"You forget many things every day, why not forget this one too?"
She vaguely heard someone asking her this question, but Black Keke didn't actually know what the question was.
Because I have too many things to forget and too many things to forget.
When Black Keke opened her eyes, it was snowing outside.
When she got out of bed, she saw the ginger tea on the bedside table, her least favorite drink.
However, when I came down, I habitually picked up the ginger tea, and the warmth emanated from the rim of the teacup.
After taking a small sip, she immediately stuck out her tongue; the spiciness made her close her eyes.
Just like I remember, it tastes awful.
Although I've always told her to add milk or something similar to dilute the ginger flavor and spiciness, my mom insists that only pure ginger tea has health benefits and can cure illnesses—so in the end, you still have to take medicine, right?
With a habitual grumbling in her heart, Black Keke, holding a cup of ginger tea, walked to the window.
She sipped the tea slowly and carefully, gently touching the cold windowpane. The chill spread from her fingertips to her heart, but it was quickly suppressed by the spiciness and warmth of the ginger tea.
Through the window, you can see the parents digging in the yard, trying to plant something.
It's still snowing, you two idiots.
Thinking about it casually, I didn't take it to heart, but I looked further outside again.
The snow was so heavy it almost covered Beihai, and visibility was very low.
Has Beihai ever seen such heavy snowfall in the past?
I sipped the ginger tea in a daze, and honestly, I couldn't quite remember Black Keke.
After all, you forget a lot of things every day, and there are always some deviations after each cycle. Sometimes new enemies appear, and sometimes new magical girls appear, making things difficult to control.
Although the final result was the same.
I don't know when I'll be sent into this reincarnation. The unpredictability of time after reincarnation is also a troublesome thing.
" Jiang Si! Come quickly and help!"
The sound of her parents calling from the yard startled Black Keke. She looked down and saw a boy hanging from a horizontal bar, shirtless, on the other side of the yard.
The muscles on his body look firm, but not so large as to be disgusting; they are the healthy and aesthetically pleasing muscles of a normal person.
"We're still short 1,600, wait a minute."
The boy, who was pulling up on the horizontal bar with one hand, or even just one finger, spoke without any sign of fatigue or even panting, as if walking on flat ground.
But the heat emanating from his muscles was so intense that even snowflakes that hadn't yet approached melted quickly, landing on his body and sliding down like sweat.
"Hurry up! If you don't come soon, we'll take apart your horizontal bar and sell all the other equipment in the house to the scrap collector!"
The old man shouted in dissatisfaction, "We're not brothers anymore! I'm ordering you, in your father's name, to come here right now!"
Then Black Keke saw Jiang Si show a somewhat annoyed expression, and then, grabbing the horizontal bar, she suddenly swung her body and jumped directly from the other side of the yard to her father and mother's side.
He grabbed a shovel and dug up half of his yard in no time.
"Ouch, you little rascal, you've ruined the whole yard!"
"Look what a scoundrel you gave birth to!"
"You're talking as if he's not your child."
"Did she drink too much alcohol during her pregnancy? Did it damage Jiang Si's brain?"
"I could have said it was because you smoked too much, and I only had a few drinks—"
Black Keke n't help but facepalm. Although she couldn't remember many things, the daily memories of the past would flood back when the two of them argued.
My parents don't look like middle-aged people who have children; in fact, they both seem like they haven't grown up yet.
Although they usually get along well, when they argue, it's like children arguing.
Meanwhile, Jiang Si had already planted the saplings her parents had bought in the dug-up yard, filled the hole back in, flattened it with a shovel, and casually threw the shovel away.
"That's it then, don't expect it to survive the dead of winter."
As soon as Jiang Si spoke, her arguing parents quieted down. Her mother nodded and then asked, "Wouldn't it be better to cover it with a plastic bag like those used in greenhouses?"
"It's not like you're growing vegetables—you can go ask around on the street."
"No, it's too much trouble. Besides, those shop owners are the biggest liars. Last time they tricked me into buying some rare earth, saying it would make trees easier to grow, but it turned out to be useless, and they wouldn't give me a refund—"
Black Keke held the ginger tea, somewhat surprised. Looking at her mother through so many reincarnations, she never knew her mother would adopt such a posture towards her child.
The old man on the other end of the line hugged Jiang Si tightly, "Dude, what do you think? We should grow some vegetables, it'd be healthier. What do you like to eat?"
Jiang Si casually snatched the cigarette from his mouth, threw it on the ground, stomped it out, and twisted it. "Smoking less is healthier. Instead of spending time growing your own vegetables, you should do some chores and earn some money."
"This pack of cigarettes I have won't finish in half a month; it's almost empty now—"
Seeing her father being scolded, her mother revealed a gloating expression, saying, "I told you to smoke less, it's suffocating us every day."
"You too." Jiang Si tamped down the soil, covered the saplings, and looked at her mother. "Didn't he say anything to you? You secretly drank half of that bottle of wine again last night. What did you promise me before?"
Then Black Keke saw her mother's somewhat embarrassed expression, her head bowed like a child who had done something wrong. She tugged at her father beside her, making him stand in front, "I was thirsty when I woke up last night—"
"My liver wasn't doing well during my last checkup, and the doctor said I should drink less alcohol. I got drunk before and locked Keke out, almost letting Keke freeze to death. I cried and apologized, and even wrote a promise on my own initiative. Can't I keep my word?"
97
My mom's words immediately deflated me, and I hid behind my dad without saying a word.
Black Keke stared blankly at the unbelievable scene unfolding in the courtyard.
It's a bit confusing; who's the parent and who's the child? Did Mom and Dad just give birth to a father for themselves?
However, to be honest, after listening to everything, Black Keke felt for a moment that what her older brother said was Return to Truth true.
In fact, in the previous reincarnations without Jiang Si, her parents were unreliable and caused her to get sick and injured quite a few times.
Parents would put it nicely as having a childlike heart.
To put it bluntly, they've never really grown up. Neither of them really has a strong sense of the responsibilities they should bear, except that their parents are just a little absent-minded on a daily basis.
I still love myself.
"Be disciplined every day, and you'll become a better version of yourself."
Jiang Si grabbed her parents' wrists and started running around the yard, shouting, "Fasting cardio, go!"
Watching her parents running and laughing while being pulled along by Jiang Si, Black Keke they were actually quite happy.
As she watched, she started laughing herself.
Jiang Si then turned her head and looked over.
Black Keke immediately crouched down, avoiding Jiang Si's gaze.
Just kidding, she wouldn't want to go for a run in the snow.
Sitting against the wall by the window, Black Keke finished her ginger tea in one go.
Perhaps it's a new cycle, or perhaps it isn't.
Ultimately, she and Jiang Si should have rushed into the passage leading to the Magical Kingdom.
I have no idea what the Magical Kingdom is like or what I might encounter. Perhaps I am in a trap within the Magical Kingdom.
However, one thing is certain: I am not in any real danger.
According to her own plan, she would commit suicide immediately if she found herself in a dangerous situation from which she could not escape.
At the very least, one's body should not be in a state of immobility.
Thinking this, Black Keke put the now-cold cup back on the bedside table and lay back down on the bed. "Whatever," she thought, "Since there's no problem, I'll just go to sleep."
Jiang Si and her parents had been arguing for who knows how long before they returned from the yard. As soon as they entered the house, a chill rushed in from outside.
"Oh dear, my shoes! It's all your fault, you stepped on them and ruined them."
The dad, being scolded by his mom, just yelled back, "You're the one who's been stepping on my feet! With this heavy snow outside, you've been making a fuss about planting trees. I finally get a day off, and you've made things worse!"
" Si'er, tell me, was it your dad who stepped on me just now?"
"Dude, you have to make the decision!"
Black Keke, buried under the covers, peeked out and looked outside. Jiang Si looked impatient. "Aren't you going to eat?"
Mom looked at Jiang Si pitifully. "It's so tiring being dragged around doing cardio on an empty stomach by you, baby----"
"Yeah, yeah," Dad said, looking like he had a sore back. "My old bones are really failing me, son, can you lend me a hand?"
So Jiang Si just sighed, "Go check on Keke, see if her fever has gone down."
"I'll go right away!"
The two of them rushed over, beaming with joy.
Jiang Si turned and went into the kitchen, it seemed she was really going to cook.
Black Keke was a little dizzy for a moment.
You two really treat your son like a father!
My mom rushed in and pounced on the bed. The chill rushed over me, but I didn't care. I pressed my face against hers and touched her forehead. "Oh no, why is she still so hot?"
"Isn't it possible," Black Keke nudged her mother, "That it's because you were freezing outside!"
"Haha, of course Mom knows, Mom did it on purpose!"
After saying that, it even leaned over and rubbed its face hard against Black Keke's cheek, making Black Keke feel a little helpless.
"She seems to be alright, given her good spirits." Her father, appearing more composed, came over and touched her forehead. "Hmm, the fever has gone down quite a bit; it seems she's alright."
"You and your brother are such opposites," Mom said, lying down beside her, and started scolding her instead. "Your brother has never been sick since he was a child, but you're sick every other day. It's really strange. Did our family genes mutate in you?"
" Jiang Si is the one who mutated, isn't she?"
After she finished speaking, her mother and father suddenly fell silent, which puzzled Black Keke.
He looked up at the two of them. "What's wrong?"
Her parents immediately touched her head, "This is terrible, her brain is fried!"
"You never call your brother by his name, you're always clinging to him, even your mom thinks you treat him like your father. You always call him 'older brother,' it's like you've suddenly changed genders! You still say you haven't gone crazy from the fever? Tell me, who are you?!"
Black Keke was at her wit's end with these two clowns, so she lay down on the bed and kicked them wildly through the blanket, yelling, "Get out of here! You're the ones who treat Jiang Si like a father!"
"Alright, alright, stop fooling around, but don't call your brother's name."
The usually jovial parents only became slightly serious at this point, patting her head and saying, "Your brother has always taken good care of you. You must respect your older brother, Keke. After Mom and Dad are gone, you two must get along well."
"Although Jiang Si will probably take care of her most of the time."
"The capable are always burdened with more work," Mom laughed again. " Jiang Si is just destined for this. Whether it's his sister or his future wife, he'll always be at a disadvantage. After all, he's so capable and easily swayed, so he tends to give more. Keke, you should also make things easier for your brother and not trouble him with everything."
"Wow."
Black Keke was speechless at her parents. "You're the ones who are causing him more trouble."
"How can that be the same? We are his parents, so it's only natural that he works for us! Whether it's you, his little sister, or his future wife, can you compare to us? She's not Jiang Si, whom you gave birth to."
The old man spoke with an air of self-righteousness, and the mother beside him nodded repeatedly, "That's right, that's right."
This is what it means for the husband and wife to be in harmony.
However, it was clear from their words that Jiang Si's parents actually loved her very much, and their tone was full of worry about whether Jiang Si would suffer in the future.
Thinking of Jiang Si in the future, I originally thought that she wouldn't suffer any losses, and no one could bully Jiang Si.
Girls are all eager to take the initiative to make sacrifices for Jiang Si.
But then he thought of his parents, who were no longer with him, and suddenly felt a little disheartened.
There's nothing to say about future interests.
The parents were whispering to each other, and it was unclear what they were saying. It gave the impression that the students in the back row of a school who weren't studying properly were plotting some kind of prank.
However, the warm room and the heavy snow falling outside made Black Keke feel a sense of familiarity.
Some things that have long since numbed us can be forgotten, even after a very long time, simply by distancing ourselves from them.
Depleted emotions will be recharged.
It stirs up small ripples and happiness in my heart, but soon becomes boring and numb due to too much repetition.
But even this small ripple was enough for her to savor for a while.
Not long after, the roar of the range hood and the crackling of frying oil in the kitchen, along with her parents' whispers, mingled with the warmth of the blankets, making Black Keke drift off to sleep again for a while.
Until the kitchen door opened, the aroma of food wafted out, along with a slightly pungent odor of cooking fumes.
Jiang Si's voice broke the silence.
"Dinner's ready."
"They're here! They're here!"
Her parents had already served the food and placed it on the table when Black Keke got up to change her clothes.
Dad suddenly burst in and picked her up like a little chick.
"What are you doing?"
Before she could even figure out what was going on, her mother pressed her brother down into a chair, and then her father placed her on her brother's lap. "Stop fighting. Siblings should get along well. Come on, Keke, feed your brother—"
They were whispering over there just now, discussing this, weren't they?
Black Keke felt utterly helpless towards her parents.
She then tilted her head slightly and looked at Jiang Si behind her, who also glanced at her without any emotion.
Black Keke stared into those eyes, momentarily stunned.
Before she could say anything, Jiang Si had already picked her up.
He tossed it casually onto the chair next to him, saying, "If you're going to eat, then eat properly. If you're not going to eat, then go order takeout yourself."
My parents immediately quieted down.
The food tasted quite good, which surprised Black Keke a little.
This guy's Return to Truth got some skills; he's quite good at cooking!
After all these reincarnations, she only knows how to cook a few simple dishes.
My parents were full of praise over there, boasting wildly that their son's culinary skills were unparalleled.
But even Black Keke easily recognizable at a glance.
It was a little trick to get Jiang Si to cook next time.
When we finished eating, my parents took the initiative to clean up the dishes. After they went to the kitchen, they started chatting away, and they were actually quite affectionate.
Black Keke glanced at her parents in the kitchen. "You think you have the right to say this?"
The tone of their voices didn't sound like a younger sister talking to her older brother; rather, it sounded somewhat distant.
"As long as I can support myself, that's enough."
Jiang Si's answer was also very simple.
Black Keke immediately realized that Jiang Si was no longer financially dependent on her parents.
She could leave family life at any time, and might even live a better life than her parents. She remembered that they later hired a nanny to live with them, otherwise it would have been very chaotic.
People who are not economically independent really don't have much of a voice.
However, even so, the strange relationship between Jiang Si's parents and himself doesn't seem to be solely due to his financial independence.
"You seem to be enjoying life here?" Black Keke asked, raising an eyebrow. "We might have already fallen into the trap of the Magical Kingdom. Aren't you worried?"
"It's not a big problem," Jiang Si said calmly. "I can see it."
I don't know where that confidence comes from.
While they were chatting, her parents poked their heads out again, "What are you talking about, Keke?"
"Nothing." Black Keke was getting impatient with her curious parents. She stood up and tugged at Jiang Si, "My brother and I are going out for a walk. We'll be back in a bit."
"Don't run off with your brother again. You threw up from the last time you did."
No way!
He pulled Jiang Si out of the house and out into the yard. When they came outside, the snowflakes were still falling heavily, and the crunching sound of their feet on the ground was particularly pleasant.
It was very quiet around. There seemed to be no one in the neighbors' houses, and when I walked to the road, I couldn't see any cars.
There was only one traffic light, flashing.
"I'm telling you, you seem so strong, but you're incredibly prone to falling into these kinds of illusions, and you're even taking your imaginary parents so seriously—"
Jiang Si stared at the traffic lights until the light turned yellow, then casually remarked, "My parents really are."
Black Keke paused for a moment, then looked back again.
The parents peeked out of the kitchen window, watching them, then whispered something to each other. The father kissed the mother on the cheek, and the two started playfully fighting again.
Elementary school student.
It is indeed true, exactly the same as the real thing.
"Mom and Dad died a long time ago." Black Keke paused, then continued, "Unless you've been reincarnated into the next life, but what about you? Apart from that enormous Beast of the End, no one should be able to reincarnate with me. And if you reincarnate with me, the original Keke, and everyone you know, will all start over—"
"I don't know how she did it."
Jiang Si waited for the green light and crossed the street. Black Keke quickly followed. "But it must have been the work of the Magical Kingdom. They brought my real parents here—or perhaps their souls."
Black Keke trotted after him, also falling into deep thought. " The Magical Kingdom, is it the realm of the souls of the dead?"
"Maybe."
"Is this their entrance exam, or something?"
"Have no idea."
"Oh dear, how are we supposed to get out of here?"
"Just forget all of this, and you'll be out of there."
A cold wind swept by, accompanied by snowflakes that fluttered and danced like catkins. The branches of nearby trees snapped under the weight, and snow fell to the ground with a clatter.
The tranquil world echoed with the violent snapping of branches and the sound of falling snowflakes.
Black Keke grabbed Jiang Si's wrist, making him stop so she could catch her breath. "What do you mean?"
"You forget a lot of things every day, why not forget this one too?"
Black Keke paused for a moment, then scratched her head. "Damn, so it was you who said that."
Don't swear.
"You're really nosy about Keke, and I'm not your sister." Black Keke retorted, then glanced back at her home, the only bright spot amidst the snowflakes, where the lights and warmth shone.
"Actually, I don't know whether I've forgotten or remembered, because there are so many random things. Sometimes I feel like I've forgotten, but actually I still remember; other times I feel like I've always remembered, but actually I've forgotten everything."
"He's not mentally sound."
"No way!" Black Keke retorted instinctively, then added with a hint of distress, "Maybe it is."
"The left and right hemispheres of the brain are starting to fight each other; it's not hard to say."
"Tsk." Black Keke clicked her tongue, somewhat speechless. "They told me to forget things, but I don't really remember anything. I don't know what I'm supposed to forget."
Just as she was fretting over this, Jiang Si's phone suddenly rang.
When Jiang Si took out her phone, Black Keke immediately leaned her head over.
"Son, your mother and I had a fight. My name is Lonely Wolf, and you should change your name to Lonely Wolf Cub too. If you don't, you're my enemy."
Black Keke rolled her eyes. "Childish brat, when will you ever grow up?"
"After all, they always died before they even grew up."
Jiang Si's words left Black Keke speechless.
Seeing that Jiang Si was actually going to obediently change her name to Lonely Wolf Cub, Black Keke took out her phone and found that her father had also sent her a message.
Should I change it too?
"Whatever."
Black Keke scrolled through her contact list again and then saw her mother's ID.
Kill the Wolf.
He burst out laughing, "Changing your name is the real trap!"
However, Jiang Si followed suit and changed her ID.
The two continued walking, getting further and further away from home.
I thought you were going to lecture me.
Hearing Black Keke's words, Jiang Si tilted her head, "Educate what?"
"It taught me to be indifferent, to forget miracles, to be pretentious, to fake maturity, to be numb and callous, to disregard human life, to treat everyone like NPCs and abandon them at will, and even to bully Keke."
"You know that yourself."
"Knowing it yourself and being criticized by others are two different things. If you don't tell me, I won't take it to heart."
"A child?"
"Yes, just kids." Black Keke skipped along beside Jiang Si. "Aren't we all kids in our family?"
"Plain principles are meaningless."
However, as they walked forward, Jiang Si said absentmindedly, "In this era, anyone can spout grand principles. Two random marketing accounts on the internet can give you a whole bunch of high-sounding platitudes. If you want to criticize someone, just find those irrefutable moral high grounds; there are countless of them."
"I think the same applies to you."
"Um.
Jiang Si agreed without hesitation, leaving Black Keke at a loss for words.
"But many profound truths are actually just summaries of life experiences. Do you know about Wang Mingyang's enlightenment at Dragon Field?"
"We learned this in school," Black Keke thought for a moment, "You didn't find it in an online novel, did you?"
"The depth of the stories in schools isn't as profound as what's discussed in online novels."
Black Keke shrugged, deciding it was up to him.
Jiang Si continued, "After Wang Mingyang attained enlightenment in Dragon Field, he spoke of a great deal of principles. Of course, it wasn't just Wang Mingyang; Kongzi, Sunzi Tzu, and Lengzi all generally spoke of some summarizing principles, whether it was 'not elated by external gains or saddened by personal losses,' or 'the mind triumphs over material things.' These were all answers they ultimately arrived at through their life experiences and reflections."
"Many people take those answers and think they understand, but in reality, without the exact same process, how can they truly understand someone else's answer? They think that if they know it, they can do it, and they even like to use these answers to criticize others. For example, they use these grand principles to criticize your apathy, cowardice, incompetence, and arrogance."
Black Keke pouted, "You're not saying this on purpose to insult me, are you?"
Jiang Si ignored her and continued, "Other people's answers are just answers. You still have to write your own story and process. No one can skip the process and get the answer directly. Whether the result is the same or different, the process will be different, and the insights will be different. It's meaningless to use other people's grand principles to criticize them."
Black Keke immediately clapped her hands. "That's right, that's right, bro! Damn, are you a philosopher?"
"Read more online novels; the ultimate truths of the world are all found within them. And no swearing."
Jiang Si simply said this, then looked at Black Keke, "No one has reincarnated as many times as you. Even if someone had, the different experiences would lead to different feelings. I don't think there's anything to criticize about you, as long as you have unwavering faith in what you're doing."
Black Keke smiled, because she remembered a certain acquaintance.
That hesitant magical girl who ultimately died at Jiang Si's hands. "Of course, don't underestimate me, I'm not Jade Fox."
That's good.
Jiang Si nodded, as if she were seeing another Keke. "As long as she can do that, that's good enough."
"Hey hey hey."
Black Keke grabbed his head, straightened it, and made Jiang Si face him directly. "Now I'm in front of you, not your little sister. You better watch me closely, brother!"
"Have you forgotten?"
However, Jiang Si only asked this question.
Black Keke pouted and glanced back again.
My home has been completely buried by the heavy snow; the lights and memories have all been swallowed up by the cold.
The warmth right before my eyes feels utterly real.
"Of course I've forgotten everything. Actually, I still remember it was that cup of ginger tea, spicy and piping hot ginger tea."
Muttering to herself, Black Keke tossed her hair, "It's really awful."
Then the snow began to melt and disappear.
After the white snowflakes disappeared, the branches below began to appear, and then Black Keke found herself completely covered in branches.
Some branches even spread into his head.
She grabbed all the branches and pulled them down. Looking down, she saw that Jiang Si had transformed into a three-headed Golden Calamity Dragon King!
Its body was covered in a dazzling gold color, without a single branch entangled in it.
The only one who was just dragged into the illusion was herself.
She looked into the distance, and the outline of the Magical Kingdom came into view.
No matter how hard they fly, they can't get close.
"It seems we really can reach the Magical Kingdom."
Muttering to herself, Black Keke didn't seem to care much about getting close; she simply lowered her head and stroked the horns of the three-headed Golden Calamity Dragon King.
"Brother."
One of the heads looked at her.
Black Keke's previously apathetic expression finally melted, and some of that inhuman, alien aura disappeared.
Just like an ordinary little girl, she hugged the dragon horns, her tone even carrying a hint of joy, like the excitement of her first spring outing with her parents.
"I've made up my mind! You have to be in my perfect ending, bro!"