Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 318 It’s Okay to Forget
It is said that we will meet each other somewhere in life. More than ten years have passed and I never thought that I would meet my old friend by chance like this.

Happy? Excited? Both. Perhaps it was because of the long time that had passed, or perhaps it was because of his own upbringing, but Chen Xuan didn't have many such emotions in front of his old friend. Instead, he felt more of a sense of regret.

Erdan, he has always remembered these two words, buried deep in his memory, even a little vague. Occasionally when he thinks of them, the brief experience when he first came to this world will emerge in his mind.

Although those experiences were not pleasant, they left a deep impression in Chen Xuan's memory.

Looking back, I was sold to that dim basement, not knowing what my fate would be. I was so hungry that I had no energy to think about those things.

When he was confused, a thin arm touched him gently beside the 'dog cage' and handed him half a black pancake.

Looking back, the hand was as thin as a stick, and the dirty little face was timid and swallowing saliva. Obviously reluctant to give it up, but holding up half a piece of cake stubbornly and generously. Chen Xuan didn't want it, so he quietly took out another piece from his arms to indicate that he had more.

In the end, Chen Xuan ate that half of the pancake and was able to regain some strength. To this day, Chen Xuan has forgotten the taste of that half of the pancake. Did he think it was delicious or disgusting at the time?
Later we found out his name was Erdan, and his family couldn't support him anymore, so they sold him. But he was not good-looking, and he couldn't be sold despite several attempts.

I don't remember much about the few days we spent together. A few days later, he was taken away first and there was no news of him. Chen Xuan went to the Gao family...

Over the past ten years, everyone has changed a lot. When Chen Xuan returned to the village, he felt vaguely familiar when he saw him. After all, no matter how much he changes, there are always some shadows of his past. After finishing the trivial matters, a thought came to his mind. When he asked him about it, he found out that he was meeting an old friend.

Whether it was a coincidence or some things were destined, almost all the bandits in the village were slaughtered by Chen Xuan, but his old friend was one of the survivors.

Fate is so magical.

However, so many years have passed, and there are many people with the same name in the world. Although he is 80% sure that it is an old friend in person, Chen Xuan is not completely sure and needs further verification.

The sun was shining brightly and everyone was in a good mood. While Erdan was feeling anxious, Chen Xuan stood up and said with a smile, "Relax, I... won't hurt you. Let's sit down and talk."

As he spoke, Chen Xuan stretched out his hand and another chair flew over. He placed it next to Erdan and motioned him to sit down. At the same time, he laughed at himself in his heart that he also had moments of anxiety and needed to calm down in this way.

Erdan naturally didn't dare to sit down. Everyone else had left, leaving only him. He was very scared. After all, so many people had died at the hands of Chen Xuan, and he was like an ant in front of him.

He shook his head subconsciously, becoming more and more uneasy. If he stretched his head out, he would be cut by a knife. If he withdrew his head, he would also be cut by a knife. He simply risked his life and said, "Sir, just tell me what you want. You can kill me or chop me up as you wish."

Chen Xuan patted his strong and muscular shoulders. Although he was not as tall as himself, he was much more sturdy than himself and no longer looked like the skinny monkey he used to be.

Erdan shuddered all over and sat down inexplicably. Then he was confused and saw Chen Xuan looking around. He stretched out his hand and a table of wine and food flew over, making a large table.

Such means were beyond his comprehension.

Then Chen Xuan personally poured two bowls of wine, handed him one, clinked his glasses together, drank it all in one gulp, and then sat down and said, "Drink, it's okay, let's chat."

Unable to resist, he had to do whatever he said. Erdan picked up the wine bowl and swallowed it in big gulps. It was obvious that he could not drink much, and he coughed twice because of the choking. The wine wet some of his chest. He put down the wine bowl with a flushed face and looked at Chen Xuan, waiting for the next step.

Seeing this, Chen Xuan smiled. Ignoring the greasiness, he tore off a drumstick from a fat chicken and placed it in the bowl in front of him. He then tore off another drumstick, took a bite, and chewed while looking at the other man and said, "Your name is Erdan? Why did you change your name to Zhao Heihu?"

Not understanding what Chen Xuan was up to, Erdan decided to just give up and said anxiously, "Erdan is my nickname. I've never forgotten it. As for why I'm called that, I can't remember. As for Zhao Heihu, it was given to me by my master after I came to the village. I've used it for more than ten years. I took my master's surname. No one has called me by my nickname in all these years. My master said that Erdan is too tacky now that I'm in the village. I need a more intimidating name."

Don't you remember? Of course, he was only five or six years old back then. Although he could already remember things, it was normal for him to forget a lot of things after being displaced in such an environment.

"You still have a master? Did he teach you martial arts? Has he been killed by me? If so, I will not apologize, because I killed people who deserved to die," Chen Xuan pointed at the countless corpses around him and pondered.

He really couldn't understand why Chen Xuan treated him like this, and was puzzled. However, Erdan shook his head and said obediently: "My master died a long time ago, seven or eight years ago. That year, a hero came up the mountain, just like you today. However, he was not as powerful as you. My master died that time..."

At this point he hesitated and then boldly asked, "Can I drink?"

"Of course, drink if you want, don't be polite to me," Chen Xuan nodded and smiled, and poured him some wine himself.

Silently influenced by the Grand Master's spiritual will, Erdan himself calmed down inexplicably. He felt that Chen Xuan was easy to talk to and easy to get along with. The fear he had felt from killing so many people before disappeared.

After guzzling a bowl of wine, the alcohol started to take over him, and he began to talk. "Master said he deserved it, because his hands were covered in blood and his death was not a pity. Although he taught me martial arts, he sternly warned me not to learn from him and not to kill innocent people indiscriminately. Even if others forced me to do so, I must not set that precedent."

"So, after my master died and that hero was defeated, I had no one to rely on in the village. Everyone bullied me, but I didn't resist. I practiced martial arts quietly and refused to join them in the raids, even if they killed me. I was still young at the time, so they couldn't do anything to me, so they threw me into the kitchen as a cook, and I worked there for many years." After saying this, he boldly asked, "What else do you want to know, hero?"

No wonder he had so many wounds, both new and old. He had clearly been bullied for a long time, but his eyes held an unyielding look. So this was his experience. Chen Xuan nodded and said, "Can you tell me how you ended up in the village and became a bandit?"

Erdan no longer cared so much. If Chen Xuan wanted to know, he could just tell him. It didn't matter. He recalled in a daze, "I don't remember it very clearly. I just remember that I seemed to be sold when I was a child. I was bought by a cook and raised as his son. He beat and scolded me and forced me to learn cooking. That went on for two years. One time, that father took me to a family to hold a banquet. We encountered robbers. That father was killed, and I was also abducted to the mountain. I should have died at that time. I don't remember clearly. Anyway, my master saved me. I followed him to learn martial arts in the mountains for a few years. Then he died. I was confused until today. I haven't left the mountain."

Listening to him recount the past, Chen Xuan poured himself a drink and motioned for him to drink with him. After listening, he put down his wine bowl and said, "Have you forgotten a lot of things? It's okay to forget. Memory is the root of pain. It's better to forget."

It almost fits the name. He is Erdan from that year. He was kidnapped when he was young and ended up here, living in a daze for all these years.

At the time, I was thinking like an adult, so I could remember so much, but the other person was a complete child, so it was normal for him to forget a lot of things.

After a few bowls of wine, Erdan completely relaxed and mused, "Hero, you've killed so many people. I should be afraid of you, but I don't know why. I always feel that you have no ill will towards me and even care about me. How can I know why?"

Looking up at the sky, Chen Xuan smiled and said, "Why? Maybe it's because we share the same suffering? We had the same experience when we were young, or maybe it's because I owe you something?"

Erdan was completely at a loss and said blankly: "Why do you say that? I don't know you."

Retracting his gaze, Chen Xuan looked at him and pondered, "Do you still remember a dark cellar? Small cages, feces and urine mixed together, not enough to eat, and being beaten?"

"Is there? Maybe, but I don't remember," Erdan thought for a while and shook his head.

Not everyone can remember their childhood experiences as clearly as he does. Feeling emotional, Chen Xuan asked again, "Do you still remember a child named Chen Xuan? He fainted from hunger next to you. You gave him half a black cake. You were locked up in a dark cellar for a few days, and then you were taken away. I haven't seen him since then."

As he spoke, Chen Xuan looked at him expectantly. He didn't know what he was expecting. Maybe he wanted to regain some of the pure and short friendship from his childhood.

After hearing this, Erdan was still confused. He tried hard to recall, then shook his head and said, "I don't remember. Maybe there was, maybe not. So, are you the Chen Xuan? The one who was sold with me? And I even gave you half a cake?"

"Yes, that's right, I remember it correctly," Chen Xuan nodded.

Scratching his head, Erdan said in confusion, "It's a pity I don't even remember. No matter what, shouldn't I be happy?"

"Yes, we should be happy. Forgetting worries and suffering is a kind of luck," Chen Xuan nodded, and then said, "The past is the past. As for you, I have already cleared this place. What are your plans next?"

Confused again, Erdan muttered, "I don't know. I don't have the courage to kill anyone, and I can't do anything like robbing houses. You just gave everyone a hundred taels of silver, and I don't know where to go. I'll probably find a place, use this as capital, and use my years of cooking skills to set up a small stall to make a living. If I'm lucky and make some money, I'll open a restaurant in the future, and then marry a skilled wife, and then live a simple life."

"It's good this way, a simple life is a blessing," Chen Xuan smiled, which was also a blessing.

As if he had a clear goal, Erdan's face suddenly showed hope for the future. He smiled and said, "Yes, that's the life I want to live. If everything is fine, can I leave now?"

"Of course," Chen Xuan made a gesture of invitation.

After hesitating for a moment, Erdan stood up and bowed, saying, "Then I'll be leaving first. See you later, Chen Xuan, right? If you can come to my stall or restaurant in the future, I'll treat you to a meal and a drink. I won't just give you half a cake like you said back then."

"Okay, it's a deal," Chen Xuan stood up and saw him off.

Watching Erdan turn and leave, Chen Xuan didn't look away for a long time, but his nose felt a little sore.

After separating from Chen Xuan, Erdan quickly left the village and ran wildly along the mountain road. Guessing that Chen Xuan could no longer see him, he found a big rock, hid behind it, curled up, gritted his teeth and tried not to cry, buried his head between his legs, tears streaming down his face.

He was already six years old that year. How could he not remember the painful childhood experiences?
But after meeting Chen Xuan, a person who shared the same suffering as him in childhood, and seeing the methods he used, he realized that the gap between the two was too huge, one was as far apart as heaven and earth. He didn't dare to remember and could only forget, otherwise he would be asking for trouble.

He is just a poor guy who was sold since childhood and has been bullied ever since. How could he be qualified to know such a person?

Not worthy...

(End of this chapter)