Traveling Through Those Years Of Farming (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 34; End

Jixing’s death is troublesome, but Jikong and his fellow apprentices have extensive experience working with the government and quickly report the incident to the special department.

The cause of Jixing’s death is primarily the backlash from the evil weapon, a consequence of his own actions, and has nothing to do with Lady Hua and her husband. The two of them are simply recorded under the supervision of special department personnel, and a file is left with the department. If a similar situation arises in the future, the government might requisition their help to deal with evil entities.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Lady Hua and Sheng Wukun maintain their composure as masters. There is no trace of the fear they had shown earlier when surrounded by a swarm of evil spirits.

Baobao and Chunming have barely been involved in this incident. Due to their age and appearance, which are confusing to the investigators, and the fact that they had been the most frightened during the encounter, they aren’t questioned too thoroughly. They are only asked a couple of routine questions before being allowed to go.

With Jixing dead, the old monk Jikong will take his ashes back to the temple, where he will never leave again.

Chunming and Baobao accompany the old monk to the train station. This time, the old monk doesn’t ask Chunming if he wants to go with him. Instead, he simply smiles, waves, and boards the train with Jixing’s urn, without a backward glance.

That day, Chunming felt down and lost.

To him, the old monk has been the closest elder aside from his parents. From now on, he will no longer have the old monk’s protection and will have to live alone.

“Hey, when I held you that day, did you touch anything you shouldn’t have touched?” Baobao asks, trying to lighten the mood. She buys two bottles of soda from the station’s canteen, hands one to Chunming, and opens the other for herself, taking a sip.

Some people drink alcohol to build up courage, but Baobao uses carbonated drinks to do the same.

“No, no…” Chunming recalls the moment when Baobao held him tightly in her arms, a wave of heat rushing to his head. His ears turn bright red, almost as if they are bleeding. He hesitates, answering nervously. Just then, the train begins to move, humming as it starts. The sound seems to perfectly capture Chunming’s flustered mood. “No! I mean, yes but I didn’t feel anything!”

Baobao becomes furious. Looking down, she sees there is still some soda left in the bottle. “You said you didn’t feel anything? Who do you think you’re insulting!” she snaps.

Without another word, she chugs the remaining drink and prepares to toss the bottle into the trash. However, most carbonated drinks are sold in glass bottles, which need to be returned to the store. Realizing this, Baobao has to pull her hand back just before throwing the bottle. She walks over to the store and returns it, frustrated.

“This monk will never open his mind,” she mutters as she receives the money for the bottle. She glares at Chunming, turns, and storms off.

“Baobao, I was wrong!” Chunming says, still bewildered. Had he said something wrong? Why has Baobao suddenly gotten angry?

Chunming hands the bottle back to the store owner, not bothering to get his change, and hurries after her.

“What did you do wrong?” Baobao asks, still fuming.

“I lied. Actually… Actually, I touched… Sorry, Baby, I didn’t mean it…”

“Hmph!” Baobao pouts, her tone softening as she humphs.

Chunming carefully reaches out, trying to hold her hand. She pulls it away with exaggerated reluctance, but when he tries again, she doesn’t resist.

He holds her hand tightly, and though she shakes it a few times, she eventually stops.

Passersby smile knowingly at the sight of the playful young couple, their innocent banter making them appear like a beautiful scene on the street.

The sight of his precious daughter hugging a man of her own accord has been a major blow to Sheng Wukun. The overprotective father begins to seriously consider buying a house in the provincial capital and moving his family there.

In recent years, they have become quite famous. Not only have they earned a great deal of money, but they have also built an extensive network of connections. Even if they no longer live in Xiaoyanggang, those seeking them out can still find them in various ways.

Purchasing a house near the university town will not only convert the depreciating cash they have accumulated into appreciating real estate, but it will also ease the pain of being separated from their daughter when they are away.

Of course, the most important reason is to keep their daughter close, preventing her from being taken by anyone with malicious intentions at such a young age.

However, buying a house is a big decision, and since all first-year college students are required to live on campus, there is no need to rush.

Hua Yingpo and Sheng Wukun stay in the provincial capital for a few more days, give their daughter some pocket money, and then leave. The couple plans to take care of their old clients back in their hometown before returning to the provincial capital to look at houses at a more suitable time.

Once Mother Hua and Father Sheng leave, Baobao and Chunming’s lives return to their usual routine. If there is any change, it might be that the “window paper” is now torn. When avoiding her parents, the two of them have become a little more affectionate.

The little monk, who has been pulled down from the altar and lost his Buddha nature, seems to be developing tendencies more in line with a carnivore.

“Why did the history theory teacher change?”

“Yeah, where is Teacher Gu?”

Today’s history theory class is being taught by the lecturer who has replaced Gu Yuan during his leave. The lecturer mentions in class that the history theory teacher for this semester has been changed to him.

Many students like the elegant and handsome Teacher Gu, and his complicated love triangle only adds to his mysterious aura. As a result, when it is announced that the history theory teacher has changed, many students feel disappointed.

“Do you know why Teacher Gu was replaced?”

Fang Xiao, the gossip-loving student, appears out of nowhere and squeezes in between the four girls in Baobao’s dormitory.

“Tsk tsk, something happened to Gu Yuan,” Fang Xiao clicked his tongue and casually dropped the “Teacher” from Gu Yuan’s name, now calling him simply by his first name with a look of disdain.

“There’s a senior in the third year whose father is a doctor at the Qingshan Mental Hospital. I heard that Gu Yuan went crazy, shouting about Liu Zhaonan bothering him. Turns out, the reason Jiang Ying impulsively killed someone is because that jerk gave her too much hope. Gu Yuan knew Liu Zhaonan wasn’t missing, but murdered, and he hid the truth because he couldn’t let go of the help Jiang Ying’s family had given him.”

These are Gu Yuan’s rambling, crazy words. He seems to have developed some form of hysteria, constantly saying he sees Liu Zhaonan’s ghost and asking for forgiveness from him, saying he doesn’t want to cause her death. In reality, Gu Yuan can be considered an indirect murderer. If he hadn’t incited Jiang Ying’s hatred toward Liu Zhaonan, perhaps Liu Zhaonan would still be alive. When he seduced Jiang Ying, didn’t he think she might act out of extreme emotion? He is so smart and patient—how could he not foresee it?

Unfortunately, none of this can be used as evidence. He didn’t directly cause her to kill Liu Zhaonan and never told Jiang Ying to kill him. He has only made an educated guess about the situation based on Jiang Ying’s unguarded expression, but as a bystander, he couldn’t report this guess to the police, and thus, it isn’t considered aiding or abetting.

Legally, Gu Yuan is innocent. He has skillfully walked the fine line of legality, using Jiang Ying as a tool to achieve his own goals.

“At least he’s crazy now. I’m afraid he’ll end up in a mental hospital for the rest of his life,” Fang Xiao says with relief, certain that it won’t be long before the teachers and students at the whole provincial university know Gu Yuan’s true nature.

Once Fang Xinxin and the others find out the truth, they can only sigh in response.

But Baobao is lost in thought, her eyes fixed on the puppet beneath her pillow, with a mind full of merit and fame.

“Sheng Baobao, come here for a moment.”

As the five of them headed toward the cafeteria, Jiang Runzhu suddenly appeared and stopped Baobao, seemingly wanting to talk to her.

Baobao gestured for Lin Lan and the others to go ahead and take a seat, promising she would join them shortly.

It had been almost two months since the start of school, and this was the first time Baobao had seen Jiang Runzhu. If she hadn’t appeared in front of her, Baobao would have almost forgotten about her.

“It’s you, right? You’re the one ruining my happiness!” Jiang Runzhu pulled her into a secluded grove, her eyes burning with resentment.

She had now convinced herself that Sheng Baobao shared a similar experience to her. But the original Sheng Baobao had died at eight, and Jiang Runzhu couldn’t know what would happen in the future. She believed the current Sheng Baobao was a lonely ghost inhabiting the body of her counterpart.

Jiang Runzhu had been struggling recently, as things were not unfolding according to her plans.

When she and Lin Huajun first registered at school, they had traveled to the provincial capital together since they were from the same hometown. Perhaps it was the connection between the male and female protagonists, but during the trip, Lin Huajun had developed strong feelings for her. The two had been in private contact ever since, and whenever the military academy was on break, Lin Huajun would visit her at the provincial university.

They were only one step away from confirming their relationship.

Jiang Runzhu believed that she had made Lin Huajun fall in love with her, so she subtly suggested that he retire and go into business. Living in the future, she thought being a soldier was a dead-end job with no financial prospects. In the economically advanced 21st century, money was the most important thing. In her previous life, Lin Huajun had been a well-known business tycoon. How could he be limited by a small military rank in this life?

Jiang Runzhu believed she was advising him to retire for his own good. Besides, if he didn’t retire, as a trainee, he would eventually return to his military region, and they would face a life of separation, which was detrimental to their relationship.

But to her surprise, Lin Huajun didn’t even listen to her detailed reasoning. He immediately responded with three simple words: “Impossible!”

After their unpleasant parting that day, Lin Huajun never reached out to her again, leaving her feeling a bit wronged.

Then, yesterday, Jiang Runzhu—who had never paid attention to campus gossip—was shocked when she learned that the student who had discovered the body hidden in the female dormitory was named Sheng Baobao.

In Jiang Runzhu’s memory, the body hidden at the provincial university wouldn’t be discovered until eight years later. The tip-off had come from Gu Yuan, a history theory lecturer at the university, who overheard his wife’s sleep talk and learned that the missing girlfriend had been murdered by his current wife, with the body hidden in the female restroom.

The case had caused a stir at the time, not just because of the shocking discovery of the body in the female dormitory for ten years, but also because of the complicated love triangle and the strange fact that the husband had reported his wife for killing his ex-wife.

At that time, the internet was beginning to develop, so even though Jiang Runzhu was in another province, she had heard the news. But she had long since forgotten about it—after all, she had only glanced at the headline. If this case hadn’t come up again, she probably wouldn’t have remembered it at all.

What struck her now, however, was that this case had been solved earlier than in her previous life. And what was more striking was that Sheng Baobao seemed to play a pivotal role in it.

Jiang Runzhu was certain that Baobao also had the ability of foresight, just like herself, and that she knew everything that would happen in the future.

Could all these changes be related to Sheng Baobao? It seemed that in order to highlight her abilities, Baobao had to intervene in everything. Because of her, many things had changed. Lin Huajun wasn’t injured, and he didn’t retire early. The fate between the two had ended because of her.

Jiang Runzhu blamed Baobao for all her misfortunes, thinking it might make her feel better.

“Are you out of your mind?” Baobao couldn’t help but snap.

She had been clear enough before, yet the person in front of her still refused to accept the truth.

“You saved Hua Yingpo and Sheng Wukun with your ability to predict the future, didn’t you? How many people did you help them deceive? They’ve escaped prison in this life. Do the people they deceived deserve it?” Jiang Runzhu retorted, upset by the way Sheng Baobao was looking at her. “You really think those two liars are your biological parents? Do they know that what they’ve loved for these years is just a lonely ghost occupying their daughter’s body?”

Jiang Runzhu’s words struck a chord with Baobao.

Over the past ten years, Baobao had come to see Mother Hua and Father Sheng as her real parents. Strangely enough, Baobao had never felt any discomfort about the fact that they had occupied “Sheng Baobao’s” body, as though the body had always belonged to her.

When Baobao first saw Jiang Runzhu, she had immediately noticed that her soul and body didn’t match, but when she looked at herself in the mirror, there were no signs of anything being off.

Even the old monk, when he met Jiang Runzhu by chance, had sighed and said that this girl was a bit unusual, though he never noticed anything truly strange about her.

Baobao had once thought that perhaps the power that allowed her to reincarnate across these worlds was too strong, but a voice inside her heart told her otherwise. The reason they were so compatible was that she and the original owner of this body shared a deep connection.

Sometimes, Baobao had the strange illusion that she was both Lu Baobao and Sheng Baobao—every version of “Baobao” was actually just another form of herself.

This feeling was overwhelming, but at the same time, Baobao would sometimes feel an unconscious fear, afraid that she had truly robbed the original owner of their happiness and the love that was meant for her.

Jiang Runzhu’s words had truly infuriated Baobao.

“What nonsense are you spouting? My parents make money through their own abilities. How could that be called cheating? How could I have helped them avoid jail?” Baobao glared at Jiang Runzhu coldly. The other person had insulted her repeatedly, so there was no reason to show mercy.

“Jiang Runzhu, you’ve experienced things that science can’t explain, so why don’t you want to believe that my parents really know their way around yin and yang numerology? Or is it that you just can’t accept that yin and yang reincarnation and karma truly exist in this world?”

Baobao approached Jiang Runzhu step by step, her presence so overwhelming that Jiang Runzhu was forced to lean back against the tree, unable to retreat.

“You refuse to admit that karma and reincarnation exist in this world, right? Because if they do, how could you have the nerve to return to Lin Huajun? You’ve done so many wrong things to him. If he knew you were reborn in this life, even if you were a pig or a dog beside him, he’d find it repulsive. Why should he fall in love with you again, wholeheartedly, just because he doesn’t remember your past life, and let you enjoy the benefits you didn’t get in your previous life?”

When Baobao saw the sudden fear, panic, and regret flash across Jiang Runzhu’s face, she knew her guess was right.

Jiang Runzhu might be the heroine of the popular military wife novel. In her past life, she betrays her husband, Lin Huajun. After being reborn, she returns to the right path, reunites with her military husband—who eventually becomes a wealthy businessman or general—and lives a happy life.

“You’re talking nonsense, all nonsense!” Jiang Runzhu covers her ears and screams, refusing to believe what Baobao has just revealed. She refuses to accept that Hua Yingpo and his wife’s abilities are real.

But what other explanation could there be for rejecting the idea of unnatural phenomena?

This life is different from her past one, after all. Maybe Hua Yingpo and his wife truly possess extraordinary abilities.

Her refusal to believe isn’t just because of jealousy but also because she doesn’t dare to.

“I don’t know what you saw or what you think will happen,” Baobao says, pointing to her eyes. “But I saw the body. My mother is the famous Lady Hua. I inherited her abilities. It’s nothing special. I can not only see things, but I can also control them. You don’t know—Gu Yuan went mad because I helped Liu Zhaonan and let her stay with her lover.” Baobao’s voice turns cold. “Jiang Runzhu, I’m warning you for the last time: don’t interfere with my life again, or I won’t hesitate to send a lot of good friends to dance around your bedside late at night and sing karaoke in your ears 24/7!”

She whispers those words directly into Jiang Runzhu’s ear, then turns and walks away. At that moment, Baobao truly feels like the villainess in a drama. Jiang Runzhu’s pupils dilate as she stands frozen, her lips moving as if she wants to speak. She wants to deny it, but deep down, she knows Sheng Baobao isn’t joking. If she interferes again, there will be consequences.

All the chaos of the past days suddenly makes sense. Jiang Runzhu looks back on her life since her rebirth and finds it almost laughable. She has been given a chance to be reborn, a chance others would envy, but what has she done with it?

Her heart and mind are consumed with thoughts of her ex-husband, whom she once wronged. Beyond a little guilt, isn’t she more focused on Lin Huajun’s future wealth? If Lin Huajun had remained mediocre, just a disabled veteran in her past life, would she have changed herself to cater to his preferences the way she does now, just to make him fall in love with her again?

But clearly, she also has the ability to achieve wealth. The Jiang family’s prosperity in recent years proves that. She might not be able to build a business empire like Lin Huajun, but she can easily live a wealthy life.

She realizes she has never truly thought about standing up for herself, always relying on someone strong to back her up.

Jiang Runzhu covers her face and cries. She had been selfish before her rebirth. The so-called compensation she offered was just a cover-up for her sneaky motives. If Lin Huajun had the memories of his past life, he would probably want to stay as far away from her as possible.

Sheng Baobao’s words have awakened her, making her realize her true nature.

She is right. All her disbelief had been driven by a desire for benefits and the avoidance of harm.

Jiang Runzhu staggers to her feet, no longer daring to interfere with the Hua family’s lives. She has lost the courage to approach Lin Huajun.

In this new life, they are simply passers-by to each other, never crossing paths again.

After that day, Baobao never sees Jiang Runzhu again, except for a few occasional meetings on the road when returning to her hometown.

It is rumored that Jiang Runzhu has a terrible falling out with her sister-in-law. Her parents and brother, who favor the daughter-in-law who has given birth to a grandson, start to protect her more, and Jiang Runzhu reduces her contact with her family.

It is also said that she goes south after graduation to develop her career. She makes a lot of money from stock speculation, buying houses and land, but later loses it all and has to sell some of her properties.

Overall, Jiang Runzhu’s life isn’t too bad. After her parents pass away, she has even less contact with her hometown, and no one knows how she is doing.

******

Thirty Years Later

Today marks the 28th anniversary of Huangxian Consulting Co., Ltd. Many prominent figures who have worked with the company send lavish flower baskets and generous gifts in advance to celebrate the occasion.

In truth, Huangxian Consulting Co., Ltd. is a small company, with only two active consultants, along with two retired seniors. Despite its size, the company has become legendary in many circles, and those who are familiar with it are well-known figures in official circles.

“That’s Lady Hua. Now, the bosses of Huangxian Consulting Company are her daughter and son-in-law. It’s said that both were trained by Lady Hua herself. Tsk, it’s such a shame I was born in the wrong era and never get to see Lady Hua in action. I can’t imagine how graceful she must be to have taught these two.”

“Yes, we’ve all seen Boss Sheng’s abilities. It’s clear.”

The speaker points toward Sheng Baobao, who stands in the distance, and gives a thumbs-up. “I can’t even begin to imagine how capable Lady Hua must have been to teach Boss Sheng.”

It is a common belief that experience and age are synonymous with wisdom, and it is assumed that the older generation—especially in the case of parents teaching their children—must be superior.

Nearly every guest who attends the event admires the two elderly figures sitting in the main area, watching them with respect and caution, careful not to harbor any disrespectful thoughts.

“Wife, did you see how they looked at us?” Sheng Wukun leans close to his wife’s ear and whispers.

“If you have something to say, talk to our masters at home. Do you know what a master is? You have to be polite.” Hua Yingpo moves a little closer to her husband, her lips barely moving, speaking in a tone audible only to those near her.

“Grandma! Grandpa!”

A pair of siblings who look very much alike approaches the elderly couple, and at the sight of them, the couple’s composure falters.

Hua Yuanman and Sheng Yizu, the twins born to Sheng Baobao and Chunming 22 years ago, are the couple’s pride and joy. The two children are studying at universities in other provinces but come back especially for the celebration.

Baobao and Chunming are still greeting the guests. Seeing the four grandparents and grandchildren happily gathered together, they exchange smiles.

This life is truly a happy one.