People seem to have a strange spirit. When it is there, there are different levels of beauty, ugliness, fatness and thinness. When it is gone, all appearances are false - whether the facial features are regular or not, whether the body is tall or not, they are all wrapped in the same skin, exuding a heavy air of decadence, and there is no difference.

In the past, Xu's grandmother always said that Dou Junliang looked like a "traitor". In fact, apart from his slicked-back hair and powdered face, Dou Junliang can be considered to have a good image. He has a bit of the romantic temperament of an old-fashioned playboy, which is particularly attractive to girls who dream of becoming the "last woman of a playboy". But now, it is impossible to tell whether he is handsome or ugly, rich or poor.

When Dou Xun arrived at the hospital, Dou Junliang was strolling with the help of a nurse. Dou Xun almost didn't recognize him at first glance. After not seeing him for half a year, Dou Junliang's back had become hunched. He used to be an "uncle", but now it seems that he is not even worthy of the title of "master", like a timid big monkey.

It’s a bit pitiful—this thought suddenly popped up in Dou Xun’s mind.

Wu Fenfen was peeling an apple for her son Dou Zhang. Neither the mother nor the son came near him or spoke to him. Rather than being a family member, they looked more like a patient in the next bed. When she saw Dou Xun coming, her expression changed several times, and finally she forced a smile and stood up to talk to him: "Are you here?"

Dou Xun nodded at her, and seeing that the little boy was hiding behind her in fear, he took out a mango from the fruit basket for visiting patients and gave it to him.

Wu Fenfen pushed Dou Zhang hurriedly and said, "Have you thanked me, brother?"

The boy was used to being an only child, so he didn't know who the "big brother" was. He took the fruit and refused to say anything. Dou Xun was too lazy to acknowledge this cheap brother, so he waved at her and said, "You're welcome. Please sit down. I'll go over and take a look."

Wu Fenfen nervously stared at his back, as if Dou Xun was here to dig up the onion seedlings from her field.

"Zhu Xiaocheng told me everything." Dou Xun ignored her, walked to Dou Junliang, put the fruit basket aside, and asked, "How is your health now?"

Dou Junliang picked out the subject, predicate and object in this sentence, but he couldn't find the word "Dad". His eyes swept over the "Xiangli" logo on the fruit basket with complicated eyes, and smiled stiffly at Dou Xun: "Just wait for the time, it's okay today anyway."

The little boy, Dou Zhang, was disobedient and ran around in the ward. Wu Fenfen hurriedly shouted, "Baby, come back soon!"

Dou Junliang glanced at the mother and son following the sound, smiled bitterly, lowered his voice, and said to Dou Xun: "She said before that the hospital was not good for children and never came, so she hired two nurses for me - but as soon as your mother came back yesterday, she came immediately. She was afraid that I would not give her money after I died."

Dou Xun had no interest in discussing his concubine with Dou Junliang.

When an ordinary father is old and frail, his children should share the hospitalization expenses and fulfill their duty of care. However, Dou Junliang's situation is different. He is so poor that he only has money left. He can afford to stay in a private hospital and hire the best caregiver. There is no need for Dou Xun to share anything with anyone... It is difficult for Dou Xun to "fulfill his filial piety". Dou Xun thinks it is okay for them to meet occasionally. If he keeps appearing in front of Dou Junliang, it will easily aggravate the patient's condition.

So he asked bluntly: "Do you need me to do anything? Like take care of your wife and children or something."

Dou Junliang was silent for a moment, sighed, and pointed to the side: "Sit down, Dad wants to talk to you."

Dou Xun didn't bother to be polite with him. He sat down calmly as if he was sitting in his own living room, completely ignoring Wu Fenfen's eyes that were about to bite the corner of the quilt to poke a little man, and nodded to Dou Junliang: "You go ahead."

Before Dou Junliang spoke, he looked at Wu Fenfen silently. Wu Fenfen pretended not to know at first, but when Dou Junliang's face darkened, she reluctantly called the boy and left the ward. The nurse was also very perceptive. She gave a few instructions and then found an excuse to leave temporarily.

Dou Xun was a little amused. Although he was talking about his own business, Dou Junliang was even more nervous than him. Fearing that someone might hear him, he deliberately lowered his voice and said to him, "I have some friends who have many girls of the right age at home or among their relatives and friends. Needless to say, if you are free sometime, you can see who you like and make an appointment to meet her... You are different from me. You are a..."

Dou Junliang wanted to say, "He's a good, down-to-earth kid," but Dou Xun interrupted him first: "He's a jerk who likes men."

Dou Junliang was so provoked by him that he gasped, his face changed, and he bent down as if he was having a seizure, holding his stomach.

Dou Xun stood up and poured him a glass of water: "Calm down, didn't you know it long ago?"

Dou Junliang couldn't calm down. When a person knows that he is about to die, he will not care much about those things that cannot be brought with him when he is born or taken with him when he dies. Dou Junliang pursued the principle of living for the moment all his life. At the end of his life, he did not leave behind any self-satisfying achievements or concerns. He would not be able to see the little Dou Zhang grow up. The child would probably grow up with Wu Fenfen, and his future achievements would probably be limited. Dou Xun was the only one he could boast about. He was the offspring of his best bloodline, so how could he have flaws?

"Zhu Xiaocheng said she had advised you," Dou Xun said patiently, "it seems you didn't get the message. You're here and you're still worrying about me. I feel bad for you."

"...I don't see why you feel bad." Dou Junliang's face turned pale. He took a breath and said, "I can't leave all our Dou family's things to you. Your brother is still young and cannot be left alone. Do you understand?"

Dou Xun nodded indifferently and took an apple and peeled it slowly.

Dou Junliang: "I really want you to take care of your brother, but firstly, you are busy and not married, so it is not convenient for you to take care of a child. Secondly..."

Dou Xun: "They have to fight me to death. In the future, just let them come to me if they have any problems. I will help them in any way I can. Let's not get in each other's way at other times."

Dou Junliang said "hmm" and said very seriously: "I will leave my things to you two, half each, but there is one thing, you have to cut off all those messy relationships in the past. You know who I'm talking about, Dou Xun, I'm telling you, people have to cherish themselves and have self-respect, otherwise no matter how much money you have or how great your achievements are, what's the use?"

Dou Xun looked at Dou Junliang with a strange look.

Dou Junliang thought he had heard it, and added: "Call a lawyer when the time comes, and have you write a document for me... No, just do it. I have already written my will."

Dou Xun smiled, picked up one of Dou Junliang's coats from the side, and put it on over his hospital gown: "It's a bit cold, please wear more. Please rewrite the will. After I'm gone, tell me what you like to eat and I'll ask someone to buy it for you. You're welcome."

Xu Xilin actually came here with him, but he didn't come into the hospital. That monkey guy probably knew this would be the result.

In the eyes of people like Dou Junliang, the sky is the boss, he is the second, and women are not considered human beings. According to their qualifications, some of them are "luxury cars and watches", some are "vases", and some are "rags that can't be washed clean"... As for men who like men, they are all monsters that are half man and half woman, half human and half monster. As the eldest son that Dou Xun is quite proud of, he could have been the "third child", but he insisted on degrading himself to be a monster. How could this be possible?

Dou Junliang roared behind him: "Come back here! You...you..."

Dou Xun closed the door of the ward, blocking out all the shouting and cursing behind him, greeted the anxious Wu Fenfen politely, ate the apple he had just peeled, and walked away leisurely.

Xu Xilin, who was very outgoing, was sitting on a stone pier in the parking lot chatting with the manager. When he saw Dou Xun coming out, he immediately jumped up and carefully watched his face, fearing that he would be scolded and in a bad mood. He ran over to open the door for him and touched Dou Xun's head. Xu Xilin drove the car out. After a while, he was still worried and asked him, "How is it?"

Dou Xun leaned on the car door with one hand, sitting crookedly: "Dou Junliang told me, 'Leave that man, and the check will be yours.'"

Xu Xilin: “…”

Dou Xun laughed to himself.

It seemed that he didn't take it to heart. Xu Xilin breathed a sigh of relief and joked: "It's okay, baby, without this father, I will be your father in the future."

After hearing this, Dou Xun didn't scold him, but just looked at him expressionlessly.

Xu Xilin: "What are you looking at?"

Dou Xun said slowly: "People who take advantage of me will never have a good ending."

As a result, Xu Xilin did not have a good ending... Anyway, the grey parrot was so scared by the noise next door that it lost a feather.

Later, Xu Xilin also wrote an email to his father, briefly greeting him and mentioning his future plans and the people who would accompany him in the future. Zheng Shuo was probably very busy and didn't have time to check his personal mailbox. He replied to him three days later. He didn't say much, but just reminded him that the human rights of minorities were still on the road to struggle, asked him to be mentally prepared, and explained why he finally did not return to China - his current wife did not agree.

One person cannot do everything and take care of two kinds of life at the same time. Zheng Shuo didn't understand this in his early years and missed Xu Jin. Now he finally understands it. It's a pity that Xu Jin and his wife were not lucky and they didn't catch up with the good times.

Fortunately, although Xu Xilin was a bit like him, he grew up more sensible earlier than him, so he didn't have to waste so much time running around.

Half a year later, Dou Junliang, who thought he had a great soul, could not survive the decay of his body and finally died. He lived to be 61, which was a bit premature. I don't know what he was thinking before he died. Maybe he wanted to find a reliable way out for his youngest son. He didn't cut off his blood connection with Dou Xun, and didn't give him much. Before he died, he cashed in the house he lived in and left it to Dou Xun... It was a memorial to him that he was a member of this family and lived in this house when he was a child.

Dou Xun was not short of money, so there was no point in keeping so much cash. He thought of the Xu family and wanted to buy the house back. Xu Xilin failed to persuade him, so he had to accompany him. The two of them revisited the old place and walked around the familiar yet strange house. The little girl of the owner's family happened to be playing in the yard. She looked at them warily: "Who are you looking for?"

Dou Xun asked her: "Can you please call your parents? We want to buy this house."

Xu Xilin: “…”

He was a step too slow to stop it.

The little girl stared at Dou Xun with her eyes wide open for a while, then she yelled, "Mom, there are two psychopaths here!"

Xu Xilin's eloquence was tied up in the knot, and he finally managed to explain everything to the landlord. He felt so embarrassed. Fortunately, the owner who bought the house that year still had some impression of him, and very kindly invited them both in for a drink of water... and then rejected Dou Xun's request to buy the house.

Other people’s whole families live well in their houses, why would they sell it?

Dou Xun acted on impulse and didn't think of this, feeling a little frustrated.

Xu Xilin said, "It's just the two of us. Can't we sleep in one bed? We still have two rooms unused at home. Why do we need such a big place?"

I don't know which word in this sentence made Uncle Dou happy, and he never mentioned buying a house again. He took out some money and invested it in Lao Cheng's flower shop, renovated it, and asked General Manager Xu to personally reposition the product and marketing strategy, and asked Cai Jing to write a book for the flower shop. Because Lao Cheng refused to change the name, in order to match the name of "Grandpa", the book tells a love story in the old society.

Xu Xilin published the book at his own expense, bound it properly, and sold it in "Grandpa" Flower Shop. It sold well and he made no loss. "Grandpa" Flower Shop was even listed on a travel magazine's recommendation for in-depth tours of hutong shops, and business gradually picked up.

Lao Cheng felt happy as soon as he got some sunshine, and felt that his ten years of ups and downs of bad luck would come to an end. He insisted on dragging them to find a temple to worship the God of Wealth. So the four non-mainstream "Three Zhang" youths took the barbecue racks and found a temple to worship the God of Wealth in the suburbs, and even had a barbecue to support Lao Cheng's feudal superstitious activities.

Lao Cheng kept praying in the dilapidated temple, muttering to himself for more than ten minutes. It was a sunny day when he came, but he kept muttering until the sky was cloudy. Xu Xilin remembered Lao Cheng's crazy mouth and hurriedly stepped forward to drag him away: "Let's come back to express our feelings in a few days, okay? Let's stop here today. I think you are about to anger the God of Wealth."

Before he could finish his words, it started raining outside.

On that day, Xu Xilin's car was restricted, so they drove Lao Cheng's old manual transmission car. They returned to the city in the drizzle. Lao Cheng was still not satisfied and talked about the past. As he was talking, he suddenly remembered: "By the way, do you remember how we used to sit in class?"

Xu Xilin and Cai Jing sat at the same table, Lao Cheng sat in front of them, and Dou Xun was a transfer student who sat just behind them.

"We call this the Iron Cross!" Lao Cheng said excitedly, "It also looks like the Super 'x'... Hey, Lao Xu, can you drive?"

After waiting for the red light, Xu Xilin inexplicably couldn't shift into gear.

Xu Xilin cursed: "Fuck you, how long has it been since you last inspected it?"

He tried for a long time but couldn't start the car. He guessed that the battery was broken - the old man really angered the gods.

Dou Xun had no choice but to call a tow truck, but the truck couldn't hold so many people. Dou Xun said, "It's okay. Let's walk a little further and get a taxi in front."

As he spoke, he pushed open the car door first, half of his body stood in the drizzle, and stretched out a hand to Xu Xilin.

Lao Cheng was even more polite: "Hey, I also..."

Cai Jing grabbed him by the back of his neck and pulled him back: "Do you want to be a light bulb?"

Lao Cheng: “…”

Xu Xilin waved at them from a distance, and then was dragged by Dou Xun into the heavy rain. The splashing water quickly wet the trouser legs of his casual suit, but Xu Xilin didn't care at all and whistled playfully, as if he was still a young 16-year-old.

If you have a raincoat and a rain hat, why not live your life to the fullest?