Chapter 22 "Let's pretend today is the first time we've met..."
True to his word, the Jade Emperor ordered craftsmen to build the Great Sage Equaling Heaven's Palace on the right side of the Peach Garden, and appointed celestial officials and clerks, bestowed imperial wine, and rewarded him with golden flowers, showing him a great deal of prestige.
Sun Wukong and Jiang Huaisu happily checked in. Having grown accustomed to life in the mountains, they found it quite pleasant to occasionally admire the glazed tile hall, with its carved beams and painted pillars.
After rolling comfortably on the soft couch, Jiang Huaisu sighed, "When one attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven—this saying is truly true. Good monkey, how could I enjoy such a carefree life without you? From now on, I'll accompany you through thick and thin!"
Sun Wukong rolled his eyes and ignored her, instead playing with the exquisitely crafted porcelain vase in his hand. "These things, if we bring a few back to the Water Curtain Cave and display them, they should look quite nice," he thought.
After spending half a day thoroughly exploring Qitian Mansion and its surroundings, Jiang Huaisu discovered that apart from the landowners and strongmen tending the orchards, few people visited the place. For someone who prefers tranquility, it was an excellent place to live.
However, Sun Wukong does not fall into the category of "people who prefer quiet".
Last time he came here as a stable boy, he was so busy that he barely had time to breathe, raising a herd of celestial horses until they were plump and strong, but he didn't have time to play. Now that he has been given a sinecure to manage the Peach Garden, how could he possibly stand the loneliness?
He went out every day, saying he was going to make friends, and even invited Jiang Huaisu to come along. She usually declined; she preferred to be alone rather than hang out with unfamiliar people. However, she fully supported Sun Wukong's act of making friends—these were all valuable connections for their future journey to the West!
"Jiang Huaisu!"
"Huh?" She was tending to the flowers and plants in the yard when she heard the sound and quickly turned around to look. Sun Wukong pushed open the door and tossed a bunch of loquats over.
"Wash your hands before you eat. You really should have come out with me today; guess who I saw?"
"Nezha?"
"How did you know?"
“Apart from him, I have never had any interaction with other gods. If you meet a stranger, it seems unnecessary to specifically tell me about it.”
I had originally intended to keep things a little suspenseful, but he guessed it right away. Sun Wukong was too lazy to keep her in suspense any longer, so he walked over to Jiang Huaisu's side, sat down, and started eating loquats with her.
"That's right, it's that brat. I thought he was going to pretend he didn't see me, but I didn't expect him to greet me."
Jiang Huaisu asked curiously, "What were you talking about?"
"It's nothing, just a few polite words. Compared to when he was in the mortal realm, he seems much more composed now, but that could also be an act. Oh, by the way, he also said that his name isn't Miaolian, that was just his name when he was human, and now he should be called Nezha." Sun Wukong's cheeks twitched as he chewed on a loquat. "What's the big deal? We already knew that."
"From what he's saying, he wants to cut ties with the past?"
"Maybe. But he seems to know you live with me, and said he'll come visit us when he has time."
Jiang Huaisu judged: "It's probably just a polite gesture."
"You don't want him to come?"
"It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I don't know how to treat him after he arrives."
She was too embarrassed to say it, but she actually found Nezha a bit scary, a kind of unpredictable feeling.
Although Miao Lian was quite intimidating at first, she was alright after getting to know her. Nezha, on the other hand, gave off a much stronger sense of distance, making her hesitant to approach him.
“I’ve never been very close to him, and we even had a fight a while ago. But I remember you two used to be very close, so why are you bothered by this?”
"That was before. Miao Lian was just a little kid, easy to manipulate. How many years has Nezha lived? Can it be the same?" Jiang Huaisu said seriously, "Even if Nezha is still a child among the gods, compared to mortals, his age..."
Noticing something, Sun Wukong looked behind her, but instead of replying, he coughed softly.
"Is your throat sore?" Jiang Huaisu asked with concern. "That shouldn't be the case. I remember that loquat can soothe the lungs and relieve coughs."
Completely oblivious to Sun Wukong's hint, she popped a loquat into her mouth and continued the previous topic: "Do you know how old Nezha is? The flow of time in heaven and on earth is different, so it's hard to calculate accurately. But I think he's at least over a thousand years old."
"Oh. You mean I'm an old man?"
The sound made Jiang Huaisu's scalp tighten. Turning around, she saw Nezha himself leaning against the doorway, looking at her with a forced smile.
Being caught red-handed talking about crickets behind someone's back – what could be more embarrassing than that?
Jiang Huaisu gave him a silly grin, then quickly added, "No, no, I meant to say that you, Third Prince, are very experienced."
"Glib-tongued".
"It's from the bottom of my heart."
Whether he believed it or not, Nezha snorted coldly, skipped the topic, and changed the subject:
"Your front door was open. I was just walking my dog and passing by; I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation."
Walking the dog? Jiang Huaisu was taken aback, only then noticing half a dog's head peeking out from behind the door. When did Nezha get a pet?
Jiang Huaisu's attention was unconsciously drawn to the fluffy creature. She craned her neck to peek behind the door, but couldn't see it clearly. She quietly moved two steps closer to the door before she could get a full view of the dog.
She loves cats and dogs, but back in her hometown she didn't have time to keep one and could only pet other people's. This one in front of her, though not a long-haired dog, must still feel wonderful to the touch. It has a lithe and slender body, and its fur is glossy and smooth; its owner must take good care of it.
"It's my friend's dog... It got injured recently and is being fostered in Heaven. It needs a follow-up appointment with the Heavenly Physician in a few days." He squatted down and scratched the dog's chin. "Want to say hello?"
The dog barked softly and opened its mouth to bite. Nezha swiftly and skillfully withdrew his hand, his fingertips narrowly missing the sharp canine teeth. He then casually patted the dog's head a couple more times, wiping away the drool that had just touched it.
Sun Wukong asked in surprise, "Foster care? Where does your friend live?"
"He currently resides at the mouth of the Guanjiang River and rarely visits the Heavenly Court."
"Guanjiang Estuary...is that the Jade Emperor's nephew?" Sun Wukong realized.
"That's good. I've heard you've been making a lot of friends lately. Would you like to get to know him?"
Sun Wukong: "It's not that I make friends with everyone I meet. Guanjiang Estuary is so far away, I'm too lazy to make the trip."
Besides, his daily strolls around Heaven weren't just for making friends; gathering information was also crucial. It allowed him to stay up-to-date with the latest gossip from Heaven anytime, anywhere.
He heard about Yang Jian from someone else. Tsk tsk, they say every family has its own troubles, and the Jade Emperor is no exception.
With its long snout, big ears, and watery eyes, it looked so cute! But after witnessing how it almost bit Nezha, Jiang Huaisu knew that this dog was definitely not the docile and harmless type.
Not daring to reach out and touch it, she could only silently cast a glance.
Just as she was imagining the feel of dog hair, Nezha's words pulled her back to reality: "Did you erect a tombstone for me?"
"Hmm? A stele... Oh, of course there is one. Would you like to go down to the mortal realm and take a look? It's located behind Zhenfu." She quickly replied.
Jiang Huaisu thought Nezha was determined to avoid talking about the past, but he suddenly brought it up, leaving her unsure how to respond. Inviting him to visit Miaolian's grave? Wouldn't that be like me offering sacrifices to myself? How strange.
"No need to take a look. However, since you helped me with the funeral arrangements, I owe you a favor, and you can ask me for it later."
"You also left me some payment, so you don't owe me anything." Jiang Huaisu thought of the substantial inheritance. Earning so much from contracting a funeral seemed like a good deal.
"Whatever you want," Nezha said indifferently. "Anyway, that 'me' is dead. Don't treat me like that person anymore. I know you used to have a good relationship with Miaolian, but that's in the past."
Jiang Huaisu had anticipated this long ago. Even mortals with lifespans of only a few decades find it difficult to maintain a consistent personality, let alone Miaolian, who had died once, and Nezha, who had died twice.
"Okay," she thought, "it's better to be open about it."
Now I can get along with Nezha more freely; Miaolian is a complete thing of the past.
She picked a loquat and handed it to him, assuring him, "Don't worry, I'll pretend I've forgotten everything that happened in the mortal world. I definitely won't go around talking about it, and I certainly won't boast about how good our relationship is."
Even so, I still felt a little disappointed, after all, I had spent so much time with Miaolian.
Fortunately, Sun Wukong doesn't resort to the death-fake reincarnation trick, otherwise she definitely wouldn't be like this now, comforting herself that Miaolian and Nezha are different while awkwardly trying to hide her emotions... If Monkey King were reincarnated, she would directly chase after him and become friends with him again.
This shows that friendships also vary in closeness and distance. In her heart, Sun Wukong's "good friend" level is probably above Miaolian's.
“No, there’s something I misspoke.” At this moment, as if his mind was on the same wavelength as hers, Nezha suddenly spoke up to correct his previous statement, “Your relationship with Miaolian shouldn’t be that good.”
The celestial dog's ears perked up, looking at this and then that. Sensing the scent of gossip, it felt its wounds were less painful.
"I think it's alright?" Jiang Huaisu pondered. "Apart from Sun Wukong, you... and Miaolian have the most interactions with him."
However, whether the relationship is good or bad doesn't seem to be determined by her alone. The other party involved is still there, and their opinions differ from hers.
Nezha: "You and Miaolian aren't exactly close."
"That's hard to define; it depends on how each person sees it." She didn't want to argue about it and chose to dodge the question.
Upon hearing this, Xiaotianquan's eyes widened. Jiang Huaisu was even more shocked: "You...you like me?"
Nezha's face showed a hint of annoyance, and his voice unconsciously rose: "No, what are you thinking? It's just ordinary liking, the liking of a friend!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I misunderstood. Please continue." She gave an awkward smile.
“I valued you very much.” He rephrased it, “So at that time, I could clearly sense that you weren’t as warm towards me.”
Following Nezha's words, Jiang Huaisu unconsciously reminisced about the past. Indeed, in her interactions with Miaolian, she seemed to have been less proactive.
"Forget it, I can't blame you." After all, it wasn't a normal friendship process in the first place, so what's the point of bringing this up now? The struggle in Nezha's eyes flashed by, "Let's not bring up these old stories anymore. Let's just pretend we met for the first time today."
Jiang Huaisu replied cheerfully, "Okay."
She understood that the fact that Nezha could openly discuss his past experiences with her and say things like "I really liked you back then" meant he wasn't burdened by those memories. At most, he was just a little bothered by them.
The celestial hound didn't quite understand their cryptic conversation, but it remembered the woman's name and appearance. Round eyes, thin lips, crescent-shaped eyebrows, a small mole on the bridge of her nose—she looked quite kind. She must have a good temper too, otherwise how could she have tolerated Li Nezha for so long?
Now I have more to talk about. I can go back and tell my master all sorts of stories about Nezha. This trip was worthwhile!
"Okay, that's settled. I'm leaving." Nezha turned around.
Jiang Huaisu: "Goodbye."
Sun Wukong: "Please close the door behind you."
Nezha: "......"
The Celestial Hound remained lying in place, while Nezha had already walked some distance. Feeling like he had forgotten something, he mentally went through the events of the day from beginning to end before remembering that he had originally come out to walk the dog.
He always forgets the dog's existence without realizing it, probably because he doesn't like to look down when he walks. Speaking of which, he really doesn't understand why Xiaotian, who can clearly transform into human form, still prefers to run around on all fours all day long.
The dog was very active and wouldn't stay still even when it was injured. Yang Jian had repeatedly warned him not to keep the dog cooped up indoors all day, so he reluctantly agreed to take it out for a walk.
Nezha rushed back to the door, grabbed the dog by the scruff of its neck and was about to lift it up when he felt a subtle resistance. Looking down, he saw that the dog's four paws were firmly gripping the ground, and it seemed that it did not want to go with him.
"What are you doing loitering at someone's doorstep? Do you want to change owners?"
Xiaotian declared confidently, "Isn't this place closer to the Heavenly Doctor's Clinic? I want to stay here."
"I'm not your Erlang Shen, don't expect me to coax you nicely," Nezha said coldly. "I'll ask you one more time, are you coming or not?"
"I'm not leaving!"
"Really not leaving?"
"No!" Li Nezha had absolutely no idea how to raise a dog. Living with him would lower its quality of life by more than one level. It would rather take care of itself.
"Then you can stay here." Nezha readily let go of her hand. "Monkeys, birds, and dogs, forming a zoo would be great."
It wasn't a ploy to lure him in; he really meant it. With a flash of his whirlwind, he vanished in the next second, without a trace of hesitation.
The Celestial Hound instinctively took two steps after it, then turned back. Heh, running that fast, it'd be best if it fell off its Wind-Fire Wheels and smashed its butt into eight pieces.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
