readease Chapter 347 Dark History
Chapter 347 Dark History
Chapter 347 Dark History
In a remote town in Yeqiu City, several black vehicles suddenly appeared. A group of middle-aged women in the fields looked curiously at the license plates of these cars, wondering, "Has someone bought a new car again?"
"But it's not even Chinese New Year yet, why are you back so early?"
"I don't know, I'll ask them when I get back."
In the passenger seat of the car, Bai Youqing stared blankly at the fields on both sides. The last time she went home with her brother was to pay respects to their parents.
It was July, and the lotus flowers on both sides were in full bloom, each one delicate and beautiful, with pink and white flowers complementing each other.
On the bus, she was still asleep, leaning on her brother's shoulder, listening to him tell funny and embarrassing stories from his childhood, trying to cheer him up a little.
However, just one month later, the beautiful memories associated with his brother were forever left on this land.
Now, when she sets foot on this land again, the lotus leaves on both sides of the fields are turning yellow, the lotus flowers are gone, and only withered stems are left swaying in the autumn wind, as if whispering about the past prosperity.
And all of this seems to reflect the nightmare I had when I left my hometown last time.
She rode the bus toward the light and hope, but her brother got off the bus with a smile on his face the instant it started moving, stood in the darkness, and waved goodbye to her.
Unbeknownst to her, two lines of clear tears gradually slid down her cheeks.
Peng Liang, who was driving, glanced at the passenger next to him and comforted her, "Little Chili, don't be sad. Brother Bai was a top student when he was a child. He brought a lot of face to Uncle Bai. He was a child prodigy and became a teacher when he grew up."
He has nurtured generation after generation of talents for the nation, and can be said to have made indelible contributions to safeguarding the safety of Yeqiu City. As the saying goes, "One should live as a hero and die as a ghost," Brother Bai's life can truly be described as magnificent.
Seeing Bai Youqing's red eyes, Uncle Li, who was sitting in the back row, quickly comforted her, "That's right, Xiaozhu, don't be sad. Even if Xiaobai is gone, you still have Uncle Li! Don't worry, as long as Uncle Li has food to eat, you will never go hungry."
If this morning was for the burial of the Violet Mage, then this afternoon will be for bringing Bai Yuze back to his roots and burying him near Bai Xingjian and his wife.
There weren't many people in the vehicle who came with him; they were all people who had been close to Bai Yuze during his lifetime. As for Bai Yuze's student, Peng Liang chose to respect Hoshino Seri's wishes and have her buried quietly without notifying anyone.
Although Bai Yuze had a good relationship with his neighbors, he wasn't really close to any of them. In the end, only Bai Youqing, Hoshino Seri, the Li family, Peng Liang, and his girlfriend Su Xinran came to visit.
This contrasts sharply with the massive crowds at Yeqiu City Cemetery yesterday, which also shows that Bai Yuze has kept his identity relatively well-hidden.
Even when Peng Liang explained the cause of Yu Ze's death to Uncle Li, he only said that Yu Ze encountered a calamity on his way home and was eaten by a hateful abyssal beast.
At first, Uncle Li was somewhat skeptical, but when he saw Peng Liang's serious expression, he was stunned. He even abandoned his business at the one-yuan noodle shop and went straight to Bai Yuzhe's house. It wasn't until he saw Bai Youqing's distraught appearance that he finally believed it.
But Bai Yuze died just like that?
In his mind, that person was like his own son, and he was still waiting to hold that person's child!
After remaining silent for several days, Uncle Li suppressed his inner pain and, while comforting Bai Youqing, began preparing for Bai Yuzhe's funeral.
Bai Youqing is the only one left in the Bai family now. If he, as an elder, doesn't pull himself together to help with the funeral arrangements, who will?
Among those in the same industry, he is the most suitable!
Peng Liang and Hoshino Seri had a good relationship with Bai Yuze, but ultimately it wasn't quite right for them.
More than anything else, Uncle Li was worried about Bai Youqing's living situation. Bai Youqing was still in school and didn't have much financial means. He was thinking about whether to bring Bai Youqing to live with him. Although he didn't earn much, he could manage with one more mouth to feed.
However, after hearing Uncle Li's suggestion, Bai Youqing shook her head and refused. At this moment, Hoshino Seri spoke up. She took over the care of Bai Youqing and explained that Bai Yuze had actually left Bai Youqing a large sum of money, enough for her to live on for the rest of her life.
Suddenly, everyone on the bus fell silent.
They never expected Hoshino Seri to be so decisive and efficient.
This time, Bai Youqing did not refuse Hoshino Seri's kindness. Her thinking was simple: first, she did not need Hoshino Seri to take care of her, but she wanted to make amends to Hoshino-sensei.
Second, she wanted to learn from Hoshino-sensei, she wanted to become stronger, and she wanted to avenge her brother.
Uncle Li thought differently. As an elder, he needed to be responsible for Bai Youqing. Although Bai Yuzhe was a teacher at Yeqiu No. 1 Middle School, he probably hadn't saved much money over the years. The only valuable thing he owned was that house. But now that the Abyss Crisis had broken out, houses were incredibly cheap.
Therefore, he did not believe that the money left by Bai Yuzhe could support Bai Youqing for a lifetime, and Xingye Lanli was just Bai Yuzhe's girlfriend. She didn't really need to take on this mess. However, seeing that Bai Youqing did not object, he hesitated and didn't say anything more.
Sigh, Xiaobai really found a good girlfriend!
Listening to their conversation, Su Xinran looked at Hoshino Lari with some surprise. She had only ever seen those stories of unwavering devotion in TV dramas or movies, but when she actually encountered it in real life, she was filled with admiration for Hoshino Lari.
However, from another perspective, wasn't Bai Yuze's death too hasty? He was directly devoured by the Abyss Beast. Peng Liang didn't say anything, and she couldn't continue to ask.
The atmosphere in the car became somewhat oppressive again along the way.
Bai Youqing turned her gaze back to the window, recalling Peng Liang's words: "To live, be a hero; to die, be a ghost."
She actually preferred another saying: "Life is as brilliant as summer flowers, death as serene as autumn leaves."
After arriving home, Bai Youqing and Li Xuanyu got out of the car wanting to help out, but Peng Liang and Uncle Li refused, taking on most of the tasks themselves.
Upon seeing them, Hoshino Seri pulled them to her side and said softly, "Xiaozhu, this is my first time here. Why don't you show me and Xiaoyu around? We've been hearing about how amazing Teacher Xiaobai is every day lately, and we're sick of it. Why don't you tell us about your brother's embarrassing past?"
Bai Youqing was silent for a moment, then nodded.
The house was located near the mountains and forests. The neighbors were in front of the house, and the mountains and forests stretched out behind it. Bai Youqing led Hoshino Seri and Li Xuanyu on a leisurely stroll through the mountains and forests.
Early August falls in the late summer/early autumn season.
Although the lotus flowers in the fields were almost withered, the forest behind the house presented a lush and vibrant scene.
As the group walked through the mountains, Bai Youqing spoke up. This was the first time the Violet Mage had spoken since her death, revealing her true feelings: "My brother has always been very sensible and loving towards me. Whether it's something delicious or fun, he would always give it to me first instead of tasting or using it himself. This is completely different from other children."
"When I was little, I was very naughty and had a terrible personality. In my mind, my brother stole all the love my parents gave me. They say that the squeaky wheel gets the grease."
This saying doesn't work in our family. My older brother has always been very quiet since he was little. He never cries or makes a fuss, and he never complains even when I bully him. But the more he is like this, the more my parents love him.
In the days that followed, although I still didn't particularly like this older brother, I gradually accepted him in my heart because I knew he was genuinely good to me.
"It wasn't until later that an uncle told me that the reason my brother was so good to me wasn't because he really liked me or cared about me. It was entirely because he was an adopted child. If he wasn't good to me, my parents would kick him out, leave him to live on the streets, have nothing to eat or wear, and eventually starve and freeze to death."
"Upon hearing this news, I was filled with fear and terror. Around that time, my mother was really into watching a TV series where a wealthy man adopted a godson. The wealthy man's children looked down on the godson and constantly bullied him. But the godson remained respectful to the young masters and ladies, never daring to resist. However, when the godson grew up, he colluded with outsiders to steal all of the wealthy man's assets. He then deliberately spared the young masters and ladies who had bullied him, breaking their legs and forcing them to become beggars, starving and freezing."
"The more I thought about it, the more frightened I became. The more I thought about it, the more I felt that I had discovered the truth. In fact, my brother was just like that adopted son. All his concern for me was fake. He hated me to the core. The reason he was so nice to me was to take away our family's property when we grew up and then kick us out to live on the streets. The more I thought about it, the more terrified I became, and then I told my parents about this idea."
"Then, just like you guessed, I got a really bad beating from my parents for the first time. It was a two-person beating, and after they finished, they warned me repeatedly not to tell my older brother about it."
"I was furious at the time. I felt that my parents were deceived by the other party's hypocrisy. Their double-teaming did not change my mind; instead, it made me even more determined to drive the other party out."
"But my brother has cared for me a lot over the years, and I'm worried that if I kick him out, he might freeze or starve to death."
"So I thought about it for a long time, and a brilliant plan was born in my mind. I found a small alley far from home, and then I asked my brother to go out with me. My brother always grants my requests, and this time was no exception. Before we set off, I made him carry two very heavy bags, which contained food and clothes."
"Hearing this, you should all have guessed what I wanted to do. That's right, I wanted to leave my brother in this alley. Those two big bags would not only keep him from keeping up with my speed and exhaust his energy, but also prevent him from freezing or starving to death after I left him there. It was killing two birds with one stone. Anyway, at the time, I thought I was really smart."
"The plan went exceptionally smoothly. My brother soon started to fall behind me because he was carrying two large bags. Once I reached the familiar alley, I sped up and left him behind in no time."
"In the alley, I hid in the shadows and watched my brother look around anxiously. His anxious expression was unusually excited. It was the first time I had ever seen my brother with such an ugly expression on his face."
"However, just when I thought the plan had succeeded and was preparing to go back, a strong hand suddenly covered my mouth from behind. That's right, I was kidnapped by human traffickers."
"That house was really, really dark, and it was filled with a foul, sour smell. I still remember it clearly. There were three or four burly men inside, and their expressions were extremely ferocious and terrifying."
"It was only then that I realized they had been watching me for a long time, but there had always been a boy following me, and he was very vigilant, which made it difficult for them to take action. Now that I had taken the initiative to separate, it suited their wishes perfectly."
"I'm not afraid to tell you this, but what I was thinking at the time was, since my parents don't like me, then I'll make sure they can never find me again. That way, all your property will be taken away by that hypocritical brother, and you'll deserve to be left on the streets."
"I fell asleep while I was thinking about it. That's right, I, being so carefree, just fell asleep in that dark and gloomy place."
But when I woke up again, I was already lying in my brother's arms. His face was covered in bruises, and blood was flowing from the corner of his mouth.
"I turned my head and saw that there were three people lying in the room. Two of them had obvious marks on their heads where they had been hit by bricks, and they were covered in blood but they were still breathing. The other person was lying on the ground, completely unharmed, but there was a large pool of blood under his body."
"But when I turned my head away, my brother turned my head back and reminded me not to tell anyone about this. If Mom and Dad ask about it when we get back, just say that your brother got into a fight with someone and that you didn't know anything. This is a secret between the two of us."
"After I got back, I did as my brother said, and he didn't argue back. This was the first time I had ever seen my brother being beaten by our parents, but they didn't say anything."
"I thought the matter was over, until one day when my dad and I were watching the news, we saw three familiar figures on the news broadcast. They were the group that kidnapped me. The report said that one of the three human traffickers was dead and two were seriously injured and are still in a coma."
"It was only later that I learned that the two human traffickers had actually woken up and identified my brother and me. After my father found out about this, he used his connections to clean up the mess for us. After this incident, he enrolled me in a martial arts class, while he enrolled my brother in all arts-related classes."
At this point, Bai Youqing stopped talking. In fact, there was something else she didn't say in her heart. It was at that moment that her brother was deeply imprinted in the deepest part of her heart.
Hoshino Seri and Li Xuanyu listened quietly. It was clear that Bai Youqing was not talking about Bai Yuzhe's dark history, but rather about Bai Youqing's own dark history.
They never imagined that the gentle and refined teacher, Mr. Bai, had actually killed someone when he was a child.
By the time Bai Youqing finished telling her secret about her brother, Uncle Li had also finished his work.
Unlike the normal burial process, Bai Yuze's funeral this time consisted of only a few everyday clothes.
So there isn't much to do.
Amidst the explosions of firecrackers, Bai Youqing arrived at her brother's grave and kowtowed three times.
Brother, go in peace. I will take good care of Sister-in-law Hoshino!
One day, I will kill all the abyssal creatures on Earth, and then I will come to join you.