Chapter 1: A Dialogue with the Wild Boar
( Foreword: The capital has exploded, many people are gone, yet, in truth, no one knows that in this world, there is one more person )
Yun Zhao stared blankly at the woman whose face was smeared with tears and mucus, feeling an inexplicable warmth in his heart. He then raised his hand to wipe the sweat, tears, and mucus from the woman's face, but the more he wiped, the more there was. Pressed against the woman's chest, he could still feel her heart racing.
Yun Niang's smile rose from the nape of her neck, quickly spreading throughout her body, and finally radiating on her face. She did not know where the strength came from, but her frail arms surprisingly lifted the chubby Yun Zhao high up, and with all her might, she shouted at the group of men present: "My son is going to school, my son is not a fool!"
Yun Qi was taken aback and after a long pause, he stammered, "Your son has been possessed. I just saw it; he was talking to a wild boar spirit. He is a monster!"
In the winter, when there is not much work to be done, the people of Guanzhong, who adhere to the principle of eating heartily during busy times and lightly during leisure, will certainly not waste a single grain of food
The bluestone slab is the sunniest place in winter. At this moment, the sun is still behind Yushan. Yun Zhao lifts his face, allowing the morning's gentle sunlight to fall on his rosy, chubby cheeks. After a long while, he turns to the guest beside him and asks, "Do you know who I am?"
Yun Niang coldly laughed and said: "Even if a shrine is to be established, it must wait until next autumn. You should first endure the year of poor harvests before discussing it further"
Apart from some instinctual awareness of eating and drinking, it is as clean as a blank sheet of paper, as if it were a body specifically prepared for me
Yunqi, listen to me. From today onwards, all the rice fields that your family has been renting will be reclaimed. If you want to eat, go dig for food on the dry mountain. If you dare to slander my son again, I will invoke the family law and punish you without mercy
A young man in a green robe helplessly clasped his hands and said: "Madam Yun, this truly has nothing to do with us. Your young master is ill and usually enjoys running up the mountain. How did the blame end up on us?"
A widow with a naturally foolish son has no choice but to survive through a path of fierce determination
Yun Zhao still struggled to move to the edge of the bluestone slab, and then a guest took the initiative to make a little space for him
She is not like your mother, who is truly formidable; even without your father, she is capable of taking good care of you.
For the past six months, I have been pretending to be a fool, afraid to speak, fearing that if I say the wrong thing, I will be treated like a monster and drowned.
The towering Qinling Mountains have historically served as a barrier dividing the north and south. Ridges and peaks prevent the loess dust from encroaching southward, settling only on the sunlit slopes of the mountains
After finishing her words, she embraced Yun Zhao and descended from the bald mountain. Her heart was filled with joy, and her eyes were fixed on her son in her arms. She felt as if the wind was beneath her feet, wishing she could leap back to Yun's village in a single step to announce to everyone that her son was not a fool.
I actually do not know who I am, and in a state of confusion, I have become someone else's son
Behind her followed more than ten strong men, yet they seemed unable to outrun the small-footed woman, or perhaps they were unwilling to surpass her
The wild boar let out a loud grunt, and eight piglets quickly burrowed beneath their mother's belly, charging down the hillside amidst the swirling dust, soon disappearing into the low shrubs.
The little wild boars are very well-behaved and quite pleasing to the eye, each one squatting beside Yun Zhao, contemplating the meaning of life together as they face the rising red sun
Despite having spent six months together, the wild boars still lacked the ability to respond to Yun Zhao's words. Perhaps they felt that speaking to this creature, which walked on two legs with a black body and a red head, was a behavior that diminished their own worth.
Let me make it clear to you, even if my son is gone, you will not get anything. I will burn down the Yun family residence without leaving you a single penny
Once the world becomes bright, everything is illuminated and the dark thoughts are baked by the sunlight, the world appears exceedingly dull
Yun Qi angrily said: "The Yun family does not belong to you alone."
Mother, I am fine, these pigs are my friends
The winter in the Guanzhong hilly region is harsh and prolonged. Four consecutive years of drought have left vast areas of land exposed to the elements, and when the wind blows, dust rises, causing the sky to become overcast.
Engaging in idle chatter while basking in the sun tends to invite more disdain, Yun Zhao is a person of good manners, and even though he is very eager to speak, he once again closed his mouth.
A thin veil of green mist wraps around the mountainside, gently swaying with the morning breeze, causing the snow-capped Jade Mountain to appear and disappear intermittently
Alright, alright, alright, mother will hire the best teacher for you tomorrow
The guest did not like to hear him speak, so he closed his mouth. In the days to come as this winter is about to pass, basking in the sun is more important than anything else
A patterned little wild boar has just emerged from its mother's belly, its belly round and full, with two drops of milk still lingering at the corners of its mouth. It unceremoniously nudges Yun Zhao with its long snout, generously inviting him to drink the sweet milk.
A small, round black dot appeared at the foot of the bald mountain. It first looked up at the towering Jade Mountain, and then resolutely began to climb the bald mountain
Yun Zhao expressed his gratitude for the kindness shown to him, and in the spirit of reciprocity, he took out a millet cake from his pocket and handed it to the little wild boar
Yun Niang was overjoyed, tightly embracing Yun Zhao, her lips falling on her son's face like raindrops. After showering him with enough kisses, she laughed heartily and said to Yun Qi: "From now on, if anyone dares to call my son a fool, I will tear their mouth apart and reclaim all the land I rented to them, letting you heartless poor wretches starve."
The wild boar grunted in dissatisfaction, scratched its itchy belly with its hind legs, rolled over, and let the sun warm the other side of its body
In the village at the foot of the mountain, the occasional crowing of a rooster can be heard, but the sound is unable to penetrate the thin mist, firmly locked down at the base of the mountain, ultimately transforming into a low, mournful wail
However, remaining silent is not an option. As the foolish son of a landlord, my reputation has long been established. If I continue to feign ignorance, I fear that my nominal mother will likely lose her wits before I do.
This mountain was originally covered with trees like the other hills, but due to the persistent logging by the Yun family over the years, it has become a barren mountain
This makes me feel somewhat guilty, as I do not know whether I have deprived someone of their existence or if they have, in some way, utilized me in the unseen.
The sun gradually rose, and the bluestone slab became increasingly warm. More little pigs, having filled their bellies, began to stand at the edge of the bluestone slab to bask in the sun, while the enormous wild boar seemed to have fallen asleep
The world has turned into a land of yellow earth, where people can only cower and struggle to survive in the dust. Some have died, and before long, they will be covered by the yellow earth.
Yun Niang chuckled and said: "Even if I am possessed, it is the spirit of the Yun ancestors that has taken hold. It is the old ancestors who, seeing my plight as a lonely mother with an orphaned child, have sent this wild boar spirit to enlighten my son.
It is called Bald Mountain, but in reality, it is covered with grass; it just appears somewhat unremarkable when compared to the lush and verdant Jade Mountain
There were still some remnants of snow on the ground, and Yun Zhao did not feel any pain. He brushed off the snowflakes from his backside and sat back down on the bluestone slab
Yun Zhao lay in his mother's arms, resting his head on her shoulder, watching the group of wild boars that had already turned around the foot of the mountain, waving goodbye to them from a distance
Yun Qi coldly snorted and said: "You care so much for your son, let him call you 'mother' first so I can hear it!"
The dawn gradually brightened, and the small face of Yun Zhao became increasingly clear, with a pair of black eyes that seemed capable of absorbing light, making it impossible for one to look away.
It is precisely because the patriarch of the Yun family is a fool that he adopted my son to you. It is not as sordid as you might think; it is for the sake of our Yun family, to ensure that we are no longer bullied by others
Therefore, such a breakfast holds no appeal for Yun Zhao
From today onwards, he will be the son of this woman, named Yun Zhao
From today onwards, he has completely opened his heart and fully integrated with this body
Regaining her composure slightly, she wiped the tears from her face and, holding Yun Zhao, glared fiercely at those men, saying: "Were you the ones who lured my son here?"
The wild boar is actually quite warm, so Yun Zhao leaned against the belly of the wild boar. In the winter, it is rare to find fleas or similar pests on the wild boar. At the foot of Yushan, there are many springs emitting a sulfurous smell, and the wild boar, which bathes more frequently than humans, is naturally cleaner than people
Lantian County is located at the foot of the Qinling Mountains. The climate here is as harsh as that of the Loess Plateau. Due to the presence of the Qinling Mountains and its location at the source of rivers, this area is not arid. Although it is predominantly mountainous, it can still be considered one of the few fertile lands in Guanzhong, known for its abundance of fish and rice.
Unlike the jade mountain wrapped in white snow and green pines, there stands a bare hill beside it
The equipment he wore was quite unsuitable for climbing, whether it was the cotton jacket that clung to him like a silkworm, the thick cotton pants, the clumsy cotton shoes, or the ancestral red tiger hat tied around his head, all of which became obstacles to his ascent
On the other side of the mountain, there are still mountains, with only a single opening leading to the distance. After a few twists and turns, it is obscured by the hills.
The wild boar stood up, stretched out its long snout, and sniffed vigorously at the millet cake in Yun Zhao's hand, not sensing anything amiss. It then slowly climbed down again to continue nursing the other piglets that had not yet had their fill.
Yun Zhao broke the bread into small pieces and fed them to the little wild boar, which ate with great delight
This is merely a routine game for the wild boars, as they have experienced such events many times before. Yun Zhao also had no interest in this scene.
The wild boar ran away, the woman dropped the wooden fork, and with one motion, she embraced Yun Zhao, crying out as if she were slaughtering a pig
As Yun Zhao just got up, he saw a woman dressed in a blue open-front coat leap out from behind a large rock at an incredible speed, brandishing a wooden fork and bravely charging towards the enormous wild boar.
The small guest is easy to talk to, but the large guest is not so accommodating. Whether it is his fur, hard as armor, or the two tusks protruding from his mouth, along with the scars left from his encounters with leopards, all prove that he is the true master of this slab of bluestone, while Yun Zhao is merely a dispensable guest
The little wild boar seemed to have no time to listen to Yun Zhao's nonsense. Having just finished eating millet cakes, the aroma of the grain was irresistible to him. Therefore, at this moment, he was licking Yun Zhao's hand
Yunqi stared intently at Yun Zhao in Yun Niang's arms for a long while before finally cupping his hands and saying: "Calling someone 'mother' is nothing remarkable; being able to read is what truly counts"
Yun Qi angrily said: "You have given birth to a foolish son, who has already brought disgrace to the Yun family. Over the years, how much of the Yun family's farmland, waterways, mountainous areas, and timberland has been encroached upon by the Qian family?"
Yun Niang let out a cold laugh and said, "Is your son really better than mine?"
My son, if anything were to happen to you, how would I live? You wretched child, why did you go up the mountain before dawn? You scared me to death...
Due to the frailty of his body, Yun Zhao needed to use both hands and feet to overcome the slippery ground and strive to propel himself to the summit.
Yun Zhao hugged his mother's neck to avoid Yun Qi's gaze and said: "Mother, is it alright if I follow the teacher to study tomorrow?"
Tell me, do I look like a thief like this
The village at the foot of the mountain is filled with curling smoke, yet this smoke does not bring any delicious food to the people; it is merely a thin porridge that can barely cast a shadow of a person.
There are already guests on the piece of bluestone slab that is usually sat upon during ordinary days
That woman is not capable; her fierceness is all an act. It is only in the dead of night, when she holds hetushu.com and I am crying, that I can see the confusion and sorrow in her eyes
Upon settling down with the large knife, Yun Zhao let out a long sigh. Being too small, his lung capacity was insufficient, thus he did not achieve the effect of exhaling like an arrow.
I always feel that something is amiss in this world, or perhaps I am the one who is not quite right; in any case, one side has made a significant mistake
The woman continued to scream loudly, her hands tightly embracing Yun Zhao, as if she wanted to press him into her body.
You may not know, but I am the only hope of that widow. She has had a difficult time these past few years, and there are always people wanting to adopt their son to her, under the pretext of taking care of me, this fool. Tell me, should I become wise?
Her son is a fool; when I came over, his mind was completely empty, with nothing in it
You ask, should I not use this body with confidence and justification
Yun Niang glanced at her son in a somewhat guilty manner, only to find him smiling at her, his big, bright eyes twinkling as he called out cheerfully, "Mother!"
The guest remained indifferent, only a small guest leaned against him and rubbed against him forcefully, causing Yun Zhao to immediately sit down on the ground.
Nevertheless, he still climbed the mountain
In the hazy atmosphere, the wild boar behind Yun Zhao suddenly stood up, letting out a piercing scream. Yun Zhao's small body was overturned by the boar, and in a disoriented state, she heard an even more sorrowful female voice cry out, "My child..."
Xiao Liu, tell me, is it me who is wrong, or is it the world that is wrong
However, Yun Zhao could see clearly that the woman in blue had a fierce expression, running wildly while loudly scaring the wild boar, saliva flying everywhere...! ... It seemed that she was truly very frightened
Yun Niang, upon hearing these words, became even angrier. She pointed at the leading man and said: "Yun Qi, it must be you who did this. You have been plotting against me and my son for quite some time now. Now, do you want to kill my son to achieve your goal of adopting your foolish son?"
Yun Zhao spoke, but she did not hear a word; fear seized her consciousness, and all she wanted was to protect her son, whom she had lost and found again, in her embrace
The red sun peeks out from the mountainside of Yushan, lazily hanging there, lacking in vigor. The faint cold mist that originally lingered in the valley gradually dissipates upon the sun's emergence