The train winds its way through the layered mountains of Hedong, like a giant dragon surveying the land.
Every now and then, a few clear chirps would ring out, echoing through the mountains.
Once on the train back to Heavenly Capital, Tang Cheng felt somewhat uneasy the entire way.
Nothing else, it's just that I'm about to go back to see my dad, and I'm a little nervous.
His family had strict upbringing, and his path from childhood to adulthood had been preordained. He was like a robot, not needing to have his own thoughts or will. Every step he took was already preceded by a footprint waiting for him to step into.
Tang Cheng had been experiencing this feeling of being able to foresee his own death since he was old enough to understand things.
Heavenly Capital the same, or it doesn't have to be different, because the path I have to walk is exactly the same.
Regardless of his academic performance or personality, nothing around him changes with his behavior.
If this kind of discipline continues for too long, it can lead to two different situations.
One type is where this kind of discipline gradually accumulates through years of suppression, eventually erupting in a certain event, causing a complete change in the person's personality. The person who originally seemed well-behaved becomes a deliberately rebellious one. He no longer objectively chooses to listen to or not listen to opinions based on whether they are correct or not, but simply and mindlessly chooses to ignore them, rebelling only for the sake of rebellion.
Another approach is to completely abandon this aspect and let others make the decisions. For example, from a young age, parents can only judge whether clothes are appropriate and attractive when you buy them. Your personal opinions are ignored. Over time, some people will choose to completely cut off the concept of aesthetics. Clothes are just clothes; as long as they can be worn, it doesn't matter if they look good or not. Why should I care about that? It doesn't affect my life anyway.
Anyway, it doesn't matter whether he thinks it looks good or not, or whether he offers any opinions, so it's better not to offer any. He will completely lose the concept of aesthetics in his life, and beauty and ugliness will be completely irrelevant to him.
In daily life, we often encounter people who are very careless in certain aspects, and these people are usually those who, under the pressure of their upbringing, have chosen to completely sever their views on this aspect.
For Tang Cheng, it was difficult to sit down and have a real talk with his father. In his mind, his father was like the final boss, so imposing that people dared not approach him.
Most importantly, this is the first time he's come home since he secretly ran away, and who knows what awaits him?
When he had promised Li Xingkong to do something, something serious like this, the only person he could think of was his father.
Although he has many friends in Heavenly Capital, he only trusts one person when it comes to being reliable.
As the train moved forward, perhaps feeling that pondering these matters was pointless, he took out a single visualization diagram that he had been working on for several days, intending to look at it more often when he had free time.
What if you can successfully visualize it?
When he regained consciousness, the train had already arrived at the station. As it turns out, whether the visualization was successful or not is unknown, but this thing really works for hypnosis.
I took a taxi to my apartment complex, and by the time I got downstairs, it was almost noon.
He didn't call home; he was in a hurry when he left, and he didn't know what to say on the phone.
I pressed the doorbell downstairs, and after a few hurried rings, the building's telephone rang.
Who is it?
It was his mother's voice. Tang Cheng stood in front of the door, but he didn't know what to say.
"Mom, it's me."
Upon hearing Tang Cheng's voice, I heard a sound of something being smashed over the phone, followed by the sound of a door lock being turned.
Soon, the sound of someone running down the stairs came from below. As the sound drew closer, it was his mother running down.
She was still wearing her apron, so it looked like she was halfway through cooking.
"You brat, you ran all that way and only now you remember to come back?"
She wanted to say something, but seeing his thin figure, the old mother wiped her hands on her apron and grabbed him.
"Let's go, let's go home and talk, let's go home and talk."
Looking around, he saw that the neighbors were all cooking and no one was watching. His mother grabbed him and dragged him back home.
"You're really something, sneaking off to the Hedong without a trace. Who taught you that skill?"
Sitting on his own sofa, Tang Cheng felt a little out of place. He hadn't been back for so long, and he felt like an outsider.
"Mom, it was my own decision."
"You've really grown up, huh? You've got some serious skills, just like your dad."
I thought my mom would scold me, but she wasn't as harsh as I expected.
"How many days will you be able to stay this time?"
"Mom, I need to talk to Dad about something. I'll leave as soon as I'm done."
"Can't you stay a few more days?"
From the moment he sat down, his mother's nagging never stopped.
After sitting for a while, he finally heard the door lock turn; someone Tang Cheng would never forget had returned.
Old Tang looks somewhat like Tang Cheng, but he is much more mature and gives off a sense of composure at first glance.
As soon as he entered the house, he saw Tang Cheng. Upon seeing the young man, the usually bookish-looking Old Tang immediately pulled out his belt, ready to make a move.
"You brat, running all that way, do you think I'm a jinx?"
"What are you doing? You're a grown man, do you think you can beat him?"
Mom came out of the kitchen, glared at Dad, and Dad stood obediently at his feet. She might be angry, but she had to consider who she was dealing with.
"Dad, I..."
Tang Cheng didn't have much to explain. He felt that his parents might not understand his thoughts, so there was no need to explain.
"Get out, get out! I don't have a son like you."
Despite his bluntness, he still obediently sat down on the sofa next to Tang Cheng under his mother's glaring eyes, which were as big as a bull's head.
Although he is a powerful figure outside, his wife is more formidable at home.
"Speak, what's wrong that you can't handle and that's why you remembered me?"
After sitting in silence for a while, the father finally spoke, and his anger subsided considerably. After all, he was his own son; what could he do?
"It's nothing."
Tang Cheng took a sip of water.
"You came back if nothing happened? That's a miracle. So, what happened?"
Old Tang knew the Old Tang family's temperament all too well; there was nothing this kid couldn't handle, and he would never come back.
"Dad, I'll tell you then, but please don't rush me, everything I'm saying is true."
He doesn't know how to explain this yet; he needs to reassure his father first.
"Tell me, what kind of supernatural or ghostly stuff could it be?"
My dad brought out a tea mug that he had used for many years; the outside of the mug was all worn white from being polished.
"That's true."
Tang Cheng touched his nose and then told Old Tang about Li Xingkong's matter.
"I'm telling you, have you been going to Hedong these past few years to join a pyramid scheme? You actually believe that?"
Old Tang clearly didn't believe Tang Cheng's explanation; he was more convinced that the kid had been deceived.
"Dad, it's true. Come here, I want to show you something."
To prove himself, Tang Cheng decided to show him something real.
Luckily, he learned a spell before coming here; otherwise, he would have had to starve himself for days to put on a show of not starving.
That would be too degrading.