Chapter 53
Xia Yi began trying to recall the last time he saw that Ultraman.
Fragments of memories flashed through his mind, but when he tried to grasp them, they slipped away like water.
Suddenly, he remembered a long-buried incident.
It had happened so long ago that he wasn’t sure if it was real or just a dream.
But now, as he connected the dots with his surroundings, it felt like it had really happened.
One night, when he was a child, he woke up needing to use the bathroom. Half-asleep, he hugged his Ultraman and, with his eyes half-closed, shuffled to the restroom.
But when he opened his bedroom door and stepped into the living room, instead of finding the light switch, his hand touched nothing. He only felt a soft breeze, and strange sounds of rustling trees and chirping insects filled his ears.
His sleepiness vanished instantly, and he opened his eyes wide, realizing he was no longer in his living room. He stood in a quiet garden.
Around him were waist-high shrubs, and not far away was a jagged rock formation. Under the moonlight, the rocks looked eerie and menacing.
Wearing his little bear pajamas and clutching his Ultraman, Xia Yi stood there wide-eyed, scanning the unfamiliar surroundings in shock.
The shadows of the trees swayed in the pale moonlight, like clawed monsters ready to pounce.
From a corner, a sharp cat’s meow echoed. A black cat leaped onto the top of the rock formation, its eyes gleaming as it stared intently at Xia Yi.
Xia Yi took a few steps back, then could no longer hold back his fear and started screaming. He ran through the garden, crying for his mom, frantically searching for a way out.
He ran down a long wooden corridor, hearing the sound of his little slippers slapping against the wood. At the end of the corridor was a pond, with a small red arched bridge crossing it.
He cried and ran through the garden paths, not even noticing when he lost his Ultraman along the way.
Then, behind him, he heard hurried footsteps—someone was chasing him.
These people were strangers to him, all dressed in long robes like in historical dramas.
They looked at him in surprise, tugging at his bear pajamas and calling him “young master,” ignoring his resistance and carrying him away.
Fear overwhelmed him—where were these people taking him? He started to struggle desperately, kicking and screaming, crying out for his mother.
Then, suddenly, with a “snap,” the lights turned on, and his mother’s panicked voice called out, “Xiao Yi, Xiao Yi, what’s wrong?” At the same time, he was pulled into a warm embrace.
Xia Yi squinted against the bright light and heard his mother’s familiar voice, instantly calming down. He clung tightly to her, opening his eyes.
Everything seemed to revert back to normal—the garden, the rocks, the long corridor, and the people were all gone. He was standing in the brightly lit living room.
His father came out too, hurriedly asking, “What happened to Xiao Yi?”
“I-I was going to the bathroom, but I couldn’t turn on the lights, and I found myself in a strange place. You weren’t there, and some bad people in long robes wanted to take me away and sell me,” Xia Yi sobbed.
“What bad people in long robes?” his father asked, reaching out to feel his forehead.
“They were wearing the same long robes like in the dramas Mom watches, and they called me ‘young master,'” Xia Yi sniffled.
He remembered his parents exchanging a quick glance, then his mother picked him up. “You just had a bad dream, Xiao Yi. See? You’re home safe. There’s no bad person who wants to sell you.”
As they walked, his mother gently patted his back. “Why don’t you sleep with Mom tonight?”
Xia Yi nodded and snuggled into his mother’s arms.
So it was all just a dream—there were no black cats, no bad people, and no creepy corridors.
But then, Xia Yi suddenly remembered that when he and Brother Zhu had first crossed over to this world while collecting mushrooms, they stood on a small arched bridge feeding fish.
That red arched bridge was identical to the one he had seen in the corridor during his childhood.
And next to that pond was a long wooden walkway, painted the same red.
What he had seen back then was actually the backyard of the governor’s residence.
Which means that the Ultraman must have been dropped by him that night while he was running. The other Xia Yi must have found it and kept it as a toy, even sewing it clothes.
“Why did my parents lie to me back then, saying that Ultraman was stolen by a thief? What exactly do they know, and what are they hiding from me?
The parents here look exactly like my parents from my original world. Is it because this is a parallel world, or… are they actually my real parents?
But that doesn’t make sense. If they are my real parents, why would they act like they don’t recognize me? And they don’t seem to be faking it at all.
Xia Yi stood there, holding the Ultraman, lost in thought as one question after another surfaced in his mind.
Gu Wenzhu waved his hand in front of Xia Yi’s face, “Xiao Yi, what are you thinking about? You’ve been staring into space for a while now.”
“Brother Zhu, I think I’ve discovered something incredible,” Xia Yi said, still dazed, nervously clutching the Ultraman in his hands.
“What is it? Can you tell me?” Seeing Xia Yi’s shocked and uneasy expression, Gu Wenzhu’s face grew serious.
Xia Yi thought for a moment, then pulled Gu Wenzhu to sit on the bed. With a solemn expression, he said, “Brother Zhu, I’ve made a discovery. I think I traveled to this world when I was a child, and this toy is the proof. And it’s possible—just possible—that the parents here are my real parents, and the Xia Yi here is actually me.”
“If the Xia Yi here is me, what do you think will happen if I’ve traveled from the farming world?”
“What will happen?” Gu Wenzhu looked confused, clearly not understanding what Xia Yi was talking about.
“I know what will happen,” 179’s sharp voice suddenly rang out, with a hint of excitement. “Gu Wenzhu will have two wives.”
“If this is a parallel world, there will be two of me. But after I came here, that Xia Yi disappeared like he never existed, and I naturally took over his life.”
“Could it be that I and that Xia Yi are the same person? And after I came, he vanished or merged with me?”
Gu Wenzhu looked at Xia Yi with a pained expression.
But Xia Yi didn’t notice. He was caught up in his own thoughts, his eyes blazing with certainty and excitement.
“I need to ask my mother about the origin of this toy right now.”
With that, Xia Yi grabbed the Ultraman, opened the door, and ran toward his parents’ courtyard.
“Young master is here, and madam is just about to rest,” a servant called out loudly as Xia Yi’s mother was about to head to the washroom.
The door creaked open, and Xia Yi burst in, panting.
Xia Yi’s father, who had been angry before, became even more furious at the sight of him, “Do you have no sense of propriety? Barging into your parents’ room without a word?”
“You’ve always been like this—no rules, no manners! No wonder you went and married a man!”
At this, Xia Yi’s father clutched his chest, feeling a familiar tightness.
But Xia Yi couldn’t care about that right now. He held up the Ultraman, his eyes shining as he looked at his mother. “Mother, look at this. Do you recognize it? Do you remember where it came from?”
His mother took the Ultraman, studying it with a puzzled expression. “Isn’t this the toy you found in the yard when you were little? I thought it looked odd and wanted to throw it away, but the servants who took care of you said it was yours. So I kept it and even made it some clothes.”
“Then… then, Mother, do you remember what I was like as a child?” Xia Yi asked again.
“What were you like? Oh, you were mischievous and disobedient, always driving your father mad. Every time he wanted to spank you, you’d scream before the broom even touched you and hide in the wardrobe. Especially that time when you failed your exam, and your teacher called your father…” As she spoke, his mother’s voice suddenly stopped. She stood there, her mouth open, a confused expression on her face.
“Mother, keep going. Tell me more,” Xia Yi urged, his lips trembling. His voice was soft, as if afraid of breaking the fragile thread of memory, or as if he feared waking from a dream.
His mother stood there dazed, her face a mix of confusion and bewilderment. “Why can’t I remember? Why can’t I recall anything about your childhood?”
Xia Yi’s father, who had been sulking, turned his head at this, his voice gruff, “What on earth are you two talking about?”
“Father, think! Think about my childhood!” Xia Yi hurried over to ask his father when he saw his mother was still lost in thought.
“You have the nerve to ask about your childhood! You drove people crazy back then. Like, like…” His father’s words trailed off, and he, too, froze.
“Why can’t I remember my son’s childhood?” After a long pause, his father turned to his mother, asking blankly, “Am I losing my mind?”
Gu Wenzhu had been waiting in the room for a long time when he finally heard footsteps approaching under the eaves.
The door creaked open, and Xia Yi drifted in like a ghost, his eyes vacant, still clutching the Ultraman in his hand.
“Xiao Yi, what’s wrong?” Gu Wenzhu waved a hand in front of his face.
Xia Yi grabbed Gu Wenzhu’s hand, looking at him blankly. “Brother Zhu, I really don’t understand this world anymore.”
Gu Wenzhu led him over to the bed. “Didn’t you go ask your parents? What did they say?”
Xia Yi, like a puppet, let Gu Wenzhu guide him to sit down. In a daze, he mumbled, “Brother Zhu, it seems like my parents didn’t die. No, they did die—I buried them myself. But maybe their souls came here? And their memories were wiped? But that doesn’t make sense. Who would do something like that?”
“179, you heard everything just now. Can you analyze it for me?” At this point, Xia Yi had no choice but to seek help from the system.
“Uh… I… I’m not sure…” 179 stammered, unable to give an answer.
Xia Yi collapsed backward onto the bed, closing his eyes and shouting, “Brother Zhu, are my parents here really my real parents?”
Gu Wenzhu took the Ultraman from his hand and carefully put the little Hanfu back on it. “Whether they are your real parents or from another world, they are still your parents.”
Xia Yi was stunned upon hearing this and stared at the ceiling.
After a while, as if something had clicked in his mind, he opened his eyes and smiled at Gu Wenzhu, looking content. “Brother Zhu, you’re right. I won’t dwell on it anymore. Whether real or not, I have parents again.”
“Yes,” Gu Wenzhu lovingly patted his face. “You have parents again.”
Taking the dressed Ultraman, Xia Yi placed it beside his pillow, just like he did when he was a child.
Then he turned over, burying his face in Gu Wenzhu’s chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, and peacefully fell asleep.
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