Chapter 3: Long Beard
At a small food stall by the road, Wang Zhi was quietly drinking beer, sitting there until about 1 am before slowly walking back home.
Wang Zhi's home is a relatively simple and old-fashioned siheyuan, this kind of courtyard house is not often seen in today's metropolis, it can also be considered as a cultural heritage.
This house was left over from Wang Zhitai's grandfather's time, and fortunately, the Wang family had been practicing medicine for generations, saving people and helping the world, and they had a good reputation in the surrounding area, so this small house was barely preserved during the special period of turmoil.
Wang Zhi's house was a room located in the western district, which was an outhouse in ancient times. Returning to his room, Wang Zhi didn't even wash up and simply lay down on the bed, falling into a deep sleep.
Just as Wang Zhi fell asleep, a room inside suddenly lit up.
Wang Zhi's mother, Jiang Yun, slowly sat up from the bed at this time, looking in the direction of Wang Zhi's room. She couldn't help but leave a tear in the corner of her eye and gently touched her husband, Wang Tianyuan: "You say, what's wrong with Zhi'er? Since he was electrocuted last time, he has been like this. He doesn't respond when called, and his spirit is depressed all day long. What can be done about it? He's still young and hasn't started a family yet. If things go on like this, his whole life will be ruined."
Jiang Yun's tone was filled with heartache, and she couldn't help but sob as she spoke.
Wang Zhi's father, Wang Tianyuan, was also awake. He lay quietly on the edge of the bed, with a half-smoked cigarette still in his hand. He took a light drag and sighed, saying: "Zhi'er has been sensible since he was young, but he has a fiery temper. If there's something on his mind, we can't get it out of him no matter how hard we try. I've talked to your dad about this for the past two days, and Zhi'er must have received some kind of stimulation that he can't accept right now. We just have to wait until he slowly comes around."
"What if he can't figure it out?" Jiang Yun asked.
"Take another look, if it's really not working out, find a psychologist to take a look at Zhi'er." Wang Zhiyuan extinguished the cigarette in his hand, put his arm around Jiang Yun's waist, and gently patted his back, softly comforting him: "Don't worry, Zhi'er has been strong since childhood, this time no matter what happens he should be able to get through it."
In his dream, Wang Zhi once again returned to ancient times and saw many familiar faces that made his heart flutter again. It seemed real yet illusory, Wang Zhi suddenly sat up in bed, staring blankly at the bright moonlight outside the window, unable to distinguish what was reality and what was an illusion.
Every day, Wang Zhi tried his best to forget, making himself extremely tired, just so he wouldn't dream about the past again. However, no matter how exhausted or dizzy Wang Zhi was, as soon as he closed his eyes, the experiences of countless years would flash through his mind like a movie screen.
He slowly got up and walked to the window, Wang Zhi opened the window and let the bright moonlight pour into the room. The sixteenth moon was so round and so bright, but it still couldn't shine into the darkness in Wang Zhi's heart.
All the goodness exists in harmony and illusion, while the cruelty of reality is real. Among many vulgarities, every protagonist who crosses over is so happy and glorious, yet only those who have truly experienced it know that all of this is just a fantasy of mortals.
Standing quietly like that, watching the moon slowly set and the sun slowly rise, Wang Zhi once again welcomed a new day. This new day for others is hope, is dreams, is torment.
Wang Zhi had even thought of ending it all, but he was afraid to open his eyes again. After all, someone who could be said to have died twice and yet still lived in pain - for such a person, wasn't death a luxury?
Jiang Yun and Wang Zhiyuan got up to sweep the house and prepare breakfast, while Grandpa Wang Yizhi was exercising in the yard.
Wang Zhi stood outside the window, looking at his loved ones who were just a stone's throw away, yet seemed to be separated by countless time and space.
Are they real? Can I touch them? Is all this really not a dream? Wang Zhi asked himself over and over again in his heart.
"Zhi'er, come out and wash your face, dinner is ready." Jiang Yun gently pushed open the door and softly called out to Wang Zhi, who was standing still by the window.
"Got it." Wang Zhi responded casually, his body didn't move, still gazing out the window, lost in thought.
"Zhi'er, what's wrong with you? Tell Mom, okay?" Seeing Wang Zhi's pale face and disheveled hair, Jiang Yun's pent-up worries burst out, and she tightly hugged Wang Zhi in her arms, murmuring: "Zhi'er, no matter what happened to you, tell Mom, okay? Don't torture yourself like this. Look at you, your face is pale, your beard is messy... where is the 23-year-old young man?"
Jiang Yun's eyes kept falling, and her heart was also like a knife cut. Her good son suddenly became so strange and depressed, making Jiang Yun's heart sink into the valley as well.
"Is this really me, with a pale face and disheveled beard?" Wang Zhi muttered to himself, repeating Jiang Yun's words, unable to help but mock himself. Suddenly, he thought of something and hastily reached for his chin, and in an instant, a joyful smile rose from Wang Zhi's face, just like a dying man who had suddenly found a glimmer of hope.
After a brief silence, Wang Zhi suddenly pushed away Jiang Yun who was hugging him and quickly walked to the bathroom on one side.
Standing in front of the large mirror in the bathroom, Wang Zhi looked at his own image and suddenly burst out laughing. His laughter was so uninhibited, so joyful, a kind of happiness that came from deep within his soul.
"I've grown a beard." After laughing maniacally, Wang Zhi once again stroked his chin, gazing at the mirror where he saw the inch-long whiskers on his mouth.
Yes, Wang Zhi grew a beard, which is a normal thing for every young man, but it made Wang Zhi extremely excited.
It's been many years, 1,500 or 1,700, Wang Zhi can't remember clearly. He only remembers that since he crossed over, this damn beard has never grown out before. But now he has grown a beard, what does it mean? It means he has escaped the troubles of immortality, and once again can live like a normal person, grow old, get sick, die, marry, have children, proving that he no longer needs to escape or worry.
"Is all of this real?" Wang Zhiran couldn't believe it, and also, after returning to the city again, a part of Wang Zhi's depression and confusion was due to experiencing such bizarre things. More importantly, he was afraid that he was still immortal, that he would have to watch as his loved ones died one by one in front of him, while he remained youthful in appearance.
Many people's long-awaited longevity is like a fierce tiger in front of Wang Zhi, making Wang Zhi fearful at the sight.
"Zhi'er, are you okay?" Jiang Yun heard Wang Zhi's laughter and her heart trembled with fear. She walked in timidly and asked anxiously.
Calming down his excited emotions, looking at the mother who loved him dearly, Wang Zhi slowly walked to Jiang Yun's side and gave her a tight hug. He decided that no matter if all this was real or not, he would give himself a chance.
"Mom, I'm sorry, these past few days have been tough on you." Holding Jiang Yun's trembling body, Wang Zhi said with a solemn expression. Indeed, for Jiang Yun it might just be a few days of turmoil, but for Wang Zhi it was a separation that felt like a thousand years.
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