Rose thorns
As night fell, every household lit their lamps. Whether it was the effect of Jin Xilu's meeting with Jiang Yilin or the fact that everyone in town was busy today, she had a very peaceful first night back home.
Although the old house looked dilapidated, the roof inside was still draft-free, showing that it had been repaired. The furniture inside was also unchanged. She lay on her small bed, and every time she turned over, the wood creaked against the wood. The old house breathed the same air as her.
The house must have been cleaned before, there wasn't much dust. After tidying up a bit, Jin Xilu was too tired to do anything but go to sleep.
She was afraid of the cold, so she rummaged through the red-lacquered wooden box left by her grandmother and pulled out a thick quilt. The heavy cotton quilt felt like a hard steel plate pressing down on her, and the cold air still filled her nose and seeped into the soles of her feet, rolling around like a knife, lightly and heavily stabbing and scraping her bones.
I was sleeping fitfully and couldn't sleep soundly. I vaguely heard a cat meowing and thought it was that cat that had come in to play again.
She kept her hands tucked under the covers, reluctant to take them out, and afraid that Jiang Yilin would sneak into her house in the middle of the night to look for the cat. In the darkness, she muffledly said through the covers, "Little cat, go home, go find him."
After she finished speaking, a warm breeze blew into her bed, and she drifted off to sleep, her consciousness fading. She felt as if the hard blanket on her body had suddenly turned into a freshly baked, steaming hot egg cake, and the sweet, warm breeze triggered a pang of hunger in her stomach.
Do you think this method will work?
"Why not? We're all doing this for her own good. Besides, we can talk about it."
"Alright, alright, you're going on and on again. Stop talking and let's get started."
She didn't know when, but there was a rustling sound in her ears. Her ears were constantly filled with noise, as if two small loudspeakers were pointed at her. She could hear them talking about everything from birds flying in the sky to fish swimming in the water, and they eventually got to her.
"This woman is sleeping so soundly. You didn't see her kneeling down immediately upon seeing the gods during the day, hahaha."
"Exactly, exactly, they're even more timid than cats."
Hearing herself called a coward, Kim Hee-ro couldn't help herself. She jerked her body to overcome her sleepiness and woke up to find herself not in the cold, dark old house, but in a warm, enclosed space. Everything in front of her was white, as if she had arrived in the afterlife.
Of course, there wasn't nothing there. The two cartoon standing mice that had been whispering in her ear were strangely familiar with their childlike appearance. They had a festive red and yellow color scheme, with a large gold ingot and a red envelope on their heads. Their ears were big and round, and their big black eyes were bright and sparkling. When they smiled, their white teeth were in a row, and each mouse had a few large black plastic characters pasted on its body.
They are "luck" and "peace".
Seeing them running away in a panic, their heads bobbing back and forth, Jin Xilu finally remembered.
Why does it look so familiar? Because this rat image is clearly the same as the festive decorations she saw in front of her car all the way back today.
In her bizarre and fantastical dream, she chased after mice, watching helplessly as their short legs swung, leaving afterimages as they ran in different directions.
"What the hell! You shameless! Didn't you say you were asleep?"
"How would I know! Run! We can't get caught."
The two mice spat at each other and then hopped away and disappeared from her sight. The area where their bodies passed was no longer blindingly white; the space darkened and continued to expand infinitely. Their footprints, like water droplets, gradually seeped into the ground.
Kim Hee-ro felt very small, and no matter which world she was in, she was afraid that she would be the only one left in the world.
She crouched down and hugged herself, lowering her head to her feet and burying her face in her arms. Her breath was barely warm. She was used to enduring it; she knew she would get through it.
"You'll grow up and get through this."
Kim Hee-ro, who lived in the town, used to regard this phrase as a painkiller. She had a morbid obsession with it, both hating and admiring it. When she was hurt and battered during her growth, she would pull out this phrase from her heart to silently relieve her pain.
Jiang Xilu didn't sleep well on her first night back in her hometown. She felt hot and cold, and couldn't tell whether she was in the cold dream of the city or back in the narrow chair bed in the old house.
Jin Xilu was used to sleeping late and waking up late, but she woke up at four o'clock this morning before dawn. She put on a coat and sat alone on the threshold of the old house for a while, lost in thought. The world was quiet. She looked at the house next door, Jiang Yilin's house, and found that the light was on.
Next door, under the bedside lamp, Jiang Yilin lay half-reclined on the bed, his face pale as his migraine flared up again. Leaning against the headboard, his skin, exposed outside the blanket, was smooth and delicate. He let go of the rubbing motion and looked at the two fat cats lying obediently on the floor, his tone slightly cold: "Why can't you two give me any peace of mind?"
"No, we're innocent! We did exactly as you said." The chubby calico cat jumped onto the bed with a whoosh. The gods had granted it life and allowed it to talk to them; it loved the gods very much.
The other orange cat seemed to disapprove of its companion's actions, and arrogantly jumped onto the bedside table, reaching out its paw to reach the pink crystal pendant under the glass lamp. It felt closer to the divine here than on the bed, and it spoke in a spoiled manner.
"Exactly! You have no idea how damp and cold her house was, plus that girl was extremely wary, we didn't expect her to notice our presence so quickly."
"But don't worry, we haven't revealed your identity. She'll probably just think it was a strange dream."
Two cats, one male and one female, are jealous of each other, each secretly wanting to get closer to the handsome god.
Under the dim light, Jiang Yilin seemed lost in thought, a hint of hesitation in his eyes. At this moment, his headache did not spare him. He raised his thin hand, and the light shone through the almost transparent white back of his hand, revealing the bluish veins that were bulging.
In the end, he succumbed to his inner desires, so he went to take a look, saw that she was asleep, and then came back.
Jiang Yilin sat up straight, hastily draped a velvet-lined antique purple-brown robe over his shoulders, and got out of bed barefoot. The two cats followed his movements and jumped down as well. They played around for a bit, not paying attention to where they were going, and bumped into the god's foot to stop.
"Meow."
Tonight is her first night back. He's like an addict, wandering around her in his sleep, but he only dares to hide under the lamp and secretly watch her. She's still awake. Is she planning to leave again?
"Meow, meow."
Of course, the gods couldn't hear the cats' complaints. The two cats, raised with such boldness, grew bolder every day and didn't hold back when using their feline language to make sarcastic remarks.
The Jiang family had so many rules that Jin Xilu would avoid their house when passing by. Growing up in such an environment, Jiang Yilin was always a model child in the town, with a regular schedule and he would go to bed and turn off the lights at 10 pm every night without fail.
Kim Hee-ro almost thought she was still half asleep and had mistaken the room for something else: "It's really changed. Is he still awake, or is he awake too?"
Faintly, she could hear the whimpering of owls outside. After a while, Jin Xilu gradually became sleepy and went back to her room under the covers. This time, she fell asleep quickly.
The setting moon hung between the two houses. Jiang Yilin watched her sleep from where she couldn't see him, the scent of roses making his head even heavier.
He couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed in front of the window.
The first rays of morning sunlight cleave through the mountains and into the town, fading the red of the purple walls. In the bustling commercial street, steam rises from the steamer baskets of the bun shops as soon as they are opened, and golden, crispy fried dough sticks are taken out to drain on a wire rack. The woks for stir-frying noodles have been turning over on the fire all morning.
The clanging and banging never stopped all morning.
The man sitting at the back of the breakfast shop leaned lazily against the wall, picking his teeth. He was oblivious to his own flabby body and listened to the conversations around him.
"Have you heard? That guy's back. He's really bold."
"Who is it? Who is it?" The woman brushed aside the scallions on the beef bone powder, not even bothering to drink the soup, and hurriedly asked.
Another person, in his haste to speak, burned his tongue with the soup. He quickly put down his spoon, smacked his lips, looked at her with disdain, opened his mouth wide to inhale, rolled his eyes, and said with a slurred tongue, "It's not that girl, that beggar girl. A lot of people saw her when she came back yesterday."
"Oh! She dares to come back. I heard she's not their biological daughter. I wonder if the clan chief will take pity on her and let her go." The woman sipped her soup, her words filled with pity for the helpless girl.
"The old clan chief isn't dead yet. Do you think he'll let her go?"
The two stopped their conversation there, as continuing would involve the debate over who was in power between the old and new clan leaders. Too much talk would lead to mistakes, and they were still hoping to make a good living through their clan.
The obese man standing nearby smiled and, oblivious to the fact that someone was sitting next to him with their legs raised high on a stool, urged the shopkeeper on.
"Boss, my fried noodles aren't ready yet? What kind of shop is this taking so long?!"
The owner of the fried noodles stall at the entrance wiped his sweat. He wasn't in a good mood with this local thug. He banged his spatula loudly and turned around to yell, "Are you trying to kill me?! You should pay off the debts that's been piling up in the shop first. You've gotten used to eating for free, haven't you!"
"Right away, right away, I'll have a large sum of money coming in soon, and I can pay back this breakfast money in no time." The man sitting in the seat had a greedy smile on his face; he was also surnamed Jin.
Jin Fang began to feel excited, as he would soon be able to see his adopted niece. He hadn't seen her for several years and missed her terribly.
I really want to get her money as soon as possible.
The sun came out, and its rays shone on Jiang Yilin's eyelids, the warmth stinging him little by little. The back of his hand was also wet from being licked by the cat.
"God, you've finally woken up! You scared me to death; I almost thought you had left us."
"Pah, pah, what are you saying? The gods wouldn't do that. Even if everyone in the town died, they wouldn't." The calico cat stepped on his sleeve, its big, round eyes unable to hide its worry.
"Not so fast, don't worry, I'll call you when I die."
Jiang Yilin coldly agreed, ignoring the two cats, and swayed slightly while holding onto the railing with one hand. Finally, he gritted his teeth and stood up. The dazzling sunlight made his eyelids feel a little itchy. He shook his head, trying to wake up. He saw snowflakes covering his eyes and he ruthlessly pulled his eyelids to the side, as if he could not feel the pain. He treated his body without any restraint.
His migraines only occur at night, but recently they have gotten worse. He only stayed by the window for a short while in the cold wind before falling asleep. Now, looking at the position of the sun outside, it's almost noon.
Just as Jiang Yilin stepped down one step, something bumped into his ankle. His frozen fingers loosened their grip on the handrail, and he looked down, raising an eyebrow at the two little balls at his feet. He asked, somewhat puzzled, "What are you doing?"
Sanhua spoke first: "Oh no! Oh no! That woman's enemies are coming!"
Jiang Yilin sighed, took off his robe and walked upstairs again, leaving it with the words, "Orange cat, you should stop sneaking into the store to watch those bandit movies."
Back in his room, Jiang Yilin picked up his cardigan from the bed, buttoned it up one button at a time, wiped the dust off his collarbone, and once again became the youngest clan chief whom everyone in the town revered.
He only realized after he finished buttoning the buttons that he had buttoned them wrong from the very first one in his panic.
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