Siheyuan: Starting from the Old Society

"This..." Sha Zhu was stunned and subconsciously reached out to touch the jade pendant.

The moment his fingertips touched the jade pendant, a powerful force surged into his body. His eyes went dark, as if his soul had left his body and entered a strange space.

The space was shrouded in clouds and mist, and a towering palace was looming. Above the palace, a huge emerald jade disk was suspended. Strange runes were carved on the jade disk, and it emitted dazzling light. It was this light that dispelled the surrounding fog and illuminated the entire space.

Before Sha Zhu had time to take a closer look, an old voice sounded in his ears: "I am an ancient god. Since you have obtained the Shennong jade pendant I left behind, you are the man of destiny. From now on, you will shoulder the responsibility of revitalizing China and lead the people to a happy and healthy life."

Before Sha Zhu could react, he was pushed out of that strange space by an invisible force and returned to the real world.

He stared blankly at the jade pendant in his hand, the old voice echoing in his mind, his heart full of doubts and confusion.

"Shazhu, Shazhu, what's wrong with you?" Qin Huairu saw Shazhu standing there in a daze with empty eyes, as if he had lost his soul, and couldn't help but ask worriedly.

"Ah? Oh, it's okay, it's okay." Sha Zhu came back to his senses, shook his head, and put the jade pendant back into his pocket.

"Huai Ru, I suddenly remembered that there is something else to do at the factory. I'll leave first. You should have a good rest." After saying this, Sha Zhu left in a hurry without waiting for Qin Huai Ru's response.

He needed to find a quiet place to digest what had just happened.

Sha Zhu ran all the way to a small park not far from the courtyard, found a secluded corner to sit down, took out the jade pendant from his pocket, and looked at it carefully.

The jade pendant was round in shape, emerald green all over, and felt smooth to the touch. A lifelike five-clawed golden dragon was carved on the front, and the back was covered with densely packed ancient characters, none of which Shazhu could recognize.

He tried to sink his consciousness into the jade pendant, and the misty space and the huge jade disk appeared before his eyes again.

Sha Zhu asked tentatively, "Who are you? What do you mean by what you just said? What do you mean by revitalizing China and being the man of destiny? What's going on?"

"I am an ancient god. Since you have obtained the Shennong jade pendant I left behind, you are the man of destiny. You will inherit my mantle and become the new generation of Shennong, leading the people to live a happy and healthy life." The old voice sounded again, with unquestionable majesty in its tone.

"Shennong? What is that?" Sha Zhu was confused.

"Shennong, the ancient tribal leader, tasted hundreds of herbs, made plows, taught farming, and created medicine. He is revered as the god of agriculture and medicine. You will inherit his legacy and benefit all people."

"Wait, wait, is what you said true? Why do I feel like I'm listening to something mysterious?" Sha Zhu still found it hard to believe.

"You don't have to doubt it, everything I said is true, just look..."

As soon as he finished speaking, a ray of light suddenly shot out from the jade disk, forming a light curtain in front of Sha Zhu. Pictures appeared on the light curtain, which was exactly the world before Sha Zhu traveled through.

High-rise buildings, busy traffic, bright lights and revelry, extravagant life...

"This is..." Sha Zhu looked at the scene in front of him in shock. This was clearly the world he was familiar with.

"The world you live in has gone astray. Materialism is rampant, morality is declining, the environment is polluted, resources are depleted, wars are frequent, and disasters are endless. If you don't change in time, destruction will be waiting for you." The old voice was full of worry and compassion.

"You mean, you want me to go back to the original world and change everything?" Sha Zhu pointed at the light curtain and asked.

"No, you can't go back."

"What? I can't go back? Then what should I do?" Sha Zhu suddenly panicked.

"You will stay in this world, inherit my legacy, become the new generation of Shennong, and lead the people to live a happy and healthy life. This is your mission and your unshirkable responsibility."

"I..." Sha Zhu wanted to say something else, but the picture on the screen suddenly turned and a familiar figure appeared...

The scene on the screen changed, and a familiar figure appeared - Qin Huairu.

She was wearing a bright red wedding gown, but her face showed no joy at all. Instead, it was filled with fear and despair. She was carried by two burly maids, staggering towards a room.

There was a man standing in the room, with a fat head and big ears, a face full of flesh, staring at Qin Huairu with a lewd smile on the corner of his mouth.

"Shazhu, save me! Save me!" Qin Huairu struggled desperately and looked at Shazhu for help.

Sha Zhu was immediately furious and wanted to rush forward to save people, but was blocked by an invisible force. He could only watch Qin Huairu being pushed into the room, followed by a heart-wrenching cry.

"How could this happen? How could this happen?" Sha Zhu held his head in pain. Everything in the picture made him feel extremely distressed and powerless.

"This is the era you live in, an era where the strong prey on the weak and morals are corrupt. Do you want to change all this?" The old voice sounded again, as if questioning Sha Zhu's soul.

Sha Zhu suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with anger and unwillingness. He clenched his fists and said through gritted teeth: "I want to change! I must change everything!"

"Good! This is the person I have chosen as my destiny!" The old voice was full of satisfaction and expectation.

"Tell me, what should I do?" Sha Zhu asked anxiously.

"All you have to do is inherit my legacy and become the new generation of Shennong, revitalize China and benefit all people!"

"Revitalize China and benefit the people..." Sha Zhu muttered to himself, and his eyes gradually became firm.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, the jade pendant vibrated violently, and a dazzling light enveloped Sha Zhu. Sha Zhu felt his eyes go dark, and then he lost consciousness...

......

"Silly Zhu, silly Zhu, wake up!"

In a daze, Sha Zhu heard someone calling him. He tried hard to open his eyes, but found himself lying on an unfamiliar bed.

"Are you awake?" A clear voice sounded, with a hint of surprise and concern.

Sha Zhu turned his head and saw a young girl sitting beside the bed, looking at him with concern.

The girl is very pretty, with a pair of big clear and bright eyes, a small nose, rosy lips, fair skin, and a simple dress, which makes her look even more pure and charming.

"Who are you?" Sha Zhu looked at the girl in front of him, his mind went blank. He couldn't remember who he was or why he was here.

"I'm your wife, have you forgotten?" The girl blinked her big eyes and looked at Sha Zhu with a puzzled look.

"Wife?" Sha Zhu was stunned. When did he have a wife?

Wait, wife?

Sha Zhu suddenly remembered the last scene that appeared on the screen, Qin Huairu was forced to marry, and that man...

"Are you Qin Huairu?" Sha Zhu pointed at the girl in front of him and asked in surprise.

The girl shook her head and said, "My name is Qin Jingru, and I'm your wife."

The familiar figure on the screen was Qin Huairu!

Sha Zhu widened his eyes and rubbed them in disbelief. The Qin Huairu in the picture looked younger. She was wearing fashionable clothes and had exquisite makeup on her face. She was walking into a high-end restaurant with a man in a suit and tie, with a slicked-back hair and powdered face, chatting and laughing.

"This...what's going on? Why would Huairu..." Shazhu pointed at the light curtain and spoke incoherently.

"What you saw was her original life trajectory." The old voice said indifferently, "In this world, she is just an ordinary rural woman, but in your original world, she is a scheming and greedy woman. In order to live a good life, she is willing to abandon everything, including you."

"No, this is impossible! Huairu is not such a person!" Sha Zhu shook his head violently. He could not accept this fact. In his mind, Qin Huairu was kind, weak, and needed his protection. How could she be such a vicious woman?

"Seeing is not necessarily believing. What you see is just the side she wants you to see." The voice seemed to see through his mind, with a hint of sarcasm in its tone, "Do you think she really loves you? Do you think she is really willing to live a hard life with you? You are too naive, silly!"

Sha Zhu was stunned, and his mind kept replaying every moment he spent with Qin Huairu. Those scenes that once moved him and made him feel distressed now became so glaring and ironic.

"No, I don't believe it! You lied to me! You must be lying to me!" Sha Zhu held his head and screamed in pain. He would rather believe that all this was fake than believe that Qin Huairu would lie to him.

"Believe it or not, these are all facts. If you don't believe it, you can just observe carefully and see what kind of person she is." After the voice finished speaking, it stopped talking.

Sha Zhu fell to the ground with empty eyes, as if he had lost his soul.

It was unknown how long it took Sha Zhu to slowly come back to his senses. He wiped the tears from his face, and a hint of determination flashed in his eyes. No matter what, he had to find out the truth of the matter. He wanted to know whether Qin Huairu really treated him well!

He stood up, holding the jade pendant tightly in his hand, and walked towards the courtyard with big strides.

After returning to the courtyard, Sha Zhu continued to live his life as if nothing had happened, but his eyes became deeper and more complicated.

He began to test Qin Huairu intentionally or unintentionally, and asked her about her past in a roundabout way. However, Qin Huairu's answers were flawless and she always maintained her gentle and kind image.

Sha Zhu did not give up. He believed that one day he would find the truth!

At the same time, a big event happened in the courtyard. Xu Damao got a black and white TV from somewhere and started playing a movie in the yard, attracting everyone in the yard to watch, and Qin Huairu was no exception.