Chapter 61: Pick A Day To Invite Him Over For A Meal
“Hmph, what a dream, how childish.”
After answering like that, Eevee continued to move to the side, seeming to want to distance herself from Li Wei.
Unlike the ‘cold’ and ‘uninterested’ look on her face, she couldn’t help but recall past events as she listened to everyone discussing the topic.
“Grandma! Grandma! I want to become a great Eevee!”
“Oh my, Little Eevee, you have such a dream?”
With her eyes tightly shut, a brown Eevee, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, appeared in her dark vision.
Compared to other Eevees, her body was large, her fur color was slightly dim, and her eyes were filled with the traces of time.
“I will leave this place and see the outside world!”
A childish voice, a determined tone.
Eevee knew that it was herself who spoke these words.
“The outside world, Little Eevee’s dream will surely come true,”
“Mhm~”
Time had not eroded her memory of that period.
Although slightly faded, whenever she dreamt at midnight, these memories would come uninvited, crawling up from the deepest part of her mind, like a death-claiming ghost, impossible to shake off.
Whenever Eevee recalled these things, she would be very happy, but inevitably, she would also be in extreme pain.
She didn’t understand before why Grandma’s eyes always held a sad expression when she looked at her, why she always sighed while looking at the clothes with the number 3623 written on them, and why she always hesitated to speak whenever she mentioned her dreams.
Now she understood everything.
Grandma was gone too.
And her brother, number 3622, who was always with her, was also gone.
They would never see each other again.
Sadness?
Eevee herself couldn’t quite understand her emotions.
Not long ago, due to Grandma’s sudden disappearance, she had cried her heart out for a long time.
As for what happened later…
After witnessing a scene that was like a living inferno, she had become somewhat numb to the memories of that period.
She only felt a pang in her heart, but as for what it felt like, other than her mind going blank, she had no words to describe her feelings.
And because of this, she didn’t want to recall anything about the past.
Fortunately, she had finally escaped that hell alive and was now with someone who had a gentle aura.
Having a family and friends, and being busy with training every day, the feeling of becoming stronger step by step made her temporarily forget all her unhappiness.
However, today’s topic about ‘dreams’ had touched a place she never wanted to recall.
A little unhappy?
But… it couldn’t be described as just unhappy. She didn’t quite understand this complex emotion herself, but in short, she had no interest, and didn’t even want to move, just wanting to collapse there and escape reality.
“Hey, Eevee, say something.”
Li Wei continued to prod the silent Eevee.
“I won’t! It’s childish!”
Finally unable to bear Li Wei’s ‘harassment’, she spat out a sentence fiercely, then curled back up into herself.
At the same time, Li Wei and Riolu exchanged a silent glance.
【 Just as expected. 】
【 Yes, Eevee-sis is unhappy. 】
Riolu didn’t know Eevee’s ‘story’, and Li Wei and his family had never explained Eevee’s past to these Pokémon.
Within the household, besides Li Yuan Sheng, Tian Lan, Li Wei, and Gallade, no one knew what Eevee had gone through.
They only knew that Eevee’s background had a hidden story; they were only aware that when she was young, she had stayed in a unscrupulous Pokémon Day Care, was eventually sent to the hospital, and after treatment, was integrated into their big family.
This was the result of Li Wei discussing it with Li Yuan Sheng.
He felt that Eevee didn’t need sympathy, but companionship.
Constantly looking at her with ‘guilt’ and ‘care’ would not help her heal her emotional wounds.
It was better to treat her like everyone else, to make her feel secure and comfortable with ordinary daily life.
Li Wei had heard this reasoning from others before, but he put himself in Eevee’s shoes and thought that if he were Eevee, he truly wouldn’t want to be treated specially.
Because that would only make him more upset.
“Eevee, saying it’s childish is wrong!”
Li Wei, as if he hadn’t noticed Eevee’s unhappiness, tapped her on the head with force.
The force of the tap was so great that the unprepared Eevee couldn’t help but cry out.
“Bu Yi!”
【 Why are you hitting me! 】
“Because you’re stupid, that’s why I’m hitting you!”
???
“If dreams aren’t childish, then what are dreams? If a mature Pokémon can’t even face the truest dreams in its heart, then how can it become a great Pokémon?”
Li Wei’s seemingly casual remark made Eevee freeze.
After her feigned nonchalant hum, she used her well-trained, strong memory to memorize every word he said.
A great Pokémon, a great Eevee.
Such similar words.
Eevee’s eyes flickered, showing hesitation and struggle.
“Grandma! I want to open a Pokémon Day Care too in the future!”
“Does Little Eevee know what a Pokémon Day Care is?”
“I know! Little Eevee knows a lot! It’s a place where everyone stays together!”
“Hahaha, Little Eevee is really cute.”
“I want to become that greatest Eevee, just like Grandma!”
“Okay, okay, so what are you planning to do after Little Eevee becomes a great Eevee?”
“Become the Clan Leader of the Eevees!”
“Oh my! I didn’t realize our Little Eevee had such grand ambitions!”
The past conversations flashed clearly, line by line, in Eevee’s mind.
This made Eevee sigh again.
“Don’t just sigh, share your dream with us?”
“Bu Yi.”
【 Hmph, one who is above average can be told the words of a sage; one who is below average cannot. 】
????
Li Wei was startled by Eevee’s sudden quote from the Analects.
He had used this sentence to retort against Eevee a few days ago, and he hadn’t expected Eevee to learn and use it so quickly, now using it to talk back.
“You’ve gotten capable??? Eevee???”
“Bu Yi!”
【 Hmph! Eevee also grows! 】
The sentence seemed to have a double meaning, and Li Wei could hear the deeper meaning from Eevee’s gradually improving Aura.
“Grow? You?”
At this moment, Li Wei, still acting as if he didn’t understand Eevee, looked at her with an exaggerated voice and expression, his contemptuous gaze making Eevee want to jump up and punch him.
“Let me guess, a mere Eevee can’t possibly have any grand dreams. Either you want to lie in piles of gold and silver and live in leisure, or you want to be buried under pretty clothes.”
Saying this, Li Wei deliberately poked Eevee a few more times.
“Hey, don’t be silent, give me a reaction? It’s not like you actually want to walk the runway, right?”
“Bu Yi!!”
【 Why can’t I walk the runway! 】
“No way, no way, there isn’t actually an Eevee who thinks she’s exceptionally beautiful, is there?”
“Bu Yi?”
【 Is it that Sylveon can no longer wield her blade? 】
“But I think I’m more charming when I cross-dress than you are! Look at you, Eevee, what elegant qualities do you possess? Violence, and a fierce temper when you speak, tsk tsk tsk.”
????
Eevee, now convinced that Li Wei was looking for a fight, silently stood up, jumped high, and with her front paw, slapped Li Wei hard on the head.
After landing back on the chair, she didn’t crawl back but returned to her throne. After Eevee found a suitable balance point again, she lay down on top of Li Wei’s head as usual.
“Bu Yi!”
【 My dream is much greater than yours! But I just won’t tell you! Hmph! 】
After saying that, Eevee stubbornly closed her eyes, ignoring Li Wei’s “Tell me?”, “Say it?”.
“Hey, saying half a sentence is really too much!!”
Li Wei reached out and squeezed Eevee’s paw on his head, saying to her.
“Bu Yi!”
【 Then suffer! Repent in endless pain! 】
It felt great.
Suddenly, the previously irritable and uncomfortable emotions vanished, leaving only a sense of leisure and the desire to strive and work hard for her dreams.
She didn’t understand why her mood changed so quickly, but she knew that Li Wei had helped her.
‘Hmph, foolish human.’
Imitating Mime Jr.’s tone, Eevee, with a tone of happiness she didn’t even realize she had, silently complained in her heart.
Happiness doesn’t lie in deep affections or vows of eternal love; sometimes, it just needs to be plain and ‘usual’, which is the greatest gentleness and happiness.
In this regard, Li Wei, in coordination with Aura, was a true master.
“Alright, Dragonair, what about you?”
Leaning back, Li Wei grabbed Dragonair’s tail and asked.
Although Dragonair was a bit confused as to why Li Wei was holding his tail when asking him a question, almost causing him to slide off the clothes rack, he still seriously considered the topic of ‘dreams’ and gave his answer.
Because he was happy that he could include himself in their discussion.
He was about to cry, truly about to cry!
“Wuwu.”
【 Dreams… Seriously, I want to beat up Delibird-bro. 】
…
Upon hearing this ‘dream’, even Eevee, who had been resting with her eyes closed, couldn’t help but open them.
“Wuwu.”
【 I want to be a domineering Dragonair. 】
…
“Wuwu.”
【 I want to be the boss. 】
Among all of them, only Dragonair’s dream was a true dream.
And that night passed in a heated discussion about how Dragonair should learn Dragon’s Wrath and then execute a sliding kick to defeat Delibird.
￥￥￥￥￥￥
The next day, it was time to announce the results.
Li Wei’s comprehensive score for his daily classroom performance and attendance was 87%, his written exam was 75%, and his battle scores were 100% for 1v1 and 100% for 6v6.
On average, his graduation score this term was 90.5%, recorded as an A+, making him an outstanding graduate.
His attendance rate should have been 100%, but he often accidentally fell asleep in class, which likely caused him to lose a significant number of points.
His battle scores were well-deserved, and his written exam score of 75% was higher than his expected sixty-something, which was quite good.
He was quite content.
Of course, if Yu Yixian hadn’t been there next to him, constantly chattering, the world would have been even more wonderful.
“Eh? Li Wei? How did you only get 75% on your written exam? Is that it?”
“What did you get?”
“Heh, 84%!”
Saying that, Yu Yixian proudly handed his test paper to Li Wei.
“Oh? Impressive, impressive. As expected of Yixian, who even gets basic Pokémon knowledge wrong, truly amazing. A big shot with eighty-four percent, terrifying indeed!”
When it came to being sarcastic, Yu Yixian was no match for Li Wei.
“Damn it! Can’t you let me have a little sense of accomplishment???”
“Impossible.”
Li Wei and Eevee, perched on his head, cast a disdainful look at Yu Yixian. He casually took the report card from Yu Yixian’s hand and began his sarcastic remarks.
“Eh? Yixian’s 1v1 battle score is only 76? Why? But his team battle score is 96, what could be the problem here?”
Li Wei’s sarcasm was quite skillful.
1v1 battles require the trainer’s command and the Pokémon’s cooperation, more so showcasing the Pokémon’s strength and nurturing.
Ponyta with its special regional form, due to its Psychic attribute, is weak in the early stages, so a low score is quite normal.
But Li Wei’s point of entry was very cunning.
The comparison between 1v1 and 6v6 battle scores.
The tactics for the 6v6 battle were planned and practiced with the Pokémon beforehand.
It could be said that almost no one on their side spoke a single word throughout the entire battle.
Under such circumstances, Ponyta, with its excellent plan and good self-performance, achieved a score of 96%.
Then, whose fault was the poor performance in the solo match?
The result was self-evident.
Li Wei’s implication in saying this was mainly that Ponyta’s trainer, Yu Yixian, was useless!
┓(`)┏
Yixian cub’s overall score was 87.75%. Without Li Wei’s bug-like point-farming battle performance, he only received an excellent A grade, falling slightly short of the optimal A+ grade.
However, this did not affect his university application.
Both were guaranteed admissions, just with a slightly less golden sheen on their faces.
Tian Bai’s overall score was 89%, mainly due to poor combat performance. During the solo match, he was kited by a trainer whose Beedrill had already evolved, rendering him unable to retaliate. Zhou Fengjue’s overall score barely reached 90%. Tu Xiaomi’s score was 92.75%. And astonishingly, Mo Jiu’s overall score was a staggering 95%.
Glancing at her report card, Li Wei felt that if Morpeko hadn’t made noise crunching nuts during class, affecting her classroom performance score, her score could have been several percentage points higher.
The training, which lasted over half a month, finally concluded.
After receiving their report cards and graduation certificates, they bid farewell to their instructor and left the classroom.
With their luggage packed by their respective guardian Pokémon, they were accompanied by the chief instructor to the grounds where they had first arrived.
“This is as far as I’ll see you off.”
Watching the helicopter gradually descend, the chief instructor said to them.
“Okay, thank you, Instructor,” they replied, turning to the instructor.
“You’re welcome. Good luck to all of you in the provincial competitions! Especially you, Li Wei, I have high hopes for you to win the championship!”
As he spoke, the chief instructor made a () gesture to Li Wei.
“Yeah! Wait for me to win the championship!”
Striking a narcissistic pose, he bid farewell to the instructor and boarded the plane.
Mo Jiu did not take their shared flight. Although they were going the same way, as someone with “capital,” she had her own private jet.
Waving goodbye to them from below, she stood aside with Gothitelle, waiting for her own helicopter to pick her up.
It had to be said that the way their group left the training area was truly stylish, seeming out of place compared to people going to airports for flights or train stations for high-speed rail.
┓(`)┏
Wealthy people, living a simple and unpretentious yet boring life, is probably like this.
Life isn’t full of flashy things, just ordinary money-grubbing.
Hmm…
After adapting for nearly two months, Li Wei was almost used to it himself.
Extravagance is not to be encouraged, but when one has money, spending a small portion to improve one’s quality of life is incredibly comfortable and time-efficient.
On the way home, everyone was quiet. Gone was the boisterous laughter from their arrival. Holding their report cards, they sat in their seats, gazing out at the passing scenery, clearly all contemplating the upcoming exams.
Today is May 20th. Soon, on June 2nd, will be the unified written exam, and on June 4th, the provincial competition will officially begin.
They had less than two weeks left. Whether they could further improve their Pokémon’s strength in these two weeks would determine their ranking among the youth of Magic City.
No one wouldn’t want such honor; those who say they “don’t care” are just putting on a brave face.
“Then it’s settled. Let’s each go home and see each other at the study session?”
Being old friends, their goodbyes were exceptionally casual. Grabbing their bags and leaving with just a “see you later” was the norm, and they’d be out of sight in an instant.
Upon reaching the parking lot, Li Wei and Dragonair immediately spotted Mime Jr. leaning against a sedan, wearing sunglasses.
“Bari~”
【 Youngster~ Wanna ride~ 】
As he spoke, he struck a pose like a brooding man smoking and blowing smoke rings.
······
Li Wei completely ignored Mime Jr.’s performance. After opening the trunk and loading their luggage, he, along with Eevee, Riolu, and Dragonair, got into the car. He didn’t even acknowledge Mime Jr., closed his eyes, and decided to ignore the annoyance.
It must be said that even without an audience, Mime Jr. could still perform with utmost professionalism.
Finally, after ten minutes, seeing that Li Wei showed no sign of urging him, Mime Jr. grew somewhat bored.
After sighing, “The young man has finally changed his ways,” he stopped his performance, returned to the driver’s seat, and drove away from the parking lot.
Returning home, as he had expected, neither his father nor his mother was there.
Li Wei took out his phone and sent a message to inform them he had arrived home, along with a photo of his report card, essentially reporting his status.
His mother was the first to reply.
Mom: That’s great!
Mom: Full marks on battles? Good, good!
Mom: It’s just that your written exam is a bit lacking, only seventy-something percent. Try harder to reach eighty, it’ll look good to get an A.
(ΩДΩ)？？？？？
Growing up, Li Wei had never received such praise.
Aren’t parents supposed to say things like, “70-something is too low,” “80 is not high enough,” “90 can be even better,” “100, keep it up,” with such “praise”?
Such direct, almost straightforward praise momentarily left Li Wei unable to cope.
Mom: I’ve transferred some reward money to you via Alipay, go ahead and spend it.
Li Wei: Thank you, Mother!!!!
At the same time, his father also replied.
Dad: Full marks on battles???
Dad: That’s my good son!
Dad: Keep up the good work! I’ll be busy for a few days, but this mission might progress quickly. If all goes smoothly, I’ll come to watch your competition in person!
Dad: I’ve transferred some allowance to you via Alipay. Go buy something you like or some training equipment. If you need any big items, tell Dad, and I’ll reimburse you!
(ΩДΩ)？？？
Seeing his father so excited that he even used emoticons, Li Wei felt a little exhilarated.
What is this?
What a happy life this is!
My goodness???
Re-living this life is just too profitable!!!!
The allowance is secondary. Honestly, his mother always found “excuses” to subsidize his pocket money, making him somewhat numb to money.
For him, the most important things were the words “That’s great!” and “That’s my good son!”
His small heart was greatly satisfied, much like getting a pentakill in a game.
Praise can’t be eaten, but it can make him happy for a long time.
(*^▽^*)
With a happy mood, Li Wei slumped onto the sofa, waiting for his parents’ transfers.
two thousand years later
？？？
Why is there no arrival notification yet?
Somewhat confused, Li Wei opened WeChat, clicked on edit, and composed a message, but then quickly deleted it. He decided to check Alipay first, to see if he had missed a system notification while chatting.
It had been a while since he opened Alipay.
He used the bank card linked to WeChat for supermarket shopping. Having not looked at Alipay for over a month, Li Wei was “shocked” the moment he opened the app.
Opening the transfer interface, he saw that his mother had generously sent 200,000, and this time, even more terrifying than his mother was his father, who had sent a whopping 300,000.
This showed how relieved Li Yuan Sheng must have been by the full marks in battles. Without a doubt, the entire gym probably knew by now that Li Wei had achieved full marks in both the solo and team matches of the training camp assessment.
“Young Li has a bright future,” “a contender for the provincial championship,” etc. Although he hadn’t met the muscular uncles at the gym, based on the familiar feeling in his body, he could roughly guess what would happen.
However, there was no pop-up or voice notification for the transfer?
It was a bit strange.
He clearly remembered that after receiving his mother’s first transfer, he had specifically turned up the volume of Alipay’s voice reminder to maximum, in order to hear that pleasant ‘ding’ and the robot voice announcing the delightful numbers.
So he opened the system settings and Alipay’s built-in settings…
It was better not to check. Following the thread, after a few clicks, Li Wei’s gaze locked onto a few peculiar consumption records from the end of April.
“Eevee?”
“Eevee??”
“Eevee, get out here for me!!!”
Li Wei jumped up from the sofa, shouting angrily.
Eevee didn’t spend much, exactly one hundred thousand yuan.
The items purchased couldn’t even be considered useless; only 20,000 yuan was spent on true luxury goods.
They were mostly small accessories. As long as she wasn’t wearing a whole bunch of flashy things during battles, Li Wei wouldn’t feel heartbroken.
The remaining 80,000 yuan was spent on various skincare products and nutritional supplements.
‘Hair growth,’ ‘hair care,’ ‘nail care,’ ‘eye care,’ and so on.
Li Wei now understood why Eevee’s bath time in the dormitory had become so long.
Every day, besides the growth-enhancing nutritional supplements he bought for Eevee, there were also various vitamins and small pills.
He had originally thought his mother bought these things for her, but he never expected that Eevee bought them herself!!!
Are these things meant to be eaten casually?
What if the advertisements were lies?
What if she got sick from eating them?
Honestly, because he had lost his miserly attitude towards money, his anger about Eevee secretly spending money had become somewhat subtle.
“Mimey! I’ll write you a pantomime script, and you bring Eevee back for me!!”
Seeing that the guilty Eevee still dared not show her face, Li Wei had to resort to his trump card.
When he used to tell stories to Riolu and Eevee, Mime Jr. would occasionally listen in. He had also mentioned many times that he wanted a script starring him, but Li Wei had always put him off, citing his busy studies.
Now, in his extreme anger, Li Wei no longer cared about his previous subtle thoughts like ‘too lazy to write’ or ‘too troublesome.’
He was determined to catch Eevee today and make her realize her serious mistake!
One hour later.
Eevee, filled with remorse, pressed her paw print onto the self-criticism letter.
The education was successful. Eevee stated that in the future, she would consult Li Wei’s opinion before buying such items and would no longer secretly turn off Alipay’s reminder history.
‘Maybe try WeChat next time.’
Of course, Eevee was just thinking casually.
Li Wei promised her that he would apply for a bank card and buy electronics for her in a few days.
As long as she trained diligently every day and completed her tasks, she would receive a fixed amount of pocket money.
Apart from not being allowed to buy food or skincare products privately, she could do as she pleased.
After all, Li Wei felt that relying on his mother, a luxury goods tycoon and fashionista, to buy things advertised online was somewhat unreliable.
Once Eevee learned to type, he could directly message his mother to book a nutritionist and a beautician. Wouldn’t that be better?
Why learn online shopping? Isn’t it better to be a young lady?
It could be said that Li Wei, who was already going astray, was now dedicated to raising Eevee even more astray.
Meanwhile, Riolu, who had been watching the entire time, tugged at Li Wei’s sleeve, indicating that he could now spell and read and wanted to chat with his big brother, Gallade.
Hurry up and buy a phone, help me register on WeChat, add friends, we also need to become stronger.
(ΩДΩ)······
Helplessly asking his mother to find a versatile secretary to help book various things and prepare the paperwork, Li Wei, holding Eevee who had just finished her self-criticism and signed an unfair treaty, returned to the bedroom.
He didn’t do anything strange. He just opened the window and waited for Doctor Liu, who was riding a Dragonite, to come to his house for a physical examination of Eevee, Riolu, and Magikarp.
The examination would focus on Eevee.
After all, Li Wei was genuinely worried about her getting sick from eating things randomly.
ε=(ο｀*)))sigh
In a sense, due to the social conditions of the past and the normalcy of Zhonghua Family households, Li Wei’s childhood, though happy, was always filled with regrets.
Now, with Pokémon, he had successfully evolved into a stay-at-home dad and was living up to the ideal image of parents he once had.
This could be seen from how he treated Eevee.
If it weren’t for Riolu and Magikarp, who were extremely diligent role models, this Eevee would have been spoiled by him sooner or later.
￥￥￥￥￥￥
At this moment, Mo Jiu also returned home by plane.
Her home was in the opposite direction from Li Wei’s.
Unlike Li Wei’s manor-style residence, Mo Jiu’s home exuded a strong sense of ancient charm from the outside.
Blue bricks and black tiles, wooden doors and copper locks, small bridges and flowing water, trees casting dappled shadows.
Landing in the center of the courtyard, she disembarked from the plane, crossed the porch, and entered the inner rooms.
“Grandma, I’m back~”
Mo Jiu’s voice was a little more childish than before. Seeing a woman appear inside, she rushed over and threw herself into her arms.
“You’re back.”
The woman, dressed in Hanfu with her hair elegantly pinned up, hugged her granddaughter dotingly, but her demeanor remained dignified.
She wore a dark blue phoenix and luan cloud shoulder, wide-sleeved brocade gold gauze tunic-style cross-collared robe on her upper body, paired with a pale yellow grass and insect seasonal flower brocade gold gauze skirt on her lower body.
Her silver hair was neatly coiled, adorned with a few jade ornaments, neither ostentatious nor lacking in grace.
Her skin was very smooth, with only a few wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. If one ignored her seemingly world-weary eyes, she could easily pass for a lady around forty years old.
Without lingering in the courtyard for pleasantries, the woman held Mo Jiu’s hand and they sat down at the tea table in the hall. After brewing a pot of floral tea, she handed a teacup to Mo Jiu.
“Tell Grandma about this training, won’t you?”
“Okay!”
After taking a sip of tea, Mo Jiu gently put down the cup and poked Morpeko in her arms, recounting the interesting things that happened at the training camp.
As it was afternoon, the room was not lit, and the sunlight shone on the various plants in the courtyard, casting dappled shadows into the tearoom, adding a touch of languid atmosphere to the afternoon.
In the corridor by the door, a Pokémon with white fur, a horn on its head resembling a crescent moon or a sickle, leaned against the entrance.
It silently stared at the girl inside, who was recounting her recent adventures.
“Why are you standing by the door? Come in and listen with us.”
Hearing the old woman’s words, the white Pokémon walked in, circled Mo Jiu once, and then lay down beside her.
Seeing the familiar Pokémon by her side, Mo Jiu reached out and stroked its head. Morpeko, which had been in her arms being toyed with while eating nuts, also seemed to see a savior and jumped onto the Pokémon, as if seeking protection.
As soon as this white Pokémon entered, it was as if a signal was given, and the previously quiet tea room instantly became restless.
The inner door slowly opened, and three large heads poked in at the same time.
The large head was predominantly indigo blue, with black fur covering its neck, and occasional sparse purple markings. Its large crimson eyes exuded ferocity even when not staring directly at anyone.
Despite its fierce and imposing appearance, the moment this Pokémon poked its head in, it affectionately nuzzled the woman’s cheek and let out a series of low growls.
In the shadowy corner behind the room’s screen, a creature with eyes like glittering gems sparkled.
In another corner of the screen, a small Pokémon with a purple bowl-like cap on its head also peeked out, its crimson eyes fixed on the girl sitting not far away.
Unlike the serene aura usually emanating from this type of small Pokémon, this one seemed to radiate a more intense aura of violence.
The courtyard also gradually became restless.
First, a large brown Pokémon with a long white mane, long ears, and a pointed nose, looking quite ferocious, leaped down from a distant plane tree.
Not long after, two birds resembling crows, each with a large hat on their heads, flew in.
“Oh~ It seems everyone is eager to hear about your outing stories.”
The woman chuckled behind her sleeve again, her mood visibly joyous.
Although she covered her mouth with her sleeve, the laugh lines around her eyes betrayed her extreme happiness.
“Grandma! I went out to study!!”
Mo Jiu was truly at a loss for her grandmother’s personality.
She looked and acted like an old matriarch from a noble ancient household, yet her temperament and way of speaking were anything but proper!
Inciting everyone to come listen to her ‘stories’ – no matter how she looked at it, Mo Jiu felt her grandmother clearly just wanted to pry for gossip.
This had been a habit at home since she was in school, during weekend afternoons when they had tea.
‘Are there any handsome young men at school?’
‘Do you have a suitor?’
‘Have you received any letters?’
‘Any good news lately?’
If Mo Jiu didn’t know her grandmother’s personality and understand that she purely wanted gossip, she might have thought the family couldn’t afford her, or that she was at the age of desperate marriage.
“Peep~”
Before Mo Jiu could even start talking about her training, Morpeko, who had been beside her, couldn’t contain its impatience and spoke first.
“Oh oh~ You often eat with a handsome young man~”
“No… Grandma! What kind of reading comprehension is that! Xiao Ke was talking about a teammate who cooks very well and has a comfortable aura, right???”
Mo Jiu was getting a bit agitated, but it was precisely this that her grandmother enjoyed.
“You’ve already gotten seven free meals in half a month! Xiao Jiu, this isn’t good, is it? They treat you as a good friend, how can you just eat for free?”
“I didn’t eat for free…”
Mo Jiu weakly defended herself.
“And it’s all Xiao Ke’s fault…”
o(╥﹏╥)o
“If they’re a good friend, you should definitely thank them.”
Finally, the old woman lowered the sleeve she had been using to cover her mouth, took a sip of tea, and said to Mo Jiu.
“Yes, I plan to thank him. I want to treat him to a meal.”
“Hmm, good, good. Let Gothitelle help prepare an invitation, and we’ll invite him over for a meal another day.”
?????
Grandma? Are you even listening to me???
Seeing Mo Jiu’s distressed expression, the old woman chuckled happily again.
In an instant, the tea room was lively, filled with various laughter, very vibrant.
After about half an hour, the tea was finished, and the gossip had been exchanged. The old woman adjusted her skirt, stood up from the wooden chair, walked to the door, and looked out at the setting sun.
“Since there’s still time, go see them. Tell them about the friends you’ve made and the recent events you’ve encountered.”
There was no explicit subject, but Mo Jiu understood the meaning of the words.
“Okay.”
Saying that, she also stood up from her chair.
“I’ll go change my clothes and then head out.”
“Alright, I’ll go with you. I haven’t seen him for a month either…”
Her voice was filled with loneliness and reminiscence.
When Mo Jiu emerged from her room after changing, her originally somewhat punk-style jacket and camisole dress were replaced by a black suit and pants. Her twin tails were styled into a simple bun, and all accessories on her hands were removed. Holding a bouquet of white flowers picked from the garden in one hand, Mo Jiu and the old woman got into the car together.
About thirty minutes later, Mo Jiu and the old woman got out of the car. Looking at the setting sun in the distance and the scattered tombstones not far away, they both sighed in unison.
Accompanied by Gothitelle, they walked slowly for a long time, and the number of tombstones inside decreased significantly.
Three gravestones stood side by side, their black and white photos bearing a strong resemblance to Mo Jiu’s face.
Two men and one woman. The young man and woman in the photos were also very young, appearing to be in their late twenties or early thirties with smiles as bright as flowers. The other man’s photo was very serious, with a meticulous expression and a tight-lipped mouth, looking like the rigid old stubborn person in the family.
She sequentially placed the flowers from right to left into the vases.
She spread out the cushion in Gothitelle’s hands on the ground and knelt on it.
“Dad, Mom, I’m back from training.”
As if having a one-sided chat, Mo Jiu repeated the earlier conversation with her grandmother, her expression tinged with sadness.
Patting Mo Jiu’s shoulder, the old woman also came to stand opposite the old man’s gravestone.
She did not kneel like Mo Jiu but simply stood, gazing silently at the photo on the tombstone.
“My granddaughter has grown up.”
After a long pause, she uttered these words.
“She’s made good friends and is no longer the worrisome child who couldn’t get along with anyone.”
After a few bitter laughs, the old woman sighed deeply again.
“Watch over her from up there.”
“She’s becoming more and more like you. Just as stubborn, just as inarticulate, just as headstrong. You raised her well.”
As she spoke, the old woman’s nose tip suddenly reddened, and a shimmering light appeared in her eyes.
She quickly took a handkerchief from her sleeve and gently dabbed her eyes.
“You old good-for-nothing!”
Completely out of the blue, the old woman glared at the photo on the tombstone and spoke fiercely.
“You don’t have a chance to play with your granddaughter anymore! I’m going to live for a long time, long enough to see my great-grandchildren get married! You just envy me from up there!”
After saying that, she turned away, no longer looking at the tombstone.
After Mo Jiu finished saying what she wanted to say, the old woman took Mo Jiu’s hand and they walked away, not looking back.
They got into the car, and after driving for a while, it stopped again not far away.
Gothitelle retrieved a large bouquet of white paper flowers from the trunk and followed behind the old woman and Mo Jiu.
Mo Jiu took half of the paper flowers, while Gothitelle carried the other half, following the old woman.
Starting from the left, Mo Jiu placed a paper flower in each vase as she passed by a gravestone.
After spending about fifteen minutes in this area, the two of them bowed slightly to the row of tombstones in farewell, then got back into the car and officially left.
If one looked closely, it wouldn’t be hard to notice that the inscriptions on the tombstones adorned with white paper flowers were mostly prefixed with the surname ‘Mo’.
Life and death are impermanent.
Reality had brutally taught Mo Jiu the true meaning of these four words.
The sudden revenge, the sudden bad news, left only two people in this vast courtyard.
Looking at the sun gradually sinking below the horizon outside the window, Mo Jiu took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
She used to cry every time she came here, but now she was used to it.
The dead cannot be resurrected; she had to live on with their smiles and joy.
Looking at her grandmother, whose expression was eternally calm, Mo Jiu thought that perhaps her grandmother’s increasingly mischievous personality also stemmed from this reason.
￥￥￥￥￥￥￥
Special Easter Egg.
A support cross-dressing Easter Egg from Madam （ If it didn’t show up, it’s under review. It’s recommended to extract and watch it in the morning ）
There are more Easter Eggs to come, please pay close attention to new chapters.
First chapter on sale.
I’ve fallen asleep, the second chapter will be posted in the morning. Everyone, go to sleep~
