Chapter 19 019 This little poisoner is not only vicious, but also incredibly petty...
Jiang Ling'er stared at the withered face of the blind woman. She looked like any ordinary rural woman, but the woman in front of her looked even more... pitiful.
Not only because she was blind and being tricked, but also because although she looked to be in her forties, she had a full head of white hair... Even so, Jiang Ling'er stared blankly at the blind woman, the simple word "mother" rolling on her tongue again and again, but she just couldn't get it out.
It wasn't just because she had never met this person before, and she was truly a cheap "mother" picked up on the road. It was also because Jiang Ling'er's mother died in childbirth, and she had never even seen her once. Even the old镖头 (bodyguard/escort) Jiang rarely mentioned her mother.
The word "mother" was too unfamiliar to her, so unfamiliar that she couldn't bring herself to say it. She just stood there dumbfounded, staring blankly at her.
"Useless thing, you can't even call a person properly. Tell me, what else can you do?"
A low, cursing voice reached her ears, and a warm breath brushed against them, tickling her slightly. Fortunately, the heat dissipated as soon as it touched her ear, along with the hand resting on her shoulder.
Perhaps because of his serious injuries, the little poison creature walked with a leisurely and sluggish gait, but that did not diminish his innate cold and wicked aura, which was more than enough to deal with these little brats.
He walked up to the child clutching the blind woman's disheveled hair. Backlit, his tall figure loomed over him like a mountain, looking down at him. In just one glance, the child's face turned pale.
"Little kid, can't you understand human language? Can't you see my mother is in pain? Let go."
The child suddenly let go, his mouth agape, and with a "whoosh," he turned and ran away in fright, causing the other children around him to scatter like sparrows in terror.
The little poisonous creature rubbed its prominent nose, watched the retreating figures of the children like swallows returning to their nests, and shouted:
"Tell your parents that...Dalang is back. If you dare to bully my mother again, I won't let you get away with it!"
Before long, the children had all run off, leaving only the three of them in the empty reeds.
Finally, things quieted down.
The blind woman hadn't uttered a sound from the beginning. Unable to see, she could only stare blankly in the direction of the small poisonous creature, and after a long while, she uttered soft, dreamlike sounds, as if afraid that a loud noise would startle the person before her.
"Da...Da Lang? Is it really you, Da Lang?"
The little poisonous creature had no qualms about calling out "Mom" without hesitation, and then added:
"Mother, I'm back. No..." He suddenly grabbed Jiang Ling'er's wrist roughly and pulled her over. His hand lazily rested on her shoulder, and he chuckled softly, his lips barely touching. It was unclear who he was laughing at, or at the absurd situation. "It's us who's back."
The word "we" was emphasized.
Jiang Ling'er, who was forced by him to meet his parents, was stunned for a moment: "..." After a long while, she managed to squeeze out, "...Hmm."
The blind woman, as if waking from a dream, sobbed and suddenly lunged forward, actually catching the little poisonous creature squarely in her arms. She held the creature, tears streaming down her face.
"My son, after so many years, your mother has finally... your mother has finally waited for you to come back!"
Jiang Ling'er watched in terror, seeing a vein bulge on the little poisoner's forehead. She feared the bamboo flute would strike the poor blind woman's head at any moment. Fortunately, the little poisoner was still conscious and remained frozen in place. She was even more relieved that the old woman was blind and couldn't see the little poisoner's murderous expression. She quickly grabbed the blind woman's sleeve and pulled her away from the little poisoner. If she didn't, she feared not only the old woman would lose her life, but she would also suffer the consequences.
Sure enough, after it was torn open, the little poisonous creature seemed to finally breathe a sigh of relief, but its handsome face was still ashen, and even a glance at it was enough to make one shudder.
Jiang Ling'er was once again relieved that the old woman couldn't see her. All she could hear was the old woman's wailing echoing in the reeds, each word filled with blood, as if she wanted to cry out all the sorrow she had endured over the years. It moved everyone who heard it. Jiang Ling'er couldn't help but think of Old Escort Jiang, and her eyes suddenly turned red. She looked up at the sky and blinked for a long time before she forced back her tears.
The little poisoner merely observed the two women, one old and one young, with a cold sneer at the corner of his mouth. He turned his head to look at the thin veil of smoke and mist that was gradually gathering on the horizon, lost in thought.
After a long, long time, the old woman finally stopped crying. She couldn't see, and when the little poisoner and Jiang Ling'er stopped talking, she couldn't find them anymore, and she began to panic. Her aged hands grasped at the air: "My dear son, your mother hasn't seen you for so long... so long! Let your mother touch you, let your mother see if you've grown taller, if you've become stronger..."
Her words fell silent, leaving only the rustling of the wind through the reeds. Jiang Ling'er glanced at the little poisoner's still ashen face, then at the pair of aged hands, etched with the lines of time, hanging in mid-air. Understanding the situation, she took the hands in the little poisoner's place. Looking at the old woman's graying temples, she couldn't help but think of the old镖头 (bodyguard/escort) in the prison, his head covered in white hair. Sniffing, the word "Mother," which was usually difficult to utter, became easier. She grasped the hands before her, thought for a moment, and said:
"Mother, Master... um, Eldest Brother is tired, and it's getting late. Why don't we... go home and talk more?"
"Yes, yes, I was only thinking of myself. You must be hungry and tired from your journey. Come on... come home with me..." As she spoke, she held Jiang Ling'er's hand tightly. "You are Dalang's wife? That's wonderful... wonderful. I was worried that Dalang would be lonely and miserable outside, but I didn't expect him to bring his daughter-in-law back... that's wonderful."
The old woman held her hand as if it were her last straw. Jiang Ling'er's heart was touched, and she let her hold it. When she saw that the old woman suddenly remembered something, she let go of her hand and took out a piece of candy from her pocket.
Jiang Ling'er was slightly taken aback. She saw that the little poisoner was holding candy in both hands, and not knowing where it was, she could only reach out to the void, eagerly and cautiously trying to please it:
"Big Brother... is Big Brother hungry? Just have a piece of candy. When you were little, you would pester your mother for candy whenever you were hungry. I've saved some for you, I've saved all of them for you..."
Her hands, etched with the marks of time, dirt, and sweat, trembled uncontrollably. Perhaps they were quite old; the candy wrapper on her palm was slightly yellowed. Her clothes were faded and worn, but the small candy wrapper was in excellent condition.
Jiang Ling'er glanced at the little poisoner beside her. Seeing his unmoved expression, she knew he was fastidious. Her brows furrowed slightly, and she was about to say something when the little poisoner turned his head away, showing no emotion, and said indifferently:
"I don't eat candy."
The old woman paused, as if suddenly realizing something, and awkwardly withdrew her hand: "I've been getting senile. You were only twelve when you left, I always forgot... I always thought you were still a child..."
Jiang Ling'er was not good with words and didn't know what to say for a moment. Fortunately, she and Xiao Duwu managed to get home with the blind woman without any problems.
Although the blind woman could not see, she remembered the way home clearly even though she could not see due to years of habit.
She led the way, with Jiang Ling'er supporting the little poisoner behind. It wasn't difficult to get information out of the woman. Perhaps due to the long wait and disappointment, the blind woman was sometimes lucid and sometimes confused, which is why they were able to piece together everything about this "elder brother".
This also pieced together the unfortunate life of this blind woman.
The old woman had married the wrong man, a dissolute who frequented brothels and gambling dens. To pay off his gambling debts, he sold his only son, twelve-year-old Dalang, to a Taoist priest for ten taels of silver, claiming he was going with the priest to search for immortal mountains. By the time the old woman found out, he had vanished. She searched everywhere but to no avail, and dared not go far, fearing that if Dalang returned, her home would be empty. So she stayed at home, waiting for her beloved Dalang.
They waited and waited, until that dissolute official died, until they cried until they went blind, but the day finally came.
She and the little poisoner finally arrived.
Two swindlers.
"You feel guilty?"
The little poisoner still had one hand on her shoulder, leaning half his body against her. He was in terrible shape; it was a miracle he'd lasted this long. He desperately needed to find a place to rest. His health wasn't good, but that didn't stop him from wanting to pick a fight with Jiang Ling'er.
It's no wonder he was so annoyed. Whenever he found Jiang Ling'er somewhat agreeable, she would act so stupidly that it made him look at her with disdain.
He felt it necessary to give this naive young lady a good talking-nothing.
She's already stumbled once, so if she falls again... she can just fall on her own, don't hurt others.
He glanced at her tense profile, and wondered if it was just his imagination, but Jiang Ling'er seemed a little paler, not as dark as when he first saw her. Was it because she was with him, sleeping during the day and going out at night?
He chuckled and said lazily:
"You're already moved? You feel sorry for this old woman?"
Jiang Ling'er chose to remain silent.
She felt that the little poisoner was not only poisonous in person and in words, but also in heart. He saw poison in everything he saw, and if she said that, she would definitely upset him, so it was better not to say anything.
But the little poisoner wasn't about to let her go. His hand, resting on her shoulder, hooked a strand of her hair and twirled it around his fingertip, then suddenly said:
"How about we make a bet?"
Jiang Ling'er was still caught up in the old woman's tragic story of feeling sorry for her kindred spirits. Hearing the little poisoner's words, she felt a tightness in her chest and a bit angry. She had initially resolved to pretend not to notice, but couldn't resist her curiosity and asked:
"What are we betting on?"
The little poisonous creature paused, its fingertips, which had been playing with her hair, and slowly uttered two words:
"People's hearts".
Jiang Ling'er was taken aback and looked up at the boy who was leaning against her and was almost half a head taller than her: "What do you mean?"
The little poisonous creature's dark eyes were fixed on the old woman's faltering, hunched figure leading the way, and it narrowed its eyes slightly:
"Do you think a blind and insane old woman can still live well after losing her husband and only son?" She glanced at Jiang Ling'er coldly. "Don't tell me she's not living well. Right now, the Jurchens are rampant, and there's been war for years. There are many displaced people on the streets. Although she's blind, she has hands and feet. Even though she's insane and blind, she still has food and clothing and has lived well until now... Do you dare say she's not living well?"
Jiang Ling'er paused, swallowing back the words she wanted to say. She followed the little poisoner's gaze to the faltering old woman, still feeling the touch of the old woman's hands tightly gripping hers. Even though she thought the little poisoner's words made sense, her lips remained tightly pursed, still clinging to a stubborn hope and refusing to believe.
“If I’m not mistaken…” Little Poison loosened his grip, and the strands of hair wrapped around his hand fell down. His already dark eyes reflected the old woman’s faltering figure, making them even more unfathomable. “She must have accomplices.”
Jiang Ling'er was startled and almost cried out. She quickly lowered her voice and moved closer to the little poisoner. The two, already very close, became even closer, almost touching. In the blink of an eye, the little poisoner's tuft of raven-feather-like hair was right in front of him. Her hair was beautifully styled, unlike her rebellious, hedgehog-like appearance. Her hair was soft, and running her fingertips through it felt like touching a cloud. At that moment, the softness of that hair spread from her fingertips to the tip of her nose. She was slightly taken aback, then frowned and turned her head away uncomfortably.
I heard her say in a low voice, "What does she want to do?!"
The little poisoner spoke casually, completely unconcerned: "It's nothing more than murder and robbery, it's that simple."
Jiang Ling'er was even more shocked and moved even closer to him, her eyes wide like copper bells: "Then...then should we still follow?" Wouldn't that be walking into a trap?
The delicate fragrance of the hair enveloped her, but Jiang Ling'er couldn't see it. At this moment, the little poisonous creature's brows were furrowed so deeply they could trap a mosquito, but... perhaps afraid of alerting the enemy, it didn't move. A glint of cunning flashed quickly in its eyes, and it said softly:
"Then we'll have three burrows, won't we? We can take over someone else's nest and kill two birds with one stone?" After saying that, she added a sarcastic remark, "You really think she's kindly giving you candy? I bet her original goal was to lure a child, but we ruined it instead. She'll probably be even angrier now. I don't think she'll be able to lure a child with that piece of candy, but it'll be enough to lure you."
Jiang Ling'er listened to the little poisoner's analysis, completely bewildered, and for a moment she didn't care about the sarcasm in his words. Perhaps she was used to it and didn't care anymore. She couldn't help but look at the staggering figure not far away, feeling only confusion in her heart.
Could it be that she really is as the little poisoner said...?
"Don't you feel sorry for her now? Do you find her repulsive?" The little poisonous creature sneered. "What's the difference between high and low, good and bad, pitiful and hateful? As long as you can survive, that's a skill, whether it's for us or for her. Do you think everyone is born with everything like you?"
Jiang Ling'er paused, her face tense: "Master, I've already said I'm no longer Jiang..."
"Yes, yes, yes..." The little poisonous creature gave a perfunctory smirk, finally withdrawing its gaze from the old woman and instead staring down at the tuft of raven-feather-like hair and the delicate skin peeking through it. Its eyes darkened, and after a moment of silence, it said, "If what I said is true, you have no excuse this time, right?"
The little poisoner stopped short of making a point, but Jiang Ling'er sensed a threat in his words.
She was wrong.
She was wrong. She thought that the matter of letting the innkeeper go was over, but it turns out it was never over.
Not only is that little poisoner vicious, but she's also incredibly petty. How could we possibly let her go so easily?
He wants her head, and he will. She might escape it once, but she can't escape it a second or third time, unless she doesn't want to stay by the little poisoner's side, unless she wants to die.
How could the little poisoner let her use him for free? Of course, he needed some interest.
Although she had only known him for a few days, she knew that he had made many enemies, and this head was not only interest, but also more proof that they were on the same side than the verbal "master".
After figuring this out, Jiang Ling'er's expression turned somewhat grim, and she remained silent, pursing her lips. They stopped only when the staggering figure ahead came to a halt.
The old woman slowly turned around, her hands somewhat awkwardly clasped in front of her, looking at them with a mixture of shyness and anticipation:
"Big Brother... how is it? I've thought about you every day since you left, afraid that you wouldn't recognize the house when you come back, so I've been pruning it every day... How is it? Is it the house you remember?"
As dusk settled, the setting sun cast a blood-red glow on the horizon. Beside a small, rustic farmhouse stood a patch of neatly trimmed flowers and plants, clearly the result of the owner's meticulous care.
How could an elderly woman who is blind and whose hands tremble uncontrollably do that?
Jiang Ling'er bit her lower lip until it turned white, and her nails dug deep into the flesh of her palm.
A low, slightly hoarse voice came from the little poisonous creature:
"Auntie, the main event is here."
His eyes were fixed on the dark farmhouse behind the old woman, his deep black eyes unfathomable yet filled with obvious excitement.
Jiang Ling'er followed his gaze—
Under the cover of night, it seemed as if a ferocious beast lurked behind that seemingly simple door, watching her from a place she couldn't see.
She swallowed hard, closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, her eyes were calm and still. She then stepped inside.
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Author's Note: See you tomorrow! Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2023-05-24 21:13:56 and 2023-05-25 22:03:32!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Sneezing A Qiu (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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