“Oh, by the way, this is the photo I asked your mother for.”
Wu Chun took the photo out of his pocket and carefully unwrapped it with a layer of gauze to prevent damage.
“Look, everyone in your family is in this photo,” Wu Chun said and placed the photo horizontally in front of Xu Shi Yao.
He knew that Xu Shi Yao wouldn’t be able to touch it.
Xu Shi Yao stared at the slightly yellowed photo. He raised his hand, and his finger was about to touch the face of a man in the photo who was somewhat similar to Xu Shi Yao. However, his finger passed through the photo.
“This is your father. Do you recognize him? Do you think you look a lot like him?”
Xu Shi Yao remained silent.
However, from Wu Chun’s perspective, there was a slight movement at the corner of Xu Shi Yao’s mouth, and his eyes gradually filled with tenderness.
“Do you want me to paint it?” Wu Chun asked. It might be a bit difficult to draw from this photo, as it was taken five years ago, and in those five years, it was probably taken countless times, causing the face to become blurred.
Wu Chun didn’t get any verbal response from Xu Shi Yao. Instead, after he finished speaking, a piece of bark from Xu Shi Yao’s mother appeared in front of him. Xu Shi Yao picked up a pen, glanced over occasionally, and soon a vivid portrait appeared on the bark.
Xu Shi Yao continued to draw without stopping, sketching all the people in the photo one by one, including himself.
“This is you at eighteen? Eighteen years old, just like my age now,” Wu Chun explained from the side.
Then, Wu Chun saw Xu Shi Yao drawing herself next to him and writing three words between them: “Eighteen years old.”
Eighteen-year-old Wu Chun and eighteen-year-old Xu Shi Yao met in this unique way.
After Xu Shi Yao finished his drawing, Wu Chun picked up the photo.
It was time to discuss the main matter with Xu Shi Yao.
“Xu Shi Yao, when your mother left, she told me about bringing the deity on Shili Mountain to life. What do you think about it?”
Wu Chun looked at Xu Shi Yao, who seemed confused, and explained again, “In other words, it means giving life to the deity that Grandma Sun mentioned. More specifically, we need to find out what kind of deity it is, when it was invited, and what it is supposed to bless. Granny Sun also mentioned that it would be best to choose a special day when everyone doesn’t have to make a big effort to hold a big ceremony, and they can just come and pay their respects. That way they will find comfort in their hearts.
Determining when to invite the deity and what to bless shouldn’t be a problem.
As Grandma Sun mentioned, after the disaster five years ago, they invited a deity to this place to protect the safety of Shili Village.
However, Wu Chun currently has no idea about the specific name and date.
“Do you have any idea?” Wu Chun asked Xu Shi Yao again, seeking his input.
Xu Shi Yao didn’t answer right away. He furrowed his brow and stared ahead as if he was deep in thought.
Suddenly, his gaze shifted forward and he said, “Pine tree.
“Pine tree?” Wu Chun was stunned. “Are you saying that this god is associated with a pine tree?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
We Vtl Tjb cbvvfv.
Qe Jtec jirb rajgfv ja atf agff lc ogbca bo atfw, ibra lc atbeuta.
Kgeis, la kjr j yfjealoei agff, ecilxf jcsatlcu atfs tjv fnfg rffc yfobgf. Pa tjv j ecldef jegj atja atf batfg qlcf agffr lc atf jgfj ijmxfv. Qe Jtec xcfk atf rfmgfa yftlcv la – la kjr yfmjerf bo We Vtl Tjb’r qgfrfcmf.
However, for those who did not know, attributing the identity of a deity to this tree would be a fitting explanation.
However, the credit for the protection would only be given to a single tree.
Wu Chun shared his thoughts with Xu Shi Yao, but received a reply from him: “I don’t care.”
“Whether they appreciate me or remember me is not important.”
“Great!” Wu Chun finally made up his mind. “Then let it be this pine tree.”
Wu Chun stood up and looked around. Compared to the surrounding trees, this pine tree seemed so small and insignificant.
It was as if this pine tree was the king of the mountain.
“How about calling it the Pine Tree King?”
Wu Chun suggested that this would give the deity a specific identity and emphasize the importance of the pine trees in the area, thus preventing them from being arbitrarily cut down.
After receiving Xu Shi Yao’s approval, Wu Chun began to think about the last question.
The date.
However, Wu Chun already had an answer to this question.
He had previously researched the exact time of the landslide that occurred five years ago, which was three days later, the exact time Xu Shi Yao left this world – August 8th.
Wu Chun wanted to set that date as the unified day for worship, as Grandma Sun had suggested.
“We’ll set the date for three days from now,” Wu Chun said with a smile, looking at Xu Shi Yao. “I want to use that day.”
Xu Shi Yao saw no problem and simply agreed to whatever Wu Chun suggested.
With the last question settled, Wu Chun stood up, faced Xu Shi Yao, stretched his body, and pretended to cough twice.
“Now watch me demonstrate,” he said. Wu Chun picked up a small wooden stick from the ground and began to speak in a practiced manner.
“Five years ago, a heavy rain caused a disaster for us. In response, Sun Xian Gu traveled a long way to invite a deity, the Pine Tree King. That’s why the tree on our mountain is so extraordinary, because it’s the earthly form of the deity. Ever since the Pine Tree King was invited to protect the village five years ago, the mountain has never shown its anger, even when it has rained heavily. As Grandma Sun said, if there is a deity, it needs to be worshiped. Through her communication with the deity, we have determined that the best day for our worship is August 8th. It is a day to pray for our safe passage through disasters and to express our gratitude to the deity who protects us.”
After Wu Chun finished speaking, he wanted to approach Xu Shi Yao and ask for her advice.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he took a step forward, his foot was blocked by a stone underneath.
Wu Chun’s body leaned towards Xu Shi Yao uncontrollably.
“Oh no!”
Wu Chun closed his eyes, but he didn’t feel much fear in his heart because he was sure that Xu Shi Yao would definitely catch him.
Just the thought of being held in Xu Shi Yao’s arms like this made Wu Chun feel a little embarrassed.
Lately, Wu Chun had felt that he could no longer openly engage in those intimate gestures with Xu Shi Yao.
His body was enveloped in a cool sensation, and a faint scent of pine reached his nostrils.
Wu Chun buried his face in Xu Shi Yao’s embrace, reluctant to lift his head.
” Wu Chun.”
Xu Shi Yao’s voice came from above.
“Yes?”
“Did you fall?”
“No,” Wu Chun said, his face still buried in Xu Shi Yao’s embrace. He thought of using Xu Shi Yao’s coolness to drive the heat from his body.
“Then what’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing!”
Wu Chun stepped out of Xu Shi Yao’s embrace and turned his body sideways to face him.
“You have a slight redness in your earlobes lately. Are you feeling uncomfortable?”
Wu Chun: “…”
This Xu Shi Yao really knows how to bring up sensitive topics.
Wu Chun gave him an annoyed look, shrugged his shoulders, and started to climb up the tree. Just as he had climbed halfway up, he felt a pair of hands supporting his waist, and a worried voice came from behind him, “Be careful.”
In the darkness of the night, Wu Chun let out a slow sigh as he felt the chill around his waist. Wu Chun turned his head and helplessly said to Xu Shi Yao, “Do you want to look at the moon together?”
Half an hour later, Wu Chun regretted his request.
The moonlight tonight was beautiful. However, Wu Chun hadn’t expected that Xu Shi Yao wouldn’t just lift him up onto a pine branch like before in order to give him a closer look at the moon. This time, Xu Shi Yao made him sit on the top of the pine tree.
Wu Chun knew very well that Xu Shi Yao’s skills would prevent him from falling. But due to the fear in his heart, Wu Chun wrapped his hands tightly around Xu Shi Yao’s waist.
With Xu Shi Yao towering over him, Wu Chun naturally rested his head on Xu Shi Yao’s chest. No matter how you looked at it, this posture was similar to that of a couple embracing.
Unfortunately, Xu Shi Yao was completely unaware of this, so Wu Chun felt uncomfortable and hesitated to speak.
On this quiet summer night, under the starry sky and moonlight, all the beauty in the world seemed to be happening to Wu Chun.
Wu Chun glanced at Xu Shi Yao and realized that he was truly absorbed in observing the moon.
The atmosphere between them had developed to the point where they didn’t feel any awkwardness even without speaking a word.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Wu Chun’s lips. He closed his eyes and felt the light breeze brush his cheeks. The sound of frogs croaking in the lake echoed in his ears, and there was no annoyance from mosquito bites.
Everything seemed to be going so well, if it wasn’t for Wu Chun’s encounter on his way home. As he passed by the cornfield, he heard strange sounds coming from inside. Driven by his intense curiosity, he bypassed the corn field and witnessed a scene in the sweet potato field, sandwiched between two rows of corn, where two individuals were entwined in their nakedness.
Coincidentally, the moonlight was bright tonight, allowing Wu Chun to see the scene in the field with utmost clarity.
Wu Chun instinctively covered his mouth with both hands to prevent himself from making a sound.
In his eighteen years of life, Wu Chun’s understanding of romantic relationships was limited to flipping through romance novels on his desk and observing young couples secretly holding hands, hugging, and kissing at school.
This was the first time Wu Chun had ever seen something like this.
Wu Chun quickly fled the scene and ran towards his home without looking back. By the time he reached his grandfather’s house, he was exhausted and gasping for breath.
“What’s going on here?”
“Why are you still awake, Grandpa?” Wu Chun looked at his grandfather who was sitting in the courtyard holding a fan. It was surprising to see him at this time, as he should have been asleep.
“I saw that you hadn’t come back, so I stayed up. What happened to you? Why are you in such a state? Has something happened to you?”
It would have been better if his grandfather hadn’t asked, because the moment he did, Wu Chun’s mind immediately flashed back to the intertwined figures in the field.
“No, no, no.” Wu Chun hurriedly waved his hand and went to the bucket. He filled a basin with water and splashed cold water on his face.
“Go to sleep, Grandpa. It’s getting late.”
Wu Chun pretended to be fine and urged his grandfather to go to sleep. After finally managing to send his grandfather off, Wu Chun lay in bed but couldn’t fall asleep no matter how hard he tried.
The impact of this situation was even stronger than when he first shattered his belief in the supernatural. But what shocked Wu Chun even more was yet to come.
That night, he had a dream. In the dream, it was still the same sweet potato field, but the intertwined figures in the field had been replaced by himself and Xu Shi Yao.
A soybean:
Sorry everyone, I’m going to be late for a video call with my dad today.
Wow, wet dreams!!!
Thank you for your translation 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛
He’s been enlightened? 😉
One step closer to being mature ~