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as translator, proofreader and editor!
Cui Guoqiang was taken aback by this statement. His peripheral vision caught the young people parting into two lines beside him, and his previously excited mood suddenly dipped a bit. He couldn’t quite pinpoint the reason, so he just smiled at Xu Yao and said, “Okay.”
As the flight attendant offered to assist Cui Guoqiang, the old man waved his hand in refusal. He carefully tucked the two-inch photo, painstakingly restored of his comrade Sun Jianping, into the pocket of his left chest and used his right hand to steady himself as he boarded Xu Yao’s private jet.
The interior of the private jet was even more luxurious than its exterior. Cui Guoqiang had already flown once before, and felt that the cabin in here was much more spacious and beautiful than the economy class cabin of the plane Liu Yingxia had booked for him.
“Then, Grandpa Cui, shall we prepare to take off?” Xu Yao smiled from the side.
Cui Guoqiang suppressed the strange feeling of unease bubbling in his heart and nodded at Xu Yao, filled with the anticipation of meeting his old comrade-in-arms.
Today, he would finally have the chance to see his old comrade-in-arms!
The plane that Cui Guoqiang and Xu Yao were on took off first, followed shortly by several other private jets soaring into the sky.
This scene was captured by countless people, watching as the planes gradually shrank to the size of ants and drifted further and further away…
#GrandpaCuiGuoqiangTakesFlightToVisitOldComrade
#GrandpaCuiStillUnawareOfThTruthI’mCrying
#XuYao’sFleetOfPrivateJetsEscortsRetiredVeteran
Cui Guoqiang didn’t understand much about the internet, but the short video made by “Big Apple” had already spread widely online.
[I just saw a livestream where Grandpa Cui found out about his comrade’s whereabouts—he was so happy he almost jumped up. I couldn’t help but cry.]
[Will Grandpa Cui be able to handle it? I wonder if Xu Yao has arranged medical staff in advance. No matter how strong he is, he’s still in his seventies—what if the shock is too much for him…]
[With so many private jets following Xu Yao, they’re probably not all empty. Though that girl may be a bit unhinged, she still handles things very appropriately—she must have prepared everything in advance.]
[I hope Grandpa Cui stays strong! Remember, you still have Grandma Cuilan waiting for you!]
Countless netizens commented online, hoping that when Cui Guoqiang learned the truth, he wouldn’t collapse. They understood how terrifying it could be when a person’s faith crumbles.
Concerned netizens shared examples, like a grandfather at home who had cancer but was kept in the dark about his condition. He had been fighting hard and was originally on the road to recovery, but once he found out he had cancer, he passed away within a week.
Xu Yao had to make thorough preparations.
[Don’t worry, according to reliable sources, Xu Yao has brought along a medical team—all top experts in the field.]
[By the way, owning a private jet is almost becoming a standard for the wealthy. I used to really hate those rich people constantly flaunting their wealth, but Xu Yao is truly an exception. She directly used a helicopter to participate in aerial firefighting to extinguish fires and now she’s even escorting an old hero. Sure, it’s not a fighter jet, but it’s probably already the highest level of honor that she can offer him.]
[Speaking of which, do you know what kind of water Xu Yao used in the helicopter to support the firefighting? I was stunned when I found out.]
When netizens saw this question, their first reaction was to laugh. What else would you use to extinguish a wildfire? Of course it’s just water!
The blogger replied to that question: [It’s seawater.]
The mention of seawater left many people momentarily stunned, unsure what the issue with seawater was. After all, seawater is still water, and using it in an emergency fire situation seems quite normal.
The blogger continued to reply: [But that’s a private helicopter, not a shared bike you can find on the street. A model like Xu Yao’s costs tens of millions! If it were any other rich second-generation heir, they would all treasure it immensely! But she’s pouring seawater into it! Seawater can damage the aircraft’s machinery!]
Many netizens suddenly felt enlightened. That’s right.
A new car of theirs would be treated with the utmost care, distressing them even if it’s just the floor mats getting dirty, let alone something that could damage the internal machinery. Just thinking about it could give them a heart attack.
Xu Yao had just bought these private jets and probably hadn’t even had the chance to enjoy them herself yet. And yet she just took them out like that.
After a while, some netizens couldn’t help but exclaim: [Xu Yao truly is an impeccable landlady.]
*
pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:
Cui Guoqiang admired the expansive scenery outside the plane. The last time he flew was on a ticket bought by Liu Yingxia, and he hadn’t looked closely since he didn’t have a window seat.
Seeing the view from up here truly was very different.
“If only we had such powerful planes back then. Perhaps we could have ended the war sooner,” Cui Guoqiang sighed.
It seemed as if the older generation could talk about their days on the battlefield a hundred times without growing tired. Upon noticing Xu Yao’s interest, Cui Guoqiang perked up again and began to recount in detail:
“The conditions were tough back then. We were ambushed in the mountains, where snakes, insects, and ants were everywhere. I remember lying in the grass, and about five meters away, a snake was staring at me. The commander ordered us to execute our mission perfectly, even if it meant costing us our lives, so I stared back at it for almost a minute.
“That was still quite tolerable. One time, I was ambushed and ants started crawling all over me. Those ants were poisonous and would leave swollen welts the size of small buns with just one bite. It was both itchy and painful, but I had to remain still in the grass, unable to move or make a sound.”
Before long, Cui Guoqiang began reminiscing about his comrade Sun Jianping. “I was shot in the left hand. Don’t be fooled by how Sun Jianping is just over one meter sixty; he covered my retreat. Even though I was in so much pain I was about to faint, he still carried me and ran.”
“Yaoyao, I’m a bit tired and want to sleep for a while.” Cui Guoqiang recounted their experiences on the battlefield, some moments interesting, and some moments tense. He talked for half an hour, but fatigue finally overwhelmed him, and he had no choice but to tell Xu Yao.
Xu Yao signaled to Lu Ye, who immediately arranged for the old man to rest.
The plane flew steadily through the sky, and Cui Guoqiang fell asleep quickly. This was perhaps the most comfortable sleep he had had in a long time, except he had a dream.
In his dream, he was back in his twenties, returning to that familiar battlefield he saw day and night. He saw his old comrade Sun Jianping carrying a gun not far away.
Before he could get closer, someone threw and detonated the explosives, and Sun Jianping fell to the ground.
“Jianping, Jianping, don’t sleep! Don’t sleep!” In the dream, he seemed to see Sun Jianping’s youthful face, bloodied and disfigured, while he kept urging him not to sleep.
Cui Guoqiang suddenly woke up. He reached up to touch his forehead, his palm drenched in sweat. He had been startled awake by the dream.
As a veteran, this sort of dream wasn’t unfamiliar to him, but now that he was about to meet his old comrade-in-arms that he hadn’t seen in decades, dreaming of such a thing gave Cui Guoqiang a somewhat ominous feeling.
“Let the doctor give Grandpa Cui a basic check-up,” Xu Yao said immediately upon seeing the old man drenched in sweat, his face somewhat pale.
Xu Yao had made thorough preparations before taking Cui Guoqiang to meet his old comrade, and had organised a medical team to prevent any unexpected incidents happening to him.
The head doctor gave Cui Jianguo a basic examination and told Xu Yao, “It’s just that he hasn’t been resting well lately and is too fatigued. A good rest should solve the problem.”
Xu Yao breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Cui Guoqiang’s disabled left hand, asking, “Is there any other way to treat Grandpa Cui’s left hand?”
The doctor shook his head regretfully. “Currently, there is no medical solution.”
At that time, in order to save Cui Guoqiang’s life, the doctors had unfortunately had to sacrifice his left upper arm along with his hand.
Xu Yao remembered that in the original novel, there would be significant breakthroughs in research from experts in this area, allowing countless disabled individuals to regain a new lease on life.
“Miss Yaoyao, we’ll be arriving in fifteen minutes,” He Fan came over to remind her.
Xu Yao nodded, while Cui Guoqiang was already adjusting his attire.
Afterward, they successfully disembarked from the plane, with Xu Yao’s team leading Cui Guoqiang to meet his old comrade, while many ordinary netizens had gathered along the roadside, waiting in anticipation.
Cui Guoqiang’s sense of unease grew stronger, especially as Xu Yao and the others led him deeper into the mountains.
Cui Guoqiang forced a smile and said, “I knew it, although that old rascal Jianping was a shy and honest man, he was also the biggest braggart alive. He told us he lived in town, but it turns out his hometown is in the mountains too.”
“He…” Cui Guoqiang looked at the overgrown weeds and the shadowy trees in the forest, with only a small path seemingly made entirely from the footsteps of visitors. He seemed unable to hold it together any longer, covering his face with his hands and saying, “Yaoyao, tell Grandpa, has that old rascal Jianping already passed away?”
Xu Yao looked at Cui Guoqiang apologetically and nodded. “Yes.”
Cui Guoqiang fell silent. Suddenly, he stepped past Xu Yao and walked to the front of the group, smiling. “Who can escape death? Everyone will eventually have to leave when they grow old.”
Cui Guoqiang strode down the path, walking faster and faster, until he was almost running by the end.
He saw a few young people ahead, both male and female, and in front of them was what seemed to be a grave mound, already overgrown with weeds and lacking a tombstone.
Cui Guoqiang held back his tears and asked expectantly, “Are you Jianping’s descendants?”
Seeing them shake their heads, Cui Guoqiang felt as if he were about to collapse.
Xu Yao had gone to such lengths to bring him to meet his old comrade-in-arms. Even if all he saw was just a lonely grave, logically speaking, Jianping’s descendants should have come too—unless he didn’t have any.
Cui Guoqiang almost slammed his hand on the grave mound, unable to hold back his tears any longer as he cried, “You old rascal, you’re always just bragging. You said you’d make sure we’d all go back home together. Well now, we’ve come back, but what about you?”
He had gone home, but Sun Jianping had not.
Cui Guoqiang seemed to suddenly feel sorry for the person in the grave, regretting his earlier harsh slamming. He squatted down, wiping his tears while pulling up the chaotic tangle of weeds on the grave mound.
“Jianping, I finally found you! We old comrades have finally been reunited,” Cui Guoqiang said as he pulled at the grass. The weeds had grown so vigorously that they caused his palms to sting slightly, but he didn’t care.
“I finally know where you are. From now on, we’ll come to sweep your grave every Qingming Festival1, and we, as brothers, can have a good chat.”
Xu Yao and the others did not step forward to help pull the weeds. She knew this was the only thing Grandpa Cui could do for Grandpa Sun at this moment.
“There must be a lot to talk about when two old comrades meet again. Let’s keep our distance,” Xu Yao reminded softly.
Everyone stepped back several meters, watching Cui Guoqiang sitting in front of the grave, murmuring to himself. Cui Guoqiang didn’t know how long he had been talking for, but he finally choked up and started crying uncontrollably.
“Grandpa Cui, would you like to have a drink with Grandpa Sun?” Xu Yao approached with a bottle of baijiu2.
“Of course, we have to have a couple of cups,” Cui Guoqiang wiped his tears, his dirt-covered hands mixing with the tears on his face, making him instantly dirty.
Cui Guoqiang took the white liquor from Xu Yao and poured two full cups.
The strong liquor flowed down his throat, while the other cup was poured into the dirt.
“Good liquor. Jianping likes to drink, so he should really like it too.”
Xu Yao and the other young people listened silently to Cui Guoqiang as he spoke. They then took out the fruits and flowers they had prepared earlier.
“Grandpa Sun, these are the photos of our current era. I hope you can rest easy when you see them,” Xu Yao said as she took the photos from Lu Ye and the others.
These were among the items transported by one of the planes—photos!
The photos depicted bustling skyscrapers, busy overpasses, scenic spots from various places, and various powerful weapons. Their once tattered country had now transformed into a new one.
These photos had come from all sorts of netizens, taken voluntarily for Cui Guoqiang and Sun Jianping, and Xu Yao and the others had selected the most beautiful ones to print.
Cui Guoqiang held the liquor cup and smiled, “Jianping, do you see? Times are really good now.
“Back then we were busy fighting literacy campaigns, but kids these days have it so much better. There’s nine years of compulsory education now, and the country has nurtured so many well-educated university students.
“Transportation is incredibly developed now too. You’d never guess it, you old rascal—I’ve even flown on a plane, twice!
“Old comrade…”
They stayed by the grave for a long time. It wasn’t until dusk approached that Cui Guoqiang finally staggered to his feet beside the grave mound.
He refused others’ assistance, bending down to take a small handful of yellow soil from the grave and placing it into the red cloth he once used to wrap his medals with.
“Let’s go,” Cui Guoqiang said hoarsely to Xu Yao and the others as he looked at the grave mound.
They took a few steps, but Cui Guoqiang suddenly stopped, looking at the offerings in front of the grave, and said to Xu Yao, “Yaoyao, take the fruits and food back. Jianping has already received your heartfelt wishes.”
The idea of not wasting anything was a timeless consensus that the elders of that era will always share.
Xu Yao and the others tidied up the fruits as instructed by Grandpa Cui Guoqiang, taking everything back while leaving behind only the bouquets of fresh flowers and the photos at the grave.
When Cui Guoqiang returned from the tomb-sweeping, many netizens felt that although Grandpa Cui seemed to have become much quieter, his health was still robust.
[The older generation is much stronger than us. Those who are still living must face life with strength.]
[Grandpa Cui, you can rest assured. In the future, Grandpa Sun’s grave won’t be visited by you alone—I’ll go pay my respects too.]
[I will always be grateful to those martyrs who sacrificed so much for us. We must live well and cherish everything that was so hard-won.]
[All my recent tears have been shed for Grandpa Cui and the others. I’m just a high school student and don’t know what I can do, but after thinking it over, the best thing I can do right now is study hard—that’s the best way to give back.]
Countless netizens expressed their thoughts online, and many even agreed to go together to sweep Grandpa Sun Jianping’s grave.
What does it matter if Grandpa Sun has no descendants? In the future, countless sons and daughters of China3 will be his descendants, and during the Qingming Festival, there will always be a stick of intense burning eternally at Sun Jianping’s grave, never to be extinguished.
Cui Guoqiang found Xu Yao again and, feeling a bit shy, asked, “Yaoyao, can your plane take me to the capital again?”
Cui Guoqiang finally realized who Xu Yao was—she was the landlady of the siheyuan he rented.
She was the one actively participating in the mountain wildfire relief efforts, and she was also the one who invested heavily in the variety show Hand in Hand in Our Later Years to help fulfill his dream.
Cui Guoqiang felt a bit embarrassed to trouble Xu Yao again.
Seeing him tightly clutching the red cloth, Xu Yao suddenly understood what Grandpa Cui wanted to do. She smiled and nodded, “Yes, I want to go too.”
Xu Yao asked He Fan to arrange the flight route, and they prepared to head back to the capital.
On the way, Cui Guoqiang sat by the window of the plane, holding tightly to the red cloth as he looked out and mumbled, “Jianping, you can be considered someone who has flown on a plane now, this is a top-notch plane.
“We’re about to arrive in the capital. Hey, you old codger, you’ve never been to the capital before, right? Well this time, we’re going together.”
They soon arrived in the capital, and Xu Yao led a group of people to the siheyuan where Grandpa Cui was renting a room, while Xu Yao and the others settled in the other unoccupied rooms.
Just past three in the morning, Xu Yao woke up before her alarm went off. Normally, she would sleep until noon, but for some reason today, her body reacted quickly, and her mind was alert.
Not long after Xu Yao woke up, the entire siheyuan lit up.
Everyone was washing up, and after they finished, they went with Grandpa Cui Guoqiang to the square, looking for the best spot.
More and more people gathered around, yet everything remained orderly as everyone chose their own spots.
Many people recognised Xu Yao and Cui Guoqiang, but no one screamed like a fan. They just exchanged glances with Xu Yao, smiled at each other, and then turned their attention back to the front.
As dawn broke, the national flag guard appeared before all the citizens with vigorous strides and solemn expressions, marking the start of the flag-raising ceremony.
Cui Guoqiang placed the red cloth that was wrapped around Sun Jianping’s grave soil into his left chest pocket. As the bright red national flag was raised, he saluted with his only working right hand and sang the national anthem with everyone.
As the crowd gradually dispersed, Cui Guoqiang looked at the flag fluttering in the wind. He took out the red cloth from his left chest pocket and smiled, “Jianping, both of us old brothers can now be considered as having come to the capital together to witness the flag-raising ceremony.”
Jianping, although you never visited the capital during your lifetime and never witnessed the flag-raising ceremony in front of this square with your own eyes, you still remain a hero in everyone’s hearts.
That is enough.
Their wishes were vast beyond measure—yet also so very small.
They only wanted peace and prosperity for the country, and for its people to be safe and secure… and now, that wish has come true.
Cui Guoqiang’s ultimate goal in participating in the Hand in Hand in Our Later Years dating show had already been fulfilled. The old man successfully used the power of the internet to find his old comrade from decades ago. Although this comrade-in-arms had long since passed away, he still managed to find them.
The old man’s wish has been fulfilled!
“How has the show been lately? Will it be affected?” After a few days of recuperation, Cui Guoqiang finally remembered the variety show.
Although he didn’t understand much about how variety shows operated, he had taken so many days off to support the mountain wildfire relief and even gone to meet his old comrade, undoubtedly taking up a lot of time.
Cui Guoqiang wondered if the show would be negatively impacted by him.
Feeling a bit guilty, Cui Guoqiang asked, “Has the audience for the show decreased?”
He wasn’t sure about other people’s habits, but he personally liked to binge-watch dramas, and even waiting through a commercial break left him feeling anxious, let alone his absence of so many days.
Although Cui Guoqiang did not regret going to help, he still felt a bit sorry for the production team.
Xu Yao smiled and said, “Grandpa Cui, you’re worrying too much, that’s not the case at all. In fact, there are even more people watching now.”
Xu Yao wasn’t just saying that to comfort Cui Guoqiang. She was genuinely speaking the truth.
The quality of Hand in Hand in Our Later Years was indeed lacking, but it was buoyed by the presence of Xu Yao and Cui Guoqiang, especially the celebrity grandpa Cui Guoqiang, whose story had moved countless netizens to tears.
More and more netizens learned about Cui Guoqiang, about Sun Jianping, and about the smoke of war from the past.
They may not be able to do much else, but they could still support the show by watching it.
Even though Grandpa Cui hadn’t been back on the show in recent days, the show’s usual viewership had already easily surpassed 100 million, with countless netizens sending comments online, creating a lively atmosphere.
Hearing Xu Yao say this, Cui Guoqiang felt much more at ease.
“Then I’ll continue to appear on the show, oh wait.” Cui Guoqiang suddenly blushed when he recalled how he had boldly invited Zhou Cuilan to go on a date with him to the island.
He felt a bit embarrassed, especially after hearing that the audience had increased. The production team estimated that when he returned to the show, the livestream viewership would at least reach several tens of millions, making Cui Guoqiang wish he could find a crack in the ground to hide in.
Tens of millions of people!
You mean tens of millions of netizens were going to watch him on a date?
No matter how thick-skinned he normally was, Cui Guoqiang couldn’t help but feel extremely embarrassed.
After confirming that Cui Guoqiang could continue participating in the show, the staff of the program quickly coordinated and brought him a task card:
“Grandpa Cui Guoqiang, this is a task card written for you by Grandma Zhou Cuilan.”
Cui Guoqiang took the task, opened the envelope, and pulled out a letter written in Zhou Cuilan’s very own fountain pen.
[Comrade Cui Guoqiang, would you be willing to meet with me on the island? — Little Cui.]
Cui Guoqiang treasured the task card written by Zhou Cuilan and put it away carefully in his bag, planning to keep it well. He felt a bit shy in front of the camera and said, “I’ll be right there.”
He would never forget the comrades he fought alongside, nor could he ever forget the woman who had once waited for him in the distance.
Time and again he had broken his promises—he was a man who had wronged Zhou Cuilan, yet she had never once said a word of blame.
Even when they met again decades later, Zhou Cuilan never resented his leaving back then.
While Cui Guoqiang was out supporting the wildfire relief efforts, Zhou Cuilan was mobilizing her own connections, sending food and clean water to Jinchang Town, doing everything she could to help.
In the face of a greater cause, whether they were men or women, whether their positions differed or not—none of it mattered when they were all contributing their part.
Cui Guoqiang changed into what he considered his best outfit, boarded the luxurious yacht provided by Xu Yao, and set off for the Lipana Islands.
This island date, delayed by more than ten days, was still going forward. After all, good things never come too late.
The livestream camera followed Cui Guoqiang closely. The old man’s sparse gray hair was tousled by the sea breeze, and he awkwardly reached up to smooth it down, occasionally adjusting his clothes.
[Grandpa looks very handsome today, hope everything goes smoothly! Last time, because there was a sudden wildfire, Grandpa Cui rushed to put it out. I was really worried then.]
[Making a dazzling entrance by arriving on a luxury yacht! This entrance is pretty cool too. Xu Yao is so goated4.]
[Cameraman, make sure to take a few more handsome shots! If the edited photos turn out ugly, you better watch out.]
[It’s a bit funny, Liu Yingxia pouted and begged Xu Yao to lend her her luxury yacht, but Xu Yao refused without hesitation. Then, she immediately turned around and gave it to Grandpa Cui. But Grandpa Cui deserves it; what qualifications does Liu Yingxia have to compare herself with a retired veteran?]
Liu Yingxia didn’t get to board this top-of-the-line luxury yacht, but her grand-uncle did.
The key point was that in the livestream, Cui Guoqiang didn’t treat the luxury yacht as anything special, he just saw it as a means of transportation. Liu Yingxia couldn’t quite describe her feelings at that moment, just feeling a tightness in her chest.
The variety show Hand in Hand in Our Later Years became a hit thanks to the popularity of Grandpa Cui Guoqiang. Now, netizens had all focused their attention on her grand-uncle, and she not only had no screen time but also had a major blunder in the only livestream appearance she had made.
The drone was seized by Xu Yao’s people, and a lawyer’s letter from Bo’en Law Firm was on its way.
In this variety show, she not only didn’t gain any benefit from it, but also lost fans and got herself into legal trouble!
To regain her fans, Liu Yingxia gritted her teeth and donated 100,000 yuan to the disaster-stricken people in Jinchang Town, even making sure her team promoted it well.
Sometimes, celebrities do charity just to deflect criticism. Liu Yingxia’s team immediately bought a trending topic #LiuYingxiaDonates100KToWildfireVictims.
But now, netizens seemed to be more discerning than before; not only did she not receive much praise, but she was also met with ridicule from many netizens—
[LYX, you probably spent more on this trending topic than your actual donation, right?]
[Can you not buy these trending topics? Your intentions are already obvious to everyone.]
[First off, thanks to Liu Yingxia for donating to the disaster victims. Secondly, wishing you luck in finding a good legal team to take down Bo’en Law Firm, haha. (Mm, I’m definitely not being sarcastic.)]
Anyway, the result wasn’t great.
Liu Yingxia only regretted how stupid she had been to join this variety show! She hadn’t gained much exposure from this herself but had instead boosted the popularity of a grand-uncle she had no connection to. She was clearly at a huge loss.
So, Liu Yingxia had been feeling a bit weary these days, and hadn’t been particularly attentive in setting up the date venue for Cui Guoqiang and Zhou Cuilan.
“Grandpa Cui Guoqiang has landed,” someone in the production crew on the island whispered.
Cui Guoqiang didn’t get seasick. He had finally arrived at one of the small islands in the Lipana Islands. As he stepped off the yacht, he caught sight of an elegant old lady wearing a sun hat under a tree not far away.
Cui Guoqiang took a few deep breaths and walked over in big strides, but when he looked at Zhou Cuilan, he suddenly felt a bit tongue-tied, “I—I—”
“I understand. I know.” Grandma Cuilan smiled. She understood everything—there was no need to say it out loud. If she were the kind of person who minded such things, then there wouldn’t have been this variety show date, nor would there be a lonely old woman who had spent decades clinging onto memories of the past.
She knew that the comrades who had shared life-and-death moments with him on the battlefield held an irreplaceably important place in Cui Guoqiang’s heart—and that was only right.
Cui Guoqiang’s eyes reddened almost instantly. “Then how about… we take a walk together? Th-the scenery here is quite nice.”
Cui Guoqiang felt a bit shy. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Zhou Cuilan, scratching his head as he looked at the small path ahead.
It was a seaside path, lined with trees and island scenery on both sides, beautiful and picturesque.
As young people would say, it was perfect for photos.
The two of them strolled along the path, while the filming crew quietly followed behind, capturing the moment.
It felt as though they had returned to decades ago—walking side by side, yet instinctively keeping a distance, not daring to look at each other, both gazing only at the vast ocean ahead.
After a long while, Cui Guoqiang hesitated and began secretly inching closer, little by little, until he was within less than a meter of Zhou Cuilan.
When he caught the look she cast his way, the old man’s face flushed red. His heart pounded wildly, yet he stubbornly raised his voice to retort, “Comrade Cuilan, you’re just out of touch with the times! These days it’s perfectly normal to walk close together, young people are all like this.
“Who still walks as if there’s a boundary between them like the Chu–Han divide5? That’s ancient history from decades ago!”
Cui Guoqiang had a habit where the more nervous he got, the more he talked, often rambling incoherently.
He didn’t even know what he was saying anymore, and the only sound he could still hear was the sound of his own heart racing.
Zhou Cuilan felt he was just the same as when he was young—he was always like this in such moments. She asked, “So this is what the younger generation is like?”
“That’s right, this is how young people are!” the old man said proudly, chin lifted.
Nowadays, when young men and women date, who still walks that far apart? They stick close together, sometimes so close they’re practically glued to each other!
He couldn’t quite manage that, but walking within a meter… even half a meter… that he could do.
Looking at the old lady, Cui Guoqiang felt that he was the one that was more hip, much more similar to young people these days.
The old man even shot Zhou Cuilan a slightly smug look.
Grandma Cuilan smiled warmly and said to Cui Guoqiang, “But from what I’ve seen, young people nowadays walk hand in hand.”
Old Master Cui Guoqiang was stunned.
Huh? H-hand in hand?
damn, i won’t say who cried translating this chapter and the last one QAQ (it’s me)
also sorry for the footnote dump lawl
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- The Qingming Festival (also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day) is a traditional Chinese holiday observed in early April. It is a time for families to honor their ancestors by visiting graves, cleaning tombstones, and making offerings. Beyond mourning, it also carries themes of remembrance, filial piety, and the continuation of family ties across generations. In this case, since Sun Jianping has no descendants, no one has been maintaining his grave, hence the weeds on his grave mound. ↩︎
- Baijiu (白酒, “white liquor”) is a clear, traditional Chinese spirit, typically distilled from sorghum with an ABV of 35-60%. As the world’s best-selling liquor by volume, it is renowned for its pungent aroma and complex flavor profiles—ranging from fruity to savory—categorized into aroma types like sauce, strong, and light. ↩︎
- This novel takes place in the fictional country of Hua Country, an equivalent of China. Of course, I try to keep it so that naming is consistent, but a lot of the euphemisms to China but aren’t exactly “China” perse (中国) still lead to the english translation being China—there’s simply no english equivalent. In this case, the term is “Huaxia” (华夏) which is a historical concept representing the ancestral Chinese people (though it was primarily to denote the Han people apart from other surrounding nomadic tribes at the time) To be honest, even the first character “Hua” 华 in Hua Country still refers to the Chinese people ↩︎
- “Goated” is a slang term derived from the acronym G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) that describes a person, object, or experience as being the absolute best, top-tier, or legendary. ↩︎
- The “Chu–Han divide” refers to the historical rivalry during the Chu–Han Contention, when the states of Chu and Han were in opposition. In this case, it’s a metaphor for the clear distance that couples had to adhere to back then to avoid suspicion. ↩︎
