Chapter 39 Part 1
Wu Su rushed over, shoving the plate into Shi Xuan’s hands, and looked at Wu Heng on the windowsill with distress, his words directed at Shi Xuan, “Young Master, stay away from my son!”
Having been with the Shi family for so many years, he wasn’t oblivious to the strange occurrences surrounding this young master.
Wu Su was now certain that his son’s soul had traveled three thousand kilometers from their hometown to Beijing because of Shi Xuan’s influence!
Shi Xuan: “…”
Shi Xuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he took a step back, holding the plate of snacks, keeping his distance.
Wu Heng couldn’t explain to his father how he got here. Remembering his father’s assumption that he was a wandering soul, he had an idea.
He stared blankly ahead, his eyes unfocused, like many newly deceased spirits.
“He really lost his soul! This damned Shi family is a cursed place.”
Shi Xuan remained silent: “…”
Wu Su quickly helped Wu Heng down from the windowsill, seeing his son staring blankly ahead, seemingly unaware of his surroundings.
Wu Su was touched. Although it must be due to the influence of this cursed Shi residence, it also meant that Xiao Heng missed his father deeply, there was still a connection!
Wu Heng, imitating a wandering soul, gradually focused his eyes and tilted his head slightly. “Dad?”
Shi Xuan smiled faintly. His act was quite convincing, even endearing.
Wu Su wiped his tears, “Xiao Heng, the young master just said he would let your dad resign. We’ll be reunited soon back home.”
“Although the old man of this Shi family isn’t a good person, the young master is quite decent. He doesn’t talk much, but he keeps his word.”
Shi Xuan gripped the plate tightly: “…”
Keeps his word… Steward Wu had too good an impression of him.
Wu Su hadn’t been back to his hometown in almost three years, rarely even contacting them online. Now, seeing Wu Heng, even if it was just his son’s soul, he had so much to say.
“Xiao Heng, you’re a soul now… quickly help Dad with his phone,” Wu Su said, taking out a black phone from his pocket and handing it to Wu Heng.
Middle-aged people weren’t as tech-savvy as youngsters, and Wu Su was no exception. He didn’t understand many things.
Wu Heng looked at the apps on the phone screen, the background completely black, the app icons either bright red or deathly white, clearly not normal.
Wu Su opened a game. “Xiao Heng, this is the underworld version of Happy Crush, quickly help Dad clear level 3912, I’m stuck.”
Wu Su remembered that Xiao Heng enjoyed playing this game, he was an expert, loving the sound of breaking ice.
Wu Heng stared at the level, the usually cute frogs, foxes, and chicks replaced with portraits of the deceased, men, women, old, and young.
“I can’t clear it, and if I lose, my portrait will be added.”
Wu Su was wary of using his phone. The Shi residence was a strange place, his phone seemed to be affected, all the apps he downloaded had an eerie, underworld theme: sharing portraits of the deceased on Little Red Book, discussing causes of death on Weibo, complaining about the poor water quality of the Naihe Bridge on the underworld’s official complaint platform. It was driving him crazy.
He couldn’t access any normal apps, so he rarely used his phone, usually using the Shi family’s landline to contact his family.
To force himself to adapt to this strange place, he started playing the underworld version of Happy Crush, thinking it wouldn’t be a big deal if he couldn’t clear a level. But then he learned that if he lost, his portrait would be added to the game.
Seeing Wu Heng’s soul appear, he immediately asked for his help.
Wu Heng glanced at Shi Xuan, clearly, his friend’s Yin qi was so strong that it automatically connected his father’s phone to the underworld network.
Wu Heng’s slender fingers swiftly moved across the screen, each successful combination resulting in a burst of blood. He quickly cleared the level and returned the phone to Wu Su.
Relieved, Wu Su immediately uninstalled the app.
Seeing that it wasn’t appropriate to stay here any longer, Wu Heng said, “Dad, I want to go home.”
Wu Su, his voice filled with longing, “Dad wants to go home too.”
Luckily, Shi Xuan had agreed to let him resign discreetly, he would be able to return home soon and return that choker.
Actually, Wu Su hadn’t paid much attention to the choker before, just considering it one of Wu Heng’s belongings.
That night, when the strange-looking Pockmarked Lai barged into Chengde Medical Clinic, carrying the baby Wu Heng, he had been wearing that pale gold choker.
During a trip to a Chinese medicine clinic in Beijing to deliver herbs, he happened to encounter Mr. Shi taking his son to various doctors.
Mr. Shi took a liking to Xiao Heng’s choker and borrowed it, then found a renowned practitioner in Beijing who performed some sort of ritual, and the choker became invisible, hidden on Shi Xuan’s neck, growing with him, undetectable by others.
Only then did Wu Su realize it wasn’t an ordinary item, but when he asked Mr. Shi to return it, he refused with various excuses.
Later, when Wu Heng was diagnosed with an intellectual disability, Wu Su even wondered if it was because of the missing choker.
Wu Su and Shi Xuan escorted Wu Heng to the back gate of the Shi residence. Wu Su, worried that Wu Heng wouldn’t be able to find his way back, said, “Should we buy you a paper horse to ride home? I wonder if they sell GPS-equipped ones these days.”
Wu Heng chuckled. “Dad, don’t worry, I’ll be home soon.”
He paused, then added, “I’ll visit you often, Dad.”
Wu Su was touched, Xiao Heng must have missed him terribly, his soul traveling thousands of miles to Beijing just to see him.
Wu Su didn’t understand how transportation worked in the underworld and took Wu Heng’s words literally. As he watched Wu Heng’s retreating figure, he suddenly noticed the shadow on the ground.
Wu Su: “Do souls have shadows too???”
Wu Heng paused, then quickly walked towards the He family’s house, his figure disappearing into the night mist.
Shi Xuan smiled faintly, glancing at the faint dirt mark on his white shirt, not just a shadow, but a shoe print too.
Wu Su turned to Shi Xuan, seeing the young man avert his gaze and walk away slightly faster, and asked softly, “Young Master, Mr. Shi seems to be going to Southeast Asia for business again, scheduled for the day after tomorrow at 2:30 p.m.”
Was that when he should resign?
Shi Xuan understood what he meant and, after a moment of thought, said, “Steward Wu, my family… isn’t so bad.”
Wu Su had a bad feeling. “What does Young Master find so good about it?”
Even the young master himself wanted to leave the Shi family, yet he dared to say it wasn’t so bad.
Shi Xuan was silent for a moment. “The salary is good.”
Wu Su was speechless, unable to argue with that, two hundred thousand yuan a month.
“Doctor Wu, you’re so kind to our Xi Xi, coming all this way yourself,” the He family, having been waiting, greeted Wu Heng as he entered.
He Xi Xi’s scales were gleaming as if she had just had a spa treatment, a custom-made hair clip on her head, surrounded by gifts from her grandparents and father.
Wu Heng glanced at the gifts, figuring even if the little white snake wanted to marry into the He family, it would face stiff competition.
Wu Heng was dressed casually today, like a high school student in a white T-shirt, except for his handmade ethnic cloth shoes.
He Yunxiao, looking at Wu Heng’s unique footwear, took out his phone and opened a famous shoe brand’s website.
Having prepared slippers for Wu Heng before, he knew they wore the same size.
He Yunxiao called out to the little gray snake. “Xi Xi, quickly, come help your dad buy new shoes, let’s get two pairs.” One for him, one for Doctor Wu.
Although a domestic brand, this shoe brand was incredibly popular, even those rich second-generations who usually only wore international brands would take a second look.
This time, they released a limited edition sneaker with a beautiful design, only five thousand pairs available.
“Yes! I got them! As expected of our future household deity!” He Yunxiao hugged Xi Xi and kissed her, then turned to Wu Heng. “Doctor Wu, they should arrive tomorrow or the day after, I’ll send them over when they arrive. I ordered gray for myself, orange for you, a nice, bright color.”
Netizens all agreed that Wu Heng looked good in bright colors, his vibrant makeup during his shamanic dance was still a popular topic of discussion.
Wu Heng looked at the sold-out shoes on the phone screen, smiled, and didn’t reply, simply picking up Xi Xi, preparing to return to Nan Nuo village via Shi Xuan’s well.
He carried the little gray snake on his arm, his hands full of gifts, slightly regretting not bringing the little white snake, his little laborer.
As he walked towards the well through the half-open back door, he glanced up at the third-floor bedroom window.
Shi Xuan was leaning against the window, watching him, his gaze soft and gentle, the shoe print from his cloth shoes still visible on his white shirt.
Shi Xuan didn’t greet him, only watching as Wu Heng quietly left.
As usual, he began anticipating his next arrival from the well.
The cool night breeze rustled as an open-top, three-wheeled motorcycle sped along the country road.
Father Zhou was driving, his foot firmly on the accelerator. The back of the three-wheeler, designed for carrying goods, had no seats, so Mother Zhou and Zhou Dagui could only sit cross-legged, holding on for dear life.
Mother Zhou couldn’t sit still, standing up and gripping the railing, urging her husband, “Faster, drive faster!”
It was a country road, not a highway. It took a while to reach the town.
Mother Zhou, her hair whipping in the wind, her heart pounding, couldn’t help but cry. “What’s wrong with this child? He did so well on the test, why would he want to jump?!”
Zhou Dagui squatted beside her, worried about his only grandson, taking out a cigarette, and muttered angrily, “I told you two not to pressure him too much.”
“Don’t make such a fuss about every single point, you never listen!”
Zhou Dagui, having spent the entire day watching replays of Wu Heng’s live streams, and thinking about that girl Wang Qiang, said angrily, “Is it so easy to get into Tsinghua or Peking University? If he doesn’t get in, it’s not A-Yi’s fault, it’s our family’s ancestral grave not emitting smoke, it’s our ancestors not creating favorable conditions for him!”
Mother Zhou quickly interrupted him. “Dad, don’t say such inauspicious things! A-Yi’s homeroom teacher said he has a good chance with a little more effort. Our Nan Nuo village has never had a Tsinghua or Peking University student, this would also be an accomplishment for you as village chief.”
Zhou Dagui took a drag of his cigarette, choking on the smoke, and lost interest, crushing the butt with his calloused fingers and tossing it into a nearby field.
Of course he wanted his grandson to bring honor to their family, but he also wanted him to be healthy.
Besides, after watching Wu Heng’s live streams, he felt that it wouldn’t be so bad if Zhou Yi was like Wu Heng. Too much pressure could drive a child crazy, like that incident in the neighboring village decades ago.
Father Zhou, parking the three-wheeler at the school gate, said, “I know my son, he doesn’t have the guts to jump.”
The school was still in chaos. Many students who hadn’t gone home yet were watching from below. In the darkness, they could faintly see a figure sitting on the rooftop.
“Zhou Yi!”
