Nightmare

Chapter 4

Every time Lin Hong painted the woman in the third-floor window, her face would turn deathly pale, her lips would become bloodless, and her slender fingers holding the paintbrush would tremble violently.

Teacher Lou was no longer willing to acknowledge her as his student, but upon seeing the painting, he still frowned and asked, "Who is that woman locked in the room?"

Lin Hong stared blankly at the oil painting, and after a long time, she answered in a trembling voice, "That's me, that's me, that woman, she's me!"

Teacher Lou looked at her with suspicion, then sighed deeply, completely giving up his last hope for Lin Hong.

However, ever since she painted the picture that Lin Hong had been searching for since childhood, it was as if a huge weight had been lifted from her heart. She suddenly became relaxed and calm, no longer as absent-minded as before, and no longer lost in daydreams. She suddenly became wise and mature. In less than three years, she was admitted to a nationally renowned art academy in Beijing. While her classmates were all immersed in the dream of becoming artists, she quickly transformed herself into one of the few home art designers in the country.

2)

From the moment she began to focus on interior design, Lin Hong completely cast aside the nightmare that had plagued her from childhood to adolescence. With a calm and composed mind, she enriched her knowledge from a vast sea of classic texts. Her painting skills were still mediocre; apart from the three-story villa, everything she painted looked clumsy, but this did not hinder her career development.

The year Lin Hong graduated, both her parents died in a car accident, and the sky that had sheltered her from the storms of life collapsed. Upon hearing the devastating news, Lin Hong, who was studying in Beijing, fainted on the spot. Her career hadn't even begun, and she hadn't yet repaid her parents for raising her; they had suddenly passed away. The grief of wanting to care for her parents but finding them gone is unbearable!

She returned to Taizhou and took a long-distance bus back to Jijialuo. With the help of her neighbors, she saw off her elderly parents, who were not yet old. Their passing was sudden, and they did not even leave her a word. The overwhelming sorrow turned into helpless longing in Lin Hong's heart.

In this desolate world, she began a solitary life, with no one to care about her or think of her anymore.

After seeing her parents off, Lin Hong wiped away her tears and began to consider her own survival. To make a living, she partnered with a friend to establish her own company in Taizhou, near the now-gone wasteland of the International Exhibition Center. Their main business was providing professional home design and art consultations to wealthy upper-class individuals. Business was poor; in fact, it was struggling. Taizhou was, after all, a small place with a nascent middle class, and the number of truly wealthy people was even smaller. From its inception, the company was operating at a loss.

In contrast to her quiet company business, as a beautiful, single, career-oriented woman, she is surrounded by a large number of suitors, all of whom are famous and influential figures. However, she cannot find a connection with any of them and remains in a state of ambiguity with each of them.

In reality, she knew very well that what was still troubling her emotions was that house.

Where is that house? What is its relationship to her? Why has she been searching for it since childhood? Does it even exist? Is it a memory from her past life, or a grudge from this life?

As long as these problems remain unresolved, her inner turmoil will remain unresolved.

Unable to resolve her inner turmoil, Lin Hong concealed her melancholy with a calm and composed demeanor. She had grown accustomed to being alone, experiencing the bitter taste of loneliness amidst the vast sea of people.

This state continued day by day, and slowly, a friend named Qin Fangcheng, who had always supported and encouraged her, entered her emotional world.

Qin Fangcheng's father, Qin Xuefeng, had worked for the Taizhou Municipal Government for a period of time before returning to his hometown. Qin Xuefeng had a deep friendship with Lin Hong's family, and Qin Fangcheng was also Lin Hong's university classmate. It was entirely thanks to Qin Fangcheng's support and assistance that Lin Hong was able to send her parents off in a grand manner. The masculine spirit that Qin Fangcheng displayed in presiding over the funeral became Lin Hong's source of reliance for the next two years.

Qin Fangcheng was also very handsome, tall and dashing. After graduation, he opened a building materials company in Taizhou City and was considered a successful man. He had always been Lin Hong's most persistent suitor. According to him, he fell in love with Lin Hong when she was in junior high school and performed a mulberry-picking dance at the school's sports meet. However, Lin Hong couldn't remember ever performing dances in her youth. Nevertheless, she admired him very much. But things always seem to go wrong; they loved each other but never had the chance to be together. Regardless, if it weren't for He Ming's appearance, Lin Hong's husband would most likely have been him.

Lin Hong and Qin Fangcheng had been together for two years. Everyone in their circle of friends knew they were a couple. They were similar in temperament and personality. Lin Hong was gentle and kind, while Qin Fangcheng was generous and kind. They had even looked at houses together several times and discussed their life after marriage. As they got to this point, the distance between them grew closer and closer. Occasional arguments only made them more tolerant of each other. No one could find a reason for them to break up.

The marathon courtship had left Qin Fangcheng and Lin Hong exhausted. They both felt they couldn't drag it out any longer, so Qin Fangcheng decided to find an opportunity to take things a step further.

One day in May, Qin Fangcheng drove his newly bought Mercedes-Benz and arranged to go to Meizhuang in the suburbs with Lin Hong. Unexpectedly, what was supposed to be an opportunity to solidify their relationship turned into a heartbreaking trip that led to their eventual breakup due to an inexplicable accident.

Meizhuang was the private residence of an industrial capitalist surnamed Mei during the War of Resistance against Japan. The villa is situated by the mountains and water, with an extraordinary presence, occupying almost all the vital energy of the sunny foot of Meishan Mountain. This old private residence once served as the villa of an official leader. After the reform and opening up, Meizhuang became a well-known tourist attraction in Taizhou, attracting throngs of tourists and a constant flow of vehicles every day.

Interestingly, despite the proximity of Plum Manor, Lin Hong and Qin Fangcheng had never visited it before. Many of us are in this situation; a place loses its mystique when it's too close. But when they considered choosing a nearby scenic spot, Plum Manor became their first thought. That day, they packed their camping tent and swimsuits, planning to camp after visiting the manor. If the nighttime temperature was suitable, they also planned to swim in the reservoir at the foot of the mountain under the moonlight. This was Lin Hong's first time relaxing since her parents' passing, and Qin Fangcheng also intended to take advantage of this opportunity to further their relationship, ideally moving directly to a more physical stage.

Qin Fangcheng drove to Meizhuang and parked the car at the foot of the mountain. He and Lin Hong then climbed the steps leading up the mountain. Along the way, they stopped to take pictures of the distinctive stone beams and pillars. Lin Hong curiously approached the crudely made handicrafts to examine them closely. They walked until after 3 p.m., finally reaching the halfway point where Meizhuang was located, exhausted and hungry. They quickly searched for a restaurant and finally found one at the very end of the mountain. They hurriedly went in, sat down, and ate what they couldn't tell was either lunch or dinner.

When they finished their meal and left the restaurant, it was already getting dark. The mountain wind at dusk was cold, making Lin Hong shiver. Only then did she realize how ridiculous her idea of camping had been. Qin Fangcheng quickly put his arm around Lin Hong's shoulder and said, "It's so cold, let's hurry down the mountain." The two of them lowered their heads and braved the wind, walking quickly down the mountain.

As the two searched for a restaurant, it seemed like only a few steps had passed, but when they went back, they could only see the distant shadow of the villa, never quite reaching it. As darkness fell, Lin Hong and Qin Fangcheng grew increasingly anxious, losing all interest in conversation and continuing their journey in silence. Occasionally, Lin Hong would stumble over a stone on the road, and Qin Fangcheng would reach out to help her.

Reaching a steep cliff, Qin Fangcheng suddenly chuckled. He needed to relieve himself and wanted to find a place to go. Lin Hong shoved him, annoyed, "Look at your wicked face! Go find somewhere secluded." Qin Fangcheng said, "Then wait for me here." He then began to descend the steep cliff face, hoping to find some shelter under some trees. However, the cliff was extremely steep, and Qin Fangcheng lost his footing on a loose rock, immediately losing his balance. With a cry, he tumbled down the slope.

3)

Hearing Qin Fangcheng's scream, Lin Hong was startled and hurriedly called out, "Hey, what's wrong?" But all she heard was the increasingly cold wind howling on the hillside, and she couldn't hear Qin Fangcheng's reply. Lin Hong panicked and, disregarding her embarrassment, rushed to the place where the two had parted ways, crying out, "Fangcheng, Fangcheng, are you alright? Don't scare me, I'm scared."

On the cold, silent hillside, Lin Hong's heart trembled involuntarily. She tried to climb down the cliff a few steps, hoping to find Qin Fangcheng's shadow, but the mountain was too steep, and she would fall if she was not careful. She had no choice but to turn back, sobbing, and ran towards the villa in a daze, trying to find someone to help her.

She ran to a protruding rocky cliff ahead and saw a group of people standing there, pointing and gesturing down the mountain. Lin Hong rushed over, shouting for help as she ran. She was running so fast that tears blurred her vision, and she lost her footing and fell to the ground.

Just then, a pair of hands supported her arms and helped her up from the ground. Lin Hong looked up and saw a fair and delicate face, as well as a pair of curious and warm eyes. She immediately grabbed the young man's hand tightly and turned back to point in the direction she had run from: "Over there, a friend of mine has fallen off a cliff. Please, please save him."

The young man's expression changed, and he waved his hand, saying, "You guys come here and quickly go down with this young lady to rescue her."

They followed Lin Hong to the spot where Qin Fangcheng had slipped and fallen. The young man first stood there and surveyed the terrain. His brows furrowed immediately, and he ordered someone to go to the mountain villa to find a rope. At the same time, he reported the incident to the local police station, because the cliff was too steep and without a rope, it would be very dangerous for someone to fall.

Seeing Lin Hong trembling pitifully, the young man took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. The warmth of his body lingered on the jacket, bringing Lin Hong immense comfort. She looked at the kind young man gratefully and said, "Thank you. I really don't know what to say." The young man simply smiled and said nothing.

This young man was He Ming, the boss of Minghua Industrial. He brought his company's employees to Meizhuang for team building training on his day off, but unexpectedly ran into Lin Hong.

More than an hour passed before the resort responded. Professional rescuers arrived with ropes, cotton-padded clothes, stretchers, and first-aid kits, among other wilderness survival equipment. The rescuers then split into two groups: one group climbed down the rope from where Qin Fangcheng had fallen to see if he was blocked by protruding rocks on the hillside, while the other group went around to the foot of the mountain to search for Qin Fangcheng.

Due to a shortage of rescue personnel, He Ming organized all the male employees in the company to take a detour down the mountain. He instructed two female employees to take Lin Hong to the room that their company had reserved at the foot of the mountain to rest. Lin Hong firmly refused, so He Ming had to accompany her personally, comforting and encouraging her from time to time, until Lin Hong's emotions gradually calmed down.

By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, it was already past ten o'clock at night. Although there was moonlight, visibility was poor, and they couldn't make out any figures. They split into several groups, carrying flashlights and searching everywhere, calling out to each other to keep in touch. After searching for more than two hours, they finally encountered the rescue team climbing down the cliff, but no one had found Qin Fangcheng.

The rescue team analyzed that Qin Fangcheng was most likely blocked by a protruding rock on the hillside during the fall. The darkness increased the difficulty of the search, and they suggested resuming the search the next morning. Hearing this, Lin Hong burst into tears. Seeing her distress, He Ming gently patted her shoulder and went over to ask:

"If he was on the hillside, why didn't he say anything when he saw you?"

The rescuers smiled wryly: "He must have hit his head and passed out."

He Ming asked again, "If that's the case, wouldn't he be in great danger? Even if he doesn't freeze to death that night, what if he wakes up in the middle of the night, moves his body, and falls down again?"

The rescuers shook their heads helplessly: "There's nothing we can do, we can only leave it to fate."

He Ming immediately said, "This won't do. Since we're going to save him, we have to do our best. How about this: we'll search from top to bottom again. We feel really bad that you've been working so hard in the middle of the night. Our Minghua Company is willing to give you 20,000 yuan to subsidize your adventure and hard work tonight. If you can find him tonight, the subsidy will be doubled."

Upon hearing this, the rescuers were greatly encouraged and immediately sprang into action, beginning a second round of search operations along the steep mountainside.

Standing to the side, Lin Hong heard He Ming's enthusiasm and generosity in helping with something that had nothing to do with her, and she felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Tears welled up in her eyes again, and she said to He Ming, "Mr. He, you are so kind. I don't know how to thank you enough."

He Ming smiled and said, "Thank me? No need for that. Just seeing you smile is the greatest gratitude I can ask for." After saying this, he realized he had misspoke, scratched his head, and hurriedly walked away.

Lin Hong stood there blankly, staring at his hazy figure in the moonlight, unable to speak for a long time.

After searching all night, they still couldn't find Qin Fangcheng. At dawn, the nearby township government organized many villagers to come and help. They searched all the surrounding mountains and forests, but still couldn't find Qin Fangcheng. He had mysteriously disappeared.

This unexpected result left Lin Hong dumbfounded. She insisted on waiting at the foot of the mountain for a whole day, and finally went to the hotel to rest after being persuaded by He Ming. The Mercedes-Benz that Qin Fangcheng had driven was still parked in the parking lot, but he seemed to have melted into the air, which made Lin Hong feel inexplicably uneasy.

After waiting for two more days at the foot of the mountain, Qin Fangcheng still hadn't appeared. Lin Hong, utterly helpless, had no choice but to take He Ming's car back to the city. Along the way, He Ming kept glancing at her, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated to speak. Lin Hong was a smart woman; as they parted, she asked, "Mr. He, if you have anything to say to me, please say it. I will always be grateful to you and will never hold a grudge."

He Ming rolled down the car window, looked at her for a long time, and finally said, "You'd better go check on your friend." After saying that, he drove away.

Standing there blankly, Lin Hong didn't move for a long time. He Ming's hint might have some merit, but she just couldn't accept it emotionally. It was hard to imagine that Qin Fangcheng would resort to such a trick as faking a fall off a cliff in order to get rid of her. Qin Fangcheng wasn't that kind of person, and his relationship with her wasn't as fragile as He Ming imagined.

However, she still listened to He Ming's advice and went to Qin Fangcheng's dormitory and his company. Sure enough, she didn't see him at either the dormitory or the company.

A perfectly healthy person just vanished without a trace.

4)

The day after returning from Meizhuang, He Ming called Lin Hong and invited her out for dinner. Although Lin Hong was in a terrible mood, she couldn't refuse his invitation. They sat facing each other at Shenghua Restaurant and ordered red-scaled turtle soup and braised turtle eggs. Lin Hong looked at these expensive dishes but couldn't eat a single bite. However, she was afraid of affecting He Ming's mood, so she forced a smile.

On the third day, He Ming called her again, this time to invite her for coffee. For the next month, he made sure to find a reason to sit with Lin Hong for a while every day. At first, it was just him talking, but later Lin Hong's mood gradually improved. After these formal romantic gestures, He Ming's dates with Lin Hong became more and more frequent, eventually progressing to the point where he not only invited her to dinner but also drove to find her for lunch. Moreover, the way he looked at her grew increasingly passionate, making her increasingly uneasy. Something about this man, with his determined and aggressive will, was invading her mind, leaving her bewildered and lost.

More than half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and Qin Fangcheng seemed to have vanished into thin air, with no trace of him. Apart from occasional puzzlement and confusion, Lin Hong had accepted this cruel reality.

The reality is that Qin Fangcheng's company had accumulated too much debt, so he took this opportunity to disappear.

Another week passed. It was during working hours when He Ming suddenly drove up and told Lin Hong something. The police had arrested a farmer named Fu Xiuying yesterday for trying to avoid a fine for having too many children. The reason she was arrested was that she had been going to the bank to withdraw money for several days with Qin Fangcheng's missing bankbook. After being taken to the police station, she told a very strange story, which was related to the missing Qin Fangcheng.

Upon hearing this news, Lin Hong was shocked and immediately took He Ming's car to the police station. There, she met the sallow-faced woman and her two beautiful daughters.

Fu Xiuying, a farmer, recounted her experience. She was from Pihe Village in a suburban county of Taizhou. Because her husband's family wanted a son but couldn't afford the fine, they fled to Taizhou city and hid in a shantytown on the outskirts of the city. She and her husband silently and diligently tried to conceive, producing five daughters in a row. Just as the couple was determined to have a son, tragedy struck. Her husband, a laborer at the construction site of the International Exhibition Center, was crushed to death when the building collapsed, leaving her alone with her five daughters. Afraid to return to their village, she built a shack next to the ruins of the International Exhibition Center and survived by scavenging for garbage.

Fu Xiuying, before getting married and having children, had attended school for a few years. However, after wholeheartedly dedicating herself to bearing sons for her husband's family, she forgot all the few characters she knew in elementary school. Instead, she devoutly obtained an embroidered image of Guanyin (the Goddess of Mercy) from a temple and reverently placed it on the table in her home, hoping the Bodhisattva would grant her prayers and give her a son.

She was a typical illiterate woman. She didn't even know that the compensation money for her husband's death had been embezzled by villagers. Instead, she sat in that makeshift shed that offered no shelter from the wind or rain all day, silently weeping and listening to the cries of her five daughters, helplessly lamenting her miserable fate.

One night a month ago, Fu Xiuying, the garbage collector, suddenly had a dream. In the dream, she saw the compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva of the South China Sea. The Bodhisattva told her: Your husband is at the foot of Meizhuang Mountain. As long as you go to the foot of the mountain at a certain time on a certain day, you will meet him.

The woman who collected garbage woke up and realized that she was simply missing her husband too much; what she thought about during the day manifested in her dreams at night. Although she was foolish, she wasn't so foolish as to believe a dream was real. She didn't take it seriously and continued to carry a shoulder bag, leading her two older daughters, to the garbage cans to collect aluminum cans to sell for money.

But the following night, Fu Xiuying had the exact same dream as the day before. In the dream, she saw Guanyin, with eyes full of compassion, standing before her bed, telling her to go to the foot of Plum Village to wait for her husband. When she woke up, Fu Xiuying muttered to herself and couldn't fall back asleep.

On the third night, Fu Xiuying lay awake, wanting to see for herself if the merciful Guanyin would truly appear. In the latter half of the night, after helping her youngest daughter urinate, she felt tired and sat down to rest. Unexpectedly, Guanyin appeared before her again. Overwhelmed with emotion, Fu Xiuying tried to get up, kneel down, and kowtow, but her body wouldn't move. Hearing Guanyin's compassionate voice, tears streamed down Fu Xiuying's face.

Now Fu Xiuying no longer doubted that Guanyin had truly bestowed a husband upon her, and her daughters had a father again, no longer afraid of being bullied. However, the journey from the city to Meishan was long, and although there were buses, Fu Xiuying dared not take one to show her piety. That day, she got up just as dawn broke, instructing her three older children to look after her two younger ones, as she would go and bring their father back. Then, she walked step by step to the foot of Meizhuang Mountain.

When the miraculous Guanyin revealed the exact location to her, Fu Xiuying sat alone at the foot of the mountain, patiently waiting. Hours passed, and as darkness fell, her husband still hadn't appeared. Fu Xiuying was deeply puzzled, but she firmly believed that the compassionate Guanyin wouldn't lie to her; if her husband was here, then he must be here.

As dusk settled and the night wind grew colder, Fu Xiuying looked around at the desolate mountains and began to hesitate. Had her sincerity not been enough? Had Guanyin taken her husband back again? Just as she was wavering and unable to make up her mind, she suddenly heard a scream from somewhere, and then saw a man tumbling down the mountain.

It really came! Fu Xiuying's spirits lifted, and she jumped up, running towards the man who had fallen down the mountain. The man was lying unconscious, his head and face covered in blood. Fu Xiuying turned his face and saw that the man was actually quite handsome. She immediately felt relieved and patted his cheek, saying, "Honey, honey, wake up! Are you alright?"

The man remained silent, not even breathing. Fu Xiuying felt a pang of panic and quickly placed her hand near his nostrils. Hmm, he was still breathing. Just as she felt relieved, she suddenly and frantically kowtowed to the heavens. Guanyin had promised her a husband, which naturally meant a man who could breathe. How dare she doubt Guanyin's power! She deserved to die.

After kowtowing, Fu Xiuying carried the unconscious man on her back, stumbling along the path. The man was heavy, but she wasn't afraid of hardship. She could endure any difficulty, and she wasn't afraid of suffering. What was a short distance compared to finding a father for her children? Alone, she carried the man, her stomach rumbling, on the road back to the city. It was laughable that Lin Hong and He Ming, those two clever fools, had searched the hillside, overthinking things, but never imagined that Qin Fangcheng would be carried away the moment he rolled down the slope.

Fu Xiuying carried Qin Fangcheng for half the night before returning to the city. When they arrived at their home in the shantytown, she could hear her youngest daughter crying loudly from hunger. She stopped, wiped the sweat from her brow, and called to her eldest daughter, "Big girl, come out and keep an eye on your dad."

When the two girls, Da Niu, Er Niu, and San Niu, heard that their father had returned, they rushed out excitedly. After taking a closer look at Qin Fangcheng, they became unhappy: "Mom, this isn't my dad."

Fu Xiuying said, "It's your father. He just came back from heaven."

Upon hearing her mother's explanation, the eldest daughter, who was the most sensible, immediately announced to her second and third sisters: "This is our dad. When he came back from heaven, he didn't stand properly when he landed and broke his head."

5)

Fu Xiuying hurried into the house, first grabbing a tap and gulping down a large amount of water, then getting into bed and breastfeeding her youngest daughter. Her bed was just a few wooden planks with bricks underneath, as rudimentary as it could be, but with the child's father back, Fu Xiuying was content with this simple life.

After feeding her youngest daughter, Fu Xiuying cleared a space on the wooden bed to settle Qin Fangcheng. As she went outside, she saw her three older daughters playing cat and mouse around the unconscious Qin Fangcheng, while her youngest daughter, Si Niu, who had just learned to walk, wobbled along at the back. She shooed the children away, then carried Qin Fangcheng into the house, placed him on the bed, and patted his face: "Honey, we're home. Wake up."

Qin Fangcheng's head twitched, and his lips moved, but he still didn't wake up. Seeing this, Fu Xiuying hurriedly called her daughters over: "Quickly, go out and find some straw rope. If you can't find straw rope, straw paper will do." The daughters ran off and soon returned with a few pieces of straw rope from the ruins of the International Exhibition Center, handing them to Fu Xiuying.

Then Fu Xiuying continued to instruct her daughters: "Go, eldest daughter, bring your father's lighter. Second daughter, go find a piece of white cloth. Third daughter, bring the scissors, be careful not to prick your sister." The daughters ran around as she ordered them to, and soon brought the items.

Fu Xiuying first cut the dirty white cloth into strips with scissors, then lit the straw rope with a lighter and put it into a large, rough porcelain bowl. Once the straw rope was completely burned to ash, Fu Xiuying stood up, grabbed a handful of the still-steaming ash, and forcefully pressed it against Qin Fangcheng's wound. Qin Fangcheng's body convulsed violently as he involuntarily struggled due to the stimulation of the wound. Fu Xiuying's eyes widened, and she straddled him, using the white cloth as a bandage to tightly wrap around Qin Fangcheng's wound. Qin Fangcheng gradually calmed down.

Following the prescription, Fu Xiuying applied ash to all of Qin Fangcheng's dozen or so wounds and then bandaged them up. This folk remedy took her nearly an hour, and she felt even more tired than carrying him back from the foot of Meizhuang Mountain. She sat down to the side, panting heavily, when she suddenly saw Qin Fangcheng's eyelids blink. She hurriedly called her daughters over: "Quick, your father is coming back! Quickly call your father's soul back!"

The eldest daughter immediately picked up the fifth daughter and led her four younger sisters to stand in a row in front of the bed, calling out "Daddy" in high and low voices. Qin Fangcheng was finally woken up. He opened his eyes in confusion and suddenly saw six snotty, dirty children standing in front of the bed under the dim light, calling him "Daddy". His eyes bulged outwards for a moment, and then he quickly closed his eyes.

"It's over," Qin Fangcheng thought, his head spinning. "Which era have I fallen into?" he wondered in a daze. He closed his eyes in despair, trying to fall asleep, hoping that when he opened them again, he would see a bustling city or Lin Hong's beautiful face. He slept for a whole night, only waking up the next morning. Before he even opened his eyes, he was met with utter disappointment by the shrill cry of a child beside him calling for his father.

Then, Qin Fangcheng saw Fu Xiuying's face full of concern: "Honey, are you alright?"

"It's okay, I'm fine," Qin Fangcheng replied groggily. He tried to get up, but he couldn't feel anything and couldn't move at all. Suddenly, he became frightened and hurriedly looked around.

The first thing he saw was a low shed with a bare wire running through it, and the walls were made of tinplate and scraps of cardboard. Cars were clearly passing by outside, their roars making the light bulb on the roof sway back and forth. The sight of modern transportation invigorated Qin Fangcheng, reminding him that he hadn't left the world he knew. But why was this sallow-faced country woman calling him "father of my child"? This question left him feeling inexplicably confused.

For a city dweller like Qin Fangcheng, encountering the "garbage collector" Fu Xiuying was like stepping into another era. This woman's mind was utterly absurd; she firmly believed in the omens in her dream and was convinced this man was her husband. Seeing Qin Fangcheng wake up, she sat down beside him with a sigh of relief, unable to hold back her tears as she began to ramble on:

"Honey, you're finally back. You have no idea how I've been these past few days. Since you left, the older children have been crying and the younger ones have been making a fuss, constantly demanding food and drink. How could I, an uneducated woman, possibly support such a family? Look at how poor we are now, we have nothing to eat. We even sold the refrigerator and TV you bought. Luckily, the children are sensible and help us collect aluminum cans to exchange for some money, which is how we barely survived. Honey, it's so good that you're back. Can we stop working on the construction site? We can survive by collecting garbage..."

Qin Fangcheng listened for a while, and couldn't help but feel uneasy. He wondered what he should call this peasant woman. "The child's mother" was definitely not appropriate. "Sister-in-law" seemed like the right way to address her. So he cleared his throat and said, "This... Sister-in-law, you must have mistaken me for someone else. I am not the child's father."

Fu Xiuying stepped forward, carefully examined Qin Fangcheng's face, and said with certainty, "That's right, I haven't mistaken you at all. You are the children's father. Don't you know I carried you back?"

Upon hearing Fu Xiuying's last words, Qin Fangcheng slowly remembered that he had fallen off a cliff on the way back to Meizhuang with Lin Hong. So he slowly moved his lips and said, "Sister-in-law, thank you for saving me and carrying me back, but I am really not the children's father."

"That's nonsense," Fu Xiuying said unhappily. "This is what Guanyin told me, how could it be false?"

"Guanyin?" Qin Fangcheng felt his brain was a bit overwhelmed: "The Guanyin you're talking about, is it the one in mythology who sits on a lotus platform, holding a vase, the compassionate and merciful Guanyin who saves people from suffering?"