Judging from his expression, something was clearly wrong. Lu Qing frowned and said seriously:
“Yangyang, don’t be fooled by the fact that you’re awake now and seem fine. If you don’t explain yourself clearly, I can’t help you, and ‘it’ will come back for you.”
Upon hearing this, Sun Yang suddenly looked up, staring at Lu Qing with a terrified expression.
Sun Dachun asked, puzzled, "Chu family girl, what are you talking about? Who would come looking for Yangyang?"
Lu Qing: "Ask your son. This happened to him. If he doesn't tell, I can't save him. And don't come looking for us if anything else happens."
No one knows a son better than his father. Sun Dachun could tell from Sun Yang's expression that he was definitely hiding something.
"Yangyang, what exactly happened? Tell me honestly!"
Sun Yang lowered his head, trembling with fear, but he didn't say a word.
"Sun Yang! I'm warning you, if you don't talk, don't blame me for dealing with you!"
As Sun Dachun spoke, he was about to pull out his belt.
Sun Yang was so frightened that he quickly hid behind his mother. Clearly, this wasn't the first time Sun Dachun had disciplined him like this.
"Will you talk or not! If you don't, I'll beat you to death!"
Lu Qing quickly stopped the hot-tempered Sun Dachun:
"Is that how you discipline a child? He just woke up. If you whip him with that belt and knock him unconscious again, don't blame me for not helping him!"
Old Master Chu also frowned and advised:
"Dachun, although this is your son and it's none of my business, my granddaughter went through a lot to wake him up. Please calm down and talk to me properly, okay?"
Sun Dachun gave the old man face and took back the belt.
Lu Qing patted Sun Yang on the shoulder to comfort him:
"Don't be afraid! Tell me what you know, and I promise I won't let your dad hit you!"
Sun Yang remained silent, cowering in fear. Lu Qing patiently persuaded him:
“Yangyang, if you don’t tell me, and ‘it’ comes back to you, you won’t survive.”
When 'it' was mentioned, Sun Yang was clearly moved; he was terrified of 'it'.
After a while, Sun Yang finally spoke:
"I...I didn't mean to!"
Lu Qing let out a breath and poured him a glass of water: "Don't be afraid, tell me slowly!"
"That day...that day I did poorly on my exam, and my dad hit me with a belt for a long time. I was very angry and afraid that he would hit me again, so I ran out."
“I didn’t want them to find me, so I hid under the irrigation ditch in the fields to the north. I got hungry at night and saw mushrooms on the graves over there, so I picked them, lit a fire, roasted them, and ate them.”
"After I finished eating, I kept feeling like someone was calling my name. I was so scared that I climbed out of the ditch and ran home, but it kept calling my name."
After hearing Sun Yang's words, Lu Qing quickly lifted Sun Yang's sleeve.
Seeing the whip marks on his arm, I immediately understood.
Sun Dachun didn't want to take Sun Yang to the city hospital for a checkup not because he was reluctant to spend the money or because he was afraid of the trouble, but because he was afraid that his domestic violence would be exposed.
In rural areas, it's not uncommon to beat children, but it's rare to see someone whip them with a belt to this extent.
When Old Master Chu saw the wound, his eyes widened in anger:
"Da Chun, did you hit this?!"
"Sir, I... I was just angry and accidentally hit him a little too hard," Sun Dachun mumbled, bowing his head in explanation.
"No matter how angry you are, you can't beat a child like this! This is your own son, are you trying to kill him?!" Old Master Chu was so angry that he pounded his cane on the ground.
It wasn't that Sun Dachun didn't love his son; it's just that he's always been like that.
He was extremely anxious when he couldn't find Sun Yang after the fight that day.
Lu Qing sighed silently. Everyone has their own fate. Sun Yang was unlucky to have a father like Sun Dachun.
"Alright! Now that everything is clear, things will be easier."
"You rest for a while and eat something. I'll come find you again later. Take me to the grave where you found the mushroom."
Sun Yang was still very scared: "Sister, do we really have to go?"
Lu Qing: "You picked the mushrooms from the grave and offended them, so of course you have to apologize and ask them to forgive you!"
Sun Yang lowered his head and gave a soft "hmm".
Lu Qing handed him a talisman: "Take this with you. It will protect you and keep you safe."
Sun Yang: "Thank you, sister!"
Before leaving, Lu Qing handed another jar of ointment to Sun Yang's mother:
"I made this medicine myself. Applying some to his wounds will help them heal faster."
"Thank you!" Sun Yang's mother quickly accepted the gift.
She felt sorry for her son, but she was weak by nature and dared not disobey her husband. Every time, she could only watch helplessly as her son was beaten, and she could do nothing about it.
Sun Dachun drove a tricycle to take Lu Qing and Old Master Chu back home.
On the way, Lu Qing couldn't help but offer him a word of advice:
"Uncle Dachun, I am a junior and should not speak ill of you, but I advise you to control your temper and be kinder to your son, otherwise you will not have a good old age."
"I know!" Sun Dachun replied somewhat impatiently and perfunctorily.
Lu Qing didn't say anything more. She had already tried to persuade him, and if he didn't listen, she couldn't blame anyone else for the consequences.
It's just a pity for that kid Sun Yang; he'll probably have to suffer for a few more years.
In winter, it gets dark early; by six o'clock, the sky is already dark.
Grandpa Chu took Lu Qing out, and Gu Xicheng followed, ostensibly to digest his food, but really just to stay by Lu Qing's side.
Lu Qing didn't stop him. Gu Xicheng's yang body meant he was fine even in places with heavy yin energy, and he could even protect his grandfather.
Sun Dachun and his wife waited with Sun Yang at the intersection leading to Beitianye. After meeting up with Lu Qing and the others, they set off.
As soon as Sun Dachun saw Gu Xicheng, he went up to him and tried to warm him up:
"Young man, you must be Qingqing's fiancé! You're so handsome, you're a perfect match for Qingqing!"
Gu Xicheng smiled politely: "Thank you!"
"I heard your surname is Gu, and you seem to be quite famous in Kyoto. I heard that schools in Kyoto are quite difficult to get into. My Yangyang's grades are pretty good, but we don't have any connections..."
Having said that, Sun Dachun's purpose became very clear.
He wanted Gu Xicheng to help send Sun Yang to study in Kyoto, but before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Old Master Chu.
"Dachun, the most important thing right now is to save Yangyang's life. No matter what, we have to make sure he survives first!"
Sun Dachun pursed his lips: "Grandpa, don't make it sound so scary. I think Yangyang is all better now, there's nothing wrong with him!"
He didn't believe Lu Qing's words at all, but he had to cooperate because she had helped him.
Lu Qing was too lazy to explain to him.
Upon reaching the irrigation canal, guided by Sun Yang, they finally found the grave.
"This is it! This is the same kind of mushroom I ate last time!"
The mushrooms grew on a moldy piece of wood, which looked as if it had grown out of a grave, and were covered with mushrooms that were not particularly bright in color.
The grave looks very old; the tombstone is covered by weeds.
Lu Qing parted the weeds and looked at the identity information on the tombstone. There were no photos on the tombstones from decades ago, only names.
The tomb's occupant was a woman named Zhao Jinzhi, who died at the young age of twenty-three.
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