There is a god in the sky

Chapter 435 Going Home

Spring always comes earlier in the south.

When I set foot on my homeland, spring was already in full bloom everywhere.

"The previous magistrate of Qingmu County was surnamed Fang, but he should have been transferred to Jianzhou Prefecture as a registrar. The current magistrate was demoted by the late emperor and has a bad temper."

Li Ge had been in the palace for many years and had always kept a close eye on the changes in officials in Aoki Prefecture.

He also watched Liu Engui rise step by step into the capital.

He would wholeheartedly pledge allegiance to the Empress because he knew that without sufficient strength, he wouldn't even have the right to face the enemy.

Shen Lan looked at the familiar streets and smiled.

"Magistrate Fang was a good official, but I wonder how his performance is now."

As Shen Lan walked down the street, she even saw acquaintances.

She wore a veil, which also altered her voice, so no one recognized her.

“I want to see the place where you grew up,” Li Ge said.

"Okay, I'll take you there. We'll tidy up a bit, and it can serve as our temporary place to stay."

Shen Lan's house is still there, but it has been uninhabited for more than two years and looks even more dilapidated.

Fortunately, the weather wasn't cold at this time, so it was enough to shelter them from the wind and rain.

After walking around Li Geli several times, he finally stopped in front of the wooden table that Shen Lan used to dissect corpses.

Why is this table so big?

Shen Lan joked, "You'll know once you lie down on it and try it."

Li Ge was so startled that he took a few steps back, and instantly understood the purpose of the table.

He saw Shen Lan preparing to put her clothes in the closet, and went over to her, saying, "Let me help you."

As she watched him open the wardrobe door, Shen Lan remembered that her precious child was still there. She had just uttered the word "don't" when she saw Li Ge slowly turn his head.

"There's...there's a corpse in the cabinet."

Shen Lan pushed him away and took out the skull she had carefully crafted.

"It's not a corpse, it's a human skeleton model."

Li Ge had killed many people, but he had never studied the human body, let alone knew that all the bones in the body were like this.

"I now believe that your godfather is a good person."

No normal person would adopt a goddaughter like that.

"Yes, I'll take you to see him another day."

After tidying up her luggage, Shen Lan took Li Ge out.

Their agreed meeting point was Guli Town.

Even though Guli Town is now a ruin, it is still their hometown.

Li Ge's health was not suitable for long journeys, so Shen Lan drove a horse-drawn carriage there.

Fortunately, her house was outside the village, so the carriages coming and going did not disturb the villagers.

However, as soon as we arrived in Guli Town, we saw a group of people pointing and talking under the archway.

"Someone actually built a house in this godforsaken place? There's no village or shop in sight, what's the point?"

"I heard he was a generous scholar who hired many villagers from the neighborhood to help build houses, and the whole street was built."

"There's not a soul in this desolate place, and the official road doesn't even pass through here. Why would he build so many houses?"

"Who knows? Maybe they're just bored and have money to burn."

"Does anyone remember that this place used to be a big town with several thousand people? Maybe they are people from other places who came here to find their roots."

“You’re not as well-informed as I am. There really are descendants in Guli Town. They even took the officials who massacred the town back then to the emperor to seek justice for the unjustly killed villagers.”

"Is there still such a thing?"

“You’ll see if you go to Jianzhou Prefecture. Notices have been posted, and everyone is talking about it in the streets and alleys.”

"What a tragedy! I heard they slaughtered the entire town just to steal a prescription!"

"Quickly, tell me in detail..."

Shen Lan drove the carriage over and called out, "Excuse me, please make way."

The crowd dispersed to the roadside, watching in astonishment as the horse-drawn carriage entered the town.

"It's a carriage! And the horses are so fine! They must be from the city!"

"It seems this place is about to change..."

Li Ge gently knocked on the window. "Lan'er, stop the car. I want to get out and walk around."

The carriage slowly came to a stop.

Shen Lan helped him down from the carriage, and the two quietly looked at the surrounding scenery.

"If it weren't for your painting, I wouldn't even remember what my hometown looks like."

Shen Lan led him inside, introducing the place as they went.

“I come back once a year on the fifteenth of July. Every time I remember every street and every place I’ve been. Your house is right in front of me.”

You can see the half-built house in the distance, and the person sitting in the chair carving wood.

Hearing footsteps, the man said coldly, "We're not hiring here, please leave."

"Cousin," Shen Lan called out.

Shen Zhiyuan suddenly turned around and stood up in surprise, "You're back!"

As Li Ge looked at the half-built house in front of him, memories flooded his mind.

"This is...my home?"

Shen Zhiyuan nodded, "It's just a rough outline; it's built according to Lan'er's drawing. It should be finished in another month."

Shen Zhiyuan had no idea that Li Ge could return.

At the time, he just thought that since he was back, he should at least rebuild the place where they lived.

As for whether he could come back to live there, he didn't have much hope.

He buried Miao Niang behind the Shen family's house. The Shen family's house was still divided in two, one half for him and the other half for Shen Lan, just like before.

However, it's not finished yet, and he prefers to do many things himself to pass the time.

"Did you receive my letter?" Shen Lan didn't see Li Ye and assumed he hadn't received her letter.

“Received. When I arrived in Jianzhou, Li Ye and the others had already arrived. They’ve gone out to buy supplies. Building a house will cost a lot. I also promised Xiao Huzi and the others that they could settle down here as well.”

Shen Zhiyuan led them to see the fenced-off area.

“These are all the lands they’ve already marked out. If you had come back a few days later, they would have even drawn up the blueprints.”

Shen Lan asked in surprise, "Doesn't it require government approval to fence off land and build houses here?"

Although this used to be their home, it had been abandoned for more than a decade and had long since become unclaimed land.

Unclaimed land belongs to the government.

"Yes, I spent some money to buy this whole wasteland. Anyway, no one would have come here to cultivate it."

Li Ge gave him a lot of money back then. It might not buy much in the capital, but in this remote little county, it was enough for him to buy land in the town.

When they returned this time, Li Ge didn't bring a single penny with him; they relied entirely on Shen Lan's savings.

"Sigh, I'll be relying on you guys to support me from now on," Li Ge said with emotion.

He's now a cripple, too weak to do heavy work or earn money, so he can only be a parasite.

Shen Zhiyuan joked, "All the land here was bought with your money. From now on, you'll be the biggest boss here, and we'll all work for you."

Li Ge smiled, his face turning bright red.

He gazed at the desolate landscape, as if he could see it transformed into its former bustling and vibrant state.

"Once the house is built, we'll build a wall around the archway to prevent outsiders from spying on us."

Shen Lan agreed, "Our identities should not be made public. It would be best to build a few more watchtowers in this area to prevent outsiders from breaking in."

Shen Lan already had a preliminary idea in mind, and she started drawing when she got home.

Li Ge stayed in Guli Town, where it would be more appropriate for Xiao Huzi and the others to take care of him.