Siheyuan: tomb robbing? I am serious about hunting.

Chapter 1178 Come to the door

On the way, Tang Sanzang asked Li Yan, "Sir, do you know the name of the village at the foot of this mountain? Is there an inn there?" Li Yan shook his head. "Elder, there's only a small village at the foot of this mountain called 'Five Elements Village.' There's no inn there, just a few households. If you don't mind, you could stay at my house for a while. It's simple, but it'll keep you out of the rain." Tang Sanzang hurriedly thanked him, "Thank you for taking me in. I'm deeply grateful." Li Yan smiled and said, "You're so polite, Elder. You're a holy monk traveling to the Western Paradise to worship Buddha and seek scriptures. It's my honor to host you." A young boy beside him said, "Master, this donor looks like a good person. Let's stay at his house." Tang Sanzang nodded, and the three of them quickened their pace, soon arriving at Five Elements Village. Li Yan's thatched hut was at the very edge of the village. Though simple, it was kept reasonably clean. He invited Tang Sanzang and the boy inside and fetched water from the village well for them to wash their hands and quench their thirst. Sitting on a simple wooden bench, Tang Seng looked at Li Yan's busy figure and asked gently, "Donor, aren't you afraid living alone in this mountain?" Li Yan added fodder to the white horse and replied, "I'm not afraid once I get used to it. Although there are wild beasts in this mountain, as long as I'm careful, there's no danger. What's more, the villagers at the foot of the mountain are very kind. They take care of each other on weekdays, and we can get by." Tang Seng nodded with an approval look in his eyes, "Donor, you have an open-minded mind, which is rare." At this moment, there was a knock on the door, and then an old voice came, "Li boy, are you home? My old woman made some porridge and brought you a bowl." Li Yan's eyes lit up, and he quickly got up to open the door, "Uncle Zhang, why are you here? Please come in!" A white-haired old man was standing at the door, holding a coarse porcelain bowl filled with steaming porridge. When the old man saw Tang Monk and the boy in the house, he was stunned for a moment and asked, "Little Li, who are these two?" Li Yan quickly introduced, "Uncle Zhang, this is Elder Tang who came from the Tang Dynasty in the East. He was going to the West to worship Buddha and seek scriptures. He passed by our village and stayed in my house temporarily. This is the elder's boy." Upon hearing this, Uncle Zhang hurriedly saluted Tang Monk: "It turns out to be the holy monk! I'm so sorry! Holy monk, you have worked hard on the way. Come and try the porridge made by my old woman to warm yourself up." Tang Monk quickly stood up and returned the greeting: "Thank you, old donor. I'm sorry to bother you." Uncle Zhang handed the porridge to Li Yan, and said, "Little Li, if you go to the foot of the mountain to exchange rice tomorrow, remember to call me and I will go with you. The foot of the mountain has been uneasy recently. I heard that there are bandits. It's safer for two people to go together." Li Yan felt warm in his heart and quickly agreed: "Okay, thank you, Uncle Zhang." Uncle Zhang chatted with Tang Monk for a few more words before turning and leaving. Li Yan served the porridge to Tang Sanzang and took out his own wheat cakes and shared them with Tang Sanzang and the boy. The three of them had a simple meal and then went to rest. Lying on the bed, Li Yan couldn't sleep. He looked at the thatched roof and thought to himself: Tomorrow Tang Sanzang will go to rescue Sun Wukong, and then they will embark on the journey to the West. Should I go with them? Although it is dangerous to follow Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong, it is definitely more interesting than chopping wood for rice in the mountains, and maybe we can even meet other gods and monsters. But then he thought, there are many monsters and demons on the journey to the West, and he is just an ordinary person, powerless. Following them will only hinder them and may even cost him his life. "Forget it, let's see what the situation is first." Li Yan sighed and closed his eyes. He didn't know that his "meddling" this time had quietly changed the plot of Journey to the West. A commanding voice suddenly boomed from behind him, its tone unmistakable and serious: "Li Tao, what are you doing?" Li Tao's hand froze in mid-air, and the arrogance on his face vanished instantly, like a balloon punctured by a needle. He turned stiffly and saw an elderly man in a navy blue suit and with gray hair standing not far away, holding a briefcase and staring at him sharply—who else could it be but Mr. Zhao Jianguo? Li Tao's face turned pale in an instant, and he quickly withdrew his hand, rubbing it together, forcing an ingratiating smile: "Mr. Zhao, what are you doing here? I, I just want to chat with this... this gentleman." As he spoke, he secretly winked at Chen Mo, trying to stop him from talking nonsense. But Chen Mo seemed not to see his gaze, and just stood there quietly, looking at Zhao Jianguo. In his previous life, he had only met Uncle Zhao once, at his father's funeral. Back then, Uncle Zhao was still young, and his hair didn't have so many white strands. But now, while time had left its mark on his face, the integrity and sharpness in his eyes remained exactly as he remembered. Zhao Jianguo ignored Li Tao's excuses and fixed his gaze on Chen Mo, sizing him up and down, a hint of confusion in his eyes. "Are you..." Chen Mo took a deep breath, took a step forward, and bowed slightly. His tone was respectful but not humble. "Uncle Zhao, hello. I'm Chen Hongyuan's son, Chen Mo. I'm here today to talk to you about the company." "Chen Hongyuan's son?" Zhao Jianguo was stunned for a moment, then a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. He quickly stepped forward, carefully examining Chen Mo's face, his tone tinged with emotion. "Looks like, so much like your father when he was young. What made you think of me?" He clearly hadn't expected that after all these years since Chen Hongyuan's death, his son would suddenly visit. Li Tao stood by, listening to the conversation, his face growing paler. He had never imagined that Chen Mo, whom he had considered "useless," was actually the son of Mr. Zhao's former boss! He hadn't just stopped him, he had also said such harsh words. This was really a disaster! Seeing the emotion in Zhao Jianguo's eyes, Chen Mo's heart warmed, and his tone softened a little. "Uncle Zhao, I just graduated and want to find a job. I'd also like to learn more about the company my father founded. Also... I have some things about the company that I'd like to discuss with you in person. It might be helpful to you." He didn't mention Zhang Hao directly, but his fingertips trembled slightly. The balance displayed on the screen was 5003.6 yuan—the 5000 yuan his mother had saved from her medical expenses when he graduated, plus the money he had saved from his previous part-time job. It was a long way from the city, and it would take us half an hour to walk there. I brought some cakes and water to fill our stomachs if we got hungry or thirsty on the way. "Lin Yanzhi felt warm in his heart and thanked him quickly. He was holding a bamboo basket in his hand, in which was a kettle and some cakes. "Good morning, Miss Qinghe." Lin Yanzhi bowed. "Good morning, young master." Qinghe returned the greeting with a smile, "Jinghua Spring is in the valley outside the city.