(1)
An Jing transformed into a stream of light.
She charged into the storm-ridden sky.
A blue, faint light outlined a blurry shape, which quickly began to grow clear.
It was an enormous humanoid machine, exactly as Zhu Ying had seen in that ten-year dream.
Its entire body was covered with various weapons, yet it didn’t inspire fear; instead, it evoked a sense of solemnity and reverence.
It stood silently on the ground, ink-black raindrops falling upon it and slowly sliding off its faintly reflective metal form.
The heavy rain continued, but the fierce wind subsided a little.
The two giant monsters suddenly let out a roar in the silence.
Not out of anger or hatred, but more like a helpless vent.
Unlike any battle Zhu Ying had seen in her dreams before.
The enormous humanoid machine didn’t preemptively unleash its terrible firepower, which could cover the entire island. Instead, it quietly waited for them to charge.
The two monsters struck the machine from left and right, but it merely blocked with its sturdy mechanical arms.
A tornado swirled with the rain again, violent roars interweaving, but Zhu Ying felt the world was especially silent.
The battle of the three giants was like a silent stage play.
The battle did not end with one side falling.
The two giant monsters let out a siren-like cry, tightly hugged the humanoid machine, and then, together with it, turned into specks of golden light, slowly dissipating into the storm.
“Deity Sister…” A young voice sounded from the ground. Zhu Ying looked down and saw that the little boy was also slowly turning into specks of light—the entire dream was beginning to disintegrate and shatter like foam.
He opened his mouth and smiled, saying something, but no sound came out.
But from the sky came an aged echo:
“If you have time, come home more often…”
…
(2)
Yu Tongshen was holding his eldest son while his wife was breastfeeding the younger children. He swayed his body and continued telling stories of the past.
“Dad, those Japanese were torn to pieces by the big storm. What happened next?”
“They sent people to take some things away, but they probably felt this sea was unsafe, so they never came near again.”
“Later?” The eldest son’s eyes sparkled, curiosity written all over his face.
“What about after that? Did the Deity appear again?”
“Haha, later?”
Seeing his curious gaze, Yu Tongshen felt like he was looking at his younger self. The words that were on the tip of his tongue were held back.
“Well, later, the Deity said goodbye to me, right there on that gravel beach. The evening glow that day stretched all the shadows long, long…”
“And then?”
“Xiao Long, don’t keep pestering your dad for stories. He has to get up early tomorrow to go out to sea.”
“Oh…”
“Haha, it’s fine. Xiao Long likes to listen, so I’ll keep going.”
Yu Tongshen carried his eldest son Yu Qinglong closer to the only oil lamp in the room.
Yu Qinglong glanced at his mother, who was nursing while mending a pair of pants. The firelight cast her shadow clearly on the wall—those were his pants, torn today while playing. He had heard they were his father’s from childhood, worn only a few times, and kept safely until now.
His mother bit off the thread with her teeth, then wet the new thread end with her tongue. By the dim firelight, she slowly threaded it through the needle’s eye.
His father’s voice sounded again, continuing the story’s end: “We said goodbye on the gravel beach. The Deity and the divine attendant stood at the spot closest to the sea. I waved my hand vigorously, waved hard, and then they turned into a stream of light, transformed into a mighty steel giant, and slowly flew up into the sky. And I ran and shouted that I would always remember the Deity’s teachings, remember those words, never forget.”
“Which words? Did Grandpa mention them just now?”
“The Deity’s voice sounded directly in my heart, and I remembered them firmly.”
“Oh! Dad, how did you shout?”
Yu Tongshen straightened his back. Beside him, Ye Danhong, who was mending the pants, pursed her lips and smiled, tilting her head slightly to look at him. It seemed she had heard these stories many, many times.
“First! Eat well every day!” Yu Tongshen raised his voice with a smile.
“Second! Be careful when playing by the sea!
“Third! Make friends with sincerity!
“Fourth! Brush your teeth morning and night!
“Fifth—don’t rely on others’ power!”
“Dad… did the Deity really say that? Isn’t that what you always nag about?”
“These are the things the Deity wants us to follow. They are the final instructions before the Deity left.”
“Left…?”
“The Deity said it was going on a long journey and didn’t know when it would come back…”
…
(3)
The tail end of the 20th century.
A new century was about to begin, but this island did not pass through peacefully. A huge typhoon swept through, destroyed the village, left a mess, and then swept away.
But fortunately, the people were still there. Where there are people, there is new hope.
The rubble from collapsed houses was being cleared little by little. Farther away, some families had already started building new houses.
This time the houses would be built more sturdily. The young people who went out to work brought back large amounts of supplies, doing their best to rebuild the village.
Yu Tongshen sucked on his pipe with a smacking sound, looking at the still uncleared rubble behind him. Many children were gathered in an open space, using objects pulled from the ruins as weapons, swinging and playing with each other.
“An Jing! Don’t run barefoot on the ground! There are sharp bits! You’ll get your feet cut!”
“Sixth Aunt! My shoes are all wet!”
“What happened? Wet again?”
“It’s all Ronghua’s fault! He tripped me, and I stepped in a puddle!”
“Ye—Rong—hua! What’s wrong with you! Why are you bullying your younger brother?”
“Cough, I was just teasing him…”
“An Jing, you go back to the house quickly. I’ll find you a clean pair of cloth shoes. Ronghua, go wash your brother’s shoes.”
“Yes, yes, yes.”
“Dad.” Just as Yu Tongshen was lost in thought, a calm voice tinged with a smile sounded.
“What are you looking at?”
“Oh? A-Long is here.”
Yu Tongshen withdrew his gaze and looked at his eldest son. Even though he had watched him grow up, he felt that his son had suddenly stepped into middle age, older than he himself had been back then…
“Dad, you rest this afternoon.”
“Don’t treat me like an old man.” Yu Tongshen glanced at him.
“Sigh, what a disaster.”
“Look on the bright side, this is a good thing. It’s the perfect chance to tear down all those old houses and renovate. Before, many people couldn’t make up their minds. Now, we can just build new houses.”
“Yeah, that’s good too.”
“Once everyone’s houses are mostly repaired, we can fix up the shrine. But I think we should rebuild it from scratch, make it bigger this time.”
“Good, good.”
“Rebuilding our home with our own strength. That feeling is really good, isn’t it, Dad?”
“Yes, it’s very good.”
“The statue of the Anhai Deity was destroyed by the typhoon. I’ve already sent A-Yun to contact a statue maker.”
“This time, make a better one. Just as I remember it.”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking.”
“How about the money…?”
“Don’t worry about money, Dad. After all, you have so many children!”
“Haha…”
Yu Tongshen laughed and nodded. Then he heard someone calling his eldest son’s name from afar. The latter quickly walked down the hillside and continued busy with the reconstruction work.
He looked up at the azure sky after the typhoon.
“Deity, do you see? We are using our own strength, striving… to live better.”
(4)
Everyone on those islands moved to a new place.
It was still close to the seaside, but the land underfoot was connected to the broader mainland, no longer a lonely little island.
The newly built village had a neat and uniform plan. Every house had a very consistent style, differing only slightly in exterior color.
To be honest, it was cleaner and tidier. There were even dedicated people to clean every day. Trash cans were placed at every doorstep. Chickens, ducks, cows, and sheep had to be raised in designated areas—poultry fenced with wire mesh, and large animals kept farther away from the village.
The air in the village was exceptionally fresh. The quietly flowing river rippled in circles under the breeze. The sun hanging in the sky was slowly setting, but evening was still far off.
It was more like a semi-open villa district than a village.
“Such a nice place, but the kids still don’t come back often.” An old man on the road was chatting.
“Yeah, it’s convenient to come back—all big roads, no need for boats, and there’s parking area…”
“It’s still far, and kids are busy with work.”
“It’s better to work in the small city, then they can come back often…”
Yu Tongshen put down his fishing gear at his doorstep. His wife, who was mending a fishing net inside the door, looked up with a knowing feeling.
“You’re back early today?”
“A bit tired. I ran into our little grandson today.”
“Little grandson—An Jing?”
“Yeah, haha. That boy’s got promise. He had two girls with him.”
“That womanizing streak is just like you back in the day.”
“Ha… grab some tangerines. I’m going to see A-Long.”
“What’s the occasion today?”
“No occasion.” Yu Tongshen shook his head. His graying sideburns stood like steel needles, not swaying at all.
“Weather’s nice. I’ll go see him.”
“Take these. Just tangerines?”
“Just a visit. Tangerines are enough. Anything more would be wasteful.”
Yu Tongshen stuffed the tangerines into his spacious pocket and turned to walk out.
Behind him, his wife’s reminder came again: “Come back early. Lao Jiu and Lao Si are coming for dinner today.”
“Got it!”