Zhenniang: The Three of Us (Chapter 35)
Zhao Zhenniang sped along, and seeing the boat's shadow in the center of the lake, she immediately waved to them!
Upon seeing her, Zhang Ying and Wang Shanjiao immediately stopped the boat and docked to welcome her aboard.
This lake is the place they know best. Once they enter the water, they are free to roam and have no more obstacles!
Like an arrow released from a bow, the boat slid across the water, leaving behind this place they once knew so well.
Upon receiving Zhao Zhenniang, Wang Shanjiao was overjoyed: "At first, I couldn't believe it. I thought it was an enemy trap, but it turned out to be real!"
Zhang Ying was initially very worried, but now the weight has finally been lifted off her shoulders, and she is no longer herself.
He proudly declared, "Of course! The three of us are best friends! I knew it!"
Wang Shanjiao clicked her tongue in praise: "She's a really good friend. It's just a shame she couldn't think straight and went to that side."
At this point, both of them fell silent for a moment, then turned to look in the direction of Ping'an City.
I'm going into exile again, and I don't know when I'll be back.
They were driven out by the Japanese before, but they were determined to take it back.
Regardless of victory or defeat, the former best friends will not be able to reunite this time.
The group was forced to retreat, but this time they didn't have to travel a long distance, and it didn't take too long to recapture Heian City.
The balance of power has been shifting imperceptibly, and the ownership of this land ultimately depends on the will of its people.
When Zhao Zhenniang returned to Ping'an City, she had a premonition that she would never leave again this time.
When news of the liberation of the whole country arrived, Ping'an City erupted in cheers, decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, celebrating the victory together.
Zhao Zhenniang and Zhang Ying helped Granny Wang out. The old lady was in remarkable health; she had been running around with Zhao Zhenniang for so long, yet she was still fine and agile, even though she had almost lost all her teeth.
Zhao Zhenniang went to buy her some Western-style pastries. The old woman had no teeth, so it was perfect for her to eat something soft. Few people could resist the sweetness of cakes and creams, and Granny Wang loved them dearly.
Now that they've won, of course they should celebrate with a big feast. Zhao Zhenniang bought a box of Western-style pastries and ate them on the street. The three of them each shared a piece, and when a celebratory procession passed by, they enthusiastically offered them a piece as well.
The celebrating crowd looked over and saw that they were celebrating, so why were they eating?
Seeing others eating it made them crave it, so they flocked to the Zai Lai Pastry Shop to buy their first cake after liberation.
It's quite a sight to see people celebrating while eating cakes in the street.
Zhang Ying looked at Zhao Zhenniang speechlessly. "You're something else, always trying to market yourself!"
Zhao Zhenniang chuckled, bought another box of pastries, and shared the sweet taste with everyone who passed by, eating and spreading the goodness.
With the world at peace, the most important thing is to make money!
Even in such a joyous occasion, Zhao Zhenniang did not forget her third aunt and second sister.
She owes her success to her three aunts and two older sisters for their constant support and guidance.
Pick an auspicious day, take a clean bath, change into clean clothes, and prepare a table full of delicious food and drinks, including both Chinese and Western dishes, and respectfully invite your aunts and sisters.
At this time, I don't know what the second sister is doing, but the third aunt is definitely online.
Zhao Zhenniang sat there waiting for a long time, but no one came, so she couldn't help but be a little stunned: "Third Aunt? Second Sister?"
The house was empty, and she was all alone. Her godmother was old and retired, enjoying her retirement and no longer doing the work of a sorceress.
Zhao Zhenniang didn't believe it and called out again.
Everything before my eyes was still very clear, and there was no inexplicable memory interruption.
Zhao Zhenniang stood there stunned for a long time, unable to react.
After an unknown amount of time, she finally realized, "They're gone..."
My aunt said a long time ago that her mission was complete and she could leave.
But then a lot of things happened, and I couldn't leave on and off.
Zhao Zhenniang thought they would always be like before, going back when there was nothing to do and coming when there was something to do. She never expected that one day they would stop coming altogether.
I don't feel anything when it comes, but when it doesn't come, I feel a little empty inside.
Pick up your chopsticks; the table is full of delicious food, but someone still needs to eat it.
I used to be very worried that my aunt would steal my food, but now I don't have to worry about it at all.
It's good that they're gone, it's good that they're gone.
My third aunt and second sister have done so many good deeds; they must have achieved perfect merit and ascended to immortality.
They've already gone to the celestial realm to live a good life, so don't worry about them.
Although she is just an ordinary person, she can walk her own path well.
...
Zhao Zhenniang ate her farewell meal alone, while her third aunt and second sister remained silent behind her.
Why are you going anywhere? You can't go any further.
The world hasn't ended, so everything must continue.
They kept watching Zhao Zhenniang from behind.
But after the founding of the People's Republic of China, they can no longer become spirits.
...
The year 2000 AD.
Time has moved forward a century, no longer the 20th century, but the 21st century, which also coincides with the Christian millennium.
Legend has it that Satan will be imprisoned for a thousand years, and humans will build cities on earth.
The person who said that back then probably just casually mentioned a year that an ordinary person wouldn't live to see, but now it's happened twice in a thousand years.
Many people celebrated the turn of the century, and Zhao Family Village also held a lively celebration for the great-grandmother's 99th birthday, which was a truly historic birthday!
The world changes rapidly; in just a few decades, both the domestic and international situations have changed a lot.
Many collective economies have undergone reforms, but Zhao Family Village and the ten villages in Lianhe have remained unchanged. They still operate as before, with collective industry development, collective profit sharing, unified childcare, and unified elderly care.
Zhao Family Village had rich experience in collective management before the founding of the People's Republic of China, and it continued to do so successfully after the founding of the PRC.
The soul of Zhao Family Village, the great-grandmother of the Zhao family, is a person who is hard to describe.
Her life spanned nearly a century, from the warlord era to the present day, and her many illustrious achievements are displayed on a wall in the memorial hall.
The current economic prosperity of this area is inseparable from her strong leadership in the past.
Now that she is celebrating her 99th birthday, people from both the village and outside the village come to offer their congratulations and visit this living fossil, "Grandma Zhao".
Zhao Zhenniang lived as long as her godmother. Although she had to wear reading glasses and use hearing aids, she was still agile.
With everyone's help, he went out cheerfully: "What do you want to eat?"
Seeing her so energetic, the crowd burst into laughter: "Don't worry, Grandma, it's all your favorite food!"
Hearing this, Zhao Zhenniang finally smiled. "It's good to eat delicious food. Don't forget to offer sacrifices to your aunts and sisters first when you have something good to eat!"
Everyone smiled and agreed, then drove to the former site of Zhao Family Fort.
The original Zhao Family Fortress was so well-built that it was not damaged during the war and was preserved.
However, the circular city where people gathered was built to deal with bandits and thieves during special periods. It was no longer useful during peacetime, as it was uncomfortable for everyone to be crammed into a small city.
Everyone moved out and found a more livable place to build houses.
The round city was abandoned as a residential building and, like the Song family mansion, was converted into a tourist attraction and photography site. Later, Zhao Family Village also built a grand hotel with a Republican-era style here.
With its distinctive fortresses, old landlord residences, vast lakes, and historical sites from the War of Resistance Against Japan, it quickly became a popular filming location for war dramas.
As a native of Zhao Village, Zhao Zhenniang naturally often films IPs. People from Zhao Village film them, and outsiders also film them, so they can be considered public material.
But one day, for some unknown reason, a director decided he didn't want to make model operas anymore and wanted to explore the deeper inner world of "Aunt Zhao" as a woman, so he made an exceptionally moving and heart-wrenching love story.
To make the female hero no longer just a hero, but a living, breathing person.
Zhao Zhenniang: Hmm?
What nonsense are you spouting?! I'm not dead yet!
The TV series was taken down after being reported as soon as it was released. Actually, the TV series had quite high ratings, but the main character was still alive.
Zhao Zhenniang never expected that she, in her seventies or eighties, would encounter such a calamity, and was so angry that she withdrew her right to take photos at will.
If she were to see a storyline where she remained unmarried and childless her entire life to preserve her chastity for that scoundrel, she would have Jiang Hong take a gun and kill the director!
Jiang Hong is Wang Shanjiao's real name.
Actually, the village itself doesn't film Zhao Zhenniang's romantic relationships.
In the village, women are the heads of households. Having witnessed Zhao's life firsthand, and having worked hard herself, it's hard to associate a woman's success with a man.
Grandma's life was so rich, there are so many stories to tell.
There were many templates before this, and you couldn't go wrong if you just followed them. Who would have thought that the director's perspective would be so tricky!
The entertainment company in Zhao Village has taken this seriously and is strictly reviewing submissions to prevent them from being written carelessly!
The time period is not long, there are historical records, the people involved are still alive, and it is possible to take real photos.
But there's one thing that can't be confirmed: Zhao Zhenniang firmly believes that her third aunt and second sister really exist.
Those who believe in materialism cannot, of course, promote the idea of ghosts and gods. The person in charge of cultural and entertainment affairs in Zhao Village was in a dilemma. Later, he had a flash of inspiration and came up with an explanation.
There are indeed no ghosts or gods in the world, but the people at that time were very ignorant and believed in gods instead of people.
The young great-grandmother saw that her godmother had managed to amass a large gold bracelet through her charlatanry, and a brilliant idea struck her.
She also wanted to use superstition and magic to unite her neighbors and lead them onto the right path!
This design not only reflects the wit of young Zhao Zhenniang, but also does not violate objective facts, so it is very reasonable.
The writers couldn't help but wonder if the truth at the time was actually like that.
Everyone accepted this explanation, but Zhao Zhenniang reacted strongly: No! It's true that there are her third aunt and second sister!
Everything she knows was taught to her by her third aunt and second sister; otherwise, why would she know how to make alkali? Why would she know how to do business? Why would she know so many things she shouldn't know?
Everyone: ...
In that sense, the old lady did indeed possess many things that defied common sense in the early stages.
Many things are inexplicable. The older generation in Zhao Village also firmly believed in the Third Aunt and the Second Sister, but they would not talk about it when they should. In secret, every household worshipped the Third Aunt and the Second Sister.
The younger generation of the Zhao family didn't believe it as much; they felt there must be a reason behind it!
While researching, one day a junior suddenly unlocked a new concept: Could the old lady's symptoms be the legendary multiple personality disorder?
Because of the painful experiences of his youth, he developed two different personalities to protect himself.
She is decisive and ruthless, and she fights back for others when they bully her.
Her intelligence and resourcefulness enabled her to create wealth from nothing.
The human brain is actually very powerful, and when functioning normally, it can accomplish many near-miraculous things.
Normal people can handle everything with just one brain, so they don't feel any disconnect.
People with dissociative identity disorder are unable to cope with strong stimuli, and when they encounter stimuli, a new personality will split out.
Her third aunt and second sister are none other than her two split personalities, which is why she firmly believes that those two people really exist.
The three personalities couldn't meet, and since the great-grandmother was illiterate at the time, they had to rely on her godmother to communicate.
The analysis actually makes a lot of sense, but I still got a beating from my own mother. How dare you say your great-grandmother has a mental illness!
Therefore, this explanation was not feasible, and in the end, a compromise was reached, which involved resorting to a superstitious explanation.
There are advantages, though. People suspect that Grandma has a split personality, but they don't suspect that a certain man helped her.
Therefore, for those who are passive, easily lose their own hard-earned achievements, and have an addiction to their master, splitting their personality to protect themselves is indeed a very promising path.
Not only can you experience the feeling of being owned, but you also keep the benefits within the family.
In any case, the actual owner will probably only play a spiritual role and won't lose anything.
Everyone drove together to the grand hotel.
Zhao Family Fort has been abandoned for residential use. In peacetime, people prefer to live in places that feel a bit distant from each other.
Each household has a detached villa with its own yard, and they are all neatly arranged, which is particularly impressive in this era.
A group of people surrounded Zhao Zhenniang and talked to her. Zhao Zhenniang could hardly hear what they were saying, but she was still happy to see so many people.
As the birthday banquet was about to begin, Zhao Xinchun, the newly appointed manager of the Zhao Family Village collective economy, bent down and whispered in Zhao Zhenniang's ear: "Grandma, I have a special gift for you."
Zhao Zhenniang tried hard to get information out of her, and was a little curious about what kind of special gift it was, when the door opened.
Two people, one older and one younger, walked in through the door. Upon seeing the slightly older woman, Zhao Zhenniang slowly stood up.
Miss Lan...?
...
Of course not, the person who came was Lan Shuyan's daughter.
When Lan Yueting was young, he still had some of his own personality, but as he got older, he started to look more and more like his mother.
I never imagined that I would be able to meet the descendants of an old friend again in my lifetime.
Zhao Zhenniang forgot everything else and only knew to grab the person's hand and ask about Lan Shuyan's recent situation.
Clearly, the person is no longer alive.
It wasn't that anything went wrong; it's just that Zhao Zhenniang lived too long and outlived everyone else.
Lan Shuyan died peacefully at the age of eighty-three, not outliving Zhao Zhenniang, but still a little better than Zhang Ying.
It's actually quite rare to find someone as resilient as Zhao Zhenniang.
Zhao Zhenniang: ...
Lan Shuyan's daughter was telling Zhao Zhenniang about her mother's later life.
After retiring, Lan Shuyan did not continue in politics. Instead, she recalled a thought that had occasionally crossed her mind: if she were to become a director, she would prevent the market from being filled with war films.
He then pulled together some old friends and started a business in the entertainment industry, making strange and unusual films, which unexpectedly became very popular.
After his mother passed away, Lan Yueting took over her entertainment company and discovered her autobiography among her belongings.
My mother is a very modern person. She never looks back on the past. If someone brings it up, she rolls her eyes. She thinks it's all in the past, so what's the point of bringing it up?
This notebook, however, is filled with her innermost thoughts.
As Lan Yueting turned the pages of that thick autobiography, he realized that his mother's memories contained such a past—a past filled with joy, pain, ease, heaviness, and unspeakable emotions.
A century of dust has weighed on them. She doesn't recognize the people inside, yet they seem so close, just like her mother's youth.
The unspeakable secrets involved gradually ceased to be taboo, and Lan Yueting felt that everything could be brought to the surface.
Her entertainment company has always made some unconventional films, but now they actually want to make some serious films about the past.
...
Zhao Zhenniang was very happy.
In order not to cause trouble for Lan Shuyan, she kept many things to herself, but now she can finally tell her everything.
Whether it was Zhang Ying, Shu Yan, or even her third aunt and second sister, she told her again and again that it really existed!
Lan Yueting took notes carefully, noting down every single one.
They talked for several days in a row, and there were always endless topics to discuss each day.
She was so emotional that the caregiver advised her to calm down and speak slowly.
With his mother's notes as a reference, Lan Yueting had a pretty good grasp of everything, and suggested that they watch the TV series they had filmed.
The director's previous antics had made Zhao Zhenniang lose interest in watching TV, but now she cheerfully said, "Okay!"
But the stuff Lan Yueting's company made was even harder to understand. Zhao Zhenniang wiped the mirror and looked at the TV: "What is this? It's ancient times and modern times, what is it about?"
Lan Yueting couldn't help but laugh, feeling that it was a bit too much to show the old lady this kind of drama, and explained, "Grandma, this is a time-travel drama."
Zhao Zhenniang was completely confused, so Lan Yueting continued to explain to her, "It's a new popular theme that tells the story of modern people who, for some reason, reverse time and return to ancient times. Isn't that a bit far-fetched?"
Zhao Zhenniang suddenly realized what it meant; young people really do have ideas.
Smiling, she joined the young people in watching the excitement, but as she watched, Zhao Zhenniang's smile suddenly vanished, and she slowly sat up straight—
Traveling back in time? Traveling back in time?
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