Chapter 34 This is only about five people. There are two more people in the team.
Along the way, the three adults and four children did encounter some passers-by with ill intentions who wanted to steal their money.
There were obstacles placed on the road and a farm cart that broke down halfway blocked the road, but they were all easily resolved without causing any trouble.
Near noon, a pair of similar-looking brother and sister appeared on the roadside. They looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old. The sister directly stopped the car, forced it to stop, and asked the people in the car to help send her brother to the county hospital.
The girl was very anxious: "My brother had a heart attack, and there is not even a tractor in the village. I finally saw your car, please help me!"
It does look quite pitiful, but there is not a single kind-hearted person on this bus, and no one has any intention of helping.
Jiang Zhen woke up the soundly sleeping Gu Pan, who sat up dazedly and asked, "Aunt, is it time to eat?"
Jiang Zhen asked her to look down: "Look at the colors of the two people below. Are they good people or bad people?"
Gu Pan took a quick glance and whispered to Jiang Zhen, "I see the color of cunning and deception. I don't know whether it is good or bad."
It's a cunning color. It must be trying to deceive the people on the bus. Although it doesn't mean any bad things, it's best not to pay attention to it.
Jiang Zhen asked Gu Liancheng: "What do you mean?"
Gu Liancheng thought more: "It's New Year's Day, if we leave it alone, the next good person who encounters them will suffer."
Jiang Zhen looked around and asked the adults and children in the car, "Who among you will go down and test it?"
The other party was young and there was a girl there, so Gu Liancheng said to Xiao Qingfeng, "I'm married, so it's not convenient for me to meet girls. You go down."
Xiao Qingfeng looked innocent: "My current status as a divorced single is dangerous, brother, you can't cheat me, I won't go."
Gu Hui bravely said, "I'll go. I'll get out of the car first and then you guys drive the car to a place where they can't see me. Once they relax, they will definitely start chatting, and then I'll be able to hear them."
Everyone in the car wanted to know what the brother and sister were trying to deceive. Jiang Zhen said, "This is the best way. Let Gu go back."
After Gu Hui went down, Gu Liancheng drove the car away and parked it in the blind spot, not daring to go too far.
This is a dirt road in the countryside, with farmland and weeds on both sides. Gu Hui can be invisible, but if he accidentally presses down dead branches and leaves, he will be easily discovered. In case of any situation, this distance is just enough to provide support.
Gu Hui walked very carefully. Plus, the brother and sister were both worried at the moment, feeling upset about not being able to trick the people in the car.
The girl who looked younger and smarter said, "Grandpa, why don't we just talk it out loud? If we keep wasting time like this, when will we be able to talk?"
Looking at the man who looked like his brother, he smiled bitterly and said, "It's too late to catch up with them now. They are going to Beijing to celebrate the New Year. Let's go to Beijing first and see if there is a chance to talk to Jiang Zhen alone."
…
Gu Hui tiptoed back for a distance before breaking out into a run and reaching the parking lot in one breath.
"Uncle, aunt, those two people are so weird. That little sister actually called her brother 'Grandpa'. Could it be that her brother's name is Grandpa? I don't understand. They are looking for Aunt and say they have something to tell you. Why can't they just tell you directly? Why do they have to lie? They are weird, right?"
"It is very strange."
Now Jiang Zhen couldn't leave: "We have to catch him and ask him."
Gu Liancheng said: "It's easy to deal with them if they are caught, but what if they don't tell the truth and instead accuse us of kidnapping them?"
Jiang Zhen: "What can you accomplish if you look ahead and behind? The man called grandpa is not from here, so let's catch him first."
Gu Liancheng looked at the surroundings. The parking place was secluded and deserted, but the direction the two men were heading showed that they were clearly planning to return to the village.
Gu Liancheng said, "We have to trick them into parking and then interrogate them. Qingfeng and I look like we are not soft-hearted people who can be easily fooled. They will definitely be on guard if we go there."
Jiang Zhen said: "Then I can't do that. They are looking for me, and I can't deceive them."
Jiang Zhao stepped forward: "Mom, let me go, I will definitely complete this task and bring them both back."
Jiang Zhen was just about to ask Jiang Zhao to go: "Okay, you are already very powerful now. If the two of them see through your plan, beat them up and then drag them over."
Jiang Zhao was originally hesitant about whether to use force, but after getting Jiang Zhen's permission, he nodded excitedly.
"I know, mom. I will definitely bring them both here."
Gu Liancheng added: "Those two people tried to deceive us first, so we can use some extraordinary means, but we should not bully ordinary people."
Jiang Zhao nodded hurriedly: "Dad, I know, don't worry."
…
The young couple who claimed to be brother and sister had just walked away for a while when they suddenly saw the eldest of the four children running back.
The girl came up with an idea and said hurriedly, "Grandpa, lie down and pretend to be sick. I will ask him why he came back."
The young man pretended to kneel down slowly on the ground, pretending that he couldn't get up.
Jiang Zhao ran out of breath, propped up his knees and asked, "Brother and sister, I just thought about it carefully, you still need help. My parents don't dare to pick up strangers because they have valuable goods in the car. I am strong, so how about this, I will help you carry the things and carry brother to the county hospital."
The purpose of these two people is to negotiate terms with Jiang Zhen. As long as they have a child in their hands, they will have bargaining chips.
The girl quickly thanked him: "You are such a good child, thank you."
Jiang Zhao squatted down, turned around and said to the man: "Brother, lie on my back and I will carry you. I walk very fast."
Mei Shanjiu suddenly felt soft-hearted. This child was so kind, yet he actually wanted to use him as a bargaining chip to force Jiang Zhen to make an exchange. That was too unkind of him.
Mei Shanling saw her grandfather's weak heart and said hurriedly: "Brother, your illness is serious, don't delay, let's go to the county town quickly." If they were farther away from the village, wouldn't the two of them be able to take care of a child?
Mei Shanjiu lay on Jiang Zhao's back, and Jiang Zhao immediately lifted him up and trotted forward.
Mei Shanling chased after him and said, "Little brother, you are so strong. You can carry someone on your back and still walk very fast. That's amazing."
Jiang Zhao said: "Yes, everyone has little secrets. My secret is that I am strong. Don't you have secrets too?"
Mei Shanling was horrified. This child came prepared. Perhaps Jiang Zhen had seen through her and her grandfather. Wu Shouye was lying, and he must have said something to Jiang Zhen.
She shouted, "Put my brother down now!"
Jiang Zhaocai didn't let go, but instead quickened his pace: "Of the two of you, my mother said to just take one of you over to ask."
He ran as fast as he could, ignoring the shouting and cursing of the person on his back. In a short while, he had knocked Mei Shanjiu dizzy.
…
Jiang Zhen and Gu Liancheng got out of the car to meet them. There were some villages near the place just now. If they shouted loudly, it would easily attract attention. The current location was remote and no one would hear them even if they shouted.
Jiang Zhen said to the nervous man, "What are you two trying to deceive us about? Tell the truth now."
Mei Shanjiu thought that Jiang Zhen was indeed not easy to deceive, so he might as well tell the truth. Maybe Jiang Zhen would be soft-hearted and willing to help.
Mei Shanjiu said: "I also came from fifty-one years ago. I am friends with Wu Shouye. My ability is to predict the future. I don't know why Wu Shouye extracted part of my memory and made me forget how to use my ability to predict other people's future."
"He must have obtained my consent to do such a thing, otherwise he would not have been able to complete it successfully."
"Look at my age. Time has almost reached its limit. My time limit is within six months to a year. I want to recover the memory he took away. I heard that you have the memory ball. I know you won't give it back to me easily, so I want to use a side door to exchange chips with you."
"I wanted to kidnap you when you weren't paying attention. I also thought about kidnapping a child. Of course, this idea is absolutely wrong, but I really have no other choice."
Jiang Zhen glared at him: "You actually want to do something to the child? There's no point in talking!"
Mei Shanjiu quickly defended himself: "It was just a plan. Even if the plan succeeded, I would never hurt you. Xiaoling is my granddaughter. I am afraid that no one will take care of her after I am gone, so I want to restore her memory and see her future. Don't you also have a love for your son?"
Jiang Zhen: "Okay, then let me ask you, you didn't go to Wu Shouye for decades, and you came to him right after he gave me the things. Do you think I will be more soft-hearted than him?"
Mei Shanjiu explained: "Wu Shouye saved my life. He and I had an agreement that we would never meet again in this life, but he gave the thing to you, so I wanted to come and try with you."
Jiang Zhen asked back: "Since we will never meet again in this life, how do you know he gave it to me?"
Mei Shanjiu explained: "Although I don't see him, Xiaoling goes there every year to send New Year's gifts and celebrate the New Year. This time I just happened to know that Wu Shouye said that the things are with you, and you have full authority to decide."
Wu Shouye, this old wily guy, actually brought the trouble to Jiang Zhen.
Since Wu Shouye let Jiang Zhen make the decision, it means that he can accept the result of giving or not giving.
Jiang Zhen thought for a moment and said, "The memory of how you used your supernatural power was taken away by Wu Shouye. It must be that this power has caused trouble and has been remembered by someone. There are hidden dangers in restoring it. This is a serious matter and it is not something I can decide alone. I also have leaders above me. I will give you an answer after asking them."
Mei Shanjiu was pleasantly surprised that Jiang Zhen did not deliberately make things difficult for her.
"Don't worry, we will go to Beijing to celebrate the New Year, meet old friends and reminisce about the past. After all, our two families are somewhat related. Gu Liancheng's great-aunt is my good friend. I even predicted her future for her back then."
Gu Liancheng looked very unhappy: "So it was you who read the fortune for my aunt. It turned out that you were the fortune teller who caused such a stir in the city. You deserve to have your memory taken away."
Mei Shanjiu asked innocently, "What's wrong? I predict the future for people to help them avoid disasters. How can you scold me? Besides, I don't even remember the memories of fortune-telling now."
Jiang Zhen was speechless: "With your personality and vigilance, how did you survive in the apocalypse?"
Speaking of this, Mei Shanjiu should be grateful to his companions.
"I can see the future, which is equivalent to an early warning mechanism in our team, so I am protected by the team members. Wu Shouye said that no one in the team is more important than me. Without me, everyone's chance of survival will be greatly reduced. Therefore, my companions will risk their lives to protect me."
What a lucky and simple person he is. Fortunately he met a team like Wu Shouye.
…
After the conversation was almost over, Gu Liancheng softened his attitude towards Mei Shanjiu: "Okay, let's eat first, take a rest and continue on our journey. You can go to Beijing with our car."
Mei Shanling was not as fast as Jiang Zhao, but she caught up with them. Seeing her grandfather eating dry food and drinking hot water with everyone else, she felt a little depressed.
"Grandpa, have you told them everything about our situation?"
Mei Shanjiu was afraid that his granddaughter would blame him, so he hurriedly explained and said as good things about Jiang Zhen as possible.
"They are all our own people. Wu Shouye gave her the memory ball, which shows that he completely trusts them. Since they are our own people, we should be honest with them. Otherwise, why would they return the memory ball to us?"
Jiang Zhen corrected him: "I only said that I could report your situation, but I didn't say I would definitely return it to you."
Mei Shanling felt that her grandfather was too stupid and that she was lucky to have him looking after by herself all these years. She protested to Jiang Zhen with some dissatisfaction.
"My grandfather has told you everything he knows, so if you have any secrets between you, you should share them with us."
Jiang Zhen was too lazy to argue with her about something that would lead to no results: "What I know, Wu Shouye also knows. If you want to know something, go ask Wu Shouye."
Grandpa often talked about Wu Shouye. According to Mei Shanling's judgment, no one could ask Wu Shouye about anything he didn't want to talk about.
She sat next to her grandfather in anger and stopped talking.
There were a few freshly heated steamed buns in the bamboo basket. Jiang Zhen pointed at them and said, "Do you want to eat them? If not, we have to hurry on our way."
She was indeed hungry. Mei Shanling picked up a steamed bun and bit into it thoughtfully.
Because we were afraid that the rabbit meat we brought would have an adverse effect on our bodies, we didn't dare take it out for this meal. We just heated up the steamed buns and ate them with hot water. In twenty minutes, we finished lunch and then we set off again.
…
While on the road in the afternoon, Mei Shanjiu told everyone the story of their team traveling through time 51 years ago without reservation.
"The year we came here was 1899. The world was in turmoil. The captain helped us adapt to the environment here. Later we went to Shanghai. My God, the prosperity of Shanghai was beyond our imagination, but it was not easy to survive there either."
Thinking back to when they first arrived in bustling Shanghai and were unfamiliar with the rules of this world, they suffered a lot.
"We did many things, such as pulling rickshaws, working as doormen, and even as guards. After adapting to this society, the captain took us to visit the docks, and later we hooked up with the warlords. With a backer, our lives gradually became better."
"After things stabilized, Captain Wu Shouye gathered everyone together and said that if we wanted to live out the rest of our lives in peace in this world, we couldn't allow any member to break the rules of survival. We all agreed."
"We agreed not to let anyone know that we are not from this world. We must hide our abilities. However, we need to use our abilities to make money, so it's like walking on a tightrope. We have to be careful with every step."
"Wu Shouye was cautious and steady. Under his arrangement and leadership, five of the seven people in our team who came here successfully squeezed into the upper class society of Shanghai at that time. Not only did they live a wealthy life, but they also started families and careers one after another."
"However, after more than ten years, we discovered a problem. Our appearance had not changed, which had aroused the envy and suspicion of those around us. Everyone said that we took good care of ourselves, and they were asking about us, thinking that we had a drug that could prolong our life."
"The captain guessed that it was our bodies that were stagnant in this world. For safety reasons, we left Shanghai one after another and moved to other cities, trying to live a low-key life. We agreed to move to a different place every ten years or so and keep in touch with each other."
"But something unexpected happened in 1924. It was a new time-space rift. I don't know what happened, but Wu Shouye's lover and his best friend died. Not long after, he came to me and wanted to extract my memory of using my supernatural powers."
Jiang Zhen didn't even need to think: "It must be because you showed the future to others, which caused very bad consequences, so he had to extract your memory."
"Perhaps."
Mei Shanjiu said: "Because I lost a memory, I don't know why I promised him. Anyway, the captain must have a reasonable reason for what he wanted to do. I cooperated with him. I don't regret it, and I don't blame him, but now I want to get that memory back and help Xiaoling see the future."
…
During the break, Jiang Zhen and Gu Liancheng privately analyzed: "Is it possible that Mei Shanjiu saw the future for Wu Hui'e, which led to the death of Wu Shouye's wife and good friend?"
Gu Liancheng said: "If this is true, it means that the future that Mei Shanjiu talked about can be changed."
Change is always a good thing. Isn’t Gu Liancheng’s rebirth also to change the future? It’s just that Wu Hui’e changed the future just to satisfy herself and hurt innocent people.
Gu Pan kept looking at the color of Mei Shanjiu's body and said that he did not lie, so now it can be confirmed that there were a total of seven people who came here from fifty-one years ago.
Wu Shouye, his wife, his best friend, his sister, and Mei Shanjiu, that’s five people in total.
Jiang Zhen: "I now suspect that my mother was also a member of the team that came here fifty-one years ago. So there is still one person whose identity is unknown. I will ask Mei Shanjiu later."
After starting the car again, Jiang Zhen asked Mei Shanjiu: "You said there were only five people here, but where are the other two people in the team?"
Mei Shanjiu said, "The other two are a pair of siblings. They are not very old, but very capable. The sister is only in her teens and has extraordinary medical skills. She is also indispensable to the team. The brother is extraordinary in combat, even stronger than the captain, but they are very low-key. They always wear masks and use sign language. Even their names are code names. They were written for us to see when they joined the team. One is called Gong Ting and the other is called Yuye. Later, I heard them quarreling one time. The sister said, 'You are only 180 yuan, and your whole family is 180 yuan.' The brother laughed to death and threatened me not to tell anyone when he saw me coming. Only then did I know that they were not dumb. I don't know why they didn't speak in front of people."
…
Mei Shanjiu kept talking until dark. The country's infrastructure had been washed away by decades of war and was in poor condition, so the cars could not drive fast. Jiang Zhen and his crew set out from Fancheng early in the morning and did not arrive until the evening. The visibility was poor at night and driving was too dangerous, so they found a guesthouse and stayed there for the night.
At dawn the next day, everyone had breakfast and set off, finally arriving in Beijing at noon.
Mei Shanjiu was filled with emotion: "Since I came here, I have always wanted to visit Jing City, but unfortunately I have been delayed. I didn't expect to come here with you this time. I am very happy."
Jiang Zhen said to the chatterbox, "We are going to my sister and brother-in-law's place now. You should find a fixed residence so that it will be convenient for us to contact you."
Mei Shanling said, "Let's go see your aunt first. If we want to stay, we'll see how she arranges it."
Gu Liancheng said: "Then you guys can go by car. We won't send you off."
Mei Shanjiu had been wanting to ask Gu Liancheng, and finally said, "Your attitude along the way, does it mean that you don't have a good relationship with your aunt?"
Gu Liancheng said: "When you see her, it's best not to mention what happened on the road. Listen to her complaints first, and you'll know what's going on."
…
Gu Liancheng's eldest sister waited anxiously at home and finally saw them return.
She prepared a large table of food, six or seven of which were already cooked, and there were still two vegetarian dishes that she didn't feel like frying.
Jiang Zhao took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves and said, "Aunt, go talk to Mom and Dad. I'll bring my brothers and sisters to cook."
Gu Jiaoxia knew that these children had been used to doing housework for more than a year, and they cooperated with each other better than she could do it herself.
Jiang Zhen had to meet relatives on this trip, so she had to tell her about the situation of her relatives at home.
Gu Jiaoxia gave the kitchen to the children and pulled Jiang Zhen to sit on the sofa in the living room. She talked about her great aunt's family. It was really outrageous. Her great aunt had a friend who told her fortune decades ago.
"The fortune teller said that Gu Liancheng will marry a wife in the future who is divorced and has two children. That wife is very powerful and my aunt will die in her hands in the future."
"At that time, the fortune teller was highly respected by everyone. No matter if they were rich or poor, they would go to him for fortune-telling when they had a baby or were in a dilemma. My family didn't believe in this and we advised my great aunt against it. After that, we didn't take it seriously, but my great aunt kept it in mind."
"Since Gu Liancheng was 20 years old, his aunt has been busy introducing him to potential partners, but this aroused his rebellious psychology. He told his aunt that if she interfered in his marriage again, he would really marry a woman with two children and come back to piss her off to death."
Jiang Zhen couldn't help but laugh and asked, "Was Gu Liancheng so stubborn at that time?"
Gu Jiaoxia followed with a smile: "Young people are all a bit thorny. Your brother-in-law was like this when he was young. Gu Liancheng said something harsh, so my aunt stopped introducing him to a date."
"Last year, after Gu Liancheng married you, my aunt found out about this. She didn't make a fuss with us, but only with grandpa, and didn't allow you and Jiang Zhaojiangtang to visit grandpa's house."
Jiang Zhen asked curiously, "I can understand not going to her house, but why can't you even let me go to my grandfather's house?"
Gu Jiaoxia said: "After this aunt got divorced and lost her son, she returned to her parents' home and has been living with my grandfather. In fact, she has her own house, but she just doesn't want to go back. She thinks that as long as she is with my brother, she will always be loved. She is already very old, but she is still willful like a child. We really don't want to pay much attention to her."
Jiang Zhen explained the situation: "Before we came back this time, we called grandpa and he agreed to let us go home to live. Why didn't grandpa spoil grandma this time?"
Gu Jiaoxia was somewhat happy: "It means that grandpa recognizes you. Since grandma believes in those nonsense, she should just move out. This is the solution. Why can't she let you come over? This incident has given us a chance to vent our anger."
…
Several children had already cooked the remaining dishes. Gu Pan was so hungry that he held the chopsticks and Jiang Tang held the bowl. Gu Hui called out loudly, "Aunt, Auntie, it's time to eat."
Gu Jiaoxia looked towards the study: "I'll go call your brother-in-law, Liancheng, and Qingfeng to come out for dinner."
Jiang Zhen estimated that they were still discussing something, so he held her back and said, "What they want to say is important, and they will come out after they finish talking. Let's wait a little longer."
…
Gu Liancheng used the same method as Jiang Zhen and directly took out the memory ball to show Xiao Jianzhou. This memory ball was a circle larger than the one Xiao Qingfeng had.
Gu Liancheng said, "Brother-in-law, Qingfeng and I were reborn last year. We belong to a special department, and you are the hub for us to communicate with the leaders above. Fifty-one years ago, there was a person who traveled through time and space and recently modified your memories. Jiang Zhen went to negotiate with him, and he agreed to restore the memories of three people. I know you have many doubts. Just drink this glass of water and you will be able to restore your memory."
After saying that, Gu Liancheng threw the memory ball into the cup of water. The colorful ball became colorless and tasteless after coming into contact with water.
Xiao Jianzhou looked at it for a long time, but could not see any difference between it and ordinary water. However, he saw with his own eyes the colorful ball merge into the water.
Jiang Zhen and Gu Liancheng had finally managed to get things back on track, so why would he hesitate? Xiao Jianzhou drank the glass of water in one gulp.
Soon, he, like Xiao Qingfeng, recovered all his memories.
The next step is to restore Vice Minister Qi’s memory.
Xiao Jianzhou was undecided for the first time, and he looked troubled: "This is troublesome. After Deputy Minister Qi's memory was modified, he didn't remember these things. He revealed a private matter to me, which was actually related to Jiang Zhen. If he recovers his memory, he won't kill me to silence me, right?"
The last sentence was added to ease the atmosphere. Gu Liancheng heard it and said with a smile, "Brother-in-law, don't keep me in suspense."
Xiao Jianzhou looked at Gu Liancheng meaningfully and said, "Deputy Minister Qi may know Jiang Zhen's mother, or even be her lover."
Gu Liancheng was shocked. Jiang Zhen’s mother was most likely the doctor in the seven-member team, code-named Yuye.
He blurted out: "This is too much of a coincidence."
Xiao Jianzhou sighed, "Old Qi has been alone for many years. Every year, he feels sad when he sees other families celebrating New Year's Eve. This is especially true this year. We had dinner together two days ago, and he said that if his wife hadn't disappeared, we would have a big family now. He also said that when his wife passed away, she was pregnant with twins."
"We all lost the relevant memories. I didn't hesitate to talk about it. I comforted him for a long time. I came back late and was scolded by your sister. Tell me, before Deputy Minister Qi's memory was modified, did he suspect that Jiang Zhen was his child?"
Wu Shouye once said that only Deputy Minister Qi strongly advocated observation and protection of Jiang Zhen rather than detention and research. Could it be that at that time, Deputy Minister Qi had already suspected that Jiang Zhen had a relationship with his missing lover, or even that Jiang Zhen was his child, so he spared no effort to protect Jiang Zhen?
Gu Liancheng said: "I think this is possible. When Deputy Minister Qi recovers his memory, brother-in-law can ask him."
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