Chapter 44 044 "Playing hide-and-seek?"
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As dusk falls, snow dances wildly, half plum blossoms and half willow catkins drifting in the air.
In the midst of the snow-covered landscape, a six-year-old child wrapped in a silver fox fur coat lay sprawled on the ground, staring blankly at his hands, which were red and frostbitten from the cold.
It seems, faintly, that someone is calling out something.
Small poison...
Small poison...
Little poisoner, wake up...
"Young Master Zichu!"
Suddenly, a sharp, shrill female voice rang out in the air. The little dumpling, who had been standing there stunned in the snow, jolted awake. In the blink of an eye, a soft hand pulled him up. The person was a young maid with her hair in double buns. As she brushed the snow off him, she began to nag and scold him:
"Young master, I was only gone for a short while, how did you end up in the backyard? I've been looking for you everywhere!"
The boy, having brushed away the remaining snow, appeared even more strikingly handsome, especially the crimson beauty mark under his eye, which made him appear exquisitely sculpted, androgynous, like a rare golden boy under the tutelage of Guanyin. However, his lips were blue from the cold, which distressed the little maid, who then began to nag and scold him:
"Look how cold you are! It's snowing heavily and the snow is so thick. What if you fell in the snow and couldn't get up? What if I couldn't find you? What if a bad person took you away..."
"Okay, it's alright."
A soft, beautiful voice, like a wisp of plum blossom fragrance, pierced through the biting cold wind and brushed towards the child with bluish lips. The child, named "Zichu," trembled with long eyelashes and was then embraced in a rich, cool, and fragrant embrace.
"Alright, alright, Chu'er is timid by nature, and you're still scaring him." The woman glared at the little maid with feigned anger, then slightly loosened her arms from holding the child, knelt down in front of him, and her face, which resembled the boy's, was as beautiful as a begonia in spring. Her gaze fell on the child's face, which was red from the cold, and her heartache immediately filled her beautiful eyes. The cinnabar mole under her left eye, which was exactly the same as the boy's, looked like a teardrop. The heartache in her eyes turned into water, and it seemed that even the biting cold wind became gentle and tender because of this woman with her gentle heart.
She rubbed her hands together, then gently massaged the boy's cheeks with her warm palms, her eyes crinkling with tenderness.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. No matter where my Chu'er runs to, Mother will find you, right?"
The child stared blankly at the smiling woman before him, for a long, long time, his gaze seemingly piercing through the seasons, the sun, moon, and stars… For some reason, a deep sorrow welled up within him, as if the first snow clinging to his long eyelashes had melted, and his vision had become blurred. He heard a sob rise in his throat, and a long-forgotten, unfamiliar address rolled out:
"……mother!"
Then, with two short arms, she tightly hugged the woman's neck, buried her little head in the woman's cloud-like black hair, which was filled with the cold fragrance of plum blossoms, and cried loudly.
The woman paused, startled. The child held on so tightly, as if clutching something lost and regained, that he wouldn't let go. His hair was pulled painfully, and her long eyebrows furrowed involuntarily. The beautiful woman said nothing, but chuckled and hugged the child back, patiently patting his back, which was wrapped in a fox fur coat, while softly coaxing him in his ear:
"What's wrong, child? Did something happen? Are you really scared?"
The maidservant was also anxious, circling around the young master: "Oh, young master, I'm not good with words, it's not that I really blame you, young master, it's just that I'm worried that you are so handsome, yet so unguarded, and with such a noble status, and with the master having so many enemies, what if you were kidnapped by a thief! Madam Lan, Madam Lan, please speak up for me!"
Zichu sobbed for a long time without being able to explain himself, when suddenly a long rumble came from her abdomen. The beautiful woman paused, then burst into laughter:
"My little Chu'er was hungry."
The beautiful woman picked up the child, and the maid beside her quickly said, "Madam, it's still me..."
The beautiful woman shook her head and refused, then struggled to hold the child, bouncing him slightly upwards.
"If I don't hold you now, I'll never be able to hold my Chu'er again! Come on, let Mommy make you something delicious!"
Zichu sniffed, gave a heavy "hmm," and hugged the beautiful woman's neck even tighter. But just as they were about to leave the backyard, for some reason, he looked back.
The snow started falling again.
Large, fluffy snowflakes fell in abundance, layer upon layer. Except for the red walls and green tiles, the world was enveloped in pure white.
Zichu blinked his pure black eyes, then gently rested his head on the beautiful woman's soft shoulder, suddenly feeling as if he were...
What was forgotten?
What is it...?
What is it...?
Zichu yawned lazily, and finally closed his sleepy, drowsy eyes.
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Inside the farmhouse, shrouded in toxic fog and bathed only in the faint glow of moonlight.
But the light never reached the dark corner hidden beneath the windowsill.
"Little poison... Little poison!"
"Little poisoner, wake up!"
Jiang Ling'er shouted louder and louder towards the hidden corner of darkness, towards the little poison creature that was almost one with the darkness, but the little poison creature remained unmoved.
He didn't even lift his eyelids, always hugging his knees, banging his head against the wall again and again, muttering something unintelligible.
Jiang Ling'er gritted her teeth, turned her head, and angrily cursed Huo Wu in the thick fog:
What did you do to him?!
"In the art of poison, this old woman is no different from the old poison master Gongye Chi; there is no one in the world who can surpass me. Gu poison, Gu poison, it is not only poison but also Gu. It is Gu... and it is also an illusion." Huo Wu paused, and a smile spread like ripples across her aged face as she slowly said, "Since it is an illusion, there is no cure. He will be completely consumed by his own fear until... he dies."
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Ling'er's pupils contracted, her lower lip was bitten until it bled, and she suddenly leaped from the ground and pounced, unleashing a "Thunder" attack!
Huo Wu sneered: "Overestimating yourself."
With a flick of his wrist, a dense barrage of needles shot towards Jiang Ling'er!
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The snowstorm finally stopped.
Amidst the blanket of silvery white light, a slender hand holds a child's rounded fingers, and the two, one big and one small, together hold a plum blossom branch, writing the two characters "Zi Chu" stroke by stroke on the thick snow.
As the beautiful woman guided him to write his name, she spoke softly:
"'If I cannot advance, I will be free from blame; if I retreat, I will restore my original attire.' This is the origin of your name. It means..."
Before the beautiful woman could finish speaking, the last stroke of the character "初" was so sharp that it looked like a dagger slicing through the neatly arranged characters "子初" on the snow. At this moment, the little poisonous creature was only a six-year-old child. He had already reached his limit after eating his favorite pastries and snacks and being held in the beautiful woman's arms and having two characters written on his body. He was even less able to bear hearing those words that he had heard hundreds of times, so he immediately broke free from the beautiful woman's embrace.
"Chu'er!"
Unfortunately, Zichu hadn't run two steps before a pair of large hands grabbed him by the armpits and lifted him above his head, as if catching a mouse. The newcomer's voice was deep, feigning anger as he said:
"Tell me, do you still dare to anger your mother?"
The newcomer was like a mountain. He strained to see him, but the backlight made his face blurry. However, his elegant demeanor revealed him to be an extraordinary man. Even knowing the newcomer was his father, the little dumpling's face turned pale with fright. The newcomer then teased him:
What is the next line after “'进不入以离尤兮'”?
"Retreat, retreat will lead to... defeat..."
"Cover what?"
The man's face seemed shrouded in a mist, and the more Xiao Zichu, the more indistinct it became, the more blurred it appeared. The surroundings were vibrant with color, but he himself seemed faded, with only his lips exhaling black mist—a truly terrifying sight. Xiao Zichu was terrified; his lips trembled, and he looked like he was about to cry. Seeing his son, who bore a striking resemblance to his wife, suddenly redden his eyes, the man's heart softened, and he became somewhat flustered.
"Hey, don't cry... Dad hasn't said anything yet..."
Suddenly, the boy lowered his head and bit his wrist hard!
The man, seemingly unaffected by the pain, promptly set the child down. The boy, his first foot landing on the ground, turned and ran without looking back. The maidservant Rao Zhu, who was standing nearby, was startled, quickly bowed to the man, and then chased after him.
"Young Master...Young Master, slow down!"
The man rubbed his forehead in frustration, glancing sideways at the beautiful woman who had remained silent, her brows furrowed slightly, her lovely eyes clouded with worry.
"What's wrong?"
The beautiful woman's delicate brows furrowed even more, as if they were knots that could not be untied:
“I’m worried about Chu’er’s personality. Chu’er has always been timid; a single word can make her turn pale. What if she gets bullied in the future…”
"Who dares to bully my son?"
The man dismissed her words with arrogance and haughtiness, scoffing and then forgot about them, pulling the beautiful woman close to his waist and whispering sweet nothings in her ear:
"Lan'er, I've been so busy with my affairs these past few days that I haven't been able to see you and Chu'er for a long time... You don't resent me, do you?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Lan temporarily set aside her worries, a hint of annoyance appearing in her eyes and brows. She pushed the man's hand away and strolled alone into the plum grove.
"You're a very busy person, so naturally you wouldn't remember us, mother and daughter."
What men love most is Madam Lan's petulant behavior. Immediately, his eyes lit up, and he begged for forgiveness as he chased after her to the plum grove.
--
Meanwhile, Rao Zhu was still chasing after Zi Chu:
"Young Master, Young Master!"
This vast estate was winding and circuitous, and although Jian Xiaochu was small and short-legged, he was exceptionally agile and ran extremely fast. Rao Zhu, still holding his fox fur coat, couldn't catch up for a while and could only shout loudly:
"Young Master Zichu, quickly put on your clothes! What if you catch a cold, young master!"
Xiao Zichu naturally wouldn't listen. Although he was afraid of his rarely seen father, he was not afraid of Madam Lan and Rao Zhu at all.
The nimble little legs then circled into the artificial hill, only to suddenly stop.
There's a dead end ahead.
But Rao Zhu's voice grew closer and closer behind them: "Young Master...Young Master!"
Just as the boy was about to give up in frustration, a pebble suddenly rolled out.
It lay all alone on the snow.
The boy paused for a moment, and then another pebble rolled out.
The boy hesitated and walked towards the pebbles. Suddenly, a thin hand reached out from the artificial hill, grabbed him, and pulled him into the hill!
"Young Master...Young Master?"
Rao Zhu arrived shortly after, but the snow-covered ground was deserted and the road was dead end. Moreover, the large mansion had many servants coming and going, so Xiao Zichu's small footprints were not conspicuous. Rao Zhu muttered, "Where did he run off to?" and turned back with her fox fur coat in her arms.
After Rao Zhu left, and when there was no sound outside except for the wind, the thin boy in the artificial hill released his hand from Xiao Zichu's mouth. Xiao Zichu, who had turned pale and was about to scream, saw the boy and his eyes lit up:
"elder brother!"
The newcomer was a boy of eleven or twelve years old, tall and slender with handsome features. Even at such a young age, one could already glimpse his future charm and elegance. However, despite the heavy snow, he was dressed in only thin clothes, which were covered with patches. Compared to the well-dressed and luxurious boy, he was a world apart.
The boy appeared a year ago in the backyard of the manor. The boy, impatient with reciting that damned "Li Sao" every day, threw a tantrum and ran away, where he encountered the boy who had half his body sticking out of the house.
It was then that the boy first learned that there was a dog hole in the house.
The two teenagers stared at each other in bewilderment until the boy's stomach rumbled. Then, the boy pulled out a lotus leaf cake from his pocket, and that's how their fate was sealed.
"Brother, you've come to play with me!"
Xiao Zichu's dark eyes sparkled, and he almost jumped up the moment he saw the boy. The boy didn't come to play with him often, and he was quite indifferent to him, but Xiao Zichu was too lonely. He had been in poor health since birth, and Madam Lan had also developed health problems due to childbirth. Therefore, although Xiao Zichu was six years old, he had never left the manor. This boy was his first friend since he became conscious.
If Xiao Zi wanted to find him, he could only wait in the backyard without being discovered. This was his agreement with the boy. Therefore, he would often "act up" and run away from Rao Zhu to see if his brother had come today.
However, the boy always appeared only in the backyard. After all, there were not only many servants in the manor, but also many experts. There were too many people and too many eyes on him. This was the first time the boy had appeared in the central courtyard.
The boy wasn't as excited as he seemed. Instead, he sat alone in the artificial hill, his hands covering his forehead to hide his expression. He sneered and muttered to himself, "If I can't enter, I'll leave behind my original purity; if I retreat, I'll restore my original attire... Ha." Through his thin, pale fingers, which were covered in frostbite, a pair of dark, clear, yet sinister peach blossom eyes peeked out. "You want him to be as pure as he was at first? I'll destroy him."
The boy was always aloof, and Xiao Zichu didn't seem to notice his strange behavior at this moment. Instead, he seemed to realize something, and guiltily tugged at his clothes, somewhat annoyed.
"Brother, I forgot to bring any food."
After saying that, he peeked at the boy's hands again, and when he saw that the boy's hands were empty, his face fell and he looked disappointed.
Every time they met, Xiao Zichu would give the boy the pastries he had secretly brought, and the boy would exchange them for something new from outside the wall. Sometimes it was a small slingshot, sometimes a rattle drum. Whatever it was, as long as it was from outside the wall, Xiao Zichu was overjoyed.
But today there is nothing.
But he was happy whenever his older brother appeared.
Just as the boy had composed himself, he suddenly heard the boy's calm, unwavering voice:
"Let's go."
The boy got up briskly and walked out of the artificial hill, leaving behind only a pile of dirty snow.
The boy stared at the dirty snow for a moment, then ran after it on his short legs, chirping like a little sparrow:
"Brother, brother, where are we going?"
"Go outside the wall."
After speaking, the boy ignored him, letting the young man huff and puff as he struggled to keep up. Only when the thick snow was pushed aside to reveal a small dog hole in the corner of the wall did the boy turn his head and glance at him with his beautiful but indifferent peach blossom eyes:
"Shall we go?"
The boy paused slightly, then his round eyes gleamed with excitement:
"go!"
The usually taciturn boy finally showed a slight smile, but the smile didn't reach his eyes and quickly disappeared as he left first.
The young boy followed closely behind the boy, bending down to look back at the village before leaving. The snow had stopped sometime earlier.
A thick layer of snow covered the red walls and green tiles. He could faintly hear Rao Zhu calling his name in the air. He took one last look at the manor and the direction of the plum grove where his mother was before following the boy out of the cave without looking back.
Soon it started snowing again.
The swirling snowflakes soon covered the small dog hole in the backyard, leaving no trace of the tiny footprints on the snow.
--
The world outside the wall.
On a snowy day, there were very few pedestrians on the street, with only the occasional coachman urging his horse to pass by.
Moreover, night will soon fall.
"Brother, where are we going?"
"elder brother……"
"elder brother……"
The boy's thin figure walked incredibly fast, so fast that Xiaozi Chuyi's short legs could barely keep up. He chased after the boy, calling out "Brother" all the way, and they walked like this for who knows how long, until Zhuangzi had long since disappeared from sight. Suddenly, he bumped into the boy's thin, cold, and hard back, and for a moment, he fell to the ground on the cold snow.
The boy stopped without warning.
The cold snow and hard bluestone ground made the boy's eyes suddenly redden. He was about to cry, but stopped abruptly after hearing what the boy said:
Want to play hide-and-seek?
The boy finally turned to look at him, but made no move to help him up. He simply looked down at him, who had fallen to the ground.
At this moment, his white fox fur collar was soaked through by the dirty snow on the ground, making him look even more disheveled and down-and-out than the boy covered in patches. He looked nothing like a noble young master.
Before I knew it, the snow started falling again.
The heavy snowfall and the white breath he exhaled obscured the boy's expression.
He had played hide-and-seek before, and his mother often played with him. However, his mother was not in good health, so they would only play for a quarter of an hour before coaxing him to sleep, which was never enough. He knew all the flowers and plants in the village, so playing outside the wall was much more fun!
Everything outside the wall was new and exciting, even the dirty bluestone road felt incredibly fresh!
"OK!"
Xiao Zichu quickly got up from the ground, even forgetting to brush the snow off his clothes, his bright eyes looking up at the boy.
His childish voice quickly dissipated into the air with the fleeting white breath he exhaled, and the boy suddenly fell silent.
The boy's face was blurred by the swirling snow, but Xiao Zichu knew that the boy was staring intently at him. Just when he thought the boy would refuse to change his mind and coax him back like his mother, the boy finally spoke. His voice was cold and calm, carrying a wisp of light, like a fleeting puff of white smoke:
"Hide well, I'll come find you after ten counts."
"good!"
The boy's eyes lit up immediately. Fearing the boy might regret it, he nodded emphatically and ran away.
He didn't run too far, afraid that the boy wouldn't be able to find him, so he secretly hid in an abandoned stable at a street corner, silently counting to ten before quietly waiting for the boy to come looking for him.
Fifteen minutes have passed.
My brother hasn't found him yet.
Half an hour passed, and my brother still hadn't arrived.
...
The time it takes for an incense stick to burn has passed.
The boy shivered from the cold and sneezed. His initial excitement turned into anxiety and then unease. He came out of the stable and then ran back inside.
"Brother, I don't want to play anymore... Brother?"
There was no one on the snow-covered ground.
The boy stood frozen in place, his face pale. Fear howled like a cold wind, seeping into his bones. His eyes red, he screamed:
"Brother... Brother! I don't want to play anymore, brother!"
The only answers he received were the howling wind and his own echo.
Night fell.
By day, it was pure white; by night, it was completely black.
The night wind, carrying frost flowers, rushed and howled, as if countless giant beasts lurked in the unseen darkness... He dared not go anywhere.
Finally, he broke down in tears, his lips trembling. Cold and frightened, he curled up into a tiny ball, his hands tightly covering his ears to try and block out the wind that sounded like the roars of wild beasts. Through his sobs, he murmured hoarsely, pleading:
"Brother, I don't want to play anymore... I want to go home..."
"Brother, you said you would come to find me..."
"elder brother……"
"mother……"
"Mother, where are you... You said you would find me... Mother..."
"Chu'er wants to go home... Mother."
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Author's Note: ① Dusk is falling, snow is falling wildly, half plum blossoms, half willow catkins. From Ma Zhiyuan's "Shouyang Qu: Evening Snow on the River". Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2023-11-10 01:35:33 and 2023-11-19 03:53:46!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Deep Courtyard and Leisurely (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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