Xu Xinghe arrived at the road he had traveled to Shiwa Village on the last time.
She stood at the top of the slope and looked down. The once clear dirt road had now turned into a blurry black shadow.
After the rain, the soil became slippery and sticky, and the last bit of light was swallowed up by the thick rain curtain, reducing visibility to less than three feet.
She instinctively took a half step back, her toe kicking a piece of gravel. The sound of it rolling down the slope was particularly clear in the quiet rainy night, and it didn't disappear into the darkness for a long time.
The slope was already quite steep, and one had to be extra careful even during the day, let alone now that it was dark and raining heavily, making the ground slippery and difficult to see.
One careless move could result in a slip and sprain, or even tumbling into the bushes at the bottom of the slope, with potentially disastrous consequences.
Xu Xinghe bit her lower lip, suppressing the adventurous thought in her heart, and quickly scanned her surroundings.
Not far away there is a dense forest with intertwined tree trunks that can provide some shelter from the wind and rain.
Without hesitation, she picked up her bag and waded in, stumbling through the deep water.
The light in the woods was dimmer, and the sound of rustling leaves mingled with the sound of rain, creating a somewhat secluded atmosphere.
Xu Xinghe found a relatively dry spot near the roots of a tree. After confirming that no one was around, he had a thought, and the scene before him instantly changed.
A familiar space came into view.
The warm light dispelled the chill around me.
The fresh scent of grass and trees replaced the damp chill of the rain.
She breathed a long sigh of relief, first washing off the mud and rainwater from her body, changing into dry clothes, before slowly walking towards the bamboo house not far away.
The bamboo house is simply yet elegantly furnished, with a bamboo bed placed by the window and a rustic four-poster bed next to it.
On her previous nights in the space, Xu Xinghe always chose that canopy bed. She always felt that this bamboo bed exuded a strange sense of belonging, as if it originally had an owner, making her reluctant to touch it casually.
But today, whether it was the loneliness of the rainy night or some indescribable feeling in her heart, she stood in front of the bamboo bed and had the urge to lie down on it.
The feeling was strange, indescribable, yet incredibly strong, as if telling her that it was time to go.
Xu Xinghe hesitated for a moment, but ultimately followed her sixth sense.
She lay down gently on the bamboo bed.
The bamboo mat has a slightly cool touch, but it is not harsh; instead, it has a strange sense of comfort.
A wave of fatigue washed over me instantly, and the exhaustion of the past few days and the tension from just now were completely released at this moment.
She closed her eyes, and almost immediately fell into a deep sleep.
Meanwhile, in the woods on the other side.
Yi An had just passed through a patch of low bushes, and the mud under his feet was slippery and difficult to walk on, forcing him to slow down.
He looked up and saw that Xu Xinghe, who should have been walking in front, was nowhere to be seen.
"Su Xiao?" he called out subconsciously, but his voice was drowned out by the rain and he received no response.
Yi An's heart jumped instantly, and her first thought was that she might have slipped and fallen.
He had been into this forest before; there were some slopes inside.
He hurried into the woods, calling out Xu Xinghe's name as he went, his eyes carefully searching among the grass and trees on both sides of the slope.
Rainwater streamed down his forehead, wetting his eyelashes and blurring his vision.
He could only wipe his face with his hand and continue walking.
The mud on my feet covered the soles of my shoes, making them heavier and heavier. My clothes were already soaked through by the rain and clung coldly to my skin, the chill seeping into my pores.
He searched for a full hour, looking in almost every place he could think of, but he still couldn't find Xu Xinghe, or even the traces of her slipping.
Yi An stopped, panting heavily, her chest heaving rapidly.
This can't go on.
The rain was getting heavier and the sky was getting darker. Continuing the search would not only make it difficult to find the person, but also risk trapping them in the rainy night.
Yi An gritted her teeth and forced herself to calm down.
He remembered a cave he used to frequent not far away. It was high up, dry, and sheltered from the wind, making it a good place to stay temporarily.
He glanced one last time in the direction where Xu Xinghe had disappeared, praying in his heart that she would be safe and sound, before turning and walking towards the cave.
The cave is not large, but it is big enough to accommodate two or three people.
Yi'an found some dry branches and thatch, and used the flint she carried with her to start a fire.
Sparks flickered and danced in the darkness, taking a long time to ignite into a small flame that gradually dispelled the chill in the cave.
He took off his wet clothes and draped them over a rock near the fire, then sat down beside the fire and warmed his hands by the flames.
The flames crackled, illuminating his sharply defined face.
He would occasionally look up at the rain outside the cave, his brow furrowed.
The clothes dried very slowly, and the moisture rose up along the fabric, forming a thin layer of mist in the firelight.
Yi An sat quietly, her gaze fixed on the flickering flames.
Once the clothes are dry, go out and look for them again immediately!
No matter what, we must find Xu Xinghe!
...
Xu Xinghe opened her eyes.
Before me was a familiar bamboo forest, exactly the same as the bamboo forest in the space.
Am I dreaming?
Why would I dream about a space?
As she looked around blankly, a familiar voice came from not far away, gentle and deep, "Xinghe, come here."
Xu Xinghe turned her head sharply, her heart clenching instantly.
Not far away, a man sat by a stone table, wearing the black Zhongshan suit she remembered most. He had a handsome face and a few traces of frost at his temples. He was her deceased father!
He was still the same age he was at when he died, neither aged nor haggard, and his eyes held the tenderness she had longed for him through countless days and nights!
“Dad…” Xu Xinghe’s voice choked instantly, and she walked toward him uncontrollably.
She knew it was a dream, and that her father had already left her.
Since her rebirth, she has missed her parents countless times in the dead of night, but she has never dreamed of them. This sudden reunion, even in her dreams, makes her unable to control herself!
She walked quickly to her father's side, sat down on the stone bench, and tears welled up instantly. "Dad, why don't you come to my dreams? I miss you and Mom so much, why did it take you so long to let me see you? Where is Mom? Why isn't she here?"
Her father raised his hand and gently touched her head. The warmth of his fingertips felt so real, like a dream, carrying a familiar comfort. "Your mother has passed away. She has gone to where she needed to go. But I was worried about you, so I've been staying here to watch over you."
"Stay with me?" Xu Xinghe suddenly threw herself into her father's arms, hugging his waist tightly, and burst into tears. Years of pent-up grievances and pain erupted at this moment. "Dad, I haven't been doing well at all since you left! Those three beasts, Xu Mingyi and his gang, bullied me, took everything in the house, and even locked me up..."
She cried uncontrollably, pouring out all the suffering before her rebirth and everything that followed.
Her father gently patted her back, just like when she was a child and had been wronged, soothing her tenderly, "I know, Dad knows, Dad has always been watching you. You've endured all those hardships, you're really strong."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com