Chapter 8: The Pain of Losing Something

  Shen Bailian turned back to look, behind the big stone stood a little girl in the green grass, wearing a yellow shirt with a small face that looked particularly delicate, but her eyebrows were like crescent moons and her eyes were like dots of ink. Who else could it be if not Ruan Ci?

  Ruan Cidi hadn't seen Baiying for many days, and now that she had found him, it was like finding a treasure. She tightly grasped his sleeve and wouldn't let go, laughing and scolding: "Shen Gege, I've been waiting in this forest for many days, why didn't you come? You're making me anxious to death!"

  Shen Bailian thought that she had been so worried about her mother's illness for days, and had forgotten about this little companion of hers. She couldn't help but feel a bit guilty, so she quickly reached out to touch Ruan Ci's hair bun, which was swaying back and forth, and said: "Ah Ci, don't be angry with me. I've been busy these past few days and couldn't get away, it's not fair that you had to wait here every day... Hmm, let me make it up to you."

  Ruan Ci just pouted and said, "Others are worried to death about you, thinking that you were taken away by a monster. Even the lotus cake made by Season Mother can't be eaten. What will you use to compensate?"

  He reached into his pocket, thinking of taking out something to please Ruan Ci, tease her into a smile. His fingertips naturally touched the green bead that he had put in his clothes earlier. He immediately smiled and said: "Ah Ci, didn't I say last time that I would find something fun for you? Look, what's this in my hand?" As he spoke, he opened his palm in front of her, with the green bead lying on it.

  Ruan Ci looked carefully and was indeed very happy: "It's really beautiful, Shen Gege, are you really giving this to me?"

  "Is that fake?" Shen Bailian smiled as she looked at Ruan Ci, holding the green pearl in her hand. "This thing was hard to find, you just take it and play with it, don't get angry again."

  "Ah Ci didn't get angry with Shen Gege at all!" Ruan Ci Mei said with a curved eyebrow, "That's concern, concern!"

  At this moment, Ruan Ci sat down beside Shen Bai Ling. She was small and had short legs, so when she sat on the big stone, her two feet couldn't touch the ground. Her legs swung back and forth freely, and the fluffy flowers on her green shoes also swayed with them. The round beads were as crystal clear as jade, and even though they felt cool to the touch in her hand, she didn't feel cold. She lovingly turned them over and caressed them, the more she looked at them, the happier she became.

  Shen Bailian saw Ruan Ci's mouth corner with a smile, and looking at Lu Zhu's eyes were also full of tenderness. He suddenly thought of something and asked: "Ah Ci, you just mentioned that some monster caught people, did something big happen recently?"

  Ruan Ci shook her head, hesitated for half a day before saying: "Father said those were all nonsense, rumors should stop at the wise... Ah Ci is not stupid, she doesn't believe those words!" She saw Bai Feng was worried to death just now, but now that she had calmed down, she pretended to be a little adult again.

  Shen Bailian found it amusing and said: "Good, good, Ah Cai is a clever melon, the cleverest little girl in Quanshou Yang City, isn't that great?"

  "Pfft, Brother Shen is always making fun of people!" Ruan Ci gave him a cold glance, then burst out laughing again. "But Season Mama also said she saw it clearly, and the rumors spread among the city people aren't entirely false... There's a monster in Niao Lake, Brother Shen, do you know?"

  Shen Bailian was taken aback, thinking to herself: Of course I know, but the monster isn't on Lake Tong, it's under the water. However, she put on a bewildered expression and said: "How can there be monsters on Lake Tong? With so many fishing boats on the lake, if there really were monsters, how could they still fish?"

  "It's only recently that this has happened." Ruan Ci Xi said with a serious expression, "Seasoned Mother said that day our boat was probably pulled away by some sort of magical method used by the water monster, fortunately I have great luck and was rescued by Shen Ge Ge, otherwise I would have become the water monster's pastry!"

  Shen Bailian knew at this time, it was probably the nest guard team patrolling back and forth in the lake that was discovered by humans, which led to such a rumor. He smiled and said: "Monsters are not necessarily all bad, if I were a monster, would Ah Cai also ignore me?" His words had deep meaning, and after speaking, he felt a little nervous.

  Ruan Cixi just chuckled and said: "How could Brother Shen be a demon? If all demons were like you, I wouldn't be afraid to come to the banks of Xiang Lake either."

  Shen Bailian's heart was filled with even more joy, and she gazed at Ruan Cimiao with a smile, thinking to herself: Mother always says that humans are cunning, but Ah Cai is completely different from what she said. Humans... there are also very good humans too.

  Long time no see, Ruan Ci was very clingy to Shen Baiying, wherever he went, she followed, like a little tail. Shen Baiying picked herbs, and she would pick some flowers and grasses on the side, chattering non-stop, until the sun was low in the west and the sky was darkening before reluctantly returning home.

  Shen Bailian stopped at the old tree outside the Shouyang City gate and refused to go any further. Ruan Ci pulled his sleeve and said, "Brother Shen, are you still going to play by the lake in the woods tomorrow?" A pair of clear big eyes were full of pleading, obviously very eager.

  "Of course I am."

  Ruan Cuiru was delighted and suddenly smiled brightly: "That's great!" After hesitating for a moment, she pulled Shen Bailian's sleeve again.

  Ruan Ci looked down and asked, only to see Ruan Ci's hands tied around her waist, her cheeks flushed, stuttering for half a day before saying: "You... you gave me such beautiful pearls, I'm very grateful. I... I don't have anything else to give Shen Gege, only a small purse I made myself the other day, you... don't despise it!" As she spoke, she untied something from her skirt and tossed it into Shen Bailong's arms, then turned red-faced and ran away.

  Shen Bailian stared blankly as she darted into the city gate and disappeared from view, only then did he withdraw his gaze to look at the object in his hand. It was a water-colored satin pouch with two water birds embroidered on it, similar to wild ducks, along with a few lotus flowers. The needlework was crooked and slanted, still bearing the marks of having been altered multiple times, evident that the person who made it had put in a lot of thought, but unfortunately, they didn't have much talent for embroidery, and this pouch truly didn't look very exquisite or beautiful.

  But Shen Bailian knew at a glance that it was made by Ruan Ci herself, and her heart felt sweet. She didn't care about the craftsmanship anymore, and happily pinned it inside her collar.

  When Shen Bailian returned to her nest-like home, the day was already somewhat late. Before she even approached the door, her heart sank again. She pushed open the wooden door and saw that all the windows in the courtyard were dark, so she thought her mother had gone to sleep early, unable to wait any longer. She tiptoed quietly towards the inner room.

  The room was pitch black, but the lotus leaf bed could be vaguely seen with a bulge in the quilt. Shen Baiying let out a long sigh, quietly took off her outer shirt, and was about to lie down on the low couch beside the bed when suddenly there was a "ding" sound, and the room was filled with bright light. A traditional bronze green glass lamp on the headboard had lit up.

  Shen Qing flipped over the quilt and sat up, her face covered with a layer of frost, coldly saying: "So you still remember to come home! Where did you go?"

  Shen Bailian was startled and, being naturally afraid of his mother, hesitated for a moment before stammering: "G-go... go to the woods to pick herbs."

  Shen Qing listened and became even angrier, sternly saying: "You think I couldn't smell the stench of human flesh on you! Honestly speaking, did you go to Shouyang City again?"

  Shen Bailian suddenly remembered that he had rushed in and forgotten to conceal the human aura on him, and couldn't help but feel a little guilty, saying in a low voice: "Mother... I was wrong, don't be angry."

  "Why go to that kind of place? I've told you countless times, humans are all treacherous and black-hearted, how can you not listen...” Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly stopped, only to reveal that Shen Bailian's collar was open, exposing the pouch hanging inside. Shen Danqing caught a glimpse of it and instantly became enraged, his hands trembling with anger as he shouted, "You...you actually accepted the filthy things from humans, which human scoundrel is this?"

  "Mother, don't be so rude to the pouch Ah Ci gave me!" Shen Bai Lian couldn't help but retort when she saw her mother speaking ill of her good friend's gift. When she looked up, she found that her mother was already furious, but it was too late to take back her words.

  She lifted the quilt with a cold smile, took a step forward and grasped the purse in her hand. She glanced at it and sneered: "You even embroidered mandarin ducks... Good, good, very good!" Although she was praising it, her tone grew colder, actually furious.

  She gazed at Shen Bailian, and her eyes suddenly shot out a very complex light, as if it were hatred, yet seemingly infatuation. She muttered: "You... are more and more like him... Hmph, my son, is actually going to go and mingle with the human tribe?" Her facial expression kept changing, gradually turning into an unresolvable, indelible resentment, viciously lowering her head, casting her gaze once again at the handbag in her hands.

  Shen Bailian saw the look on her mother's face and knew something was wrong, but it was too late to retrieve the purse from Shen Danqing. Under the lamp, a cold light flashed, and Shen Danqing had already picked up a pair of copper scissors from the bedside basket, viciously cutting the purse into shreds.

  Shen Bailian watched with wide eyes, the rustling sound beside her ear was endless, and in her heart, something sank heavily, as if Ruan Ci's heart in front of her shattered into thousands of pieces, but she was completely powerless, unable to piece them back together. The corner of her eye grew hot, and a tear rolled down uncontrollably.

  Shen Qing saw this and his anger surged, shouting: "You still dare to cry for that what's-her-name Ah Ci?" He raised his hand and threw the purse on the ground, stepping on it repeatedly with his foot, each time asking in a hateful tone: "Do you still dare to cry? Do you still dare?"

  When Shen Danqing's anger had slightly subsided, Qing got into bed with a sullen face and blew out the light. Shen Bailian still stood by the bedside, staring blankly at the floor. The moonlight quietly shone through the window lattice onto the bluestone floor, where the embroidered silk pouch had already become a bundle of torn fabric, its original appearance no longer discernible.