A Sand Sculpture in the Red Dust - Chapter 8

Chapter 8 – Cactus Flowers

　　Out of curiosity, the secretary stretched his neck and tried to catch the words on the screen. Gradually, his expression changed slightly.

　　Qin Jin’s hand had distinct joints. He slid it gently, his eyes fixed on the circle of friends that almost made Gao Xun vomit blood:

　　[He can make lunch boxes, take care of the kids at home, and make midnight snacks. Thanks to him, my perspective on men has completely changed now (smile.jpg).]

　　After reading every word, Qin Jin tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and Gao Xun wondered what he was thinking.

　　Silence spread in the box, leaving only Gao Xun’s inner uneasiness.

　　After a while, Qin Jin finally spoke: “Send a message to ask Li Xichun if she really thinks her brother is that good.”

　　Facing his boss’s changeable face, Gao Xun hesitated and typed the words. It happened that he hadn’t spoken to his girlfriend for a few days, so this could be used as an excuse to reconnect with her.

　　His thumb hovered over the send button for a few seconds, and after a slight hesitation, he pressed it.

　　Three minutes had passed, and Qin Jin’s patience ran out: “Did she reply?”

　　Gao Xun was shocked: “She deleted me.”

　　There was a red exclamation mark on the phone screen, proving that he had not been in the other party’s friend list earlier.

　　•=|=•

　　This night was a torment for many people.

　　Li Xichun despises the evasive behavior of deleting people without making things clear. Even if they break up, she will clearly announce to the other party that they want to separate. But this time, she made an exception because of a whim.

　　After being angry, she felt empty again.

　　She took out a small mirror and looked herself up and down, and was startled when she saw the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.

　　Let’s go back five minutes.

　　At that time, Li Xiangfu was making tea. Any movement through his hands was like art. The fragrance of tea filled the air, and a cup with a light green color was brought to him. Li Xichun hesitated for a second before reaching out to take it.

　　——It’s pleasing to the eyes.

　　This was the only phrase she could think of at the moment.

　　”Green tea can reduce fever.” Li Xiangfu, like tea, has gotten rid of his restlessness.

　　There was no trace of the playful little brother in him. Li Xichun sighed: “You have grown up.”

　　After four years, Li Xiangfu asked about the other person’s boyfriend for the first time: “His name is Gao…”

　　”Gao Xun.” As if thinking of some beautiful memories in the past, Li Xichun smiled with her eyes curved.

　　Li Xiangfu waited patiently for the next step.

　　Li Xichun commented from a very objective perspective: “…he is a person with strong ambitions and prospects for his career.”

　　Gao Xun is serious about his work and has no romantic interests. He has no ambiguous partner around him. This is what attracted her in the beginning.

　　Li Xiangfu nodded: “Then where is your disagreement?”

　　Hearing this, Li Xichun was immediately helpless: “Workaholics are understandable, but the problem is his male chauvinism. He hopes that after getting married and having children, I can temporarily put down my work.”

　　Gao Xun thought it would be better for the child to be taken care of by the mother herself. Besides, as a girl from a wealthy family with no worries about food and clothing, she was fully capable of doing so.

　　However, Li Xichun has invested a lot of effort in developing her gallery to where it is today, and he is reluctant to give up.

　　”I will definitely try my best to take care of the child. When I am busy, I will ask the elders to help take care of it. I don’t understand why he is not happy about it.” Li Xichun sighed: “People around me also think I am hypocritical.”

　　Li Xiangfu did not directly accuse Gao Xun from the perspective of a relative, but said: “This is not a problem.”

　　”If you have children in the future, I can help take care of them. It’s just right that the child can be a playmate of Shasha.”

　　”I’m also good at painting and playing chess, so I should be qualified to be the child’s enlightenment teacher. You don’t have to worry about housework. If you don’t have time to cook, I can help prepare an extra lunch box.”

　　•=|=•

　　Many points were mentioned in an orderly manner, covering almost all possible troubles.

　　Li Xichun was attracted by the blueprint he described, but realized something was wrong after a moment: “You have done everything you should do, so what’s the use of him being a father?”

　　”Yes, it’s useless.” Li Xiangfu nodded and said calmly: “So don’t block it, keep it for the New Year?”

　　Li Xichun was stunned for a moment, then deleted Gao Xun’s contact.

　　Witnessing this operation, Li Xiangfu said seriously: “The child’s father is gone, and there will be no children for the time being. All problems have been solved satisfactorily.”

　　Li Xichun’s lips moved: “Xiang Fu…”

　　Li Xiangfu was carrying a teapot to add water when he turned around and said, “No need to thank me.”

　　“…”

　　Just as he walked into the kitchen, he suddenly heard Li Xichun howling: “Someone rang the doorbell.”

　　Li Xiangfu poked his head out of the kitchen and said, “If I’m not mistaken, you’re only a few meters away from the door.”

　　Li Xichun shook her feet and said unhappily, “Is it appropriate for a girl like me to open the door? What if it’s a bad guy?”

　　Li Xiangfu walked over and looked at the intercom screen. It was a courier.

　　”Who are you looking for?” he asked symbolically.

　　”There is an expedited delivery, and the recipient is Li Xiangfu.” The courier shook the item in his hand at the camera.

　　Li Xichun heard a voice over there: “Did you buy anything?”

　　Li Xiangfu shook his head.

　　Li Xichun sat up from the sofa and hid behind the door with a baseball bat.

　　Li Xiangfu opened the door. He was not an outlaw. He simply waited for him to sign for the package, and then the courier man left in a hurry.

　　He touched it roughly and found that the file bag was only a thin layer. He took the fruit knife handed to him by Li Xichun, opened it. He dropped a beautiful card and a few dried petals.

　　”Oh! A love letter.” Li Xichun was delighted. She picked up the sealed bag and tried hard to identify the very abstract sender’s name on it. Finally, she declared failure: “I guess the sender is a medical student.”

　　The words on the card were not sloppy, but rather beautiful. There were only a few short lines: Welcome back, my friend.

　　Li Xiangfu stared at the word “Welcome back” for a few seconds. He didn’t know if he was being too suspicious, but he always felt that it meant something else.

　　The window was not closed, and a gust of wind blew in, scattering flower petals everywhere.

　　Li Xichun suddenly exclaimed, picked up a petal stuck on the edge of the sofa and examined it carefully, frowning: “Cactus flower.”

　　Li Xiangfu didn’t know much about flowers: “Is there anything particular about it?”

　　”It’s not particular, but it’s very expensive.” Li Xichun explained: “This is an extremely rare cactus flower with an irregular flowering period. There was once a precedent of one flower being sold at a high price of tens of millions.”

　　”That’s it? Ten million.” Li Xiangfu recalled the remaining balance on his debit card after buying the guqin. His expression was very interesting. He immediately asked very realistically: “If I sell it…”

　　Li Xichun interrupted with a smile: “You need to have a complete living plant. Selling these withered petals for even a few dozen yuan seems expensive.”

　　She didn’t say anything when Li Xiangfu was there. After she saw him going up the stairs and confirmed the sound of the door closing, Li Xichun made a phone call.

　　”Someone sent him some Siga cactus flowers… yeah… it’s a bit too coincidental…”

　　As she walked toward the courtyard while talking on the phone, the sound gradually faded until it could no longer be heard.

　　On the second floor, Li Xiangfu stood against the wall, but did not really enter the room. After listening to the corner, he began to search for information about Siga cactus flowers on his mobile phone. Li Shasha, who had been reading in the house, opened the door: “What are you doing standing outside?”

　　Just as Li Xiangfu was about to speak, a web page popped up.

　　Siga cactus flowers are a major feature of Tianxi Ancient Village. This village is one of the few tribes that has preserved its original ecological civilization. It has a unique food culture for local residents. The surrounding glaciers and potholes are all attractions worth exploring.

　　Unfortunately, due to poor transportation and insufficient publicity, it has not been fully developed. Occasionally, some adventurous hikers will go hiking together.

　　Just as he was about to click on a picture to take a closer look, he suddenly felt dizzy and Li Xiangfu’s body swayed. Fortunately, Li Shasha came out and supported him, so he did not fall.

　　”I’m fine,” he walked into the room and sat down on the chair, “It may be due to insufficient blood supply to the brain.”

　　After feeling a little more comfortable, he opened the drawer and took out the booklet he had found earlier. The last attraction was Tianxi Ancient Village. There were densely written guides on the sticky notes, indicating that Tianxi Ancient Village might be the place where his boyhood adventure would end.

　　Touching the words on it, Li Xiangfu said slowly: “After the accident, my family was very reluctant to talk about it. They just said that I was playing around and took risks and encountered an accident.”

　　But there is no mention of where he ended up.

　　He closed the book and told Li Shasha about the cactus flower.

　　Li Shasha is very logical: “Make a list of suspects first.”

　　Li Xiangfu had already flipped through his address book, but he didn’t find a single target. He had many friends in the past, but none of them would send something like this for no reason. Most of them were like Liu Yu, and they were more concerned about whether he had been completely abandoned by his family.

　　Li Shasha has a photographic memory: “The person I met in the clothing store that day was hostile to you.”

　　”Luo An?” Li Xiangfu put his hand on his chin and hesitated for a moment: “Unlikely.”

　　Luo An couldn’t stand seeing himself doing well, but the other party’s point of entry was to sow discord between him and his family. This express delivery was obviously more targeted at him.

　　The sender’s address on the map turned out to be an amusement park, and the phone number was no longer in service. Nowadays, there are courier agencies everywhere, so trying to find the person here is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

　　Li Xiangfu blinked and suddenly took out the business card he received at the wedding.

　　It does not have the light and cheap feeling of traditional business cards. The overall tone is black and gold, which makes people think of Qin Jin’s serious face.

　　He successfully searched for the other party’s chat account through the mobile phone number, and the nickname was the real name. Li Xiangfu’s eyes were fixed on the “Add Friend” column, but he didn’t take action.

　　Li Shasha helped to click.

　　Li Xiangfu glanced at him and said nothing more. He typed in the verification information column: [Thank you for the cactus flowers.]

　　Although Qin Jin was gloomy, his every move revealed his strong confidence and composure. Facing a young man who had accomplished nothing, he simply didn’t bother to lie.

　　If he had sent the flowers, there was no need to deny it.

　　With the intention of testing the waters, Li Xiangfu thought that he would most likely receive a rejection message. However, as soon as he put his phone down, the screen lit up again. Not only was his friend request approved, but the other party even sent him a message: [It wasn’t sent by me.]

　　Li Xiangfu responded quickly: [Sorry, I misunderstood.]

　　There was no response from the other end.

　　After making sure he had finished chatting, Li Shasha walked over and said what he wanted: “I want to buy a Rubik’s Cube.”

　　”Buy it.”

　　Li Xiangfu didn’t even want to agree.

　　Li Shasha took out a list while the iron was hot: “There are also these.”

　　At first, Li Xiangfu had a gentle look on his face, but his smile gradually disappeared when he saw the automatic robot. He searched for the model he liked and found that the price was as much as his own guqin.

　　Li Shasha looked at him with eyes that said he would never let his children suffer no matter how hard the situation was.

　　”Times have changed.” The hand that rubbed his head slightly exerted force, and Li Xiangfu’s eyes flashed coldly as he warned: “I don’t have any crazy suitors here.”

　　The days when kings and nobles spent huge sums of money just to get a smile are gone forever.

　　Li Shasha had already prepared and selected the ten most profitable professions, one of which was top star: “Based on my father’s talent, it would only take a year or two for him to rise to prominence.”

　　The call of “Dad” was very proactive.

　　Li Xiangfu told him to give up: “It’s too tiring, and it’s out of my pursuit.”

　　Pursuit?

　　Li Shasha asked tentatively: “Are the years peaceful and tranquil?”

　　Li Xiangfu added: “There is also money to be taken.”

　　The two looked at each other, and Li Shasha thought hard: “Is there really such a good thing?”

　　Li Xiangfu was silent.

　　Unlike other wealthy families, except for the period when he behaved recklessly, there were no disputes over property among the Li family’s children, and the old man would not allow anyone to just receive a sum of money every month and live a life of idleness and waiting to die.

　　That is to say, he had just returned to China and had some time to buffer the situation. This kind of life probably wouldn’t last too long.

　　Good things don’t work, but bad things do.

　　While he was talking, he received a text message from Li Huaichen: [The company has a vacancy recently, you can come for an internship at any time.]

　　Li Shasha asked beside him: “How much is the internship salary?”

　　”More than five thousand.”

　　Li Shasha calculated and found that it was not enough to buy an automatic robot. He said coldly: “Reject him.”

　　“…”

　　Li Xiangfu himself was not ready to agree, and replied to the message saying that he had no intention for the time being.

　　The next moment, Li Huaichen called directly and said straight to the point, “The reason.”

　　Li Xiangfu: “Working from nine to five affects my romantic life.”

　　Li Huaichen did not force it and asked, “What are your plans for the future?”

　　Li Xiangfu responded honestly: “I am gradually experiencing the joy of life in a corner forgotten by the world.”

　　The implication is: Please let me quietly be an uneducated rich second-generation, thank you.

　　There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, and after a moment Li Huaichen concluded: “Okay.”

　　Li Xiangfu breathed a sigh of relief, his lips curled up slightly. Before he could finish his words of thanks, he heard the other side say, “You will pay for the children’s schooling, and you will also have to bear part of the daily household expenses.”

　　Li Xiangfu said dryly: “What about human rights?”

　　Li Huaichen: “I paid for your studies abroad. By the way, I also pay for your monthly pocket money out of my own pocket. According to Dad’s original intention, you should work and study and pay for your living expenses.”

　　Li Xiangfu had nothing to say.

　　‘I can only be grateful.’

　　”Think of a plan as soon as possible. If you can solve the above problems before the end of the month, you can do whatever you want.”

　　Li Huaichen hung up the phone first, and a cold busy tone lingered in his ears.

　　Li Shasha was very calm. Seeing that it was getting late, he prepared to go back to his room to rest. Anyway, the responsibility of supporting the family would not fall on him.

　　”It was a bad idea.”

　　Staring at the gracefully leaving back, Li Xiangfu narrowed his eyes.

　　What’s the point of recognizing a son? What he should have recognized was a godfather.

　　Li Shasha was in a good mood. Unlike his own high level of appreciation, his system was tone-deaf, and he hummed a little tune with the singing skills of a crow all the way to the room. It happened that Li Xichun came upstairs after finishing his phone call. When she saw him, her expression eased a little. She bent down and asked gently, “There are no children of the same age around. Will it be boring?”

　　Li Shasha shook his head.

　　Li Xichun thought that Li Shasha was not good at expressing himself. At his age, who didn’t like to play with friends? She consoled him by saying, “The arrangements for school have already been made. You will have many friends in a few days.”

　　“…”

　　Hearing this, Li Shasha’s cold mask that didn’t match his age began to shatter a little: “School?”

　　Li Xichun nodded: “Six years old is just the right age to enter the first grade. By then, you will definitely be the smartest kid in the class.”

　　Li Shasha stiffened his neck, turned back without saying a word, and leaned against the door as soon as he entered the room: “Do I still have a chance to be your godfather?”

　　Li Xiangfu frowned at the nonsense words, then shook his head.

　　How can a child that big just disappear?

　　”In any case, I don’t want to go to school.” Li Shasha said firmly.

　　Li Xiangfu glanced at him, probably guessed what was going on, and said calmly: “Compulsory education, nine years, understand?”

　　The room instantly fell into silence so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Li Shasha straightened up little by little. He seemed very calm, but his lips trembled.

　　Seeing this, Li Xiangfu sighed softly: “Are you okay?”

　　Nine years… Li Shasha’s head was buzzing with shock from this number. After he calmed down, he spoke word by word, “I will spend my whole life trying to heal my childhood.”