(1)
The waves washed against the beach over and over again.
A hermit crab scurried by, its tiny claws waving, making a soft clinking sound against a shell embedded in the sand.
In the distance came the cries of seagulls, carrying a hint of desolation in the vast emptiness.
An Jing groggily opened her eyes, her gaze slowly lifting upward, catching sight of a coconut tree not far away, and the pale blue sky.
“Ah-choo!” She let out a big sneeze, staggering as she sat up.
Sand grains rustled down from her hair, making her feel dazed.
This place felt familiar, yet strange.
She scratched her head as she looked at Zhu Ying beside her, gently nudging her. “Xiao Ying… Xiao Ying?”
“Hmm…?”
“Wake up.”
“Huff… so sleepy… headache…”
“How did we end up falling asleep on the beach?”
“I don’t know.” Zhu Ying, holding onto An Jing’s arm, wobbled as she pushed herself up, but soon leaned against her due to exhaustion. “The sun is so strong…”
“It’s not even the start of summer, and the cicadas are already chirping… cicadas… Huh?” An Jing suddenly looked at the endless sea, then turned back to glance at the familiar rocky mountain behind them. “That’s weird, how are we on an island? And… why does it feel so familiar?”
“Eh? How could we be on an island? Isn’t there a forest behind us… Huh?”
“We’re definitely on an island.” An Jing helped Zhu Ying stand up and walked over to a nearby rock face, reaching out to gently touch it. “This rock face—if we go around that way and walk a few more steps—”
“Is there something?” Zhu Ying leaned in. “There’s nothing there.”
“You need to walk a few more steps. Xiao Ying, be careful, you have to stay close.”
“Xiao Jing seems really familiar with this place.”
“Maybe all islands have these rocky hills, or maybe…” An Jing unconsciously quickened her pace, turned another corner, and suddenly her eyes lit up. “It really is—it really is this place!”
“What?”
“This is the island from my hometown.”
“Eh? Then how did we get here? And shouldn’t your hometown island be full of excavators and construction workers by now? Why does it look so quiet right now? Barely any sound?”
An Jing scratched her cheek. “I don’t know either. And that little dock looks brand new. Uncle’s boathouse next to it doesn’t have a single rotten spot—how is that possible? I remember there was a big hole in the wall.”
“Xiao Jing, wait for me!” Zhu Ying hurriedly caught up, lightly tugging at An Jing’s hem. “Is this really your hometown island?”
“Yeah, whether it’s the layout or anything else, it’s definitely my hometown. Although some details don’t match my memories…” An Jing turned back, blinking softly. “The atmosphere feels weird…”
“Hmm—Xiao Jing, are you using your superpower?”
“No, I’m not…”
“But your eyes are gold.”
“Ah?” An Jing instinctively covered her eyes. “Really?”
“Yeah, are you using mind reading?”
“No, I’m not using any ability at all…” An Jing quickly shook her head.
“Could it be that this is a dream? In dreams, your eyes are gold.”
“A dream? But, hmm—it seems I can’t use the abilities I usually have in dreams either. I can’t wake up immediately, I can’t change anything.” An Jing closed her eyes to try, then shook her head gently.
“It’s not another one of those dreams that trap people, is it?”
“Ah… don’t, don’t worry. If it’s really a dream, we’ll definitely be able to get out…” An Jing comforted her, then muttered helplessly, “There are always these strange dreams.”
“The meteorite—is it still there?”
“Ah? It’s still here…” An Jing quickly glanced at her left hand. The bracelet was still on, and the blue meteorite embedded in it instantly calmed her down. “Anyway, let’s not panic. Let’s take a look around first?”
“Oh, there’s a kid over there.” An Jing’s eyes suddenly lit up. She waved vigorously at the small boy who looked about eight or nine, dark-skinned and thin. “Hey—you over there!”
The little boy, who was fishing a glass bottle out of the water by the dock, looked up, glanced at them in confusion, then excitedly waved back. “Hey~! Which family are you from—did you come back after fleeing the war?”
He spoke in a dialect. Zhu Ying couldn’t understand it, and even An Jing couldn’t catch it very clearly—mainly because the dialect was very rustic, with many words that seemed like something her grandparents’ generation would use.
“Fleeing the war?” An Jing was puzzled. She walked over and crouched beside the boy. “Are you trying to fish that glass bottle up?”
“Yeah! It’s rare to see such a complete glass bottle. Once I get it up, I can use it to hold anything. So pretty!”
“Let me help you.” No matter how petite An Jing was, her arms were still longer than a little boy’s. She stretched her arm as far as she could, nudging the slippery glass bottle toward the shore, and the boy quickly grabbed it with both hands.
“Is this a beer bottle? The style looks really old.” Zhu Ying, propping her hands on her knees, also leaned in curiously.
“Thank you, big sister!” The boy hugged the bottle excitedly, holding it up to examine it carefully. “So beautiful. It’s green.”
“Yeah.”
“Which family are you big sisters from? Did you come fleeing the war? Are you going to stay here for a while?”
“What war?” An Jing was confused.
“Fleeing the war, you know, the fighting. It’s chaotic out there. I’ve never been out, but my dad and uncles say so. Lately, a lot of people have come back from outside.”
“Fighting?”
“Yeah, don’t you know?” The boy looked up in confusion, but then was startled by An Jing’s golden eyes and fell back onto his butt. “G-God?”
“God?”
“The Anhai Deity?” The boy’s body trembled, but his expression was excited—a mix of fear and eagerness to approach. “Did the grown-ups really manage to invite you down to the mortal world?!”
“Invite? Mortal world?” An Jing was completely bewildered. “Today the grown-ups all went to the shrine on the mountain to hold a ceremony, asking the Anhai Deity to protect her people. But—did you actually descend to the mortal world?”
“I’m not some Anhai Deity…” An Jing shook her head.
“I know, I know. Is it supposed to be a secret? Did you secretly come down to see how we’re doing? I heard the grown-ups say the recent crop harvest hasn’t been good…”
Before the boy could finish, the calm sea outside the dock suddenly grew rough. Then a big wave crashed onto the shore, completely covering the boy sitting on the ground, and then receded with a whoosh.
Where there had been nothing, the shore was now littered with many lively, jumping fish—seemingly unlucky ones brought up by the wave.
“But the fish catch is good. Even if we don’t have much rice, we can always eat our fill—you really are the Anhai Deity!” The boy jumped up, hopping with excitement. “Anhai Deity! Can I take all these fish back? There are more and more people on the island, so the more food the better!”
“Do you have a bag to put them in…” An Jing’s mouth twitched. Behind her, Zhu Ying pursed her lips to suppress a laugh.
“Yes, yes! I’ll use a big fishing net!”
“Then go ahead and pack them…” An Jing didn’t really want to argue, but couldn’t help adding, “Just be casual. No need to be so formal.”
“Yeah!” The boy’s eyes sparkled as he couldn’t help stealing a few more glances at An Jing. “The adults say that when the Anhai Deity gets angry, it’s terrifying, but actually, you’re very kind!”
“She hasn’t gotten angry yet~” Zhu Ying teased with a light laugh.
“Cough.” An Jing shot her an awkward sidelong glance. “What are you doing?”
“Oh dear~ the Anhai Deity is getting angry~”
“Hey…”
The boy quickly packed up the twenty-plus fish, hoisted them onto his small shoulders, and started walking along the gravel path inland. “Anhai Deity, it’s been a long time since you last descended, right? The mortal world changes fast. The adults say one day in heaven is a year on earth. Do you also feel that everything now is different from what you remember?”
An Jing tilted her head to look at Zhu Ying, who gave her an encouraging look.
“Uh… there are a lot of differences.”
“If there’s anything you don’t know, just ask me!” The boy slapped his chest firmly. “I’ll answer everything!”
“What’s your name?” An Jing asked curiously, her hands clasped behind her back.
“Yu Tongshen! I burn incense for you every month! Do you remember me?”
“Ah… a little, a little impression…”
Actually, An Jing wasn’t lying, because the name did sound somewhat familiar to her.
Beside her, Zhu Ying also asked curiously, “You mentioned fighting earlier. Where is the war?”
“And this big sister…”
“Oh, just think of her as my high priestess, or… mortal spokesperson.”
“Just like the Anhai Deity said, my relationship with Her is very close.” Zhu Ying winked playfully.
“I heard from the adults that when the person closest to the god dies, they’ll be guided up to heaven to live by the god’s side. So which generation of mortal spokesperson are you? Could it be the first generation?”
“That’s right!”
“Then that makes you my great-great-great-great…” The boy tilted his head, counting, but finally gave up and muttered, “Anyway, great-grandma!”
“Grandma…” Zhu Ying’s eyebrows started twitching.
Now it was An Jing’s turn to suppress a laugh. “So, what’s the war about?”
“Foreigners invaded. They’re killing people and stealing food everywhere. Even rich places aren’t safe. The worst are the Japanese… I heard it from people who came back from outside.”
“What year is it now…?” An Jing’s eyes widened slightly.
“The 28th year of the Republic of China! Time in the mortal world really passes too fast for a deity, doesn’t it?”
“Hmm…” An Jing fell silent.
“What year is that?” Zhu Ying looked bewildered.
“1939… I think?”
For them, kids born in the 90s, 1939 was almost too distant.
They had only ever heard or seen stories of that era from their grandparents’ generation or in historical materials.
And that name, Yu Tongshen—why did it feel more and more familiar the more she thought about it?
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