Huang He, Boss Huang, finally decided to treat Leng Zhiwen to a meal at Donglaishun, to savor authentic lamb hot pot. Only then did Leng Zhiwen's expression finally improve slightly.
"By the way, Zhiwen, today is March 2nd. Isn't it your birthday today!" Huang He said with a smile.
"My birthday is indeed on the 2nd, but not March 2nd, it's April 2nd!" Leng Zhiwen's expression turned cold again.
"Oh really?" Huang He felt a bit awkward. "I seem to remember your birthday being on the 2nd, I didn't realize I got the month wrong."
"Actually, it's not just me who has a birthday on the 2nd. Someone else also has a birthday on the 2nd. Brother-in-law, do you know who it is?" Leng Zhiwen asked faintly.
"Uh... I don't really remember!" Huang He shook his head. He vaguely recalled seeing Leng Zhiwen's ID card, which showed her birthday as April 2nd, but he had misremembered it as March 2nd.
"It's Zhimeng. She was born on February 2nd!" Leng Zhiwen said.
"Is that so!" Huang He awkwardly touched his head. "Then I must have forgotten Zhimeng's birthday! What a sin. I need to find a way to make it up to her with a birthday gift."
"Actually, our sisters' birthdays are mostly concentrated on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Do you know which of our sisters was born on the 4th?" Leng Zhiwen continued to ask.
"Zhi Ting?" Huang He asked tentatively.
"No, it's Zhiyuan. She was born on December 4th! Do you know who was born on the 3rd?"
"I don't know..." Huang He continued to shake his head.
"My mother's birthday is on April 3rd!" Leng Zhiwen said with a slight smile.
"Mom? She's not your sister, so that doesn't count!" Huang He said grumpily.
"Okay, then let me ask you again, do you know who was born on the 1st?" Leng Zhiwen looked at Huang He.
"Zhi Ruo?" Huang He pondered. The only ones whose birthdays he didn't know were Zhi Ruo and Zhi Ting, so he just guessed one.
"It's Sister Zhi Qing!" Leng Zhiwen's voice was very calm, but there was a hint of coldness in her words.
"Leng Zhi Qing..." Huang He gasped, then felt a chill all over his body. Leng Zhi Qing was his deceased wife, everyone's eldest sister. When Leng Zhiwen mentioned Leng Zhi Qing at this moment, Huang He was completely at a loss.
"Brother-in-law, do you think I can't tell about you and Second Sister?" Leng Zhiwen looked at Huang He with resentful eyes. "Doing this, are you worthy of Sister Zhi Qing?"
"Hmm!" Facing Leng Zhiwen's soul-searching question, Huang He remained silent for a moment, then nodded. "Your question is meaningless because I don't need to be worthy of your sister. I only need to be worthy of my own conscience!"
"Zhi Qing is gone. No matter what you think, she is no longer in this world. When she was alive, I did nothing to wrong her, and after she left, I have the right to pursue my own happiness. There's no such thing as being worthy or unworthy. I hope you won't ask such questions again, nor will you ask your second sister such questions. She's not like me; she can't let go so easily. Your questions will push her to her death," Huang He said calmly.
"Hmph!" Leng Zhiwen snorted and said no more. Instead, Huang He continued, "Zhiwen, since we've gotten to this point today, there's something that has always puzzled me, and I want to ask you clearly about it?"
"You can ask, but I don't guarantee I'll answer!" Leng Zhiwen said.
"Why have you always maintained such deep hostility towards me?" Huang He sighed. "From the first time I met you, I sensed your hostility towards me. After all these years, from high school to university, it hasn't changed. I've never done anything to wrong you or your Leng family. On the contrary, I've been helping your family from beginning to end. I've done enough, more than enough. Why do you treat me like this? Is there some misunderstanding between us?"
Huang He could clearly feel Leng Zhiwen's hostility. At that time, Huang He thought he might have done something to wrong Leng Zhiwen in his previous life.
So Huang He tried hard to recall all the memories he had of Leng Zhiwen from his lingering memories. From the first time Huang He visited her, even after his rebirth, Huang He found that he had always been quite good to Leng Zhiwen, but Leng Zhiwen had always maintained the same indifferent attitude. This left Huang He utterly bewildered.
Huang He usually didn't ask such questions, but since they had talked so much today, Huang He decided to ask directly.
"..." The chopsticks in Leng Zhiwen's hand fell involuntarily. She stood up abruptly, looking at Huang He with shock and anger. "Huang, how dare you ask such a question? Have you forgotten everything that happened back then?"
"No... Zhiwen, you know, when the company was at its most critical moment, I fainted once. Since then, many of my past memories have become blurry. I really don't remember anything that happened between us that wronged you. If there was, then tell me now. If I was wrong, I can compensate you, apologize to you, or even give my life. It's not impossible, as long as I truly committed such a mistake," Huang He said sincerely.
"You really don't remember?" Leng Zhiwen asked again. However, she felt that her initial anger seemed to have dissipated a lot.
"Yes, I really don't remember!" Huang He said very sincerely.
"Then let me ask you, what color is the skirt?" Leng Zhiwen suddenly asked for no reason.
"What skirt? Don't ask such strange questions, okay!" Huang He rolled his eyes. Leng Zhiwen, on the other hand, seemed to have sighed with relief and sat back down in her chair, lowering her head and remaining silent. However, Huang He could clearly feel that the prickles that had covered Leng Zhiwen like a hedgehog had softened at that moment.
"Zhiwen, what's the deal with the color of this skirt?" Huang He asked curiously.
"If you ask one more time, I'll cut off your manliness!" Leng Zhiwen said fiercely. Huang He flinched and dared not ask again.
"If you really want to buy me a birthday gift, then accompany me to Liulichang tomorrow!" Leng Zhiwen said.
"Why..." Huang He originally wanted to ask why, but he noticed that a faint smile was on Leng Zhiwen's lips. She looked stunningly beautiful, and more importantly, at this moment, a certain shadow in Huang He's heart emerged.
"Zhi Qing? Is that you?" Huang He muttered softly. At this moment, a huge, indescribable love surged within him. However, it wasn't for Leng Zhiwen, but for his deceased wife, Leng Zhi Qing. It was the love of another Huang He.
The reason it surged out at this moment was because Leng Zhiwen looked exactly like Leng Zhi Qing when she smiled.
—
The next day, Huang He kept his promise and took Leng Zhiwen to Liulichang.
Liulichang, in many tomb-raiding novels or antique appraisal novels, is an indispensable place.
Liulichang got its name in the Ming Dynasty because it was a place where glazed tiles were specifically fired for the imperial family of the Ming Dynasty, and there was an imperial kiln.
In the Qing Dynasty, the imperial kiln was gone, but the name Liulichang continued. The area, which used to be a street for firing glaze, became a gathering place for cultural people selling various papers and books, brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, as it was close to the Gongyuan (imperial examination hall), where scholars participating in the imperial examinations would reside.
However, selling only brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones in this area was not enough to support the rent. Gradually, people began to sell various famous calligraphy and paintings. As it developed further, all sorts of antiques were brought to Liulichang to be sold, eventually forming the most famous antique trading hub in old Beijing.
Even now, Liulichang remains so, although it no longer sells many brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, but rather a wide variety of strange and wonderful cultural relics.
Many cultural relics are even covered in soil, exuding a dusty smell, and are faded in various ways. Their condition can be described as惨不忍睹 (miserable to behold).
However, there are more inquiries for such items. The sellers would look around mysteriously and then whisper, "Just brought from my hometown, elder's belongings, rare items!"
Well, hometown means grave, and elder means an elder from hundreds of years ago. As for whether the items are real, only heaven knows. In any case, Huang He never believed that one could find treasures at these stalls; it was pure nonsense.
However, Leng Zhiwen was looking very seriously, browsing through each stall. This made Huang He curious and he asked, "Zhiwen, what exactly do you want to buy?"
"I want to buy a sword!" Leng Zhiwen no longer concealed it and said very directly. "My master who taught me martial arts is turning fifty soon, and I plan to give her an ancient sword. I was brought up by her since I was young, and I must repay her kindness!" Leng Zhiwen said.
"Is that so!" Huang He nodded. However, swords seemed to be rare items in Liulichang. Most of them were bronze swords with mottled green patina, said to be from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.
But Leng Zhiwen had no interest in such swords because bronze swords looked too ugly. She preferred swords that were sharp and glittering, with ornate decorations, made after the Tang Dynasty.
However, since it was Liulichang after all, Leng Zhiwen soon found a satisfactory ancient sword in a shop. The sword was about a meter long, also known as a three-chi sword.
The blade was relatively slender, and the scabbard was adorned with auspicious beasts. The hilt had a string of white jade tassels. It looked very beautiful at first glance, no wonder it caught Leng Zhiwen's eye.
"Young lady has good eyesight. This is a sword from the Qianlong period, imitating the craftsmanship of the Tangxi sword and the style of the Longquan sword. Although it is not a palace treasure, it was the personal sword of the renowned historian Wang Mingsheng. It was later sold by the Wang family, a genuine item with a name, reputation, and verifiable history!" the shop owner introduced.