Si Teng (Rattan) – CH 027

Chapter 27

Qin Fang teased Si Teng no less than five times. “My family has lived in Hangzhou for generations. My father, my grandfather, and my grandfather’s father are all honest and decent people. The farthest they’ve traveled has been to Shanghai; they’ve never been to Qingcheng.”

To further emphasize, he even added the English phrase. “never.”

Si Teng listened attentively, nodding frequently as if accepting his words. Qin Fang barely managed a breath of relief when she choked him. “Why so much nonsense? Show me the photos.”

It’s true; Qin Fang’s family actually had photos. They were all in their old, blue-tiled house in the countryside of Hangzhou. Qin Fang had seen them as a child. High on the mottled gray walls hung a glass frame, probably taken in a photo studio. His chubby great-grandfather, wearing a long gown and a mandarin jacket, stood with his hands folded and a smile on his face, resembling a Maitreya Buddha. His great-grandmother, wearing a modified qipao, sat in a pearwood chair holding her son, her hand, adorned with two jade bracelets, deliberately facing the camera.

Back then, anyone with a decent income would have had photos like this taken; even the poses were similar.

Qin Fang said angrily, “The photos are in the old house. If you want to see them, come with me to Hangzhou. There’s a room full of old photos of my great-grandfather, great-grandmother, and all my aunts and uncles. Take a look.”

He wasn’t stupid. A woman asking about a man with that kind of expression and tone was definitely more than just an ordinary male friend. Going back in time, when Si Teng was in her prime, his great-grandfather was also in his prime—but he wouldn’t believe the claim that his great-grandfather and Si Teng were in love.

Although he had never had the chance to meet his great-grandfather, he had seen many old photos. After gaining weight in middle age, his great-grandfather looked like a dumpling, and his eyes were like two wings when he smiled. He was perfect for playing a wealthy landlord in a movie. The only thing worth mentioning was that he was a good person, filial to his parents and respectful to his brothers and friends—could it be that Si Teng bowed down to his great-grandfather’s noble character? One word: bah.

“Don’t you have any relatives or friends? Ask someone to go to the old house and take some photos of your great-grandfather for me. Oh, and look for his letters so I can see his handwriting.”

She was truly audacious. Qin Fang was furious. No one had been to the old house for years. It must be covered in dust and cobwebs. Who else would bother going there? After thinking about it, he realized that only Shan Zhigang would help.

Thinking of Shan Zhigang, Qin Fang suddenly realized. Oh no! He’d tried to stop him from following An Man, but after meeting Chen Yindeng, how could he have forgotten such an important matter?

He quickly called back. Thankfully, Shan Zhigang answered quickly, his voice tinged with annoyance. He’d clearly seen An Man, but the hospital was packed, and after turning a few corners, he’d lost her.

So what? Qin Fang didn’t want Shan Zhigang to risk anything, so he figured he could use Si Teng’s request to lure him away. He told him to put the An Man matter on hold and that he had something more important to ask for his help with.

After hearing this so-called “more important matter,” Shan Zhigang was completely bewildered. “Qin Fang, I can assign any subordinate in the company to take the photos. But An Man deceived you. We finally found her. What if she runs away if we don’t keep a close eye on her?”

Qin Fang hesitated.

Zhigang’s words made sense. An Man had been in Nangqian before and suddenly reappeared in Lixian. Her whereabouts were extremely erratic. If they missed this opportunity, they might never find her again. Qin Fang considered it for a moment and finally agreed to let someone else take the photos. However, he repeatedly reminded Shan Zhigang: Keep an eye on An Man from a distance. Don’t get too close. Her background is complicated. If they delve into it, it could be detrimental to him or even life-threatening.

Shan Zhigang reassured him, “Between us brothers, what’s there to say? Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.”

These words truly warmed his heart. These past few days have been like a frost, with nothing going his way. Having a brother like this to help him out was truly comforting. After hanging up the phone, he saw Si Teng’s half-smile and remembered that he had forgotten to avoid her. He felt uneasy and was just about to find an excuse to go back to his room to sleep when Si Teng said, “I knew there was something wrong with An Man.”

Yes, she’s incredibly foresighted, and her words always hit the mark.

Qin Fang rolled his eyes inwardly, annoyed, but she followed up with, “There’s something wrong with your friend, too.”

What did this mean? Qin Fang was furious. “Zhigang has been my good friend since childhood. We’ve been friends for over a decade. What’s wrong with that?”

Si Teng said, “You two started a company together, and you’ve been gone all day. As the other boss, he doesn’t step up to stabilize the team and take charge but instead runs off to a remote village to help you find a fiancée. With a boss like that, the company hasn’t collapsed yet. It’s a disgrace to the business world.”

She added, “You told him that things are complicated and his life is in danger. It’s risky. An ordinary person would avoid it, but he’s so proactive. Why? Could he be in love with you?”

Anyone would be upset to have such speculation about their brother. Qin Fang’s words were somewhat blunt. “Si Teng, you don’t have many friends around you, so of course you can’t understand the desperate struggle of a close friend. I’m just puzzled. In your eyes, An Man has problems, I have problems, even Zhigang has problems. Are you the only one in this world who has no problems?”

Si Teng was silent for a long time. After a long moment, she looked up at Qin Fang, her eyes flickering, and a smile gradually curled up at the corners of her lips.

She said, “No, no, no. In this world, sometimes, you can’t even trust yourself.”

***

Chen Yindeng asked a question, “Why use the Red Umbrella?”

Temple Abbot Cang Hong laughed. Was that even a question?

Among the monsters of eastern Guizhou, Si Teng paid no attention to the nameless, obscure monsters. As for those prominent monsters who occupied prominent spaces in the literature—please, why were they even recorded?

Because they had caused trouble and chaos, they attracted attention and were subdued, suppressed, and vanquished—dead monsters, to Si Teng, were worse than nameless monsters.

Only Red Umbrella was renowned. His ultimate fate was “lost an arm, severely wounded, and thus completely extinguished.” In other words, Red Umbrella had fled with his wounds, likely dying silently in the wilderness. But since no body had been found, they could use this information to make a story—they could confidently tell Si Teng that Red Umbrella’s demonic presence had reappeared in eastern Guizhou. Furthermore, the length, width, color, and texture of Red Umbrella’s severed arm had been recorded in Magu Cave, and the Taoists had circulated it among themselves. If they wanted to fabricate something, they had a copy to follow. That made perfect sense. Miss Chen, what else was there to worry about?

Chen Yindeng forced a smile and said, “Let’s do this.”

Her expression was not very good. Abbot Cang Hong of Baiyun Temple noticed this, but he didn’t question her publicly. After agreeing, he sent the others back to their rooms, leaving only Chen Yindeng to question her. Chen Yindeng hesitated for a long time before saying, “This Red Umbrella, like Si Teng, has a grudge against Magu Cave. I’m afraid the grudge is even greater than Si Teng’s.”

That was true. Red Umbrella was cornered by Magu Cave at the time, but so what?

It seemed Temple Abbot Cang Hong still hadn’t grasped the stakes, so Chen Yindeng had to speak frankly.

“Perhaps I’m worrying too much, but the world is unpredictable. Even just a month ago, who could have imagined that Si Teng, dead for decades, would be resurrected? Things in this world are most susceptible to nagging. Old Temple Master, please don’t laugh at me for worrying about nothing. Ever since I saw the image of the Red Umbrella, I’ve been feeling incredibly anxious. I have a feeling… that the Red Umbrella is alive right next to us.”

Temple Abbot Cang Hong consoled her, “You’re pregnant, and you’re incredibly paranoid. How can anything you think about just appear? Let’s not even talk about the past. Just look at us in the Taoist sect. We talk about the Supreme Lord Laojun and the Supreme Heavenly Emperor every three sentences…”

He didn’t say anything else; after all, he was from the Taoist sect, but he stopped there; his meaning was clear.

Chen Yindeng smiled awkwardly. “No one knows why Si Teng is looking for monsters. I’m just worried that Red Umbrella is really not dead and will join forces with Si Teng… Maybe I’m overthinking it. My mood has been up and down since I became pregnant, and with the curse on me, it’s inevitable that I’m suspicious.”

Abbot Cang Hong of Baiyun Temple patted the back of her hand, intending to comfort her, but it somehow touched a deep well of hearts. He said with a sigh, “If Red Umbrella is truly not dead, our sect will sooner or later face him. It’s destined, and what’s meant to come will come, just like back then…”

Just like back then, when Si Teng hugged the suffocated child and laughed heartily, she said, “Remember, I will definitely come back.”

Did Red Umbrella, facing a desperate situation and losing his arm, make a similar vow?

Chen Yindeng hadn’t expected Master Cang Hong’s sudden question. She shuddered and remained silent for a long moment before she spoke. “Of course there was. At the time, it was surrounded and hunted by the various sects, hiding here and there like a stray dog. It wished it could devour my Magu Cave alive, and it did say many cruel things, like, ‘I hope Magu Cave will have no descendants.'”

The Cang Hong Temple’s heart skipped a beat. In a flash, a thought suddenly occurred to her. “Miss Chen, could it be that the curse of your Magu Cave didn’t come from Si Teng but the Red Umbrella?”

Chen Yindeng denied it flatly without a second thought. “No!”

After he finished speaking, he realized his answer was arbitrary. Seeing Master Cang Hong’s surprised expression, she fumbled to explain. “Yan Furui asked Si Teng about the curse, and she admitted it herself.”

***

Shan Zhigang’s subordinates were very capable. They quickly copied the photos—a panoramic view of a wall, individual photos, front and back, sorted by category—compressed them, and sent them to Qin Fang’s email.

Qin Fang managed to download and print the thick stack, which he showed to Si Teng. It was already late, and the lights were on under the eaves. The two of them sat at the table and read the photos one by one.

For Qin Fang, this was nothing less than a family history. So many ancestors and relatives he had never met, yet their joys, anger, and sorrows were sharp and vivid. He truly couldn’t comprehend what time was. It was like the shutter button on a camera: with a click, that era was gone, never to return, while these people were frozen in time on the yellowed film.

And what a marvelous thing bloodline was. Generation after generation, without these people, there would be no him—thinking so, every person walking down the street today was a miracle of tens of thousands of years, because everyone had a lineage they could trace back to…

Qin Fang was overwhelmed with emotion and was about to immerse himself in the vast subject of human reproduction when Si Teng’s words pulled him back.

“Why is your great-grandfather so fat?”

T/N: *spits out her coffee* Si Teng!!!! *cough laugh cough laugh cough*