PCJ – Chapter 448 Snow Does Not Touch the Body

In the mountains, there are no years, and the end of the cold is unaware of time.

The maple leaves turned from green to red, then fluttered and fell, leaving behind bare branches, which were soon covered by snowflakes. Unknowingly, the weather shifted from warm to cold, but Zhang Jiaohua remained oblivious. He continued walking tirelessly through the forest. The mountain leopards trailed behind him, never leaving his side. When Zhang Jiaohua stopped, they stopped. When he moved forward, they followed.

Strangely, even after months had passed, the clothes Zhang Jiaohua wore were still the same as before. They hadn’t become torn or dirty; on the contrary, they were spotless, not a speck of dust on them. Though not new, the clothes remained neatly kept. This was in contrast to Chen Dianzi, whose clothes became filthy and greasy after only a few months outside.

Zhang Jiaohua’s hair had grown longer, but it remained dark and sleek like that of a TV star, unlike Chen Dianzi’s untidy hair.

Snowflakes began to fall again, like goose feathers floating in the wind, and the cold wind howled through the air. But for Zhang Jiaohua, none of it seemed to matter. He continued walking in the snow-covered mountain forest. Over the course of months, Zhang Jiaohua had grown taller, now looking like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old. His shoes were too small and had been discarded somewhere along the way. His clothes were also noticeably too big for him, but luckily, he never took them off; otherwise, he might not have been able to fit back into them.

Walking barefoot through the snow, he left a trail of footprints behind him. He felt no cold at all. Even more strange, although snowflakes filled the sky, they automatically drifted away whenever they were about to land on him, as though he were surrounded by an invisible shield.

The fat cat was completely covered in snowflakes, making it look like a fatter white cat. The mountain leopard also had snowflakes on its body, but it didn’t care at all, still walking with its head held high behind Zhang Jiaohua. The fat monkey’s cloth pouch had a hole in it, and all the chestnuts it once carried had fallen out. However, it refused to discard the pouch.

Though its pouch was no longer useful for holding things, it didn’t matter to the fat monkey. Zhang Jiaohua’s clothes had become its new storage bag. In the mornings, it would sneak over to the squirrel’s storehouse and steal a handful of chestnuts, stuffing them into Zhang Jiaohua’s pockets. When it got hungry, it would grab a few from the pockets.

A few months ago, Zhang Jiaohua still needed to eat one or two meals a day, not picky about food. But over time, he ate less and less. Sometimes he had one or two meals a day, sometimes just one, and occasionally, he didn’t eat at all. He didn’t feel hungry or weak, and instead, his energy seemed to grow stronger each day. Yet, he still hadn’t awakened.

Zhang Jiaohua’s consciousness, buried in his mind by vast amounts of Taoist teachings, was constantly digesting what was stored in his sea of consciousness. But as soon as he digested a little, more knowledge would be added. It seemed that not only had the amount of knowledge in his mind not decreased, but it was increasing as his sea of consciousness expanded.

Meizi’ao Village

At Zhang Youping’s house, everything was especially quiet. Liu Qiaoye sat in Zai Zai’s room, gently stroking the new clothes she bought for him. The New Year was coming, and it was a tradition for the family to buy Zai Zai new clothes.

A few days ago, Liu Qiaoye had walked around the mall several times before selecting a set of clothes for Zai Zai. Since tea and tourism had become more popular, the people in Gezhuping Town had gotten wealthier, and business in the town had been thriving. People in the town no longer settled for just new clothes; they wanted better styles and brands.

Ordinary people are always driven by life, constantly striving for a better way of living. Earning a few hundred yuan a year used to be enough to get by, and now earning a few thousand is still not enough, and earning tens of thousands doesn’t make life any easier. There’s always something else to buy, and money in the pocket never seems enough. There’s always a lifestyle that feels out of reach.

Liu Qiaoye didn’t pay much attention to these things. She suddenly realized that the happiest time of her life was when Zai Zai was just born. At that time, though the family had little material wealth, the three of them lived a simple life. If she could turn back time, Liu Qiaoye wished she had never gone to Guangdong with her husband. Maybe then, Zai Zai would have had a normal life, and at least he could have stayed with her. She regretted not telling Zai Zai not to go to Luoling to herd cattle. Then, he wouldn’t have had the experiences he had.

Liu Qiaoye remained stuck in these feelings of guilt.

Zhang Yuanbao ran happily to Zhang Youping’s house and burst through the door, shouting, “Uncle, Aunt, Grandpa and Grandma are waiting for you to come to the New Year’s Eve dinner!”

Zhang Youping smiled and said to Zhang Yuanbao, “Yuanbao, you go ahead. I’ll follow with your Aunt in a bit.”

Zhang Yuanbao glanced at Jiaohua’s room and said, “Uncle, don’t worry. Jiaohua will be fine. Maybe one day, when he’s tired from wandering, he’ll come back on his own.”

Zhang Youping was surprised by how mature his nephew had become but worried that Yuanbao’s words might upset Liu Qiaoye. He quickly added, “You go ahead and be careful on your way. Don’t fall into the rice fields.”

“I know. It’s fine even if I fall, the fields are dry now,” Zhang Yuanbao said, skipping away. Of course, as a child, he didn’t understand the significance of Jiaohua’s long absence.

Zhang Youping cautiously entered Jiaohua’s room and said, “Dad and Mom want us to come eat the New Year’s Eve dinner. Let’s go.”

Liu Qiaoye shook her head, “You go alone. I have to stay home and wait for Jiaohua. What if he comes back suddenly? Maybe he’ll come back for the New Year!”

Zhang Youping didn’t dare argue and said, “Alright, I’ll call Dad and Mom so they don’t wait for us.”

He quickly called his parents.

Zhang Manyin answered the phone and immediately said, “Youping, why aren’t you and Qiaoye here yet? Everyone’s waiting for you.”

Zhang Youping hurriedly replied, “Dad, go ahead and eat. Don’t wait for us. Qiaoye refuses to come, and I don’t feel right leaving her alone at home.”

“Alright. Just make sure you persuade her,” Zhang Manyin sighed and hung up.

“How is it? Qiaoye still won’t come?” Ma Donghua asked.

Zhang Manyin nodded, “She still hasn’t gotten past it.”

“Where could Jiaohua have gone? We’ve searched everywhere in Xintian County, and there’s no sign of him. Now we’re searching neighboring counties, and no one has seen him. The Zijiang TV station airs the missing persons report almost every day. Even the provincial station reported on his disappearance. Youping’s reward notice has spread across the country. We haven’t found him, but we’ve attracted a lot of scammers,” Zhang Youlian said.

Hu Xiaoqing nodded, “Do you think we’ll ever find Jiaohua?”

“We will find him for sure. Jiaohua is so powerful, and bad people can’t catch him. He’s probably traveling the world. Just wait, Jiaohua will come back one day!” Zhang Yuanbao said angrily.