Zhou Shuren caressed the painting, his eyes filled with tenderness. Protecting the Zhou family and his wife and children had been his sole focus, leaving him no time to reminisce about the past. His gaze was always fixed ahead, but these paintings stirred up all his memories—memories of Zhulan always standing behind him, watching over him as he forged ahead.
Zhou Shuren carefully set down the painting, "I really like this gift. When we pass away, these paintings will be buried with us as our companions in the grave."
Zhulan, "I was thinking the same thing."
Zhou Shuren's lips curved into a smile, "This is what they call a meeting of minds."
The celebration of Zhou Shuren's birthday had come to an end. Chang Lian and his wife also prepared to set off on their journey, delayed by two days from the originally scheduled date due to Jiang Ming's leg needing a few more days to recover.
