You Shu* had died; died unexpectedly.
The year the apocalypse arrived, he'd just reached nine years, following his scientist parents to join Pan Long* Base. His parents' research direction was medicine, although in China they weren't famous, but for the executives of the base, who were eager to develop an anti-zombie virus vaccine, they were still of some use.
The executives of the base heavily monitored him at the start. After learning that his ability was 'Super Brain', and he did not have any aggression, that passion thus faded away in the blink of an eye. This so-called 'Super Brain' was a Developed person whose brain area was outstanding, it was a type of mental ability, but other an IQ far higher than that of ordinary people, there was almost no other special characteristic. They could not use mental strength to control zombies or humans, and also could not construct illusions.
If it was in a peaceful era, a supremely intelligent brain would always let someone acquire immense success. But in the apocalyptic world, it was still not as useful as the muscles in your whole body. His parents who were looking to depend on their son to eat a full meal were extremely disappointed, but You Zhu had no a single emotion. Before the end of the world, he was a god-like figure in school. After he developed his super-thinking ability he was only two or three seconds faster than usual, so there wasn't much of a big change. The matter he worried about most every day was a hungry stomach. In his mind, besides "looking for food," he truly could not consider anything else.
He did not give up on his education, often worming into the laboratory to observe the scientists experimenting, hoping that once he mastered it, he could also work in the laboratory. If he could become the leader of a project, then that would be better, from then on he wouldn't need to worry about food. In this way, while stealing teachings, while working as a labourer in the laboratory, he barely earned a warm meal. Because his brain structure was different from ordinary people, learning anything, he was especially fast. The experimental equipment manual he read it once and understood, read twice to and could disassemble, read thrice and improve it. Slowly, he became the laboratory's exclusive repairman. Occasionally, he would even help manage logistics, finance, housekeeping, etc., He could be described as "a brick of Pan Long base, where there is need, is where he will move."
With great difficulty he survived until the age of fifteen. You Shu felt that he had sufficient qualifications to become a scientific research personnel, thus he submitted a change of employment application to the personnel responsible. Just as he was enthusiastically preparing for the entrance exam, the zombie wave came, and Pan Long Base was annihilated. As a brain-is-particularly-developed, limbs-are-particularly-simple, blood-and skin-are-fragile, will-die-in-one-scratch Super-Brain Ability User, it was too late for You Shu to even shout as he died in a Gold Affinity zombie's jaw. His only thought before the end, was——Just a little bit more, and I could have eaten a full meal!
When You Shu came to, he found himself in a narrow container filled with warm water. The material of the container was extremely unique, not ceramic and not metal, it was like a kind of biological material, soft to touch, and also warm. He wanted to take a look at the surrounding environment, find a way to escape, but irregardless of how he tried, he couldn't open his eyes, his mouth also couldn't speak, only his limbs could occasionally reach out or retract. Inside the enclosed space, there was the sound of two heartbeats. One was his own, one was very close, dongdong, dongdong, dongdong, sound by sound, it rang in his ears.
He didn't feel hungry, and didn't feel thirsty. From top to bottom, his whole body was agreeably warm and very comfortable. Hence, listening to this extremely regular heartbeat sound, You Shu entered slumber. This was the most comfortable sleep he has had since the apocalypse arrival. He didn't know either how long had passed when the warm liquid began to drain away, and the container also desperately shrunk, squeezing him out.
Suddenly, there was an extremely cold air flow seeping into his four limbs and hundred bones. Where it flowed, was where there was the loss of feeling. You Shu felt that this stream of cold current was unusual like it was competing with himself for control of the body. Simply because he was a Super-Brain ability user, although his mental power was unaggressive, it was very tough. Recapturing his body was still effortlessly easy. When the cold invaded his scalp, trying to occupy his brain, he manipulated his mental strength to ruthlessly collide with the cold current.
A sharp, piercing pain exploded in his brain, but instantly, very quickly, You Shu felt a pair of large hands grab his ankle, lift him upside-down, and "pa pa" hit his backside twice. He was shocked; mouth opening slightly, the sound emitted was not a teenager's clear, low, and deep voice, and was a child's cry...
Reincarnation? You Shu suddenly understood everything previously. Only, he didn't know what kind thing that cold current was.
Four months later, You Shu lay in the cradle, staring at the ceiling beam in a daze. He could now see, and could also hear sounds. However, his vocal cords were not developed and therefore he could not speak. He belonged to the category of people with extremely high IQ and negative emotional intelligence. Because the things he pondered about inside his head were too numerous, such as the synthesis of nanoparticles and the explosion and expansion of the universe, many theories occupied a large portion of his thinking ability, until his movements were slow, reactions late, at a glance didn't seem like a super brain, but like a fool. So he didn't need to disguise at all; his stupid, dazed appearance was totally like an ignorant baby.
You Shu was very knowledgeable on the logic of adapting to times, thus safety and know contentment, often happiness. Being able to leave the apocalypse, who wouldn't agree? His tongue was not very clever, and he didn't have any big ambition. It would suffice if he could quietly live his life. Although he would occasionally miss the parents of his previous life, once he thought that they might have reincarnated, and don't need to endure starvation, he would also feel happy for them.
Here was not the apocalypse, but it also was not the modern times. Inferring from the surrounding peoples' clothing, it should be the ancient times. You Shu had quite a lot of curiosity towards history, but he had observed for many days, and just could not determine which dynasty he was in. The people here were dressed in the thick clothing of the pre-Qin period, yet also followed the style of dresses and skirts of the Wei, Jin, Nan and Bei Dynasties, and also the Quepao* of the Tang Dynasty, the Song Dynasty Yanjufu*, the Yuan Dynasty Zhisunfu*, the Ming Dynasty Zhiliu*, Yesa*, etc. It was simply a pot of stew.
It was the first time You Shu felt that his brain was not of sufficient use, especially under the circumstances of a lack of milk and a hungry stomach. So he thought for a few days and then gave up. He had never seen his own parents, and the day he opened his eyes was the same day as today, he saw only the roof beams. He had no milk to drink, the wet nurse who took care of him did not care much about him either, or would she gossip in the yard, or gamble in the next room or run around until her silhouette couldn't be seen.
You Shu could live in the apocalypse for that long. His ability to survive was naturally very tough. He had long since had his face, logic, lower limit, integrity and other toys tossed away cleanly. He was so hungry that his head spun and eyes blurred, only knowing that he had to drink milk, don't give milk then cry, crying until the sound shook the ether, shocking sky and moving earth. That wet nurse wanted to pretend she couldn't hear, but even this was hard. While cursing "Cuiming ghost*", she pushed the door and came in, roughly opened the top of her robes, and had the nipple shoved into his mouth.
You Shu hastily held the nipple, strongly sucking, hating that he couldn't have the bulging breasts sucked to deflation in one breath. It pained the wet nurse until she was constantly gasping for breath, even saying, "little beast, be gentler!"
You Shu listened and did not hear, sucking more and more energetically, using his meaty gums to bite the nipple to death. If the wet nurse forcefully took it away – afraid that a piece of meat will be bitten off. Wet-nurse tried pulling several times; it hurt until her veins kept standing*, so she finally gave up. Being someone from the apocalypse, You Shu could put his life at stake for the sake of a full meal, even if he was only four months old, his foraging ability was very satisfactory.
"Niang de*, it's truly a debt collection ghost, sucking a mouth of milk and hating that cannot have my nipple bitten off! Drinking, drinking, drinking, why don't you choke to death?" Once You Shu finished eating, the wet-nurse had him put into the cradle, ferociously cursing.
You Shu burped, towards the wet-nurse's vile language, he didn't place it as anything important. Although he had never seen his own parents, he could guess from the speech and conduct of the people around him that his identity should not be too low. On weekdays there were two old women and two maids looking after, even calling him "Young Master". So though the wet nurse scolded him beyond fiercely, seeing him crying without taking a breath, she also did not dare to not feed. At any rate, if his hunger came to light and was reported to the top, the people in this yard would soon be unlucky.
In ancient times there was a distinction between Di* and Shu*. Di children were respected and valued, Shu children were lowly and cheap. You Shu felt that he definitely was a Shu son, so he was discarded here without supervision. After all, no one organized a Full-Month feast, and also didn't hold a Hundred Days banquet, nor did he see the family's friends and relatives come to visit, even his the biological parents had vanished without a trace. Towards the parents of his past life You Shu's feelings were very deep. The new parents he still couldn't accept for now, so he didn't feel sad regarding their apathetic abandonment of himself.
He burped, then yawned, his little hand pinching the corner of the blanket, he prepared to sleep. At this moment, another old female servant came in with two maids, hands carrying seeds, peanuts, tea and other objects. You Shu silently sighed. Knowing that they wanted to start a tea party, his afternoon nap was now sleepless.
"Even from far away can hear Young Master's cries, say, this person is as thin as a monkey, at birth was less than three jins, how is it that he's this capable at howling?" The old woman smiled and mocked.
"How should I know," said the wet-nurse, lifting the tips of her brow. "Might be that his life is cheap. Cheap bastard's bones are all hard, can cause torment."
Two young maids seemed like new arrivals and did not dare to criticize the master, tugging the wetnurse's sleeve, they whispered in reminder, "Wang mama*, that's enough, in the end, he is the Wang Family's Young Master of Di birth..."
Didn't think that I'm actually of Di birth. You Shu heard this sentence and felt a little surprise, but his expression was still wooden and dazed. His brain capacity was too large, external behaviour often cannot keep up his thinking pace. Over time, his face thus became paralyzed, reflex time also unusually long, when doing anything will be slower than others by a beat.
"I pei*, what Di birth, it's only but a debt collector ghost!" The nurse rubbed the nippled that had been bitten sore, curled her lip and said, "Give you all a wake-up call, those who have ways hurry to find ways to get themselves pushed out of Peng Hao* Courtyard, this is not a place to remain for long. Two days ago, I got a bottle of chilli oil from the Meal Room's Old Zhao, later I will spread it on my nipple, let this little bastard eat a mouthful of spiciness. If he fears me, refuses to drink my milk, I will report it to the Wang Family's housekeeper, let him get me to Second Young Master's courtyard. Second Young Master is now only three months old, it is the time when he is anxious to drink milk.
"Well, though Second Young Master is of Shu birth, Concubine Lin is doted on, the people waiting on her are ten or so, give or take. Lady Guang has only four, what if it comes to your turn?" The old woman spat out a melon shell, clapping her hand she said, "However, coating chilli oil is truly a good method, really can have this life-taking assignment cast away."
The two little maids were curious to the point their heart and lungs were tickled. Glancing at the surroundings, they confirmed that there were no outsiders, then lowered their voice and asked, "In front of the Master, Lady gets a lot of face*, when speaking of doting, she is not inferior to Concubine Lin in the slightest. The Old Master and Old Madame also often praise that she is a virtuous wife who brings prosperity to the family. Moreover, this is her first child, and she gave birth to a Di eldest son, why is it that they won't recruit more people to look after? It's been four months already, yet it is such that everyone doesn't ask a word, as if there wasn't Eldest Young Master, this person. Say, if Young Master had any hidden illness, that would be the end of it, but he totally looks quite normal."
The two people had addressed You Shu's doubt. He who had originally planned to close his eyes and sleep, immediately sobered up, perking up his ears to secretly listen in. He wanted to safely and stably live, but before that, he still had to figure out his own situation.
*Forty-thousand: is 四十千 in Chinese. 四十(forty) is read as sìshí, thus it is homonyms with the Chinese word for 'die', 死 (sǐ). The author is making a pun on those words, implying that 四十 (sishi; forty) is 死死 (sisi; die die). Hence, 四十千 (forty thousand) = 死死千 (dying thousand times).
*You Shu: You Shu (有姝) is the name of both the main character and the story. It also means 'have beauty' or 'there's a beauty'.
*Pan Long : Translated literally it is Wind Dragon.
*Quepao: 缺袍
*Yanjufu: 燕居服
*Sunzhifu: 质孙服
*Zhiliu: 直裰
*Yesa: 曳撒
*Cuiming ghost: Literally translation is 'push to death ghost,' it is a type of ghost that hounds/pressures someone to die from stress.
*Niang de: translated literally would be kind of like the swear word 'Mother'. However, it actually means 'Fuck', 'damn it', etc, basically just a generic swear word.
*Di: Legitimate, born from the official wife.
*Shu: Concubine-born.
*mama: An old female servant
*Pei: Sound of spitting.
*Peng Hao: 蓬蒿
The stem and leaves of a Crown Daisy Chrysanthemum. Not very pretty is it? From the name, you can already see that Peng Hao courtyard is probably a 'leftover' courtyard.
*face: Respect.