Chapter 111: If Not Filled with Hope, Then What Should One Be Filled With?
The heavy rain did not stop.
At mealtime, Elder Brother returned.
He was carrying a bundle of roasted ground melons.
Returning in his straw raincoat, even the corners of his new clothes were damp.
Jiang Feng was smiling very happily.
Because being able to bring things home on the first day of the year meant he could bring things home for the rest of the year.
Before the meal, he gave everyone a roasted ground melon.
It was a bit like a sweet potato, but the texture wasn’t quite right. Mianmian had eaten it before; it was slightly bitter, but once roasted, it had an aroma that made the bitterness less intense.
One must accept whatever others give on New Year’s Day.
Young Master Zi looked at the gnarled, twisted ground melon, and his face twisted just like the melon.
Then he watched as Little Turtle peeled the ground melon skin with her small hands, turning both hands black instantly. She didn’t care at all, just for the sake of a hot bite. As she ate, she wiped the corners of her mouth with her hands, but since her hands were black, the corners of her mouth only got blacker as she wiped.
Jiang Mianmian saw the little brat staring at her while she ate.
She gave him a sweet smile.
Young Master Zi smiled too.
So dirty!
Jiang Feng helped peel his ground melon, placed it on a small plate, and provided a spoon and chopsticks.
Jiang Feng was very good at reading people; by instinct, he knew that Young Master Zi loved cleanliness and was unwilling to get his hands dirty.
After preparing the ground melon for Young Master Zi, he carefully wiped his sister’s face.
He gave her nose a little pinch.
Then the whole family ate together.
All the dishes for lunch were made by Jiang Yu.
After seeing A-Cui get married, Jiang Yu had become a tiny bit more composed.
Today, when she wasn’t speaking, Mianmian felt as if her elder sister had grown up and matured overnight, giving off the vibe of a real big sister.
After lunch.
The rain gradually lessened.
But it grew even colder.
Rain in winter freezes one to the bone.
Jiang Mianmian went for a nap quite consciously; children grow taller if they sleep more.
However, the others didn’t have the habit of napping.
People of this era didn’t have the habit of napping, nor did they have the habit of eating three meals a day.
The family just thought that since Mianmian was still a baby, it wasn’t strange for her to need sleep.
But this afternoon, Young Master Zi also went to sleep.
Jiang Mianmian woke up after sleeping for an hour.
She had slept her fill.
She woke up feeling full of energy.
A child’s energy is very vigorous and needs an outlet.
Mainly because there are too few things a child can do.
It was nothing more than rolling and crawling around.
Rolling and crawling on the ground as a child, and rolling and crawling through society when grown up!
The rain had lessened at noon, but now it was raining again, so she couldn’t go to the yard to play.
Ant seemed to have entered a late hibernation these past two days, staying lazy and motionless, so she had to find her own fun.
Looking for Father and Elder Brother would only result in them liking to pat her head.
Her elder sister seemed to be whispering something to Mother.
Jiang Mianmian prepared to go play with the guest.
After all, the guest’s age was closer to hers.
Of course, there was another aspect; she still had some utilitarian thoughts.
Father had sought refuge with the boy’s Father, so theoretically, he was the boss’s son. At home, she could take charge of currying a little favor.
Anyway, she didn’t do anything besides eating, so she could contribute a bit of meager social effort.
Maybe when she grew up, she would have social anxiety and wouldn’t dare do anything.
While she was a child, losing face didn’t matter.
Jiang Mianmian lifted her little robe and waddled over to the giant man. She looked up at him and said in a milky voice, “Uncle Heita, I’m looking for Brother Little Bug to play.”
Her little baby voice was invincible, both embarrassing and pleasant to hear.
Jiang Mianmian felt that no one could refuse such a little cutie.
Sure enough, Heita, who was guarding the room so that not even a fly could enter the Young Master’s room, stepped aside and let the little cub push the door and go in.
It wasn’t cold in the room. There were two fire buckets—charcoal placed in ceramic pots, which were then encased in bamboo weaving so they could be carried around.
Since it was a mud-and-wood house, a combination of mud walls and wood, there was no need to worry about being killed by smoke.
This was the guest room, but since the Young Master came to stay, it had been converted into his bedroom.
When Jiang Mianmian came in, the little brat was actually still sleeping.
He was curled into a ball.
Seeing him sleeping, she felt she shouldn’t disturb him and was taking small steps to leave.
Suddenly, she heard a cry: “Father.”
Jiang Mianmian’s short legs paused.
She felt a strange sense of sympathy.
Babies usually unconsciously call for their Mothers, but Little Bug had never called for his Mother since he was born.
She turned back and saw that the other person seemed to have woken up.
Or was he having a nightmare?
Curious, Jiang Mianmian walked back to his side.
She saw Little Bug’s brow furrowed tightly and his face pale; he didn’t seem normal.
She softly called out, “Brother Chong?”
No one answered, and there was no movement.
She called again, “Zi Congheng?”
Still no movement.
“Little Bug?”
A pair of eyes suddenly snapped open, pitch black without a hint of light.
Like ink.
It gave Jiang Mianmian a start.
People with too much white in their eyes can look scary sometimes, but having no whites in the eyes can also be very frightening.
Was he awake or not?
Jiang Mianmian called once more, “Brother Chong?”
Zi Congheng regained consciousness.
Seeing the person in front of him, her hair tufts were crooked. He wanted to help straighten them, but he felt as if he had no strength to get up.
He spoke, “Can you climb up?”
Jiang Mianmian nodded.
Though she was small, climbing onto a bed was not beyond her.
She braced both hands on the bedside, tried hard to lift one leg up, and then with a’swish’, she slid back down to the floor.
She didn’t cry, but stood up again to keep climbing.
After tireless effort, finally, with a ‘thud’, she succeeded in climbing the bed.
She successfully flopped herself onto the bed.
Jiang Mianmian crawled over to Young Master Zi, and then Young Master Zi reached out and tugged at her hair.
Jiang Mianmian:…
Forget it, seeing how he was covered in sweat, he probably had a nightmare.
“Did Brother Chong dream of your Father?”
Zi Congheng shook his head.
No.
He forgot his dream the moment he opened his eyes.
The room wasn’t bright; the light was dim because it was gloomy outside.
He stared at the cub in front of him. She sat seriously before him like a little Bodhisattva, with her legs crossed, looking at him curiously. At this moment, he actually forgot to be disgusted by the dirt on her.
He gently pinched her cheek.
Seeing her eyes widen as she stared at him in confusion.
He spoke, “You wouldn’t understand even if I told you. Anyway, you definitely won’t remember later. Children this age don’t remember things. That’s what adults say.”
Jiang Mianmian unceremoniously reached out and pinched him back.
Anyway, children aren’t held responsible.
She was an exception; she would remember, remember for a lifetime, humph.
Having his face gently pinched by the little cub’s hand, which actually hurt a bit, Zi Congheng said, “Adults are sometimes wrong, because I remember. I remember things from when I was very small. I remember my Mother lost a lot of blood giving birth to me, struggled all night, and passed away with her eyes open. I remember I couldn’t cry or laugh. Father found the best Miracle Doctor in the world for me. The Miracle Doctor said I have a brain disease, that something is growing in my head, and I won’t live past ten. I’m six this year; I can live for four more years.”
“Father adopted many foster sons and found many Elder Brothers for me. Father raises longevity turtles for me. Father wants to rebel because that Miracle Doctor said there might be medicine in the imperial palace that can save my life.”
Jiang Mianmian was stunned.
She sat in front of the little brat.
At first, when he said he remembered, she thought she had met a fellow transmigrator.
But then he actually said he remembered his Mother’s death and remembered his Father asking a Miracle Doctor who determined he wouldn’t live past ten.
What kind of desperate life was this?
If one knew the ending was so tragic long ago, what should one do?
Wait.
His face was so hot when she pinched it just now.
Jiang Mianmian reached out again to touch his forehead.
“Hot!”
He couldn’t be talking nonsense because of a fever, could he?
No wonder she felt so warm; he was about to be cooked through.
Jiang Mianmian crawled to the head of the bed, took a cup with half a cup of water in it, added some Spiritual Spring water to it, and waddled back with it.
Sure enough, she saw that Little Bug, who had been talking incessantly just now, had closed his eyes again.
She brought the water to his lips and reached out to pinch his mouth open, just like how her elder sister fed her paste, and poured the water into Little Bug’s mouth.
Then she opened her throat and wailed, “Mother, Father!”
Zi Congheng felt himself being fed water.
Opening his eyes, he saw Little Turtle sitting in front of him, wailing.
He couldn’t help but smile again.
Life was actually quite good. Even though he knew when he would die, seeing his Father’s ambitious drive to rebel and his daily struggle was good. Seeing his Elder Brothers’ schemes and their shows of pity toward him was also good. Seeing Mr. Gang tirelessly reason with him was good. Seeing Little Turtle wailing was also good.
His life was very short.
If not filled with hope, then what should one be filled with? (Note 1)
One must be filled with hope, because the scenery on the road is different, and the people on the road are different.
He lost consciousness. Before fainting, he thought that Little Turtle’s foot was stepping on his hand.
Thank you for reading + listening 🙂 I hope you all liked my translations. If you enjoyed my work, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi 😉
