Wu Chun collapsed into Xu Shiyao’s arms and cried his heart out. All the emotions he had been suppressing all day exploded at that moment.
“I don’t have my grandfather anymore.”
Wu Chun repeated this sentence over and over again. His prolonged crying caused his body to shake uncontrollably. During the day, he was like a puppet whose soul had been taken away, mechanically following the instructions of the elders. He meticulously wiped his grandfather’s body clean and then dressed him in fresh clothes.
Throughout the whole process, Wu Chun was numb, as if a string of code was running in his head, making him go through a series of uncontrollable “what ifs.
If I had told Grandpa earlier, this tragedy wouldn’t have happened.
If the village streets had been easier to walk on, the tragedy wouldn’t have happened either.
Grandfather is gone…
It seems like when something we can’t accept happens, our minds start imagining all sorts of things uncontrollably, as if that could numb the pain we can’t bear.
But numbing is only temporary. Since Wu Chun’s parents wouldn’t arrive until tomorrow, his grandfather was lying on the bed where he usually slept, as if he were simply taking a nap.
“Wu Chun.”
Xu Shi yao hugged him tightly. The moment he came out, he could feel the unusual presence of yin energy in the village.
The yin energy wasn’t very strong, but there was a persistent sense of grievance.
Xu Shi Yao deduced that it must be an old man who had died unexpectedly.
What Xu Shi Yao hadn’t expected was that the old man, who at first didn’t stir much emotion in him, turned out to be Wu Chun’s grandfather.
Xu Shi Yao had been waiting at Shili Mountain for a long time.
Until he heard Wu Chun’s faint sobs transmitted through the pinecone.
A warning bell went off in Xu Shi Yao’s mind, and without thinking, he rushed over.
But what could he do once he got there? Aside from holding Wu Chun tightly, Xu Shi Yao realized there was nothing else he could do.
Right now, Xu Shi Yao wasn’t in the mood to care about what led to this. The person in his arms was crying uncontrollably, and comforting him didn’t seem to help at this moment.
What should he do?
How could he ease Wu Chun’s pain?
Xu Shi Yao looked at Wu Chun’s grandfather lying in the distance, then slowly closed his eyes. An idea started to form in his mind in this environment.
“Wu Chun,” Xu Shi Yao said softly, “Do you want to see your grandfather?”
As expected, this question caused a slight reaction from the person in his arms. Xu Shi Yao watched as Wu Chun lifted his head from his embrace, his eyes swollen and red from crying, his eyelashes soaked with tears.
“Can I see him?” Wu Chun asked through his sobs.
“You can see me, can’t you?” Xu Shi Yao gently comforted him. “Your grandfather has come to my world now. Since you can see me, maybe you can see him too?”
As soon as Xu Shi Yao finished speaking, Wu Chun began to search the room, desperately wanting to see every corner. But still, he couldn’t see his grandfather.
Xu Shi Yao had told him before that when a person dies, even though their soul leaves the body and lacks consciousness, the first thing they do is return home.
They return because of their attachments.
So why couldn’t Wu Chun find his grandfather in the house?
“Xu Shi Yao.” Wu Chun’s voice grew urgent again. “Can you see my grandfather? I can’t see him. Didn’t you say that the first thing a person does after leaving is return home? Why can’t I see him?”
Wu Chun started crying again, but this time the sobs were smaller, broken up.
Yet this kind of crying was even more heart-wrenching. Xu Shi Yao had never experienced the human sensation of being pricked in the heart, but at this moment, he seemed to understand it.
Wu Chun’s sobs were like needles, slowly and steadily piercing his heart.
Even though he no longer had a human heart, he still felt it.
“I can’t see him either.”
Xu Shi Yao took a closer look around the room.
It was surprising; though the grandfather lay on the bed, the yin energy in the room was light.
“It seems he’s not here,” Xu Shi Yao said quietly.
“Then where is he?” Wu Chun asked anxiously.
Xu Shi Yao slowly closed his eyes, trying to trace the stronger yin energy to find where the grandfather was. But the surrounding yin energy was too weak.
It seemed that the grandfather was in a place far from here.
“How can this be…” Xu Shi Yao muttered in confusion.
Over the years, Xu Shi Yao had seen many people pass away. They didn’t have an independent consciousness like him, but without exception, the first thing they did after their soul left their body was return home.
Home is everyone’s attachment.
Xu Shi Yao thought that everyone would do this.
But the current situation before him told him otherwise.
“Where did the accident happen?” Xu Shi Yao asked Wu Chun urgently.
Wu Chun was momentarily stunned, but after seeing Xu Shi Yao’s expression, he began to understand.
“I’ll take you there.”
As Wu Chun spoke, he prepared to walk out.
But as soon as he lifted his foot, his strength seemed to drain from his entire body, his legs weakened, and his body began to collapse.
Fortunately, Xu Shiyao reacted quickly, catching him in his arms.
Xu Shi Yao lifted him up, planting a soothing kiss on Wu Chun’s forehead.
“Just tell me where to go. I’ll take you.”
It wasn’t quite midnight yet.
But Wu Chun didn’t care anymore; he wasn’t thinking about whether they’d run into anyone along the way. He gave Xu Shi Yao a rough direction and then buried his face in Xu Shi Yao’s chest, letting him carry him through the village.
Perhaps because of Xu Shi Yao’s presence, they soon arrived at the scene of the accident.
Wu Chun avoided looking at the place, as if just one glance would bring back the image of his grandfather’s blood-covered face in his mind. The emotions he had just suppressed began to rise again.
It turns out that not crying isn’t easy.
Wu Chun clung to Xu Shi Yao’s shoulder, afraid to look behind him, but also wanting to.
“Turn around this corner and keep going.”
Before Wu Chun could fully react, Xu Shi Yao picked him up again.
The place where Xu Shi Yao brought him was today’s construction site.
Tools were scattered everywhere, a small cart had toppled over, bricks were piled haphazardly, and most of the freshly poured cement had already dried.
Anyone could see that this place had just gone through chaos.
“So that’s what happened,” Xu Shi Yao muttered softly.
Even though Wu Chun still saw an empty scene, based on Xu Shiyao’s reaction, he could deduce that—his grandfather was here.
“What was Grandpa doing here?”
Wu Chun asked, suppressing his emotions, his hands slowly clenching, not wanting to miss any details in the darkness.
Even though he couldn’t see anything.
Xu Shi Yao didn’t answer immediately. After a moment of silence, he sighed softly and said, “He was moving bricks.”
