CHAPTER-3 Echoes of Wisdom

The village square was buzzing like a beehive, families and folks gathering for the usual meeting. Lin Zhan was right there in the middle, checking out everyone's expressions and trying to figure out what was up. There was a pretty serious vibe in the air, and you could catch whispers of concern as people chatted away.

Beneath this massive tree that looked like it had been around since forever, the village elder, Zhang Wei, was holding court. He had this air about him like he knew the ropes, but you couldn't tell he was shouldering the whole village's problems. Lin Zhan watched him from a distance, kinda impressed by how he listened to everyone's complaints and stuff.

People were talking all around, making a tapestry of voices. The talk of the town was all about hard times—crops failing, resources dwindling, and the good ol' curse of poverty. Lin Zhan tried to catch bits of their talk, figuring out the hurdles this community was tackling.

Meanwhile, his thoughts took a little detour to how different this world was from where he came. The air felt cleaner, the people seemed to have this strong bond with the land. The village was sitting pretty at the edge of Chengguo province, which was a bit off the beaten path.

Lost in his thoughts, he kinda missed some of the talk that was going on about this neighboring place called Jinglong. Seemed like they had some disaster of their own brewing. People were guessing what kind of catastrophe hit them and hoping it wouldn't spill over to their village.

Now, curiosity had a hold on Lin Zhan. He was thinking, "Why would the emperor let this happen?" But then again, he couldn't help but think about his old life and how things worked there. The village's troubles were pulling him into this whole new world of questions and dilemmas.

As the meeting was wrapping up, everyone went their own way. Lin Zhan tagged along with his parents, Mei-Ling and Jian, picking up bits of their talk. They were on about his fifth birthday, just around the corner, and how it was time for him to get schooled by the village elder, Zhang.

Mei-Ling had this thoughtful look and said, "Maybe it's time for Lin Zhan to get some schooling from Elder Zhang."

Jian nodded like he totally agreed. "Yeah, he's almost five now. Learning about our customs and history sounds like a plan."

You could sense their duty and the hope they had as parents, planning Lin Zhan's journey to the great unknown. The sun was heading down, turning the whole village gold, and Lin Zhan couldn't help but feel like a thread in the grand tapestry of things.

The night fell gently over the village. Inside their cozy house, the lantern's light was playing shadows on the walls. Mei-Ling, Jian, and Lin Zhan were gathered around the table, chowing down on some delicious grub. Bowls of steaming food were passed around, and the whole place was buzzing with laughter and talk.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Between mouthfuls, they were cracking jokes and having a blast. Mei-Ling was retelling a funny story from her day, and Jian was going on about some buddy he bumped into. Lin Zhan was joining in, feeling like he truly belonged.

In the middle of all this, he shared tales of his own, things he'd noticed around the village. Mei-Ling was looking at him all proud, saying, "You're a real charmer, Lin Zhan. You act like you've lived here forever."

Jian joined in, messing with him a bit. "Yeah, maybe you're a wise old soul trapped in a little kid's body."

Lin Zhan just laughed along. "You could say that again."

As they carried on, the talk somehow swung to Jian's dad and his fancy book collection. Jian was all like, "Remember the last time I visited Dad? He still had those books of his, like he's some kind of scholar. It's been a while since I saw him."

That's when it hit Lin Zhan. He thought, "This is my ticket to find out more about this world—different places, emperors, and all the stuff that's going on. Maybe even the social pecking order."

So, casually, he was like, "Hey, Dad, when did you last meet Grandpa?"

Both his parents looked like they'd seen a ghost. Mei-Ling gave Jian this look like she was solving a puzzle. "Lin Zhan, you met your grandpa three weeks ago. How can you forget?"

Lin Zhan was kinda caught off guard. He had to think quick. "You know how it is, Mom. Sometimes my memory is like a sieve."

They weren't buying it, though. Mei-Ling was worrying like moms do. "Is this because of that weird fever you had?"

Jian was definitely concerned too. "Hey, do you seriously not remember anything?"

Lin Zhan put on his best sheepish face. "N-n-o."

His parents shared a glance, and you could tell they were really worried. They had this hushed chat that Lin Zhan couldn't quite catch. Then Jian was like, "Maybe going to Dad's place will jog your memory. Old things might trigger something."

The scene switched to the next day, with the sun doing its warm thing and Jian and Lin Zhan walking to Jian's dad's house. The wind was playing with the trees, and the whole scene had that kind of expectant vibe.

Once they got to the house, they exchanged pleasantries with Jian's dad. Lin Zhan checked out the old guy's face and felt like he'd seen him before.

Inside, they settled in, and the air was thick with stories from way back. They were all chatting about the good old days and what was going on now.

Then, as the sun was taking a nap, Lin Zhan finally got brave enough to ask his grandpa a question. "Hey, Grandpa," he started, "can I take a look at your books?"

Jian's dad busted out laughing, like a deep belly laugh. "Kid, why would you want my books? Can you even read?"

Lin Zhan was having fun with this. "Well, I might have a thing or two up my sleeve."

Jian's dad chuckled again. "Okay, fine. There's a little room in the back where I stash them. Knock yourself out."

With a grin and a little nod, Lin Zhan got up and made his way to that room. It looked a bit rundown, but the shelves were full of dusty old books. He closed the door behind him and just stared, kind of amazed.

He touched the spines, feeling like each book had a story of its own. Grabbing one, he settled in, and it was like the world outside just faded away. He was diving into a sea of knowledge, and time just slipped through his fingers.

Meanwhile, in the main room, Jian and his dad were doing that unspoken-guy thing, exchanging glances as the minutes turned into hours. It was like they were hoping Lin Zhan would find something to jog his memory.

The evening sky turned to night, stars blinking like they knew some kind of secret. Inside that little room, a lantern was battling the dark, casting a warm light over Lin Zhan and his world of books.

And as the night got deeper and the stars burned brighter, Lin Zhan's journey into his grandpa's books kept on going. A journey to understand more about the world, and maybe, just maybe, to uncover a little more about his own self.