arrived at his destination, he found the market was pretty crowded. He parked his bicycle at the entrance, got off, and strolled in. It wasn't long before he spotted some familiar faces.

"Shu Hua jie jie!" A little girl clung to another girl's hand, saying timidly, "That boy snatched my hair ornament... I want to go tell my mom..."

"Wu Xuan! Don't be afraid!" Shu Hua pulled the little girl behind her and stepped forward boldly. "I'm here! I'll get it back for you!"

The two little boys in front of them looked uneasy.

One of them kept tugging at the other. "Xu Jia Hua... don't take other people's things... give it back..."

"You're nuts!" Xu Jia Hua turned to him and said, "Zheng Ying Xiong, don't you want to make friends with them? This is the fastest way!"

"But... but..." Zheng Ying Xiong felt something was off, but Shu Hua was already marching over with an angry face.

Just then, two hands pressed down on the boys' heads.

"The fastest way, my foot." Chen Jun Nan said. "Can't you just talk nicely to make friends? Stealing things as a kid—what are you planning when you grow up?"

"Huh?" Xu Jia Hua was stunned. "The big devil, Chen Jun Nan!"

"What's with 'Chen Jun Nan'? Learn some manners!" Chen Jun Nan said. "Call me ge! And what's 'big devil' supposed to mean?"

Xu Jia Hua made a face at Chen Jun Nan, ran over to Shu Hua, returned the hair ornament to Wu Xuan, and then dragged Zheng Ying Xiong away.

"Those two little rascals." Chen Jun Nan muttered as he watched them go. "Aren't they from Quan Zhou Jie? What are they doing here in Bo Lan Jie?"

"Because lately, the uncles in Bo Lan Jie have been asking us to help find people, and they often treat us to meals," Shu Hua said with a smile to Chen Jun Nan. "Wu Xuan's even gotten a bit chubby lately."

"I... I haven't..." Wu Xuan said, embarrassed, covering her little belly. "Shu Hua jie jie, don't make things up..."

"Find people... ha..." Chen Jun Nan laughed. "Alright, got it. Go play."

The two little girls nodded and ran off hand in hand.

"Yoho... Chen kid!"

Chen Jun Nan paused and turned to see an acquaintance setting up a stall to sell socks in the market.

"Yoho?" Chen Jun Nan laughed. "Old Lv!"

"Chen kid! Come take a look! Need any socks lately?"

Chen Jun Nan perked up at the mention of socks and walked over for a closer inspection.

The stall was full of short, flesh-colored stockings.

"...?"

"Pick a pair! I'll give you a good price!"

Chen Jun Nan felt like he was constantly confused—not just in the "end place," but here too.

"Hey!"

While Chen Jun Nan was zoning out, a few tough-looking guys approached slowly. They didn't think he looked like an ordinary passerby, so they were on guard.

"Hiss! Chen kid, watch out!" Old Lv quickly lowered his head. "Those guys run this market!"

"Oh, got it. You carry on, I'll go deal with them."

He waved to Old Lv, turned to face the group, and said,

"Yoho?" Chen Jun Nan laughed. "What's the advice?"

A burly young guy stepped forward. "Dead punk, where are you from?"

"Buddy, are you sure you want to talk like that? Can't we just have a normal chat?" Chen Jun Nan said, pausing slightly.

"I top your lung..." the young guy roared. "Are you deaf? Who's your boss?"

Seeing that the guy wasn't making any sense, Chen Jun Nan shook his head, stepped forward, and stared at him word by word:

"Listen up, buddy. I'm like your half-dad, for your mom's sake."

The air was instantly tense, and the tough guys started yelling. Even Old Lv behind them nervously grabbed a tool, ready to roar at injustice and then bolt.

At that moment, a slim, long-haired young man coughed from behind the crowd, and the guys quieted down, stepping aside.

"Jiu Ge!"

The young man nodded and walked up to Chen Jun Nan. Chen Jun Nan could tell this guy had some status, maybe a big shot, and those tattoos on his arms...

"Chen Sheng ma?" The young man lit a cigarette and took a drag.

"Chen Sheng...?"

"Mr. Chen?" He exhaled smoke and asked again.

"Little master Chen Jun Nan."

"Kan jia chan, you've finally shown up." The young man chuckled, smoothing his hair. "Come with me. He's been waiting for you a long time."

"You've got some nice tattoos, kid. They look pretty good on you." Chen Jun Nan slung an arm around the young man's shoulders. "So, what's the situation now?"

"Ha ha, you'll know when you see him."

Chen Jun Nan said goodbye to Old Lv, asking the local toughs to keep an eye on his stall. As he passed the arrogant young guy, Chen Jun Nan mimicked him: "Oh top li ge rui~ li long ah~ follow sui's ah~?"

The guy was furious but didn't dare speak up, not realizing Chen Jun Nan was a friend of A Jin.

They made their way through the entire market to the deepest hall. Smoke filled the room, and tattooed men wandered around, making Chen Jun Nan feel a bit uneasy.

In the hall, Qiao Jia Jin was lighting incense for Guan Er Ye.

"Old Qiao!!" Chen Jun Nan lit up with joy. "Ha ha ha! It really is you!"

"Jun Nan Zai!!" Qiao Jia Jin was overjoyed but carefully finished lighting the incense before rushing over and grabbing Chen Jun Nan's shoulders. "Ha ha! So many days! You're here too! Finally found you!"

"You've got the connections, that's for sure!" Chen Jun Nan laughed. "I've been asking around for ten days and had no idea where you were in Bo Lan Jie."

"We've got a big group." Qiao Jia Jin said with a smile. "I missed you so much, Jun Nan Zai."

"I missed you too, little master!" Chen Jun Nan replied. "Oh, and I brought you a gift!"

"A gift?"

"Hey!" Chen Jun Nan grinned, reached into his pocket, rummaged around, and then clenched his fist, slowly holding it out in front of Qiao Jia Jin.

Qiao Jia Jin stared curiously at Chen Jun Nan's hand as he slowly opened it.

It was empty.

"Uh..." Qiao Jia Jin paused. "Jun Nan Zai... what kind of gift is this?"

Chen Jun Nan was silent for a few seconds before saying: "My most sincere thoughts!"

"Ha ha ha ha!" Jiu Zi burst out laughing behind them. "A Jin, your old friend is quite the character."

"Ha... ha ha..." Qiao Jia Jin forced a laugh and quickly closed Chen Jun Nan's hand. "Jun Nan Zai, let's get to business first. Come with me!"

"Hey, Old Qiao, why don't you believe me?" Chen Jun Nan said as he was led inside. "I mean, I really did prepare some Er Guo Tou before I came. Do you believe that?"

"Believe, believe, believe." Qiao Jia Jin replied.

"So, what's going on?" Chen Jun Nan asked.

"I don't know the details either. Let's talk inside."

The two pushed open the office door, and Chen Jun Nan saw a familiar figure again.

Chu Tian Qiu was sitting on the sofa, sipping tea with a complicated expression. His formal attire didn't match the hall at all.

"Xiao Chu...?"

"Good, you two are finally here." Chu Tian Qiu set down his teacup and looked up. "I have something to discuss with you both."

The two sat down at the table, unsure of his intentions.

"I originally wanted to live my own life and have nothing more to do with anyone from 'that place.'" Chu Tian Qiu frowned. "But yesterday, I went to the hospital... and this test result made me have to rethink it."

"What's up?" Chen Jun Nan didn't quite follow. "How does this involve the hospital?"

"I'll be straightforward... Over these ten days, you must have noticed..." Chu Tian Qiu sighed. "Almost everyone has settled down here stably... Even some people from 'that place' we didn't know have found their own homes here."

"Yeah." The two nodded.

"But he hasn't shown up." Chu Tian Qiu changed the subject.

The two paused slightly, their expressions turning a bit downcast.

"With his abilities... if he really came here, it's unlikely no one has seen him in ten days." Chu Tian Qiu took a deep breath. "You've been looking for him too, right?"

Chen Jun Nan laughed awkwardly: "Ah... no way... I'm all about living freely and settling scores. I'm not that sentimental... Xiao Chu, you're underestimating me..."

"I heard you haven't been to Bo Lan Jie these ten days, but you've been searching for people every day." Chu Tian Qiu said. "Who were you looking for?"

"I..."

"You know Bo Lan Jie means Qiao Jia Jin is here, so you weren't in a hurry to find him." Chu continued. "But you never saw any sign of him here, did you?"

Their eyes grew complex at that moment—they were worried and anxious, but didn't know what to do.

What attitude should they take toward him?

He had told countless lies but kept his most precious promises.

He had killed many but also saved countless lives.

Good and evil, right and wrong, positive and negative, cause and effect—all seemed entangled in him.

"So, is it that he doesn't want to come back... or he can't?"

Chu Tian Qiu slowly pulled out a box from his pocket, placed it on the table, and opened it.

A chilling cold emanated from inside—it was a frozen eye.

"This is the last item from 'that place.' I don't know what to do with it, so I wanted to discuss it with you two."

"This is..."

Chu pushed the box toward them:

"A 'Sheng Sheng Bu Xi.'"

"Sheng Sheng Bu Xi...?"

"The New World" was still bustling with traffic.

Countless people were busy with their lives here.

In this eternal microcosm, they flowed endlessly, living on and on.

They hustled through their days, seeing the road ahead, and never complained.

Many with special memories waited past the second day for the earthquake that lingered in their minds, only to wait anxiously for the tenth day's obliteration in trepidation.

They held hands, trembling on the streets, and in the end, waited for nothing.

As the first ray of sunlight on the eleventh day broke over the horizon, it warmly bathed many faces full of disbelief and tearful joy.

Their lives from that moment would no longer be confined to ten days but would flow forever forward.

Only then did people truly believe.

Those long, entangled, painful, nostalgic, longing, joyful and sorrowful, eternal ten days—

From this moment, they were completely over.

(Ten Days, End.)