Danzhou Port was to the east of the Kingdom of Qing. Although it was by the sea, several ports in the south had recently been built, and the expected sea route to the west had long been connected. As a result, the center of the country's trade had shifted south. The port gradually showed signs of decline, and the bustling port in the past had become quiet a few years ago.
Seagulls flew freely, no longer harassed by those hateful sailors.
On the other hand, the residents that lived in Danzhou Port did not feel that their lives had changed much. Their income had decreased, but His Majesty had exempted them from taxes for a few years, so they were living quite well. Besides, the port was very beautiful, and it was quiet now, so it was naturally more suitable for people to live in.
Occasionally, some big shots would choose to build their manors here.
But because it was too far from the capital, not many officials actually stayed. The only one who could be considered as such was the old lady in the courtyard in the west of the city.
It was said that the old lady was the mother of Count Sinan in the capital, and had chosen to retire here. The residents of the city knew that Count Sinan seemed to be greatly appreciated by His Majesty, and that he had not been sent out in accordance with the law. Instead, he had stayed in the capital to work in the Ministry of Finance, so most of them were respectful and respectful to the old lady.
But children did not understand such things.
It was a fine day, and the adults were sitting in a tavern, enjoying the salty and humid sea breeze, the salted plums, and the wine in their glasses.
A group of teenagers surrounded the stone steps of the back door of Count Sinan's manor in the west of the city. They were so densely packed together that it was hard to tell what they were doing.
Looking closer, he discovered that it was a very interesting scene. It turned out that these youths were all listening to a child who was only four or five years old.
The little boy was very handsome, with picturesque eyebrows and clear eyes. His voice was still childish, but his tone was very mature.
He sighed and gestured with his small arms. "It's said that Truman walked to the wall and found a ladder there, so he walked up step by step and found the door. He pushed the door open and walked out …"
"And then?"
"And then? And then … naturally, he returned to the world. " The little boy pouted, as if annoyed that the older teenagers would ask such a retarded question.
"No way? Didn't he go and kill that Hani … "
"Ha Ni is dead," another teenager answered.
"Yes, isn't Truman going to beat up that honey to vent his anger? He was locked up like this for many years. "
The little boy shrugged. "Nope."
"Tsk! How boring, Young Master Fan Xian. Today's story isn't as good as the one from a few days ago. "
"What do you like to listen to then?"
"An ethereal journey."
"Charm Monogatari."
"Bang!" The little boy called Fan Xian pointed his middle finger at the children around him who were older than him. "Fighting and killing isn't healthy. Digging for treasures everywhere isn't environmentally friendly!"
Suddenly, an extremely angry voice came from the courtyard, "Young Master! Where have you been? "
The children in a circle imitated him and also raised their middle fingers. But because there were so many of them, it was much more spectacular. "Bang!" They all laughed and dispersed.
The little boy called Fan Xian stood up from the stone steps, patted the dust off his buttocks, and ran into the courtyard. But before he closed the door, his sharp eyes glanced at the blind young owner of the grocery store across the street. His face showed a complex expression that did not match his age, and he gently closed the wooden door.
— — —
This was Fan Shen's fourth year in this world. In these years, he finally understood that he was not dreaming. He had really come to an unknown world. This world seemed to be the same as the one in his memory, but also seemed to be very different.
By eavesdropping on the servants in the count's manor, he finally understood his identity. He was the illegitimate son of Count Sinan in the capital.
Just like in the typical feud between the rich and the powerful, an illegitimate son could easily fall prey to the evil schemes of the First Aunt or Second Aunt. Fan Shen's father seemed to have only one son, so in order to continue the count's bloodline, he was sent to Danzhou Harbor, which was very far from the capital.
Over the years, he gradually got used to his identity. The soul of an adult trapped in the body of a child would experience a completely different experience, both physically and psychologically. If it were a normal person, they would probably go crazy. But coincidentally, in Fan Shen's previous life, he was a patient with myasthenia gravis and had been bedridden for many years. Now, it was just a little inconvenient for him to move around. Compared to the miserable situation in his previous life, it was nothing. So now that he was living in the child's body, he didn't feel too uncomfortable.
The most uncomfortable thing was actually his current name. When he was one year old, the count of the capital sent him a letter and gave him the name: Fan Xian, courtesy name An Zhi.
It was not a good name. It sounded like a curse from his hometown: "You're a nuisance."
But his appearance was only that of a child, so it was impossible for him to object verbally.
When he was treated in the hospital in his previous life, he could still move his head, so he often begged the cute little nurse to buy him pirated DVDs and books.
After living in the count's residence for a long time, although the old lady was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and loved him very much, and the maids in the residence did not treat him differently because of his identity as an illegitimate son, the pain of not being able to communicate with others still made him a little unhappy.
Could he tell the maids that he was from another world? Could he tell the teacher that he actually recognized all the words in the book?
So he often sneaked out of the count's residence's side door and played with the commoner's children on the street. More often than not, he told them stories, movies, and novels from his world.
It seemed that he wanted to remind himself of something, to remind himself that he did not belong to this world, and that there were movies, the Internet, and YY novels in his world.
Until today, for some reason, he told the movie "The Truman Show." The movie's plot was a little dull, and there was no Jim Carrey acting cute, so he should have known that the teenagers in Danzhou Harbor would not like it.
But he still told it.
Because deep in his heart, there was always a sense of absurdity. He was clearly a person who was going to die, so why was he suddenly reborn in this body? He could not help but think of the movie … Perhaps, the people in front of him, the streets, and the seagulls flying in the sky were all arranged by someone?
Just like The Truman Show.
In the end, The Truman Show discovered that the world he was in was fake, so he resolutely took a boat and found the exit.
But Fan Shen, no, it should be Fan Xian … knew that he was not The Truman Show. This world was real, and it was not a big film studio.
So he found that telling stories every day to remind himself that he was from another world was a very absurd action in itself.
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