Li Chonglou's words brought joy to Lin Ying and her father's eyes.
That's right, according to historical development, the base first appeared in public view, and then Shi Boqiong was donated to the National Museum.
Li Chonglou, as a recognized expert and authority in the cultural and museum field, was invited to authenticate and inspect it, thus being reborn.
Although in this life, the base no longer appeared through online treasure appraisal but was first obtained by Li Chonglou.
The general direction might not change.
As long as it was publicized and the base was displayed to the public, it might lead to Shi Boqiong appearing decades earlier.
"Junior apprentice brother, please expedite the competition arrangements, and I will handle the media," Lin Ying said earnestly.
"Alright, then I'll need to leave Qin Province for a few days to pick up some lucky finds to prepare for Lu Weishen!" Li Chonglou responded resolutely.
Upon returning from Donglin, Li Chonglou immediately called Tian Lingli.
He asked Zhou Yacheng to bring her over.
"Tian Lingli, your hometown is in Shuyu County, right?"
Li Chonglou poured tea for both of them and asked slowly, "I plan to go there to handle some matters. Are you free to accompany me?"
"Are you trying to find my Uncle?" Tian Lingli asked with wide eyes.
She was definitely going back to her hometown for the New Year. Her live streaming career was booming, and her fan base was close to five million.
Her annual net income, with at least two million yuan, would definitely make her a prominent figure in her hometown.
Who wouldn't want to return home in glory?
However, Li Chonglou's competition still required her to be present to stream, so she had to postpone her plans.
She hadn't expected Li Chonglou to suddenly want to go to her hometown.
"Yes, Shuyu County has a long history, comparable to Qin Province. Moreover, it's located in a remote mountainous area, and the roads have only been fully completed in recent years. Perhaps we can find some good things," Li Chonglou stated frankly.
As Tian Lingli grew up there, she would be very familiar with the area, and deceiving her would be detrimental.
Only through sincere cooperation could they gather the collection items needed for the competition in a short period.
These collection items were not ordinary; they needed to be enough to reveal Lu Weishen's weaknesses.
Therefore, no carelessness could be tolerated.
"Okay, I'll accompany you," Tian Lingli agreed without much thought.
It was because of Li Chonglou that she was able to break through bottlenecks and rise steadily. The current Li Chonglou was no longer the useless son-in-law he used to be.
By staying close to him, she might have a greater future.
She was no longer content with just being an online streamer, hiding behind filters and beauty effects, chatting idly with people.
She wanted to venture into reality and hold her head high.
"Little Martial Uncle-Ancestor, how many days do you plan to be gone?" Zhou Yacheng asked excitedly.
"There are twenty-three days left until the New Year, and my match with Lu Weishen is on the 28th of the twelfth lunar month. We have at most twenty days for travel back and forth," Li Chonglou said slowly.
"Take me along, I'll be your driver." Zhou Yacheng was naturally playful and loved to wander. Hearing that it would be twenty days, he was immediately delighted.
He had already explored this dreary place called Qin Province and had no interest left.
Now that he had Tian Lingli, and her popularity hadn't faded, he wasn't thinking about other women for the time being.
Thus, traveling and sightseeing became his most enjoyable activity.
Seeing his offer, Li Chonglou thought about it and agreed.
After all, someone had to handle the chores. Although Zhou Yacheng was shrewd, his character wasn't bad, and he was usable.
After giving them some instructions, he told them to go back and pack, and they would depart early the next morning.
Then he went to his mother's room, pushed her wheelchair into the courtyard to bask in the sun.
The winter sun was not scorching; it felt warm and comfortable on the skin.
Zheng Xiumei squinted, draped her cotton vest over her lap, and said nothing, just looking at her son.
Intermittently, since she was hospitalized, she hadn't had much time to spend with her son.
They had only talked heart-to-heart a few times.
She was a rough woman, a farmer, and didn't know how to express her emotions.
But she was also a mother, constantly worrying about her son.
Before, she worried about him being bullied in the Jiang family. Now that the Jiang family had declined and her son had become successful, she worried about him getting hurt outside.
Xu Lie, her godson, was dead, and she didn't want Li Chonglou to suffer any more misfortune.
However, she couldn't stop her son from going where he pleased or doing what he wanted.
All the words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat, better left unsaid.
"Mom... I have to go out on business again." It was Li Chonglou who finally broke the silence. He moved closer to his mother and held her thin, dry hand, saying,
"How long will it be this time?" Zheng Xiumei moved her lips, her voice trembling.
"From three to five days at the shortest, to half a month at the longest. I'll definitely return safely," Li Chonglou's throat also felt a bit choked.
He wished he could put everything aside and stay by his mother's side until her final days.
But reality forced him to move forward step by step.
He was like a spinning top; if he stopped even slightly, he would fall.
Xu Lie's death made him deeply feel the terror of fate and the control of that invisible hand, which was unavoidable.
He had thought of living a simple life with his wife and mother, but Wu Zhengjiang's appearance had changed his mindset. If he didn't go to the capital to investigate, he would never be at peace in this life.
Precisely for the purpose of going to the capital, Qin Province, his rear base, had to be stable.
No accidents could occur.
What he was most reluctant to leave behind was his mother.
Jiang Yuxin was fine; she was young and healthy. But his mother was seriously ill and had not yet recovered.
Every departure was a separation of flesh and blood for her.
"My son..." Zheng Xiumei wanted to offer some words of comfort, but as soon as she opened her mouth, tears began to stream down uncontrollably.
The rest of her words naturally couldn't be spoken. Li Chonglou busied himself wiping away her tears.
He trembled with heartache.
"Go, my son. Be careful outside and don't worry Yuxin..." Motherly love ultimately overcame her personal desires.
As if a single instruction could ward off all dangers.
This was the only ability her mother possessed.
Li Chonglou couldn't bear to see his mother cry; his heart ached unbearably. He could only nod repeatedly.
He squatted in front of the wheelchair, resting his head on his mother's lap, burying himself in her embrace, letting her rough hands caress his face, feeling that long-lost sense of security and warmth.
To others, he might be a safe haven, but to him, only his mother's embrace offered true peace.
"Chonglou, it's getting windy. Let's take Mom home," Jiang Yuxin's gentle voice sounded from behind after an unknown period.
Li Chonglou then realized that the sun had already shifted by more than ten degrees.
He wished time would stop, but time stopped for no one.
He let Jiang Yuxin push his mother's wheelchair back home.
He told her about his plan to go to Shuyu County.
Although Jiang Yuxin was reluctant, she still nodded in support, "I know you have your own ideas about how to do things. Go ahead, we'll be here in Qin Province."
"But you have to promise me that no matter what danger you encounter, your life comes first."
"Don't be so stubborn again like last time..."
She knew about Xu Lie's death and Yong'an's revenge.
Although the details were not clear, the thrilling nature of it was definitely no less than facing her own cousin Jiang Tao and his father back then.
Li Chonglou had transformed from a son-in-law she didn't care about to a husband she now looked up to.
She didn't want to see any more accidents.
"I promise you!" Li Chonglou tightly grasped his wife's hand and kissed her.