I had no ability to win against my senior sister; this was all a feigned emptiness. My senior sister might see through it, but what if she did? Did Sima Yi truly not understand Zhuge Liang's empty fort strategy?
No.
The battlefield wasn't here at all. If Duan Dongyang's inhumane experiments and Zhu Guang's international gambling were attributed to my senior sister, her situation wouldn't be good either. Moreover, I had also comprehended a skill. Why was there "metaphysics" among Mr. Wende's many abilities? Now I knew. Metaphysics was the biggest scam. He, in his old age, had fabricated a "demon" out of thin air. And that old ghost had spoken the words "all things under heaven" his entire life, paradoxically, mysteriously.
So, I concocted this phrase: "The heart gives rise to thought, thought gives rise to cause, cause gives rise to effect"—the highest realm. Whether this realm was real or not, the report was fake, and there was no cause and effect. But I had mixed some truth into the falsehood, making it impossible to distinguish between real and fake, appearing like a cycle of cause and effect.
Everything weighed down on my senior sister's heart; even she had to consider it carefully.
"If that's the case, I'm leaving Beijing on today's flight."
"Where to?"
"Hong Kong!"
"That's more like it. Go have a chat with that old ghost. We'll never meet again. By the way, you're leaving today?"
"Yes!"
I smiled and took out my phone, calling Yu Xiaoluo: "Sister, Cao Qian is leaving Beijing today. Duan Dongyang's experiments and Zhu Guang's gambling are all inextricably linked to her. Investigate and don't let her get away."
After that, I hung up the phone.
My senior sister's expression turned hostile: "Tang Nan, we were married for a hundred days, are you really going to show no mercy?"
"Senior sister, I understand your capabilities. Today, no one has evidence to keep you in Beijing. But don't underestimate Yu Xiaoluo and Luo Bo. The next time you come, it might not be so easy to leave Beijing. By the way, as I said before, we'll never meet again."
This time, I didn't even turn my head. I stood up and left.
...
I was planning to go home to change my clothes and get Lin Han's lost ring. The moment I pushed open the door, my mother rushed out with a broom. I dodged and weaved using the table in the yard, shouting, "I'm an adult now, can't we talk properly?"
"You've disgraced the family name of the Tangs."
I glanced at my father, who was watching coldly, and said softly, "Hold her back, she's really going to hit me?"
My father glared, "Who's stopping me?"
"What a good daughter-in-law, so beautiful and sensible. You stood her up."
"Lin Han is more beautiful than Cao Qian."
"What sin did I commit in my past life to have a son like you, who changes his mind so easily and runs off with a shameless woman at his wedding."
I stopped when I heard that. My mother hit me with the broom, and then cried with heartache. She squatted on the ground and cried. I went to help her up, but she threw my hand away and ignored me. I smiled helplessly, and an idea struck me. I whispered into my mother's ear, "This daughter-in-law of yours is worth at least five hundred million."
"Five... five... hundred million, what? Money?"
I nodded and said seriously, "Dear mother, think it over. Is our Tang family's reputation more important, or is your future of living in a villa and eating meat and fish more important?"
My mother was stunned and drawn in.
"Then... then..." She couldn't speak, her nerves frayed. The money was too much.
"Think about it yourself. Don't say I didn't give you a chance to live a good life. I'm going in to change."
My father reached out and blocked me, roaring, "This matter isn't settled, and you still want to change clothes."
I didn't say anything. My mother suddenly cried out, "Why are you shouting at the child? This matter, this matter, let's discuss it again. Son~"
My mother called me. I didn't reply and turned into the main room to get my clothes. My mother followed me in, "Does that woman really have that much money?"
"What do you think? Queen of the Underground Palace. It's your past life's good fortune that she fancies me. By the way, she's in the hospital now. Can you cook her some porridge? Not millet porridge, she doesn't like it. I'll take it later."
"Okay, okay~ How about eight-treasure porridge? It suits her taste, right?" My mother nodded vigorously.
Just then, I heard someone outside shouting "Tanghulu." I didn't pay much attention. I changed my clothes, got the ring, and after that, I even washed my hair. When I came back and dried it, I heard the shout of "Tanghulu" again.
This tanghulu vendor was lingering around my house. Honestly, it had whetted my appetite. I walked out and saw my parents whispering in the kitchen of the south room. I saw my father's stiff face and guessed he was shocked by the five hundred million.
"Hey, tanghulu seller."
The tanghulu seller was an old man with graying hair tied in a ponytail. He was indeed carrying that thing with tanghulu stuck in it, but there wasn't a single tanghulu on it.
I didn't care if there were tanghulu on it or not, because when I called out, he turned around, and I saw his face.
The "demon."
This old guy was not dead!
"You could have just come directly into the house to find me. There was no need to play these tanghulu tricks."
"I didn't want to see anyone else. I'll tell you something, and then I'm going to Inner Mongolia to have a look. By the way, I haven't had lamb in a long time. Can we eat hot pot while we talk?"
"Alright!"
...
It wasn't even lunchtime yet; it was too early. After visiting several places, we finally found one that was open. I asked for the menu, ordered our dishes, and impatiently asked the "demon," "How did you escape death?"
"Over the years, not many people knew me. Duan Dongyang, to prevent others from getting familiar with me, often moved me between laboratories. This time, Cao Qian, in order to save you, specifically transferred me from Dongyang's psychology clinic to the laboratory where you were."
"Duan Dongyang has more than one laboratory?"
...
The "demon's" real name was Huang Youdao. He was from Shandong. In the 1950s, Shandong was the poorest and most populous region. Five miles apart, there were three villages, village connected to village, house next to house. However, what pained them was that the arable land was extremely scarce, and the soil quality was poor. Every household struggled, especially those with sons.
...
Huang Youdao's parents were strong-willed people. They refused government relief and worked hard to raise Huang Youdao and his four siblings. Later, Huang Youdao grew up and could eat a lot. His father also fell ill from overwork. The family's land was not enough to feed the entire family, and their lives became extremely difficult.
It was also at that time that people from the county came to promote the idea that life in Inner Mongolia was prosperous, with upstairs and downstairs living, electricity, telephones, bread to eat, and milk to drink. You would enjoy there first, then build, and the work would be easy.
Huang Youdao discussed it with his parents, but they disagreed, thinking Huang Youdao was too young to travel far. Huang Youdao saw that the family couldn't hold on any longer and secretly signed up to go to Inner Mongolia. After arriving in Inner Mongolia, they were allocated grain and jobs. Although they were deceived, it was still not bad; at least they could eat their fill.
Everything was going well, but Huang Youdao had gone to a northern region where the winters were cold and extremely long. The entire winter had temperatures below minus forty degrees Celsius. After enduring one winter, Huang Youdao missed home.
There were not a few people like Huang Youdao. At that time, some people tried to persuade them to stay.
However, Huang Youdao still had his own way of doing things. He and a few companions from Shandong secretly walked to a nearby town and boarded a train. Without government support, they became vagrants. They ran out of provisions and money before even reaching Shandong. During a train change, they tried to sneak onto a train. Three of them were discovered by the conductor, who then kicked them off the train for not having tickets.
Among these three, the other two were the lethargic Tao Yue and their backbone, Zhang Si!
...
The "demon" told me about his predictions of the future, which turned into a story like "The Romance of the Eastern Pass." I was losing interest and was about to interrupt him when the key point arrived: their backbone was called Zhang Si.
"Wait, Zhang Si, a disciple of Mr. Wende?"
"Yes!"
Mr. Wende had taken a liking to three children, but later, when he took on disciples, only Zhang Si remained. It was said that Zhang Si killed the other two to absorb their personalities. Could it be?
Thinking of this, my eyes lit up. I refilled the "demon's" wine and smiled, "We came early today, it's quiet. Please, take your time and tell me, no rush!"