A Leisurely and Extravagant Life - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Luo Jingzhi, Living Under Another’s Roof

Luo Baolin had originally planned to throw the tortoise shell away. The old couple always felt it carried some kind of ominous aura. He carried it outside, but after thinking for a while, brought it back in again. Mainly, he was still worried about Luo Tianwang’s condition—if he threw it away and Tianwang’s illness changed for the worse, he would regret it for life.

Now that Luo Tianwang had used the mysterious symbols to heal Luo Baolin’s injury, the old couple no longer felt as fearful of the shell as before. So once home, Luo Baolin took it out from where he had hidden it.

“Grandpa, you hid the shell so well, are you afraid someone might steal it?” Luo Tianwang thought everyone treated the tortoise shell as preciously as he did. In truth, even if it were left at the doorstep, no one would dare touch it.

Hearing this, Luo Baolin only smiled helplessly. Such things were impossible to explain to a child.

Tianwang carefully received the tortoise shell from his grandfather and stroked the back of it as if it were a treasure.

Who knew how ancient this thing was, the natural lines on it had eroded heavily with time. The first time he saw it, it had been covered in strange, archaic writing. But now, those characters had vanished completely, leaving not a single trace. Tianwang felt certain this must be an extraordinary artifact.

This time, however, no mysterious symbols appeared on the shell. He felt a pang of regret. Last time, a single green symbol had healed his grandfather’s leg. If only another symbol would appear—it was bound to have some other miraculous function.

“Grandpa, what do loaches eat?” Tianwang suddenly asked.

“They probably don’t eat rice bran. Ask your grandma to grab some rapeseed cakes—they should eat those. But they won’t eat much, don’t feed them too much or they’ll burst.” Luo Baolin thought aloud.

“What rapeseed cakes? Just dump some chicken and duck droppings in the pond and it’ll do.” Xiao Chunxiu interjected.

“That works too. But don’t worry about it, Grandpa will take care of it later. Don’t dirty your clothes.” Luo Baolin quickly cut in.

***

Because their ox carried bundles of rice stalks every day, Chunxiu fed it two meals of grain and plenty of cut grass, keeping it well fed.

In the mornings, Tianwang no longer needed to herd cattle. Perhaps because of that strange encounter, the green droplet in his energy core had turned into a little green lake, and his spirit had become much stronger than before. So when his grandparents got up early to harvest rice, Tianwang also got up.

“Tianwang, how come you’re up so early today?” Chunxiu asked curiously.

“I’ve already woken up. Grandma, I’ll go with you.” Tianwang grinned.

“No, no, you stay home and cook breakfast. Your grandma and I can go. You’re still young—when you grow up, you’ll be able to help us.” Baolin chuckled, ruffling his grandson’s hair.

After they left for the fields, Tianwang washed the rice, lit the fire, then ran off to check on the loaches in the pond. That was the thing he cared about most.

Amusingly, the loaches were leaping about. When he trailed his hand through the water, a school of loaches swam over and frolicked at his side. They seemed to love his presence, for he was always surrounded by countless glowing motes and the little creatures adored those.

“Tianwang, what are you doing here?” Luo Jingzhi approached, carrying a bamboo basket on her back.

“I’m raising loaches in the pond. Once they breed, I can sell them for money. Grandpa said loaches in Shuikou Town go for more than ten yuan a jin!” Tianwang scooped a few up to show her.

“Really? Don’t take them out—they’ll die.” Jingzhi looked with surprise at the wriggling fish in his hands.

Tianwang tossed them back into the water. Strangely, instead of scattering, they circled once and swam right back to him.

“Huh? Your loaches are really odd, so bold.” Jingzhi set down her basket curiously, crouched by the bank, and reached into the water to catch some. But the moment her hand touched the water, the loaches scattered in fright.

“Tianwang, do you have something on you? Why aren’t they afraid of you?” she asked, baffled.

“I don’t know.” Tianwang shook his head, though he suspected it had something to do with that day he used a symbol to heal the loaches.

Jingzhi tried several times, but eventually all the loaches hid deep underwater.

“Oh no, I need to go cut pig grass, or I’ll get scolded again.” Jingzhi hastily slung her basket onto her back and ran off.

Watching her small figure leave, Tianwang felt a pang of sympathy. Jingzhi was his age, yet she was so thin and small that the basket rubbed against her legs as she walked.

Her life was pitiful. When she was little, her mother Zhao Guiju and grandmother Zhang Pingying had clashed constantly. Her father, Luo Xingshan, drank pesticide in a fit of anger and died.

Not long after, Zhao Guiju remarried. She had wanted to take Jingzhi with her, but Xingshan’s parents and relatives refused. From then on, Jingzhi lived with her grandparents. Yet within a couple of years, both grandparents passed away too, and she was sent to live with her uncle Luo Xinghe and his wife.

Her uncle treated her like his own child, but her aunt Xiao Xia despised her, calling her a cursed star. After all, she had lost her father, then her grandparents. Living with them, she would surely bring bad luck to their family too—so Xiao Xia treated her horribly.

In truth, Jingzhi was more like a servant than a niece. Xinghe had a weak temperament; his words held no weight at home.

From a young age, Jingzhi lived under others’ roof, enduring this harsh life. Every morning she had to go out and cut pig grass, or face a beating if she didn’t finish. Luckily, schooling was compulsory and free, otherwise even the smallest book fees would make Xiao Xia complain endlessly.

When her grandparents were still alive, Zhao Guiju sometimes came to visit, but each time she left in tears after being cursed out by Zhang Pingying.

Before mother remarried and after her grandparents passed, Zhao Guiju tried to take Jingzhi away, but was beaten and scolded by Xinghe and Xiao Xia. That mother and daughter were torn apart like in a tragic farewell.

Later, Zhao Guiju remarried and had children of her own. With Xiao Xia’s overbearing nature, she never came back to Hemawan Village again.

Watching Jingzhi’s receding figure, Tianwang recalled these past events. Just then, the aroma of cooked rice wafted from the kitchen.

The food was done! He ran back inside, lifted the lid—oh no! The top layer had already turned yellow. Burnt!