It was almost five o'clock, and the sunset was hanging in the sky, but the temperature was still hot, which was unbearable.

Chen Huai didn't want his sister-in-law to make things difficult, but he couldn't rush to the city office in Beijing at this time to ask Chen Bing and others to see the clues. When he walked into the alley, he didn't know which direction he was going to.

Although Chen Huai had been living in Yanjing for several years, he was also left in a boarding school, rarely contacted the Song family, and rarely entered Yanjing City. In the past seven or eight years, Yanjing's urban construction has been very strong, and his appearance has changed a lot, so Chen Huai's memory of this area has become even more blurred.

Chen Huai was standing at the entrance of the alley, feeling very unfamiliar for a moment, and he didn't know where he was standing.

Chen Huai knew that when his sister-in-law Song Wenhui returned to the city, she got a small courtyard house, which should be here. However, before 1990, no matter how high the status was, the living environment of the small courtyard house was generally poor, so my sister-in-law and my uncle moved to the house that was distributed in the electricity part, which was the apartment house in the morning.

After my aunt was transferred to Southeast Electric Power Construction Group, the apartment was empty there. At about the same time, Yanjing City had a key renovation of the Siheyuan area, which was the first area where the ministries and the military commissions lived in concentrated areas. The living conditions on Siheyuan Hutong were greatly improved, and the public security conditions were definitely not comparable to ordinary residential areas. My aunt and her friends would live here occasionally when they returned to Yanjing.

It looks very ordinary here, but occasionally passing by, either Audi or Cadillac, you know that the people living here are either rich or noble. Therefore, the Audi, Cadillac and other luxury cars that usually show off their power in other places are particularly obedient here. Although there is no obvious ban ringing sign in the alley, Chen Huai stood here for three or five minutes. The few cars passing by here are all quiet, and the drivers looked at them very "kind". After all, the old man and old lady who ride a bicycle or walk on the roadside may be a big tiger that they can't afford to offend.

There are neat courtyards on both sides of the alley, sandwiched with narrow and flat asphalt roads. In summer dusk, it also has a unique tranquility in the downtown city.

Chen Huai walked to the entrance of the alley and saw that the main street of Xidan was outside. He saw a metal sign with the inconspicuous words "Xi Temple East Lane" written on it. He realized that the entrance of the west alley opposite was the mansion where the old man lived.

Chen Huai was afraid that his aunt would pass by here later and saw a bookstore at the entrance of the alley, so he turned around and walked in.

The bookstore has a small face, but the depth inside is very large, the light is a bit dizzy, the ceiling fan is whizzing above his head, and a table is placed in the corner. An old man Qinghuang, who is in his sixties, is sitting there drinking tea, looking like the owner.

There were no other customers in the store, and the owner was at ease. When he saw Chen Huai walking in, he just nodded and smiled, which was considered a greeting.

No one knows whether the old man in front of him is a relative or someone else. Chen Huai dared not neglect it. He smiled and nodded and walked to the bookshelf in the back row to look for books.

When he walked to the back row, Chen Huai discovered that the books for sale here were of very high quality. It was obviously carefully selected by the store owner before purchasing the goods. There were also many very professional foreign economic books, which made people suspect that the store owner had a very high level of education. It was likely that this bookstore opened after retirement.

Whether it is bookstores, libraries, professional books, especially foreign monographs in Donghua or provincial capital, it is still too lacking. Chen Huai went to Yanjing this time and planned to visit the largest Xidan Bookstore in China to find some books on industry and economy. Unexpectedly, there will be something else in this inconspicuous bookstore.

Chen Huai felt like he had a treasure. He first picked out a lot of books with a glance, and then found a corner and carefully selected them. Many Western monographs are obscure and difficult, and it is extremely difficult to sort out the veins in a short time. He needs to concentrate. Chen Huai was still standing reading at the beginning, but then squatted down. After a long time, he felt his feet were numb and soft.

"Sit and watch slowly..." The owner handed over a folding chair and said kindly.

Chen Huai said, took the chair and sat down. The owner did not disturb Chen Huai's book selection, quietly retreated back to his original place, sitting there alone drinking tea leisurely.

I don’t know how long it took, but I heard the owner greeting someone outside: “Old Cui, you ran around just after you came back?” The person who came was not talking loudly, and Chen Huai didn’t care. He thought the owner had met an acquaintance, so he buried his head and continued to pick up books.

It was not until he felt a figure stopping in front of him that Chen Huai raised his head in confusion and saw the strange-tempered old man on the train staring at him.

Chen Huai didn't expect that he lived nearby, but it was normal to think about it. After all, a black Audi picked him up at the station. Chen Huai stood up and said with a smile: "Old man, you just returned to Yanjing, why did you have time to come to visit the bookstore?"

"I really don't want to listen to my family. I don't want to listen. Besides this, there are other places to go?" Perhaps what happened on the train made the old man feel good, and his tone of speaking was much more relaxed than when he first met on the train. However, his eyes were still sharp when he looked at people. He looked at Chen Huai, and then glanced at Chen Huai's hand and the stack of books stacked separately on the bookshelf next to him, and said, "Young man, where are you?"

"The situation between me and the old man is the opposite. Perhaps because my family members don't want to listen to my nonsense, I have to come over and pass the time," Chen Huai said with a smile. Seeing the old man looking at him with his eyes again, he felt strange, "Young man, do you know me?"

"I feel it's like it on the train, but now I see you living in Xisi Lane, and the more I look, the more I look," the old man stared at Chen Huai and asked, "Is your surname Song?"

Chen Huai knew that he looked simple these days, but the old man who was sleeping softly could not be an ordinary person. He thought that as long as he lived in Xisi Street, he would know the Song family, and smiled and said, "My grandfather is Song Hua, old man, do you know my grandfather?"

The old man seemed to have a sensitive nerve and picked it up, stretched his face and said, "I only know that the second son of the Song family is a powerful character..."

Chen Huai was stunned. He didn't expect to meet a person who had a feud with the Song family. He was embarrassed for a moment and didn't know what to say.

Although the domestic public publicity of the friendship between the older generation of revolutionaries is more solid than the metal and stone, Chen Huai knows that the older generation of people are actually entangled with grudges, especially in the several movements after the liberation, there were many internal struggles, which is also one of the main roots for the formation of different factions since the reform.

Judging from the old man's age of over 70 but less than 80, he should have experienced the War of Liberation. However, many older generation figures are there, and Chen Huai can't guess who he is, so he can only smile awkwardly.

The owner came over at this time and said to the old man with a tense face: "Old Cui, don't drive Mr. Song's grandson out of my store. You are so arrogant, I can't resist Mr. Song's scolding," he asked Chen Huai again, "Are you Song Qiaosheng's son?"

"Song Qiaosheng is my second uncle, and my father is the fourth brother..."

The shop owner glanced at Old Man Cui in confusion, but did not remember that Song Bing, the fourth son of the Song family, had a son.

Old Man Cui said "Oh", remembered something, and said to the shop owner: "The unpromising fourth son of the Song family and the girl of the Xie family did not have any children. This should be the son of the fourth son of the Song family who left him on the farm..."

Chen Huai was talking to him, and this embarrassing past was revealed to the old man in front of him so straightforwardly. He knew that the two old men in front of him should have a good background. Although the old man named Cui spoke very badly, he couldn't have any temper with him.

Chen Huai didn't know what kind of feud between the old man named Cui and the Song family, so that everyone in the neighbors knew that he was in a bad relationship with the old man, so he could only stand by and smile like a grandson.

Mr. Cui seemed very satisfied with Chen Huai's attitude, looked at him and said, "I heard that you had just got the opportunity to go to Huaihai Province to work. I still don't give up and want to jump up. On the train, when I saw you, I should have thought that you are Song Hua's grandson. You and the fourth son of the Song family were printed in the same mold." He seemed to see the doubts in Chen Huai's eyes. Old Man Cui looked like he was a wise man and didn't say secret words, and said, "My name is Cui Xiangdong..."

Chen Huai was not surprised that the old man in front of him turned out to be one of the early giants of the Republic's Navy, but was shocked by the news he had revealed earlier. His "father" was going to Huaihai Province to serve! What position was he held?

Seeing that Chen Huai had not responded for a long time, Cui Xiangdong thought he was still thinking about his identity, and said directly with some impatientness: "I happened to ask you for help in some things, please come with me..."

Cui Xiangdong has always been in a high position and has an extremely strong personality. He naturally has to say to a junior like Chen Huai.

"Old man, wait for me for a while," Chen Huai didn't know what Old Man Cui had to ask him for, but it was not good to refuse, so he could only lead him helplessly, hold the stack of books he had selected, and said to the shop owner, "My husband, please help me get a bag of these books first. When I finish the old man's instructions, I will come back and check out the bill with you..."

The owner took the book and said, "It's okay, when my little fifth family gets off work, I'll ask her to send it to your house..."

"No need to be so troublesome," Chen Huai couldn't explain the truth about his rejection to the two men in front of him, and said, "I'll come here to get it later. If it was early, I would like to pick up some more books. The books on your side are really good, and I would like to move them all back."

"You bought a set of books that Professor Yan University will bring you back, and it's really good for you," Cui Xiangdong stood beside him and interrupted, "It's a pity that the guys in this alley think of themselves as expensive, but after entering Baoshan, they followed the cesspool..."
Chapter completed!