Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 3 Too hasty

Looking at himself in confusion, although it was unbelievable, Chen Xuan had to accept the fact that he had inexplicably shrunk into a five or six-year-old kid.

He was at the best age to be used as an ox or a horse, but due to an accident he was unexpectedly turned into a child. It is not clear whether it was a loss or a gain.

But what's going on?

The shabby, ancient wupeng boat, the savior's retro attire, and his peculiar accent gave Chen Xuan a vague feeling of foreboding...

Seeing that he was standing there in a daze without finishing his words, Liu the boatman thought that he was still afraid. As a childless man, he didn't know how to comfort the little baby, so he said carefully: "Don't be afraid, little sir, it's okay. The sun is about to set and it will be cold at night. I will get you some clothes to wear first."

As he said this, Boatman Liu started searching the cabin.

Chen Xuan didn't hear what he said at all. He was immersed in his bizarre experience and his heart was in turmoil. No one could accept this all at once.

Until Liu the boatman handed him a worn and smelly piece of clothing and said, "This is the clothes I wear myself. It doesn't fit me well. Young man, you are so delicate and tender, please don't despise it. Just make do with it."

Chen Xuan didn't care about anything else. He immediately looked at Liu Chuanfu and asked anxiously in a baby voice, "Old man, may I ask where I am? And where did you save me?"

He was eager to find out what was going on.

"Um..., young man, please speak slower. I can't understand your foreign accent," Boatman Liu said embarrassedly. He thought it was normal to see Chen Xuan's flustered look.

So Chen Xuan had to force himself to calm down and repeat it in a slow voice.

After listening carefully, Liu the boatman suddenly realized something and pointed upstream and said, "I saw you in the middle of the river. I saw you floating on the water and thought you were dead, so I fished you out. I originally wanted to see if your family would come looking for you, but I didn't expect you to be alive. It really is God's care. Oh, by the way, we are on the Xiaoqing River in Meiliu Village."

The old man had a simple and aged face and spoke naturally. Chen Xuan was upset by the sudden change but he did not suspect anything.

Floating on the river? Meiliu Village? Xiaoqing River? I'd never heard of it, and without my phone, I couldn't pinpoint its location...

Chen Xuan hurriedly asked, "Excuse me, old man, what is the location of Meiliu Village?"

At this moment, he still held a little hope in his heart.

Liu the boatman scratched his head. Chen Xuan even saw little bugs crawling between his hair. Now was not the time to worry about that.

The old man was obviously not good at speaking. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Mei Liu Village is Mei Liu Village. It is under the jurisdiction of Daniu Township."

Heart sinking, Chen Xuan persisted and asked, "What's above that? What county? What city?"

Liu the boatman scratched his head again and said embarrassedly, "I don't know about that. The farthest place I've ever been in my life is Daniu Township. By the way, what is a city?"

This young man asked so many questions, which was normal after the disaster. Fortunately, he was the son of a wealthy family. An ordinary boy would have been panic-stricken and crying loudly.

A turquoise river meanders, its banks crisscrossed by rolling hills, vibrant with color, and trees just beginning to sprout. The problem is, I returned home near the start of autumn, and there's no sign of technological civilization. And how could such a scenic river be devoid of garbage bags and the like? How could a fisherman not find traces of his presence in such a place?

Chen Xuan was so upset that he couldn't even think about it anymore. He said anxiously, "Then you should know what country we are in, right, old man?"

Putting aside my own changes, what is this for me?
"This old man does know, but young master, don't you know it yourself?" Liu Chuanfu asked with a little doubt, but considering that Chen Xuan was still young, he did not doubt him and continued: "I heard from the people in the village that the court's country is called Jing, yes, it is called Dajing Kingdom"

I've never heard of this before. Considering the current situation, Chen Xuan guessed that after falling into the water and losing consciousness, he had already traveled to another world, commonly known as time travel...

Seeing that he was in such a state of disarray, Boatman Liu felt a little sympathy for him. He was so young and ignorant, and he was separated from his family. He fell into the water and almost died. He was really pitiful.

He didn't know how to comfort the little kid. He handed the worn clothes in his hand to the little kid again and said, "Little Master, you should put on your clothes first."

Looking at the clothes in his hand, Chen Xuan then looked down at his naked self and wondered if this counted as coming to this strange world naked?

Suddenly, he felt something strange in his hand. He opened his hands and saw that he was holding a fruit pit. Wasn't this the peach pit he'd eaten before he passed out? He'd actually been holding it all this time. He had to keep it safe, as a keepsake.

He remained unmoved, but Liu, the boatman, took the initiative to help him put on his clothes. They didn't fit at all, barely covering his body. He then found a straw rope to tie the clothes around his waist. During this process, Liu thought to himself that this kid looked like he was born to enjoy life and probably didn't even know how to wear clothes. The boat floated on the river. Chen Xuan didn't say anything, so Liu simply stood up and rowed. It was getting late, and they had to hurry back before dark.

But he couldn't just take the child home, and even though the clothes were worn out, he couldn't give them away for free. So Liu the boatman broke the silence and asked, "Young man, where are you from? Can you remember who your family is? How did you get lost in the water?"

Hearing this, Chen Xuan thought to himself, "I do remember all this, but even if I tell you, you probably won't know it. In this situation, all the past memories probably don't make any sense anymore. So, I don't have any concerns about them..."

After thinking about it, Chen Xuan shook his head and said, "I don't remember."

Anyway, he looks like a five or six-year-old kid now, and he fell into the water and luckily survived. No one will doubt his own opinion if I say this.

Hearing what he said, Liu the boatman suddenly said with a bitter face: "What should we do?"

Chen Xuan probably understood that he had saved himself but was in trouble. He didn't look like a wealthy family, and it would be a huge burden for him to take him back. But he didn't know what to do next.

So I asked tentatively, "Old man, can you take me back to where you picked me up?"

He wanted to go back and see if there was still a chance to return to normal.

But Liu the boatman looked at the sky and said in embarrassment: "Young man, it's not that I don't want to, but it's getting late. If we go upstream, we won't be able to get home before dark. If we encounter poisonous insects or beasts, we'll probably lose our lives. How about this, you stay at my place for one night, and I'll take you back tomorrow?"

Chen Xuan understood what he said and thought that he could go tomorrow. There was no rush. He nodded and agreed. Then he simply changed the subject and said, "Thank you very much. I will never forget your life-saving grace. What is your name, old man? I will repay you in the future."

This kid is not an ungrateful person, he thought to himself. Liu the boatman immediately waved his hand stiffly and said, "I don't deserve your life-saving grace. Forget about repaying it. It's just a matter of convenience. I didn't do anything. As for your name, my name is Wang Fu. Others call me Wang the Boatman. You can just call me Old Man Wang."

"So it's Mr. Wang. I'll remember it and I will never let my benefactor down," Chen Xuan nodded seriously.

Liu the boatman looked embarrassed and did not continue the topic. He simply said: "Since you don't remember anything, go to my house to rest for a night. Tomorrow I will take you to the place where you were salvaged. If I can't find your relatives, I will take you to the government office when I have time. I hope I can find your family. I think your family will also report to the authorities to look for you."

Go to the government office? He was afraid that he was not an illegal resident, but there was no better way at the moment. After all, it was getting dark. Chen Xuan could only nod and say, "That would be troublesome."

Let's get through tonight first, and try to get some more information, and then make plans tomorrow.

"No need to thank me. There is no food on the boat now. I will prepare some food for you when we get there. You have been in great trouble. You might as well take a rest first. I will call you when we get there." Liu the boatman smiled amiably, thinking that children from wealthy families are different. They speak differently from those clay dolls at such a young age. It's great.

Chen Xuan nodded, not because he was tired, but because he needed to seriously consider what to do next, so he closed his eyes and dozed off against the boat.

At this moment, his body shrank into that of a five or six-year-old child, and all information was almost completely unknown to him. Chen Xuan didn't know what to do and could only take one step at a time.

Fortunately, he was rescued after falling into the water, otherwise he would probably be a corpse by now.

I don’t know if it was because his body needed to grow again after shrinking, or because his emotions were too volatile, but Chen Xuan actually fell asleep while thinking.

It was not known how long had passed before Chen Xuan woke up again. It was completely dark. He was still on the boat, and the moonlight was like water. He realized that what he had experienced was real. He was about to rub his eyes and ask Mr. Wang where he was, but he suddenly found that he could not move. The words he wanted to ask turned into whimpering sounds. There was obviously a foreign object in his mouth, and he was strangled by something!

Suddenly my heart skipped a beat and I thought to myself, "Oh no!" My hair stood on end. What happened?

Before Chen Xuan could figure out what was going on, he heard the voice of 'Old Wang' coming from the stern of the boat, saying, "Are you awake, young master? Don't worry, we'll be there soon."

His voice was still kind, honest and simple, but it made Chen Xuan feel cold all over.

It seemed that I had thought I had met a good person, but I didn't expect that such an honest-looking old man was actually a hypocrite.

You can only judge a person by his appearance but not by his heart. That's too careless.

"I'm completely bewildered by this sudden change, and I'm also a bit too careless. After all, I've never experienced anything like this before. Reality has taught me a hard lesson. The question is, what does this old man want?"

……

(End of this chapter)