However, Xu Zhengyang no longer bothers to study or ponder the historical myths and anecdotes recorded in the past.
Based on his own experiences and observations, the situation differs significantly from the descriptions in legends and myths. For example, the scenes in the underworld, whether it's the Bridge of Helplessness or the so-called reincarnation and other such nonsense, are completely different from reality.
Moreover, Xu Zhengyang strongly doubted whether the various divine positions mentioned in those legends and records truly existed.
Because many clergy have different names but perform the same routine duties, it's really confusing and frustrating when they're called this in one book and that in another.
Ultimately, the priesthood is arranged by God, while the stories and records in classical texts are written by humans.
Perhaps the ancients were directly influenced by the gods, or even saw the gods, or perhaps the gods themselves wrote some records. Later, after humans learned a little about these things, they used their boundless imagination to fabricate many inexplicable things in them.
Sitting by the stove, Xu Zhengyang stuffed firewood into the fire while pondering when to take another trip to the underworld. Since there were offices for the ghost messengers, there should also be an office for the King of Hell; he just hadn't found it last time. After all… the underworld is truly vast!
Volume 3, Judge, Chapter 143: A Car Accident, A Ghost Messenger
On the morning of the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, the weather was clear and the azure sky looked as if a layer of deep blue seawater had been painted over and then frozen in the sky.
A large, high-sided, four-axle freight truck exited the Jingming Expressway at the Fuhe City South Exit and headed towards Fuhe City. In the passenger seat, Zhang Hao, beaming with excitement, was smoking and humming a tune. The driver in the back sleeper berth wasn't asleep either; he sat there chatting happily with the driver.
They had originally planned to stay in Beijing for the Spring Festival this year, because on the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, their truck delivered goods to Beijing. Jinghui Logistics Company's branch in Beijing had just opened and hadn't yet become a full-fledged freight station; it only shipped goods from Fuhe City to Beijing, stopping at a branch in the provincial capital to unload a shipment along the way. Therefore, on the return trip, they would mostly find freight forwarding stations to pick up cargo.
As it turned out, it was the end of the twelfth lunar month, and not only were the freight distribution stations closed, but most of the long shipping holidays were also over. So Zhang Hao and his team's truck couldn't pick up any goods for the return trip.
However, returning from Beijing empty would cost more than 1,500 yuan.
At first, the boss, Zhan Xiaohui, suggested that if all else failed, they could find a parking lot, leave the car in Beijing, and the three of them could take the train home for the Chinese New Year. Unfortunately, when the three of them excitedly arrived at the train station, they couldn't buy train tickets.
The three men were in a terrible predicament, frantically searching for a freight depot to pick up their goods... It was past 10 p.m. on the 27th of the twelfth lunar month. Zhan Xiaohui called them directly, telling them to come back empty-handed and go home for the New Year!
Zhang Hao and his two companions were so excited and grateful! They kept thanking their boss for being so kind.
While on the highway, Zhang Hao had been nagging the driver, begging him to let him drive for about a hundred kilometers. He was now practically a half-baked driver, lacking only experience on regular roads and a large truck driver's license. But before they exited the highway, the driver switched him with someone else.
During the Chinese New Year, the driver didn't want this half-baked guy without a driver's license to cause any more accidents while driving.
The truck quickly crossed the Fuhe Bridge and entered the Fuhe urban area. Ahead was the Fuming Roundabout, the intersection of East Ring Road, South Ring Road, and Fuming Road. A short distance east of the roundabout was Jinghui Logistics Company.
The truck was moving, neither fast nor slow.
The weather was clear, but the wind outside was biting cold, and there were few pedestrians on the roadside. In the distance, the two drivers and Zhang Hao all saw a young man in a green cotton coat standing by the roadside, smoking and wandering in the cold wind.
Zhang Hao and the other two didn't pay much attention.
However, just as the truck reached the roundabout, turned right, and prepared to drive along the north side of the roundabout onto the East Ring Road... a sudden change occurred! The young man in the green cotton coat seemed to have his eyes fixed on the truck, and just as it was about to pass him, he suddenly rushed to the front of the truck!
The driver slammed on the brakes! Amidst the screeching sound of brakes, there was a dull thud.
Blood splattered immediately, covering the windshield with bloodstains. The three people inside the car witnessed the young man in the green military coat being thrown seven or eight meters away by the impact, lying in the middle of the road like a pile of rotten flesh.
"Holy shit!" Zhang Hao kicked hard with his feet and braced himself with his hands in front of him. He leaned back violently, cried out in surprise, and then felt a wave of fear and nausea, and vomited.
He had only been driving for less than six months and had never had the chance to witness such a horrific car accident firsthand, let alone experience it in person.
The driver was stunned for a moment before quickly saying, "Quick, call the police!"
"It's over, there's no hope." The driver in the back berth rubbed his chest, his face extremely pale. When the accident happened, he reacted quickly and fell to his side behind the passenger seat, thus avoiding being thrown forward during the sudden braking. However, his chest still slammed hard against the passenger seat.
After vomiting until his stomach was empty, Zhang Hao, pale-faced and shivering with sweat, got out of the car. Standing in the biting cold wind, he looked at the young man lying in a pool of blood in front of him and muttered tremblingly, "Why, why did you have to do this? It's the New Year... You, you're fucking ripping people off!"
Anyone could see that the young man who died committed suicide!
It's safe to assume that Zhang Hao and his two friends will have little chance of going home for the Spring Festival this year; even if they do manage to go home, with this incident on the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, they won't be able to have a comfortable holiday.
Soon, sirens blared, and two police cars sped up from a distance...
...
When the car accident happened, in Shuanghe Village, Xu Zhengyang was in his bedroom, looking helpless but calm... and gazing "affectionately" at each other.
Since giving himself and Chen Chaojiang a break from the antique shops in Fuhe City and choosing to enjoy family time at home instead, he hadn't seen Li Bingjie again. He did tell Grandpa Gu, Yao Chushun, that if Li Bingjie went there again, he should tell her he had gone home and that if she wanted to find him, she should go to Shuanghe Village.
Xu Zhengyang didn't have many other thoughts about Li Bingjie besides the lingering feelings of his first love. Unlike other young people in love who would miss each other terribly if they didn't see each other for a day, or feel restless if they didn't kiss, hold hands, and exchange sweet words, their relationship wasn't romantic. Rather, it was a very strange friendship.
So these past few days, Xu Zhengyang really hasn't been thinking about why Li Bingjie hasn't come yet.
Unexpectedly, on the morning of the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Li Bingjie arrived as usual, without any warning.
This time, he didn't come empty-handed; unusually, he brought some nutritional supplements. Li Chengzong, on the other hand, came empty-handed, his expression calm as if nothing was amiss. However, when he saw Xu Zhengyang, he conveyed to Xu Zhengyang with his eyes that he was also helpless.
Well, now that Li Bingjie is at home, Yuan Suqin no longer dares to have the same annoyance she used to have.
The couple hurriedly came out of the inner room. They laid out melon seeds, candy, and fruit to entertain them, and then quickly took out the electric heater from the inner room and turned it on to its maximum.
Li Bingjie was indeed acting very strangely today. Unlike usual, she didn't ignore everyone and went straight to Xu Zhengyang's bedroom to stare at him face to face. Instead, after entering the room, she paused for a moment, then slowly sat down on the sofa, placed the gifts she was carrying on the coffee table, looked at Xu Zhengyang, and uttered a few words in a cool and indifferent tone: "Wishing you an early Happy New Year."
Everyone could tell from those words that the "early New Year greetings" were clearly directed at Xu Zhengyang's parents.
Unfortunately, Li Bingjie said these words to Xu Zhengyang, and the words coming from her mouth sounded utterly insincere. It was as if someone forced her to say them, or as if she was only saying them out of respect for Xu Zhengyang.
Everyone in the room was stunned, including Li Chengzong.
Because everyone knows what kind of person Li Bingjie is, it's already very rare for her to say a word, let alone come to wish someone an early New Year.
Unexpectedly, after saying this, Li Bingjie got up and walked towards Xu Zhengyang's bedroom on her own.
Xu Zhengyang was terrified and hurriedly jumped up, leaping into the bedroom before Li Bingjie could reach him. This caused Li Chengzong's eyes to narrow, almost leading to a misunderstanding, and he couldn't resist pulling out his pistol and grabbing Xu Zhengyang!
How could Xu Zhengyang not be anxious? He hadn't even bothered to put away the clothes he'd changed out of this morning on the bed, including a pair of underwear.
After Li Bingjie entered the bedroom, Xu Zhengyang stood calmly with a smile by the computer desk: "Bingjie, I can use the internet now. Do you have a QQ number? Let's add each other as friends, we can chat sometime, we can even video chat..."
Li Bingjie glanced at the computer, then walked to the desk and sat down. She turned to the side, looked up, and quietly gazed at Xu Zhengyang.
So Xu Zhengyang sat up straight, staring intently at Li Bingjie, as if to say, "I didn't do anything, I didn't do anything..."
In the past, Li Chengzhong would not have disturbed the two of them when they were alone. However, due to Xu Zhengyang's sudden action just now, Li Chengzhong was still shaken. He followed Xu Zhengyang into the bedroom and noticed that the neatly folded bedding at the head of the bed was a bit messy, and there were obviously some things underneath.
Xu Zhengyang smiled at Li Chengzong and winked.
Li Chengzong smiled knowingly, his face clearly saying "I understand," then turned and left the house to politely wish Xu Neng and Yuan Suqin a Happy New Year before going to have tea.
"Bingjie, this year is almost over..." Xu Zhengyang sighed softly and said seriously, "It can't go on like this forever, right?"
After a while, Li Bingjie said softly, "I'm fine."
"Hmm." Xu Zhengyang didn't refute, nodded, and then said, "I think it's pretty good too."
A hint of surprise flashed in Li Bingjie's ethereal and indifferent eyes.
“But that won’t look good to others.” Xu Zhengyang scratched his head and laughed. “You have to think more about others, well, I mean your family, your grandfather, father, mother, brother… and Brother Li who has always protected you.”
"I'm thinking of you too, aren't I?"
Xu Zhengyang was embarrassed. Well, he meant no talk, but when he did speak, he was so direct. At least give him some face.
However, Xu Zhengyang showed no sign of guilt and calmly retorted, "Why should I care about you? I'm not going to marry you, so why should I be afraid of what people say behind my back?"
Why not?
"Hmm? You'd like to be my wife?"
Li Bingjie remained silent, her ethereal and indifferent eyes revealing no emotion, but a barely perceptible blush appeared on her fair and jade-like cheeks.
Xu Zhengyang, with his sharp eyes, noticed the slightest thing and immediately said, "If you want to be my wife, you have to change your temper. How can you be so cold to everyone all the time? I may not mind, but what about your parents-in-law? You have to be filial, right? Who are you showing that long face to all the time? Also, Rouyue is a good girl. When she finds a husband, you, as her sister-in-law, will have to take the lead... Hmm, putting all that aside, let's just talk about me. I married a wife who's like a fairy, but she's always so cold. Won't those jealous guys say behind my back that I married a grandmother to serve? What if they say you're like the Heavenly Child Granny... Where will I put my face then?"
Xu Zhengyang kept talking, looking very serious.
"You, stop talking." Li Bingjie finally interrupted Xu Zhengyang, her cheeks flushing even more, and a hint of anger flashed in her ethereal and indifferent eyes.
"You're angry," Xu Zhengyang said softly, his eyes filled with tenderness and relief.
Li Bingjie was stunned.
“That’s good.” Xu Zhengyang smiled and said, “I know you understand everything in your heart, but you don’t like to talk much or pay attention to people. You don’t think there’s anything wrong with that… But you do have a kind of illness, um, you should know, it’s called autism.”
Li Bingjie opened her mouth, but still didn't say anything.
"Like your family, I also want you to get better." Xu Zhengyang said with a smile, very sincerely, "They are your family, and I am your friend. Yes, I'm a very loyal person..."
“They’re not good to you,” Li Bingjie suddenly said.
“I know.” Xu Zhengyang nodded. “Selfishness is human nature. No matter who it is, even Old Li is still like this. I know very well what they do and what they think.
Li Bingjie asked, "Are you a god?"
His tone was calm, yet tinged with a hint of doubt.
"I told you so!" Xu Zhengyang chuckled. "Didn't you believe me?"
Li Bingjie remained silent.
“I’m so lucky, really.” Xu Zhengyang sighed and said softly, “To have a friend like you, a confidant, to talk to about these things, and the fact that you didn’t tell anyone this secret, even if you don’t believe it at all… Anyway, I’m very touched and grateful that you didn’t tell your closest grandfather.”
“Grandpa could have thought of that,” Li Bingjie said.
“Yes, I just guessed something else, it has nothing to do with God.” Xu Zhengyang nodded and continued, “He said that if I cure your illness, he can forgive me if I make a mistake in the future.”
Li Bingjie nodded slightly.
Xu Zhengyang smiled, a confident smile, and said softly, "Bingjie, whether you can recover from your illness is up to you. I respect your decision."
Li Bingjie tilted her head, seemingly deep in thought.
"When you get back, don't tell anyone. It might not be good for me or your family," Xu Zhengyang said calmly.
Li Bingjie nodded.
"On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, I went to pay my respects to my ancestors."
Li Bingjie nodded again.
"Would you like me to help you cure your illness?"
Li Bingjie did not answer; her expression was cold, and her eyes were ethereal and indifferent.
Xu Zhengyang scratched his head and said with a wry smile, "Actually, I'm very conflicted. If I cure your illness, they'll probably not let me see you anymore; but if I don't cure your illness, they'll feel hopeless soon and then won't let us see each other again... What should I do?"
Li Bingjie tilted her head and looked at Xu Zhengyang, seemingly waiting for him to come up with a solution.
"Shall we elope?" Xu Zhengyang said through gritted teeth, then added with a shameless grin, "Or, or... how about we give them a taste of their own medicine..."
Before she could finish speaking, Li Bingjie stood up, interrupting Xu Zhengyang with her actions, and walked lightly toward the door.
Xu Zhengyang choked, thinking to himself, "Is it really that serious...?"
"I'm leaving." As Li Bingjie reached the bedroom door, she turned back and revealed a rare smile.
That smile when she turned around made Xu Zhengyang's heart tremble, and he almost couldn't resist rushing over and kissing Li Bingjie's face twice!