章 2: Hope (1)

編集者: Henyee Translations

As his thoughts sped up, Lin Yan soon arrived in front of an ancient wooden bungalow. From afar, the sound of reading could be heard.

"I'm respectful. How can I dare to hurt you? A woman admires chastity, and a man is talented…"

The plaque on the door had the words "Muqing Book House" written on it. It was a private school that was jointly founded by rich families in Liuying District and they had invited an old man surnamed Li to teach.

Lin Yan entered the courtyard with ease and placed the sweets in his arms. He rolled up his sleeves, picked up the bucket, and went two streets away to get two buckets of water.

When the water was fetched, a group of ten-year-old children ran out of the courtyard. There was also a circle of people in luxurious clothes at the door.

Old Mr. Li was wearing a white coat and holding a book called "The Collection of Knocking Lamps". He was sitting in the courtyard drinking water.

"Greetings, Elder Li."

The old man looked up at him. "Have you found any new ancient books recently?"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Elder Li. I didn't manage to find any."

Old Mr. Li's eyes were filled with disappointment. Without looking at him, he waved his hand to signal him to leave.

Elder Li's name was Li Muqing, and he was from the Li Family, a well-known wealthy family in Liuying District.

It was said that he practiced martial arts in his early years and was quite famous. In his later years, he fell in love with literature and started a class here to teach. Most of the students he accepted were from rich families.

Lin Yan didn't have money, so he copied and modified several famous works, such as "Qiang Jin Jiu", "Shu Dao Nan", and "Ascending High", and compiled them into a book called "Collection of Knocking Lamps", pretending that it was an ancient book bought at the market.

Then, he offered it as a gift. Elder Li was exceptionally benevolent and agreed to let Xiaozhi stay in the school if he helped clean the study room.

It was the book in Old Li's hand.

Unfortunately, literature in this world was just secondary. Even Old Li, who loved literature, could only say, "Not bad."

Otherwise, he wouldn't be in such a predicament just by copying poems and writing lyrics.

Lin Yan carried the water into the house.

"Brother!"

With a childish cry, Lin Xiaozhi pinched the corner of her clothes. Her face was filled with surprise as she timidly walked over.

She was about three years old. The baby's head only reached Lin Yan's calf. Her clothes were washed clean and even a little white. Her hair was also combed neatly.

Her face was smeared with black mud that looked like spider legs. Her original appearance could not be seen, making her look sloppy. However, her big eyes, which were as bright as the morning stars, blinked innocently.

"Xiaozhi, it's been hard on you."

Lin Xiaozhi shook her head like a rattle drum. "Everyone is fine."

Lin Yan rubbed Xiaozhi's head.

Xiaozhi was very smart. Her intelligence was comparable to that of a seven or eight-year-old child. Her memory was very good, and she could even understand the lessons in the study room. She was also very obedient, so obedient that it made one's heart ache.

He took out sweets from his arms. "Xiaozhi, you're so obedient. I'll reward you with sweets!"

Lin Xiaozhi's eyes suddenly lit up as she stared straight at the candy.

When Lin Yan handed it to her, she still didn't believe it and didn't dare to reach out to take it. "Is this for me?"

"Eat it, but you can only eat one now. Leave two behind and eat them after dinner."

Lin Xiaozhi carefully took the candy and did not eat it herself. Instead, she raised the candy above her head with both hands and said crisply, "Brother, you eat it too!"

Her throat moved slightly. She was obviously swallowing.

This timid look made Lin Yan's heart ache.

"I've already eaten. You can sit on the side and eat. I'll clean up first."

He gently picked up Xiaozhi and let her sit on a tall stool at the side. Lin Yan bent down, dipped a cloth in water, and began to wipe the tables and chairs in the room.

Lin Xiaozhi reached out and took out a piece of candy. She carefully wrapped the other two pieces before gently putting the first one into her mouth. Her eyes immediately curved into crescent moons. Even with the mud blocking it, one could still see that her entire face had become cheerful.

Lin Yan's hands did not stop moving. From the corner of his eye, he saw it and sighed again.

The sludge on her face was fishy and wet, but Xiaozhi did not complain at all.

Lin Yan had applied this mud himself.

Every day before she went out, Lin Yan would give Xiaozhi "stain makeup".

This was because Xiaozhi was too beautiful. She was like a porcelain doll and was a natural beauty.

However, in the strict and chaotic city of Ding'an, not only was it not a blessing for a person to look good, especially a girl, but it was also a disaster.

Countless human traffickers were secretly active in the major districts. They targeted the children of poor families and abducted and sold them to brothels or rich families to be slaves.

It was also because of this that Lin Yan didn't dare to leave Xiaozhi alone at home. Every day, he would bring her to the Muqing Book House. This place was run by the rich in Liuying District, and human traffickers generally didn't dare to behave atrociously here.

Not for studying, but for safety.

He wiped the table and chairs forcefully, then cleaned the floor. He wiped away the dense sweat on his forehead and bent down to wipe the floor.

After working for more than half an hour, he finally cleaned up the inside and outside.

When he went out to take a look, Elder Li had already left.

Lin Yan wiped the sweat off his face and picked up Lin Xiaozhi. "Xiaozhi must be hungry. Let's go back and eat."

His home was not in Liuying District, but in the west side of Liuying District, called Zhubai District, which was also considered a lower-class place.

Compared to the Black Ink District, the Zhubai District was relatively cleaner. However, the smell of feces, urine, and sweat that was difficult to cover still assailed his nose. Yellow and white excrement that could be seen everywhere were still standard.

Along the way, in the messy and dilapidated alleys, some people had peed their pants and squatted in the corner to poop. Some people were lying on the ground and wailing and begging. Some people surrounded others and beat them up with sticks. It was extremely chaotic.

Lin Yan carried Xiaozhi and tried his best to avoid the others. He squeezed through the streets and finally arrived at a narrow alley.

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章 3: Hope (2)

編集者: Henyee Translations

"Oh? There's someone here!"

In the alley, a person walked out casually and met Lin Yan.

This person looked fierce and was half a head taller than Lin Yan. Lin Yan quickly avoided him.

That person didn't mind.

However, just as the two of them were about to brush past each other.

"Eh?"

That person's bell-like eyes looked at Lin Xiaozhi, who was in Lin Yan's arms.

Lin Yan's heart tightened. He protected Lin Xiaozhi and entered the alley.

He could feel a burning gaze on his back. It was only when he opened the door and closed the wooden bolt that the gaze disappeared.

"Brother, that person kept staring at me just now!"

Lin Xiaozhi suddenly whispered.

Lin Yan's heart skipped a beat, but he suppressed the uneasiness in his heart and comforted her. "Don't be afraid. The door is closed. No one can come in."

He put Xiaozhi down and let her go to rest. He began to start a fire and cook, but he kept thinking about the look in that person's eyes just now and felt uneasy.

Was that person a human trafficker?

Could his broken door stop those crazy human traffickers?

His eyelids drooped, and the work in his hands became more urgent.

"Xiaozhi, come and eat. I'll wash your face first."

Xiaozhi replied with an "oh" and hopped over with small steps. She closed her eyes and raised her head.

Lin Yan dipped the towel in water and wiped her carefully. As the mud faded, a fair and delicate face appeared.

She had jade-like skin, large eyes that were filled with spiritual energy, and a delicate nose and mouth. She was as exquisite as a porcelain doll.

Her eyes and eyebrows were vaguely similar to Lin Yan's. It was obvious that they were siblings, but one grew in the sky and the other in the human world.

He wondered how beautiful a woman could cause his father Lin Mo's ordinary genes to undergo such a huge mutation.

Yes, Xiaozhi's mother was not Lin Yan's mother. Although they were biological siblings, they had different mothers.

The room was very small and there was no empty space for the dining table. The food was placed directly on the stove.

Lin Yan moved a bar stool over and carried Xiaozhi to sit by the stove.

The rough rice was paired with pickled vegetables and tofu. There was a small bowl of white rice. Xiaozhi ate it with relish, but Lin Yan's heart ached.

As he ate, he took out a letter from a small drawer beside the stove and pulled out the letter.

This was his father's will.

In this life, he was born into a commoner family. His mother died when he was seven years old, leaving him and his father, Lin Mo, to rely on each other.

Four years ago, when he was thirteen, he fell seriously ill.

In order to raise the medical fees, his father, Lin Mo, had no choice but to participate in the Dingdeng Battle back then in exchange for the family expenses.

Later on, Lin Yan's illness was cured, but his father disappeared on the battlefield and was never heard from again.

Three months ago, a group of bodyguards came to deliver Lin Xiaozhi and a note. Not only did it stimulate him to awaken the memories of his previous life, but it also let him know that his father did not die back then. Moreover, he had extraordinary encounters and had given birth to another daughter!

Opening the letter, Lin Yan browsed through it again.

"Lin Yan, my son, I hope that you will see me when you read these words.

"By the time you see this, I should be dead. For the past four years, there was not a moment when I didn't want to go home to see you. Unfortunately, unfortunately…

"Lin Xiaozhi is your half-sister. Although I don't like her, I can't bear to see her die innocently. I had no choice but to send her back quietly. You won't blame me, right?

"Remember, don't try to find me. Don't investigate anything about me.

"I only want you to live a peaceful life. If anything happens to you, I won't die in peace!

"I can't accompany you anymore. I just wish I could see you one last time. My son, take care, take care…"

His words were sincere.

Lin Yan had read this letter many times. The handwriting in the letter was very fast. It was obvious that he had written it in a hurry.

Lin Yan couldn't be sure if this letter was written by his father, because four years ago, his father, Lin Mo, was still an illiterate gangster.

However, the similarity between Lin Xiaozhi's eyes and his could not be faked.

What had his father experienced?

With Lin Yan's understanding of Lin Mo, it was impossible for him to say that he didn't like his biological daughter, unless this daughter wasn't what he wanted to give birth to.

Why did his father tell him not to investigate? What kind of danger was involved?

"Dad, dad, you've really left me with a huge problem…"

After dinner, Lin Xiaozhi yawned repeatedly. Lin Yan wiped her face and coaxed her to sleep before coming out of the room.

This room was left behind by his father, Lin Mo. There were only two rooms. One was the kitchen for cooking, and the other was the sleeping room. The two beds, one big and one small, were next to each other and were extremely narrow.

Recalling the kidnapping at the Tiger Camp today and the evil man he met at the entrance of the alley, Lin Yan could not help but feel a strong sense of urgency.

He stood on the stove and brought down a wooden box from the black smoke vent.

The wooden box was filled with rotten wood. Seven or eight mushrooms with red umbrellas and white poles were growing freely among the broken wood.

Seeing that the mushroom was growing well and looking healthy, Lin Yan heaved a sigh of relief.

Poisons in this world were controlled products. Ordinary people had nowhere to buy them.

These were red umbrella mushrooms that he had bought from a mountain villager. In order to prevent Xiaozhi from accidentally touching or eating these poisonous mushrooms, he could only place the wooden box at the smoke vent to cultivate them, creating a warm and damp environment.

He reached out and pinched off a mushroom. It was bright red and looked delicious.

He reached out to touch the soil on the mushroom and laughed self-deprecatingly. "Red Umbrella, white pole. After eating it, you'll be lying on a slab. This is a highly poisonous thing…"

Gritting his teeth, he stuffed the finger-long poisonous mushroom into his mouth and chewed and swallowed it.

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