A Sand Sculpture in the Red Dust - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Buying A Guqin

　　The person involved was very calm, and the person being asked for money had no expression on his face. Zhao Kai was the only one left, and he didn’t know whether to leave or stay.

　　Li Huaichen glanced up and down at this younger brother whom he hadn’t seen for a long time, and he didn’t even scold him when he spoke: “There is a limit on mobile phone transfers. I will ask someone to call you tomorrow morning.”

　　The goal was achieved, and Li Xiangfu asked in cooperation: “When will we go for the test?”

　　Li Huaichen said calmly: “Wait until I’m free.”

　　Li Xiangfu was stunned. This man was notoriously busy and it would take who knows how long until he would be free.

　　After standing there for two seconds without saying anything, he came to his senses and led Li Shasha, two figures, one big and one small, disappeared around the corner upstairs. Hearing the sound of the door closing, Zhao Kai couldn’t wait to say, “I’ll go arrange your schedule for you.”

　　“No need.”

　　The next words he was about to say were swallowed down by the brief rejection. Zhao Kai was unsure of what his boss was thinking and stood there awkwardly.

　　Li Huaichen: “It’s true that he is trying to extort money. Look at how confident he is. Even if we do an appraisal, the result won’t be wrong.”

　　Zhao Kai thought about it carefully and felt that the young master seemed to be doing it on purpose. He just felt a little relieved, but his worries became stronger again when he saw his boss… Li Huaichen was the most well-behaved one in the family. He would not cross his legs even when sitting normally.

　　Li Xiangfu was different. In the past, he would stand against the wall and cross his legs when sitting, always showing a relaxed and contented look.

　　But today, the man sat upright from beginning to end.

　　Zhao Kai suddenly became uncertain again.

　　•=|=•

　　Upstairs, because the nanny was not at home, Li Shasha’s room had not been cleaned up yet. As a result, he was temporarily staying in Li Xiangfu’s room tonight.

　　Li Xiangfu’s bed is big enough, so there’s no need to squeeze in. With each person sharing a quilt, the space between the two of them feels like there’s a Pacific Ocean between them.

　　As a system, Li Shasha has no empathy, only curiosity about new things. He knows that Li Xiangfu had a bad relationship with his family, but he doesn’t know the specific reason. From an exploratory perspective, he asked: “What bad things have you done?”

　　Li Xiangfu can’t remember clearly. Many things seem like a distant dream. In just a few years, he can’t even remember the names of his high school classmates.

　　”Fighting? Skipping classes…” He tried to recall a few of them and his head started to hurt.

　　”Are you feeling unwell?” Li Shasha got out of bed and poured him a glass of water.

　　Li Xiangfu sat up and he felt a little better after drinking some water.

　　”When I was in high school, I liked traveling and exploring. I often skipped classes and tried every way to go outside, especially to dangerous places, snow-capped mountains and glaciers, trenches and islands… I thought I was looking for a wider world, but I didn’t know how high the sky was and how deep the earth was. In the end, I suffered a great loss,” Li Xiangfu frowned. “My family almost went crazy that time. They hired people to look for me everywhere. They linked my past bad deeds and the media exaggerated the report, which caused a very bad public impact.”

　　Li Shasha: “How did you get into danger?”

　　Li Xiangfu shook his head: “When I was rescued, my head was still bleeding. Not to mention the situation at that time, I can’t remember many things that happened further back.”

　　”During my hospital stay, my former friends hinted at me intentionally or unintentionally that if something serious happened, I would be kicked out of the house sooner or later. Plus, my mother was instigating a fight over the family property…”

　　At this point his tone gradually weakened.

　　Mr. Li was a very old-fashioned and strict man. He married two wives in total. The first one was a family marriage. Both of the women had the same personality. After several years of persistence, they finally couldn’t stand it and broke up peacefully. The second one was Li Xiangfu’s biological mother. At that time, Mr. Li summed up the reasons for the failure of his first marriage and found someone with a completely opposite personality, who was energetic, smooth, and a little vain.

　　He mistakenly believed that this would help maintain the marriage longer. However, his second wife was not only a little vain, but also had unspeakable ambitions, and in the end the marriage failed again.

　　”All kinds of bad things happened to me. Whenever I went out, I would be spotted by the media. Schools with a little reputation tried to avoid me, so I was sent abroad.”

　　Li Shasha’s eyes widened slightly, like a cat’s, and the dull color revealed a bit of disbelief. He couldn’t imagine that the host had such absurd and unruly years.

　　However, his core is a machine after all, and he subconsciously began to speculate: “The host has unclear memories, and his understanding of himself is mainly based on the outside world and the consequences, which may not be accurate.”

　　Li Xiangfu corrected expressionlessly: “Call me daddy.”

　　”…” Li Shasha never let the subject change, and continued: “According to the character value detected when binding to the host, Dad, you scored above 90.”

　　Li Xiangfu found it a little unbelievable. After a moment, he touched his head and said, “Maybe.”

　　Whatever the truth is, it is no longer that important. It’s not like someone is forcing him to do such absurd things with a gun to his head.

　　Lying in the familiar environment for the first time in a long time, Li Xiangfu fell asleep quickly. That night, the scenes in his dream were bizarre and the world was mottled into pieces of color blocks within reach. He stretched out his hand to restore it, but he didn’t know where to start.

　　In the morning, he was awakened by the sound of money arriving in his bank account. Guys thin clothes were soaking wet when he woke up. The heavy rain last night did not dispel the dryness of summer.

　　Covering his eyes, Li Xiangfu tried to block out the faint light seeping through the curtains.

　　After a pause, he stood up and took out a hairband from his suitcase and tied it hastily. There were still a few strands of hair scattered on his temples, and he looked thin and sickly beautiful.

　　The amount received was exactly 200,000, no more, no less.

　　Li Huaichen had gone to the company. Li Xiangfu didn’t even know when. Aunt Zhang, who was in charge of cooking, hadn’t seen him for a long time. She rubbed her hands on her apron nervously and said, “Xiang Fu is back.”

　　Li Xiangfu smiled at her: “Aunt Zhang, I want to drink…”

　　”Soy milk.” Aunt Zhang knew his preference very well and brought him a cup of soy milk at just the right temperature.

　　”I had something to do at home yesterday and I was in a hurry to go back, so I didn’t prepare dinner.”

　　”It’s okay.” Li Xiangfu took a sip of soy milk and said, “Just go ahead and do your work. Don’t worry about me.”

　　Li Shasha came downstairs later after washing his face. Aunt Zhang asked him clearly to make sure that there was nothing he couldn’t eat, and then prepared some hot milk. She had worked for the Li family for decades, and she would not ask any more questions no matter how surprising the scene was.

　　Before Li Huaichen left in the morning, he told her thatLi Xiangfu had brought back a child. At that time, she was only thinking about preparing breakfast and didn’t say anything or think too much.

　　Li Xiangfu sometimes admires this way of dealing with things.

　　After dinner, he called Li Shasha and prepared to go out to buy a guqin.

　　The newer the musical instrument, the better it is. On the contrary, some musical instruments with a sense of age or stories can add a lot of color to themselves. Li Xiangfu plans to go to Qizhenju for a tour. If he is lucky, he can find some good things there.

　　None of the cars in the garage belonged to him, and he didn’t know where his car keys were. Li Xiangfu was considering whether to take a taxi, and Liu Yu called him at this critical moment.

　　”It was too late yesterday, how about booking the bar today?”

　　Li Xiangfu: “I have something to do.”

　　Liu Yu always liked to smile and laugh. Most people would suggest meeting up another time, but he insisted on asking: “What are you going to do? There are huge changes in China now. If you want to go out and have fun, I can take you.”

　　The free driver came to his door, so he had no reason to push it away: “Qizhenju.”

　　The man on the other end hesitated strangely for a while before saying, “Qizhenju has a new owner. It’s now called Luoxia Pavilion. Are you sure you want to go?”

　　Li Xiangfu only cared about whether he could buy the musical instrument he liked: “Still doing the same business?”

　　”Yes.” Liu Yu didn’t know if his brain was suddenly not working properly, and there was a delay of several seconds in answering the question.

　　Li Xiangfu: “Then thank you for your help.”

　　After the call, Liu Yu felt a little annoyed and regretted taking the initiative to talk about being a driver.

　　This area is full of high-end residential areas, so Liu Yu arrived very quickly. Halfway through the drive, he specifically asked, “Are you really not considering other places?”

　　Li Xiangfu realized that there was something behind his words: “What’s so special about this place?”

　　While waiting for the traffic light, Liu Yu opened the window, put his elbow on the window sill, pursed his lips and said: “Luoxia Pavilion is the property of the Qin family.”

　　The speed at which the Qin family rose was legendary. Li Xiangfu often heard other international students mention it when he was studying abroad.

　　”Does he have business friction with my family?”

　　‘Not with your family, but with you.’ Liu Yu suspected more than once that Li Xiangfu’s memory problems were a smokescreen to evade responsibility, but now it seems that he has wrongly blamed him.

　　Thinking back to when Mr. Li had hinted that he should not mention things that shouldn’t be mentioned in front of Li Xiangfu, Liu Yu naturally wouldn’t be the first to speak out, and said vaguely, “It seems so.”

　　Without actively changing the topic, he sped up as soon as the red light passed and soon arrived at his destination.

　　Li Xiangfu looked through the car window and saw Luoxia Pavilion clearly in his field of vision.

　　The red morning sun shines down along the golden plaque, the two colors interweave and blend, and the scene of ducks playing in the water is looming. Judging from the momentum, it deserves the name of Luoxia Pavilion.

　　He thought the store might not be open at this time, but there was already a security guard standing at the door.

　　The security guard opened the door for them, and the smell of snacks hit them when they entered.

　　”The first floor is a teahouse for guests to discuss and exchange ideas,” Liu Yu introduced. “To go to the second floor or above, you need to find a special person to lead you. Regardless of whether the transaction is successful, you must first pay a 2,000 yuan service fee.”

　　Li Xiangfu raised his eyebrows: “What kind of statement is this?”

　　Liu Yu: “All items sold above the second floor have been appraised by experts, so the possibility of mistakes is small.”

　　Li Xiangfu chuckled and said, “This blocks the way to find bargains.”

　　Liu Yu thought for a moment and said, “You can say that.”

　　But most of the people who come here are rich, and they are more worried about being cheated than finding a bargain. Besides, 2,000 yuan is not expensive, so paying it makes people feel relieved.

　　The second floor was filled with small stuff, so Li Xiangfu took a look around and prepared to go upstairs. As soon as he stood at the elevator entrance, someone came to him and introduced the types of things upstairs and explained the service fees.

　　Li Xiangfu has such a good temperament, and he was holding a cute little boy. When they were taking the elevator, the employee couldn’t help but take a few more glances at him.

　　”Please take me directly to see the guqin.”

　　Liu Yu was surprised: “When did you become interested in these things?”

　　He always felt that Li Xiangfu’s return this time was indescribably strange. Previously, he resumed contact with him because the other party still had chips to turn the tide. Now, curiosity and suspicion arose during the contact.

　　”Always.” Li Xiangfu showed no expression: “I have taken time to study it.”

　　He has been left at large in recent years, and with an ocean between us, no one can trace his entire journey abroad.

　　He focused on the selection and soon picked one that he liked. Both the paint and the wood were above average. The employee called someone to test the sound. When the strings were plucked, the sound was deep but not dull. Li Xiangfu closed his eyes and listened for a moment, then nodded, “This is it.”

　　This guitar was priced at 120,000 yuan, which was considered good value for money for a guitar of the same level, so he simply swiped his card to pay.

　　Liu Yu stood aside with his arms folded: “I thought you would at least buy an antique grade one.”

　　Li Xiangfu smiled but said nothing. If a guqin of that level was speculated, it would cost at least tens of millions. If he really asked his family for it, he would probably be kicked out.

　　He turned to Li Shasha and said, “Is there anything you want?”

　　Li Shasha was about to speak when he said, “Think about it first, I’ll take you to the supermarket later.”

　　“…”

　　Home delivery is provided here. Li Xiangfu left his address and offered to treat Liu Yu to a meal when he went downstairs as a thank you for accompanying him.

　　Liu Yu’s smile was a little unnatural: “Let’s eat somewhere else.”

　　Every time he stayed a moment longer, he felt that he would run into the Qin family’s members the next moment.

　　”Okay, what do you want to eat?”

　　Liu Yu breathed a sigh of relief and randomly mentioned a place.

　　Not long after they left, a car stopped outside Luoxia Pavilion and the assistant got out of the car. Originally, he just stopped by to pick up an ordered handicraft, but when he came back, the assistant was in a hurry.

　　The car window slowly rolled down, and a slightly gloomy voice came from inside: “What’s wrong?”

　　Assistant: “The people inside said that the young master of the Li family came here just now and bought a GuQin.”

　　The man in the car was Qin Jin. Unlike other businessmen, he was always ruthless and didn’t leave any room for his enemies. People in the circle once predicted that he wouldn’t last long, because once such a ruthless man lost power, his enemies would definitely rush over like leeches and eat up all his horse’s jerks, leaving nothing but bones.

　　However, ruthlessness is sometimes indeed a means of survival in the world. This work style attracted a group of people who also valued efficiency. Qin Jin never skimped on salary and provided enough channels for promotion.

　　Hearing the report at this moment, he suddenly laughed softly, and his pale face showed a hint of color.

　　The assistant swallowed his saliva fearfully, as if he was facing a shark before feeding. He had worked with his boss for a long time and knew that some of the rumors were not groundless.

　　Qin Jin has a half-brother, with whom he is said to have a good relationship. He went on an expedition with Li Xiangfu and his whereabouts are still unknown. The Li family issued an amnesia report and refused to allow anyone to disturb him.

　　In such a harsh environment with a lack of food and fresh water, one cannot help but wonder whether Li Xiangfu had done something extreme to survive.

　　Thinking of this, the assistant pursed his dry lips… There were no corpses, no witnesses, and Qin Jin’s strength at that time was not enough to compete with the wealthy, so it was difficult to get justice.

　　Things are different now. The only survivor from that year returns to China at this time. Thinking of the boss’s past style of doing things, the assistant can already imagine the tragic fate of the young master of the Li family in the future.

　　Qin Jin always gave people the illusion of being intimidating without being angry when he spoke. He narrowed his eyes and asked, “How is he?”

　　The question was out of context, so the assistant replied cautiously, “I heard he lost weight.”

　　The secretary, who was sitting in the passenger seat, was very good at adapting to the situation: “He must have had a very frightening life.” After a pause, he asked: “Has he lost a lot of weight?”

　　The assistant whispered, “He’s about… thin enough to debut.”

　　This is all a humble statement. According to the staff’s description, he looks exactly like a god.

　　”…” The secretary tried to make amends: “It’s been four years, some changes are normal.”

　　”If I were to say what the biggest change is,” the assistant recalled the conversation with the staff, “four years later, his child is already six years old.”

　　“…”

　　The author has something to say:

　　Li Xiangfu: In the early morning, what wakes me up is not the alarm clock, but the notification sound of money arriving into the account.