Chapter 442: Revised: Chapter 442 Chen Nian’s Past
Zhang Dadan saw his parents and felt that they seemed a bit on edge, which filled him with infinite sighs. Once poverty becomes a habit, even when one becomes wealthy, they still often worry unnecessarily.
"Dad! Nothing’s wrong! I just wanted to ask you something!" Zhang Dadan scratched his head and said somewhat hesitantly.
Zhang Yousheng, seeing him so serious, couldn’t help but be stunned for a moment before asking curiously, "What do you want to ask?"
Zhang Dadan glanced at his equally curious mother and laughed, "Mom, why don’t you go for a walk?"
"Oh! Dislike having your mother around? Are you trying to hide something from me?" Wang Cuifen raised her eyebrows and pretended to be angry as she glared at Zhang Dadan.
As his mother was always timid and prohibited him from involving himself in ghost-related matters, Zhang Dadan naturally didn’t want to mention the haunting in Stone Town in her presence.
"Mom! What could I possibly hide from you? Besides, telling Dad is the same as telling you!" Zhang Dadan stammered.
Seeing that he wanted to send his mother away, Zhang Yousheng chimed in, "Cuifen, why don’t you go out for a walk? Us men need to talk about something!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Cuifen was stunned for a moment before happily leaving the room, as she misinterpreted her husband’s words.
After his mother left, Zhang Dadan hesitated for a moment before asking, "Dad, how exactly did you get your injury?"
Hearing him bring up old matters, Zhang Yousheng’s heart skipped a beat. Why was he suddenly asking about this?
"How did I get injured? I just got injured. Why are you asking this?" Zhang Yousheng’s eyes darted evasively.
Although Zhang Yousheng always portrayed the role of a strict father, Zhang Dadan was very familiar with him. This hesitation and avoidance couldn’t deceive Zhang Dadan.
"Dad! Tell me honestly, did those filthy things hurt you?" Zhang Dadan asked seriously.
Back when he was helping Liu Caicai’s daughter with an exorcism, his father had advised him against getting involved in such matters. The look in his eyes back then clearly indicated he’d encountered something unspeakable.
Seeing Zhang Dadan getting straight to the point, Zhang Yousheng still didn’t want to reveal the truth and advised, "Dadan, there’s no such thing as ghosts and spirits. I’ve warned you before, haven’t I?"
Seeing his father’s insistence on hiding the truth, Zhang Dadan said directly, "Dad, Stone Town was haunted last night!"
Upon hearing Zhang Dadan mention the haunting in Stone Town, Zhang Yousheng’s face turned pale, and he trembled slightly before forcing a stern facade:
"There’s no such thing! Stop worrying about these things, it’s not good for you!"
His father’s sudden anger made Zhang Dadan more certain that his father was involved in the ghost incident back then.
"Dad! The haunted area is near the slaughterhouse, and many people have encountered it. They say..."
Before Zhang Dadan could finish, Zhang Yousheng sternly interrupted, "Shut up! This matter has nothing to do with you; you must not get involved!"
Hearing the mention of the haunting in Stone Town, Zhang Yousheng’s heart skipped a beat, recalling the events of years past.
And with Zhang Dadan mentioning the haunted area near the slaughterhouse, his worries were further confirmed.
He had witnessed the dead children with his own eyes and knew their ferocity, and he knew the evil behind them.
It had been nearly twenty years, and their evil skills might have become even more formidable. If Zhang Dadan got involved, he would likely get hurt or even lose his life.
After warning him, Zhang Yousheng earnestly advised, "Dadan, listen to your father, leave these matters alone, focus on your business, it’s the best thing you can do!"
Seeing his father refusing to talk about the past and strongly opposing his involvement, Zhang Dadan felt more suspicious.
"Dad, your injury... wasn’t caused by those things, was it?" Zhang Dadan couldn’t ignore it and asked again.
Seeing his persistence, Zhang Yousheng felt a sense of deep sorrow and stood up to scold him, "Dadan, I’ve never asked you for anything, but you must not get involved in this!"
"Dad, what exactly happened back then? Why won’t you tell me?" Zhang Dadan asked helplessly.
In his past understanding, his father’s injury was related to the slaughterhouse, but after dealing with Wang Zhanbei, he found him to be just a brute.
Wang Zhanbei, though arrogant and sinister, didn’t have the capability to harm his father, and his men were mere useless fellows.
Besides, his father’s injury didn’t seem like something caused by ordinary people; he used to think it might have been an expert from the Inner Sect.
But what he heard in town today made him suspect those filthy things might be the culprits.
His father’s steadfast opposition and fear confirmed his suspicions.
Seeing his determination, Zhang Yousheng sighed helplessly and tried to brush him off:
"We did encounter those things back then. Later, the town invited several Heavenly Masters, and we butchers were asked to assist, but we got hurt unintentionally!"
Hearing this, Zhang Dadan was not shocked but filled with anger. Those beasts were indeed the culprits! I’ll exterminate them.
However, before Zhang Dadan could respond, Zhang Yousheng stopped him again, "Dadan, I’m telling you this to let you know how dangerous those things are, not for you to seek revenge!"
"Even with many Heavenly Masters back then, they could only temporarily suppress them. Going alone means certain death. If you want me to die with no one to bury, then go ahead!"
Hearing his father’s threat, Zhang Dadan had to suppress his anger and reply obediently, "Dad, I understand! I won’t get involved!"
Hearing his son’s promise, Zhang Yousheng felt a bit relieved. He hadn’t told his son the whole truth because those filthy things were backed by something even more dangerous.
"Alright! For the next few days, don’t go to the town!" Zhang Yousheng patted his shoulder heavily and advised.
Zhang Dadan agreed not to get involved, just to ease his father’s mind. Jiji was in the town, and if those things were allowed to run rampant, his business would suffer greatly.
Besides, there were many people in the town, all terrified, and it would cause great chaos.
Although Zhang Dadan didn’t have grand ambitions to save the world, having the skills he did, he couldn’t just sit idly by!
"Dad, Jiji is opening a branch in the county, and I need to supervise it frequently. How can I avoid going to the town?" Zhang Dadan stammered.
He had mentioned opening a Jiji branch earlier but didn’t expect it to progress so quickly.
Zhang Yousheng hesitated for a moment and then said seriously, "It’s fine to pass through the town, but don’t stay there, especially at night!"
"I understand, don’t worry! I’m not someone who ignores everything," Zhang Dadan laughed.
Zhang Yousheng, not wanting him to be overly concerned, discussed matters about the Shiitake Mushroom Sauce Factory with him.
Now the factory was on track, with all production, packaging, and transportation processes stabilized.
There was actually nothing major in the factory, but Zhang Yousheng, being full of energy, needed something to keep him busy, lest he wasted away.