La vida de la gente del campo en la ciudad durante la dinastía Song

Capítulo 123

Normally, even without help, I can steadily find the steps and hold onto the handrail to walk into the house. But today, I was too impatient, too eager to escape the icy air, and I didn't even notice the steps not far ahead. I stumbled.

"Galan—!"

"Blue Blue—"

I was wincing in pain, my elbows and knees slamming against the steps. My knees, which were only wearing tight pants underneath, were definitely bruised, while my elbows, which were covered by a thick coat, only felt a dull ache.

The next moment, I was lifted into the air in a warm and gentle embrace, which held me tightly, even though I was wrapped up like a dumpling, I still looked small and frail. He was ultimately a step ahead of my brother, who was closer to me, and a bittersweet feeling welled up inside me. Xu Lie asked anxiously, "Galan, how are you? Where does it hurt?"

Did he think I was still a child? After losing my sight, I was used to all kinds of impacts and pain. If this fall hadn't been so severe, I wouldn't even be able to frown.

"It's nothing." I shook my head, then struggled to jump down. The moment my feet touched the ground, the pain in my knees made my body sway and tremble again. Sensing his tension and his movement to pick me up again, I said coldly, "Enough!"

I caught my breath slightly and reached out my hand, which my brother quickly steadied. I groped my way onto the railing and carefully made my way forward, little by little, not wanting to fall again, just wanting to get back to that warm, familiar little house as soon as possible.

“Galan…” Xu Lie called my name in an almost fearful voice, his trembling tone seeming to stir the icy air, sending chills down my spine. “Galan, your… eyes…”

"He's blind." I told him without turning around, giving him another reason to feel guilty. Let him be crushed by regret.

I don't know if he was processing the news or completely stunned, but there wasn't a sound behind him, it was eerily quiet.

He uttered a single syllable, and it wasn't until he repeated it many times that I could hear him clearly, "...child..."

From the moment I saw him until now, a chilling anger, which I hadn't felt before, surged up within me. I don't hate Xu Lie! Yes! I don't hate Xu Lie for my own sake! But the child... the child I failed to protect... fills me with a deep-seated resentment.

“It’s gone…” My voice finally became a little hoarse, mixed with the pleasure of revenge, “When you said, ‘Even if she’s pregnant, I’ll still worry about whether it’s my child,’ I lost it!”

That was my child, a tiny life, my blood relative! How could I not grieve? Even if I have other children in the future, none can replace that lost life; even if the pain heals, the regret of not protecting it will be etched in my heart for the rest of my life. How could I not hate it!

After saying those words, I was exhausted to the extreme, both physically and mentally. I shut out all sounds and emotions and walked step by step into the home that now belongs to me.

So until the very end, when the door closed, I never heard him make a sound as he stood there in the cold.

Xiao Yi

2008.2.20 18:33

Chapter 11, Looking Back, is finished.

Next update: Friday evening, February 22nd.

Please hang in there a little longer, the extra chapters will be over soon... Amitabha!

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Chapter 12 Heartless

Chapter 12 Heartless

I sat comfortably in the living room, eating the soft cake in front of me. I'd taken off my bulky coat, leaving only a tight-fitting turtleneck sweater, yet I didn't feel cold. To my left, I could hear the crackling of fuel from the fireplace. My brother told me it was a rather old villa, with dark red exterior walls, beige interior walls, and a spiral staircase—a bit like a vintage European castle. The rooms had regular air conditioning, but the living room had a fireplace, a style popular in early Europe.

So, eating meals in the living room while listening to the soft, cheerful crackling of sparks from burning food has become a daily routine for me. This me, who fears the cold yet absolutely refuses to endure it!

“Lanlan…” her brother’s conflicted voice rang out again, “He’s been standing outside the door for three hours now, in this cold weather.”

Actually, my brother is a very kind person. I had always thought that if we met Xu Lie, he would be the first to teach him a lesson, but also the first to forgive him. My brother just can't bear to see people who are genuinely good to me get hurt in any way.

I chuckled and said, "If you're worried he'll get cold, go and call him in. What do you want to say?"

"I...I didn't say I wanted to invite him in!" The older brother started pacing anxiously around the room. "Why doesn't he just leave already! Why is he standing at our door like a gatekeeper?"

I chuckled and continued eating the cake my aunt had baked. The melt-in-your-mouth egg flavor made it irresistible.

I heard my aunt slowly walk to the window, sigh, and say, "Lanlan, why don't you go out and tell him? If this continues, even someone made of iron won't be able to hold on!"

The ticking of the clock went on and on; I think I just heard it ring the twelve o'clock bell. When we first moved in, my brother excitedly told me it was a wall clock that could tell the time, making a different sound and having a different bird jump out every hour. I've never seen a twelve-hour bird, but I know the twelve-hour chime is the sound of snow falling.

"You didn't see him; he looked so haggard I didn't even recognize him," the aunt continued. "Lanlan, how many good men are there in this world? He's such a proud person, yet in front of you... he was so humble, it hurt me to bear it..."

Humility? Auntie, is that what you think? I exhaled, tilted my head slightly, and said, "Auntie, if you're worried he won't be able to hold on, you can call him in. Why are you telling me?"

The aunt was speechless for a moment, then sighed deeply: "I'm just afraid you'll miss out and regret it later."

I reached for a tissue next to the table, wiped my hands, and smiled, "Auntie, I won't regret it."

I stood up and groped my way upstairs. My brother quickly helped me to the stairs. I could clearly feel the anxiety emanating from him. He suddenly said, "Lanlan, I think I should let him in. It's just for one night anyway..."

I can assure you, he won't just stay one night. But there's no point in explaining that, so I could only nod and say, "Whatever makes you happy, brother."

Holding onto the handrail, I climbed the stairs step by step. Just as I rounded the biggest bend, I suddenly heard the door slam shut. My brother was still angrily cursing downstairs: "That ungrateful brat! He refused to come in without even thinking! I don't care if he lives or dies! Let him freeze to death if he wants!"

I couldn't help but laugh out loud. My brother didn't really see him as his brother-in-law; he was just genuinely concerned about someone who was suffering—a kind of awkward, unspoken concern. But what was Xu Lie thinking?

If this is a gamble, a threat—a gamble that I can't bear to see him suffer, a gamble that I can't bear to watch him torture his body—then Xu Lie, Xu Tian's CEO, is far too naive. However, I also feel that in his current state, even the most naive actions wouldn't be surprising. The news he just heard might have already broken him, which is why he stubbornly wants to see me, stubbornly wants me to pull him out of the abyss of pain.

But what reason do I have to save you? What reason do I have to let you have any hope anymore?

I went into the room, groped my way to the window, and lay down on the sheets, still dressed, with the air conditioner off. I felt a suffocating, depressed restlessness, and suddenly a sense of resentment towards his arrival. He had disrupted my peaceful life, ruined our Christmas party, and even made it impossible for me to calmly face the impending shock to another world.

There was a knock on the door, and I replied, "Come in."

I knew it was my auntie from the soft footsteps. She said, "Lanlan, I've put your pajamas here."

I nodded and smiled, "Okay. Thank you, Auntie."

I heard my aunt walk to the door, then stop and say, "Lanlan, I just tried to persuade him, but he stubbornly refuses to leave or come in."

"Then let him be," I said helplessly. "It's his own choice, and there's nothing I can do about it."