Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Both Sides
Just two days after Chi Shuangliu left, Chen Run saw a news story: "Many places in Chicheng were hit by heavy rains, and the rescue team discovered a rare witch temple in the mountains near Shuangliu County." The news had very few likes and comments, and she didn't know how it was pushed to her. Because it involved her hometown, she subconsciously clicked on it to take a look.
It seems that an ancient witch temple was discovered near Shuangliu County. Experts have verified that the history of this witch temple can be traced back to before the Xia Dynasty, and it is relatively well preserved and has extremely high archaeological value.
Moreover, the witch temple and witch culture itself are very attractive. The local government simply focuses on both the economy and culture, and plans to find someone to rebuild the witch temple. With witch culture and the witch temple as the core, Shuangliu County is built into a characteristic tourist county to promote local economic development.
This kind of thing is quite common. Chen Run just glanced at it and ignored it. He turned off his phone and went to sleep.
Unexpectedly, the next morning, she actually received a call from Shen's mother: "...Hello, Xiaorun, are you free recently? Can you take two days off?"
Shen Run asked casually, "What's wrong?"
Mother Shen curled her lips on the other end of the phone: "Shuangliu County is about to be renovated, and all the self-built houses in the countryside will be demolished. Your uncle asked us to go back and collect your grandmother's belongings and repair her grave." Her words were full of disdain: "Your grandmother didn't save much in her life. What she left behind is just rubbish. I won't go there. You and your brother should discuss how to dispose of it. It's up to you whether to throw it away or burn it."
From Mother Shen’s tone, it can be heard that the relationship between mother and daughter is not good.
Hearing the word "grandmother", Shen Run frowned slightly and thought - if she remembered correctly, her grandmother raised her until she was six years old.
Her father secretly had a second child. He originally wanted to have a son to provide himself with an extra layer of pension insurance, but he didn't expect that he had a daughter. Her father was so angry that he didn't even go to the hospital. He asked around and wanted to give her away. When her grandmother found out, she couldn't bear it so much that she took her away and raised her.
It is said that she fell seriously ill when she was six years old. Her grandmother was old at that time and unable to take care of her, so she used public pressure to force her parents to take her away. Less than half a year after she was taken away, news came that her grandmother had passed away.
——But the strange thing is that she has no recollection of the time when she lived with her grandmother at the age of six. No matter how hard she tried to recall, her memory was blank. She could only piece together a little bit of the old times from the fragments of words from adults.
Her husband and son were both impatient with her. Whenever she spoke to her daughter, Mother Shen couldn't help but start complaining: "...Your grandmother looked down on me all her life, thinking I was incompetent and useless and only knew how to rely on men. She even wanted to cut off ties with me. As a result, she is so old that she doesn't even have a companion by her side. She deserves to be alone all her life!"
The Chi clan has retained the tradition of a matriarchal clan since ancient times, with women shouldering the family business and being the masters of the household. Men either "marry while traveling" and leave behind offspring, or stay at home to do housework and raise children. It is said that her grandmother is not only good at herbs, but also knows a little witchcraft and sorcery. She is a highly respected figure in the local area. She truly supported the entire clan alone. Even the county magistrate and village chiefs gave her some courtesy - but even so, just because she didn't find a suitable man to marry, Mother Shen still looked down on her own mother from the bottom of her heart.
Even if she had to bend over and beg for money on her knees, endure humiliation and scolding from her husband, even if she was only known to the outside world as "Mother Shen" and even lost her own surname, she still felt that her life was much happier than her mother's who was so busy that she had a lot of illnesses.
Chen Run couldn't help but say: "...having a father like my own is worse than being alone."
After she squeezed out a sentence, she quickly changed the subject: "I'm leaving tomorrow, just ask Chen Wen to meet me at the high-speed rail station." After she finished speaking, she hung up the phone.
An impulse in her heart drove her to return to Shuangliu County, perhaps to find out what had happened before she was six years old.
Shen Run opened the ticket booking software.
......
Song Ying is eighteen years old and a native of Chicheng. She just took the college entrance examination this year and just came back by high-speed rail after traveling with friends. Her suitcase was full of local specialties. She lifted the suitcase with great effort and put it on the upper luggage rack.
But the suitcase was too heavy, and she tried to squeeze it in for a long time but failed. She simply pushed the suitcase in with all her might, but unexpectedly the suitcase bounced back and fell straight down on her.
The accident happened so quickly that she only had time to scream and instinctively close her eyes.
——The expected pain and serious injuries did not come.
Song Ying opened her eyes tremblingly, and saw a slender jade-like hand holding the suitcase steadily and then easily putting it back on the luggage rack.
She looked in the direction and saw a handsome man with a gentle and elegant face.
He smiled at her friendly, turned around and continued looking for his seat. After another round, he finally found his seat - right next to Song Ying.
This handsome guy seemed to be taking the high-speed rail for the first time. Not only did he almost get the wrong seat, but he was also a little restless after finding his seat. He carefully touched the seat and curiously tried each button on the high-speed rail seat one by one.
Song Ying found it interesting and couldn't help but approach him to chat: "Handsome guy, thank you so much for what you did just now. What's your name?"
The handsome guy raised his head and smiled gently: “Chen Wen.”
Song Ying was a typical E-type person. She started chatting with him enthusiastically. Chen Wen didn't mind her nagging and responded seriously. Although he looked young, his every move was full of the tolerance of an elder. There was a kind of charm forged by time in his eyes, which was extremely attractive to young women.
The two of them chatted back and forth for four or five hours. By the time they were almost in Chicheng, Song Ying had already developed a fondness for him. She shyly yet boldly asked, "Um... do you have a girlfriend? Can you add her contact information?"
Chen Wen was slightly stunned, then smiled and politely declined the advances of the opposite sex: "Sorry, it's not convenient for me." He thought for a moment, as if worried that the other party would be sad, and added: "Please don't misunderstand, you are a very attractive girl, but I am really much older than you, you deserve better peers."
Song Ying looked disappointed and touched her nose awkwardly: "We were having such a good chat, I thought you had a crush on me too..."
"I'm sorry, I made you and me misunderstand." Shen Wen apologized and explained in a gentle voice: "I just like dealing with women."
Although his advances failed, his character was affirmed by Song Ying: "There are very few men nowadays who respect women as much as you do."
"Now?" Chen Wen paused, then smiled and sighed softly, "It is said that thousands of years ago, the status of women was very high..."
Song Ying looked surprised: "Really?"
Chen Wen smiled. "Of course, back then, humans were still matriarchal, primarily a gathering-based civilization. Women were in charge of harvesting, weaving, and childbearing. Men were merely their appendages. Women excelled at mutual benefit and win-win situations. Wars were rare back then, and while there were occasional frictions between tribes, unity and cooperation were paramount. This is how the human race grew and developed. Otherwise, they would have likely been hunted and exterminated by powerful beasts."
Song Ying became interested and wanted to ask more, but he changed the subject: "We're almost at the station."
As soon as he finished speaking, the high-speed train slowly stopped. He graciously helped Song Ying take down her luggage. Song Ying casually asked, "By the way, what are you doing here?"
"I'll tell you a secret..." Chen Wen pretended to think, "Actually, this land has sealed an ancient evil god. He broke free in recent years and is now in imminent danger."
He looked helpless. "I am the guardian of humanity. I came here to fulfill my duty and seal the evil god once again."
Song Ying burst into laughter.
Shen Wen smiled at her again, put on his luggage and got off the high-speed train.
Although Chicheng is not big, it is a transportation hub. The high-speed rail station is bustling with people coming and going, showing a glimpse of the civilization and richness of modern society.
Chen Wen felt the flowing vitality and his expression was moved.
"very nice."
He murmured.
......
Chen Run waited at the high-speed rail station for a while, and then she saw Chen Wen coming out of another exit. When he was going through the turnstile, he was actually stuck there. She raised an eyebrow and walked over: "What are you doing? Scan your ID card."
Shen Wen finally reacted and took out his ID card from his pocket before finally swiping the gate open. He looked a little embarrassed: "I haven't taken the high-speed rail for a long time, I forgot."
Shen Run didn't hear his previous words, but just gave him a puzzled look: "Forget it, I've already bought the ticket, let's go."
Not only are people coming and going in the high-speed rail station, but there are also energy fluctuations from many people with special abilities. When people with special abilities pass by each other, they can't help but look at each other. Fortunately, after Chen Run obtained Chen Shuangfu's special abilities, he was able to completely block his own energy fluctuations, so he didn't cause any trouble.
It took two trains to get from the high-speed rail station to Shuangliu County, which often took three and a half hours. Shen Run and Shen Wen had nothing to talk about, so they got on the train and were about to go to sleep. Suddenly, Shen Wen said, "I haven't told my parents about your relationship yet."
Shen Run opened his eyes and looked at him.
Shen Wen smiled: "But if Mom knew, she would definitely be worried, so I want to ask, how did you get together?"
"He treats me very well, so it's natural for us to be together." Shen Run just said it casually when he mentioned Shen's mother.
Just from these few words, Chen Wen could probably guess what method Chi Shuangliu used. He whispered, "So you are with him just because he treats you well?"
"I'm a little curious, why is he so nice to you? It seems like you two haven't known each other for long?"
This question was like a thorn, piercing her heart. Chen Wen observed her expression and added in time: "Of course, maybe he is a very good person. I just asked casually."
Hearing him say this, Shen Run couldn't help but think of the scene of Chi Shuangliu killing people like slaughtering dogs, and he became even more upset.
Chen Wen withdrew his gaze and tactfully changed the subject, talking about some family matters that interested her more.
In Shen Run's heart, Chen Wen and her father are cut from the same cloth, and he is the second most honored person in the family. When he was a child, this kind of person would be praised for urinating far, so when he grew up, he would enter the society with the mentality of a prince. The problem is that no one in the society would pamper them. After experiencing several years of beatings, he still refused to admit the fact that he was a waste, and became arrogant, narrow-minded, and especially resentful of some young and capable women.
But this time, Chen Wen seemed like a different person. He was mature, steady, and elegant, full of the gentleness and tolerance of an elder. When getting on and off the bus, he would take the initiative to help the women in the same car share the heavy objects. Even before Chen Run asked, he took the initiative to help her carry her bag and luggage.
He was afraid that Chen Run would be hungry on the way, so he packed snacks and milk in his bag in advance. He really was like a good brother who loved his sister.
Chen Run took the milk but didn't dare to drink it. He just looked at him with a weird expression.
Chen Wen tilted his head and asked patiently, "What's wrong?"
Shen Run pondered for three seconds: "...Are you schizophrenic?"
Chen Wen was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "What are you thinking about?"
He smiled and patted the back of Chen Run's head lovingly: "A few months ago, I was out on business and had a car accident on the road. I almost died. After waking up, I figured out a lot of things. It turned out that it was my fault. I didn't fulfill my responsibilities as a brother. I hope you can give me a chance and let me do my best to make it up to you."
This explanation was reasonable, but Shen Run still had doubts in her heart and subconsciously dodged his hand: "I don't need you to worry about it, just be nice to Mom. You are almost thirty years old, you can't let her wash your underwear by hand, right?"
Shen Wen thought she was adorable and couldn't help laughing again: "Of course."
By the time the brother and sister arrived in the county, it was completely dark. They first had a meal at their uncle's house, and then their uncle personally took them to their grandmother's self-built house. Although the two-story building had not been lived in for a long time, their uncle had been helping to take care of it over the years, so it was still clean and tidy.
When the relatives of the Chi family knew they were coming, they cleaned the house they built and replaced the pillows and bedding - it can be seen that even though grandma passed away more than ten years ago, the people here still love her.
After all, my uncle was married into my maternal family, so he had to leave after giving them a meal. Chen Run walked up and down the stairs, trying to find some childhood memories, but she failed. She hesitated and pushed open the door of her grandmother's bedroom.
There were many books and some strange utensils in the bedroom. Shen Run guessed that these should be what her grandmother used to make medicinal herbs. She looked around and found several thick diaries sandwiched between the bookshelves, with dates marked on the sides. She thought for a moment and took out the one with the most recent date to read.
The diary initially recorded all the contents related to her, such as 'Xiaorun is one year old', 'Xiaorun has grown teeth', 'Xiaorun runs very fast, she will definitely be a healthy girl in the future', 'Xiaorun has started to study, and can recite the Three Character Classic much faster than the stupid boy from Old Chen's family'. The love between the lines is almost overflowing.
Chen Run felt his heart burning as he watched, and couldn't help grinning.
But the contents of the diary became stranger and stranger as she went on. On the last few pages, her grandmother's handwriting became increasingly illegible, mixed with Chi clan's unique characters. It seemed as if she had written them in a state of extreme nervousness and fear. She could only barely recognize a few of the characters, and could not make out what was written. Several pages of the diary had even been torn off.
She was anxious and turned directly to the last page, which had only a few large, bright red words on it.
"Xiaorun, run away and never come back!!"
There was a gentle knock on the bedroom door. Shen Run was startled and instinctively turned his head to see Shen Wen standing by the door.
He looked concerned: "What's wrong, Xiaorun?"
She didn't want to tell him anything, and the dislike she had felt for so many years couldn't be changed in a short time. Shen Run shook his head: "It's okay."
Chen Wen didn't ask any further: "Do you want to go to the Witch Temple tomorrow?" He smiled and said: "There's an old saying, since you're here, you can go there."
Shen Run nodded slowly.
.......
After many twists and turns, the Sun Umbrella's supernatural investigation team also entered the rainforest. A modified small cruise ship was slowly sailing on the Amazon River. There were about thirty people on the ship. Except for a few ordinary people who were responsible for driving the boat, the rest were supernatural people. But because Lu Kuo had killed several S-level supernatural people before, he was notorious in the S-level supernatural circle, so the highest level of this investigation team was only auxiliary A-level.
After several days of sailing into the rainforest, the expedition team soon discovered one thing - a mysterious man lived in the highest room of the cruise ship. He seldom showed up, but a few quick glimpses of him revealed his beauty. His clothes were ordinary, except for a red cinnabar bracelet hanging on his right wrist.
He hardly ever stepped out of the room, and it was Director Lu who went to him personally to report the situation.
At this moment, Lu Kuo was telling him the details of the rainforest, but Chi Shuangliu seemed a little absent-minded, and his fingers were fiddling with the bright red bracelet on his wrist from time to time.
——In fact, he could not appreciate human jewelry at all, and could even be said to hate it. To him, a necklace was a rope tied around the neck, a brooch was a sharp needle piercing the heart, and a bracelet was shackles on the hands. He felt extremely constrained by every piece of jewelry Chen Run gave him, so he threw them in the house and never wore them. He accepted them with a smile, while mocking her in his heart for her useless efforts.
But for some reason, when he went abroad this time, he took the initiative to wear the first piece of jewelry she gave him.
A few days later... he found himself missing her a little.
He used to act on his intellect and instinct, but now he found that his emotions were becoming more delicate, and even a little sentimental like humans - this was not a good sign.
Lu Kuo spoke for a while before realizing Chi Shuangliu seemed distracted. He coughed lightly to call Chi Shuangliu's attention back, and patiently repeated what he had just said: "...There are many mutated and dangerous creatures in the rainforest. The closer to the meteorite, the more dangerous the creatures are. Some creatures are even comparable to high-level human beings with special abilities. We have never explored such a deep place before..."
The implication is that the only way left is to rely on Chi Shuangliu.
Chi Shuangliu nodded casually: "Okay."
He was the one who gave humans superpowers and genetic diseases, but the evolution of plants and animals was brought about by those meteorites. If he hadn't accidentally given humans superpowers, thereby increasing their strength, these evolved plants and animals on Earth would have been enough to kill hundreds of millions of ordinary people.
Although this was not his original intention, humans should kneel down and express their gratitude to him.
Chi Shuangliu thought boredly.
The ship gradually approached the place where the meteorite fell. As dusk fell, no one noticed that a snake shadow that was dozens of meters long and as thick as a well was following quietly behind the cruise ship.
It gently raised its triangular head, which was the size of a truck head, and its huge yellow eyes quietly peeked at the slowly moving cruise ship.
Until the lights on the cruise ship came on, it slowly sank into the water again.
Chi Shuangliu seemed to sense something, turned his head to look out the window, and couldn't help licking his lips.
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