Zhongshan Shenzhu Chi

The Beginning of Autumn falls in August.

The deep green Zhongshan Mountain dons a new look of red maple leaves to welcome autumn, and the rain urges the sweltering heat to leave quickly.

"Song-ge'er, I see it! Lots of oranges!" The child, with sharp eyes, spotted the wild orange tree in front of him and shouted excitedly.

Zhongsong, who was leading the children back to the village, looked in the direction the children were pointing.

On a low tree, there were fruits the size of a person's fist.

However, its dark green color is almost identical to that of green leaves, and it is hidden deep within the branches, making it difficult to spot at a glance.

"They're not ripe yet. Let's go back to the village first. Starting tomorrow, you can come here to pick the oranges so they can grow faster."

Zhong Song smiled, looked at the new village not far away, and coaxed the children to hurry home.

Zhong Song was patient, meticulous, clever, and strong, so he was often the one who led the children into the mountains to pick mushrooms and wild vegetables.

Fortunately, they didn't encounter any wild animals, and the children had a lot of fun, filling their baskets with the things they had gathered.

Back in the new village, the sun was approaching dusk.

In the past, there would have been many cooking smoke rising from the village long ago, as neighbors who had finished a day's work in the fields would gather in twos and threes, fanning themselves with yellow bamboo fans, chatting or playing chess.

Now the wind blows through the streets and alleys, coldly stirring up dust.

Since most of the 38 people were children, the whole village shared a single cooking fire and ate from a communal pot.

"It's much quieter now," Zhong Song murmured.

He turned around and gathered the children together, and began counting heads again to make sure no one was missing.

These children are the future hope of the Chung family; we can't let them be ruined.

"Song Ge'er!" A shout came from afar, making him turn around.

Zhong Bao ran over from where the cooking smoke was coming from, calling out as he ran, "Song Ge'er, the village chief wants you to come back quickly so you can go to his house and meet the new clansmen."

"New people?" Zhong Song pondered the word, his brows furrowing.

"I'll go right away."

"Take the mushrooms and wild vegetables with them and deliver them to Chung Kai-Chung Cheng so they can cook them together."

"No need, no need. Our new family members brought a lot of fresh meat rice noodles today. Zhong Qi, Zhong Cheng, and my brother are all thinking about making braised pork!"

"Braised pork!" the children cheered, their clear eyes filled with anticipation.

"Thank you so much. Take good care of the child, I'm going to find the village chief."

After a moment's thought, Zhong Song put down the bamboo basket he was carrying on his shoulder and ran towards Zhong Yan's house.

He was tall and strong with very long legs and hips. He arrived at the street where the village chief lived in no time, and had already changed into a clean set of clothes.

"Ah Song, come quick!" Zhong Yan was waiting at the door and immediately waved to Zhong Song when he saw him.

The two entered the hall and were greeted by the fat businessman they had met once before.

An old woman was sitting on the right side of the main hall.

Zhong Song stood in the hall and was invited by Wen Shuyan to sit down beside him.

The old village chief sat on the left.

"Grandma, this is Zhong Song, whom I mentioned before."

"Good, good, good!" Mother Wen originally did not believe that a beautiful person could grow up in the mountains.

But now, Zhong Song's existence has directly shattered her preconceived notions.

His face was resolute but not square; the lines from his eyebrows down to his eyes had a soft, restrained curve.

His eyes were large and dark, and his nose was straight and prominent.

His hands, resting on his thighs, resembled palm-leaf fans, and when he sat down, his back was ramrod straight, as if his spine were cast in iron.

"What a hero!" Mother Wen exclaimed again.

"Madam," Zhong Yan took a sip of tea and said, "Although I have no children, everyone in the village has changed their surname to Zhong."

"By legal reckoning, they are all my children."

"Zhong Song just turned twenty this year, and he's the most outstanding of all my children."

"I have no objection, no objection at all." Mother Wen smiled and looked Zhong Song up and down, making him feel uncomfortable all over.

"Village... Father, what brings you here today?" Zhong Song asked, raising his hand after the two elders had finished speaking.

"We're discussing your marriage," Zhong Yan replied briefly.

"what?"

"What, you have a girl you like?" Zhong Yan frowned.

"No, that's not true. It's just that I'm a rough person, and I'm afraid I might disturb you..." Zhong Song paused for a moment, unsure of how to address Wen's mother and Wen Shuyan.

Zhong Bao said that new members of the clan have come to the village, and it should be these two people in the hall.

The fat businessman was clearly more than a generation older than me; he was my uncle.

"Aunt, Uncle Wen, I'm afraid of disturbing that girl," Zhong Song replied after a moment's hesitation.

"It's alright, it's alright. I was just afraid that girl would disturb you." Mother Wen smiled, her eyes narrowing into slits.

"That girl has a stubborn personality, and when it comes to reasoning, even Shuyan can't win an argument with her."

"Shuyan usually manages the business and can't stay at home. His father is bedridden, and Acui takes care of him personally, without letting the servants interfere at all."

"I was worried you wouldn't be able to get along with her."

"Is...is that so?" Upon hearing this, Zhong Song immediately pictured a feisty girl in her mind.

A bead of cold sweat involuntarily rolled down his forehead.

"That person is..." he asked.

"My younger sister is named Wen Cui. My mother and I usually call her Cui Cui or A Cui," Wen Shuyan continued.

"Nephew, you'll be satisfied with his looks, though he's a bit dark-skinned. He's well-behaved, but he's as lively as a little animal."

"Ah... um." Zhong Song lowered his head.

An image of a lively girl with dark skin, a bright smile, and eyes that seemed to hold the beauty of green hills and clear waters appeared in his mind.

It's strange, even though he's never seen her, he can still picture what the girl looks like.

"Mother-in-law, I think the man and woman are reacting similarly. They'll naturally get to know each other better after they get to know each other better." Zhong Yan turned to look at Wen's mother.

The two looked at each other and smiled, and Wen Shuyan also laughed.

Zhong Song lowered his head, and a blush suddenly appeared on his face.

"Alright, alright, now that we've finished discussing this matter, let's talk about the future of the Zhong family."

"Zhong Song, as you both have seen, my opinion is that it should be placed after Wen Shuyan."

Zhong Yan suddenly spoke up, bringing the conversation back on track.

"I have no objection," Wen Shuyan replied first.

When Wen's mother saw that her son had spoken, she nodded in agreement.

"Alright, Song'er, you'll be placed after Shuyan in the order," Zhong Yan decided.

At this point, Wen Shuyan got up to take his leave, helping his mother leave the village chief's house.

"Village... Father, what comes after Shuyan?" Zhong Song then asked.

"You don't necessarily have to call me Dad, village chief is fine too."

"From now on, our two families will merge into the Zhong family. I will be the first head of the family, then Wen Shuyan will take over, and then you will be the next head."

"After three generations, the Chung family was officially established."

Zhong Yan stood up, walked to Zhong Song, and pressed his withered hand heavily on his shoulder.

"I'm sixty years old this year, and I don't have much of a life left."

"Wen Shuyan is forty-eight this year. Both generations combined will not last more than twenty years. It is up to you and your successor to steer our family ship forward."

"Father..." Zhong Song was speechless with surprise.

"Ask me anything now," Zhong Yan said, sitting down next to him.

Zhong Song hesitated for a long time, repeatedly recalling everything that had happened in the nearly one year since he entered the village through the document.

All the questions can be summed up in one sentence.

"Father, what exactly are we going to do?"

"Rebellion." Zhong Yan spoke bluntly, turning to look at Zhong Song with a burning gaze like a bonfire about to burst into flames, "By order of the Xuan Snake God, we will rebuild the world amidst chaos."

"I...this..." Zhong Song was surprised and couldn't utter a coherent sentence.

"The Black Serpent God also said that the future path of the Zhongshan God may be closely related to us."

"The Mountain God actually...?" Zhong Song's eyes widened, his pupils remained motionless, and his face was full of shock.

"You have plenty of time to accept it, at least while I'm still here."

"Now, let's go eat some braised pork."

After saying that, Zhong Yan patted Zhong Song's shoulder twice more, bringing him back to his senses.