Xu Shen’s tall figure and handsome facial features coincided with those of the young man in the magazine, making Xia Yun feel stunned.
It wasn’t until everyone entered the courtyard that Xia Yun followed nervously. Her eyes looked at Xu Shen’s back for a while, then at the orderly courtyard, and finally moved to the boy walking in the front…
Xia Yun seemed to recognize who that other person was. It wasn’t that she liked fashion, but he was also a writer that her daughter really liked… To the point that her desk was always covered with photos of that person, cut out from newspapers.
However, he seems to have a close relationship with Xu Shen, someone who could make him listen with just one sentence, giving Xia Yun the impression that she should not act rashly and wait for the other party to speak first.
Shu Ran led them into the house and, sensing Xu Shen’s resistance, said to him: “Brother Shen, you take Brother Dong upstairs and ask what you need to ask. I’ll talk to this lady.”
Xu Shen nodded immediately, greeted Wang Dong, and went up without even glancing at Xia Yun.
After they left, Shu Ran looked at Xia Yun, whose eyes were following Xu Shen’s back, and continued: “Please sit down, let’s talk.”
Xia Yun then retracted her eyes in a daze and sat down at the table. Seeing how embarrassed she was, and since it was also winter, Shu Ran poured her a cup of hot tea: “Drink some, warm yourself up.”
“Thank you.” Xia Yun looked up at Shu Ran and forced a smile: “I seem to recognize you. Are you that writer, Shu Ran?”
Shu Ran nodded. “I am.” By the way, he also wanted to move the focus to Xu Shen and introduce their relationship: “I am also a good friend and partner of Brother Shen. Regarding… The matter between you and Brother Shen, I am afraid of affecting his mood, so I have full authority to communicate. Do you think that’s okay? Do you have a problem with it?”
Xia Yun shook her head. “No problem, I know he doesn’t want to see me.” At the same time, she also noticed that Xu Shen trusted Shu Ran very much, so much that she felt that maybe… If Shu Ran hadn’t negotiated with him, Xu Shen might have felt too disgusted to even look at her.
“It’s no problem…” Shu Ran nodded, his expression always serious. At that moment, he fully embraced the role of Xu Shen’s spokesperson, feeling that every word and every statement he made must fit Xu Shen’s heart: “First of all, I would like to ask you a question. Why did you come to Brother Shen at this time?”
Xia Yun was a smart person, so she could only smile bitterly when she heard that: “It’s not what you think. I come from a good family and don’t need to borrow money from my children. Don’t get me wrong.” She paused and sighed. “I did see it in a magazine… His photo. I didn’t think it was him at that time, just thought of the child I gave up for adoption in the countryside. He must have grown up to this age. I had always thought about him before but never dared to do anything… So it was really unbearable that day and I couldn’t stand it anymore.”
Thinking of what she just found out, that her child ended up abandoned for the second time, Xia Yun lowered her head and cried: “I didn’t expect that family to abandon him, wuwuwu…”
“What?” Shu Ran frowned. “Speak slowly and start from the beginning.”
“Well…” Xia Yun slowed down and choked with tears as she recounted everything that happened that year, including the events after she returned to the city, how many years had passed since she got married, the current situation of her family and children, etc.
Shu Ran listened quietly. From the calm look on his face to the trembling of his fingertips, there was only one feeling in his heart, and that was… Heartache! How sorry he felt for Xu Shen and how he really wanted to go upstairs and hug him…
“I know I don’t have the face to see my child, and I’m not here to recognize him either, ” Xia Yun finished recounting the past, wiped her tears, and sobbed: “I’m just satisfied to see him living well.”
Shu Ran did not judge her actions. After all, Xu Shen’s suffering could not be redeemed by just condemning her, making him feel totally indifferent to her plight, as if she was someone who didn’t matter much to them.
“What’s the name of that male-educated youth you mentioned?” Shu Ran asked.
“He’s called Ye Heng.” Xia Yun said.
“Ye Heng?” Shu Ran was confused… That name didn’t match the name he heard before, so maybe Xu Shen’s father changed his name, a practice that was quite normal at that time.
“Well, I’m not sure he’ll want to see his child. If he finds out…” Xia Yun hesitated.
“It’s no use even looking for him.” Shu Ran interrupted her unceremoniously: “Brother Shen doesn’t want to recognize anyone.” He told the truth, staring at Xia Yun’s pale face, and continued to warn her: “The most important thing is that it’s better to let this rot in your stomach.”
“Yes, I understand.” Xia Yun nodded while clenching her handkerchief.
“If your purpose was to see if he’s doing well,” Shu Ran continued with a sullen face, “I can tell you that he wasn’t doing well before, but he is doing well now and will be better in the future. Those who are not related to him have nothing to do with his life, and he will never recognize you.”
Xia Yun closed her eyes and shed a string of tears: “Yes.”
Shu Ran looked at her, pursed his lips, and said: “I can only make him have no resentment in his heart and live a relaxed life.”
“Thank you.” Xia Yun burst into tears.
After thinking about it, Shu Ran stood up and continued: “I’m going to ask if he wants to see you. If he doesn’t, I’ll send you to the guest house. You can go back to your life tomorrow.”
“Okay, okay!” Xia Yun quickly wiped her tears.
Shu Ran went upstairs and found Xu Shen and Wang Dong sitting on each other’s side, silently surrounding a charcoal basin. He looked at the charcoal basin, only to see a few sweet potatoes simmered on top of it. Good guy… He was still in the mood to simmer sweet potatoes!
Seeing Shu Ran coming, they both looked at Shu Ran, one with a nervous face and the other with a calm one.
“Brother Shen, come inside.” Shu Ran walked directly to their bedroom and waited for him.
Xu Shen glanced at Wang Dong, put down the tongs for turning the sweet potatoes, and followed in.
“Wife… What’s wrong?!” As soon as Xu Shen came in, Shu Ran hugged him, shocking his heart.
“It’s nothing, I just want to hug you.” Shu Ran’s voice was trembling, feeling that even the hands that were holding Xu Shen were trembling. His mind was also thinking uncontrollably, regurgitating the pain caused by Xia Yun’s words.
It was a coincidence that Xu Shen was born in the summer. Such a helpless and innocent baby was kicked around like a ball. In the end, he failed to fall into the hands of someone who could guarantee his survival.
When Shu Ran thought about it, he became very angry and extremely sad. He wished that he could one day take Xu Shen away and raise him well.
“Don’t lie to me… You’re trembling.” Xu Shen hugged Shu Ran tightly and frowned deeply. “Did she say something bad? Just ignore it.”
“Brother Shen…” Shu Ran’s tears slid down Xu Shen’s neck, all the way to his collar.
When Xu Shen discovered that Shu Ran was actually crying, his mind went blank. Then he cursed and pressed Shu Ran’s head to coax him: “Don’t cry, don’t cry. You cry so hard that I might lose my mind…”
He couldn’t help but get angry at the woman who suddenly appeared. She was gone for more than twenty years, so why could she easily affect their emotions just by showing her face?!
“I’ll go down to find her.” Xu Shen said in a deep voice.
“Wait a minute!” Shu Ran hugged Xu Shen and continued to cry for a while, then remembered that Xia Yun was still waiting downstairs. He sniffed to calm himself down. “Brother Shen, I’m done talking to her.”
Xu Shen looked at Shu Ran worriedly: “What did she say that made you cry?”
He didn’t actually care what they talked about. His only hope was that Shu Ran would stop crying since there was no need to be sad about that matter.
“Let me tell you briefly… The whole story.” Shu Ran still hugged Xu Shen’s waist and leaned on him with some depression, while slowly telling the story he just heard from Xia Yun.
After hearing everything, Xu Shen was very calm, with a blank reaction: “Hmm”.
“If you want to go down and see her, go. If you don’t want to, I’ll send her to the guest house.” Shu Ran said in a muffled voice.
Xu Shen raised Shu Ran’s chin and kissed him: “I don’t want to see her, but it’s cold, so I don’t want you to go outside and see her off either.”
“It doesn’t matter…” Compared to preserving Xu Shen’s mood, Shu Ran was really not afraid of the cold wind.
Xu Shen covered his lips with his fingers: “I know we shouldn’t care about it, but it’s my turn to face her this time.”
“Then, okay.” Since he insisted on going, Shu Ran couldn’t stop him.
Xu Shen let him go, kissed his forehead, turned around, and went out. When he arrived downstairs, his face no longer showed that gentle, loving look he had when he faced Shu Ran. Only a cold and serious expression remained.
Speaking in a stiff tone, Xu Shen said to Xia Yun: “I’ll take you to the guest house. I hope you won’t disturb my life again in the future.”
Xia Yun was pleasantly surprised when she saw him but felt ashamed when she heard him.
“I……”
“Don’t talk to me.” Xu Shen interrupted her in a cold voice.
Xia Yun shut her mouth and got into the back seat of Xu Shen’s car. The short journey to the guest house was the closest the mother and son had ever been to each other in their lives, and it was also the last time they would be so close together.
When she arrived at the door of the guest house, Xia Yun was about to say something but hesitated. However, Xu Shen did not give her a single chance to speak.
After sending her off, Xu Shen turned the car and stepped on the accelerator. He just wanted to go home quickly, not thinking about anything on the way here, his mind filled with a weird sense of comfort.
Shu Ran cried because of that bad thing. He remembered that Shu Ran didn’t like to cry and was a very strong person. He only occasionally shed a few tears when they were intimate in bed, and was the type that wouldn’t get jealous or succumb to heartache.
Of course, Xu Shen knew that Shu Ran felt sorry for him, but in fact, he really didn’t care about his past. It was over. Whether it was the first or the second abandonment, it didn’t matter to him. Now he just wanted to live a good life with Shu Ran and enjoy their days together.
However, Xu Shen also knew that if some details were not explained clearly, Shu Ran would definitely not be able to pass the hurdle and would always be brooding about it.
“Alas…” Xu Shen opened the car window and let the cold wind flow in, blowing his hot body and mind.
Shu Ran’s love and his own mixed emotions about the past created a sort of enthusiasm that made Xu Shen’s mind, which rarely had ups and downs of emotions, go crazy.
Back home, Xu Shen found that Wang Dong was already gone, so he asked Shu Ran with his eyes.
“He was afraid that you would beat him, so he hid in the factory.” Shu Ran also said that many employees and their families settled in the factory, happy to spend the New Year together.
“He can run fast…” Xu Shen said.
“Do you really want to beat him up?” Shu Ran sat in front of the charcoal basin and held his hands. After laughing, he continued: “Actually, it’s better to understand the situation clearly and talk about it, so as not to be confused and unclear in the future.”
“Yeah.” Xu Shen sat down next to him. After going out in the winter, his hands were a little cold.
“The food is hot. I’ll serve it.” Shu Ran touched Xu Shen’s face and stood up to serve the meal.
Xu Shen soon followed, and the two of them started making arrangements together. It was too cold to eat in the hall downstairs, and it was warmer and more comfortable on the second floor. And so, the two of them crowded into the small table on the second floor to eat dinner without saying anything.
It’s not that Shu Ran didn’t want to ask… He just felt that Xu Shen should be given some time to digest everything, waiting for him to be ready to say whatever he wanted to say.
He didn’t ask, and Xu Shen didn’t mention it either. He was still hesitating because… His wife was finally calm, and he might start crying again if they continued that subject.
“This oxtail soup is pretty good.” Shu Ran took a big sip. “If you didn’t tell me, I wouldn’t have known that you could make soup out of this thing.”
Think about it, after he started following Xu Shen, he ate a lot of “weird” things.
“It’s a good thing, you can’t buy it easily.” Xu Shen smiled and coughed lightly.”I only got one because I asked an acquaintance to save it.”
“Oh, no wonder you didn’t cook it in Beijing.” Such a good thing and in short supply would probably be gone as soon as you go to the vegetable market.
“It’s easy to buy here. If you like to drink it, I’ll prepare it for you every day.” Xu Shen said.
“Well, just for a few days… We have to leave before the Lantern Festival.” Shu Ran calculated, and it was already the twenty-eight. “The holiday is really short.”
“Yes.” Xu Shen nodded.
And then, there was silence again. After dinner, Xu Shen asked: “Are you taking a shower tonight?” The temperature seemed to have hit a new low, probably below zero, and it was easy to catch a cold when taking a shower.
“Let’s wash.” Shu Ran said. After a busy day of cleaning, he must wash.
“Then I’ll go first and sacrifice myself for you.” Xu Shen rubbed Shu Ran’s face and asked: “Am I good to you?”
“Good, super good!” Shu Ran praised without hesitation. He was ignorant in the past and only heard of warming the bed. After being with Xu Shen, he learned new knowledge. In the cold bathroom, he rubbed Xu Shen’s fingers to warm them. “How about we shower together?”
“You’ll catch a cold.” Xu Shen shook his head and refused. He must be crazy to accept bathing with Shu Ran in winter.
And so, the brave Brother Shen went to take a bath first, and then Shu Ran happily went in to enjoy the warm bathroom.
Maybe it was because he cried today, but when Shu Ran put the hot towel on his face, he felt that his eyes were a little sore and swollen.
He finally discovered that crying with negative emotions could be harmful to the body. It could be seen from his personal experience because…
…Crying for pleasure did not harm his body. No matter how hard he cried in bed, he only felt wet and happy, not completely down in the gutter like now.
“Wife, wash up quickly! Don’t waste time, come out.” Xu Shen’s voice came from outside the door, and all of Shu Ran’s emotions were suppressed.
Shu Ran picked up the bucket and poured the last bit of hot water on his body, wiped with a dry towel, and quickly took a breath and put on his cotton pajamas. That set was also made in their factory, with good materials selected, and especially comfortable to wear in winter.
“Brother Shen!” Shu Ran came out and saw Xu Shen standing at the door. Shu Ran’s expression turned complicated: “What are you doing? Are you afraid that I might fall into the sewage?!”
“I’m afraid you’ll catch a cold.” Xu Shen picked up a thick coat and put it on Shu Ran’s shoulders: “Although you’re quite petite, you won’t be able to fit into the hole.”
“Me… Small?!” Shu Ran glared.
“Compared to me, aren’t you?” Xu Shen asked.
Shu Ran gave him a look and reached his hand to feel it himself.
“You go in first.” Xu Shen continued. “I’ll get the charcoal basin.” After a while, he asked: “What about my sweet potato?!”
“Brother Dong… Ate it!” Shu Ran was happy. Only now did Xu Shen realize that his sweet potatoes were gone, which meant that he was not that calm and composed when he first came back.
“Originally I didn’t plan to beat him up…” Xu Shen clenched his fists and continued: “He didn’t even leave one for me! I’ll beat him up the next time I see him!”
After entering the bedroom, the two of them sat on the bed. Shu Ran finally asked: “Did the two of you say anything on the way?”
“No.” Xu Shen hugged Shu Ran and started talking naturally: “Bridges only lead to other bridges and roads lead back to each other. I can only try not to resent her, but I can’t understand her.”
“That’s enough.” Shu Ran leaned against Xu Shen and raised his head to look at him: “I actually… Wanted you to speak with her, but only because I didn’t want this matter to leave a blank and arouse speculation. Now it’s okay. Everything is clear and you can let it go.”
“Of course, RanRan.” Xu Shen said.
“Stop it!” Shu Ran interrupted him, with an extremely strange and surprised expression: “When did you give me a new nickname?!”
And it was such a disgusting new nickname!
“Ah, since always, but I just shouted it in my heart.” Xu Shen seemed quite satisfied with that nickname and smiled happily: “Isn’t it very sweet?”
“It’s too sweet!” Shu Ran rolled his eyes.
None of his previous family members called him that. At most, Grandpa called him Xiaoran.
“Where was I…” Xu Shen looked thoughtful.
He said “RanRan”, but Shu Ran didn’t want to acknowledge it since it was really disgusting, making him pick his toes more than getting called “wife”.
“I remember.” Xu Shen lay down and hugged Shu Ran to him: “I just wanted to say that this bad thing has passed in my heart, but it has not passed in yours, so don’t rush to refute me.”
Shu Ran wanted to speak, but a hand immediately held his head domineeringly. He glared and had to suppress his desire to interrupt first, waiting to see what Xu Shen had to say.
Xu Shen continued: “You’ve always been thinking about me, always cared about me, but then you pity me and feel sorry for me. No matter what troubles I had in life, when you think about it, you always start to exaggerate it and dig deeper… It’s so serious that you want to label me. I’ve always wanted to tell you that is not necessary. You’ve made me too miserable.”
His life might have been a bit miserable, but was not really that bad. Right?!
“…”
Shu Ran’s face suddenly became hot, feeling as if Xu Shen had stripped him of his clothes and publicly executed him: “No, I…”
“But it’s not your fault.” Xu Shen touched his head with remorse on his face: “Wife, I left too many blank spaces for you, allowing you to imagine endlessly. The more you think about it, the worse and scarier it gets.”
“But it’s indeed scary.” Shu Ran whispered stubbornly.
“I’ll tell you the details, and you won’t have to endlessly imagine it in the future.” After Xu Shen said that, he turned silent for a long time. Shu Ran didn’t dare to rush him and waited with bated breath. Finally, he heard Xu Shen continue: “I was taken away by a lonely old man, although I don’t know how many times I changed hands before that.”
Shu Ran wanted to lie down next to him and listen, but Xu Shen wouldn’t let him go and continued to hug him tightly: “The biggest impression left on me from when I was a child was that I was hungry. I opened my eyes every day and felt hungry.”
“That old man couldn’t support you so why did he take you away?” Shu Ran clenched his fists and cursed crazily in his heart. Really, why?! It wouldn’t have been like that if he lived in a decent family…
“I don’t know.” Xu Shen nuzzled him, trying to comfort him: “Aren’t you curious about how I learned literacy? I went to the school to listen from under the wall. I didn’t understand the benefits of knowledge at the time. I just thought… I should be like everyone else.”
When Shu Ran heard that, the feeling of sore eyes suddenly came back. He didn’t say anything and Xu Shen continued while thinking about something: “The worst thing I can remember is eating food from other people’s dog bowls. The rest seems to be gone. When I grew up, that old man died and then, when I was ten years old, I went to the city and stopped starving. At most, I suffered minor injuries and I had a few narrow escapes from death but really, I didn’t suffer any major injuries. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to meet me. Look, I have good hands and legs.”
Shu Ran said nothing.
Xu Shen touched his head: “I’m not that miserable. At most, I was looked down upon and appeared a little disgraceful.”
“Fart…” Shu Ran revealed the abnormality in his throat as soon as he opened his mouth. He tried to cough a few times to cover it up and then said after a while: “As expected of someone literate. You have a strong ability to avoid the important part and make everything seem easy.”
“But that’s the truth, really.” Xu Shen sighed helplessly: “Otherwise, how miserable can it be in your opinion?”
“Being hit with stones, thrown into the river, splashed with boiling water…” Shu Ran counted it out in detail, and that was only part of it.
Xu Shen was silent for a moment: “Wang Dong said that?”
Shu Ran nodded and looked at him apologetically: “I asked, don’t blame Brother Dong.”
“That’s it, nothing worse.” Xu Shen promised.
“It’s good that it’s gone…” Shu Ran nodded and didn’t want to ask anymore. Although it was a bit embarrassing, he decided to hold Xu Shen and cry for a while to digest everything.
“Then… Now I have no secrets in front of you.” Xu Shen glanced at the emotional Shu Ran. He estimated that if they breached that subject at another time, he would have to cry again, so why not just strip naked together now? He turned over, shrouding Shu Ran underneath: “You… Do you also have a secret? Can you tell me?”
Shu Ran couldn’t help but froze, not daring to look into Xu Shen’s eyes, but after avoiding it for a few seconds, he looked at him again. Normally, he would definitely continue to pretend to be stupid, but today was special and the atmosphere was… At that point, Xu Shen had clearly explained all his miserable past. It seemed that he had no reason to continue to hide his.
Shu Ran’s mentality changed. At first, he didn’t want to say it, but then he didn’t dare to say it. Now he hesitated to say it only because he was worried that Xu Shen wouldn’t believe him. There were no other messy worries.
In fact, they both loved each other so much that he wasn’t worried at all that Xu Shen would harm him.
“Hey…” He made a single tone.
“Don’t want to tell me?” Xu Shen asked in a low voice.
“No.” Shu Ran wiped the corners of his eyes and took a deep breath: “I’m organizing my words.”
“Okay.” Xu Shen said in a gentle tone. “Don’t be in a hurry, you can organize it slowly.”
“Then lie down, or the heat in the bed might dissipate.” Shu Ran shivered, and Xu Shen quickly lay down and hugged him tightly.
Shu Ran was hugged by a stove, quickly warming up again. He whispered: “Let’s agree first. I’ll tell you, but don’t be too surprised. There are all kinds of wonders in this world, but it’s really nothing.”
“Okay.” Xu Shen touched his wife’s face, his eyes focused: “As long as you’re real, I can accept anything.”
For some reason, Shu Ran was brought to tears again by that sentence. Xu Shen must have thought about it a lot before, right?
Suddenly he regretted not confessing to Xu Shen earlier, to spare his man from thinking about it.
“Of course I’m real.” Shu Ran put his hand on the back of Xu Shen’s hand, took a breath, and said: “You have already guessed that I am not Zhou Ding, right?”
After Shu Ran finished speaking, he mustered up the courage to look into Xu Shen’s eyes. He saw the other person’s eyes burning brightly while he nodded: “Yes.”
Sure enough, Xu Shen was so smart and careful that it was normal for him to guess that something was wrong. Shu Ran smiled bitterly with complicated emotions, and at the same time, feeling very grateful: “But you never exposed me.”
“Why should I expose you?” Xu Shen kissed his nose and smiled: “I don’t care if you’re Zhou Ding or Shu Ran, I only care who you are to me and whether you’ll leave me.”
“Aren’t you afraid?” Shu Ran deliberately suppressed his voice and said: “But this body is indeed Zhou Ding’s.”
Xu Shen still smiled: “I almost died a few times, do you think I’m scared?”
Well… Shu Ran touched his nose and couldn’t compete with the big boss: “There’s really nothing to be afraid of. I think Zhou Ding was just my previous life. We both look the same.” He glanced at Xu Shen who was listening carefully and continued to say: “As Zhou Ding… I probably drowned in the river last April. Then I was reincarnated in 2001 and lived until 2022. Suddenly, I came back as Zhou Ding and continued this life.”
“So, you’re from the future?” Xu Shen looked surprised.
“Yes, you didn’t expect that, right?” Shu Ran laughed softly, finally feeling like “This is right!” Otherwise, if Xu Shen continued to be so calm, he would have thought that the matter was not a big deal, and there was no need to be surprised at all. After laughing for a while, he continued: “I traveled 40 years back in time, and I’ve always paid close attention to current affairs, so… I know how the country develops and how the economy develops. Making money is very simple for me.”
“That’s also because you’re excellent.” Xu Shen pointed to his brain: “If a person with an empty head is sent back forty years in the past, he may not be able to stand up.”
“It’s not bad.” Shu Ran smiled: “I just read a lot of poetry and books, and I’ve been a role model for others since I was a child.”
“Then the family background must be good.” Xu Shen was filled with joy and took his wife’s slender white fingers and kissed them.
“Also not bad. I come from a scholarly family, so I went to a good school. I was just about to graduate, but already wrote my thesis.” Shu Ran reported the good news, skimming over the bad ones. He never said that his father didn’t care about him and he was also not loved by his mother. It was all little things.
Compared to Xu Shen’s experience, the pain of his adolescence paled into insignificance.
After being out in society for almost two years, Shu Ran realized that life was one’s own and it was stupid to pin your happiness on others, including your parents. No one had the obligation to give happiness to anyone, so there was no point in complaining. You could only rely on your own talents and that was the harsh truth.
“What qualifies as a good school?” Xu Shen knew that his wife must be excellent.
“The best in the country.” Shu Ran said.
“Oh.” Xu Shen felt that his smile should look a little silly, and he muttered: “No wonder… You’re indeed a cultural person, as are all your ancestors.”
He couldn’t compare to the poor Zhou Ding who only read a few books. There was a difference between reading books in school and reading books passed down for generations.
“Is not that exaggerated, right?” Shu Ran continued: “It’s just that more than two hundred years ago, some of my ancestors entered the official career. By my grandfather’s generation, he was a member of the Writers’ Association, but my father wasn’t able to achieve much.”
Still, it was pretty awesome. A serious, scholarly family.
“So…” Xu Shen stared at Shu Ran lovingly: “Was it already you when we first met?”
“Yes.” Shu Ran replied.
“That’s great.” Xu Shen suddenly held Shu Ran’s hand tightly. “I’m afraid that you might go back to your time. What should I do?”
“Don’t think about it.” Shu Ran was not sure, but he had a good attitude. According to his experience from reading all kinds of novels, no one transmigrated back and forth. “Do you think it’s like going to the vegetable market? Just come and go however you want?”
“Right.” Xu Shen felt a little relieved, and then asked with great imagination: “Do you think Zhou Ding took your place forty years later?”
Shu Ran smiled. “It’s not impossible, but he’ll have to suffer. In the future, social competition will be fierce. He’ll be as tired as a dog, working every day. It’s not like now, with opportunities everywhere. Well, I hope he isn’t that unlucky, right?”
Xu Shen also laughed: “He’s still alive, how could he be unlucky?”
With one Zhou Ding living forty years in the future, Xu Shen was no longer afraid that Shu Ran might suddenly leave him. And from Shu Ran’s tone, it seemed that he preferred his current life to the one in the future.
There must be a reason. He should ask more questions later.
“That’s right, it’s better to live than to die.” Shu Ran also agreed.
“No wonder, I thought you were very different from the beginning.” Xu Shen recalled the scene when he first met Shu Ran with a smile: “I looked at you several times and thought, there is something special about this boy.”
“What’s so special?” Shu Ran couldn’t remember what happened so long ago but was quite interested to see himself from Xu Shen’s perspective.
“Perhaps you haven’t noticed,” Xu Shen continued, “but children from the village are a little shy and introverted when meeting strangers. However, you were still shining brightly that day, wearing patches and ripped cloth shoes, as if it was just a fashion choice, not poverty…”
“Oh, I understand.” Shu Ran nodded.
“Well.” Xu Shen continued to smile as if he remembered something: “You were very generous when you looked at me, and you didn’t hide when you were discovered by me. You took me very seriously at that time, that is, from an equal footing.”
“Understood.” Shu Ran also smiled.
“I have really good taste.” Xu Shen said with emotion.
“I also have good taste.” Shu Ran continued to throw out breaking news: “The night before I came here, I was actually reading stories about you.”
“?!” Xu Shen finally showed the most surprised expression of that night.
“Maybe it’s fate. After reading about it, I came to you after taking a nap.” However, Shu Ran forced a smile: “I have been thinking, why couldn’t I travel directly to the day you were born? I could have raised you to be fat and white…”
“Don’t cry.” Xu Shen kissed Shu Ran’s eyes and felt the scalding heat under his lips. “I didn’t want it then, I want it now. You’re not going anywhere. This is how we are.”
“But in the stories I read, you were a heinous villain who probably did a lot of bad things that violated the law!” Shu Ran held back his tears and continued: “You were damn capable, getting arrested every two days! You even appeared as a wanted criminal in the newspaper, hiding until you were thirty-seven before getting captured.”
“Ah, I went to jail?!” Xu Shen was stunned since it was really unexpected.
“Barely enough to squat down for a cigarette!” Shu Ran scolded him with a bitter smile: “You got shot before you even got into the cell. You didn’t want to surrender, so there was nothing left to do!”
“That sounds like me.” Xu Shen raised the corner of his mouth and smiled.
“You’re still giggling?!” Shu Ran stared at him.
“I understand.” Xu Shen wanted to confirm something so he looked at Shu Ran: “No wonder you were so afraid of me at first.”
It turned out that he was a big, bad guy in the eyes of future generations!
“No.” Shu Ran said.
“Was I really that bad?” Xu Shen didn’t quite believe it. “I quit doing bad stuff the year before last and lived an honest life since then.”
“I don’t believe it either, but it’s true.” Shu Ran guessed. “Maybe something happened later. You also said that you were under a lot of pressure before, with hundreds of people depending on you in order to eat and survive.”
“Maybe.” Xu Shen thought about it and asked again: “Then have you heard anything about Kaizi and the others?”
“No.” Shu Ran shook his head. “You’re the only one who became famous.” After thinking for a while, he added: “You and your biological father. He’s doing well.”
Xu Shen raised his eyebrows and asked: “How well?”
“Industrial tycoon.” Shu Ran thought for a moment and continued: “He started out in the coal mining business, and later became one of the top 20 richest people in the whole country. He even came to you and wanted to have you recognize your ancestors.”
“Let him come.” Xu Shen smiled disdainfully.
“Yes, you didn’t acknowledge him.” Shu Ran thought to himself… If you did, he wouldn’t have ended up as a wanted criminal!
“I finally know why you pity me so much.” Xu Shen sighed and said with a wry smile: “You know my whole life… It seems like I never lived a good day.”
“It’s okay, it’s all over.” Shu Ran said. “We discussed it so thoroughly today, we should be able to let go of everything.”
“Yes, that’s enough.” Xu Shen was filled with emotion. It’s not that he didn’t find it weird, but the protagonist was Shu Ran, so he was more grateful than anything in his heart.
Xu Shen hugged his wife like he was a great treasure, promising him: “Don’t worry, in the future, I’ll be a good person and never abandon you at such a young age.”
The author has something to say:
Hey, I still didn’t write about Xu Shen hugging his schoolboy… Come tomorrow! (running away by applying oil on my soles).
How about writing a fantasy story where RanRan gets to be Brother Shen’s male mother and raise him to be fat and white?
Brother Shen: ?!?!
