Qiu Ling sat at the table in the Zhong’s house and sighed heavily. After what had happened back then, Madam Zhong was overly cautious with her son. She had stripped him to her back and carried him whenever she went outside. If she could, she’d probably be still doing that but Zhong Jing Yi had already turned four years old by now. A little too old to be still carried around.
Still, Madam Zhong didn’t leave him out of her sight. Most of the time, she held one of his tiny hands and had him tag along with her. The boy didn’t mind. In fact, he seemed quite reliant on his mother, gripping the skirt of her dress if she ever let go of his hand.
Qiu Ling had been sulking since he noticed this for the first time. The Jing He he knew from the Nine Heavens hadn’t even been this close to him. How could he cling to a mere human like that?!
Thankfully, Mister Zhong had talked his wife out of always taking the boy with her just a few weeks ago. He had understood her overprotectiveness after what happened but he wanted his son to turn into a strong man, not someone who needed to be protected all the time. Especially by a woman. How could a boy his age still rely on his mother this much?
As a result, he had decided to show Jing Yi all the fun things to do as a young boy. Unfortunately, Jing Yi didn’t seem as thrilled as he had hoped.
Mister Zhong looked at his son wryly. “Jing Yi … Don’t you want to go have a look at the forest? There is a big river you can play at and if you’re not too loud, we might even see some animals!” The ‘big river’ Mister Zhong talked about was actually a small stream but a four-year-old child would probably not notice.
Mister Zhong watched Jing Yi excitedly but didn’t get any response. The boy only blinked his doe eyes at his father. River? Animals? His mother had already told him to be cautious should he ever have to face something terrifying like that! The river brought small children like him somewhere far away if they fell in. And those animals would swallow him whole!
Remembering all of that the boy hid behind his mother. Madam Zhong crossed her arms and smiled triumphantly. “See that? Jing Yi doesn’t want to go! Why not let him stay with me?”
Mister Zhong sighed and stood up. He just couldn’t coax his son. “How can that be? He’s a boy. He should be outside, playing in the mud, trying to catch rabbits, climbing up trees! What is it with this child? What did I do wrong as his father that he doesn’t want to go outside? He has never played with any of the other children!”
“What should he play with them for? Who should he even play with? The second son of the Pans? He’s just like his older brother! He’d bully my Jing’er!”
Qiu Ling nodded vehemently. Indeed! Even though Madam Zhong was at fault for him not having much time with Jing He for the last four years she was a good mother. She had realized soon enough that all those other children in the village weren’t good enough to spend time with his Jing He! They would just be a bad influence.
“It doesn’t have to be the son of the Pans …” Mister Zhong tried to get past his wife to try to coax his son again but Madam Zhong just turned around with each step he took, carefully pushing Jing Yi along.
Finally, Mister Zhong threw his hands up in the air and gave up. “Fine! We won’t go into the forest. Stay with your mother today. But tomorrow! Tomorrow, we’ll surely go!” With that, he threw his son a stern look, turned around and went to work.
Qiu Ling yawned. How many days had Mister Zhong tried and gone without having achieved anything saying the exact same words? “This should be …” He looked at his hands and moved his fingers. “Day twenty?”
Madam Zhong smiled as soon as her husband was out of the door. She turned around, squatted down and pulled her son into her arms. “You did very well! Don’t let your father talk you into anything! The forest is dangerous. We can’t let anything happen to you.”
Jing Yi nodded obediently and looked up at his mother.
“Mn.” Madam Zhong tussled his hair and motioned to the door. Let’s go. You can just follow mommy to work. Today, we’re doing the laundry. I’m sure the others will bring their daughters with them. You can just play with them. They won’t do such dangerous things as the boys!”
Hmph. Thinking about it, she sometimes wished she had given birth to a daughter instead then her husband wouldn’t try to talk her child into doing all of this nonsense all day! But then again she’d have to marry a daughter off eventually. Mn, it’s still better to have a son! she thought, took his hand and gripped the basket with the laundry with the other.
Jing Yi tiptoed and opened the door for his mother and the two set out to meet with the other womenfolk. Of course, Qiu Ling was right behind them, watching out for Jing Yi so nothing would happen to him. Really, the human world was just too dangerous for a small child! What if he was attacked by a wild animal? What if the other children tried to bully him? What if he tripped and got hurt?!
Why did he suddenly feel like the human realm was full of dangers lurking everywhere? Had it always been this dangerous? And worst of all, those things weren’t even the most dangerous things out there. Qiu Ling had discovered the most wicked thing of them all just two weeks prior:
Small. Human. Girls.
They tried to look all innocent with those dresses and pigtails and their big eyes and wide smiles but he knew, he just knew they were the worst possible thing out there! He’d never let them near his Jing He! But, unfortunately, he still hadn’t found a reliable way to counter this danger.
Mn, maybe today …