The rain was intermittent.
In the village, the small path was muddy. Wu Chun wore his grandfather’s heavy rain boots and held an umbrella as he stood at the village chief’s door.
“The incident was even on TV at the time, and it was also reported in the local newspaper. Every family had a copy back then. Your grandfather and I couldn’t read, so we don’t know where it went in the end. But the village chief should have a copy. After all, only five years have passed.”
After hearing this, Wu Chun came here immediately. He looked at the closed wooden door in front of him and sighed slowly.
According to his grandfather, the village would receive the latest newspaper every week. But could they still find the one from five years ago?
“Xu Shi Yao…”
Wu Chun muttered these three words under his breath. At that moment, the door in front of him was opened from the inside.
“Isn’t this Uncle Wang’s nephew?” the person inside said.
Wu Chun looked up and forced a smile. “Hello Uncle, I came today to ask for your help with something.”
…
“I read every issue of the newspaper, and I kept the ones that I found meaningful from five years ago. You can look through them to see if there’s anything you’re looking for.”
Wu Chun looked at the piles of newspapers in front of him and scratched the back of his head.
“Um…” he asked cautiously, “Is there anything about Xu Shi Yao?”
The village chief was taken aback. His face, which had been filled with a smile, immediately sank. After a while, he slowly sighed and turned around to take out a newspaper from a drawer behind him.
“Is Grandma Wang mistaking you for her grandson again?” he said, handing the newspaper to Wu Chun. “Don’t mind her, kid. She just misses her grandson.”
Wu Chun took the newspaper and read it carefully.
The newspaper described the situation in detail. Due to the terrain and location, rainfall was already scarce here, and even when it rained, the amount of rainfall would not be very large. But five years ago, that rain was like a joke played by the heavens on the people of this village. It came suddenly, without any warning.
“That child had just arrived on the third day. He had lived with his grandmother until he was five years old before being picked up by his father in the city. He was considered half a person in this village. When he got into university, the whole village was happy for him, thinking that our village had also produced a college student. At that time, each household planned to raise some money and hold a celebration banquet for the child, but unfortunately it didn’t happen…”
The village chief said this, taking off his glasses and covering his eyes with his hand while sobbing softly.
Wu Chun looked at Xu Shi Yao in the newspaper and remembered the face hidden under the long hair that he saw last night. Although the picture in the newspaper was a bit blurry, Wu Chun could still recognise him at a glance.
However, the face that he saw last night had shed the innocence and naivety of his youth and gained a sense of maturity along with an additional layer of loneliness. The only thing that hadn’t changed were the determined and clear eyes. But now that sense of determination seemed to be mixed with a bit of confusion.
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.
Lf rffwr ab tjnf obgubaafc ktja tjqqfcfv yfobgf tf vlfv, bcis xcbklcu atja tf qjrrfv jkjs lc 1995. Pa tjr yffc olnf sfjgr rlcmf atfc, jcv joafg rfnfc vjsr bo vfjat, bcf rtbeiv fcafg gflcmjgcjalbc. Qtja wjxfr tlw xffq uejgvlcu atlr qijmf?
Gffq lcrlvf, Qe Jtec ofia atja jc jcrkfg kjr jybea ab mbwf bea. Lf gfmjiifv jii atf atlcur gfijafv ab We Vtl Tjb lc atf qjra ofk vjsr, jcv la rffwfv atja tf bcis jqqfjgfv ktfc rbwfbcf rfmgfais mea vbkc atf qlcf agffr. Pc atfrf olnf sfjgr, tf tjr rabqqfv qfbqif ogbw meaalcu vbkc atf qlcf agffr.
“Uncle, is it because of the landslide that it is now prohibited to cut down trees?”
“Yes,” the village chief said, wiping his eyes with his sleeve and putting his glasses back on. “It’s okay in the summer, but in the winter, people here rely on fire for warmth. There isn’t enough firewood, so they targeted that forest. Even if there were orders not to cut it down, they still did it. But in recent years, there have been rumours of ghosts haunting the mountain, and I feel like this young man is actually blessing us. The trees survived, and the mountain hasn’t been angry.”
Wu Chun’s heart was in turmoil, unable to express his feelings for a moment. A tear suddenly dropped onto the newspaper, and unconsciously, Wu Chun’s eyes had become moist.
“Thank you, Uncle, for telling me these things today.” Wu Chun looked at the newspaper in his hand, hesitated for a moment, and decided to ask, “Can I borrow this newspaper for a day? I’ll return it to you tomorrow.”
Wu Chun knew how important it was. If it weren’t for that, the village chief wouldn’t have kept it so carefully. He just wanted to make Xu Shi Yao remember why he persevered.
“Take it.” The village chief patted Wu Chun’s shoulder and said, “Wang’s grandmother doesn’t know that her grandson has passed away. She can’t bear the shock. So we are keeping it from her and saying that her grandson has gone abroad to study. Don’t let her know.”
Wu Chun nodded and held the newspaper close to his chest, then left the village chief’s house with an umbrella.
Along the way, Wu Chun kept thinking about how in 1995, when Xu Shi Yao had just turned eighteen and was full of enthusiasm as he prepared to enter university, and how this year Wu Chun himself had just turned eighteen and was also a young person preparing to enter university.
Then Wu Chun met Xu Shi Yao.
Everything seemed predestined.
Unknowingly, Wu Chun arrived at the doorstep of Grandma Wang’s house, where the rain was still falling and the door was half open. Wu Chun saw Grandma Wang sitting at the door of the main room, her eyes fixed on the mountain in front of her.
Wu Chun remembered what she had said to him before: “Every time you come, you come down from that mountain.”
Tears welled up in Wu Chun’s eyes again. He neatly folded the newspaper and put it in his pocket, composed himself, forced a smile on his face, pushed the door open, and said, “Grandma, I came to see you.”
Hearing this, Grandma Wang dropped her crutch to the ground, stood up with the help of the door frame, stared at Wu Chun for a long time, and suddenly reached out to hug him.
“Yao Yao, it’s been five years. You finally came back to see grandma.”
The old lady is ninety-three years old this year. Her husband passed away seven years ago, and her mind has gradually become confused. She can’t recognise her own children, and she can’t even remember what she ate just now. But she remembers every single thing about Xu Shi Yao.
“Yao Yao, do you remember? When you were four years old, grandma went to pick up firewood at the foot of the mountain in the winter, and you followed me. It was cold, and the water level on the lake rose into the forest and froze into ice. Grandma wasn’t paying attention, and you slipped into the ice cave. Fortunately, there were people nearby at that time, but my Yao Yao still had a high fever for three days. Since then, every time I took you out, I tied a rope around your waist and the other end to mine.”
“When you went out to play at that time, someone gave you a peach, but you were unwilling to eat it and kept it in your hand. Then the neighbour’s uncle teased you and took a bite. You sat on the ground and cried, saying that you wanted to save it for Grandma to eat. Every night when you slept, you had to find me to hold you. At that time, you also said that when you grow up, you will buy many delicious things for Grandma to eat.”
“Your dad said he would come to pick you up, and you hid every day, crying and making a fuss, not willing to go back. In the end, I lied to you that I would go with you before you were willing to follow me back.”
…
Grandma Wang said a lot; her face filled with a smile, and she held Wu Chun’s right hand tightly. Wu Chun could only secretly wipe away tears with his left hand when she wasn’t paying attention.
“Yao Yao, why haven’t you come to see Grandma for such a long time?”
“I’m busy studying, but I’ll come to see grandma every day in the future,” Wu Chun said, trying to make himself smile.
“Okay, okay, grandma’s good Yao Yao,” said Grandma Wang, raising her hand to gently touch Wu Chun’s hair.
Wu Chun stayed at Grandma Wang’s house until very late. The rain finally stopped close to dusk, but the sky still looked gloomy.
In the evening, Wu Chun finished dinner with his grandfather and went out.
Funerals are very particular here. It seems that they have to be held for three days before burial can take place on the third day. Someone needs to stay there at night for the first two days.
Grandfather said he was going to help and told Wu Chun to go to bed early.
Wu Chun agreed, but as soon as his grandfather left, he took the newspaper and ran to Shili Mountain.
Although it was not yet nine o’clock, the weather was gloomy, and the other party should be able to come out of the trees.
Thinking about it, Wu Chun climbed up the mountain. The road was slippery due to the rain, and he had to hold onto the pine trees by the roadside to climb up to the location of the pine tree.
In the darkness, before the pine tree, Xu Shi Yao was still dressed in the same attire, standing with his hands behind his back and looking at Wu Chun.
Wu Chun felt his eyes getting hot, and he stared at the other person’s face for a while, his hands shaking slightly.
After scrutinizing him for a long time with an inquisitive look, Xu Shi Yao slowly spoke two words: “Go back.”
As soon as Xu Shi Yao spoke, Wu Chun couldn’t hold back anymore. He took two steps forward and hugged him tightly, tears streaming down his face.
“I’m not going back!”
Wu Chun didn’t know what he was upset about, but when he saw the other person, he couldn’t hold back his emotions any longer and let everything out in that moment.
“It’s dangerous on a rainy day,”
Hearing this, Wu Chun felt even sadder. Suddenly, he was also grateful that the other person had forgotten their past lives. If they had remembered, how could they have endured every rainy day in the past five years?
Wu Chun thought again about how, for the past five years, he (XSY) had seen every person who died enter reincarnation seven days later. There were also many people around him who had passed away, but perhaps no one had ever stopped and kept him company, talking to him. For five years, he had silently guarded the peace of Shili Village.
Wu Chun let go of the other person, wiped away his tears, and smiled, saying, “With you here, I’m not afraid.”
“I’m a ghost.”
The other person said those three words again.”
“I know.” Wu Chun said nonchalantly as he walked past Xu Shi Yao. Even though the rain had stopped, the mountain was covered in grass, and Wu Chun’s shoes were soaked through, his pants clinging tightly to his skin, making him very uncomfortable.
“Can I climb this tree?” Wu Chun turned around and asked. Although he climbed it without permission last time, ignorance is not a crime.
Wu Chun looked at Xu Shi Yao, who was bowing his head, lost in thought, and seemed to not have heard Wu Chun’s question.
“If you don’t answer, I’ll take it as a yes?”
Seeing that Xu Shi Yao still didn’t respond, Wu Chun didn’t care and quickly took off his shoes and climbed up the tree.
Wearing wet shoes was very uncomfortable, and before long, Wu Chun heard a cracking sound, and the branch he was on broke.
“Ah!”
Wu Chun screamed as he watched his body fall with the broken branch, feeling helpless. He instinctively closed his eyes, but the expected pain did not come. Instead, he felt a chill, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself being held by Xu Shi Yao.
Xu Shi Yao regained his expressionless face and was about to put Wu Chun down. But when he saw Wu Chun’s red feet from wearing wet shoes for too long, his gaze first froze, and then he held Wu Chun and sat on another fork of the pine tree.
Wu Chun refused to let go and hugged Xu Shi Yao tightly, saying, “It was sturdy last time, and I haven’t gained weight these days.”
Wu Chun’s emotions haven’t calmed down yet. Regardless of whether it hurts or not, the main issue is that it just rained today, and the soil is mixed with rainwater. If he falls, he can almost imagine his dirty and embarrassed appearance. He doesn’t want to explain it to his grandfather when he returns home. The more he thinks about it, the harder he holds onto Xu Shi Yao. In the end, he even sat on Xu Shi Yao’s lap.
“Let go.”
“No, no.” Wu Chun shook his head anxiously and tightened his grip on Xu Shi Yao’s hand. He said nervously, “This branch looks thin. If I let go, I’ll fall again.”
“You won’t.”
Wu Chun was startled; the voice just now was too abrupt, and he dared not be sure if the other party had really said it or if it was just his imagination. He looked up at Xu Shi Yao and found that he was looking down at him. The pair of eyes that were originally full of aggressiveness gradually gave way to helplessness. Although he kept telling Wu Chun to let go, his left and right hands were still holding onto Wu Chun’s waist, fearing that he would fall.
“What…what?” Wu Chun looked at him cautiously and asked
The other person moved his gaze away, and after a moment, Wu Chun heard him say again, “I’m here.”
He’s still really kind young man
Thank you for your translation 💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝
»Wu Chun thought abouy how, in the past..« This and the next paragraph are the same, just a bit different in wording.
»The other person said those three words again.”« – ” at the end
».. as he walked past Xu ShiYao.« & »Wu Chun looked at Xu ShiYao..« & »Seeing that Xu ShiYao still didn’t respond..« & ».. he found himself being held by Xu ShiYao.« & »Xu ShiYao regained his expressionless..« & »Wu Chun refused to let go and hugged Xu ShiYao tightly..« All of them: Xu Shi Yao (Or change every Shi Yao into ShiYao x’D)
Grandma Wang has Dementia but she still knows that it has been 5 yrs since she last saw her grandson. WC’s visit was already forgotten xD
Thx for the ch ٩(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )و