Chapter 143. Director, I Hope To See You Again

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Arc 7: Hello, Director.

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Yan Shu said he had something to tell Chen You in a few days, and Chen You asked every day, but all he said was “in a few days”.

Many days have passed.

Chen You grabbed Yan Shu’s arm, his face was grim, “I’ve noticed, you’re not itchy or scratching, it’s not inflammation at all, you just don’t want to have sex with me anymore, right?!”

Yan Shu was arranging flowers while holding a pair of scissors in his hand. He was afraid of accidentally hurting Chen You, so he lowered his voice and exuded his might, “Stand further away when you talk.”

Chen You pouted, feeling aggrieved, “You yelled at me.”

Yan Shu glanced at him and said harshly, “Hold back your tears! If you don’t let go my arm, not only will I yell at you, but I will also spank you.”

Chen You sniffed and snorted heavily, then turned around and walked towards the door without saying anything, pulling on his slippers, ready to leave home.

Yan Shu rubbed his brows and said, “Take your phone and wallet with you.”

Chen You paused. That’s right. This is the first time he is going to run away from home. He didn’t know what it was like. No matter what, he couldn’t treat himself badly. So he took one, two, three steps back, and without looking back, he reached out and grabbed the phone and wallet on the coffee table.

Yan Shu said behind Chen You’s back, “Don’t eat at KFC.”

The answer to his question was the sound of a door closing.

Yan Shu shook his head and cut off a section of the flower branch. He put the flower into the vase, threw away the scissors and went to the balcony to look. Not long after, a tall and thin figure walked out of the corridor. As he walked, his butt wrapped in long pants were bouncing up and down.

“Foolishly running away, what for…”

Yan Shu’s face was gentle as he smiled and murmured to himself, “Who said I don’t want to have sex with you? You sleep like a pig at night, how could you know how many times I got up to take a cold shower at night?”

He sighed, eyes full of pampering, “Silly.”

Chen You, who was downstairs, suddenly looked back and saw that there was no one, not even a single bird on the balcony on the 9th floor. What a disgusting illusion!

The scenery of the community is quite good, with wooden bridges, pavilions, fountains, pools, and many famous and unknown flowers and plants.

There were not many people at the wooden bridge, so Chen You walked over and stood on the bridge looking down. There were several large goldfish under the bridge, motionless, same as corpses.

“You guys say, whether I should run away from home or not? This is what girls do. It’s so embarrassing for a grown man like me to do this, isn’t it?”

Chen You continued to talk to the goldfish like pouring beans, “In the past, he wanted to play with me every day. I said no, but he refused to give in no matter what and just wanted to play.  We played for a long each time, but recently we haven’t had any. He likes to kiss me until I feel dizzy, but now he just kiss mouth to mouth. It’s really not that I’m being overly suspicious.”

“Right, after hearing what I said, you also think there’s something wrong with him, right? It’s obvious.”

Several goldfish seemed to be still.

Chen You leaned forward on the railing, put his arms down, and swung them back and forth, “I definitely won’t doubt who he’s having an affair with. Really, I have this confidence. After all, I have such long legs and I’m so handsome. I just feel that he’s hiding something from me.”

“You know what, one beauty among his subordinates committed suicide because of AIDS. I haven’t seen his test report. Tell me, how can I not have wild thoughts?”

Chen You shuddered, “To be honest, I kind of regret running away from home. If he doesn’t come out to look for me later, how can I have the nerve to go back?”

He muttered, damn, no, he should find a place to eat something and calm himself down.

After a short period of time, Chen You sat in a leisure club near the apartment, ordered a dessert, a bowl of beef vermicelli, and a pot of tea, and waited happily.

This was his first time at the club. He didn’t have much time to rest, and he spent most of his time with Yan Shu. The two of them rarely went out to spend money, and always stayed at home. They could have sex right after eating, which saved time and the money for booking a room.

The waiter brought over the beef vermicelli. Chen You moved the bowl in front of him, unwrapped the chopsticks, and reached into the bowl to scoop some. The beef was cut into large pieces, and the thickness was fairly even. He took a bite and shook his head in dissatisfaction. It was too soft, not chewy, and didn’t taste very good. It was far from the fresh beef he bought at the market and braised.

Suddenly, a mechanical sound rang in his head, and Chen You was startled. The chili oil wrapped around the vermicelli was all stuck in his throat. He felt the spiciness and hurried to get the tea that had been poured and cooled in advance to drink.

“Fuck, either you don’t come out, or scare me as soon as you come out!”

System said, “I’m here to inform you that the latest progress of the task is 6.9.”

Chen You was stunned, “Really? Then I will soon complete the task and leave this world, right?”

System said, “Maybe.”

“Aiya, it’s going pretty smoothly,” Chen You was pouring more tea, and suddenly remembered something very important, so he slammed the teacup on the table and questioned the system, “Speak, did you tamper with my memory? This world is not my first one, it’s the seventh. I have completed the tasks in the previous six worlds, and the target is the same. Yan Shu has already told me everything!”

System was very calm, “Then what else do you want me to say?”

“……”

Chen You was unusually serious, without any laughter at all, “I want you to tell me again in person.”

System half dead, “That’s what it is.”

Chen You rolled his eyes, “You agree with what Yan Shu said, right? Then can you tell me why the mission targets are the same? Is it just me, or is it the same for every host?”

System refused, “I don’t want to say.”

Chen You was almost pissed off by it, “…Don’t you think you’re being too much?”

System said, “I regret it.”

Chen You was shocked. What the hell, is this the beginning of self-reflection? He listened intently, hoping the other party could tell him a story full of ups and downs.

After a long silence, System said, “Forget it.”

Forget it? Fuck, LaoZi has been waiting for a long time, and you just want to get rid of him with these two words? Chen You was not convinced, “Why did you tamper with my memory?”

System said, “It’s for your own good.”

Chen You, haha. At that time, his mother enrolled him in various classes, big and small, and pushed him to death, saying it was for his own good. In the end, not only did he not learn well, but he also developed a physical aversion and rejection.

Half a year before the college entrance exam, his mother cooked all kinds of supplements for him, saying it was for his own good, but it ended up making him sick and ending up in the hospital, causing him to fall behind in many classes and almost miss the college entrance exam.

Really, can’t you ask him what he thinks and listen to his opinions?

Chen You didn’t know what to say, feeling a little upset, so he told the system, “You restored my memory, and I’ll still be nice to you.”

System said with absolute certainty, “It’s impossible.”

Chen You haha, “Do you really have to play with me like this?”

System said, “Just like computer data, your memory has been reset and cannot be restored.”

Chen You died.

Liar, you lie every time, and you are still teasing me, it must be!

He sneered, “Do you really think I’m mentally retarded? I tell you, I already knew that Yan Shu’s evil thoughts are because of me. As long as I remember the past and regain my memory, his evil thoughts will disappear.”

System paused and said, “Your cleverness makes me hate you, but I still like your mental retardation.”

Chen You was so angry that he didn’t want to talk to the system anymore.

After finishing a bowl of beef vermicelli, the heat in Chen You’s stomach subsided. He wiped his mouth with a tissue and collapsed on the sofa, waiting to finish his dessert.

“Okay, I’m not unreasonable or ungrateful. I know your purpose is to help me and let me go home. I’m very grateful to you for this. But Old 4, can we be nice and honest? Don’t you think so?”

System paused and said, “Your cleverness makes me hate you, but I still like your mental retardation.”

Chen You didn’t understand, “What do you mean?”

System said, “You were angry for no more than three seconds before, but this time it was five minutes and twenty-six seconds.”

Chen You’s face twitched. You even recorded this. You really love me deeply, “In the six worlds before, did I live well with Yan Shu? What was the ending of each world with him?” It might not be very happy. He can tell by looking at Yan Shu’s evil thoughts.

System said, “Spoilers are boring.”

Chen You said, “Didn’t you say that my memory was reset and I would never… Shit, you mean, I can still restore it?”

System disappeared.

Chen You was shaking his legs excitedly. This was a problem of his. He would shake when he couldn’t control himself. He had been like this since he was a child. Even after changing his body in the mission world, he still couldn’t change it.

It turns out he still has a chance to remember, that’s great.

Routines, all routines, but this time the routine is quite cute.

The days are short in winter, and at around 4pm, a black curtain appears on the horizon, spreading out little by little, trying to cover the entire sky.

Chen You came out of the club and wandered around the community, humming a song. Little him in his heart was jumping up and down anxiously. Why haven’t you come out to see me yet? What do you mean by this Director Yan? Are you really not going to care about me?

He went to the main gate of the community for the third time, but there was still no sign of Director Yan.

So patient? Chen You pouted unhappily, jumped to the steps of the flower bed and squatted, playing with the big cat opposite, “Meow~”

The big cat ignored him and continued to be aloof.

Chen You meowed at it several times. So bored and lonely!

Perhaps because the meowing was too annoying, the big cat finally looked at it indifferently, and when it found that it was not from the same species as itself, it backed away and ran into the flowers and disappeared.

Chen You was speechless. Well, his only companion was gone. He sighed and took out his phone sadly to check. No text messages, no phone calls. Very good, Yan Shu, you are really good!

The two checkpoints at the entrance to the community are quite busy, with cars of all prices driving in and out, elderly people pushing their children back from a park or amusement park, and young and beautiful female office workers walking home from work in high heels.

Chen You yawned, his lowered hand stopped in mid-air, and he accidentally saw a figure coming out of the door. Humph, you have a conscience.

Director Yan called out twice as if he was looking for a puppy, “Chen You.”

The stairs were right in front of him, and Chen You didn’t hesitate anymore, so he just walked down the stairs, “Ai!”

He swung his legs over and couldn’t help but act like a spoiled child. He ran away from home himself and complained, “It’s so cold. Rub my hand. I’m almost freezing to death.”

Yan Shu rubbed it and it was indeed very cold, “Who told you to stay at the door? Why didn’t you find a place with heating?”

Chen You muttered, “I’m just afraid that you won’t be able to find me…”

That’s why he went to the gate of the community, the most conspicuous place, just short of throwing a big banner on his back.

Yan Shu was helpless and reached out to pinch his face, “Go home.”

Chen You followed the man, “There are a lot of people here just now. Director Yan is quite famous. If you pinch my face, won’t people misunderstand you?”

Yan Shu said, “Don’t worry about them.”

Chen You laughed, you know what, Director Yan, I just love the way you are.

The first attempt to run away from home lasted two hours and forty minutes, and ended with the owner of the house coming out to look for him.

In the evening, he set up a stove and cooked vermicelli, coriander, potatoes, mushrooms, green vegetables, carrots, bean curd… No meat, all vegetarian dish. Chen You also made a braised pork knuckle for himself. It was golden and sweet. He picked out a fat piece with chopsticks and ate it. His mouth was full of meaty aroma. It was delicious.

It’s a pity that Yan Shu doesn’t eat meat, so he has to miss out on many delicious foods.

Chen You then took a piece of lean meat from the pig’s trotter, dipped it in the soup and put it in his mouth to eat, and asked curiously, “Why don’t you eat meat?”

Yan Shu ate the coriander, “There’s no reason, I just don’t like it.”

Chen You continued to eat, and suddenly he showed an expression of sudden enlightenment, “I understood.”

Yan Shu raised his eyebrows, “Oh?”

Chen You swallowed the food in his mouth, “Your predecessor was a rabbit, and rabbits don’t eat meat.”

Yan Shu, “…”

He put a piece of green vegetables into Chen You’s bowl with chopsticks and said in a concerned tone, “Don’t always eat greasy meat, eat vegetables too, and have a balanced diet.”

Chen You pushed the greens aside and put them into his mouth along with the rice, saying vaguely, “I know.”

After dinner, Yan Shu was responsible for washing the pots and dishes, while Chen You was responsible for cutting the fruit. Later, the two of them would watch TV in the living room and have some hmm, aah, en, hah!

This is what Chen You thought.

Who knew that the fruit was gone, but there was no trace of hmm, aah, en, hah!

Chen You crossed his legs, facing the man who was adjusting the TV. He didn’t say anything, just watched.

Yan Shu tuned to a certain TV station, which was playing a martial arts film. It was full of swordplay, revenge, and the sound effects and scenes were very good, “What’s wrong?”

Chen You still didn’t say anything. During the day, he asked this guy about sex matters, but he didn’t give a direct answer and changed the subject. And now too he didn’t want to play with him, so how could he feel at ease?

Yan Shu put down the remote control, pinched his chin and kissed him, “Don’t you want to watch TV anymore?”

Chen You hooked his neck, put his other hand on it, pulled him down and kissed him again, what the hell is there to watch, it’s more important to do something big.

Yan Shu placed his hand on the back of Chen You’s neck, rubbing it gently with his index and middle fingers. He half-closed his eyes and kissed Chen You again and again, not knowing what he was thinking.

Soon, the two moved from the sofa in the living room to the bedroom.

In the second half of the night, Chen You lay in bed. He had washed himself and was covered in the scent of shower gel. His hair was still a little damp and he didn’t want to blow dry it. Half of the reason was because he was lazy and the other half was because he had something on his mind.

When Yan Shu was playing with him, it was obvious that there was a big difference.

How to put it? It’s like changing from a tiger to a snail. He really can’t accept that kind of difference.

Listening to the sound of water in the bathroom, Chen You asked the system in his mind, “Tell me the truth, is Yan Shu hiding something from me?”

System said, “Pray.”

“…” Chen You was annoyed, “Alright, alright, you should continue to be invisible.”

System said, “Remember to pray.”

Chen You strangely heard the seriousness in the unchanging mechanical sound. He was stunned for a moment, then quickly sat up and prayed devoutly to the Lord.

Lord Almighty, here I come again.

When Yan Shu came out of the shower, he saw the young man with his hands clasped together and his eyes closed, as if he was doing something. He wiped his hair and asked, “What are you doing?”

Chen You finished praying, “I am talking to the Lord.”

Yan Shu’s face turned dark, “So what did you say to the Lord?”

Chen You pulled the quilt, “I introduce you to the Lord, saying that you are my man, and ask it to bless you.”

Yan Shu was startled, and he laughed, “You!”

Chen You patted the quilt and said, “Stop talking so much and go to bed quickly. Tomorrow will be another good day.”

Yan Shu went to dry his hair, then lay down beside Chen You, pulled him into his arms, and used his free hand to press the quilt before falling asleep.

Two days later, Chen You was examining a patient with severe eczema when a nurse knocked on the door and said the dean asked him to come in, but she didn’t say what it was.

Chen You prescribed medicine for the patient and left after giving him some instructions.

The atmosphere in the office was very depressing. The dean sat in a chair drinking tea, “Director Yan was here just now. Do you know what he came for?”

Chen You shook his head. I don’t know. The director is a big boy. He makes all the decisions on his own.

The dean sighed deeply and said, “He resigned.”

Chen You opened his mouth in shock, speechless. No way, Dean, I didn’t see any signs at all?

The dean stared at the young man and found that he was really shocked and not pretending. He frowned. It seemed that he had misunderstood. Yan Shu’s decision was not influenced by the pillow talk.

“I thought it was your idea.”

“…” Chen You turned his face away and said seriously, “Dean, I have no idea about this matter.”

The dean coughed and said, “I thought too much.”

He looked at the young man. His good looks were one thing, but the most special thing was the feeling he gave. He was very sunny, like a growing tree, “Are you and Director Yan okay? Are there any internal conflicts?”

Does that matter where I am not satisfied count? Chen You was too embarrassed to talk about it, fearing that it would scare the dean, “Probably not.”

The dean frowned, “Director Yan is leaving, what about you? What are your plans?”

Well, if he is here, I am here. If he is not here, I am definitely not here. Chen You said, “Dean, can I go to Director Yan to ask about the situation first?”

The dean groaned, “Go ahead.”

Chen You went to the Cardiology Department and knocked on the door of Yan Shu’s office. A voice came from inside, “Come in.”

He walked in and saw the man tidying up his desk. He was serious.

Yan Shu raised his eyes, “You came at the right time, I have something to tell you…”

“I already know.” Chen You walked quickly to the desk, propped his hands on the table and asked, “You were doing well in the hospital, why did you suddenly quit?”

“I’m tired of it.” Yan Shu said briefly, looking at Chen You with deep and gentle eyes, “Come to my hometown with me.”

Chen You was confused.

Going back to hometown? Does Yan Shu have a hometown? Where is it? He didn’t see this in the other party’s personal information. Did he miss it?

Yan Shu held Chen You’s hand and slowed down his tone, “I’ll take you to a life you’ve never experienced before, okay?”

The man’s eyes were gentle, and so was his voice. The listener felt dizzy, as if he had stepped on cotton candy. Chen You was dazed, and agreed without asking any more questions.

The next day, a tractor was parked on the side of the road.

Chen You jumped down holding his backpack, his butt trembling, not far from death.

He looked at the bumpy mountain road that even small insects were unwilling to climb, and felt sorry for his butt. God knows how many times he wanted to jump out of the tractor.

The journey was very difficult, first by plane, then by bus, then by public transport, then by van, then by tricycle, and finally by tractor.

You said you would take me to a life I had never experienced before, is this it?

Chen You threw his backpack to the ground in despair and leaned forward pitifully. He watched the man asking the tractor driver for directions. If he hadn’t been so exhausted, he would have wanted to rush up and slap the man’s butt a few times.

Making a farce. You want to take me to your hometown, but you don’t even know where it is. Director, you think I have nothing to laugh at, so you specially made one for me. Do you expect me to laugh until next year?

Chen You fluttered his eyelids and dozed off. He was too tired. He was not prone to motion sickness, but he vomited violently on the bus and lay on Yan Shu’s lap unable to get up. All Shushu and Ayi in front, behind and beside him were all scared, thinking that he had some kind of illness.

What a bummer!

Yan Shu finally asked the driver for directions. He came over and said to the young man sitting on the bag, “Let’s go.”

Chen You rested his butt on the bag and said, “Take a break.”

Yan Shu coaxed the child, “It’s not far ahead, you can rest after we get home.”

Chen You tilted his head and looked forward. As far as he could see, there was only a mountain road that seemed to have no end. Liar! “Speak clearly to me, how far is not far?”

Yan Shu said, “We’ll be almost there once we get over the mountain”

“……”

Chen You pulled his hand, choking up and saying, “Ge, I want to get to the place quickly, take off my shoes, let my feet get some fresh air, lie down and drink some water. Can you help me do that?”

Yan Shu’s face twitched slightly, and he forcibly pulled up the young man on the bag and set off together.

They climbed over a mountain and crossed a river, but they didn’t get there.

Chen You looked at the frown on the man’s brow and wanted to take off his shoes and put them on his nose.

Look, lost again! What good can I say to you? It is winter, you can’t play like this.

Yan Shu felt guilty and said, “Go forward a little further.”

Chen You didn’t even want to look at him, he was angry.

After walking for a while, they saw an old man herding cattle. The old man was a real old man, and the cattle was real ox, not illusions.

Yan Shu carried the luggage in one hand and held Chen You’s hand in the other, and walked towards the old man, “Excuse me, is this Shatang Village ahead?”

The old man was a little confused when he suddenly saw two strangers.

Yan Shu introduced himself and said that he is the grandson of so-and-so and had not been back for many years.

When the old man heard this, he was so excited that he burst into tears, “Kid, it’s you. I didn’t expect that I could see you in my lifetime…”

The next step was recognizing relatives.

It turns out that the old man was Yan Shu’s DaBo. Although they are not blood relatives, they are still related.

Chen You clapped his hands in his heart, good, good, the greatest luck these days is to meet the people you want to meet and do the things you want to do while you are still alive.

He looked at the big yellow ox, hello! It’s our first meeting. Please give me your guidance.

The ox turned its head away, probably because it felt that the man was too enthusiastic and it was a little overwhelmed as a country bumpkin.

Yan Shu glanced at the old man and told him that his companion had a foot injury and asked if he could lie on the ox’s back.

Without saying anything, the old man communicated with his own big yellow ox, and the big ox shook its tail and bent its front and back hooves.

Chen You’s eyes widened as he watched, it was so impressive, he wanted to give DaBo a thumbs up.

Yan Shu asked Chen You to go up.

Chen You said to him fearfully, “I’m afraid the ox will throw me out.”

When DaBo heard this, he said, “No, no, my family’s big yellow can only kick people, not throw them out.”

Chen You: “…” DaBo, you are so honest, I like you.

After a mental struggle, Chen You grabbed Yan Shu and used his strength to lie on the back of the big ox. He found that the big ox was quite docile, so he slowly relaxed his hands and feet and began to look at the scenery.

Chen You’s angle is his height plus the height of the big ox. Although this place is sparsely populated, it can be said to be beautiful with clear water and mountains. It is different from the gardens, small trees and rivers in big cities, and it can better reflect everything given by nature.

Ten minutes later, three people and an ox arrived at the entrance of the village.

The village was full of old people and children, and when they saw the two strangers, they all showed curious and wary expressions.

The old man came forward and explained the matter, and then the old people let down their guard and welcomed the two new young people.

The children all hid behind the elderly, afraid of strangers.

Chen You looked and found that they were all girls, not a single boy. He guessed a possibility, but didn’t say it at this time.

The old man took Yan Shu and Chen You to the door of the old house, pointed with his dry finger and said, “This is it.”

The old house has not been inhabited for many years and is very dilapidated.

Chen You looked up and felt that the old house would sway when the wind blew. He was afraid that if he slept at night here, he would not see the sun tomorrow.

On the other hand, Yan Shu was very calm.

The old man led the big ox back to his place, and he and his wife brought quilts and a lot of supplies, and were very polite.

Chen You sent the two old people back, thanking them one after another. He looked at the old house with a worried look. Every breath he took was filled with dust.

Yan Shu took off his coat and said, “You sit down, I’ll clean up.”

Drop it, it will take you several days to finish it by yourself. Chen You frowned and walked around the old house, then started to act like the head of the family and asked Yan Shu to come over for a meeting.

After a long discussion, the two reached an agreement. One would be responsible for the yard, chicken coop, kitchen, and pigpen, while the other would be responsible for the main room, south room, west room, and storage room.

The sky was completely dark, and the moonlight hung shyly in the sky, occasionally casting coquettish glances at Chen You who was looking at it.

Chen You’s neck was sore from watching, so he simply stopped watching and sat on the doorstep, drinking a bottle of mineral water. He had already cleaned up several rooms, nimbly. Then he looked at the one in the yard. Although he is more capable than him in surgery, coming here, could not do, really not capable.

After gulping down several gulps of water, Chen You shrank his neck. A gust of wind blew by, cool and cold, blowing the stinky sweat on his body into his nose, making him dizzy and dazed. “Stop it, eat something first, I’m hungry!”

Yan Shu put down the broom, raised his arm to wipe the sweat from his forehead, “Okay.”

Fortunately, he bought two buckets of instant noodles on the way, otherwise who knows what they can eat at night, maybe only eat dirt.

Chen You was eating from his own bowl, glanced at Yan Shu’s bowl, “Is yours delicious? Is it spicy?”

Yan Shu said it was okay. He scooped out the braised egg from the instant noodles and put it in Chen You’s bowl, “Eat it.”

Chen You picked up the chopsticks and picked up the braised egg, splitting it into two halves. He and Yan Shu each took half and drank the soup. He said, “I’ll help you clean up the yard tomorrow. Take a shower and go to bed. What do you think?”

Yan Shu put the instant noodle box into the bag, “Okay.”

The two of them went to get a kettle to boil water, one kettle after another, until a large bucket was filled.

Then the question is, they are not dead pigs, they must be afraid of being scalded by boiling water. Such a large bucket of hot water needs to be mixed with at least half a bucket of cold water to be used, but there is only one well in the village, at the east entrance of the village, a little distance away from the old house.

Chen You pretended to be dead.

Yan Shu’s forehead twitched, and he kicked him without much force, “Stay at home, don’t run around, do you hear me?”

Chen You said he heard it. He watched the man carrying two empty buckets out and suddenly felt that the man’s back was particularly majestic and tall, “Slow down, call me if you need anything.”

After shouting, Chen You took out his cell phone and swiped it toward the sky. The signal was not very good, so he went to the yard to browse it and check the news. Then the director came back.

Chen You quickly put away his phone and went to help carry the bucket into the house, “Thank you for your hard work.”

Yan Shu rolled up his sleeves and said, “Go get some clothes.”

How does it feel to squat on the ground in the freezing cold, holding a bucket and pouring water over himself? Let’s put it this way, it was like a dream, the water had been poured out, and there was no heat at all.

Chen You didn’t even rub the dust off his elbows. He put on his woolen long-sleeved innerwear and long underwear shiveringly, “Ge, promise me to hire someone to install a water heater tomorrow, okay?”

Yan Shu rubbed his knees calmly, “I brought you here from afar just to live this kind of ordinary life. If you want to live comfortably, just go back.”

Chen You blurted out, “Okay!”

Yan Shu glanced at him disdainfully.

Chen You shuddered, and hurriedly put the leg of his long johns on one foot.

Probably because he was too anxious, he lost his balance and was about to fall into the bucket, but was caught by an arm in mid-air.

Yan Shu helped the man up and said, “Lean on me and put on.”

Chen You leaned over and quickly put both feet into the legs of the long johns. He pulled the long johns up and looked at the man. He couldn’t help but pull them again and again, “Okay, okay, I’ll accompany you.”

Yan Shu slowly put on his woolen clothes, “Then, it’s a deal, you are not allowed to make trouble with me.”

Chen You hummed, thinking to himself, how dare I make trouble with you? I get goose bumps when you lift your eyelids. I really don’t know if I owed you in my previous life.

The sleeping room faces south and is not very humid. After Chen You cleaned it up, it is still very tidy, especially the wooden bed, the old-fashioned wooden wardrobe, and the wooden table, which all exude a sense of antiquity and simplicity, silently conveying the stories of that era.

Chen You huddled back under the quilt, smelling something. He guessed that the old man hadn’t taken it out to dry. He decided to put it in the sun tomorrow to let it air out, “By the way, I want to ask you something. Why were all the girls I saw when I entered the village?”

Yan Shu briefly explained it to Chen You.

It is the so-called preference for sons over daughters. Every family gives birth to a girl, then another girl, then another girl. They must give birth to a boy no matter what. If they don’t, they will not be able to hold their heads up in front of the neighbors.

The mother will be looked down upon, the father will be laughed at and called incompetent, the couple’s life will not be good, and the family will not feel like a family.

Chen You’s guess was completely correct. He smacked his lips. It was really scary. “Should we give your DaBo some money? He gave us several quilts and a lot of basins and buckets.”

“I intend to do it.” Yan Shu turned over, pulled the person into his arms, and said with his arms around him, “Go to sleep.”

Chen You yawned. He was too tired during the day and fell asleep quickly.

Yan Shu listened to the breathing sound beside his ear, he sighed softly and closed his eyelids.

The next day, before the day was completely revealed, the rooster crowed.

Chen You and Yan Shu were both confused, as if they were dreaming, and the rooster crowing sound they heard was in their dream.

Two or three minutes later, there was a barking sound, echoing from the east end of the village to the west end, like a naughty child, throwing a tantrum and wanting the adults to get up and play with it.

Chen You lay on the bed, rolling his face into the sheets. After rolling twice, he woke up.

Yan Shu didn’t roll. It was impossible for him to do this. He was awakened by the cold hand that Chen You left outside.

The two of them leaned their heads against each other, looked into each other’s eyes, and a new life officially began.

This place is far away from the hustle and bustle of the city. What you breathe is not car exhaust, only the smell of grass and trees mixed with soil permeates the air, blooming during the day and remaining at night, never dissipating.

The old man came over every now and then and gave them some food, all grown in his own fields, absolutely fresh.

Chen You likes the pickle that the old man gave him. It’s crispy, a little sweet, and a little spicy. In his opinion, it goes better with rice than Lao Gan Ma.

(*Lao Gan Ma: it is the proper name for the popular brand of Chinese chili sauce)

Yan Shu told him to eat less, “Eating too much pickled food can cause cancer.”

Chen You bit a chopstick in his mouth and said in a vague voice, “If not pickles, what else can I eat? I’m almost goddamn withering.”

Yan Shu saw the chopsticks in the young man’s mouth trembling when he spoke, fearing that the chopsticks would poke his throat if he wasn’t careful, so he reached out and pulled them off, “Speak properly.”

“I want to eat meat.”

Chen You pursed his lips and said eagerly, “Director, I want to eat meat.”

Yan Shu pressed his eyebrows. He had a carnivorous animal at home, and he had to take good care of it. He went up the mountain in the afternoon, and when he came back, he was holding a very fat bird in his hand.

Chen You, who was sitting on the doorstep polishing his shoes, heard footsteps. He looked up and saw Yan Shu and the bird, and his eyes glowed green.

Throwing away his shoes, Chen You ran to greet him with cheers, his attitude was definitely treating the king who had won a victory, “How did you get it? Did you hit it with something? Or did you happen to see a bird crash to death on the ground when you were going up the mountain?”

Yan Shu handed the bird to him and said, “Don’t bother with it. Take it and cook it however you want.”

Chen You held the bird in one hand and hugged the man’s neck with the other, kissing him on the face, “You are awesome.”

After saying that, he happily ran to the kitchen, ready to get busy.

Standing there, Yan Shu shook his head. It seemed that he couldn’t change his habit of liking birds.

He shot the bird down with a slingshot. He asked an old man for the slingshot. The old man originally made it for his grandson, but later the grandson was taken away by his son and daughter-in-law. He had so many toys and the slingshot was thrown into the pile of sundries.

When the old man heard Yan Shu wanted to borrow it, he took out the slingshot and gave it to him, saying that he could do whatever he wanted with it, and it didn’t matter if it broke.

Chen You stewed the bird and ate it for almost a week. It wasn’t that he had a small appetite, but he was very cautious and didn’t dare to eat too much. Who knows when the next one will come? Maybe before the New Year, maybe after the New Year, or maybe in the next winter.

It’s almost the New Year, but there’s not even a hint of snow. The old people in the village said it rarely snows here, but it’s always cold and wet.

Chen You hugged Yan Shu tightly, hugging him during the day and at night, treating him like a large portable heater. Even though they were so lovey dovey, it didn’t cause any trouble. Not only is the food bland, but the life is also bland enough.

The children here are nothing like those in big cities. They don’t have playgrounds of any size to play in. They can only play hide-and-seek in the haystacks, play in the mud, climb trees, and get themselves covered in dust.

On New Year’s Eve, a group of children went to the mountains to pick persimmons. One child climbed up a tree to pick them and accidentally fell down, hitting her forehead on a rock.

Chen You heard the noise outside, so he looked out from the yard and stopped an old lady and asked, “What’s going on?”

DaMa said hurriedly, “Oh no, something terrible has happened. Old Chen family’s kid fell from a tree and broke her head, bleeding a lot. Old Chen is crying while holding the child and says he doesn’t want to talk about it!”

Knowing what was going on, Chen You hurried into the house and called Yan Shu, telling him what was going on as quickly as possible, “Quick, quick, come with me to see what’s going on.”

Yan Shu sat on the chair without moving, his hands curled up on his legs, with some small cuts on them, which were caused by repairing the roof of the old house just now.

Chen You’s hands and feet suddenly became cold, “You aren’t infected, right?”

Yan Shu didn’t even raise his eyelids, “What?”

Chen You rushed over and grabbed his collar, “Let me ask you, were you infected while you were in the hospital?!”

Yan Shu didn’t say anything.

Chen You shuddered and immediately tried to grab Yan Shu’s hand, but was avoided. His eyes turned red, “Yan Shu, you can’t lie to me.”

Yan Shu said after a while, “Yes.”

Chen You’s hands dropped down, and he fell to the ground, paralyzed.

Yan Shu felt a pain in his heart when he saw the young man’s appearance, so he hugged him and said, “I’m fine.”

Chen You yelled, “You’ve been infected with that, how can you be fine?”

Yan Shu said, “If I say it’s okay, then it won’t be a problem.”

His voice was very low, ringing in the young man’s ears, “As long as you are not infected, I have a way.”

Chen You was dumbfounded, “Do you have a golden finger?”

Yan Shu chuckled, and pressed his fingertips over the corner of the young man’s eyes, “I have a big golden man.”

Chen You suddenly opened his eyes wide, “Really?”

Yan Shu, “Yeah.”

Chen You still didn’t believe it, “Then swear that you will stay with me until you are ninety-nine.”

“Ninety-nine?” Yan Shu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “At that time, I had lost all my teeth, my hair, my face was full of wrinkles, and my eyes were blurry. Are you sure?”

Chen You said to make sure, “You swear.”

Yan Shu said helplessly, “I swear, I will accompany you until I am ninety-nine.”

Chen You finally let out a sigh of relief, “Is this the reason why you left the hospital?”

“Not entirely.”

Yan Shu said, “I mainly want to bring you here to live a life that we have never experienced.”

Chen You rubbed his face and looked at the man’s injured hand. He thought that the other party must be very capable since he could make the system, that big demon, half dead.

There must be a way to fight AIDS.

Thinking of this, Chen You felt more relaxed, “What about the child?”

Yan Shu frowned, “Go and take a look first, maybe you can handle it.”

They followed the crying sound and saw the villagers gathered together, talking in a flurry, not knowing what to do.

Chen You then said he was a doctor, and instantly became an angel in the eyes of the villagers.

Walking closer, Chen You squatted down and said gently, “DaShu, please let the child go so I can take a look.”

DaShu cried so hard that his face was covered with snot and tears. He was uneducated and didn’t know anything. He was just worried about the child.

Seeing that the child was held tightly and making uncomfortable sounds, Chen You frowned and said, “DaShu, you are strangling her.”

DaShu was in a state of confusion and yelled at Chen You to leave.

Chen You has a bad temper, but he is kind-hearted, so he has no choice but to patiently teach DaShu some knowledge about how to deal with wounds in a timely manner.

DaShu didn’t understand and scolded Chen You.

Yan Shu called DaBo over, and the other party gave DaShu a lecture, saying that he is delaying the child’s injury.

Others also said that the doctor would not harm the child.

DaShu’s face flushed, and he let go of the child’s hand half-believingly.

There was a bloody wound on the child’s head, not deep, the child was simply frightened by the adults’ presence.

Chen You also brought a medicine box with some simple medicines. He disinfected the child’s wound and also sutured the wound himself.

Yan Shu has a wound on his hand, and he can’t joke with a child’s life.

If the child has any misfortune, they will feel guilty for the rest of their lives.

Because of this incident, Chen You and Yan Shu were recognized by the villagers and were given a lot of things.

They are all simple people, although they know little, but that is the most indispensable.

After the New Year, the weather warmed up.

Everyone was busy with farming. DaBo gave Yan Shu a lot of peanuts, sesame seeds, and some rapeseed. It was time to get busy now, otherwise they would have nothing to eat in the second half of the year.

With the help of everyone, Chen You and Yan Shu created a vegetable plot and planted the vegetable seeds. The next step was to carry out the main task, collecting manure.

That’s definitely hard work.

Chen You resolutely refused to obey his superiors’ arrangement. Let me carry manure, dream on!

Director Yan only said one sentence, “I hate the stench.”

Chen You glared, so what about it? You are especially shameless! You think it stinks, so you make me go? I also have two nostrils on my face, not one less than you, okay?

“Rock, Paper, Scissors. The loser picks up manure, and the winner waters the vegetables.”

Yan Shu agreed.

Chen You smiled and said, “I’ll give you rock.”

Yan Shu said, “I will give rock too.”

In the end, Chen You picked scissors, and Yan Shu picked rock.

“……”

Yan Shu smiled, “I knew you were good to me, wife, thank you.”

Chen You kicked the man angrily, “Roll.”

His eyes rolled, “Ai wait, we’ll play two out of three.”

Yan Shu put his hands in his pockets and said, “It’s too late. The outcome has already been decided. Let’s wait until next time.”

Chen You raised his middle finger to the man’s back.

He found something to plug his nose, went to dig manure into a wooden bucket, then carried it to the vegetable field.

There is absolutely no such thing as “first time is new, second time is familiar” in this kind of situation.

With the nutrients, the vegetable garden will soon be green.

Chen You and Yan Shu both felt a sense of accomplishment and were waiting to eat the vegetables they grow.

One day a few months later, Shan Liang’s postcard arrived in Chen You’s hands.

It was delivered by a strange man, who handed it to Chen You and left without saying a single word.

Chen You took the postcard and looked at it. There were a few lines of words on it, very neat.

He looked at the words, and seemed to see the young man sitting at the table, holding a pen and writing seriously.

Must have been a good student when he was in school.

The content on the postcard told Chen You that Shan Liang went to a village on a cliff. The villagers had to go to a very far place to fetch water every day. They had to climb the ladder hanging on the rock wall, which was dangerous and hard.

Every drop of water is hard to come by.

Chen You put the postcard back into the book without even turning his head, “If you have anything to say, just say it.”

Yan Shu leaned against the door, “Don’t let the other party rely on you too much.”

“Chen You, both you and I are going to leave.”

Chen You said that he knew Shan Liang would meet new friends, and more friends, and eventually forget about him. He turned around and asked, “Aren’t you jealous?”

Yan Shu touched his face, “What do you think?”

Chen You was horrified, and quickly hooked the man and kissed him.

In the third year after arriving in the village, Dr. Zhou got married and sent a bag of wedding candy to Chen You.

It’s troublesome, and he has to go to town to pick it up by express delivery.

Chen You took the wedding candy back with great difficulty, peeled the candy and put it in his mouth.

He sighed twice. Dr. Zhou has become rich. The candy is all imported. It tastes sweet and sour, bitter and a little spicy at the end.

The taste is quite strange, which can leave a deep impression on people who eat candy.

This alone shows that Dr. Zhou has put a lot of thought into this, and it also reveals that he and his future significant other are truly in love.

Not sure what Yan Shu was doing in the room. He didn’t come out for a long time. It was only after Chen You called him several times that he opened the door.

“Wedding candy, from Dr. Zhou.”

Yan Shu adjusted his cuffs, “You went to town for this thing, don’t mind the hassle.”

Chen You used his tongue to press the candy against his mouth and rolled it in circles, “Just think of it as a form of exercise to familiarize myself with the terrain.”

“There is a barber shop in town. We can go there to get a haircut later. There is also a small supermarket with a lot of stuff…”

As Chen You continued to talk, he realized something was wrong. The man’s silence made him panic.

The candy in his mouth couldn’t taste anything, so Chen You looked for the system, “Is it possible to get some antidotes for Yan Shu?”

System said, “No.”

Chen You said, “Help me, I beg you.”

System still gave the same answer.

Chen You was desperate, and kept begging the system, not caring about his face or dignity.

System was annoyed by him, “The medicine was there, but it was stolen.”

Chen You was angry, “Which bastard stole it?”

System said, “Your man.”

Chen You said, “…” So cool. He can even get things from the platform.

And yet he felt something was wrong, “Why is Yan Shu still so pale?”

System said, “You want him to accompany you until you are ninety-nine. In order to prolong his life, he will naturally have to inject a large amount of medicine and endure pain.”

Chen You felt very uncomfortable after hearing this. He pulled the man’s clothes and said, “Don’t accompany me until the age of ninety-nine.”

Yan Shu didn’t hear clearly, “Hmm?”

Chen You’s voice was filled with tears, “I don’t want you to accompany me until I’m ninety-nine.”

Yan Shu frowned, “What’s wrong? I will definitely do what I promised you.”

I know, but the more you say this, the more panicked I get. Chen You is being unreasonable and just doesn’t want Yan Shu to accompany him until he is ninety-nine.

Yan Shu had no choice but to follow his advice.

Since that day, Yan Shu’s complexion has obviously improved.

A person’s life is predetermined, whether it is long or short. To change it by force is to go against nature.

It will inevitably cost a huge price.

In the seventh year in the village, Chen You discussed with Yan Shu for a few nights, chose a good day, and went abroad to get the marriage certificate.

They swore an oath under the witness of the priest, promising to stay together forever.

Not long after fulfilling his greatest wish, an unexpected person came to the village. It was Bai Xu.

Chen You was busy in the kitchen and didn’t care about the things in the main room.

Yan Shu and Bai Xu sat on each side, with two cups of steaming tea on the table.

Bai Xu spoke first, “The second year after you left, I suddenly had a suspicion.”

“So many years have passed, but that suspicion has never been dispelled.”

Yan Shushu remained calm and said, “I am infected.”

Bai Xu was as calm as him. Perhaps he had doubted it for many years and had subconsciously accepted it.

“Then how are you going to take the medicine in this godforsaken place?”

“Am I not living well?”

Bai Xu didn’t ask any more questions. When faced with such a thing, there was nothing else to say except that it was bad luck. He was quite surprised at his old classmate’s unusual mentality, which could even be said to be weird.

If it were him, he would just complain about everything, feel that life is hopeless, and his life would be a mess.

After drinking a sip of tea, Bai Xu glanced at the ring on his old classmate’s ring finger and said in surprise, “When did it happen? Why didn’t you call me?”

Yan Shu said it was last month.

Bai Xu smelled the aroma of the food and said, “You live better than me. I don’t even have anyone to take care of my meals.”

Looking towards the kitchen, Yan Shu’s eyes were gentle.

It is very difficult to meet someone you like. It took him several lifetimes to find that person.

Bai Xu left after dinner and did not stay overnight.

A few years later, the elderly in the village returned to their roots, and the children grew up and went to the big dye vat in the city, waiting to be dyed in various colors.

The whole village was quiet.

Chen You and Yan Shu spent several years together without being disturbed.

Shan Liang’s postcards never stopped. The contents on them were no longer cold things, but now included the girl he liked. It seemed that for him, as long as there was someone somewhere to talk to him, it would be enough.

No response required.

Chen You didn’t reply either. He just accepted the postcard, read it, and let it go.

That feeling is quite special, just like watching a person who has fallen down slowly stand up and face life and himself again.

One autumn, Yan Shu fell ill and was on his death bed.

Chen You sat in front of his bed, touching his face, his hands, his arms and legs, and sighed and felt sad.

Although it was agreed, I hope to see you again.

However, even if we can really see each other again, the separation of life and death at this time is reality.

Yan Shu was helpless, “Why are you crying? It was you who said you didn’t want me to accompany you until you were ninety-nine.”

“That’s what I said, but you can’t just leave me without saying goodbye, right?”

Chen You’s heart was in turmoil. If you leave, my mission will fail, and there will be no future between us.

He couldn’t say it, the damn restrictions wouldn’t let him say it.

Yan Shu’s expression became stubborn, “Chen You, why haven’t you remembered me yet…”

Chen You felt a chill on his back, “I don’t know either.”

Yan Shu lowered his eyelids, his lips moved, if you don’t remember it now, then it will be too late.

One night, Chen You suddenly woke up. He leaned over to the man’s ear and called, “Yan Shu, Yan Shu, open your eyes and look at me. I remember.”

“Really, I really remember that the first time you were Second Master, and the second time we met was in prison…”

Chen You’s face was full of tears. He wiped his eyes and said, “Yan Shu, did you hear me? I remember everything now!”

The man closed his eyes and did not respond.

Chen You checked his breath, his fingers trembled, and he broke down and cried.

The next second, Chen You’s body shook as he heard the prompt tone of mission completion.

Yan Shu heard Chen You’s words at the last moment before his consciousness disappeared, and his evil thoughts value returned to zero.

Chen You sat there in a daze, and after a while he raised his hand and touched the frozen curve of the man’s lips. Look how happy you are.

Ai, he finally recovered his memory, but he almost failed the mission.

God helped him in the end.

Chen You went to get a new set of clothes for Yan Shu to change into, and then went to find a comb to comb his hair, which was mixed with a lot of white. He still looked very handsome.

“Old 4, when I’m gone, you can start a fire and burn me and Yan Shu, along with this old house.”

System agreed.

When the countdown was up, Chen You was taken out of this world and appeared in the next mission world. He habitually scratched his head, but found that what he lifted was a big claw.

He was still a little fuzzy, but suddenly woke up, frightened.

Chen You looked around hastily. He was on the balcony. The space was quite large and there were many flowers and plants. This was not important, really, what matters is that he is in a cage, a birdcage at that.

After being stiff for a while, Chen You looked down at himself. What caught his eyes were black bird feathers. He shuddered with fear, “I am not a human?”

System said, “You are not.”

Chen You trembled and slapped his head with his claws. It hurts. This was not a dream, “I am a big black bird?”

System said, “Not many people can make their dreams come true. You are so lucky.”

Chen You, “…”

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T/N:- Arc is over. I will try to update daily from now on.

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