Chapter 1546
Yang Liu visits to plead for help
Jiuyuan.
In a well-decorated study filled with smoke, a young man in his early twenties sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, lost in thought. He had a cigarette in his mouth, his face was expressionless, and his eyes were fixed on the garden outside.
Next to him was an ashtray filled with cigarette butts, all of which were from the cigarettes he had smoked.
Since Yang Huai, the fifth brother, came out yesterday, he hasn't had a good night's sleep. At this moment, his eyes are bloodshot and his eyes are surrounded by dark circles. He doesn't feel sleepy at all; on the contrary, he is more awake than usual.
It wasn't that he was afraid his fifth brother would retaliate against him and his family; rather, he felt a pang of guilt. Looking back on all these years, he even felt a little guilty towards his mother—she had always told him to take good care of his younger siblings, especially his fifth brother, Yang Huai, but…
Lao Wu is nearly sixty, but he has spent most of his time inside. This is all thanks to him. However, he can't be blamed. If Lao Wu hadn't been causing him trouble outside every day, and if he hadn't been afraid that Lao Wu would cause trouble for himself and his family, he wouldn't have been so heartless as to lock Lao Wu up inside for the rest of his life.
So, ultimately, it all comes down to the fifth brother's own lack of ambition.
To be honest, if Lao Wu hadn't done that, even if he were a stupid and clumsy person, a "poop-making machine," as long as he didn't cause me trouble, I would have let him do whatever he wanted. Unfortunately, he made a mistake he shouldn't have made.
With several lives on his hands, he, as the older brother, had no choice but to take coercive measures against him. If he were allowed to run rampant, it would not only harm himself but also implicate the entire family. In that case, not only Yang Jun but also his sisters and their families would all be implicated.
"Hey!"
Yang Jun sighed, then twisted the cigarette he had finished smoking forcefully in the ashtray.
He felt his pocket and realized he had run out of cigarettes. He considered taking out another pack from his storage space, but then thought better of it.
He placed the ashtray on the coffee table and then turned and left the study.
The living room was empty; no one in the family had gone.
Since the children got married and started their own families, they have all moved out to live elsewhere. Now, only Yang Jun, Yi Qiushui, and a few others remain in the huge manor. The whole courtyard looks cold and deserted, lacking the lively atmosphere of the past.
I don’t know when it started, but he gradually adapted to this quiet life. Perhaps this is the kind of living environment he will face in the future.
Yi Qiushui, Huang Yani, and the others have all reached retirement age. Without the burden of children or the troubles of daily life, they are able to enjoy a happy old age. They can hardly stay at home and often go out to meet with friends, dance, drink tea, and so on. It has to be said that they are living a very comfortable life.
Not finding anyone in the living room, Yang Jun decided to go to the dining room to get something to eat. Just as he stepped out, he saw his sister, Yang Liu, walking towards him in a wheelchair.
"Big brother!"
"Third Sister!"
The brother and sister called out at the same time.
Yang Jun stepped forward, took the wheelchair from the nanny, and pushed Yang Liu.
What brings you here today?
Yang Jun asked as he pushed the wheelchair.
"Oh, I heard you were back from your province, so I came to see you," Yang Liu said with a smile.
Her leg was hit by a car when she was young. Although it healed, she would suffer unbearable pain whenever it was windy or rainy. As she got older, walking became increasingly difficult, and she eventually ended up using a wheelchair. However, she still insisted on walking on her own on certain important occasions.
Upon hearing this, Yang Jun pursed his lips.
"You came to see me under the pretense, but really to plead for Lao Wu, didn't you?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Liu pursed her lips and said, "It really is true... nothing can be hidden from you."
"Brother, I'm not here to plead for Lao Wu today. I'm here to ask you to see Lao Wu."
Upon hearing this, Yang Jun was taken aback and asked, "Fifth Brother wants to see me?"
“It’s not that Fifth Brother wants to see you, it’s that we’re begging you to see him,” Yang Liu added. “Second Sister and Fourth Sister feel the same way.”
Without hesitation, Yang Jun replied, "I'm not going."
"We've been fighting all our lives. If I were to take the initiative to see him, wouldn't that be tantamount to admitting defeat?"
"Brother, what does this have to do with admitting defeat?"
Yang Liu said, "When brothers quarrel like this, there are no winners, only losers."
Yang Jun was stunned when he heard this.
Yes, there are no winners in the constant fighting between brothers, only losers. Even if you win, what do you gain?
However, I still can't get over that mental hurdle. Although I deny it verbally, I no longer feel the same resistance as before.
Upon entering the living room, Yang Liu got out of her wheelchair and sat on the sofa. Sitting in a wheelchair for a long time is very uncomfortable, and she didn't want to suffer like that.
After the nanny served tea, Yang Jun waved for them to leave. At that moment, only the two siblings were in the large living room.
Yang Jun sat a little further away from her, took out a cigarette, lit it, and sat there silently without saying a word.
"Brother, since you came back from your province, I've noticed that you look even younger than before."
Yang Liu didn't continue talking about Yang Huai, but instead looked at Yang Jun for a long time before revealing an envious expression.
After speaking, she couldn't help but touch her face. Her skin was wrinkled and dry, a stark contrast to Yang Jun's fair and rosy complexion.
Looking down at her own hands, although they were well-maintained, they still had the characteristics typical of the elderly, and were incomparable to Yang Jun's strong and powerful hands.
"is it?"
Yang Jun responded with a faint "yes".
Ever since he returned from the doomsday shelter in your province, everyone who has met him has said the same thing. He's gotten used to it. Even though Yang Liu already knew he looked younger in your province, she still brought it up again after they met. You can imagine what kind of impression his appearance gives others.
This is also what he is most worried about. Being young is a good thing, but staying young all the time is not a good thing. For ordinary people, it is a complete disaster. They would probably have been captured and used as guinea pigs long ago. Fortunately, he still has some strength, otherwise he would really be worried that others would cause trouble for him.
Fortunately, he is strong enough that no one has been foolish enough to cause him trouble so far.
"elder brother……"
Yang Liu called out.
"Ok?"
Yang Jun looked up at her.
At this moment, Yang Liu stared at him intently, her lips moving slightly as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
"What's wrong?" Yang Jun asked worriedly.
"Brother... if... we're all gone, what will you do all by yourself?"
Although Yang Liu envied Yang Jun's youth and vitality, she was more worried about her brother's future. Her brother was getting younger and younger, while they were all getting old. She really couldn't imagine what her brother would do when his relatives left one by one in a few decades.
Although his son and grandson are still alive, there is no one left with whom he can have a spiritual connection. How will his brother face the empty and lonely days to come?
Upon hearing this, Yang Jun opened his mouth wide but couldn't utter a word for a long time.
Although he had asked himself this question tens of thousands of times, he still didn't have a correct answer after decades. He didn't know what life would be like decades or hundreds of years from now, but he knew that his world had ended.
Blood ties are innate and no one can change them. Relatives are relatives, but relatives can never be friends. A person's friends are only truly sincere in their youth and adolescence. Most of the friends they make later are based on mutual interests, which shows how precious true friendship is.
He once had true friends: Wang Erwa, Li Lixin, Ji Demin, Mu Sheng, Li Tiezhu… But as the years went by, his family and friends passed away one by one. Now, less than half of his friends and comrades-in-arms are still alive, and in a few years, there will probably be even fewer. He is already over seventy years old, and his friends and comrades-in-arms are either buried in the ground or have already registered with the King of Hell; very few remain.
As for relatives... they feel that whatever you do for them is a matter of course, lacking the chivalry and loyalty between friends, so there is no affection to speak of.
His own sons, daughters, grandsons and granddaughters... Yang Jun said he had fulfilled his responsibilities as a father and grandfather. As for great-grandsons and great-great-grandsons... he dared not think about it. He did not believe that there would still be any affection between people after the fifth degree of kinship.
All he can do right now is to help his son and daughter get on their feet and be able to gallop across the battlefield. As for the next generation, he believes that each generation has its own way of living.
He's had a hard enough life; he doesn't want to have to worry about them after he's gone.
"Hey!"
Yang Jun didn't say anything, he just shook his head and smiled bitterly.
This question is destined to have no answer.
Upon seeing this, Yang Liu seemed to immediately understand Yang Jun's suffering. Her eyes welled up with tears, and a warm, crystalline sensation blurred her vision.
"Brother, sob sob..."
Yang Liu covered her head and suddenly burst into tears.
If they had envied Yang Jun for his immortality before, they could now feel sorry for their brother.
Thinking of her older brother, who had always doted on her since childhood, and how he would have to spend the rest of his life alone and miserable, she couldn't help but feel a deep sadness.
"Hey, hey, why are you crying?"
Seeing this, Yang Jun quickly sat down next to her, wiping away her tears while comforting her, "Why are you crying? Your brother is still here."
"Brother, sob sob!"
Yang Liu cried even harder, sobbing uncontrollably in Yang Jun's arms.
"Brother, I feel so sorry for you, sob sob..."
Upon hearing this, Yang Jun's eyes reddened, and he tightened his grip on his sister's shoulder.
After all, she was his own sister, and only his closest relative could understand his suffering. Most people who saw his appearance looked envious and jealous, but only Yang Liu could see the bitterness and loneliness behind that restless expression.
"It's okay, I'm fine."
Yang Jun smiled and said, "It's a good thing that my brother is immortal, it's a good thing."
"What good news? I don't think it's good at all."
Upon hearing this, Yang Liu broke free from Yang Jun's embrace, wiped the tears from her cheeks, and scolded, "I'm not blind. I can see that you've been very tired all these years. You're completely different from how happy you were in the past. You used to go drinking and hunting with your friends all the time. You were so happy back then. But these years you've refused almost all social engagements and often hide by the river to fish alone. I haven't seen a smile on your face since."
"Brother, tell me the truth, are you afraid of people seeing how young you look now?"
Yang Jun didn't speak, but nodded with a wry smile.
"I knew it would be like this."
Yang Liu choked up and said, "I used to envy how you always looked so young, but now...it breaks my heart to see you like this, sob sob..."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but cry again.
Why are you crying again?
As Yang Jun wiped away her tears, he said, "There are advantages to immortality, and there are advantages to being an ordinary person. Every way of life is a way of living. There's no need to force anything or deliberately avoid anything. As long as we live each day to the fullest, our lives will be fulfilling and perfect."
"Don't you think so?"
Yang Jun looked at him with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Yang Liu sniffed, rolled her eyes at him, and smiled with pursed lips, "Yes!"
Actually, that's not what she really thought, but she didn't want to show it in front of her brother. She felt sorry for him and didn't want to rub salt into his wounds, so she could only nod and admit it.
"That's right, this is what life is really like."
After Yang Jun finished speaking, he sat back and pointed to his face, saying, "Look at this young and energetic face, aren't you envious?"
"envious,"
Yang Liu smiled, pursing her lips, "I'm not only envious, I'm also jealous."
"See? You admit it now, don't you?"
Yang Jun smiled and said, "What are you worried about regarding your brother?"
"Don't worry, I just envy you and am jealous of you," Yang Liu said with a smile.
"Ha ha!"
The brother and sister laughed heartily, their cheerful laughter filling the entire living room.
Yang Liu suddenly stopped laughing and looked at Yang Jun with a serious expression.
"Brother, life is only a few decades long. All beings are equal. We are all just here to experience joys and sorrows, life and death. We come into this world naked and leave naked, taking nothing with us."
"Sometimes there's really no need to take things too seriously. It makes things difficult for others and causes suffering for yourself. In the end, you gain nothing and end up hurt all over. Why bother?"
As Yang Jun listened, he sensed something was amiss, as if the topic of Yang Liu was about to suddenly shift to Yang Huai.
really……
"Brother, Fifth Brother doesn't have much time left. Why don't you two have a meeting?"
"Whatever grudges we have in this life, let's let them go for now, don't you think?"
Yang Jun remained silent, his face expressionless.
He didn't consider himself a petty person, much less narrow-minded or lacking in vision, but he simply couldn't bring himself to swallow his pride and approach Lao Wu, especially since he didn't think he had done anything wrong.
However, since his sister had laid so much groundwork, if he were to refuse outright, it would make him seem petty and lacking the magnanimity of an older brother.
He pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll give you face today and let Fifth Brother come over."
Upon hearing this, Yang Liu's face lit up with surprise.
She never expected that she could persuade Yang Jun, and now that her brother had agreed so readily, she couldn't help but be overjoyed.
"Brother, really?"
"It's fake." Yang Jun rolled his eyes at her.
"Brother, thank you so much. I thank you on behalf of Lao Wu." (End of Chapter)