Chapter 023: Me and My Unfair Father and Brother (Twenty-three)
"Congratulations, reviewer, for completing the first phase of your review. You may choose to begin the second phase, or leave this world for a short break."
Chen Yunli paused and calmly wrapped the bandage around Chen Wenjian's last finger.
His hands were beautiful, with long and distinct finger bones, as white as jade. Even without flesh and blood, they did not look hideous, but instead had a unique sense of art.
Chen Wenjian leaned against the head of the bed, looking a little listless, staring at Chen Yunli without blinking, as if he wanted to embed him deeply into his heart through his gaze.
Killing the Sealing Sword Tower Master was a tricky move, requiring minimal effort on his part. However, the injuries sustained before the furnace opened, and the energy expended in mending the Wuwen Sword afterward, were significant. The former caused him to lose excessive blood, from which he has yet to recover, while the latter damaged his very being, the most insignificant manifestation of which was his struggling right hand.
In this way, killing the master of the Sealing Sword Tower became a secondary goal.
Fortunately, everyone was happy in the end.
Chen Yunli tied the end of the bandage into a bow on the back of his hand to secure it. In order not to affect the growth of his skin and flesh, the bandage was wrapped very loosely, and the slightest movement would expose the finger bones underneath.
He checked Chen Wenjian's other wounds and felt relieved to see that they were recovering well.
"Why are you staring at me?" Chen Yunli walked over to the table, poured water, and guzzled three large cups. "I see you're so sleepy you can barely keep your eyes open. Go to sleep."
Chen Wenjian was indeed very sleepy. His eyelids felt as heavy as if they were filled with three thousand pounds of lead. He would probably fall asleep as soon as he closed his eyes.
But there was always a thought in his confused mind: if he fell asleep now, he would not be able to see the person he wanted to see when he woke up.
The person he wanted to see was Chen Yunli.
"I'm not sleepy. If you're tired," Chen Wenjian moved to the side of the bed, freeing up half of the space, "you can come up and rest."
Chen Yunli put down the water cup, turned around and sat on the edge of the bed. The two were close to each other, and the bright light from the sky was enough to illuminate the dark currents flowing in their eyes.
"System, will the timeline of the second phase continue from the first?"
"No. The second phase will return to the original world line. Everything that happened in the first phase will be compressed into memories and instilled into relevant important characters in the form of dreams, including Chen Wenjian, Ning Bufan, and Ming Shaotu."
"Send me out of this world in five minutes."
"Okay, auditor."
"What are you thinking about?" Chen Wenjian suddenly leaned closer, his black eyes were deep and quiet, casting tiny lights, which made Chen Yunli think of the ripples of the clear spring in the mountains refracted by the sunlight.
He was the most flesh-and-blood paper man Chen Yunli had ever seen.
"I'm thinking about what to eat tonight." Chen Yunli pushed him to lie down, pulled the quilt at the end of the bed, shook it open, and covered him with it. "Your hands are not convenient, so I'll cook tonight. How about fried rice?"
Chen Wenjian lay down flat, with his hands placed neatly on his chest. Hearing this, he tilted his head to look at him.
Chen Yunli leaned his elbows against the pillow, his brows lowered, his eyes closed. A strand of his long hair fell from his shoulders, glossy black like running water. The sun shone from behind him, but he blocked most of it. The light shone along his figure, casting a fuzzy edge of molten gold along his figure, soft and fluffy, and a little cute.
His posture and appearance allowed Chen Wenjian to dig out some fragments of past memories from his lazy and tired brain.
How old was he then? About ten, still wandering the streets, when he happened to get a job as a handyman in a bookstore. It just so happened that a popular storybook was on sale, so he went to the warehouse to move books.
The protagonist of the storybook is the legendary mermaid, and I don't know which artist painted the insert for him. The mermaid in the painting is also like this, with long hair loose and sitting on a reef by the sea. The moonlight casts a lazy and casual look on him from behind. Even if you can't see his face clearly, you can still tell that he must be very beautiful...
As he was thinking, Chen Wenjian fell asleep unknowingly. Before falling asleep, he reached out and rolled up a strand of Chen Yunli's hair between his fingertips. It was unclear whether he was curious about the feel of the soft and shiny hair, or wanted to use it as a warning "device".
"When I wake up...will I still be able to see you?"
“…Have a sweet dream.”
…
"We have left the report's exclusive virtual world. Please ask the auditor to start the second phase within 24 hours."
After the system dutifully gave the reminder, it fell silent.
Chen Yunli opened his eyes and found himself still sitting in front of the computer. There were two more labels behind the title of the first report awaiting review in his mailbox, one was "Completed the first stage" and the other was "Click to start the second stage".
He looked at the time again. Nearly three months in the virtual world was only three minutes in reality.
Chen Yunli sat there for a moment, reached out and grabbed the mouse, pondered for a long time before remembering how to use this high-tech product. He minimized the mailbox and clicked on the work interface.
He has lived in the virtual world for too long, and has encountered so many things so frequently that it is normal that he cannot react for a while.
After finally working at his workstation until the end of the day, Chen Yunli consciously recalled the experience he had gained in living in modern society over the past twenty years, turned off the lights, locked the door and left.
Turning around and going down the stairs, I saw tall buildings standing in front of me. The lights of thousands of houses were twinkling above my head, overshadowing the starry sky.
The wide streets were covered with the afterglow of the setting sun, people were jostling each other, and the traffic lights were filled with office workers' cars and buses, it was crowded and busy.
Chen Yunli followed the crowd in a trance when he suddenly heard a burst of rapid horns. Then someone grabbed his arm and pulled him back, and an electric bike slid past him.
"Are you okay, young man?" the woman carrying the vegetable basket asked with concern. "It's rush hour now, and there are a lot of cars and people on the road. You have to watch where you're going."
Chen Yunli smiled and said, "Thank you, Auntie."
The old lady waved her hand, and when she saw the green light on the sidewalk come on, she quickly walked to the other side.
Chen Yunli was originally going to take the opposite road as his home was on the road, but after changing his mind, he turned into the next intersection.
This is a food street with mobile stalls on both sides of the road, selling all kinds of snacks. We don’t ask for authentic taste, but only for delicious food and large portions to fill us up.
Behind the snack stalls are various shops and supermarkets. The lights are on before it gets dark. It happens that there are not many people here, and the sales clerks have taken their shifts out to eat. Although it doesn't create the kind of grand scene with huge crowds at night, it is still lively and full of the atmosphere of life.
Chen Yunli doesn't often visit the snack street; he's a lazy person, more accustomed to ordering takeout. But he has a friend who loves exploring the city's culinary scene. He knows the local food stalls like the back of his hand. He knows which skewers have Xinjiang flavor, which ones are well-cooked, which hand-pulled pancakes are generously topped with toppings, and which ones are light on ingredients but still delicious. He's always keen to share his experiences on WeChat Moments.
Which stall in the snack street did his friend recommend as having delicious fried rice?
"Ah, I found it."
Chen Yunli found a stall called "Sujia Stir-fry" near the end of the street. The owner was a girl in her twenties with big eyes, a round face, and a bright smile. His friend came there just to chat with the girl, but he didn't expect to end up being impressed by her cooking skills.
"Hello, I want two...one serving of fried rice."
The girl nodded and pointed above her head with her spatula, motioning him to look at the menu.
Chen Yunli took a quick look and began to announce the dishes: "Add beef, crayfish, ham, greens, bacon, pork intestines, carrots, fried eggs, and an extra serving of sweet corn kernels. That's it."
The girl looked at him with amusement: "Is that all? If you want to eat here, I'll have to serve you a bowl."
Chen Yunli scratched his head embarrassedly: "Pack it up and I'll take it back to eat. If I can't finish it, I can heat it up for breakfast tomorrow."
"OK."
He was the only customer now, so the girl rolled up her sleeves, heated the oil in a pan, and put the rice and various ingredients in one by one and stir-fried them. Soon, a rich and mouth-watering aroma wafted around the stall.
Chen Yunli was not hungry originally, but the aroma immediately aroused the appetite in his stomach, and he felt hungry instantly.
To distract himself, he pulled out his phone and checked his social media feed. He happened to see a new video from the friend who recommended this fried rice restaurant, featuring mushroom hotpot. He casually asked, "Boss, have you ever tried mushrooms? I heard they're so delicious you'll get poisoned the first time you try them, and you'll want to come back for more."
The girl was sweating profusely while cooking fried rice and blurted out, "Guy, you really can't have more rice!"
Chen Yunli: “?”
girl:"……"
"Hahaha." She used a dry laugh to hide her embarrassment. "As for mushrooms, I've heard of them, but they're a local specialty. We don't seem to have them here. If we do, they're not authentic and are expensive. I've never tried them."
"I haven't eaten it either, but I want to try it." Chen Yunli didn't take her slip of the tongue seriously and held up his phone to show her, "My friend recommended a mushroom hotpot restaurant. It looks good."
The girl peeked in and said, "Yeah, it's true. I'll try it when I have time. If it tastes really good, I'll try adding some to my fried rice menu."
Chen Yunli blinked.
She coughed lightly and said, "But you really can't add more to this portion. Next time if you want to add mushrooms, be sure to remove one of the other items."
"All right."
Ten minutes later, Chen Yunli set out on his way home carrying a heavy bag of fried rice.
Chen Yunli lives in an alley. The urbanization process seems to have bypassed this area. The roads are bluestone roads, and the houses are old houses with black tiles and white walls. Flowers and plants are planted in the yards in front of every household, and some even raise chickens. Except for the occasional person riding an electric bike passing by, it is like a paradise in the bustling city.
His parents were members of the provincial archaeological team and had gone on a business trip half a month ago. He was the only living creature at home, oh, and the water lilies and carp in the water tank in the yard.
The first thing Chen Yunli did when he got home was to feed the fish, pick two fresh flower petals to make tea, and then open the fried rice that took up three fast food boxes and start eating dinner.
Without the sounds of my mother typing on the keyboard and my father flipping through books and making annotations, the house always feels too quiet and lifeless.
Chen Yunli thought about it, sat down on the sofa with a box of fried rice, turned on the TV, and randomly selected a family ethics drama to play.
Soon, the whole house was filled with the sounds of chickens and dogs running around and screaming, and it became much more lively.
Hey, this is what life is like. Keep tearing, tear louder, and don’t stop.
Chen Yunli watched TV with a smile on his face, but after a while, the smile slowly faded from his face.
An unprecedented loneliness filled his heart, spreading to his internal organs and limbs, stagnating in his heartbeat and blood, unable to be dispelled.
He suddenly thought of what his mother said to him when he first learned about archaeology.
"Mom and Dad aren't outstanding archaeology experts or professors. Archaeology is just a job for us to make a living, not a passion. If we have to say what kind of feelings we have for those ancient monuments and artifacts, it's pity."
"They've been sealed underground, trapped in dark tombs for centuries, millennia, facing their long-dead masters every day, with insects and ants as their companions. It's truly lonely. We brought them out of the tombs, swept away the dust and dirt, and placed them in museums as historical witnesses, where they can be watched, observed, studied, and appreciated by countless people. It's like giving them a second life. I can't say it's rescue, but... it's quite fulfilling."
Chen Yunli actually couldn't quite understand this mentality, until now, but he could empathize with the fate of those ancient objects buried in the earth.
So lonely.
Chen Yunli finally understood why so many people were desperately pursuing novelty and an exciting life, traveling, bungee jumping, and extreme sports.
Because a stable life is monotonous, and if it lasts too long, it will become stagnant. The slightest change will bring new and exciting feelings.
Once you get used to this feeling, you will never want to go back to your old, monotonous lifestyle.
That's how he is now.
Chen Yunli glanced at the clock—six o'clock. There were still fourteen and a half hours until tomorrow's workday.
"Tsk, why do I want to go to work so much?" He grabbed the pillow to cover his face and collapsed on the sofa.
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