Chapter 001: The Path of the Good Person, Growing Distant

Li Guo's real name wasn't Li Guo; it was Li Guo Yi. His well-read grandfather gave him that name, which meant "sow the cause, reap the fruit, embrace the original unity."

It was such a great name, but due to the non-standard pronunciation of Mandarin in the southern regions, it sounded just like Li Gu Yi, the teacher who was once famous all over the country. Since elementary school, he had often been subjected to rude requests like "Sing an unforgettable song for us."

So, in a fit of anger, Li Guo's father got rid of that embrace of the original unity nonsense and changed Li Guo Yi to Li Guo.

However, his nightmare didn't end there. The disrespectful requests from the kids went from "Sing an unforgettable song" to "Guo, bring your aunt to show us."

Aunt... Li Guo was still somewhat naive back then, proudly telling those kids, "My aunt is studying at a university in Beijing."

Time flew by, and things changed.

The swift footsteps of time took away everything familiar to Li Guo, including his beloved grandparents and the traces of youth on his parents' faces.

But unfortunately, that nickname, "Guo," stuck with Li Guo no matter how the people around him changed.

Today, Li Guo was feeling terrible. From the moment he opened his eyes, he stared blankly at the ceiling. Thinking about getting expelled yesterday made him feel restless.

If his mother found out about it, she would be annoyed until he found a new job.

"What does a financial storm have to do with your little bike-selling company?"

Li Guo tossed and turned on the bed, occasionally cursing the boss who fired him. He had initially planned to take advantage of the unemployment and sleep in for a few days, but the reality was that the biological clock could sometimes be more cruel than an alarm clock.

However, deep down, Li Guo was quite unwilling. He always considered himself a good person, and he did live up to the title of a good-for-nothing person. He never held grudges against others and never kicked someone when they were down.

But unfortunately, when he was fired yesterday, not a single person came to his aid. On the contrary, several colleagues whom he thought had a good relationship with him actually kicked him while he was down, securing the position for that careless and handsome college student while leaving him, the good-hearted college graduate, in the dust.

What kind of situation was this? At that moment, Li Guo genuinely hesitated about whether he should continue being a good person or not.

However, his father had taught him since childhood, "Our Li family has upheld chivalry since Li Bai. We absolutely cannot have any shady dealings. People are watching us. If this little brat dares to bring shame to our ancestors, I'll break his damn legs."

Although Li Guo despised such ideas of family honor and loyalty, he had never considered not being a good person because he didn't know how not to be one. He believed that being a bad person was much harder than being a good person. It required too much brainpower and emotional intelligence, whereas being a foolishly good person seemed much easier and carefree.

Of course, as for the idea of "people are watching us," Li Guo could only give a helpless smile. His father could be considered a modern-day living Lei Feng, yet he was still a mediocre engineer at a fertilizer plant, dealing with urea and organic fertilizers every day, without receiving any special blessings from the heavens.

"In that place where peach blossoms bloom..." Jiang Dawei's deep and powerful voice emerged from the knockoff mobile phone placed on Li Guo's bedside, cutting off his swirling thoughts and resentments.

"Son, are you at work? Remember to come back to the old house tonight. I'm afraid you might forget, so I wanted to remind you," Li Guo's father's voice sounded lively over the phone, occasionally interrupted by car horns and the shouts of soy milk and fried dough sticks. It was evident that Li Guo's father only remembered he had a son when he woke up early to go to work.

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Li Guo forced himself to sound spirited and determined. "I got it. Do we need money at home? Should I send some?"

"No need for your money. Let's not talk about it now. The company car is here. Remember, no matter what, you have to come back to me before tomorrow!" Li Guo's father hurriedly got on the car, and the phone went into a busy tone.

Li Guo hung up the phone and rolled over on the bed. "The old house..."

This old house had been where Li Guo's grandfather and his grandfather's grandfather had always lived. When Li Guo's grandfather passed away, he specifically named him in the will, stating that no matter where he was or what he was doing on a certain year, month, and day, he must return to the old house.

At that time, Li Guo was only eight or nine years old, and the will seemed like a distant future to him. But in the blink of an eye, that distant future had become tonight, just within reach.

Li Guo didn't need his father's reminder, as if he had developed a compulsion. This matter had been lingering in his mind for over a decade, and he hadn't dared to forget about it. After all, his grandfather had made it clear that if he didn't go, his name would be struck off the family genealogy. For someone like Li Guo, who had received a traditional Chinese education since childhood, this was absolutely unacceptable.

However, despite being well-versed in Tang poems, Song lyrics, the Four Books, and the Five Classics, Li Guo stumbled in peculiar subjects like English and mathematics and ended up only pursuing a specialized diploma. He would always boastfully tell people around him that math was only necessary until the second year of junior high school, and English was a worthless subject that only people who hadn't satisfied their desire to be servants would bother to learn.

After rolling around in bed until noon, Li Guo's stomach couldn't bear the hunger anymore. He finally got dressed and rolled out of his rented house to search for food.

The rent for this house was only two thousand yuan for a year, with hot water, heating, and a bathroom. Compared to other houses in the city, it was as cheap as a haunted house.

The landlady was a single mother, rumored to be a Japanese girl who spoke fluent Chinese. Her four-year-old daughter was a mischievous little sprite who often left Li Guo both crying and laughing.

"Uncle, you're not being good today. You didn't go to work," as soon as Li Guo stepped out, he saw the little girl playing alone in the yard, basking in the sun and swatting flies.

He picked up the little girl, wearing a mischievous smile. "Where's your mom?"

"Mama went out to catch bad guys. She'll be back in the afternoon." The little girl's face showed a pitiful expression as she spoke. "Uncle, I don't have any food. Will you take me to KFC?"

Li Guo cleared his throat twice, thinking, "Your shameless mother is extorting money from me using this method again."

But Li Guo couldn't bear to leave the little girl alone here with an empty stomach, so he carried Xiaoxin and walked out.

"Xiaoxin, when Uncle treats you to a meal, do you know what you should do?" As Li Guo walked outside the community, he chatted with the little girl in his arms and brought his face close to hers.

"Die, lolicon!" The little girl giggled, suddenly shouted, and bit onto Li Guo's ear, making a slobbering sound as she sucked on it.

Now Li Guo was in a predicament, like a monkey that had eaten chili peppers. He couldn't throw her away, nor could he shout out. When a child bites, they do it without holding back. Li Guo was in pain, tears welling up in his eyes. After begging for mercy repeatedly, the little girl finally let go and sweetly kissed Li Guo on the cheek.

"You little brat, who taught you that?" Li Guo wiped the saliva off his ear, deliberately putting on a fierce expression to intimidate the little girl. "If you do this again, I'll sell you to Cambodia."

The little girl burst into laughter, reaching into her coat pocket and taking out a tiny pistol. "My mommy taught me. She said if someone wants to give me lollipops and take me to catch goldfish, let them die." As she spoke, Xiaoxin pointed the small pistol at a tree in the dilapidated community and fired a shot with a soft "pop." After the faint smell of gunpowder dissipated, a round hole appeared in the tree.

Li Guo instantly broke into a cold sweat. Although he knew that his Japanese landlady was peculiar, he never expected it to reach this level, allowing a four-year-old girl to play with a real pistol. It was simply criminal.

However, on the other hand, this little girl named Xiaoxin was exquisitely beautiful, and with so many weird uncles around, it wouldn't hurt to have some self-defense. Especially since the landlady's work was mysterious and strange, and she was hardly ever around. Most of the time, it was Li Guo taking care of the little girl.

"Unless absolutely necessary, never point it at people, alright?" Li Guo tucked the small pistol back into Xiaoxin's coat pocket and repeatedly lectured her like an old lady. "And never point it at yourself!"

"If only you were my daddy," the little girl rested her head on Li Guo's shoulder, hugging his neck and acting spoiled.

Li Guo coughed twice and gave her a pat on the buttocks. "Do I look any different from your dad now?"

"But you're not sleeping with my mommy," she said with innocent eyes and pure words, causing tears to well up in Li Guo's eyes.

Li Guo looked at the sunny sky and didn't answer the little girl's naive statement. But deep in his heart, he cried out with a mix of blood and tears, "I also want to sleep with your mom!"