Chapter 49
On May 6, 835 of the new calendar, outside the cemetery in the central city, the tall but elderly Yin Zheng bent over and held Jiaojiao's hand as they walked up the stairs step by step.
It had just rained in the morning and there were still water stains on the stairs. Jiaojiao, wearing his newly bought little yellow duck shoes, stepped carefully, as if he was afraid that the water would wet the new shoes his father bought for him.
Yin Zheng looked down at Jiaojiao. He was still the same as when they first met, small and with a pair of big round eyes on his fair face.
After climbing ten steps in a row, Jiaojiao paused to catch her breath, then raised her head and stretched out her little hand to her father, saying softly, "Daddy, hold me."
"Yeah." Yin Zheng responded, bent down, picked up Jiaojiao and walked away.
Lying in her father's arms, Jiaojiao first placed the beautiful little stone she had picked up in the pocket in front of her belly. Then, she rubbed her father's chin with her furry head, patted her full little pocket with her eyes curved, and said, "Go back and wash it and give it to Dad."
Yin Zheng looked down at the beautiful stones, strange leaves, and colorful candy wrappers in his pocket and murmured, "Okay."
"dad."
"Um?"
"We have to go home quickly. Uncle Luo An said he would bring some mango-flavored cakes today."
"good."
"Jiaojiao likes to eat cake. Does Dad like it?"
"like."
"Then Jiaojiao will give her share to Dad."
"good."
A tall, elderly figure, holding a child in his arms, gradually walked away in the morning light.
Luo Andeli, who had been waiting at Yin Zheng's house early, saw the two of them and smiled as he walked over to take Jiaojiao from Yin Zheng's arms. "Little Jiaojiao, do you miss Uncle Luo An?"
"I miss you!" Jiaojiao said crisply while staying in his arms.
Luo Andeli, who was also old, smiled so much that the corners of his eyes wrinkled together, and the smile in his green eyes was about to overflow.
Cloveford came out of the house upon hearing the sound and took Jiaojiao from his arms. Before she could say anything, Jiaojiao raised her head and rubbed his chin, saying softly: "Jiaojiao also misses Daddy, Uncle, Uncle Moer, Uncle Keluo, Uncle Gu Yu, Uncle Jiang Cha, Uncle Casper..."
The clever look of the little fellow counting one by one with his little fingers made Melhos and others who came out later smile and shake their heads.
In fact, considering Jiaojiao's current appearance and being with this group of old guys, from the perspective of an outsider who doesn't know the situation, they shouldn't call him uncle or eleventh uncle, but rather grandpa.
Over the years, they have all grown older, except Jiaojiao. It seems as if time has been paused for him, and he has stayed at the age of three forever. Not only his body has stayed at the age of three, but it seems as if his soul has also stayed at the age of three forever.
Jiaojiao's intelligence did not grow with the passage of time. His intelligence remained at the age of three along with his body. So over the years, as he got to know more and more things and people, Jiaojiao gradually began to show the characteristic of forgetfulness.
They were clearly right in front of her, and they were clearly talking to Jiaojiao in the previous second, but in the next second, just by lowering her head or raising her eyes, this little glutinous rice ball-like creature heartlessly forgot about them.
She just looked up at them with a pair of dark, bright eyes, confused and bewildered, and asked doubtfully, "Uncle, why do you look so familiar to me?"
At first they were anxious and thought Jiaojiao was sick again, but later they realized that he really couldn't remember anything.
Jiaojiao's small brain has limited capacity, just like a small cup of water. When you keep filling it with water, when it reaches a certain level, the cup will start to overflow.
Three-year-old Jiaojiao can only remember a limited amount of things. The more things he knows and the more knowledge he learns, the more he begins to forget the knowledge he has learned and the people he has known before.
Over the years, Jiaojiao has forgotten many people, including Hillianbul, Ji Zang, Fang Xingqiao, Luo Andeli, Melhos, Keluo and Clove, but he has never forgotten his father, Yin Zheng.
At first they thought it was because Yin Zheng stayed with Jiaojiao for a long time, but after personal testing, they found that it was not the case.
No matter whether they are by Jiaojiao's side every day, they will be suddenly forgotten at some point.
That was not Jiaojiao's original intention. It was just an irresistible limitation that came from the soul and the brain.
But Jiaojiao never forgot Yin Zheng... This made Luo Andeli and the others very envious. This envy had nothing to do with Jiaojiao, but was only about the love that could not be forgotten...
It was like a child secretly hiding all his treasures in his pockets, then one day carefully washing them clean, holding his hands together, the treasures he had hidden for a long time, washed clean, and giving them all to his father without reservation. It was the purest love that even time could not deprive him of...
Who doesn't envy this love... Who doesn't want to be loved like this...
But fortunately... they are also loved unconditionally by children. Even though they will be forgotten, they will still be remembered...
"Uncle, why does Jiaojiao look at you so familiar?"
The man who came over squatted in front of Jiaojiao and said in a low voice: "Don't call me uncle."
Jiaojiao tilted her head, her tone filled with confusion: "What is that called?"
'Call me Daddy.'
"Daddy." Jiaojiao raised her head and called out crisply.
"Yeah." Cloveford lowered his head to meet his dark, bright eyes, raised his hand to ruffle his fluffy hair, and carried him into the house. On the table in the house was the mango-flavored cake that Jiaojiao had been thinking about all morning.
Time flies like quicksand.
One afternoon two years later, sunlight filtered through the window, and little Jiaojiao was holding a storybook and telling a story to her father who was lying on the bed.
After telling several stories in a row, Jiaojiao found that her father was still awake. She tilted her head, with doubt in her dark and bright eyes: "Dad, aren't the stories Jiaojiao told good?"
"No." Yin Zheng, lying on the bed, reacted a little slowly. His old right eye never missed a moment as he stared at Jiaojiao, who was lying on the bedside. "Jiaojiao...the story she told...was very interesting..."
It's just that he himself is reluctant to close his eyes...
Knowing he would never wake up again after this sleep, Yin Zheng felt an unprecedented desire to survive. He wanted to ask time to wait a little longer...
His Jiaojiao hasn't grown up yet... He can't bear to... nor can he let go of his heart and close his eyes like this...
Being praised, Jiaojiao curled her eyes happily and said, "Then Daddy, go to sleep quickly. When you wake up, we will go build a little house for the puppy."
"Okay... build a house... for the puppy." Yin Zheng's tone became softer and slower, but he stared at Jiaojiao stubbornly and refused to close his eyes.
When Jiaojiao discovered that his father didn't close his eyes, his eyes lit up, as if he had finally found the culprit. He raised his little hand and gently covered his father's eyes, saying a little proudly, "Daddy is not a good boy. Jiaojiao caught him for not taking a good nap. Hurry up and close your eyes and go to sleep. Be a good boy."
Jiaojiao, who covered her father's eyes with her hands to prevent him from reading the storybook, continued telling the story based on her fragmented memories: "A long time ago, the sky was an ocean, with huge blue fish swimming in it... There was also a huge tree, and all the children were its leaves..."
As she spoke, Jiaojiao gently patted her father's chest with her little hands. There were scattered lights flashing in her dark and bright eyes, and the light was full of love for her father.
Yin Zheng's eyes went dark as he listened to the tender and soft voice beside his ear. His consciousness began to blur uncontrollably. Before his consciousness completely sank, a large and blue sea flashed before his eyes.
Jiaojiao, who was lying on the head of the bed, fell asleep while talking. She turned over and fell asleep in her father's arms.
The afternoon sun fell on the two of them, as if it was an afternoon many years ago.
In another world, in a building with many consciousness extraction capsules neatly arranged, a group of scientific researchers are in the central processing room, having a heated discussion around the data on the virtual screen.
"Look, Marshal Yin's desire to survive has reached its peak!"
"I didn't expect this method to be so useful!"
"But why haven't other people's survival values changed at all? Some have even decreased?"
"I don't know, maybe something unexpected happened!"
"Marshal Yin's consciousness has returned. Let's go check on him."
"Let's go, let's go! I can't wait to see what a Marshal with a full desire to survive looks like. It would be great if I could also collect some useful data from him."
When the group of people arrived, a man in black had been sitting next to the consciousness extraction cabin for a long time.
Yin Zheng raised his head when he heard the voice, his black eyes filled with surging unknown emotions.
The scientific researchers were very satisfied to see him like this. Such an emotional outburst was rare among humans today, especially in this marshal who had been completely detached from his emotions.
There are very few people in today's human race who have emotions, and most of them are scientific researchers or people in special professions. These are some emotions that were deliberately preserved based on certain considerations. However, compared with the abundant emotions that humans once had, these remaining emotions seem insignificant.
Yin Zheng, who was being stared at by them, stood up and walked over. He looked at the researchers with an oppressive gaze and said in a low, hoarse voice, "I want to go back."
"But Marshal..."
"I want to go back!" Yin Zheng interrupted them, his eyes frightening: "No matter what the price, I want to go back!"
"Marshal, you can't go back. No one's consciousness can be withdrawn twice in such a short period of time. You need to rest for a while."
Yin Zheng stepped forward and grabbed his neck, his eyes filled with bloodshot blood: "I said, no matter what the cost, I will go back!"
The researchers who were being strangled by him were not afraid. They looked at him calmly and said, "Marshal, you know, no one in the human race today is afraid of death. On the contrary, they are all very happy to see it coming. Of course, I am one of them."
"And even if we extract your consciousness again, we won't be able to return to the same world. You know, it took us hundreds of years to unify the consciousness of these worlds and gain the opportunity to open a passage between them."
"However, I am very curious about what drives you to become what you are now. Give me a hundred years, and I will build you a shuttle that can return to the same world and gain the consent of that world's consciousness once again."
What scientific researchers must not lose the most is curiosity and a spirit of exploration, so in the beginning, some humans retained their original curiosity and a spirit of exploration.
"A hundred years is too long." Yin Zheng looked at them with a dark gaze, his voice low and hoarse: "One year!"
Whenever Yin Zheng thought of Jiaojiao's expression after she found out her father was gone, his heart would tighten. Intense pain radiated from his chest, almost taking his breath away.
“A year is too short!”
"I will find a way to get all the scientific researchers in the Kaer Galaxy to cooperate with you. I'll cover all the funding, as long as you shorten the time to one year."
"It's definitely impossible to do it in one year, but if Yalun is willing to join us, I can guarantee that the time can be shortened to five years!"
"Three years!" Yin Zheng said, turning around and walking away in big strides. "I'll take care of that guy Ya Lun."
A month later, Jiaojiao, holding a bottle of milk, sat in front of a grave that looked very new.
"Daddy." Jiaojiao looked up at Cloveford beside her, her eyes reddened, and she pouted a little aggrievedly, "Jiaojiao hasn't seen Daddy for a long, long time."
Jiaojiao, who still doesn't understand the meaning of death, feels very aggrieved that her father has been gone for a month.
Cloveford squatted down and held him in his arms. His old hands patted his small back soothingly, and his voice, already old, said in a low and hoarse voice: "Don't cry, don't cry."
He didn't know what else to say to comfort her, so he could only say this over and over again.
The elderly Cloverd had also thought about who among them would go first. At first, he thought it would be himself and Melhos and the others. After all, they were more than ten years older than Luo Andeli and Yin Zheng.
But I didn’t expect that Yin Zheng would leave first!
Luo Andeli said that it was his childhood experiences that caused too much damage to Yin Zheng's body. At that time, no matter how seriously ill or injured he was, he would not go to the hospital for treatment, but just relied on himself to get through it.
Before Jiaojiao was born, his only requirement for food and drink was that they could fill his stomach, and he didn't care whether they were nutritious or not.
Perhaps it was these experiences that put him ahead of all of them.
The afternoon sun was very warm. Cloverd, holding Jiaojiao, leaned against the tombstone and suddenly felt very sleepy. He looked at Jiaojiao, who was already asleep and curled up in his arms, pursed his lips and smiled, then closed his eyes and planned to take a nap.
Time passed little by little, and when the sky was filled with sunset glow, the man who wanted to take a nap did not wake up, and his arms were empty.
When Jiaojiao woke up again, she found herself in an unfamiliar place, with a little boy who looked eight years old beside her.
Jiaojiao tilted her head and looked at him for a long time without recognizing him. She could only ask in confusion, "Who are you?"
Su Cang poked Jiaojiao's fair forehead. Jiaojiao's eyes were blank for a moment. After coming to her senses, she called out crisply, "Brother Su Cang."
Su Cang, who was called brother, was stunned for a while. After he came to his senses, he didn't intend to argue with this human child.
Su Cang is a world consciousness that was born not long ago. He met this child when he went to other worlds to learn how to create his own world.
A child who was dragged out of his sleep by his drunk mother and left in the snow to freeze to death.
He can't walk, has slow reactions, and can barely speak, but because of his mother's words: "Just wait here for your damn dad!"
He squatted in the snow with great anticipation, fearing that his father would not come if he moved. The child was very well-behaved and waited motionless.
However, the child didn't know that his father died in a plane crash before he was born.
So he was destined not to wait for his father, but because he was too ignorant and well-behaved, he froze to death under the old tree in the dilapidated alley.
Perhaps it was because the child was too thin and well-behaved, or perhaps it was because of the scars all over the child's body, but Su Cang, the young world consciousness who was passing by, was moved with an inappropriate amount of sympathy. He walked up and poked the child's no longer soft cheek, then quietly hid the child's soul in his sleeve and took it away.
Jiaojiao's body was made by Su Cang using the chaotic soil of his own world, mixed with other strange things, such as crushed starlight, the first cloud, the first handful of clear water, the first ray of light and countless other things, and then molded according to Jiaojiao's original body.
He did not pinch the original scar on Jiaojiao's body, so Jiaojiao looked white and tender.
Su Cang, who is not very familiar with humans, doesn’t know that humans need to grow up.
Su Cang, who had seen Jiaojiao's memory, now knew. At this moment, he was holding Jiaojiao's little hand and looking at her, thinking about how to help this child have the ability to grow.
"Brother Su Cang, take Jiao Jiao to find Daddy!" Jiao Jiao hugged Su Cang's arm with her backhand, looked up at him with red eyes, and said very aggrievedly: "Jiao Jiao hasn't seen Daddy for a long, long time!"
Su Cang, whose arms were hugged, was a little confused. After looking for the world where the father he mentioned was, he felt a little embarrassed. The world where the father recognized by the child in this world was currently in was a bit high-level, and it was impossible for him, a small world that had just been born a million years ago, to send the child there.
"Brother Su Cang." Jiaojiao looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't help sobbing softly, "Jiaojiao... Jiaojiao misses daddy... I miss him so much... I miss him so much..."
In the original world, the fat boy who often threw stones at Jiaojiao had a father who loved him very much.
Jiaojiao, who was so hungry that she was lying at the door pulling grass to eat, secretly saw all this, which left a deep impression and obsession in her ignorant subconscious.
So after having a father who loved him very much, Jiaojiao used all the ways he could to express his love to his father.
Whether giving his father the only steamed bun he had or the hidden treasure, that was his only way to express his love.
Child, crying is so troublesome!
Su Cang, who had no other choice, frowned and tapped Jiaojiao's forehead lightly, extracting his memories and temporarily placing them in a bottle shining with starlight.
After putting it away, He turned to Jiaojiao, whose eyes had returned to their naive state, and said, "I'll send you to another world later, and you can find a new father to raise you."
After saying that, he immersed himself in studying the issue of children not growing up.
Jiaojiao, who was sitting on the ground and only understood the word "Dad", opened her innocent eyes and waved her white and tender hands: "Dad~"
Su Cang, who was very busy creating the world, had no plans to raise children. After discussing with the consciousness of other worlds, he sent the children to their worlds and let the children find a father to raise them themselves.
Anyway, whether it is humans, animals or plants, they will not harm children. On the contrary, they will have a natural and full affection for children because children are made up of the original energy of the world.
Pre-collected article "The Sickly Male Insect Breaks the Steel Armor with His Bare Hands" also known as "Today I'm Also Playing the Role of a Male Insect Well"
What is a male insect?
After going through a calamity, he turned into a demon in the blink of an eye... Oh no, the sword cultivator Li Qing turned into a male insect. At this time, he was sitting at the table with a small notebook, concentrating on studying what a male insect is?
The so-called male insects are weak, arrogant, and have female insects around them. For the time being, the new male insect here, Ernes Li Qing, carries a small notebook with him and does everything recorded in it in a rigid manner, trying his best to play the role of a male insect and wait for the owner of this body to come back.
First of all, he must be weak, especially since the owner of this body was born with a disease in his bones, and is much weaker than other male insects.
The second thing is arrogance. Li Qing, who has always been low-key, feels that this is more difficult than pretending to be sick, but he still suppresses the discomfort in his heart and pretends to be extremely arrogant.
Finally, you have to find a female insect to follow you and take care of you at all times.
But who should I look for?
I heard that there are standards for male insects to choose female insects. Li Qing, who didn't quite understand these standards, was confused for a while, and suddenly an idea came to him. He turned his attention to the female servants who were squeezed dry by the male insects and thrown out.
These female insects have been chosen by other male insects, which means they must meet the male insects' criteria for selecting female insects.
Li Qing, fearing that he would reveal his flaws and be noticed by other Zergs, buried his head in searching among these abandoned female Zergs.
——Double Purity
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