Not long after, Wang Yu and Chen Cheng appeared in front of Uncle Quan's tombstone. They placed all the tribute items they had brought and then squatted in front of the tombstone, burning paper money, both with faces of sorrow.
"Uncle Quan, we've come to see you. The one who harmed you, Wu Yuandong, died today. If you're aware in the afterlife, please rest in peace! Also, Little Yu is back, standing right by my side. Uncle Quan, didn't you always say that Wang Yu was too thin? Let me tell you, this kid is now quite sturdy, so you don't have to worry about him anymore..."
Chen Cheng said slowly facing the tombstone, his voice deep and choked. When he reached the touching parts, his eyes couldn't help but redden uncontrollably.
Looking at Uncle Quan's portrait on the tombstone, Wang Yu gritted his teeth tightly, his fists clenched, with his knuckles cracking.
For eight years, he had been thinking constantly about returning to Shen City, because here, there was an Uncle Quan, who was not his father, yet was better than a father, and a home that had given him lots of warmth.
But when he really returned, he faced Uncle Quan's departure and his home had been leveled. And all this had an inseparable connection with him, how could he not feel grief?
He had killed Wu Yuandong to avenge Uncle Quan, but what of it? Uncle Quan was beyond resurrection, he could never again see his kind and amiable face.
"Little Yu, Xiao Xue, Ah Cheng, you are all children who were abandoned, so when you grow up, you must make something of yourselves, let those who abandoned you know the great mistake they made."
"Little Yu, even though you are frail, I can see that your heart is very strong and you have great aspirations. Ah Cheng seems smart, but it's all minor cleverness, it's uncertain if he can achieve anything when he grows up, and as Xiao Xue is a girl... Uncle Quan has something to ask of you, if you achieve something in the future, you must help them, understand?"
...
Uncle Quan's past teachings still echoed in his ears, but the person had vanished from this world. Wang Yu would not forget the words Uncle Quan had once said. So at this moment, Wang Yu silently swore in his heart that he would never let Uncle Quan down.
After paying tribute to Uncle Quan, Wang Yu and Chen Cheng sat in front of the tombstone and began to talk quietly.
"Wang Yu, where have you been all these years?" Chen Cheng took out a cigarette, handed one to Wang Yu, and asked.
"Ah!" Wang Yu sighed, took the cigarette and lit it. After taking a deep puff, he said slowly, "Drifting everywhere, without a place to call home. Just thinking about it makes me feel bitter; it's not worth mentioning."
Chen Cheng glanced at him, saw he didn't wish to talk, and did not press further, instead, he smiled and asked, "What are your plans now that you're back?"
Wang Yu shook his head and said, "I don't know. My mind is in chaos, Uncle Quan's departure was too sudden for me. To be honest, I came back this time originally wanting to repay Uncle Quan for raising me until his last days. You know, without him, I wouldn't have survived to this point, but..."
Chen Cheng silently nodded, empathizing deeply with the pain in Wang Yu's heart.
Uncle Quan was a genuinely good person, relying on nothing but his meager pension to raise three abandoned children. He scrimped and saved to provide them with enough food and clothing, yet such a good man did not receive a good end. What had gone wrong with this world?
"Wang Yu, to be honest, do you hate me?" Chen Cheng suddenly asked.
"Huh?" Wang Yu was startled, turned his head and asked, "Why would I hate you?"
Chen Cheng gave a wry smile and said, "If it hadn't been for me, Uncle Quan would not have died, and you wouldn't have been wandering far from home."
Wang Yu raised an eyebrow, reached out and patted Chen Cheng on the shoulder, and said, "If we talk about responsibility, mine is probably greater than yours. But that's not important anymore. What's important is that Wu Yuandong is dead, Uncle Quan's vengeance is avenged."
After a pause, Wang Yu looked at Chen Cheng and said, "Chen Cheng, why don't you talk about how you've been all these years?"
Chen Cheng looked up at the sky, a bitter smile on his lips, sighed, and then recounted his life of many years to Wang Yu.
He believed himself to be the cause of Uncle Quan's death, so he had lived in deep self-reproach and guilt. Under such negative emotions, his personality underwent a drastic change, becoming unsocial, leading to being ostracized at the new orphanage.
Finally, one day, unable to bear it any longer, he ran away from the orphanage, looking for a job to support himself. However, being too young at the time, no factory dared to take him, and he ended up in an underground black workshop, helping to slaughter chickens and ducks.
The job was incredibly hard. Starting work at five in the morning and continuing until nine at night, the pay was not high, but he was content. The workshop provided food and accommodation, and he didn't have to face being ostracized.
Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, he turned eighteen, which meant he could legally look for work. So, he left the small workshop, entered a factory, and with the money he'd saved over the years, he enrolled in a driving school.
Everything went smoothly, and six months later, he got his driver's license and started delivering goods for the factory. Once he had three years of driving experience, he took all his savings and leased a taxi, becoming a taxi driver.
Chen Cheng's story ended there, and Wang Yu was full of emotions after hearing it. There was no doubt about Chen Cheng's perseverance, which was undeniable; any other orphan without support might have turned into a beggar on the streets.
"Alright, Wang Yu, let's go and find a place to have a few drinks. We'll come and see Uncle Quan again when we have time."
Chen Cheng said as he stood up, patting the dust off his buttocks.
Wang Yu thought for a moment and then said, "No, maybe some other time. You go ahead, I want to stay with Uncle Quan a bit longer."
Wang Yu glanced at Chen Cheng, who did not insist any further. Uncle Quan had been very affectionate towards Wang Yu while he was alive, so it was only natural that Wang Yu would want to spend more time by Uncle Quan's side now that he was gone.
"Don't stay out too late either, there's quite a distance to the city from here, and there aren't many cars," Chen Cheng said. After that, he turned to leave. But after he had walked only a few steps, he suddenly remembered something, turned back, and asked Wang Yu, "By the way, Wang Yu, where are you staying at the moment?"
"Oh, I'm staying in Room 8018, Tianhao Hotel," Wang Yu replied.
Chen Cheng nodded and said, "I'll come to see you tomorrow." Then he turned and went down the mountain.
After Chen Cheng's figure had completely disappeared from sight, Wang Yu turned to face the tombstone and fell into memories as he looked at Uncle Quan's portrait.
He remembered being sick with a high fever at the age of six. Uncle Quan stayed by his side day and night for three days and three nights, looking utterly worn out.
He remembered at eight, when he had been bullied, Uncle Quan took him to the bully's house to seek justice. They ended up being verbally abused by the bully's parents and got ushered out.
He remembered that summer when he was nine, all because he wanted to eat sugarcane, Uncle Quan rode his bicycle under the scorching sun to buy some. After buying the sugarcane, Uncle Quan himself suffered from heatstroke.
...
There were too many such instances to list. But before Wang Yu could repay Uncle Quan for his kindness, Uncle Quan had already passed away.
Even though he felt sorrow, Wang Yu also knew a truth. The deceased are gone, and the living must be strong. Continuing to sink into despair for the ones who have died would only disturb their peaceful rest.
After a long time, Wang Yu stood up, bowed three times to the tombstone, straightened his clothes, and began walking down the mountain.
Once outside the cemetery, Wang Yu looked around and realized, just as Chen Cheng had said, this place was extremely remote, and apart from him, there seemed to be no other living things around.
Wang Yu found himself in a difficult situation, wondering how he was going to leave without a car. If only he had known, he would have left with Chen Cheng.
Just as he was worrying about what to do, a black Buick car came speeding up and stopped not far in front of him. The car door opened, and a man and a woman, both dressed in black suits and wearing sunglasses, stepped out. After getting out of the car, they looked towards Wang Yu's direction.
Wang Yu was startled and immediately went on guard, yet he was filled with confusion. He had been back in Shen City for just one day and had not disclosed his whereabouts to anyone. Why would people come looking for him so quickly? And to make it worse, a pair of male and female assassins.
After looking at Wang Yu for a few seconds, the man suddenly reached into the car.
Wang Yu's heart skipped a beat, and he swiftly drew the dagger from his waist and concealed it in his palm. His eyes locked on the man's arm, and he already had a counterattack plan in mind.
As long as the man revealed a weapon, he would immediately strike with the dagger, and even if he couldn't take him down, he would at least disable his combat ability. The woman would be much easier to handle after that.
A few seconds later, the man's arm finally emerged from the car, not with a weapon but with a bouquet of flowers.
Wang Yu felt a vein pop on his forehead, he put the dagger back at his waist, thinking to himself what a pair of fools these two were. Why act so cool visiting a grave? He had been needlessly tense.
The man handed the flowers to the woman and said softly, "Lin Xi, let's go up."
The woman nodded, took the flowers, removed her sunglasses, and walked towards the cemetery area with the man, passing by Wang Yu.
Seeing her look at him, Wang Yu gave her a friendly smile. To be honest, the woman wasn't ugly—not enough to cause the downfall of nations, but she was definitely within the category of beautiful women, albeit with too much sorrow in her brows. It seemed someone dear to her was buried here.
"What are you smiling for? Disgusting beggar, get lost!" The man said to Wang Yu, rolling his eyes afterward and following the woman into the cemetery area.
Wang Yu stood still for a moment, muttering to himself, "Beggar? Where?" After looking around and seeing no one else, he realized that the man had been referring to him, but by then the man had already walked far away.
"To hell with your grandma's mouth!" Wang Yu flipped off the man's retreating back. Calling him a beggar, had he ever seen such a dashing beggar? It was just that his clothes were a bit old.
Snapping his fingers and turning around, Wang Yu was about to leave.
At that moment, two more cars stopped in front of him.
No sooner had the car doors opened than seven or eight burly men with machetes and clubs burst out. The last to get out was a portly middle-aged man with a thick gold chain around his neck, exuding a fierce look—either a gangster boss or a nouveau riche.
"Oh dear! My God! This time it must be about me, right?"
Wang Yu immediately flexed his joints, ready to teach this group a lesson. To deal with these riff-raff wielding machetes and clubs, a dagger would be too much of an honor.