Chapter 129
When Jiaming was resting, he dreamed of someone, but he didn't remember what he said. When he sat up, he didn't realize whether he was in a dream or in the real world. He squinted his eyes and found that it had been dark for a while. There was no one around. If he looked outside, he could see someone standing outside the door and someone walking outside. Everything seemed normal.
But for some reason, Jiaming always felt a little confused, so he got up from the bed, found his shoes, and walked out step by step, making his footsteps light, almost having to hold on to the wall to stand steadily. Just as he approached the door and window, he heard someone talking outside, so he leaned in to listen: "A little fairy came down from the sky, but his face was not clear. Whoever said it was could only see a white shadow."
Jiaming blinked his eyes, his heart suddenly beating with excitement. He leaned against the wall and went out. When he was about to speak, he suddenly found that the people outside the door were all birds and beasts with human bodies. They were wearing armor and holding sharp weapons in their hands, like elongated colorless bird beans. They all noticed Jiaming's appearance, turned their heads, looked at Jiaming, and murmured, "What a strong human smell, it's meat."
They looked like they were about to drool.
Jiaming focused his attention on their necks that had been twisted 180 degrees. There were many eyes on their heads. Even though they were wearing armor, they were still visible. Those eyes that were not on their faces were blinking. Jiaming took a deep breath and said to them, "I want to go see that figure. Can I go out?"
The guards all said, "Yes, yes, but the figure is above the altar in the west wing. Be very careful if you go there."
Jiaming nodded. He walked out of the door and prepared to go to the west side hall. When he walked outside the door, a big river suddenly appeared in front of him. He went directly into the river, but did not sink. Instead, he went to the other side.
He shook his clothes, and three grass seeds fell out of his clothes. He patted his shoes again, and three extremely skinny grass seeds hidden in the patterns of his shoes fell out. Jiaming was worried that there were other things hidden in his clothes and shoes, so he quickly walked out and reached the shore.
The three plump grass seeds quickly grew heavy and beautiful fruits, while the three skinny grass seeds slowly sprouted black buds and grew one skinny and weird weed-like thing after another, which also bore fruit, but in an unnatural way grew bloody black waxberry-like hard and laughing fruits.
A gust of wind blew, and the heavy fruits fell to the ground and quickly rotted. The black fruits also fell to the ground, gradually turning into a pool of dirty water, disappearing into the soil and out of sight.
The gust of wind blew on Jiaming's body, it was very cold, Jiaming shivered and suddenly woke up from his dream.
He suddenly sat up from the bed, took a deep breath, and felt the fresh air going straight into his brain from his nose. He felt a little better, but soon he was shaking all over. It was no use wrapping himself in a quilt, as he was sweating all over. However, his face and lips were pale, and his two black eyeballs seemed to be dilated at this time, maintaining a very strange state.
Upon hearing the news, the young man rushed over immediately. He was in a hurry, his hair was a little messy, and his clothes were also casual. It seemed that he had just rested for a short time when he was woken up and called here. This was strange. Jiaming was not the emperor, and it didn't matter if he died. Why was he in such a hurry? Was he afraid that it would be difficult to take the blame if a living person died?
It is not impossible. After all, the dead cannot die again in public to appease the anger of others.
Jiaming was in a daze, his thoughts running wildly, but his eyes were always on the young man's face. In his blurred vision, tears flowed out. Jiaming suddenly saw a black shadow coming in from the door, straight in, as if walking into an empty space, rushing in with great skill, and walked to the side of the young man, and suddenly turned into a wisp of smoke that entangled the man.
Jiaming blinked slowly in shock, and saw the young man bend down, put his hand on his forehead, and then looked at him and asked, "What? Don't you recognize me?"
Jiaming had been trying very hard to convince himself that this was an illusion, but when he heard the other party talking, he became indecisive again. While he was hesitating, the young man sat down beside his bed and touched his quilt. The quilt was so thick that it could be used in cold weather and still not be cold. However, Jiaming was shivering even though he was wrapped in such a quilt, as if he couldn't stand the cold, and yet he was sweating all over. It was very strange.
"Why do you need such a thick blanket?"
As the young man was about to ask someone to take away the blanket, Jiaming suddenly shouted, "Don't take my blanket away!"
The young man asked the others to stop, looked at Jiaming and asked, "Really? Why? Don't you feel hot?"
Jiaming grabbed the quilt tightly, curled up into a ball, and only a little of his eyes were exposed. He looked at him and said, "I just feel cold."
For a moment, the young man looked at Jiaming and felt that he was like a ghost who was afraid of being discovered. He laughed at himself in his heart. It was impossible. How could a living person suddenly turn into a ghost? He had not died before, so there was nothing to be afraid of. If he was really afraid of this, it could only mean one thing: this person was too timid.
He came to his senses and said to Jiaming, "If you feel cold, then cover yourself. I won't let anyone take it away from you, okay?"
Jiaming nodded, hesitated for a moment and asked, "What were you doing before you came here?"
The young man's face suddenly blurred, and his face was covered with a thick black smoke. It twisted and revealed an exaggerated smile that looked like only a skull was left. He rushed over fiercely and unceremoniously, sticking directly to Jiaming's face, almost rushing through Jiaming's head to the wall behind him, and whispered in his ear: "How come you don't even know this? I'm thinking about you."
Jiaming quickly shook his head and frowned, thinking that it was an illusion. He was reluctant to leave the figure in the illusion and hoped that the other person could say a few more words to let him know what was going on. However, he did not want the other person to appear at this time and affect his ability to judge other people and things.
Even if it's just the ability to communicate, it's not necessarily a good thing if it's interrupted like this.
The young man asked with concern: "What's wrong?"
Jiaming said, "Nothing."
He pinched the quilt and asked hesitantly, "What were you doing before you came?"
Jiaming looked at the young man's clothes, wanting to get a positive answer.
The young man said, "I was resting. Strangely enough, I had a dream while I was resting. I dreamed of a big river and six grass seeds. I even thought I saw you in it. You were a white shadow, like smoke, floating dimly on the water. I wanted to call you, but couldn't. Then you saw me. I thought you knew where I was.
I waved to you, but you ignored me and turned away, gradually floating to the other side of the river. I wanted to go to the other side, but the river was too full and I couldn't get across, so I shouted to you. However, when I wanted to call you, my voice couldn't come out. My throat seemed to be hoarse, and the voice was small and unpleasant.
You didn't see me either. You seemed to be lowering your head, doing something, and looking quite serious. I thought you were recording something, so I thought I shouldn't bother you. Then a strong wind came up, bringing up the river water and suddenly all of it splashed onto me, like a huge wave at the sea, hitting my head on. I was soaked all over and shivering with cold.
I woke up, and before I could recover, I heard someone tell me that I was sick.
I was indeed resting before I came here, but you didn't disturb my rest, it's okay."
Jiaming blinked and nodded: "Okay, I understand."
He asked in confusion: "How do you think the white shadow is me? Did you see the face, the eyes, or the clothes? How can you confirm the identity without any contact?"
The young man smiled and said, "It's just a dream. How can I confirm it? I just subconsciously thought it was you. Now that you say it, it probably isn't you. Even if it is you, you don't know it. What can I say? What were you doing before I came?"
Jiaming lowered his eyes and said, "I was dreaming too. I dreamed about something similar to you, with rivers and grass seeds. Do you think this has any meaning?"
The young man asked, "What's the point?"
He didn't believe it, nor did he not believe it, he just found it strange.
Jiaming said: "Although I may not be a national master yet, I think this may be a warning from God. We can take it as a preview. If it is a hint of the future, what do you think will be related to grass seeds?"
The young man said, "Plants? Food?"
Jiaming said, "Yes, it's food. Maybe we will be short of food for a period of time, or there will be a period of food shortage after a good harvest. We must be vigilant."
The young man thought for a moment, "If that's the case, we can be vigilant. I'll call them over later. It's almost dawn anyway, so it doesn't matter whether they sleep or not. I'll tell them to buy some food and store it in every good year. It's for future use. If there's a famine or disaster, they can respond to it. It's better than having nothing at all."
Jiaming nodded: "It's definitely better than nothing."
The young man laughed and said, "What does the big river mean?"
Jiaming said, "Warn us not to run around. After all, if there is a famine, if we run out, we will either be eaten as food or beaten as the culprit. In the end, we will die. It is better to stay here. Maybe it is safer than outside."
The young man nodded: "Okay, let's do as you say."
Jiaming raised his eyebrows and asked, "Hey, don't you think this is too hasty?"
The young man laughed and said, "I only know that the emperor and the like had nothing to do with me. We are far apart, and we couldn't be further apart. If I were to take charge of these matters in the future, even though I'm not the emperor, I would have some of the emperor's power. I don't think I cared who the emperor was before. I only knew that if I didn't live well, it must be his fault, so it's almost the same now."
He paused, and said with some emotion: "If life is going well, no one will think there is a problem. If life is not going well, there must be problems here and there. The biggest problem is on top. It must be this person's fault. If there is more than one person, then find one person and ask him to take responsibility. When the public is excited, even if he doesn't commit suicide, he must give up the good things.
But what is the reality? If rich people lose their so-called jobs, they just take a break and have fun. No one can do anything to them. They are still rich. Their money is not earned from work. How can they lose money just because they don’t work? Forget it. They are rich even if they don’t work. Why should others worry about them?
It's the same for us.
Dog emperor, he was once an emperor even though he was not an emperor. Even if he was not an emperor, he lived in a house that was countless times bigger than that of the poor people. He ate the best food that a starving person could get, which was better than hundreds or thousands of dollars' worth of food. He did not feel ashamed but proud. He did not think he was extremely disgusting but rather noble and elegant. What nonsense.
There are some words that whoever believes them is a fool.
They can play all day long, and no one has ever accused them of being idle. If they were poor, they would be scolded and criticized for having no ambition and being a parasite if they had a little fun. Bullshit! When they point fingers at others, why don’t they think of themselves as being a parasite? When they are playing, why don’t they think of themselves as parasites?
They just can't stand seeing others live well!"
The young man took a deep breath, stood up and said, "I'm sorry, I'm a little emotional. I think I don't need to tell you other things for the time being. I can't analyze it, so it's better not to mention it for the time being. Let me go out and find a doctor for you. If you can be cured, get better soon. If you can't, it doesn't matter. Anyway, I can support you now.
If this country can't even support someone like you, it will collapse today, and who knows what kind of chaos it will be in the future!"
He nodded, greeted Jiaming, and turned to leave. After he left, other people came over and wanted to do something. Jiaming asked them to go out by themselves and help close the doors and windows and not to come in casually. He would call them if he needed anything.
They all agreed and went out by themselves, helping to close the door. The room suddenly became much darker, and they closed the windows. The room became even darker, and the air suddenly felt blocked. His throat started to itch. Jiaming coughed for a while and finally took a rest. He lay on the bed, gasping for breath, and suddenly felt a fishy and sweet taste in his throat. He opened his mouth and spat out a pool of blood.
He fainted for a long time, and then he recovered a little. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Someone knocked on the door. The maid said to Jiaming, "Sir, the doctor is here."
Jiaming said, "Come in."
The maid opened the door and invited the doctor in. The doctor came in with something and smelled something wrong. He looked carefully and saw blood on the ground. He was horrified: "How did it come to this? This is not good."
He paused, as if realizing that it was not a good idea to say anything bad here, otherwise, it would be his own fault.
He walked forward hesitantly, and said to Jiaming, "Excuse me, could you please let me see your hand?"
Jiaming didn't really want to move. Besides, he had gotten used to being inside the thick quilt and was feeling dizzy. He didn't want to pay attention to other people's affairs, so he said to him, "I want to rest now. You should go out first. I'll come back to you when I'm free and in better spirits. Is that ok?"
The doctor was a little embarrassed and looked at the maid next to him. The maid was also a little at a loss. This was not something they could decide. After looking at each other, the maid took the initiative to say, "I will report it now. If they agree, it's fine. If not, we will come back later."
Jiaming said, "Don't bother others. They know that I should take care of my own affairs. If they want to cause trouble for you, you can find me again. Get out. Now, get out."
The maid and the doctor looked at each other, gradually backed away, walked out and closed the door.
Jiaming adjusted his position, closed his eyes and fell asleep on the bed.
What happened next was unclear. When he woke up again, it was daytime. A dark figure was sitting on the bed with a red rope in his hand, playing cat's tangle with himself. Jiaming looked at him and was in a daze for a while. He suddenly looked at Jiaming and asked, "Did you see me?"
Jiaming responded.
The shadow put away the red rope and asked, "So you don't know how to do this? Why don't you play with me?"
Jiaming said: "I really don't know how to do it, but I wonder if you can do it?"
The shadow said, "That's different. What if I'm not here?"
Jiaming looked at him and smiled, "You have always been here, haven't you? What are you afraid of? If I die, I won't have to see you. If you die, I can still miss you. You will always appear."
The shadow smiled and said, "I didn't expect you to have so much confidence in me."
Jiaming murmured, "If I don't have confidence in myself, who can I have confidence in? Others won't be like you, staying by my side all the time. What's the point of you staying by my side? Do you want others to think I'm mentally ill? I'm not the first genius to be like this. If you ask me, the one who thinks I'm abnormal is the one who's abnormal. What do you think?"
The shadow pulled Jiaming's quilt, lay down against the wall and said, "I think we should play games now. Anyway, you can't get up. If you don't believe me, you can try it. I guarantee that you will fall to the ground. It's not that no one is watching you, but they all have their own things to do, and you don't like them watching you. Then I'm the only one left.
But I can't help you. You know that, don't you? "
Jiaming smiled and said, "Yeah. Then what shall we play?"
The shadow said, "I don't know. Everything is fine. Everything is fun. But playing any game seems like playing with things. I suddenly feel a little sad. What if they think that of you? What will you do?"
Jiaming said, "They didn't just recognize me today. If they thought of me like that before, I wouldn't have anything to say. If they just saw me today and thought of me like that, I wouldn't have anything to say to them. Can't they just get out? At least, this house is mine. I'm playing games with myself in my own place, what's the big deal? I didn't ask them to come."
The shadow became a little happier and said with a smile, "Okay."
They played tumble rope, then backgammon, then hopscotch, and then little round, colorful marbles.
The shadow said: "I don't know when these marbles were made, but they look pretty and fun."
Jiaming said, "Yes, looking at our previous situation, it doesn't seem like we can get these marbles out, but looking at our current situation, I don't know."
The shadow said, "It's good not to know. If you knew everything, that would be bad. It would be less fun."
Jiaming said: "Not necessarily. For some things, even if you know everything, you can still be happy."
The shadow waved his hand: "I don't want to bother with them, let's continue playing."
It was getting dark, the candles were fading, and the maid knocked on the door and said, "My lord, someone is here to see you."
Jiaming said, "Come in."
The door creaked open and a familiar-looking man walked in. He seemed to be a young man, but he looked different from the last time they met. Jiaming didn't dare to recognize him when he saw him.
"Why, you don't recognize me?"
The young man walked in, looked at Jiaming and smiled.
Jiaming came back to his senses and said, "Oh, a little bit, but as soon as you opened your mouth, I recognized you. After all, we have known each other for a long time. That's good."
He smiled at the young man.
The young man found a place to sit down and smiled at him. For some reason, Jiaming felt a little cold. He tried to find a blanket to wrap himself up, but he was like a white sesame seed hidden in a rice ball, sweating and oozing oil bit by bit.
The young man smiled and said, "Don't be afraid. I'm not going to do anything to you."
Jiaming asked: "Then why did you come to me?"
The young man squinted his eyes and asked, "Can't I come to you if I don't have anything to do?"
Jiaming smiled and said, "Okay, but I think you came to see me for some reason."
The young man said, "Yes, I came to see you for something, and it's not a small matter. Do you remember what you said to me before?"
Jiaming said, "I have said too much to you. Which one do you mean? If it was the dream and food problem we mentioned last time we met, I still remember it. Has it happened?"
That time really flies.
I didn't feel like such a long time had passed since I came out.
The young man laughed and said, "It's hard to imagine that after all these years, you look the same as before. Are we the only ones who change?"
Jiaming asked, "What happened?"
The young man said, “Just as you expected, things gradually happened. First, we worked overtime to get people to plant crops, and the first year was a bumper harvest, which was very worthy of joy. We celebrated from top to bottom. Some of the grain was collected and added to the national treasury for reserve, some was sold among the people, and some farmers grew and ate their own food. In this way, the first year passed.
In the second year, everyone wanted to relax and not plant so many things. They were also worried that there were too many things and the prices would drop, making it difficult to support themselves. I asked someone to be in charge of this part of the situation and kept the prices at a normal level. Farmers continued to grow crops, and the weather was still good, so we had another bumper harvest.
By the third year, some people had begun to feel anxious. They were not anxious because they knew that a disaster would happen in the future, nor were they anxious because something had happened in their families. They felt that they were living too well, so God must be going to kill them soon. It was just like in prison, where there would always be someone giving the prisoners a beheading meal, which was always very rich.
I had people try to pacify some of the people who could be persuaded, kill some of the people who disobeyed orders, and control some of the people who were roaming around and causing instability. There are still a small number of people left who have gone into hiding and cannot be found for the time being. I thought that if we don't find them before this year is over, it would be bad if something really happens next year.
If something goes wrong next year, even if our control is not completely dispersed to this part, the amount of power that can be allocated to deal with this matter will be much less.”
He sighed and said, "It's difficult."
Jiaming said, "We have already stored food, so what else do we have to worry about?"
The young man said with a half-smile, "Although we have food, others do not. If they do not have food and know that we have food, they will either go crazy like the barbarians on the other side of the land border who come here every year to rob us, or they will cheat us, or they will beg us. If they come here to rob us, we will defend ourselves. If they come here to cheat us, we may not necessarily believe them.
If they ask us for food and we don't give them anything, they will say bad things about us. Although it's not a big deal if people say bad things about us, it will probably bring bad reputation to our country. If we give them food, some people in our area will starve to death due to lack of food. If we still have relatives and friends, they will remember it and say that we are generous to outsiders but stingy at home.
What do you think?
Jiaming said, "Let them speak if they want to. Unless they shout it out on the street with a loud speaker, we can't control them, right? Even though we are now better than before and can control them at will, it is not good to restrict people too much. No matter what it is, if they are starving, they can do anything. I know, but it's not to that extent.
Since we have stored food, we won't be starving. If others come, just give them some. If they come to rob, we will fight back. They won't be able to eat enough and will definitely not be able to beat us. If they cheat, we will kill them and be done with it, as a warning to others, so that they won't change their minds after hearing what they say and ruin their reputation, or deceive those of us who are not in their right minds to help them.
If they were to fight each other, it would not just be a clash of weapons, but a mutual slaughter, which would be even more terrifying. "
He frowned.
The young man smiled and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you. I'll ask other people for their opinions later. If they don't think there's a problem, we'll just prepare to deal with it. Anyway, I think the food should be enough, but there are a lot of rebellious rumors and panic among the people, which is annoying enough. Fortunately, I'm not the only one dealing with things."
He nodded, stood up and said, "I won't bother you anymore. It's amazing that you can wake up now. I thought you were going to fall asleep like that."
Jiaming asked: "Did I sleep for that long? I didn't even feel it, it seemed like it was over in a flash."
The young man smiled and said, "This is normal. After all, when we rest and sleep well, don't we close our eyes and feel that it is time to get up all of a sudden? What's more, you are not just resting, you are practically in a coma. Many doctors have come to see you, and you are almost becoming a difficult and complicated disease in their medical records. Fortunately, you have woken up by yourself now."
The young man patted his clothes and said, "I feel relieved now. I can also tell those people not to be nervous and anxious. I will try my best to reduce the impact on you."
Jiaming frowned and asked, "What impact? How come I don't know anything?"
The young man smiled and said, "Of course you don't know. If you knew, you wouldn't be unconscious. We did a lot of things while you were sleeping. If you want to know, go out for a walk or ask someone. If you don't want to know, I will tell you slowly when I have time. In fact, I have already told you the big things. I don't think it's urgent to tell you the small things now."
He said this and turned away.
Jiaming exclaimed and wanted to call him, but then he changed his mind and thought, he was already very busy, it was good enough that he remembered to come and take a look. If he called him again, he didn't know when he would be free, and it would be even worse if things were delayed. So forget it. Although he had something to do, hadn't those problems been solved long ago?
There is nothing to worry about, so you might as well make yourself happy and continue playing the game.
It's good enough if you don't cause trouble to others.
How is it not a good thing?
Jiaming smiled.
The shadow said, "Let's continue! Now let's play hopscotch. You choose one!"
Jiaming nodded.
The two of them played until late at night and gradually fell asleep. When they woke up the next day, they played the same way again. Every day someone delivered food to the door. Sometimes they would quietly deliver it to the table inside the house so that Jiaming could eat it when he woke up.
There is no need to worry about taking a shower, as hot water is prepared and delivered to the next room. There is only a wall between the next room and the rest room here, and there is a small door in the middle of the wall. You can go through by opening the small door, and when the small door is closed, people coming in and out of the other side will not affect this room. Even shadows cannot visit each other. It is very safe and quiet, except for dark shadows.
Jiaming doesn't like to communicate with them, and they all know it, so they will leave after putting down their things. If Jiaming wants something from them, he can call them and tell them, or write on a piece of paper and put it on the table for them to see. He can get what he wants by the next day at the latest, without any problem. It is so beautiful that it seems like his current life is completely fake.
Jiaming sighed in his heart. In the blink of an eye, winter had arrived.
Now it is the fourth year since I woke up from the dream. Famine has come. When the young people are free, they will come to see Jiaming and talk to him. They will talk about what has happened recently, such as whose family has died, whose family has a new member, who has lost something, who has made a new toy, the cruel and terrifying murderer has committed a new case, and the children have started to sing nonsense again.
If the young man gave Jiaming the impression that he would come at least once every three days in the past, now he was nowhere to be seen for five days, and nine out of ten days nobody paid any attention to him. One day, at the middle or end of the month, the young man seemed to finally remember that there were people here. He came over to take a look, said nothing, and left in a hurry. He couldn't even eat in peace.
Jiaming originally didn't think there was anything wrong with eating, but every time the young man came, he would sit for less than a quarter of an hour. If he ran into Jiaming eating, the young man seemed to think he should leave early, without even time to say a few words or even to eat a few bites of food. Jiaming blinked and watched him speak, and when he finished speaking, he left in a dusty state, and even his clothes changed from gold and silver embroidered to plain clothes.
Once, Jiaming saw that he seemed to have time, so he asked, "Why did you change into such clothes?"
The young man looked at himself and smiled, "I save money by wearing clothes like this. I think my old clothes can still be worn. If they get worn out, I can just change into new ones. You don't know, those expensive clothes are fine if I do nothing, but if I do something, the clothes will get worn out by themselves. I'd rather not wear them. It's a waste of my time and money."
Jiaming nodded: "So this is your old clothes?"
The young man smiled and said, "Yes, I used to wear this outfit for many years, even before you knew me."
Jiaming was a little surprised: "That's too long. I thought you started to think of ways to solve the problem at least after I got to know you. I didn't expect that you were so determined before you met me?"
The young man laughed and said, "It's not a big deal. Now that I'm sitting here, how can it be considered wishful thinking? If not, then it's even less of a big deal."
Jiaming nodded: "Yes."
The young man said, standing up and saying, "I have something else to do, so I won't accompany you. If you want to chat later, just find someone else."
Jiaming sneered, "I'm not that bad at telling people what to do. It's the same now as it was then. I didn't die when I didn't say anything, but now I can't live without seeing others? Don't act on your own, and don't be so self-righteous! That would be annoying."
The young man nodded: "I'm sorry, then I won't find anyone else for you."
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