Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Anthony carried Eleven back to the Kurt’s house and Mrs. Kurt was already waiting for them anxiously at the window. The sky was getting darker yet the small route in front of the door was empty. She was really worried that they would get lost.
She had done preparing dinner and did not see anyone at the door. She was about to go out and look for them when they appeared.
“Little Seven, did you fall down? Is it serious?” Mrs. Kurt saw Anthony carrying Little Seven and thought that she was injured. The snow had become ice and the floor was slippery. It was easy to fall down when one went out in such weather.
She had fell a few times even though she was used to it.
“No, my legs are frozen, but I’m fine now.” Eleven smiled and her ears had become red. She wanted to let Anthony put her down at the door so that Mr. and Mrs. Kurt would not see them.
Who knew that Anthony acted as if he did not hear her and insisted on carrying her inside? She did not want Mr. and Mrs. Kurt to think that they have an ambiguous relationship.
Anthony put her down carefully and Mrs. Kurt closed the door.
“The snow is getting heavier.”
Anthony was afraid that her frozen legs were still not well yet and asked Eleven if she was feeling better. He even kneeled down to check her legs and Eleven stopped him in a panic. Anthony did not feel that his action was weird and he looked up and asked what happened.
Eleven felt awkward and shook her head and said it was nothing. The indoor temperature was warm and she would be fine after a while. He was being too nervous.
Anthony saw that she felt more comfortable and decided to not help her check. Mr. Kurt kept praising that Anthony was a good man as he knew how to drink, had a good personality, was good-looking and treated ladies like a gentleman.
Eleven felt helpless, was a man that knew how to drink considered a good man? This was the first time she heard such a refreshing saying.
Mrs. Kurt agreed with him like a harmonious couple and this atmosphere made Eleven felt uneasy. It made Anthony and her seemed like they had some unclear relationship. It was like the couple was advertising the good in their house that could not be sold.
She felt a little cold and the attentive Anthony noticed that. He went to the kitchen to get a cup of hot water for her to drink and warm her body. It would be better if she could drink alcohol, but it was a pity that…
Eleven’s hands were frozen till it was a little purple. Luckily they were already back and she felt warmer.
She felt more comfortable after drinking the hot water.
After she rested for a while, they had dinner together and Mrs. Kurt asked about their day. Mrs. Kurt was curious after knowing that Eleven went to the little black house. “It is not far from here, why did you go there for the whole day?”
“I got lost.” Eleven said embarrassingly.
It was indeed easy for someone unfamiliar with the place to get lost in such weather. She only went around the place at night last time, and did not look at the surroundings carefully.
“Why did you go the little house?”
“Nothing, I just went there to have a look.” Eleven smiled and did not reveal much.
Talking about that house, Mrs. Kurt said, “It had been fixed for a few times, if not it would have been gone.”
“It had been fixed?” Eleven was puzzled.
The place was burnt when she went back there five years ago and the place was a mess. There was a forest near the little house and there were often animals around the area. The hunters would stay there overnight as it was more convenient for them. Therefore, they fixed the little house as it was a place for them to rest.
They called it fixed, but they simply returned it to the original state, therefore she felt that the place did not change much. The place had become more run down over the past year as there was a village near the area and the hunters no longer had to suffer in the little house. They could go to the village to rest instead, therefore the little house became more run down.
(Note: a reader raised the issue that the little house was burned into ashes but I have forgotten about it when I was writing today. Therefore, I am making amendments here, thank you.)
“Eat more, eat more, Little Seven is too skinny.” Mrs. Kurt cared a lot about her body and kept putting food into her bowl. “It’s good that the snow became bigger, the two of you can stay here longer to accompany the two old people.”
Eleven smiled and Anthony said. “We should thank you for letting us stay here.”
“Haha, it would be great if the two of you could accompany us till Christmas.” Mrs. Kurt could not help but got excited and prayed that the snow would be bigger in a cute manner…
Eleven did not know whether to laugh or cry, Christmas…
There were still many days to Christmas. The weather here was cold and would often have heavy snow. It was not impossible to snow for more than a month and it might really last till Christmas…
Then she…
“Little Seven, will you keep staying here if the snow does not stop?” Mrs. Kurt asked excitedly.
Eleven did not know how to reply and Anthony said. “Of course we will stay if the snow does not stop. We’re just afraid that Mrs. Kurt will shoo us out of the house for eating too much and we will be homeless.”
Mr. Kurt and Mrs. Kurt laughed out loud.
After dinner, everybody stayed in the living room to watch television. The old people had the channel that they liked and although Anthony and Everybody did not really liked it, they accompanied the old couple to watch. Eleven could no longer endure any longer as she suffered a cold and felt uncomfortable. Her back was aching and she knew that this was a sign that she was sick. She really had a fever that night.
She could endure it at first and accompanied the two of them to watch television and even joined in their discussion. They kept switching between the international channels and there were some that both Anthony and her liked. But, they were shy to watch that as the old couple liked peace and did not like to watch the upheaval.
Her fever was bad after she sat there for an hour. Her eyes had become red and she could only excuse herself and went back to her room to rest.
Mr. Kurt and Mrs. Kurt did not notice that she was sick and Anthony was the only one looking at her small back view and being worried about her.
The phone in the house rang as they were watching the television. It turned out that their friend from the village next door called them to invite them over for a few days as their son was getting married. Mrs. Kurt agreed happily.
The village was not far and only took around an hour if they walked. There was a route for them to go into the mountain before they reach a vast plain highland. The place was self-sufficient and there were four to five villages there.
This small village was at the entrance and was considered to be the nearest to the outside world. The terrorist from Eastern Europe chose this place as their headquarter in the past as they liked the topography here.
Mr. Kurt and Mrs. Kurt had moved here for a long time and made many friends living around here.
“Anthony, we will be staying at the village next door for two days, can you and Little Seven look after the house?” Mrs. Kurt asked in a polite manner. “There is enough food in the fridge and there is everything you need. Just leave a note at the door when the snow has stopped and you want to leave. If the snow does not stop, just treat this as your house and continue staying here, alright?”
Anthony nodded and agreed as he could not ask for more.
Mr. Kurt and Mrs. Kurt discussed excitedly about their friend’s child getting married. They talked about how big and how handsome he was when they saw him last year and what kind of lady he married…
They were very excited as they discussed.
Eleven felt dizzy and slept. She felt uncomfortable and her body was sore. She felt uncomfortable no matter how she slept and kept tossing and turning, creating quite a bit of noise. Her body temperature kept rising and she felt that she would become cooked if she continued to trap herself under the blankets.
It had been very long since the last time she was sick. Her body had always been healthy and she did not feel sick. She knew that she could not compare herself to the past and would get sick just by the blowing wind.
Really pathetic.
She slept while feeling dizzy and it was late into the night. She did not pull the curtains and it was still snowing outside.
She stared at the snow outside the window.
She missed home a lot when she is sick in an unfamiliar place. She missed the island where she grew up in, she missed Ye Wei, Jason and Chu Li… She missed everyone.
She endured for a while and her throat was really painful. It was dry and she wanted to drink some water. The high temperature made her body weak and her head felt heavy. She felt like she was floating as she walked and she did not liked this feeling.
She finally opened the door and the lights were turned off in the living room. Anthony seemed like he had slept as there was no light coming out from his room. Eleven was sick and felt dizzy, therefore even the sound of her walking was louder.
The lights in Anthony’s room were turned on once she walked out.
Eleven went to the kitchen and poured a cup of hot water. She drank it in a hurry before it had cooled and scalded her tongue. She could not help but coughed and sat down on the sofa as she supported her forehead. She drank carefully as she blew the hot water.
She did not know where the first-aid box was at and suddenly, the lights in the living room were turned on. Anthony, who was wearing a cotton robe appeared in the living room and he rushed over as he saw that she did not looked well.
“What happened, are you not feeling well?”
“A little!” Eleven’s voice sounded low and hoarse.
Anthony’s eyes suddenly opened wide and stared at her. It was as if he had suddenly realized something and felt regretful. Eleven felt dizzy and his eyes had become hazy.
She did not know why he looked at her but did not speak.
“What happened to you?”
Anthony’s eyes became darker and did not speak.
“Anthony, I’m not feeling well now, can you help me find the first-aid box. There might be some medicine inside, I don’t want to become a fool because of the fever.” Eleven’s eyes seemed a little blood-shot and she smiled in a relaxed manner.
Anthony closed his eyes and murmured to himself. “I’m really a fool…”
Really a fool…
This was the voice five years ago, the voice that accompanied him day and night. He must be deaf to only realize it today.