A generation of soldiers begins with Feng Yuxiu traveling through time and space with Xu Sanduo

Chapter 438 I Saw It...

At six o'clock in the morning, Feng Yuxiu was awakened by the urge to urinate.

Drunk and squinting, he staggered to his feet and, in the dim winter morning light, made his way to the toilet.

Just as he was taking off his pants to urinate, he glanced out of the corner of his eye and seemed to see someone standing outside the window.

The man stood quietly outside the window, half of his body hidden in the darkness. His left cheek was sinister yet calm, even carrying a hint of ruthlessness.

"Who?"

Feng Yuxiu shook his pants, took a cigarette, squinted his eyes, and as he walked out of the restroom, he casually picked up a bottle of shampoo and went over.

For some reason, he was exceptionally brave, and the people outside the window stood motionless.

Feng Yuxiu slowly opened the window and looked out. There was no one outside. He then remembered that the hotel was on the third floor and that the window was suspended in mid-air, with no place to stand.

"He was hallucinating from drinking."

Feng Yuxiu closed the window again, rubbed his face, and just as he turned around, he saw the figure standing at the toilet door.

He just stared at him quietly. Feng Yuxiu rubbed his eyes and slapped his face hard.

The intense pain confirmed that this was not a hallucination. The figure slowly retreated, its face hidden in the darkness, and opened the door behind it before turning and running out.

"Stand still! Who are you?!"

The door was locked from the inside, and the windows on the third floor were also closed.

How did this person get in?
Feng Yuxiu chased downstairs, and the man disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Brother Shu, what are you doing standing downstairs?" Xiao Zhuang's head popped out of the third-floor window. He yawned and looked down at Feng Yuxiu standing on the street.

Feng Yuxiu spat out the cigarette butt and lit another one with his other hand. He was sure he hadn't misread it...

I looked up and stared intently at the wall on the third floor, which was about eight meters high and smooth with no gripping points.

Feng Yuxiu went up into the room and carefully examined the keyhole of the door. There were no signs of forced damage. The figure had opened the door with the back of his hand when he ran out.

So the door was still locked and facing inwards.

"What are you looking at, Brother Tree?" Xiao Zhuang asked curiously, shaking as he peed.

"It's nothing, let's go back to the village today. Gao Peng is getting married."

"Oh right, I almost forgot."

-

Gao Peng earned some money by doing odd jobs outside, and he specially hired a band to come to the door.

This surprised the villagers of Wangdu Village, who gathered around to watch.

Two strings of pink and purple balloon lanterns hung outside Gao Peng's house, and the couplets were just bought and put up last night.

Villagers and relatives walked in one after another, with Gao Peng and his mother on either side to greet the guests.

Feng Yuxiu and Xiao Zhuang arrived when there weren't many people around.

"Oh dear, Brother Shu, why are you only arriving now? In previous years, you were always the first one to arrive at any wedding."

Gao Peng immediately went up and offered him a cigarette.

Xiao Zhuang scratched his head. "It's my fault. I took Brother Shu to town for dinner and drinks, and we ended up staying overnight after drinking too much last night."

"Here, just let us know if there's anything you need our help with."

Gao Peng was taken aback. "There's nothing I can help with. Brother Shu, why don't you go to the kitchen and help wash the dishes or something?"

"Xiao Zhuang, here are a few packs of cigarettes for you. Stand at the door and keep watch for me."

Feng Yuxiu grinned but didn't go. Instead, he walked to the door to register the gift money and casually took out fifty yuan, saying, "Give me a gift."

"Hey, Brother Shu always helps out, but he never puts a penny in his pocket. Did you strike it rich today?"

The old man registering was the most senior among the relatives. His face was full of wrinkles. He raised his head, a self-rolled cigarette dangling from his mouth, and chuckled.

"Old Zhuang, haven't you heard that the other day, Ah Shu got his eyes burned by welding sparks at Old Qiu's repair shop? This is what Old Qiu paid for. Yesterday, Old Qiu was even scolding him for being unlucky."

The two men mocked Feng Yuxiu, who was holding up money, in unison.

Feng Yuxiu wasn't angry. Just as he had thought before, he was now lost and didn't know what his goal was.

Moreover, it seems I drank too much last night; I saw that figure three times on my way here.

Every time we asked Xiao Zhuang, he would shake his head and say that he couldn't see anything.

Hallucinations and delusions are early signs of mental illness.

Feng Yuxiu felt that he was really sick.

"Alright, you two, stop teasing Brother Shu." Xiao Zhuang took the money from Feng Yuxiu and threw it on the table.

Feng Yuxiu took a pack of cigarettes from Xiao Zhuang, opened it, lit it, and put the cigarettes in his pocket.

Xiao Zhuang was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and shook his head, continuing to stand at the door handing out cigarettes to the villagers who came in.

Feng Yuxiu turned and sat down in Gao Peng's courtyard, where a round wooden table was covered with a transparent red plastic tablecloth.

He casually found a seat and sat down. Behind him, Gao Peng's relatives from the village carried sesame oil and cotton quilts and walked towards the main hall.

"Isn't this a tree? It's Gao Peng's wedding today, aren't you going to help? Why are you just sitting here?" An old woman grabbed a handful of melon seeds and sat down next to Feng Yuxiu, shouting.

Feng Yuxiu lit a cigarette, squinted, and said, "I gave my gift."

"Oh, even trees give money as a wedding gift? Everyone knows you, you're always the first to help whenever someone in the village has an event. Like last time, when my daughter got married, you were the first one there too..."

Feng Yuxiu slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. "I've given my share of the money."

"I know you gave a wedding gift. Look, even though my daughter has been married for three years, aren't you going to give her a wedding gift too?"

"Snapped!"

Another older woman slapped him on the shoulder, "Fangfang's mother, are you bullying Shu because she's shy? How could you say something like that? Shu, don't listen to her, here, I'll get you some sunflower seeds."

Feng Yuxiu took the melon seeds with a wooden expression and casually started cracking them open.

"Look how obedient it is. Who invented this thing? It's almost forty and still so fun."

The two of them immediately leaned back and burst into laughter, as if Shu was the dog they used to play with at village gatherings.

"The village chief is here!" someone shouted.

In an instant, everyone—from those sitting in the courtyard, standing at the door, to Gao Peng and his family greeting relatives in the main hall—came out.

Feng Yuxiu glanced to the side and saw a man carrying a teacup, wearing an overcoat and a cadre's hat, walk in through the main entrance.

The village chief wasn't very tall, only about 1.65 meters, and he always greeted everyone with a smile.

"Village chief, why isn't Erzhu here?" A villager approached with a smile and asked casually.

The village chief waved his hand, "I went to the county town yesterday and will be back by noon."

"Village Chief, you've finally arrived! Our wedding banquet just isn't the same without you!" Gao Peng's mother greeted him with a beaming smile, immediately grabbing the village chief's hand and patting him on the shoulder.

"Gao Peng's mom, you've finally achieved your goal! Today is a joyous occasion for your son's wedding."

"Come on, everyone, get up and make way for the village chief."

Gao Peng's mother greeted the village chief and sat down in front of him.

The village chief waved his hand, "Don't worry about me, I'm very busy today. You go and do your own thing." Then he looked around and walked to the back, where he sat down at a table with Feng Yuxiu.

That's how he conducts himself; wherever he goes, he tries to remain unassuming and discreet.

Although everyone in the village knew he was corrupt, there was no evidence. He was always smiling and would talk to anyone he met.

With such a kind-hearted image, few people in the village would dare to argue with him to his face.

"Village chief... um... are you eating sunflower seeds? Let me get you some water."

The two old women who had just been mocking Feng Yuxiu stood up obsequiously, offering him melon seeds and pouring him water.

The village chief chuckled, "Don't bother, everyone sit down."

He then glanced at the silent Feng Yuxiu and said, "Shu, have a smoke."

Feng Yuxiu didn't say anything and took the cigarettes without asking.

"Hey village chief, when are you going to fix my windows? They make a loud rattling noise when the mine blasts at night."

The village chief took a sip of tea. "Sister Zhang, our windows are rattling too. I can't make decisions about the mine. You see, I wish my windows would stop rattling so I can sleep well at night."

Aunt Zhang cracked sunflower seeds and said, "Village chief, there are six people in my family."

The village chief looked at Zhang Sao with reason, "Our house isn't bulletproof either. Look at my son, he was so shocked by the tremors that he went to town and won't come home. It's the same for everyone, just grit your teeth and hang in there. Besides, once the Ruiyang mine is developed, it will bring economic benefits to our town and our village. These are all good things to look forward to."

After the village chief said that, Zhang Sao immediately fell silent, sat down, and silently cracked sunflower seeds.

The village chief then turned his attention to Feng Yuxiu and asked with a smile, "Shu, I heard you had a quarrel with Erzhu a couple of days ago?"

Feng Yuxiu exhaled a smoke ring, glanced at him, and asked, "Is there something you need?"

The village chief was taken aback when he saw this, and quickly waved his hand, "It's nothing, it's nothing, I was just asking."

The reason he has been able to serve as village chief for so many years is that he is discreet and understands the situation.

The man in front of me is an older youth in the village, and he's not very bright, especially after what happened more than ten years ago.

The village chief had no intention of wasting any more words on someone like Shu, who had no job, no connections, and no income.

If you anger this kind of person, and he decides to storm into the village chief's house and cancel his household registration, wouldn't that be a huge loss?
What's the point of arguing with someone like him, given his status and savings?

Feng Yuxiu suddenly glanced around and froze.

A burly man with a full beard walked in through the door.

The man casually walked in, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, and glanced around before finally spotting the village chief approaching.

Aunt Zhang saw it too and quickly lowered her voice, "Village chief, Lao Gao is here. He's been coming to see you a lot lately, so be careful."

The village chief chuckled, "It's alright, it's alright. Old Gao just wanted that poverty alleviation spot in the village, right? His family doesn't even meet the criteria. I didn't even give it to the Shu family. It's not his turn. I'm being reasonable."

Old Gao strode over and sat down next to the village chief, grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and started cracking them open. His gaze drifted into the distance as he casually asked, "Village chief, you've embezzled so much money, yet your son has bought a house in the county. You change cars every few days, and you dress so plainly—who are you trying to impress?"

The village chief's expression changed. "Old Gao, don't talk nonsense."

Old Gao grinned, "Nonsense? You say my family doesn't meet the poverty standards? Look at Shu's house, it's a dilapidated building and you still won't give it to him. Are you even human? I'm going to Beijing to report you."

The village chief turned around and said, "I can't reason with you."

Old Gao grinned, "You wait, you old coward, I'll report you sooner or later. Go ahead and embezzle."

After saying that, Lao Gao stood up and patted Feng Yuxiu on the shoulder. "Shu, I heard you beat up Erzhu the other day? I didn't expect you to stand up for yourself. If he dares to bully you in the future, just tell me and I'll kill him."

Old Gao stared at the village chief, "Don't push an honest man too far."

The village chief was still all smiles. Old Gao was more honest than a tree in Wangdu Village. He could say tough things, but he wouldn't dare to lay a hand on anyone who came near him.

Over time, the villagers stopped taking these harsh words seriously.

Feng Yuxiu looked at Lao Gao and saw a long-suppressed, hidden tyranny in his eyes.

This tyranny is like a seed about to bloom.

"Hey tree, come help me out!" Gao Peng called out from the kitchen.

Feng Yuxiu walked up, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

A short while later, he came out carrying a large basin. Dezi and Xiaozhuang were laying out a red carpet at the door.

Feng Yuxiu swaggered across the red carpet.

"Hey, hey, watch out..." another helper stood up and shouted, "The bride hasn't arrived yet, and you've already stepped on her and made her dirty."

Feng Yuxiu, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, poured a basin of water onto the snowy ground by the door.

Just as he was about to go inside, a new gray car slowly pulled up in front of the door.

Feng Yuxiu held a basin in his left hand and a cigarette between his right, drew a circle in the air, and slowly exhaled a smoke ring.

Then Feng Yuxiu saw a person who had absolutely no connection to Wangdu Village get off the car.

The man was dressed in brown, with a round face, curly hair, and an elegant gaze that hinted at the sophistication of a highly educated intellectual.

"Tree!" the man exclaimed joyfully, pointing at Feng Yuxiu.

Feng Yuxiu remained bewildered; he had no idea who this seemingly refined man was.

"Me, Chen Yixin..."

Feng Yuxiu narrowed his eyes and exhaled a smoke ring.

"Come on, let's go to my car and chat. When we were kids, I loved spending time with you and talking to you."

Chen Yixin pulled Feng Yuxiu's arm and dragged him into the car.

After getting into the car, he saw that Feng Yuxiu was still smoking, so he quickly rolled down the window and waved away the smoke.

Feng Yuxiu remained silent, feeling as if he had just arrived in the village.

Apart from a few people who were starting to recognize him, the newcomer still looked completely bewildered.

"I recently opened a school... and became the principal." Chen Yixin said with a smile, taking the initiative to start the conversation.

Feng Yuxiu glanced at it and said, "Oh, it's fine."

Chen Yixin seemed to find that the tree in front of him wasn't as talkative as he had imagined. "What have you been up to lately?"

“Unemployed vagrant.” Feng Yuxiu exhaled a puff of smoke.

Chen Yixin puffed out her chest slightly, "How about you come to my school to earn some money? I loved spending time with you when I was little, you're so innocent and easygoing."

Feng Yuxiu remained silent, continuing to smoke.

Chen Yixin chuckled, took a business card from the car, and stuffed it into Feng Yuxiu's arms. "Call me if you need anything."

Rumble!
The sound of firecrackers exploding came from behind the car.

The bride from Gao Peng's family has arrived.

Feng Yuxiu stepped out of the car and looked into the distance, where he vaguely saw the faceless person once again.

The man slowly raised his right arm and waved at him, then pulled out a knife from somewhere and slashed his own neck.

Then the man removed his own head and strode away, leaving only a trail of red marks on the snow-white ground.

(End of this chapter)