After getting off the train and taking a bus, followed by hitchhiking, he had to rely on his own two feet as he entered the mountains.
The mountains were deep, with cliffs and steep slopes presenting numerous dangers.
Carrying a large backpack, Tong Xiaosong walked with each step carefully placed, sometimes deep, sometimes shallow.
This path, which he had traversed many times, always remained muddy and rugged, unchanged for over a decade.
Things from the mountains couldn’t be transported out, and things from the outside couldn’t be brought in.
In the mountain hollows, there were many households and many children.
The government had once considered relocating everyone, but due to the overwhelming number of people and difficulties in resettlement, the plan was abandoned.
People in the mountains didn’t have many thoughts about it. Compared to his sister, who had sent him out of the mountains, many more people chose to leave their children in the mountains forever.
They were isolated from the world, guarding their own land, rotting in the mud generation after generation, only to grow anew in the mud.
Leaning on a wooden stick for support, Tong Xiaosong finally returned to his own village.
The men drinking at the village entrance saw him as if witnessing something novel.
“Tong Xiaosong, why are you back? It’s not time for a break yet!”
“Could I not come back? If I didn’t, my sister’s door would have been knocked down by men by now!”
Laughter erupted among the crowd.
Tong Xiaosong walked home with his head down, ignoring the vulgar remarks from these men.
Even if these men were given ten times the courage, they wouldn’t dare to knock on his family’s door.
He had seen his sister furious countless times, wielding a sickle with no regard for life or death, using her frail body to protect him and their mother.
His sister, 24 years old, eight years older than him, wasn’t considered old, but in a village where girls would marry in their teens, her age was considered late. However, no one dared to marry her, and no one dared to provoke her. She was infamous for being fierce in the village.
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.
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But the current reality was that his sister, with her delicate body, had sent him out of the mountains and into school.
Returning home, the yard was dilapidated, and the house seemed on the verge of collapse.
The door was tightly locked; his sister was probably working in the fields.
The family was poor, with nothing valuable to steal. The locked door was to prevent his mentally unstable mother from wandering around.
The mountains were full of dangers, and if she ran out, whether she could come back was uncertain.
He took out the rusty key and opened the equally weathered door lock.
With a clang, the courtyard gate swung open.
He walked in and proceeded to open the bedroom door.
The windows were broken and wrapped in layers of plastic sheets, making the room poorly lit.
In the dim room, Tong’s mother walked out unsteadily, half of her hair turned white, and her face worn out.
“Xiaoyan, you’re back?”
“Mom, it’s me.” Tong Xiaosong approached, helping his mother out to sit in the courtyard and soak up the sun.
“Xiaosong?” His mother’s eyes lit up, and she smiled happily. “My Xiaosong is back.”
Suddenly, her gaze paused, looking behind Tong Xiaosong. “Such a handsome young man, is he Xiaosong’s friend?”
Tong Xiaosong was stunned, turned to look, and his smile froze on his face. “Mom, it’s just me here. Who are you talking about?”
Although his mother could recognize her own child, most of the time, her consciousness was confused and unclear.
Even though he couldn’t always trust his mother’s words, after experiencing so many strange things, he was on edge.
His mother didn’t pay attention to him but instead showed a bright smile. “Oh, I see. Good, good…”
The sun was intense today, but Tong Xiaosong broke into a cold sweat.
“Mom, who are you talking to?”
His mother nodded and looked up at the sky, staring blankly.
This was also his mother’s usual state. When she wasn’t having an episode, she would often stare blankly at a spot. During episodes, she would babble incoherently.
Seeing his mother’s appearance, Tong Xiaosong’s eyes reddened. Without asking more questions, he went inside, took off his backpack, rolled up his sleeves, and started working.
After working for a while, he heard a voice at the door. Looking up, he saw his sister, Tong Xiaoyan, carrying farming tools back home.
As Tong Xiaoyan entered the courtyard, she called out, “Xiaosong! You’re back?”
“Sis!” Tong Xiaosong happily approached, his eyes finally exposed to the sunlight, filled with pure joy as he took the farming tools from Tong Xiaoyan.
“Look at you, letting your hair grow like this. Why don’t you cut it?” Tong Xiaoyan ruffled Tong Xiaosong’s hair and said, “Don’t worry about money. Sis can handle it. You don’t need to save money for a haircut. Sis won’t touch your hair with these rough hands. When you go back to school, get a stylish haircut, similar to other boys.”
“No, it’s just that I haven’t had time to cut it.” Tong Xiaosong smiled shyly.
Tong Xiaoyan washed her hands with water, examining Tong Xiaosong, and said with concern, “You’ve lost weight. Stop working. There’s no need for you to do chores at home. Focus on your studies. Come wash your hands, and we’ll have dinner soon.”
“Sis, you cook. I’ll tidy up this firewood. I’ll stop working once you finish cooking.” Tong Xiaosong continued working.
Tong Xiaoyan laughed, “My little Song is so sensible.”
After busying herself for a while, Tong Xiaoyan shouted from inside the house, “Mom, get bowls and chopsticks. It’s time to eat!”
Tong’s mother, who had been sitting quietly for a long time, turned her head and slowly got up, walking towards the house.
Tong Xiaoyan stepped out and stood at the doorway, shouting, “Xiaosong! Wash your hands, it’s time to eat!”
“Alright! I know.” Tong Xiaosong, drenched in sweat, straightened up and went to the basin to wash his hands.
With his head bowed, he vigorously scrubbed the dirt off his hands, biting his lip in frustration at his own weakness.
Just tidying up a bit of firewood had exhausted him. His sister did so much every day, yet he couldn’t even handle this small task properly.
After splashing his face with water to cool down, he stood up, shook himself off, and walked into the house.
Inside, he saw small fish on the table – the best dish they could afford at home. Since it didn’t cost anything, they could simply place a net in the mountain stream, and after a considerable amount of time, they could catch a few.
Although small, it was enough to satisfy their appetites.
Today, upon his return, besides the fish, his sister had also cooked wild vegetables and made cold-dressed roasted potatoes.
Looking at the bowls and chopsticks on the table, Tong Xiaosong was puzzled. There were only three people in the house, yet there were four sets of bowls and chopsticks on the table.
Tong Xiaoyan placed pickled vegetables on the table and, noticing the extra set, also paused. She turned to ask her mother, “Mom, why are there extra sets?”
Tong’s mother’s gaze lacked focus as she murmured, “Not many, just enough for four people.”
Picking up chopsticks, she grabbed a fish and placed it in a bowl beside her, smiling, “Eat, make sure to eat your fill.”
Tong Xiaosong’s pupils contracted, a bit anxious. “Mom, there’s no one else here.”
Tong Xiaoyan sighed, motioning for her brother to sit down. “Let’s eat. Mom is having an episode again. You know what she likes to do when it happens. As long as she’s happy.” She then served Tong Xiaosong a piece of fish. “Enjoy. Even though the food at home may not be as tasty as the school cafeteria, it’s fresh.”
Tong Xiaosong glanced at the empty seat, shifted his gaze away, and quietly said as he picked up his chopsticks, “The cafeteria doesn’t have food as delicious as home. Sister’s cooking is the best!”
“You always know what to say,” Tong Xiaoyan chuckled. “Eat well. After finishing, let’s go up the mountain together to visit Dad. Now that you’re back, you should let him know.”
Tong Xiaosong nodded in agreement.
Ohoho, meeting the mother so soon, Mr Ghost you’re moving quite fast, aren’t you?
Lol😄
Mr. Ghost: ready to call her mom
Hohoho… Mr ghost plzz pay attention to ur mother in law. She need love and protection U_U. Thanks for this wholesome translation.
Mr ghost moves fast XD
I wonder why the mom can see ghosts? If there’s some sort of latent spiritual power in their family line, maybe that’s how the MC was able to summon the ghost in the first place.