Reborn as Zhao Ruilong of Handong, I will defy fate.

The mountains rise and fall, shrouded in mist and clouds.

The jeep roared and slowly drove along the winding mountain road.

Liang Qunfeng was captivated by the scenery of his hometown, Shimen Mountain.

The damp, cold air rushed into the car, but he didn't find it icy cold at all.

Tang Zhisheng, sitting to the side, wrapped his coat tighter around himself.

He was now filled with deep regret.

Why did you personally escort Liang Qunfeng back to his hometown?

Why not just send someone to take him back to his hometown?

But if you are entrusted with a task, you must be loyal to it.

Since you made a promise to Liang Qunfeng at the hospital, you should keep your word.

Moreover, before leaving Handong, he had already applied for medical retirement to the provincial party committee and recommended himself.

"Old Liang, can you close the window? I'm freezing!"

Tang Zhisheng asked in a pleading tone.

He really wanted to say, "You seem to have a very detached view of life, and you're only looking for death."

Even if I catch a cold and get a fever, or even die in bed, it doesn't matter.

But I want to improve, I want to climb higher!

If I catch a serious illness from the cold during this crucial period, I'll be in serious trouble.

Wouldn't that be like trying to draw water with a bamboo basket and ending up with nothing?

At that time, Zhong Zhengguo won't just be a law enforcement clerk parachuted in to replace you in Handong.

I'm afraid they'll need to parachute in a new supervisor to replace me, since I'm seriously ill.

"Well, it's not even spring yet, and the clouds and mist on Shimen Mountain are indeed bone-chillingly cold."

Liang Qunfeng turned the handle and closed the car window.

In an instant, no cold air rushed into the car.

Tang Zhisheng rubbed his hands together and breathed on them, saying with a complaining expression:

"You really fooled me."

“At first you said your hometown was in Shimen District, Lvteng City, Zhongjiang Province.”

"And Green Vine City is the provincial capital of Hanzhong River, so I think your hometown must be in the city."

"Even if it's on the outskirts of the city, or even in the countryside, it doesn't matter. It's still within the provincial capital!"

"After running around for two days, my hemorrhoids were almost flaring up, and you fucking told me that to get to your hometown, I had to cross Shimen Mountain!"

As he spoke, Tang Zhisheng pointed out the window.

"Is this a mountain, Lao Liang? Huh???"

"I've flipped over one after another, I've lost count of how many there are."

"They're still climbing the mountain? When are they going to come down?"

Liang Qunfeng said with a smile, "Almost there, almost there. This is the last big slope. After climbing up, you'll see a temple, and then it's just downhill."

With the air conditioner blowing hot air, the car was finally no longer so cold.

Tang Zhisheng stopped rubbing his hands and glanced sideways at Liang Qunfeng.

"Is the Stone Gate Mountain in Green Vine City actually the collective name for a mountain range?"

Liang Qunfeng smiled and nodded.

"Yes, otherwise why is my hometown, Shanmen Town, still a notoriously poor town even though it is under the jurisdiction of Lvteng City?"

"It is because of this massive Shimen Mountain that we have been blocked from integrating into the main urban area, which has made us have to cross mountains and valleys to enter the city since ancient times."

Tang Zhisheng snorted coldly.

"Now I finally know why your name is Liang Qunfeng."

"It must have been after you were born that your dad saw the continuous mountains in front of our house and simply named it Qunfeng (meaning 'mountain range')!"

Liang Qunfeng laughed heartily.

"You guessed it!"

"When I was a child, I asked my dad why he gave me this name, and this is how he explained it."

"Of course, his original name was Liang Qunshan. When he enrolled in school, the private tutor said that Qunshan was not elegant and did not sound good, so he changed it to Qunfeng."

"..."

Tang Zhisheng was embarrassed and speechless.

Surprisingly, I was right.

I thought to myself, if I had known your home was so remote, I really wouldn't have bothered to see you off on your final journey.

If I keep sitting here on this bumpy, swaying ride, I'm afraid it'll send me to my death first.

But you, Liang Qunfeng, have taken a detached view of life and death, and instead, you are carefree, elegant, and joyful.

I bet you'll be tired after another two days of travel.

"Actually, Lao Tang, things are much better now that there are highways."

“I remember when I was a child, I would go to the city with my parents to sell vegetables. We would set off the evening before, walk all night along mountain paths, and arrive at the vegetable market in the city the next morning.”

"Now, although the mountain road is winding and makes people dizzy, it takes less than two hours to cross Shimen Mountain, which is much more convenient."

Upon hearing Liang Qunfeng's words, Tang Zhisheng retorted irritably:

"You've taken more than an hour of winding roads to cross a mountain, and you're quite satisfied with that, aren't you?"

"If this were in our Handong, with Zhao Shuji's hot temper, he would have tightened his belt and dug the tunnel to promote economic development long ago."

"Moreover, once the tunnel is open, it will not only make it easier for people along the route to travel, but the beautiful Shimen Mountain can also be transformed into a forest park for people to visit."

Liang Qunfeng said with a wry smile, "According to what you've said, it does reflect that the leaders of Lvteng City, and even Zhongjiang Province, are not bold and radical enough, but rather pedantic and conservative."

"But then again, to get through Shimen Mountain, we'd need to build a tunnel that's several kilometers long. At 100 million yuan per kilometer, it would take hundreds of millions of yuan to even get started!"

"But how can the leaders have the courage to invest hundreds of millions to build a tunnel for a county-level road? Perhaps they will only invest heavily in building a tunnel in the future when a highway must pass through this area!"

"After all, as long as the distance can be significantly shortened and travel time saved, highways don't care how high the construction cost is, but I won't live to see that day."

Tang Zhisheng opened his mouth.

I wanted to try to persuade them again, but I kept quiet.

He has tried to persuade them more than once these past few days.

He had even tried to persuade Liang Qunfeng before he set off.

He retired due to illness as the deputy secretary of the provincial party committee and secretary of the political and legal affairs department of Handong Province. Not only did he receive a high retirement pension, but he also enjoyed considerable benefits.

Even if Liang Qunfeng didn't want to stay in Handong or the big city, he could have easily returned to his rural hometown and lived a carefree rural life.

however……

Liang Qunfeng was still not happy.

He also said that if it weren't for wanting to go back to his hometown to visit, he would have committed suicide long ago.

The jeep roared uphill, followed closely by two SUVs and an ambulance.

After turning a corner and passing the temple entrance, we soon began our descent down the mountain.

however……

Tang Zhisheng's joy did not last long.

After arriving at the town at the foot of the mountain, the jeep drove onto a dirt road, guided by Liang Qunfeng.

The dirt road was overgrown with weeds on both sides, and the lane in the middle was full of potholes and puddles from time to time.

The continuous jolting and shaking made Tang Zhisheng feel nauseous and almost vomit.

Grab the handrail with one hand and quickly crank the handle with the other to lower the car window.

The cool air filled the car, making me feel a little better instantly.

"How much longer?"

"Almost there, we'll be there after we cross that hill!"

"..."

Tang Zhisheng rolled his eyes.

Damn it, we have to cross a mountain again?

But this time, Liang Qunfeng was indeed misunderstood.

The hilltop wasn't very big. After reaching the top and turning a corner, we came across a courtyard nestled against the mountain and beside the water.

The courtyard is surrounded by walls, and the houses are made of red bricks and blue tiles.

There is also a section of cement road that extends to the side of the highway.

It seems that in such a poor mountain village, only Liang Qunfeng's hometown could be so elegant and dignified.

"Turn at the fork in the road and park on the concrete road!"

The jeep slowed down, turned, and finally stopped at the gate of the yard.

Tang Zhisheng immediately opened the car door and got out, then rushed to the roadside and leaned against a tree, retching.

His secretary quickly got out of the passenger seat, walked around the front of the car, opened the door, and helped Liang Qunfeng out of the car.

The driver quickly opened the trunk, took out the folded wheelchair, unfolded it, and let Liang Qunfeng sit down.

"Go, open my gate!"

Liang Qunfeng shakily pulled out a bunch of keys.

soon.

The other staff members who followed quickly got to work.

Moving things, cleaning...

Cars rarely come to the village, but now three have come at once, including an ambulance.

Soon, many young people who were still celebrating the New Year in the village and had not yet gone out to work came to see what was going on.

Immediately afterwards, some children also ran over quickly.

Not long after.

Some elderly people from the village also came.

In no time, a large number of people gathered inside and outside Liang Qunfeng's courtyard.

As a prominent official in the village, Liang Qunfeng's rare trip home naturally caused a sensation.

The last time he came back was after the old house was renovated, when he returned to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors, but he only stayed for half a day before leaving.

Over the years, many people have known that the Liang family has a relative who holds a high position of power, but they have only heard of him by name and have never seen him in person.

In the past, some people traveled all the way to Handong Province to find Liang Qunfeng, but they couldn't help him at all.

After returning, they spread the word about Liang Qunfeng's inhumanity and his incorruptibility, and people gradually forgot about him.

However, although many people came, Liang Qunfeng no longer knew many of them.

Only a few elderly people gathered around him, chatting and reminiscing about the old days.

This is the situation.

This naturally made Tang Zhisheng sigh inwardly.

I left home when I was young and returned when I was old, my accent has not changed, but my hair has turned gray.

Children meet but do not recognize each other, and laughingly ask, "Where do you come from, guest?"

Soon, several leaders of the town came to visit after hearing the news.

Upon learning that Liang Qunfeng was going to stay in his hometown, the kind-hearted Liang family relatives and villagers quickly brought many things from their own homes.

Some brought firewood, some brought cured meat and sausages, some brought freshly picked vegetables from the fields, and some even brought brand-new quilts...

After the lively first day, Liang Qunfeng had someone take him sightseeing on the second day.

I visited my parents' graves to pay my respects, went to the fields that my relatives were managing to reminisce about the past, and also went to the town to buy gifts and visit several relatives.

Tang Zhisheng once wondered if Liang Qunfeng had come to his senses, given the leisurely and carefree days he spent with a beaming smile.

On the morning of the fourth day, Tang Zhisheng knocked on the door for a long time but received no response.

They forced the door open, only to find Liang Qunfeng lying on the bed with a smile on his face, already lifeless...