Chapter 4
Xiao Ziyu leaned against the window, staring at the mottled sunlight.
The Meng family is going to repair the lawn today, so they invited a gardener early in the morning. Aunt Wang is busy outside, and the roar of the machine gradually covers up the human voices.
Workers in long trousers and rubber shoes pushed a lawnmower as they walked by, crushing grass leaves and dead branches along the way and spraying out green foam, which was many times faster than manual repairs.
These were things he had never seen before.
Xiao Ziyu pretended to be unwell and stayed in his room for a week. He flipped through the books and picture books on the table. Although most of them were story books and most of them were children's enlightenment readings, they still made him understand one thing:
He did not go to hell after his death, but inexplicably came to hell hundreds of years later.
In the book, he saw that the once prosperous Daliang Dynasty, the ancient Shu in the south, the powerful Zhao in the north, Liangzhou in the northwest, and Tubo in the southwest were all recorded one by one. After the Liang Dynasty, it went through countless dynasties before we reached the "modern society" he lives in now.
There is no monarch in this society anymore, all men are born equal, something called "technology" is developing rapidly, people can transmit messages over thousands of miles, travel one city a day, and reach another place thousands of miles away in just a few hours.
Xiao Ziyu picked up the learning machine. He was learning simplified Chinese characters and pinyin. This thing was extremely convenient. When he came across a word he didn't understand, he just poked it with a pen and he could hear the correct pronunciation.
In the Daliang Dynasty, although he was born into an actor family, his master disciplined them strictly. He read and recited all the history books, poems and essays of various dynasties. Later, he entered the palace as a hostage and served as a reading companion to the prince without making any jokes.
But at the moment, Xiao Ziyu felt that he knew nothing about this world. He tried desperately to absorb all kinds of knowledge. Wang Ma taught him how to use his mobile phone to search astronomy, geography, historical documents, and humanities life, piecing them together bit by bit to extend into a strange and magnificent world.
Aunt Wang was surprised at his change. Although Xiao Ziyu could read before, it was mostly for aimless entertainment. He would forget what he read today the next day, and would be completely confused when asked about it.
After mowing the lawn, she washed the fruit plate and brought it into the room, "Zi Yu, take a break before watching again. Be careful not to damage your eyes."
Xiao Ziyu raised his head from the book and said in a confused voice: "This book is not comprehensive. Why is there only a few sentences about this period?"
Wang Ma leaned over and saw him pointing at a page. She understood and said, "Because there aren't many records of this period of history. There were many wars during the Five Kingdoms period, and dynasties changed quickly, so the records are incomplete."
Xiao Ziyu nodded and did not ask any further questions. The Daliang Dynasty in history books lasted for a hundred years, but there was a blank period in the middle. The time when he was held hostage in Liang was skipped over vaguely, and the next record was several decades later.
He closed the book, closed his eyes and relaxed, facing the light, he saw a thin red in front of his eyes. Except for the rising sun which remained the same, the world around him had changed with each breath, becoming something he could never have imagined.
What happened after the fall of Shu? Has his master been properly resettled? Whether Yuan Heng would become emperor or not, would his death help him to get rid of the hatred in his heart?
There is still no answer to all this.
He used a fire to free himself, and his three souls were reincarnated, but his seven spirits stubbornly refused to leave, floating in the darkness. He had some unfulfilled obsession, but even he couldn't explain it.
Since God has allowed him to survive and see such a rapidly changing new world, he must not let this arrangement down.
What's more, since he has met Yuan Heng of this time and space, does it mean that he also has a chance to find his former fellow teachers?
Xiao Ziyu's brows trembled slightly. He would not become a puppet of the Meng family, and his marriage with Yuan Heng would not trap him for the rest of his life. When he opened his eyes again, the previous confusion and chaos had disappeared, leaving only a pair of bright eyes revealing his determination that he would not repeat the same mistake again.
.
After the lawn was cultivated, they started to build the awning and set up the barbecue grill. The marriage between the Meng and Yuan families has been settled, and the two families plan to have a small gathering.
Yuan Heng's father, Yuan Qian'an, had been hospitalized for some time due to a stroke. Mrs. Yuan and her two sons accepted the invitation of the Meng family and went to their house with red envelopes and gold jewelry, which was considered as a fulfillment of the etiquette of proposing marriage.
Early on Saturday morning, Xue Jinling took out the custom-made dresses for her sons to change into. Yuan Ye yawned as he went downstairs. "Mom, we don't have lunch until noon. Why are you getting up so early?"
"Stand up straight," Xue Jinling pulled him in front of the mirror and straightened his shoulders. "I told you not to stay up late. Your face is getting yellower and yellower. You look older than your brother."
"Is this true?" Yuan Ye's eyes widened. "Mom, please don't scare me!"
Xue Jinling smiled and said, "Heng'er is a handsome man. It would be much more prestigious to take him out than you."
The mother and daughter were one spoiled and the other silly. Yuan Heng just glanced at them indifferently and did not respond. He had already finished getting dressed. His formal suit was crisp, his peaked lapels were smoothed, and the black fabric wrapped around his solid muscles. The shoulders, which were the most difficult to shape, were stretched to look broad and good-looking. There was no waste at all in the design of the clothes.
He didn't eat breakfast, so he drank a glass of ice water to refresh himself: "I have to meet the person in charge of the Taohua Island project in the morning, and I'll go there directly after the meeting."
Xue Jinling nodded. She never interfered with Yuan Heng's schedule.
A year ago, Yuan Qian'an was hospitalized, and the company almost came to a standstill without its executive president. Yuan Qi'an was suspicious by nature and held power tightly in his hands, without cultivating capable backbones. Yuan Ye was a college student, wasting his time but failing to achieve anything. It was only after Yuan Heng, who had just won the Best Actor award, quit the entertainment industry and returned to the company that he was able to get all of its businesses back on track.
After the rescue, Yuan Qi'an believed in Buddhism and fate even more. He sought help from various gods and finally came to the same conclusion as before: his eldest son was born with the Kuigang luck, which would bring bad luck to his father and mother. If it could not be suppressed, everyone around him would be implicated and suffer.
In fact, Yuan Heng showed his unusual side as early as when he was a child. He was independent, unsociable, and often talked to himself. At such a young age, he had a gloomy face and people had no idea what he was thinking.
At that time, Yuan Qi'an asked someone to calculate, and found that Yuan Heng's fate was too strong. If he were in ancient times, he would have become an emperor. But now, he is too strong and easily broken. It is like imprisoning a real dragon in a cage, which will sooner or later cause disaster.
Yuan Qi'an didn't have a good face for this weird eldest son, and he also disliked his mother. Yuan Heng's mother came from a scholarly family. She was depressed because of her son's problems and did not get the attention of her husband. Later, Yuan Qi'an openly had an affair. She could no longer bear it and chose to commit suicide when Yuan Heng was six years old.
Strangely, after his mother passed away, Yuan Heng seemed to suddenly become normal again. He no longer had a gloomy face all day long, nor did he talk to himself and say crazy things. He had good grades and served as the president of the student union from middle school to college. His elegant appearance left the second generation in the circle far behind.
Yuan Heng started participating in the company's projects when he was in high school, following the person in charge to visit construction sites. By the end of his four years in college, he had rotated through all the important departments. Yuan Qi'an needed his abilities, but on the other hand he was afraid of him. In order to dispel his father's doubts, Yuan Heng took the initiative to leave the company after graduating from university, chose to enter the entertainment industry, devoted himself to filming, and set up his own studio.
Today, the Yuantai Culture section of Yuantai comes from the first company founded by Yuan Heng after graduation.
After leaving Meishan South Garden, Yuan Heng first drove the Land Rover to the 4S shop to have it cleaned, then went back to his apartment to get some documents and went to meet with several village directors on Taohua Island.
The real estate industry pays the most attention to policies. The general direction in recent years has been cultural tourism. Resort projects with a bit of folk customs are in great demand, and small real estate companies that have never been heard of can attract investment and grab projects.
This project was recently handled by the secretary of the company's vice president Wu Xianyong. Sufficient resources were provided in the early stages and the deal was almost done, but the villagers suddenly refused to do it.
Yuan Heng had no choice but to make another trip. As they had agreed on a time, the secretary of Taohuadao Village was not there. It was said that his son had broken his leg in a car accident and he was being taken care of at home. The remaining assistants of the two committees were hesitant and obviously could not make a decision.
Yuantai is a big player in the city, and the resources and subsidies it provides are unmatched by other real estate developers. Yuan Heng doesn't want the money that is handed to him for free, so he doesn't have much patience and decides to ask Lao Wu to come along next time.
It was almost noon when he finished talking to the person. He was very hungry, so he went into a restaurant and had a salad before driving slowly to Meng's house.
Xue Jinling and Yuan Ye had arrived earlier. Everyone in the wives' circle was very good at socializing and they quickly got along well with Yang Ting.
Yuan Ye was one of the particularly useless ones among the rich second generation, so he always got beaten up whenever he went out with Meng Leyu. Fortunately, Meng Leyu hadn't made much of a mark in the entertainment industry, so she didn't make him look even more embarrassed.
"Are you filming now?" Yuan Ye came forward and asked.
Meng Leyu was not interested in the good-for-nothing second-generation rich kid, and was rather indifferent: "Have you heard of the ancient costume fairy tale, 'Maple Grove Evening'? It's adapted from a novel."
"Wow, doesn't that mean we have to fly around and hang on wires?" Yuan Ye sighed, "It must be very tiring."
"It's so dangerous to hang on wires. I don't do that." Meng Leyu looked at him like a bumpkin. "I always use a stunt double."
Although his eldest brother had acted in movies before, he had hardly communicated with him. This was a blind spot in Yuan Ye’s knowledge: “Find a professional…”
"No need to go through so much trouble. Xiao Ziyu has been my stand-in before." Meng Leyu said as a matter of course.
Xiao Ziyu has no other talents except for his good-looking face, slim and graceful figure, and a similar height to Meng Leyu. He has been a stand-in in the crew several times. Mrs. Meng didn't have any objection. After all, it was just a little toy, as long as Meng Leyu was happy.
Yuan Heng came in with a gift and just heard the last sentence: "What substitute?"
"Oh, Teacher Yuan is here!" Meng Leyu said happily: "Teacher Yuan, we met that night, do you still remember me?"
Yuan Heng was just the right amount of gentlemanly: "Did you have fun with Boss Huang that night?"
Meng Leyu's face froze: "We just happened to meet..."
Yuan Heng nodded, greeted Mrs. Meng, and went into the house to greet Meng Yanzhi.
Meng Yanzhi works as a minor official in Yuantai and rarely sees the big boss. He seized the opportunity to talk about business matters and at the same time subtly revealed his own unfair career, saying that there are too many outstanding talents and that old employees who are promoted based on seniority are not as good as college students with high academic qualifications.
Yuan Heng dealt with everyone inside and outside, but didn't see the protagonist of today. I walked around the garden under the pretext of sightseeing and finally saw someone in the ventilation duct behind the house.
Xiao Ziyu followed a sweeping robot slowly like walking a dog, watching it suck up grass clippings on the ground into its stomach along the way.
How come there is no such novelty in the Daliang Dynasty? This little bit of effort can replace what the palace maids do in half a day.
These days he has gradually understood electricity and the Internet. Mobile phones can transmit sound over thousands of miles, and sweeping robots can follow a route as if they have eyes, all thanks to the wireless signals in the air.
He praised himself a little in his heart, not noticing a shadow cast in front of him. The sweeping robot was blocked by a pair of leather shoes. After buzzing twice, it lay there motionless.
Xiao Ziyu looked up. He had expected Yuan Heng to come, so he was not scared. He felt like a qualified modern man, so he naturally extended his right hand: "Hello, Mr. Yuan."
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