Chapter 4 has been released and here is an excerpt
This will be extremely long though:
“Fine.” Yan sighed. “I guess you’re right about that.” He really didn’t like being told he was wrong.
“And… you need to put some clothes on,” Bedi said to Yan. He himself was only half dressed with his blonde hair down and he had yet to put a shirt on.
“Well, what can I do after that,” Yan asked Bedi. “Can I just take a nap while you make dinner?”
“Yes, but please remember to take care of yourself, Yan Qing,” Bedi replied.
“Okay, fine,” Yan also replied. He eventually got dressed in the pajamas he chose for himself, washed his face, and brushed his teeth. He was too tired to finish everything else and he nearly choked on his green panda toothbrush and the Drest toothpaste he was using. His eyes were feeling really heavy and they needed to be shut, so he quickly rushed over to his bed and fell asleep. He didn’t care about that chicken for dinner anymore because he was just too tired.
When he woke up, it was winter again. There was little sun, just the cold snow. Yet he was in his old wooden house that hadn’t been touched in over several thousand years. And this was his old bed. It felt stiff and uncomfortable compared to his old bed. Mainly since it was on the ground as well. It was very different from how he remembered it. The bedding was nonexistent and only consisted of a lambskin blanket and a wooden bamboo pillow.
“Ah, Langzi. You’re finally awake.” That old man’s voice was very familiar sounding. A fatherly voice that also gave Yan comfort just hearing it. It must’ve been…
“Papa,” Yan exclaimed.
He realized something was off about his voice. It sounded very high-pitched and childlike. He looked at his hands quickly and noticed they were small.
Wait a second, Yan thought. This is a childhood memory of mine, right? If so, then where is…
The snow that evening. The warm wooden house. The smell of roasted beef being cooked with rice and vegetables. It must’ve been the day they found Yan Langzi’s closest childhood friend. Yan himself decided to wake up to the smell of delicious food.
“How was your nap, Langzi? It’s time for supper!”
“Master! Papa!”
“You only just woke up, boy,” the man replied. “I suppose you had a nightmare about losing me then, right?”
“Yes, papa. I am scared of losing you to a ghost or something like that!”
“Don’t worry, that won’t happen child!”
Little did Li know something similar to a ghost would eventually kill him. Yan had to warn him about… no. He couldn’t change his past. He didn’t want to.
“Hey papa,” Yan asked while he was eating. “After we are done with dinner, can we get some snow and melt it for the bath water?”
“I suppose so,” Li replied. “You better eat more though.”
“But what if someone else wants the food? As in a stray cat or dog? Or maybe a person?”
Li just laughed happily. “If that’s the case, I suppose a bit of extra food or money for food won’t hurt! We don’t have many resources during the winter though, so we should save it.”
After they were done eating, the father and his adoptive son put on some spare winter clothes before heading out. Because of how small Yan was, Li was able to carry him on his back and their ornate snow umbrella covered both of them.
It took about close to 15 minutes, but they found a great spot with no stained snow. It was by an ancient tomb of a hero from two dynasties ago, but it wasn’t too far from where they lived. Just as they were about to gather the snow, they heard a little boy crying.
“Help me, please,” the boy shouted. “I don’t have any place to call home! I want a mommy or daddy! It’s so cold”
Yan quickly ran as fast as he could! When he came and saw the boy, he saw how awful his condition was. He was half naked, only wearing very thin pants, and had no shoes. His long brown hair was matted and hadn’t been washed. The boy himself was also very smelly and thin. Langzi could tell he hadn’t bathed or eaten in who knows how long.
“Are you okay,” Yan Langzi shouted!? “What happened to you? You’re half naked, your pants are thin, and you look really hungry!”
“I… I” the boy was trying his best to speak but he couldn’t think of anything to say without tears coming out of his eyes.
“They don’t know… I exist… They just… laugh at me for… I don’t know…”
Li Junyi followed his son and found him with the boy. He heard everything but wasn’t unkind or judgmental. Upon seeing the half-naked boy, he draped his cloak over him like a blanket.
“You must’ve been so cold you poor boy. Are you alright? What’s your name?”
“I… don’t have a name. Or a family.”
“Then I suppose we’ll be your family. Your name will be ‘Li Yize’ because you seem like a kind-hearted boy.”
Li Junyi cradled the boy in his arms. Eventually, it was time that Yan and Junyi to see his eyes. They were a soft blue with some violet hues, and they had a kind and gentle aura that surrounded the young boy overall.
“Langzi, please come.”
“Alright,” Yan replied. “Is that boy gonna be our family?”
Li smiled at Yan as he caught up to his papa with the water bucket they brought.
“Yes, yes he will. He doesn’t have a place to call home at the moment, and we should give it to him.”
A stomach growled. It must’ve come from little Yize.
“Oh, and Papa,” Yan asked. “Do we have any spare food and clothes for him?”
“I’m sure we do,” Li replied. “If not, I will go to the market and get some for him.”
The full chapter is right here:
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
