"Brother Chen, are you ready?" Wu Weiwei came over with a flashy bag with a banana pattern on it.
Chen Ling instinctively grabbed the things in the guide's hand, crumpled them into a ball, and walked quickly towards the cashier with a guilty conscience.
Wu Weiwei looked puzzled and looked at the young lady beside him blankly: "What's wrong with him?"
The saleslady smiled slightly, as if she knew nothing, and changed the subject and asked, "Sir, is there anything else you need?"
Wu Weiwei scratched the back of his head, said thank you, quickly caught up with his brother Chen, put his swimming trunks on the counter, and caught the last bus to pay the bill.
The hot spring resort is a bit far from the north city, about a two-hour drive away, and you'll have to stay there for at least a day or two before returning.
Chen Ling took Wu Weiwei to the underground supermarket on the first floor of the shopping mall and swept everything clean.
They were full of vigor and vitality when they went in, but came out hunched over, hungry, and both looked like they had been tortured by something, and they were listless and had no energy at all.
Chen Ling raised his head and gulped down a mouthful of water, then handed the remaining half bottle to Wu Weiwei: "Let's go eat something first?"
Wu Weiwei's eyes lit up and he instantly came back to life: "I heard there's a new snack street opening nearby!"
Chen Ling hadn't eaten junk food for a long time, and couldn't help swallowing his saliva, but he had other plans, "I want to go home."
It has been almost half a year since he arrived at Yuhe Mountain, and he basically relies on WeChat at night to keep in touch with his family.
Now that he has the skills, he no longer has to worry about affecting his family. Chen Ling feels itchy in his heart and really wants to go back and hug his parents who have loved him since he was a child.
When Wu Weiwei heard that Brother Chen was going back to his mother's house, he quickly said, "Then I won't go."
Chen Ling reached out and took his arm and walked to the side of the road, "Go ahead, I haven't brought friends home since I turned 18, my parents will definitely be happy to see you."
Wu Weiwei had a yearning for a complete family. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded and said, "Then I'll go buy some things."
"No need." Chen Ling opened the car door on the side of the road and pushed Wu Weiwei into the passenger seat.
The Chen family is not in the urban area, but is actually some distance away from the North City, almost on the border with the neighboring Xiushui City.
There is a large orchard and greenhouse, and in the northwest corner of the small farm, there is a small white house.
Grandpa Chen Ling had little education back then, and after separating from his brothers, he started farming to make a living.
At that time, people's awareness of contracting was not strong, but he was the first to keep up with the pace of the times and contracted this piece of mountain land for a hundred years in one go.
At first, everyone thought that Old Chen had a bad mind and was possessed by evil spirits. But as time went by, some people started to get jealous, saying that they didn't know whose good fortune the Chen family had borrowed, otherwise how could they be so lucky
The Chen family has always turned a blind eye to both good and bad comments.
They worked hard to grow crops, run fresh food supermarkets, and counted their cash with satisfaction. Occasionally, they would send some freshly harvested vegetables to their neighbors.
People always feel grateful for the help they have received. Over time, those discordant voices gradually disappeared.
Chen Ling drove along the asphalt road to the white building and happened to meet the nanny who had worked in the family for many years. She was passing by with a basket carrying fresh vegetables just picked from the fields.
He stopped the car and rolled down the window: "Aunt Shu!"
Aunt Shu paused, turned back in disbelief, uttered a cry, and trotted to the front of the car: "It's Lingling who's back! Did the madam and the husband know?" She slapped her thigh when she remembered something, "They definitely don't know. Those two went to work in the fields again and didn't even bring their cell phones. I'll go call them for you right away!"
"No need." Chen Ling hurriedly pulled the man back, "Go home first and give them a surprise later."
Aunt Shu's eyes were slightly moist, and she smiled and said, "Okay."
Chen Ling drove the car to the front of the small building and got out with Wu Weiwei. Aunt Shu walked very quickly and had opened the door before them.
Wu Weiwei really didn't expect that his brother Chen was a rich second-generation. The first time he entered the Chen family, he was a little nervous and his palms were full of sweat.
Chen Ling patted his back and said, "My parents are very hospitable, don't be nervous."
Aunt Shu also said: "The husband and wife are very nice people. Children don't need to be restrained. Just treat it as your own home."
The middle-aged woman's smile was very friendly, and Wu Weiwei was infected and relaxed a little.
Chen Ling helped him change his shoes and brought him to his room on the second floor.
He hadn't been back for half a year, but the house was so clean, as if he had never left.
Wu Weiwei reached out and picked up the family photo on the table.
There are five people in the photo. Apart from his brother Chen, the other four should be his grandparents, father and mother. Each of them is full of smiles, and it can be seen that this is a very harmonious and happy family.
Wu Weiwei put down the photo, suddenly exclaimed, and moved closer to a photo frame.
That was a group photo before Chen Ling’s high school graduation.
There is a part of the photo that has been cut off, and judging from the outline, it should be a person.
One hand took the photo frame off the wall, and Chen Ling's fingers just happened to pinch the blank space. "There was a classmate in our class who committed suicide at home by taking sleeping pills due to excessive pressure in his senior year of high school. But when we took the graduation photo, he appeared in the last row."
Wu Weiwei was horrified. "That should not be the only photo of you."
"More than that." Chen Ling put the photos back and said, "There was a blurry shadow on every photo that was developed. Some students thought it was simply due to overexposure, some thought it was some building in the background, and some thought it was the dead classmate."
At that time, Chen Ling had just started to encounter ghosts and was still at the stage of deceiving himself.
He believed the rumors among his classmates about being exposed, but subconsciously he was a little afraid, so he cut out a piece.
Fortunately, nothing strange happened afterwards.
Now that I think about it, that classmate must have gone to the underworld, and maybe even been successfully reincarnated.
Wu Weiwei carefully looked at Chen Ling's expression and saw that he had no aversion to the past events. After pondering for a moment, he could not help but ask, "Brother Chen, have you been able to see ghosts since you were a child? Are you born with the ability to see ghosts?"
"Of course not." Chen Ling said, "I started seeing ghosts after I turned 18. At first it was okay, just occasionally, but eventually it became like I was haunted by ghosts every day. At first I was scared, but later I became numb, as if I was playing a holographic horror game every day."
Wu Weiwei: "… Then you have a good attitude. I guess I was scared to death."
Chen Ling waved his hand and said modestly: "It's OK."
"But Brother Chen," Wu Weiwei asked in confusion, "Why is it eighteen, and not seventeen, sixteen, or twenty years old or later?"
Chen Ling shook his head. "I don't know either."
"Didn't Mr. Zhao say that?"
"No." Speaking of Zhao Xunchang and his miserable past, Chen Ling couldn't help but sigh: "Luckily I met Master, otherwise I would have to live with ghosts every day for the rest of my life."
Wu Weiwei: "You are almost there now. Have you forgotten the dog that Brother Jiang gave you? Isn't that also a ghost?"
It would have been fine if he hadn't said it, but as soon as Chen Ling heard it, he reacted.
Not only does he associate with ghosts, he will also sleep in the same bed with ghosts in the future!
Thinking of this, the presence of the swimming trunks bag on the table suddenly became larger, making people embarrassed to look at it.
Chen Ling said earnestly: "You still have a profound view of the problem."
Wu Weiwei was confused: "...Huh?"
"It's okay." Chen Ling heard the noise downstairs, walked to the bed and saw that his parents had returned, so he quickly pulled Wu Weiwei downstairs.
At the entrance on the first floor, Mr. and Mrs. Chen were changing their shoes and were stunned when they saw the two pairs of young men's casual shoes.
Aunt Shu smiled and said, "Lingling is back."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Ling ran and jumped down from upstairs, rushed to the entrance and gave his parents a bear hug.
Mother Chen's mind was blank until she heard a sticky "Mom" in her ear. She finally blinked her eyes and slapped him in the face: "You stupid kid, you finally came back."
Her tone was fierce, but her eyes were red, and her voice was unconsciously choked with sobs.
Father Chen seemed much more stable. After letting go, he pressed his son's shoulder and asked, "How have you been doing in the past six months? Your mother kept nagging you on WeChat all day, worried that you weren't eating well or sleeping well."
Mother Chen wiped her eyes and glared at her husband who had exposed her past: "None of that matters." She pulled Chen Ling aside and said, "Son, has your ghost problem really been solved?"
Chen Ling: "Don't you often chat with Master online behind my back? You don't believe what I say, but you can't also believe what Master says."
"How can I not believe it? Mom just wants to confirm it again."
The Chen family respected Zhao Xunchang very much, almost to the point that what Zhao Xunchang said was almost an imperial decree. This extreme trust began after that night chat in the study.
Father Chen coughed lightly to interrupt the mother and son and asked, "Lingling brought friends back?"
Mother Chen then realized that there was someone at the entrance and immediately felt that she had neglected him. After apologizing repeatedly, she enthusiastically pulled Wu Weiwei to sit on the sofa and asked about his well-being, instantly forgetting about her son.
Father Chen smiled and shook his head, then turned to look at his son: "How long will you stay?"
"Let's go after dinner." Chen Ling had been away from home for a long time and couldn't help but want to act like a spoiled child to his father, "Is there anything to eat at home?"
"Yes, there are some crayfish in the kitchen sink that we caught from the fields yesterday. Dad will cook them for you right away." Dad Chen cooked himself, which shows how good his mood was today.
The atmosphere in the Chen family was so good that Wu Weiwei's initial restraint quickly disappeared.
After holding his hand and asking about his personal situation, Mother Chen changed the topic to her son: "Is Lingling having a hard time in Yuhe Mountain? That kid only reports good news and never bad news, and he never tells us the truth."
"Very good." Wu Weiwei was not sure what information could be made known to Chen's parents, so he answered vaguely.
Unexpectedly, this was not what Mother Chen really wanted to ask.
She nodded when she heard that, and asked directly without beating around the bush: "Since you're doing well, you should be interested in meeting more girls. How's he doing? Is he dating?"
Wu Weiwei: "Probably... not."
Mother Chen sighed: "Our Lingling is good in every way except that he doesn't like to interact with the opposite sex. When others were in love in high school, he buried his head in his studies. When others were dating hand in hand in college, he..." started to encounter ghosts.
After a few seconds of pausing, she concluded, "In short, he gives me the impression that he is not a good match for marriage."
Wu Weiwei opened his mouth and wanted to say, "Brother Chen's marriage is great. His boyfriend is powerful and is also an insider in the industry. We have so many common topics to talk about," but he didn't dare.
Mother Chen winked at him mysteriously, took out her phone from the fruit bowl under the coffee table, and flipped through a photo: "Weiwei, what do you think of this girl? Will our Lingling like this one?"
Chen Ling just came out to get toilet paper and almost exploded when he heard this.
My first reaction was to look left and right, fearing that the ancestor was following me silently.
After making sure that the person was not there, he breathed a sigh of relief, approached from behind the sofa, and said quietly: "Don't bother, this is not the type I like."
Mother Chen was startled by the sudden sound, and she cursed at the child and asked seriously, "What kind do you like?"
"Mom, I'm only twenty years old. There's no need to be so anxious." Chen Ling said helplessly.
"Urgent, of course." Mother Chen counted on her fingers and told him, "First, we need to get to know each other and become ordinary friends. It will take about a year, and you will be exactly 21 years old. Then you can date for another five years and get married. After you have lived together for a few years and have children, you will be 30 years old."
Chen Ling: “…” He didn’t even know that his future was clearly arranged.
Mother Chen is not afraid of anything except that she is afraid that her son will not be able to find a wife and will end up living alone in the future.
Seeing that her son was silent, she was afraid that the rules she set were too strict and might easily discourage him, so she added: "Of course, the most important thing is that you like it. Parents don't care about beauty, ugliness, height, or family conditions."
"What you said?" Chen Ling rested his elbows on the back of the sofa, propped up his cheeks and imagined Jiang Yu's appearance. "Then I'll find someone taller and better looking than me, preferably with a magnetic voice when speaking. Oh, yes, he also needs to be more capable than me and be able to protect me."
Mother Chen: "How can you be so ambitious and want a girl to protect you!"
Chen Ling muttered: "As for my ideal type, of course it's someone who is better than me in every way."
Wu Weiwei quietly gave his brother Chen a thumbs up from an angle where Chen's mother couldn't see. Even at this time, he didn't forget to feed him dog food. Awesome!
Mother Chen thought he was deliberately making things difficult for her by setting such a high standard. She snorted and said forcefully, "Ideal types are all empty words. When it comes time to find a partner, you still have to go by your feelings."
Chen Ling looked as if he had remembered it by heart, "Yes, yes, you are right, I will go in and help."
After saying that, he walked around to the coffee table and took the toilet paper in.
Seeing his son coming back, Father Chen stared at him for a few seconds, then turned to Aunt Shu who was helping to pick vegetables and said, "Sister, please go out first. I'll chat with Lingling."
Aunt Shu sighed and did not forget to close the door for the father and son before leaving.
Looking at the closed kitchen door, Chen Ling suddenly became a little nervous and stood straight subconsciously.
Father Chen was quite experienced. He lowered his head and continued what he was doing. He said jokingly, "Your standards for choosing a spouse are quite high. It won't be easy to find a girl with higher standards than you."
His son is not very tall, but not short either, about 1.78 meters.
A girl taller than him must be at least 1.8 meters tall.
Chen Ling didn't expect his father to have such sharp ears. He didn't dare to make a sound for a moment. He lowered his head and looked at his toes, feeling panic-stricken as if he had been caught by the tail.
Father Chen glanced at him and chuckled, "Why are you panicking? Aren't those words you just said to your mother a hint?"
"Yes." Chen Ling didn't know where he got the courage from. He clenched his fists, raised his head and said, "Dad, I have someone I like. He is good in every way, but he doesn't meet your requirements on the issue of gender."
Father Chen silently chopped the kitchen knife into the chopping board.
Chen Ling: “…”
Chen Ling shrank his shoulders in fear, and his mind began to get confused.
Father Chen went to wash his hands, slowly and leisurely, deliberately leaving the other person alone.
When his son could no longer stand, he asked, "What if I don't agree?"
Chen Ling felt a little uncomfortable. He was greedy and wanted both. "I can wait."
"What if I can't wait?" Father Chen said, "What your mother wants most is for you to be safe and happy, to get married and have children. But now you tell me that these things are gone. Do you know how sad she will be?"
Chen Ling buttoned his trouser seam, feeling a little aggrieved and sad: "Then you should comfort her."
Father Chen: “…” That’s true, your wife should comfort herself.
He hissed, feeling that this kid was a little different from before, and asked in a deep voice, "Do you like him so much?"
Chen Ling sniffed and lowered his voice a few degrees, "It's fate, there's nothing I can do about it."
Father Chen: “…”
He pinched his brows, turned around and picked up the kitchen knife again, and said the most tolerant words in a serious voice: "If you like it, then like it. It's not that we can't accept it."
Chen Ling looked up suddenly, a little slow to react.
Father Chen: "You were always possessed by evil spirits during those two years, and you narrowly escaped death many times. Your mother and I thought at the time that as long as you were safe and sound, that was more important than anything else."
As long as their son is doing well, they will not interfere with what he likes or what he does.
There are too many unexpected things in life. No one knows what will happen in the next second. It is better to enjoy yourself while you can to avoid regrets in the future.
Chen Ling felt as if his throat was blocked by cotton and he couldn't make any sound. A sour feeling rose in his nose. He took two steps forward and gave his father a hug: "Thank you, Dad."
"What are you thanking me for?" Father Chen rubbed his son's head with his elbow and said with a smile, "Just now I just wanted to see if you were firm in your feelings. Are you scared?"
"No." Chen Ling responded in a muffled voice and rubbed his eyes on his father's shoulder.
Father Chen smiled and shook his shoulders, "Move your head away, it's getting in the way of me cutting vegetables."
Chen Ling curled his lips, but still stood aside obediently.
Father Chen glanced at him and said, "Don't act aggrieved." After cutting the cucumber in his hand, he continued, "I will slowly do some ideological work on your mother, so please stop making trouble."
How could the son not show some appreciation for his considerate father? Chen Ling wanted to invite his parents to go to the hot spring resort together.
As a result, as soon as the idea was proposed, it was rejected by Chen's father.
"Your mother and I were there not long ago. The environment is nice." Father Chen said, "And we have already made an appointment with Uncle Cao to go hiking early tomorrow morning."
Chen's parents know how to live their lives. They work hard when they are working, and when they are free, they go outings and play cards with friends.
Chen Ling was surprised: "Already been there?"
"Yeah." Father Chen picked up the cleaned fish and started to fillet it, saying, "That hot spring resort was advertising everywhere during its trial operation. It just so happened that your mom said she had a backache during that time, so she went to take a bath. It really worked."
Chen Ling's expectations for the hot spring club skyrocketed.
After dinner, he spent some time with his parents. Then he couldn’t wait to take Wu Weiwei back to the Yuheshan courtyard and prepare to go to the hot spring resort.
The guild hall is located in a valley, surrounded by lush greenery. Chen Ling could see large clouds of white smoke rising from a distance.
Wu Weiwei saw the group of buildings and said, "It's quite large."
Chen Ling was also a little surprised. Judging from the area alone, this was no longer a "guild hall" but a villa.
From the col to the nearby hillside, almost the entire area is the business scope of this guild hall.
"Get ready to get out of the car." Jiang Yu looked up at the rearview mirror, tapped with his fingertips, turned the steering wheel and parked the car in the parking lot.
Chen Ling and Wu Weiwei got off the car with their backpacks. There was a German Shepherd squatting at their feet, which was invisible to ordinary people.
After Jiang Yu came down, the two men and the dog followed the man's steps like elementary school students following their teacher, crossing the large open-air public hot spring pool and entering the reception hall.
In the lobby on the first floor, several tourists were checking in. One of them noticed the new tourist and couldn't help but take a few more glances. Then he bumped into the person next to him and quietly pointed at Jiang Yu.
The girl who was hit was not very impatient at first, but when her eyes fell on Jiang Yu's face, surprise suddenly burst out between her brows, and she excitedly shook hands with her companion: "So handsome."
The companion nodded repeatedly: "Yeah, yeah, here it comes!"
Chen Ling heard the two girls' excited shouts from a distance, pursed his lips, and switched places with Jiang Yu: "You go to the right."
Jiang Yu walked to the right side of the young man and tapped the cold marble table with his fingers: "Hello."
A staff member just happened to be available at the front desk and smiled, "How can I help you?"
Chen Ling hurriedly took out the VIP card in his hand and placed it at the front desk, then slowly pushed it forward.
The receptionist was stunned for a moment, politely asked to wait, and then called the manager.
There are not many VIP cards issued, and the holders are basically the boss’s close friends, or the family members of the boss’s close friends. Whether it is the former or the latter, they must not be neglected.
The manager walked over quickly, his unbuttoned suit fluttering back and forth. He stopped and greeted them warmly, "Dear guests, you don't need to go through the formalities at the front desk. A private butler will come to handle it for you later."
He had good eyesight and knew who was the boss among the three people at a glance. He led the way and said to Jiang Yu, "I'll take you to choose a room first."
There are two types of rooms in the clubhouse: one is ordinary hotel-style rooms, and the other is holiday villas.
Jiang Yu slowed down his pace and waited for Chen Ling to come forward: "Which one do you want to live in?"
Chen Ling chose the second category.
The villa is on the east side of the mountainside, and there is an open-air hot spring pool in the backyard. After putting down his things, Chen Ling immediately took a shower and ran to the hot spring pool wearing his swimming trunks.
The hot spring is a clear spring pool with a suitable water temperature. The only drawback is that the water is so clear that you can see the bottom of the pool at a glance.
Chen Ling leaned against the pool wall with his hands idly placed on the ground. He looked at himself, then at Wu Weiwei, and immediately made the mistake that all men love to make, silently comparing sizes.
After a moment, he looked up at the sky, wondering who was older and who was younger. Then, a pair of long legs walked by, stepped on the ladder at the edge of the pool, and slowly sank into the water.
Chen Ling sat up straight and looked up to see the 3D-cut tight swimming trunks that he had personally packed into his backpack.
Jiang Yu had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, with tight muscles. The thin fabric of his swimming trunks covered his thigh muscles, revealing his slightly protruding kneecaps. The blood-colored spells on his back were exposed to the air without any hesitation, and half of them were hidden in the water as he sank.
Chen Ling tried hard to control his eyes from wandering around and moved towards the man. When his eyes fell on the spell, he felt as if he was hooked and he couldn't help but raise his hand to touch it.
"Jiang Yu, what are these?"
The young man's fingers rubbed on the skin, causing an itch, and the muscles on Jiang Yu's back suddenly stiffened.
He frowned, and with one quick move, he pulled the young man's hand in front of him, staring into his eyes with a gloomy look, with a hidden warning: "Don't touch."
Chen Ling keenly noticed that the atmosphere in the hot spring pool suddenly changed.
He showed a puzzled expression and subconsciously wanted to look at the man's hand that was tightly holding his, but he didn't grasp the angle well and saw something he shouldn't have seen.
The scenery is beautiful under the clear, swaying spring water.
Wu Weiwei looked at this, then looked at that, turned his head silently, wishing he were blind.
I never knew that I have the ability to glow and give off heat!