Dream Guide

Due to the discovery of gray brain virus, effective drugs to suppress the virus were also invented. Mr. Xia's encephalopathy is gradually improving, but the shadow in his dream is still there. In order not to harm Xia Wenyuan's original consciousness, neither Aoki nor Crow actually killed the shadow.

This time, Aoki brought along the orange cat Shen Ran.

He still remembered that the parasitic consciousness once invaded the brain of Yao Jingjing's mother, but when the white cat Ruxue who guarded Yao's mother appeared, the parasitic consciousness disappeared. Yao's mother didn't know the truth of the matter and couldn't tell whether the parasitic consciousness gave up the invasion because it discovered Ruxue's existence, or something else happened.

Although Shenran now listens to Qingmu and Crow, her conscious body - Ruxue does not remember what happened in Yao's mother's brain, because the conscious body itself has no memory, and she cannot tell clearly what happened at that time. What.

So Aoki brought Ruxue, now Shenran, with him this time. He wanted to try what would happen if he brought Ruxue into Xia Wenyuan's dream and faced the invading shadow.

If Ruxue can really eliminate the parasitic consciousness without damaging the original consciousness, then on the one hand, Mr. Xia can be completely rescued, and on the other hand, it is possible to discover some of the weaknesses of the parasitic consciousness.

Xia Wenyuan was very happy to see Qingmu. The entire Xia family knew that Qingmu saved the old man, so they respected and admired him. Every time he came to visit, he was treated with greater courtesy than the last time.

After a few pleasantries, Qingmu asked about the past Mulberry Camp and Wu Zhonghua's family.

"Mulberry Camp and the Hua Family... how old they are!" Xia Wenyuan narrowed his eyes and tried to recall the past, "I was born in 1932 during the first Songhu Battle, and the fire at Mulberry Camp occurred in During the Second Battle of Songhu in 1937, I was only seven years old at that time. I have lived a long life, and I can’t remember many things from my childhood. Only the fire at the Chinese family mansion in Mulberry Camp is still fresh in my memory. .”

"At that time, it is not an exaggeration to say that the Hua family was a wealthy family in Wuzhong. As for our Xia family, we were far behind them. The reason why there are rumors that the Xia family in Nanzhen and the Hua family in Mulberry Camp are equally famous is because they are eight It happened after the 1990s. It was because I had gained some fame in the business world at that time, and some good people tried to find out the details of the three generations of my family, and described us as a rich family as famous as the Hua family. "

Xia Wenyuan chuckled, "My father was also in the silk business and had a small family, but compared with the Hua family, it was nothing compared to the Hua family. However, my father had radical ideas at that time and donated money and materials several times to resist In the face of foreign aggression, he personally escorted supplies to the front lines to express condolences to the soldiers, so he was somewhat famous. Later, my father mentioned to me many times that the old man of the Hua family was the real pillar of the country, and the achievements he had done were more than my father's. It’s less than one. It’s a pity that a fire destroyed such a large family and left nothing behind.”

"The name of the Mulberry Garden at that time was Mulberry Garden. It occupied a large area and was considered a famous garden in Wuzhong along with Liuyuan Garden, Yiyuan Garden and Quyuan Garden. I went there with my father when I was a child, but I was too young at that time. I don’t remember clearly, I just remember that I was naughty and sneaked into the back garden, met several children from the Hua family, and played together and forgot about the time, and my father made it easy for me to find him."

"Later, a fire broke out in the mulberry garden, and the fire burned for two days. Even our people from Nanzhen rushed to help put out the fire, but in the end they could not save it. The scholars at that time all beat their chests and beat their feet, saying that Wuzhong was the oldest The garden will never be seen again! Only my father lamented that the mulberry garden was torched and not a single member of the Hua family was left. The ancient customs of the Wuzhong family have been lost!"

"I heard that the old man of the Hua family lit the fire himself?" Qingmu asked.

Xia Wenyuan thought deeply: "There is such a saying. At that time, there was a fierce battle in Songhu, the government sent more than 700,000 troops, and the people's enthusiasm for resisting Japan was rising. They all thought that with China's manpower and material resources, there was no reason why it could not be defended. But my father But he was not optimistic. He said that Songhu was a flat area with no danger to defend, and it should not have been the place to start a war. However, based on the public opinion at the time, China and Japan had to fight, so they chose Songhu. Chiang intended to lure the troubled south to the lease. To seek support from Europe and the United States. Defeat is inevitable. Once Songhu is defeated, the door to Jiangzuo will be opened. How can Wuzhong hold on?"

"My father saw this. How could the old man of the Hua family not see it? It is said that he had already dispersed all his wealth, either to the government or to the school. Just before the fire, he He also dismissed the boy servants and disciples, so it is very possible that he set the fire by himself. As for the reason, I am afraid only he himself knows."

Aoki asked: "Do you know why the Japanese army was looking for that old mulberry tree?"

Xia Wenyuan shook his head and said: "The Japanese army occupied Wuzhong at the end of 1937. They did go to Mulberry Camp, but I don't know if it was to find mulberry trees like you said. I think they were more likely to find the Hua family, because The Japanese also went to our Nanzhen to find my father. They needed to find some reputable people in Wuzhong to form a maintenance committee to enforce their rule."

Qingmu nodded, feeling that what Xia Wenyuan said made sense, but he didn't think that what Bishenghua told was all a story. At least, the old willow tree was transplanted from another place, and there were roots of the old mulberry tree underneath. it is true.

"Do you remember the old mulberry tree?"

"Of course I remember it!" Xia Wenyuan said, "That tree was planted in the front yard of the mulberry garden. The trunk of an ordinary mulberry tree, even if it is hundreds of years old, is only about one meter thick. At most, two people can hug each other. But this But it takes three or four people to hug the trunk of a mulberry tree. The tree is more than ten feet tall, with lush branches and leaves, covering the sky and the sun. It is said that the incense in the Hua family has continued for hundreds of years, and it is this sacred tree that has protected it. There is a legend that eating the mulberry fruits from this tree can cure diseases and prolong life. Every year in June and July when the fruits are ripe, the Hua family will pick the mulberry fruits and distribute them to the children in the neighborhood. I also went there when I was a child. It was so lively and I ate a few mulberries."

Qingmu asked again: "I heard that after Lao Sang was burned to death, all the mulberry trees in the surrounding area for more than ten miles died?"

Xia Wenyuan laughed and said: "This is probably another rumor. There is no truth that if a tree dies, all the trees in the land will die! The mulberry fields and mulberry farmers in that area belong to the Hua family. When the Hua family falls, those mulberry farmers will lose their Rely on. It was also an era of war, and mulberry trees could not be used for food, so many mulberry farmers cut down the mulberry trees and planted food instead. Over time, it became the version you mentioned."

Aoki suddenly realized that Bishenghua also heard what his grandfather said, and what her grandfather said may not be the truth. After all, the incident happened in her great-grandfather's time. What's more, there are some things that even if you know clearly, you are often willing to believe in the magical version. From this point of view, Xia Wenyuan's statement is more credible.

"It looks like it's not as magical as the legend says!" Aoki sighed.

Xia Wenyuan said: "That's not necessarily true. There is something I saw with my own eyes and still remember. After the fire in the Mulberry Garden, the sky was full of crows flying from nowhere in the Mulberry Camp. They wandered in the sky every day and screamed. At night, they roosted in the sky. On that willow tree. Well, as far as I know, that willow tree was moved and planted on the original old mulberry tree. Legend has it that there is an old crow's nest on the old mulberry tree, and crows have flown out of that nest for thousands of years. Countless. I remember when I was a kid, I don’t know who made up a children’s song and it became popular among us kids. I can’t remember it now, but it went something like this——

The earth on the ground was burnt; the birds in the sky were black. A thousand-year-old tree, a thousand-year-old crow, a century-old family. The most ruthless water and fire, the children and grandchildren returned without a home. …”