Children and monkeys
Chapter Seventy, The Child and the Monkey
I hugged my mother tightly, her hands gently covering my back, stroking my spine as she did when I was a child and had been wronged. A sense of drowsiness gradually crept in, my eyelids grew heavier, and before I knew it, sleepiness had enveloped me again.
In my hazy state, the last thing I remember is clinging to my mother's sleeve, afraid that if I let go, she would leave.
My mother gently stroked me, and faintly, a familiar lullaby drifted into my ears—the same tune she used to lull me to sleep when I was little, soft and gentle, wrapped in warm love. Enveloped in this feeling of security, I completely let down my guard and drifted off to sleep again.
When I regained consciousness, it was with a tugging sensation on my scalp—not gentle, but with a playful edge. I hissed in pain, my eyes snapping open in an instant, only to find a furry face suddenly looming in front of me: fluffy gray-brown fur, bright, round black eyes, baring its teeth and shaking its head at me!
"Squeak!" The fluffy head shook and responded with a cheerful sound.
I was both surprised and delighted. I jumped up and hugged the long-lost monkey "Zhizha" tightly. Tears welled up in my eyes again. I rubbed my hands against its soft, warm fur and cried out, "Zhizha! You didn't die after all! You naughty monkey! Where have you been all this time!"
"Squeak squeak—" The monkey reached out and patted my head, its voice full of affection.
"Sister Xi." Another childish voice suddenly rang out from the side, filled with barely suppressed joy.
I lifted my head from the rustling fluff and was pleasantly surprised to find Liu Che sitting cross-legged on the wooden chair next to my bed. He was wearing a light blue jacket, his hair was simply tied up with a red ribbon, and his little face was full of bright smiles, his eyes curving into crescents.
"Xiao Che!" I exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"
Upon hearing my words, Liu Che gently swayed the chair, gripping the edge with his little hand, but the smile on his face did not fade: "I heard that Sister Xi was injured, so I begged the Prince to let me come and see you. The Prince couldn't refuse me, so he had someone send me here."
After saying that, he gestured towards "Squeak" with his lip, seeking the monkey's approval with undisguised affection, "Right, 'Squeak'? You also want to see if Sister Xi is alright, right?"
"Zhi Zha" tugged at a strand of my hair again and chirped enthusiastically.
I laughed as I freed the strand of hair from its claws, rubbing the roots as I couldn't help but ask, "How did you two... end up together?"
Liu Che said that one night he was sleeping when the monkey suddenly climbed down from the roof. He had bad legs and couldn't run away. He was also afraid that if he made a sound, it would provoke the wild monkey, so he covered his mouth tightly.
Fortunately, "Zhi Zha" was a kind and gentle monkey who understood human nature. It could tell that Liu Che was scared, so in order to dispel the child's fear, it danced for him in front of his bed.
"Wait, wait a minute!" I couldn't help but raise my hand to interrupt, looking suspiciously at "Zhi Zha"—it was kneeling upright, its two front paws neatly placed on its knees, looking like it was "being very well-behaved." "It...dances for you?"
Liu Che opened his big, bright eyes and nodded vigorously: "Yes, Sister Xi, 'Zhi Zha' can dance. It dances so interestingly, but unfortunately I can't get down on the ground, so I can't dance with it."
I imagined the scene and couldn't help but chuckle. Although my body was still aching and I was worried about where my mother and Yu'er had gone, at this moment, being able to hold the monkey and watch Xiao Che laugh was the most important thing to do.
After laughing for a while, Liu Che stopped first, a little out of breath, with worry on his face. My heart warmed, and I gripped the corner of the blanket with both hands, took a few deep breaths, and finally stopped laughing.
Seeing that I had quieted down, "Zhi Zha" suddenly pulled something out from behind its back as if by magic and solemnly handed it to me.
I took it and was even more surprised: it was the picture book that Yuanzi had given me to cheer me up when I was imprisoned in the Shu King's Palace.
I still find it hard to believe, but when I opened the picture book and flipped directly to the last page, I saw the little girl from Dongchu standing under the red plum blossoms. It was indeed a gift from Yuanzi to me.
Beside the little girl were several strong yet elegant Chinese characters: "No chance in this life, take care."
Although I had never seen Iris's handwriting before, there was no doubt that this was her handwriting. I stared blankly at those words until—"squeak"—tugged at my hair again.
This time I hit even harder than before, and I yelled "Aow!" with tears in my eyes as I glared at "Zhi Zha": "You bad monkey! You want to make me bald!"
But thanks to that "squeak," I snapped out of it.
I closed the picture book and asked "Zhizha," "Did Yuanzi give this to you? She asked you... to give it to me?"
"Squeak, squeak," the monkey said, nodding as it spoke.
I sighed heavily, feeling somewhat lost. Recalling my first meeting with Iris and our hasty parting at Youan Temple, I knew that if we were to meet again, we would be true enemies.
She knew that too, so she left this picture book and had "Zhizha" bring it to me.
I'm not stupid, so of course I can see her feelings, but... my heart already belongs to Yu'er, how can there be room for anyone else? Besides, Dong Chu and Tu Luo are still at odds, even if Yu'er doesn't want me anymore, I won't go with Yuanzi; and given her status, it's even more impossible for her to abandon her country and come to me.
Let this album serve as a testament to the past.
I will keep it safe, but I will also tell Lan Feiyu the whole story.
However, I also figured out why "Zhi Zha" had been missing for a while. It must have been entrusted by the kite and then cleverly hid itself.
I pulled "Zhi Zha" over and gave it a big kiss on its fluffy head.
Liu Che chuckled beside me. After a while, a calmness that was far beyond his years appeared on the little boy's face. He looked at me and said, "Sister Xi, I came to see you, but I also came to say goodbye."
"Say goodbye? Where are you going?" I immediately tensed up, and a bad feeling instantly arose in my heart.
"My mother and I... Mother," Liu Che said with a smile, his bright black eyes showing no trace of worry or fear, "are going to the capital of Eastern Chu."
I was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized what was happening.
Yes, the Western Shu Kingdom no longer exists. As the last ruler of Western Shu, Liu Che was supposed to go to the capital to pay homage to the emperor and show his submission, according to custom—but…
I couldn't help but gently bite my lip, and unconsciously leaned forward to take his small hand in mine.
Hmm, it seems like it's gained some weight since before?
After examining Liu Che closely for a while, the child's cheeks were no longer sunken, and his complexion had become much rosier, showing his childlike cuteness.
Liu Che seemed to see through my worries. Like an adult, he gently patted the back of my hand and spoke words of comfort in his childish voice: "Sister Xi, don't worry, nothing will happen—your emperor of Eastern Chu doesn't kill children."
“That is indeed true,” I sighed and touched his little face. “But you are so young and in poor health, yet you have to leave your hometown so far away. It’s really hard on you.”
Liu Che lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes trembling. After a while, he raised his head, his eyes shining brightly: "Prince Xinan said I would return. Return to Shu, but... as a person of Eastern Chu. Sister Xi, I am now... also a person of Eastern Chu, am I?"
I was suddenly jolted by what I heard. I hadn't expected my older brother to have spoken to Liu Che to this extent. But as a prince of Eastern Chu, my older brother certainly wasn't just saying these things to fool a child. He wasn't that kind of person, nor was he that kind of king.
“Of course,” I grabbed Liu Che’s little hand and shook it vigorously, “King Xinan… he certainly wouldn’t lie to you when he was King Xinan. But little Che, you have to be careful, when he was just your older brother, hmph, he might have lied to you.”
Liu Che blinked, his mouth slightly open, seemingly unable to accept a "deceitful" King Xinan.
So I went along with it and enthusiastically told Liu Che all the "misdeeds" my older brother had played on me when I was little, making him laugh so hard he almost fell off his chair.
"Zhi Zha" clapped along, adding to the fun, a real little genius.
I became increasingly certain: this monkey must have been a human in its past life, but forgot to shed its animal skin when it was reincarnated!
A little while later, Lan Feiyu led a maid in. My eyes lit up and I waved to her.
The maid behind her walked to Liu Che's side, bent down and said gently, "Young master, we're going back now. It's time for your medicine."
Liu Che nodded understandingly. The guard at the door heard the summons and came in to pick him up. The boy turned around in the guard's arms and smiled at me: "Goodbye, Sister Xi."
The thought that I might not see him again after he left made me feel sad, but I didn't want the child to see my sadness, so I forced a wide grin and narrowed my eyes into slits, deliberately responding in a cheerful voice: "Goodbye, Xiao Che. Be good and take your medicine, eat well, and get a little fatter. When I see you next time, I hope you'll be a head taller than you are now."
"Okay," Liu Che replied obediently.
The guards and maids bowed to me and then took Liu Che away.
After Lan Feiyu waited until they were far away, she went up and closed the door. She came back and looked at me with a light smile: "Xi'er, you're such a little monster. You can make people like you wherever you go."
"Squeak!" It immediately made a "squeak" sound.
Receiving praise from this man and monkey, I could only laugh and cry at the same time, shaking my head: "That child is too pitiful. His mother uses him as a tool to restore the kingdom. Actually, it's better for him to leave Western Shu. On the one hand, it avoids the appearance of people with ulterior motives, and on the other hand, Xiao Che can receive better care—my uncle loves children the most... Yu'er, if you see him, you will know that he is the real monster—oh right, you saw my mother and Aunt Xian, didn't you?"
Lan Feiyu was amused by my quirky question. She sat on the edge of the bed, gently pushed "Zhi Zha" aside, leaned down and kissed my forehead, her voice gentle and smiling: "I've seen you—yes, your Zhao family, you're all monsters, aren't you?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
