Chapter 173 The Two Children Reconcile
As night deepened, Xiao Yi, who had been busy all day, stepped onto the steps leading back to Bailong Temple.
While there was still a sliver of light on the horizon, he had to hurry back to the temple.
The braised cabbage and pork I had for lunch today was delicious, but it wasn't as good as the meat at Sister Jiang's shop.
We ate dinner at Xiao Ran's brother's house; it was cornbread with pickled vegetables.
He still had half a steamed bun in his arms, which his brother Xiaoran's mother had secretly given him.
Xiao Ran's mother is very kind. She always says he's pitiful and secretly gives him food. She'll also mend his clothes as soon as they're torn.
For a while, he really envied Xiao Ran for having such a good mother and such a good family.
But now he's not envious anymore; he has an older sister. His sister even built a house especially for him to live with.
He can then spend the rest of his life with his sister.
In the depths of autumn, Bailong Temple was so quiet that one could hear the soft tinkling of the copper bells at the corners of the hall in the wind. Xiao Yi walked lightly down the bluestone steps toward the meditation room.
A small oil lamp was lit in the meditation room, its dim light illuminating the Buddhist scriptures and paintings on the wall. The other children were already fast asleep.
Xiao Yi tiptoed onto the bed, careful not to disturb them.
I had just crawled into bed when a disgruntled voice rang out.
Hey! You woke me up!
The boy sleeping next to him is named Ashu, the same big boy who led the mockery of him for being abandoned last time.
Xiao Yi was in a good mood lately and didn't want to argue with him, so she said in a low voice, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
He apologized and then crawled into bed.
Suddenly he felt something bumping against his thigh, and the voice from the other side rang out again, "You're taking my spot! Move over a bit!"
With no other option, Xiaoyi could only move closer to the wall, using her meager body heat to warm it.
Fortunately, the blanket his sister brought him was thick enough that he didn't feel cold.
Just thinking about how he could finally live with his sister once the house was built, and how he could go to the capital with her in a couple of days—a place he never dared to dream of—filled his heart like a warm little stove, bubbling with happiness, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve upwards again and again.
Seeing that he repeatedly yielded, the other side seemed to have lost interest in provoking him.
After a few moments of silence.
Xiao Yi felt a light tap on his arm. He spoke in a low voice.
"Hey... are you really going back?"
Xiao Yi turned her head to the side, and in the dim light, she could see the other person's bright eyes.
He nodded vigorously, his voice filled with barely suppressed anticipation:
"Hmm! But it won't be that fast, we have to wait until my sister finishes building the house."
The boy paused for a moment, seemingly processing the news, then asked softly:
"That Miss Jiang...is she really not your biological sister?"
"No, but Sister Jiang loves me even more than my own sister," Xiao Yi answered without hesitation, her tone filled with pride and dependence.
After a moment of silence, Ashu suddenly whispered, "About last time... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things to you."
He envies everyone who has a family.
At the time, I felt that Xiao Yi had been abandoned since he was sent here, yet he still stared longingly down the mountain every day, clinging to that unrealistic fantasy. I just felt that he was both stupid and pitiful.
He wanted to yell at him to wake him up and make him face reality sooner.
Only now do I realize that Xiaoyi's persistence was justified. Who wouldn't have fantasies after meeting such a beautiful and kind older sister?
That beautiful woman would come to see him, bring him delicious food, and even wanted to build him a house just to take him back home.
He then realized that they were different.
He was still holding the candy that the pretty lady had given them when she went up the mountain. It was so sweet that he couldn't bear to eat it.
If only his sister were still alive, she could have enjoyed this delicious candy...
Upon hearing the apology, Xiao Yi's slight resentment vanished instantly. He pursed his lips, feigning magnanimity:
"Fine, I won't blame you."
As he spoke, he seemed to remember something, and rustled under his thin pillow to pull out a small oil paper package. He carefully opened it, and inside were the sandwich cookies that Jiang Ling had given him.
"Here, have some. Sister Jiang gave it to me, it smells so good."
Ashu looked up at the biscuit, then at Xiaoyi, hesitated for a moment, and then carefully took a piece and took a small bite.
The crumbly biscuit melted in his mouth, carrying a faint milky aroma, and was filled with jam, making it more delicious than anything he had ever eaten.
His eyes lit up, and he took another big bite, mumbling, "So delicious..."
"Here's a few more pieces." Xiao Yi pushed the oil paper package towards him, then remembered something.
"Oh, by the way, my sister is taking me to the capital in a couple of days! She says there are lots of delicious food and fun things to do there, and I'll bring you back some local snacks!"
"The capital?" A-Shu's eyes lit up even more.
“I’ve heard Master Chenji say that the capital city is huge, with many tall buildings and the imperial palace where the emperor lives…”
He forgot to eat the biscuits in his hand and leaned over to imagine what the capital city would be like with Xiaoyi. "Can you tell me about the capital city when we get there?"
"Okay!" Xiaoyi readily agreed.
Two boys lay side by side in the darkness. One was fast asleep, filled with boundless dreams for the future, while the other held candy and cookies from someone else's older sister, gazing at the moonlight outside the window, his heart filled with envy for a warmth he had never possessed.
The morning mist had not yet dissipated when the aroma of porridge wafted from the alleyways of Jishui Village.
When Jiang Ling pushed open the wooden door of the general store, the first thing she heard was the shouts of the craftsmen.
"Move that pine log a little closer!"
"Dilute the lime water a little more!"
Grandpa Zhao was energetically directing the workers to divide the land into plots and move materials.
A makeshift stove had even been set up nearby, and several village women were busy starting a fire to cook porridge.
Xiao Ran and Xiao Yi were already waiting on the side, ready to help with some small tasks.
"Miss Jiang is here! We started work early today, everyone's been waiting for you!" Grandpa Zhao was the first to see her, and he waved with a smile.
"Sister!" Xiao Yi skipped over.
"Sister Jiang!" Xiao Ran followed closely behind.
Jiang Ling greeted everyone with a smile, and then greeted several women: "Thank you for your hard work, aunties, coming so early to help out."
Aunt Zhao waved her hand: "What's the trouble? I'm just doing my job since I've taken the girl's wages."
Several middle-aged women greeted him with smiles.
Despite the cold weather, my hands never stopped working.
Jiang Ling glanced at the sky and guessed that it was still early before Cheng Fang and Zhao Jingxing would come to pick her up.
She turned around and went back to the shop, took out several large bags of frozen buns from the refrigerator, and handed them to Aunt Zhao, who was in charge of cooking.
"Aunt Zhao, please steam these buns for everyone's breakfast." Jiang Ling handed the buns to Aunt Zhao, who was stirring the porridge.
Aunt Zhao took the bag, opened it, and saw that inside were plump, white buns about the size of a fist, soft to the touch, and slightly cool to the touch.
"Oh dear! Miss Jiang, you've gone to too much trouble!"
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