stonecrandall Chapter 167 The truth is often sad
Chapter 167 The truth is often sad
The village, which was once wealthy and prosperous, is now extremely desolate. There are old and dilapidated houses all along the road, weeds growing in the farmland, and no livestock or poultry in the broken fences.
The whole village looked dilapidated, and there was not a single person in sight. There was only the whistling breeze and the silence that belonged to the mountains.
The group of five looked at the dilapidated village, and all of them felt a little lonely. Compared with the bustling Liyue Harbor, the scene here did not seem like something that could exist in the same world.
Paimeng couldn't help but murmur: "Isn't this village said to be prosperous? Why is it now..."
Yun Jin said without hesitation: "When I came here with my father as a child, there were still many people in the village, but now, I don't know what's going on."
"Because everyone in the village has moved to Liyue Harbor!" Mo Ran looked at the village, which was completely different from before, and also looked at his daughter, who had changed a lot. It turned out that the world is not static; it just takes some time.
Paimon asked in confusion, "But, can't we live here too? Just like some people in Liyue Harbor said, we can get close to the mountains and rivers and embrace nature."
Mo Ran did not comment, but asked in return: "Think carefully about the identity and background of the person who said this, or his financial income, before making a decision!"
Paimeng was speechless, as if the person saying these words was a wealthy master who had no worries about food, clothing, housing and transportation, and did not have to worry about monthly wages.
Kong spread out his palm, caught a withered yellow leaf, and let it drift away with the wind, just like the people in the village, never to return.
"They moved to Liyue Harbor, probably because they were forced to make a living, or because they made a fortune and wanted to enjoy life!" Although Kong looks young, his actual age is unknown. In short, he is not the age he looks.
He also looked at the man in black who looked not his actual age and hummed, and remained silent.
Paimeng had nothing to do, so she glanced around carelessly. She actually discovered something, and she exclaimed, "Look! Isn't there a person over there?!"
Sora patted his travel companion's head and said with a smile, "Paimon is still somewhat useful after all!"
"Of course, I am a guide from the famous Teyvat continent!"
A group of five people walked towards the hunched figure. The man's face was full of traces of time. The wrinkles were like green mountains. He had a head full of white hair and could only sigh softly.
Paimon waved his hand and called out, "Hello, old man. We, we would like to ask you for some information. Is that okay?"
The old man did not answer. He continued to look at an empty space, his eyes full of guilt, and whispered softly, "If I had come back sooner, if I had not left the village at that time, would things have been different..."
Yun Jin greeted him softly, saying, "Hello, old man. We were just strolling around and happened to pass by here. We heard about a legend in the village and wanted to ask if you have any clues."
When the old man heard the word "legend", he immediately became much more irritable and shouted, "I don't know what legend is! Go, all of you, leave the village!"
Yun Jin was stunned for a moment and didn't say anything. Paimeng and Kong looked strange, wondering what had suddenly happened to the old man. Only two people present knew the truth, one was dressed in black and the other had a head full of gray hair.
Shen He gently pulled his father, walked closer to the old man, and said softly, "Uncle Mingjun, I want to talk to you for a few words, can I?"
The old man turned his head when he was addressed by this unfamiliar name. His originally dull eyes became bright and he asked in surprise: "You, you are..."
"Shen He!" The little girl back then has now grown into a graceful young lady waiting to be married, with her black hair turning white, but the old man still seems to remember this name.
"Ahe, are you still alive? Are those rumors... true? You have been..." Mingjun's heart was trembling, and he was a little incoherent. He turned around and looked at the people who were traveling with his niece, and said, "I'm sorry, everyone. My tone just now was not good."
Paimeng waved his hand and said, "It's okay. By the way, does Shen He know this old man?"
Shen He hesitated for a moment and explained, "Uncle Mingjun is a good friend of my father... a good friend of the father who abandoned me!"
Mingjun sighed heavily, the guilt in his eyes not lessened, but even more intense. He sighed and said, "I failed to stop your father back then. If I had discovered it earlier, the ending would not be like this. Alas!"
"Ahe, I heard from the villagers a long time ago that a little girl about your age came here once. That should be you, right?"
Shen He nodded and said, "Yes, this place was not as desolate as it is now. It's just that the people and things I was familiar with were far away from me. Only some villagers were around me pointing fingers."
"At that time, I looked at the dilapidated house and was at a loss for a moment. I felt that the world was so vast that I could go anywhere, but it seemed that there was no place for me to stay!"
After saying that, Shen He looked at the empty space. There used to be a house there. She saw her mother off there and was taken away by that father. Later, she left with her current father without looking back once.
Mingjun said with emotion: "Such a long time has passed, and everything has changed. However, you don't have to worry about it anymore. Didn't you bring your friends with you this time?"
Mingjun looked at the man in black, his eyes seemed to be examining his son-in-law. His face darkened, and he said earnestly, "Young man, I think you are a good person. Remember to treat Ah He well and don't let this child suffer any grievances. She has suffered enough since she was a child!"
Because they were the only ones holding hands among the five people and they looked to be of similar age, Mingjun subconsciously thought that this was the partner chosen by Shenhe.
Although the man was not good-looking, he didn't look like a philandering person. Mingjun was concerned about his niece and was worried that she would be bullied by her husband's family since she didn't have a mother's family, so he shamelessly gave her a few instructions.
Shen He's face flushed with red as he quickly explained, "No, Uncle Mingjun! This is my master and my adopted father. It's not what you think!"
"Ah?" Mingjun's brain, which was not very smart to begin with due to his old age, became even more buzzing. He stood there in a daze, unable to speak.
Mo Ran also explained: "It's like this, I picked up Shen He outside the Demon Suppression Mountain, and then raised him until now. Our relationship is really not what you think!"
Mingjun's face flushed, and he quickly wiped the sweat off his forehead and said, "Ahem, well, I saw that you were about the same age as Ah He, so I thought... well, let's not talk about this."
Mo Ran smiled and replied: "It's okay. Although I am the one who has taken care of Shen He all his life, I will not let Shen He suffer any grievances here. Please rest assured, old man!"
Mingjun smiled, his old face was smiling brightly. He paused for a moment and said, "That's good, that's good. This way, I can rest assured."
In fact, Mingjun was only nearly fifty years old, but because of the departure of his good friend's family, the guilt in his heart increased day by day, and his hair turned white, his back became hunched, and his charm was gone.
That is why, even though there are no other families living in the village, he still stays here, to make up for the guilt in his heart and for a slim hope that the child might still be able to come back?
Now, Shen He is really back, and he has a group of friends who should all be good people. Ming Jun thought to himself, "I hope you two know that you don't have to worry too much about this child!"
Mingjun had been to Shenhe's house before, and he had helped to pack up the items in the house. He had also read the notes written by Shenhe's father, and knew that the man had sincerely repented before his death, but by the time he realized it, it was already too late.
Yun Jin remained silent. Through the clues from the conversation between the few people, she had guessed the truth almost exactly.
Yun Jin thought to herself, "So, Shen He is the goddess in the story. No wonder I always have a strange feeling when chatting with her. I should have paid attention to it earlier."
"And, according to what this old man said, Shen He did not volunteer, but was pushed in front of the monster by his own father!"
When Yun Jin thought of this, her heart trembled. She really couldn't imagine what kind of person, what kind of father, would push his own child to the monster.
"The truth is so sad. No wonder she said the goddess wasn't as brave as she was shown in the play, because she was forced to face such a dangerous scene!"
"It seems that my father's "The Goddess Splitting the View" may need some revisions..."
Naturally, no one present knew what Yun Jin was thinking.
Mingjun paused, as if he had made a major decision. He asked, "Ahe, do you still hate him now?"
The "he" Mingjun was referring to was Shenhe's biological father.
Shen He opened his mouth, but didn't know how to answer. He hesitated for a moment, tightly grasped the warm hand of the man in black, and said calmly: "For his mother, he can abandon me regardless of everything!"
"I was originally a lonely and calamity-ridden person, but fortunately my father saved me, allowing me to truly live and experience the fatherly love that other children in the village had at that time."
"But now, when I think of the past again, rather than saying whether I hate him or not, I would rather say that person no longer stirs up many waves in my heart."
"Really?" Mingjun glanced at the dilapidated village, then at his niece, and took out the notebook. He said, "This is yours... This is something he left behind. I think it would be more appropriate to give it to you."
After Shen He took it, he held it casually without even looking at it.
Mingjun exchanged a few more pleasantries and then took his leave. Now that he knew his niece was still alive and living a good life, he felt a little more at ease and could leave this place.