CH 10

Ater eating the lunch made by Yu Xiao, the three resumed their exploration of the mountain. Aside from the cannons left behind on Weishan Mountain, there is also a tunnel that is said to be specially dug by Qi Jiguang during his battle against the Japanese invaders. This tunnel’s purpose was to transport supplies safely.

Going to this tunnel and finding out what is inside was one of their agendas in visiting this mountain. As for Yu Xiao, he knew from his past life that this tunnel was actually a short-distance tunnel, with this opening as the entrance and the other side as the exit. The total distance of the tunnel from the entrance to the exit is roughly two hundred meters. And so, he didn’t stop Fan Lie who was eager to enter the tunnel, but followed them inside to start a safe adventure inside this mountain.

Standing in front of the tunnel and looking at the darkness inside, Fan Lie started to get scared. His legs wobbled uncontrollably. Ever since he was a child, he had been used to hearing the existence of supernatural events inside this tunnel from the elders in the family. Sometimes, one can hear a crying sound, then the sound of horses galloping, and so on inside this tunnel.

Hao Ren shot him a contemptuous look, “Stop cowering, coward. Don’t come here if you don’t have the courage.”

“Who, who said, I have no courage?” Fan Lie did his best to cover up the shaking of his voice, “I think you’re the one who’s scared, right? Hmph! There’s nothing in the world that can frighten this little young master!” After his words left his mouth, he straightened out his chest and looked at Hao Ren with the look of wanting a fight.

“Childish!” Hao Ren turned his head to Yu Xiao and spoke with concern, “Yuzi, just follow me later. If you’re afraid, you can hold on to my clothes, okay?”

Yu Xiao smiled and nodded. Although he was not at all afraid, the concern of a friend should be accepted properly. Actually, Hao Ren’s sentence should be said to Fan Lie, but forget it, lest Fan Lie jump again in anger.

Hao Ren quickly arranged the branches he collected and built a simple version of a torch. When the fire lit up, he took the lead and walked in the front.

Yu Xiao noticed Fan Lie’s expression, took a step forward and patted his shoulder, “Let’s resume walking. You walk in the middle, I’ll walk at the end.”

“But is this alright? You’ll walk at the end.”

“It’s alright, let’s go.” Yu Xiao straight away pushed Fan Lie in the middle using his hands.

The three began their ‘adventure’ in this way. They walked into the tunnel with only faint light, and the sound of their footsteps rang loudly against the quietness of the tunnel.

“Xiao Yuzi, it’s so quiet here…” Fan Lie slowed down his steps and stretched out his hands to hold Yu Xiao’s right hand tightly.

“No, isn’t there a sound?” Yu Xiao asked back.

“What? There’s a sound?” Fan Lie’s hold on his hand tightened even more, “What did you hear?”

“Isn’t there the sound of our footsteps?” Yu Xiao said purposely and suppressed the smile on the corner of his mouth.

“Ah? Xiao Yuzi, you’re playing tricks on me!” Fan Lie paused for a while and immediately reacted, “How could you do this to me?”

“How can I play tricks on you.” Yu Xiao opened his mouth and pretended to be serious.

“Whatever, I don’t count kids as villains1Means he will not make a big deal out of it..” Fan Lie lifted up his face and folded his arms, then said in a condensing way.

“Yes, yes, thank you, my lord, for raising your hand.” Yu Xiao apologized with both hands clasped together.

Hao Ren, who was walking at the front, listened to the scuffle of the two behind him and a faint smile appeared on his lips. “Pay attention to your steps, be careful not to fall.” It’s fine if Hao Ren didn’t say it, but when he said it, Yu Xiao suddenly stumbled and fell forward. He complained silently in his mind: Since when did Brother Ren possess a crow’s mouth2Jinxing mouth or crow’s mouth. Chinese believe the crow cawing would bring an unlucky spell on people. Crow’s mouth is metaphor for one who speaks bad things or inauspicious words.?

“Xiao Yuzi, are you alright?” Fan Lie immediately moved to his side and asked anxiously, “Did you get hurt somewhere?”

“Is everything okay?” Hao Ren heard his yelp and quickly turned around to inquire about his condition, “How can you be so careless?”

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing.” Yu Xiao smiled and shook his head, then made a move to stand up. “Hiss!”

“What’s wrong?” Hao Ren and Fan Lie asked at the same time.

Yu Xiao paused for a moment, straightened his back and answered, “I’m okay, I just wounded my palm.”

“Let me see, are you okay?” Hao Ren came over to him.

“Oh, I’m really okay.” Yu Xiao wiped away the crimson blood on his palm indifferently. “Let’s get going. Don’t worry about me, I’m alright.”

“Really okay? You’re not lying, are you?” Fan Lie looked at him suspiciously.

“Really, I’m fine.” Under Yu Xiao’s constant persuasion, the three resumed their walk.

Behind the two, Yu Xiao continued to walk forward and stared at his hand suspiciously. He was sure that he felt a faint pain just now, and his hand was indeed wounded. But is it alright now? Moreover, why is there a warm feeling in the center of his palm?

Upon stepping outside the tunnel, Fan Lie heaved a sigh of relief, “Hahaha, just like what I’m saying, there’s nothing wrong with this tunnel. Grandpa and the other elders in the family just used those scary stories to scare children.”

Hao Ren faced the sky and unceremoniously rolled his eyes. Don’t assume that he didn’t notice it, but inside the tunnel, Fan Lie was obviously holding onto Yu Xiao’s hand tightly.

Yu Xiao lifted the corner of his lips but didn’t intend to speak. He looked at his palm again, and under the light of the sun, he still couldn’t see any wound on his hand. What the hell was going on here? If he hadn’t confirmed that his hand bled just now, he would have thought that everything was an illusion.

“Come on, let’s pick some mushrooms and then go home.” Hao Ren looked for the right direction and led them forward.

After picking mushrooms, the three happily went back with their school bags filled with fresh mushrooms. Their minds loosened up as they chatted and laughed along the way.

“Mom, I’m back.” Yu Xiao said loudly while he was still outside the door, “I brought back a gift for you.”

“Hmph! Do you still know how to come back? You disappeared for the whole day at who knows where. Why are you so unruly and ill-mannered at your age?” A furious voice scolded him directly, “What are you dawdling for? Come in quickly!”

Yu Xiao’s complexion immediately turned dark. He remembered this voice—his grandmother’s voice. He pushed open the door of their own house and what greeted him was the sight of his grandmother sitting on a chair in the main hall, resembling a queen dowager. Meanwhile, his mother stood at the side with her head lowered.

Yu Xiao moved forward with brisk steps, opened his mouth to say ‘Grandma’ faintly, then walked directly to the direction of his mother. When he saw his mother lifting her head to look at him with a forced smile, he instantly knew what happened: It must be his grandmother who bullied his mother again!

“Heh! Is this how you greet your own grandmother?” Old Mrs. Yu patted the back of the chair forcefully using her right hand, “Really like mother and son, both are not good.”

“You!” The reverse scale of Yu Xiao in this life was when people disrespected his mother. He wanted to retort angrily, but was stopped by Mother Yu at the side. She shook her head silently at him.

She was not ignorant of how much her son felt angry for her. However, this time, if he went against Old Mrs. Yu, he will only suffer in the end. Even if the person at fault was Old Mrs. Yu, from the perspective of outsiders, her son was being disrespectful to an elderly person. She couldn’t, no matter what, allowed it to happen. It’s fine if she was wronged, but she can’t let others say something bad about her son behind his back.

Yu Xiao’s mouth tightened and he finally closed his mouth unwillingly. He bowed his head and looked at his feet. It was still better to ignore his grandmother. Otherwise, she would scold him more severely.

“Ah, grandma, why did you pat the back of the chair with your own hand? Look, your hand is red.” Yu Xiao turned his attention to the source of the voice and saw his ‘good’ cousin. As expected, this kid has always been a good actor in front of Old Mrs. Yu. How could he let this chance slip away without acting good again?

When Old Mrs. Yu heard his words, a kind smile bloomed on her face, “Oh, my family’s Cheng Cheng is still the most sensible! Unlike some people, they dare to talk back to their elders. Really ill-mannered!”

Having that well-behaved smile plastered on his face, Lu Cheng moved to Old Mrs. Yu’s side, and gently massaged the hand she used to pat the back of the chair.

“Of course, it’s because grandma taught me well!”

Having said that, his eyes wandered around and stopped at Yu Xiao’s bulging school bag. He remembered what Yu Xiao said just now before entering the door. He deliberately looked at the school bag and asked curiously, “Cousin, why did you have your school bag when you came back? You said you brought home some gifts, right? Let’s take a look.”

Upon hearing what he said, Yu Xiao instantly knew that this guy was plotting something again. It was a pity that Old Mrs. Yu was looking at them. Out of helplessness, he could only open the school bag to reveal what was inside. “It’s nothing, I just brought back some mushrooms.”

Lu Cheng speedily noticed the fleeting satisfaction in Old Mrs. Yu’s eyes with his sharp eyes. He quickly knew what his next move would be, “Oh, these mushrooms look good. It looks like you will have a good night tonight, grandma!”

“Since that’s the case, then Xiaoxiao, you can give some to your grandma.” Although Mother Yu saw her son’s unwillingness, she had no choice but to say this to him.

“Okay.” Lu Cheng joyfully agreed to Mother Yu’s words, but then he purposely muttered in disappointment, “There is only so much of the mushrooms in the first place and it’s not for the whole family to eat. Forget it, when the time comes, just let everyone take a bite.”

Old Mrs. Yu was accustomed to enjoying herself at home. She had this mindset that since she’s the one who gave birth to her son, then what belongs to her son also belongs to her. She can take it as long as she wants it. Grandchildren were also no exception. However, if the son and grandsons have the intention of taking something from her, don’t even think about it! She will, in a straightforward way, cut off their relationship!

As such, when the eldest daughter-in-law said that she would just give some to her, her mood immediately became unpleasant. It was still his favorite grandson who was good, unlike some people who were really unpleasant to look at!

“Then it’s decided.” Old Mrs. Yu directly made a decision, “Cheng Cheng, go and collect the mushrooms, we’re going back. If I stay here a little longer, I don’t know how much more anger I’ll have to suffer!”

“Got it, grandma.” Lu Cheng curled his lips at Yu Xiao, then collected all the mushrooms. After that, he walked by to Old Mrs. Yu’s side and supported her to walk outside.

When Old Mrs. Yu stepped out of the door, she deliberately turned her head back and yelled again, “Remember, the thing is decided by me like that. When the time comes, don’t try to make a fool of me or else I will make my son divorce you, his wife, immediately!”

After the two figures disappeared in the doorway, Yu Xiao turned his attention to the empty school bag. An uncontrollable anger appeared on his face, “They did it again. Do they really think they are the masters of the house? Taking everything they find pleasing in the eye. How could an elder like her exist in this world?”

But when he noticed that his mother was not responding, he stopped talking. He quickly walked towards his mother’s direction and held her hands before asking worriedly, “Mom, what’s with you?”

“Ah? Mom is fine.” Mother Yu froze for a moment before coming back to her senses and shook her head.

“Mom, what is that thing that grandma just said?” Yu Xiao felt deeply concerned about ‘the thing’ his grandmother mentioned.

“No, it’s nothing.” Mother Yu’s face became pale for an instant. She waved her hand to indicate that she was fine and asked with her voice still shaking, “By the way, did you have fun with them?”

Yu Xiao wanted to open his mouth to ask more questions, but seeing his mother changing the topic rigidly, he knew that she was definitely hiding something from him and he couldn’t get answers from her.

So he went along with her and answered her question, “Well, it was fun. We went on an adventure today.”

“Adventure?” Mother Yu asked curiously.

“Yes, we…” Yu Xiao unhurriedly recounted what he encountered today. He purposely said some interesting parts so as to lighten up his mother’s mood. When the faint smile appeared on his mother’s face, Yu Xiao breathed a sigh of relief.

Perhaps because Yu Jun won some money yesterday, he was still engulfed in his dream of becoming a rich man after gambling. Thus, other than seething aside a dinner for him, the mother and son began their dinner peacefully.

The night came and Yu Xiao was lying in his bed in his room. He looked at the ceiling. His mind was playing back the scene of what his grandmother said to his mother. He was wondering what the thing was that can caused his mother to revealed such an expression.

This thing should not bring harm to his mother or else he won’t let them go. Even if he is scolded by outsiders in various ways, it doesn’t matter! Yu gripped his fist with so much force as this thought occupied his mind.

Speaking of which, his cousin was really shameless to sway himself in front of him. Adding to that, he still had that condescending attitude. Could it be that he forgot the pushing he did to him that almost cost his life? At the very least, he should be feeling guilty after seeing him, the victim, right?

No, it should be because he did not have a guilty conscience all along! It must be known that in the future, he will become a famous ‘VIP’ guest of the police station. From time to time, go there to drink some tea or something and slack off.

Just when Yu Xiao was thinking about it, a sudden burst of heat assaulted his palm. He opened his right palm and took a look at it, but found nothing unusual. There were no scars or strange signs, not different from his left palm. Then why did his palm heat up just now?

Yu Xiao was perplexed and his mind was filled with many thoughts. Out of helplessness, he put down his right hand. But the problem is, the moment he put his right hand down, his right palm began to heat up again. He lifted it up again to see why it was hot. This cycle repeated many times, causing Yu Xiao to feel restless. What’s going on? Can someone come out and explain why this strange event is happening to him? Alright, that’s it. He wants to sleep now.

Finally, after trying it for a few more times only to end up with no avail, Yu Xiao finally made up his mind to sleep with the attitude of just letting it go. The first class in the morning tomorrow was the head teacher’s math class. If he doesn’t listen to it carefully, he will be invited to talk about life ah.

But after the last burst of heat, his palm began to get hotter and hotter. It reached to the point that Yu Xiao became sure that he would turn into a fool after this. He gritted his teeth and gripped his right palm using his left hand. Sweat began to appear on his forehead, dropping one at a time, and soon, a large part of the pillow was soaked. Just when Yu Xiao couldn’t help but cry out due to the extreme pain, the heat started to drop little by little.

Yu Xiao lay on the bed with a sorry figure, his clothes were already soaked by his sweat. When his breathing stabilized, he lifted up his right hand again to take a closer look at his palm. His eyes widened in shock. How come there is a pattern on his right palm now? And what does this pattern mean?