CH 6

There was no refrigerator in this era, and Father Yan was afraid that the rabbit would go bad, so he took it to the kitchen and cleaned it on the spot.

“Daughter, your health isn’t good, you shouldn’t see blood, go outside to avoid it.” said Father Yan.

This could be considered a social custom in Qingshui Village. Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to help with anything, Yan Mu obediently walked to the courtyard for a stroll. 

Who knew that as soon as she reached the courtyard, she would hear the sound of Hunter Zhang shouting and cursing, and also the cracking sound of the bamboo strip hitting someone’s body.

Yan Mu froze and immediately remembered what had happened that afternoon.

Shoot! It must be Dog Egg Zhang tattletaling to Hunter Zhang!

Yan Mu was overwhelmed with anxiety1 as she walked around the mud wall, trying to find a small hole to observe the situation on the opposite side.

But the short wall was completely covered with mud. She couldn’t find even a crack on it. In a moment of desperation, she had to take a branch and poke the wall.

Tla cseu oyp olyj yde bye zkvvzl pvaldtvb. Fbl lmlavle blaplzq vs rsjl y qlo vkxlp wdvkz pbl oyp typrkdt qsa calyvb, yde lhld vbld pbl cyalzu xydytle vs rsjl y pxyzz bszl.

Fbl vssj plhlayz calyvbp vs nyzx esod yde xshle vsoyaep vbl oyzz vs pll obyv oyp tskdt sd dlmv essa.

Mbl xssdzktbv oyp bygu, yde Zw Zwyd oyp jdllzkdt sd vbl xweeu taswde, bkp blye bydtkdt zso okvbswv pyukdt y osae. Twdvla Hbydt zkqvle vbl cyxcss pvakr wr bktb yde bkv Zw Zwyd’p cseu sdl pvakjl yqvla ydsvbla.

Zw Zwyd’p blye oyp vkzvle qasx vbl clyvkdt, yde y qlo pvaydep sq cycu byka bwdt kd qasdv sq bkp qsalblye, bkekdt vbl vlldytla’p lmralppksd. Jwv Zyd Yw nswze nzlyazu pll vbyv bkp bydep olal nzldnble kdvs qkpvp.

“Ebyv y vaykvsa2,” Twdvla Hbydt pryv yqvla bl oyp esdl clyvkdt bkx, “G c*pvyae nbkze zkjl usw, R okzzkdtzu vssj usw kd. Rv’p qkdl kq usw’al dsv tayvlqwz, cwv usw ynvwyzzu blzrle vbyv pknj tkaz dlmv essa kdpvlye sq Pst Ott.”

Tl oyp pxsjkdt y rwxrjkd zlyq yde pllxle vs tlv ydtakla yde ydtakla vbl xsal bl vbswtbv ycswv kv, ps bl awvbzlppzu tyhl bkx y qlo xsal pvasjlp.

Zw Zwyd oyp zkjl y osseld xyd okvbswv kdpvkdnvp, jdllzkdt okvb bkp cynj pvayktbv sd vbl taswde, ldewakdt oydvsd kdpwzvp yde obkrrkdtp.

“Slzkn……”

Only when Hunter Zhang couldn’t whip him anymore did Yu Yuan raise his head and speak in a low voice. 

“Hah?” Hunter Zhang took another puff of pumpkin leaf and asked fiercely.

“Give mother’s relic to me and I’ll naturally leave,” Yu Yuan lowered his eyes.

Hearing Yu Yuan mention the relic, Yan Mu froze too. Since she had only written the beginning, synopsis, and character profiles before transmigrating over, many details were still blank.

She clearly remembered that in the synopsis, she wrote that Yu Yuan suffered all kinds of humiliation in Hunter Zhang’s house, but she didn’t write what the reason was, and there was no mention of “mother’s relic”. This world seemed to have automatically corrected its plot holes.

Yan Mu recalled her mission to accompany the male lead through the main storyline of the plot and pondered over if this discovery was good or bad. She let out a sigh.

“Alright, I’ll give it to you.” She continued to watch, only to see Hunter Zhang suddenly smiling maliciously, “Hold out your hand.”

Yu Yuan’s gaze darkened at his words. He remained silent for some time, then slowly extended his hand.

Hunter Zhang grasped Yu Yuan’s slender wrist. His mud-soiled hand looked dark and wrinkled compared to Yu Yuan’s scarred pale hands.

Hunter Zhang smiled wickedly, turned his smoking pipe upside down, and knocked it directly on the back of Yu Yuan’s hand. The smoking pipe was scalding, and the burning ash sizzled as it touched his skin.

Yu Yuan’s body staggered in pain. He gritted his teeth, struggling to retract his hand, but it was firmly gripped by Hunter Zhang.

“If you can hold onto this pipe ash, I’ll return that woman’s relic to you.” Hunter Zhang laughed heartily.

Yu Yuan’s figure cowered slightly, but he quickly straightened his spine again. Yan Mu could hear the teenager’s groans as he endured.

She saw the teenager’s forehead full of sweat, even his pale lips were slightly trembling. But even though it hurt to the point of trembling, he still used his scarred hand to hold onto that lump of scalding pipe ash. 

Yu Yuan…… 

Yan Mu had some mixed feelings. 

She was frozen on the spot, watching Hunter Zhang who let go of Yu Yuan’s hand, then laughed out loud.

“You didn’t think that if you held this lump of ash, laozi would really give you that relic, did you?” Hunter Zhang scoffed.

Yu Yuan paled and did not reply.

“Little traitorous b*stard.” Seeing that Yu Yuan didn’t say anything, Hunter Zhang’s expression suddenly changed, “Since you don’t wanna stay at home, get out and don’t come back tonight.”

After speaking, Hunter Zhang pushed Yu Yuan outside and shut the courtyard’s door with a bang. 

Through the short wall, Yan Mu saw Hunter Zhang stretch himself without any sign of guilt and walk into the house to sleep.

Yan Mu only felt that the fire in the bottom of her heart was growing more and more intensely, almost on the verge of engulfing her sanity. 

She took a deep breath, walked into the kitchen, and told Father Yan everything that had just happened.

“We…… Can we let Yu Yuan stay with us for one night?” Yan Mu frowned, “Anyhow, it was because of me that he……”

Father Yan had always looked down on Hunter Zhang’s despicable actions towards the child, not to mention that he was holding the rabbit Yu Yuan had sent in his hand right now. So in the end, Father Yan agreed to Yan Mu’s request.

**********

Yu Yuan stood in front of the door, staring blankly at the curved moon in the sky.

He thought of his mother.

And also her warm embrace. However, she had rarely held him and didn’t smile like other children’s mothers did.

His mother’s face was always melancholic and gloomy. That kind of paleness and fragility worsened at the sight of him.

There were times when his mother would be hysterical and times where she would take a whip and lash at him, calling him a b*stard child as she did so. But after the beating, she would look at his scars, crying, saying that she was sorry, then curse at his father for being a scoundr*l.

It was because of his father, whom he had never met, that he was called a b*stard child. It was said that his father was a wild bandit who had taken his mother captive and forced himself on her.

After that, the mountain bandits were eliminated, and by the time his mother had returned, she was already pregnant. After giving birth to him, his mother didn’t even want to nurse him and even his name was picked on a whim.

Yu Yuan, Yuan3. His existence was like a bottomless hell to his mother.

Later, on his fifth birthday, his mother sent him to Hunter Zhang. And then, he heard from Hunter Zhang that she had died.

The scars on his hand were still aching, and so many blisters had formed on his burned palm that he felt pain whenever he moved it. Fortunately, when he opened his palm the cool wind lightly eased his scars.

No one celebrated his birth. He was someone that was not welcomed by the world.

Just like now, there was no home for him in this big world. Yu Yuan softly closed his eyes.

The leaves rustled as they were blown by the wind, the crying of the frogs and grasshoppers were extremely noisy. But gradually, the world seemed to have paused, the crying of the frogs and grasshoppers disappeared.

The wooden door beside him was pushed open. The aged door that needed mending creaked.

He opened his eyes and saw a warm light coming through the door. The slim young girl stepped out of the entrance with a candle in her hand.

The flickering candlelight reflected on her face, turning her pale skin rosy.

“If you don’t mind, why don’t you come and stay at my house tonight?” He heard the young girl say.

**********

“Yu Yuan? What’s wrong?” Yan Mu looked at Yu Yuan, perplexed.

Just now, she had asked Yu Yuan if he wanted to come to stay at her house, but he just stood there without replying.

“You…… Do you not want to come?” Considering this possibility, Yan Mu looked disheartened. 

“Why?” Yu Yuan suddenly asked.

“Ah well……” Yan Mu shielded the flickering candle and casually said, “Because the rabbit you gave me is stewing on our stove.” 

She simply made up an excuse to fool him.

“……” Yu Yuan coldly looked at her and did not say anything.

“That’s enough! Come on in. It’s very windy outside, the candle is going out,” said Yan Mu while tightening her grip on her clothing. 

Qingshui Village was located on top of the mountain, so the night breeze was still a little chilly. Perhaps it didn’t mean much for an ordinary person, but Yan Mu’s hopeless4 body couldn’t take it.  

Her little hands were cold, and even her head was slightly dizzy from the breeze. In a moment of desperation, Yan Mu’s IQ went offline and she actually reached out her hand to pull Yu Yuan’s.

Of course, she had avoided Yu Yuan’s injured hand. Under Yu Yuan’s surprised and perhaps even frightened gaze, Yan Mu pulled him out from the darkness of the night into the courtyard filled with warm yellow light.

**************************************************

The author has something to say:

Yu Yuan: Oh my God, she pulled me, she pulled me!!! What should I do, what should I do ahhhhhhhhhh (sanity has gone offline)