[Title here]

by Spring Trees

  The bunch of kids that arrived first kept calling to their family and brothers:

  “Ge1 , come here, it is easier to listen here.”

  “Mum, quick, Nan Ge Er is going to tell a legend. Have you brought over my egg pancakes?”

  There were even little young ones waiting in advance to be in their crushes’ good books.

  “Xiao Cui, cover over to my side, this place is the best, and you can see clearly here, I even brought sweet osmanthus cake for you.”

  “Ah Zhu, quick, this place is great, isn’t it! I’ve saved the spot early in advance.”

  The elderly who had nothing to do at home were there as well.

  “Zhu Zi, quickly come over, you’re hungry, right? Granny has baked pancakes for you, let’s listen while we eat.”

  “Have one, come and rest a while, listen a bit before going back to farming.”

  … …

  No matter how many times he saw it, he still couldn’t get used to such a scene.

  Nan Ge Er sat at the doorway, looking at the disordered crowd under the tree.

  Why was there a circus-opening like scene?

  Three days ago, only children were listening there, on the fourth day, passersby would be squatting there to finish listening to the stories, on the fifth day, there were more adults coming over…

  Finally, the numbers successively increased, every time before Nan Ge Er “appeared on stage”, such a disordered scene became a natural occurrence.

  “Sweet and hunger-filling sweet Ciba~”

  “Thirst-quenching tea, take a sip while calmly listening to Nan Ge Er’s storytelling~”

  “Appetizing sesame cake~”

  “Stir-fried beans, peanuts and seeds~”

  “Sweet candied fruit, sweet into your heart~”

  Various peddlers began to come over as well…

  Nan Ge Er had no words…

  According to his current body’s age, he was going to be twenty soon, in the past sixteen years, he totally didn’t have any consciousness of being a transmigrator, since, in the cannibal-like palace, any kind of playful thought would get him shredded to pieces. Only using a week, looking at the maids that served him being beheaded for a mere sentence, he understood what he should do, what to do to survive.

  Turned out that the knowledge from that world was of no use to him at all.

  However, currently, at such a place like Guang Tian, he had to set up a tea stall to earn money to fill his belly, had to do chores like washing laundry and cleaning, and even had to…

  Storytell!

  …

  Am I finally able to enjoy the benefits of being a transmigrator?

  A crowd of people “admiring” and waiting for him to take the stage…

  Hey, am I a monkey?!

  * * *

  1 Ge: suffix used to address one’s elder brother, or an older male

  Chapter 6

  * * *

  For him to be able to live in Guang Tian naturally, Nan Ge Er realized that he felt it was quite strange as well.

  What were his thoughts about it in the first place?

  When injured, he wanted to recover.

  After recovering, he wanted to have a full meal.

  After a full meal, he wanted to improve the standards of the meals.

  When the meals caught up with the majority’s standards, he was then able to have the energy to think of random thoughts.

  Hence, he felt the situation to be strange at the present.

  … Humans are really odd; their bodies will recover after being injured, and even the wounds of the soul seem to dissipate as the physical injuries heal.

  Never was he a vengeful person, no matter if he lived in that pitch dark and ponderous palace, regardless if he used countless dirty methods to survive, in his heart, he was still that college sophomore that transmigrated due to a fire incident.

  That was determined right from the start.

  He wasn’t a naïve or innocent infant in the first place; his current personality was only a continuation from that college sophomore, instead of starting life as blank as a sheet of paper, like any ordinary human being.

  After that, he used his experiences and knowledge of a college sophomore, to grow into the present Nan Ge Er.

  Although he looked young physically, in reality, he had already lived too long.

  After the three years of imprisonment, presently, he didn’t have any huge ambitions like that of a typical teenager; he had also lost any desire for the future, or perhaps, he had long lost such a chance.

  In the young shell, lies an aged and numbed heart.

  However, strangely, the things in the government office gradually increased, chicks turning into hens, and then laying more eggs, hatching into little chicks, even raising yellow groups of ducklings who would begin flapping their wings as they chased around with quacking noises.

  Some of the food in the government warehouse was offered by him, while the food that was given by the neighbors and residents was so abondant it could even fill up a whole house.

  Going out, the people greeting him gradually increased, and sometimes, he would be forcefully dragged by others to have a meal in their homes.

  Whenever he was eating with the advisor and yamen runners, he would always throw the food he disliked into their bowls.

  After finishing a story, the little kids would hand over fruits and snacks to gain his favor; adults would give him a bit of food as well.

  When they were free, the women in the town would voluntarily come over to mend, wash and dry his clothes.

  Such a boring, illogical, tedious and monotonous life.

  It was yet something he had never experienced before.

  Maybe, in the past, when he was still that of an innocent student, he did live such a life daily, but when he thought of it now, he realised that the him from the past was already too far away from that life.

  Currently, he unexpectedly landed himself naturally into such a life again.

  Innocent yet complicated, busy yet peaceful.

  At the moment, he could even remember how he got forced into such a daily life.

  It had already become so when he began noticing it; as he reminisced on the past half-year, there was totally no indication, nor any related signs to be observed.

  He kept on wanting to know, why was he reduced to a prisoner, and suffered those years of torture.

  It was evident that I…

  However, as the busy half-year passed by, he realised, the firm desire in his heart became a lot shallower.

  That’s why he thought, will the healing of physical injuries heal the soul as well?

  Humans were really fickle living beings.

  Grievous events, they would pass with the passage of time, with wounds smoothened out. Blissful events, they would also pass with the passage of time, with happiness forgotten.

  Na-ked-ly arriving to the human world, and then dying, without being able to take anything away.

  The possessionlessness from the beginning turned into possessionlessness in the end.

  Death was already announced as soon as one was born; as each day passed, the day of death got nearer as well.

  That’s why he thought, what’s the point of living anyway?

  Though clearly knowing that there wasn’t any purpose to live on, yet still instinctively living.

  How heartless it was.

  “Nan Ge Er, what are you dazing about, come over quickly to eat meat!” Yellings from everyone could be heard from the government hall.

  It was currently the winter solstice, the winter solstice was a huge event there, everyone would get back home to prepare good food for their ancestors, all shops would close early, there would be a holiday for the government as well.

  Mo Shu and the others went out early today as well, before noon, they carried back huge wild animals from who knows where. Closing the doors now, everyone got around in the field and prepared a huge bonfire to roast the wild haul.

/>   Nan Ge Er spaced out a bit, before shrugging – what was I rambling about?

  Life, so be it; death, so be it.

  All of that, it doesn’t matter.

  Walking out of the hall, the flames in the square blazed on; the wild animals’ viscera and other innards were placed inside the bucket nearby, while the blood was placed in another bucket. The yamen runners, government police, and the advisor were all gathered there, with a few women in between as well—

  Probably their family members. Some were holding onto their plates, while a few were cutting on the wild animals’ bodies with their knives, there were even some holding wine jugs as they chattered with the people beside them…

  Noticing Nan Ge Er’s arrival, a person holding a wine jug hugged on the jug while drunkenly standing up, “Nan Ge Er, let’s drink…”

  Looking at the other’s drunken state, Nan Ge Er reflexively retreated back to the door.

  Noting Nan Ge Er’s movement, a plump madam came over from behind, smacking the guy’s forehead, “You idiot, Nan Ge Er’s body is frail, how can he drink together with you?!”

  The guy turned over bitterly, rubbing his forehead, “Mum, stop smacking me on my forehead, it will make me dumb.”

  “… Can you get even dumber in the first place?” The madam gave him a scornful glance, before changing her expression into a smile as she faced Nan Ge Er, “Nan Ge Er, come over, Xiu Zhu Jie1 and aunty2 have picked and roasted the leaner meat from the ridge for you, quickly come over to eat.”

  “Xiu Zhu, you are so biased!” Another person holding onto a wine jug at the side began shouting as well.

  The plainly-dressed lady, Xiu Zhu, lifted her lips into a smile, ignoring the guy, only smiling towards Nan Ge Er.

  Others started shouting blusteringly at Nan Ge Er, telling him to come over and play tricks together.

  Nan Ge Er felt quite dispirited.

  That didn’t actually mean that he was popular with the ladies in the town.

  Since his face that was scarred beyond recognition was clearly displayed, plus the fact that he was just a small minor helper of the government, and that his body was extremely frail, there wasn’t any single trait of him that could attract women.

  The reason why everyone would call him over without any fear – probably was because they didn’t think of him as a man in the first place?

  Even if they saw me as a man, perhaps they still wouldn’t bear any interest or expectation for me.

  As he pondered, he rolled up his sleeves, and walked over.

  He noticed Mo Shu and the advisor were surrounded by five or six people as they chatted merrily, with a plate of sliced meat near their feet.

  Though it was a boorish and casual way of eating, Mo Shu smiled, donning on a green robe as he sat there, yet bringing an air of elegant carefreeness.

  While the advisor probably had quite a few drinks, under the influence of alcohol, he seemed even more heroic and proud.

  … That probably wasn’t an illusion.

  Every single person there, at that moment, looked as if they were extraordinary.

  Maybe they had hidden it well usually, so it wasn’t visible at all; but at the moment, as Nan Ge Er passed by those who were competing on drinking, he could feel a distinct…

  Battle-hardened yet deeply restrained aura from them.

  He did met such people before.

  It was precisely the soldiers who survived through a multitude of battles, who exuded such a calm and dignified vigour.

  Noticing Nan Ge Er passing by, Mo Shu curved up his lips, held up the bowl near his hands, moving it in his direction, before pressing it to his lips, elegantly tipping his neck, gulping down the contents.

  The movement had an indescribable handsome grace.

  If I didn’t know how out-of-touch and senseless that guy was, probably, I would truly admire his beautiful movements.

  However…

  No matter how stylish he looked, I would never forget that guy’s classless act of constantly stealing my parched peas.

  Nan Ge Er walked over expressionlessly, sitting beside the women.

  “Here.” A sizzling, steaming hot and fragrant piece of meat appeared before his eyes.

  The aunty beside him gave a sweet smile, respectful, she offered, “Try it.”

  Noticing how the other ladies looked at him expectantly and wanting to be respectful, Nan Ge Er swallowed his saliva, took the piece, and bit it carefully—he had never eaten while being observed by so many people, making it pressuring for him.

  “Is it good?” The aunty asked.

  Nan Ge Er gulped down the piece of meat strenuously, before looking at the sparkling gazes from the ladies around him, stammering a bit, “Mm, it tastes great.”

  “Eat more then.” The aunty was happy, telling the other ladies, “Fantastic, Nan Ge Er likes it.”

  “I’ve said so; Nan Er Ge definitely would like it.”

  “The meats from the ridge are the leanest; those stupid men could never tell the difference.”

  “Nan Ge Er’s body is weak, eat more meat, you will get better if you eat more.”

  “Here, this piece is ready as well.”

  As the women chatted joyfully, another piece of meat was passed to him.

  Nan Ge Er chewed on the meat arduously, working hard to swallow it down.

  In truth, he totally couldn’t tell if it tasted good or not, since…

  …What the heck is this, why is this meat so tough?!

  He only swallowed the meat down sloppily when he felt his cheeks getting sore.

  Looking at the laborious expression that Nan Ge Er couldn’t disguise, the women were perplexed.

  One of them who was around sixteen to seventeen year old suddenly lowered her head and sniffed the pieces of meat in her hands, before screaming, “Zheng BaiHe! You bastard, who allowed you to add hardening powder to the meat?!”

  A particular guy that was cutting meat began laughing evilly, “Hahaha, who told you to only concern yourselves on giving delicious food to Nan Ge Er?!”

  “Ah!” The teenaged girl shrieked, lifting her skirt, running forward as she took that piece of meat, while also explaining to the granny beside Nan Ge Er, “Granny, tell Nan Ge Er to stop eating, his body is weak, be careful not to weaken it even more by eating!” She turned around and immediately shoved the meat into that guy’s mouth, “Who told you to add that, who told you to add that, you better eat all of them up!”

  “Ow, hot hot hot hot!” That guy threw away the meat in his hands, finding the accomplices at his back, “Save me, Xiao Dai, Ah Wang…”

  The granny beside Nan Ge Er swiftly snatched the meat away from Nan Ge Er’s hands, “Nan Ge Er, don’t eat them, granny will cut other pieces of meat for you, those rascals, let Chun Tao teach them a lesson. Imps, full of evil tricks, look at our Nan Ge Er, such a small build … goodness…” She casually took another piece of meat and started cutting.

  Nan Ge Er looked listlessly at the granny’s pained expression.

  …Erm, Granny, you guys, totally revealed your secret, is that ok?

  A typical yamen runner wouldn’t have items like hardening flour, right? I didn’t even hear of that before.

  Moreover, Chun Tao didn’t seem to feel the heat when she grabbed the oil-oozing, sizzling hot meat…

  Lastly, granny, do you think that, as an eighty-year-old elder, the ability to easily grab meat that weighed around 5kg…

  Was normal?

  Nonetheless…

  Nan Ge Er turned his head to the clamorous crowd.

  Actually, meat or whatever, it could be easily eaten at any time.

  The reason why he would feel that it was especially fragrant, and delicious, only was because he was at such a moment…3

  * * *

  1. Jie: similar to “Dajie” in chapter 2’s T/N notes, term used to address a women older than you, english equivalent= older sister.

  2. Aunty: The madam was referring to herself as the aunty in the
conversation.

  3. It tastes better because he is surrounded by people.

  Chapter 7

  * * *

  Waking up suddenly in the middle of the night, he sat up with perspiration all over his face, staring blankly at the darkness.

  –He’d just dreamt about the past.

  It wasn’t a dream about the three years of imprisonment, on the contrary, it was about the thirteen years that he went through together with that young king.

  Moreover, it was full of pleasant memories.

  Yet it made him break out in a cold sweat, waking up from the fright.

  … How long has it been since I’ve had a dream like that?

  When recollecting those times now, I would only find it depressing and dark.

  Simply suffocating.

  However, shockingly, I still treated it as my happiest moments.

  Were those really my happiest moments?

  …As I received sincere greetings from my other brothers, I was joyful; because the person who bullied me got beaten up badly by another brother, I was joyful; as I was saved by the bell when a scapegoat was found, I was joyful; because the party that I wanted to win over accepted the jewellery sent, I was joyful; As I’d finished obliterating all successors—the brothers and sisters that I grew up together with, and got along for more than ten years— so that no one could threaten me, I was joyful…

  …How frightening.

  A cold shiver ran down Nan Ge Er’s spine involuntarily.

  In a split moment, he noticed his hands were blood red when he looked down.

  After letting out a small gasp, he realized that it was an illusion.

  Covering his face, he felt a cold and wet sensation from his fingers, and realized he had started crying.

  What was the reason for my arrival in this world?

  It would be great if I just died from the fire at the start.

  I want to get back to the peaceful world where there was my friendly and playful friends, caring family, crush…

  …Neither did this place belong to me, nor did I belong here.

  I should have died, instead of living on in this world like a wandering ghost.