*******
Cheng Nuo stared blankly, only to discover that the owner of this pair of eyes was a boy of ten. He had straight, shoulder-length silver hair and skin as white as jade. He had a very handsome face and beautiful eyes. At this distance, one can clearly see his long, thick eyelashes. Although the boy’s clothes were patched, they were clean and tidy.
The boy’s face was small and his cheeks were chubby but the cold and indifferent expression on his face was at odds with his age.
If it wasn’t for the cold dagger that was touching his neck, Cheng Nuo would be very happy to see such a clean and beautiful child.
“Who are you?” The beautiful golden eyes narrowed slightly and he pushed the dagger a little closer. The silver-haired boy’s voice also lacked the liveliness that a child should have. Although it is crisp and melodious, it was as monotone and lifeless as though it was generated by a computer.
Cheng Nuo had no doubt that if he doesn’t answer honestly, the other person won’t hesitate to stab him with his dagger. He quickly raised his hands and explained: “I didn’t mean to sneak in. Someone chased me. I will leave soon.”
The silver-haired boy removed the dagger from his throat and said indifferently: “Scram now.”
Oddly enough, from the look in the other person’s eyes, Cheng Nuo received a message that he didn’t want to kill him because he feared that his blood would dirty his room.
His mouth twitched a few times. Sure enough, there are no normal children in this weird world, right? It’s someone even more perverted! It seems that killing people here is a very common thing …
Cheng Nuo couldn’t help but glance at him again. This silver-haired boy with golden eyes was simply too beautiful.
The only way out was through the front door. Cheng Nuo peered out through a small crack and saw that Liu Guang was standing on a roof looking around, not far from here. After three seconds of hesitation, Cheng Nuo turned his head and asked: “Can I stay for a few more minutes?”
There was sharp whistling sound then Cheng Nuo saw that a dagger was stabbed into the wood just a few centimeters from the side of his head. The hilt of the dagger quivered. The silver-haired boy coldly looked at him, poker-faced.
S***! This silver-haired boy is more frightening than Liu Guang!
He turned stiffly, opened the door, bowed his head as naturally as he could, and walked out to where Liu Guang was.
“Hey, stop!” Liu Guang shouted.
When he turned his head, he saw Cheng Nuo. Even if the other person changed his clothes, he still recognized the female that he had picked up based on the body and hair color.
Of course, Cheng Nuo did not stop. He walked forward as if nothing had happened.
Angrily gritting his snow-white teeth, Liu Guang jumped off the roof and rushed up to Cheng Nuo. In one smooth motion, he crouched down, lifted Cheng Nuo onto his shoulder, and strode off.
Although his shoulders were thin they were really powerful.
Blood rushed to Cheng Nuo’s head and his stomach hurt from the pressure. He couldn’t help but complain: “Let me down, I’ll walk by myself.”
For the first time, Liu Guang heard the female speaking to him. His voice was pleasing to the ears. Liu Guang put Cheng Nuo down calmly and watched him closely.
Cheng Nuo rubbed his painful stomach, surprised that the other person actually listened to him. He secretly observed Liu Guang and determined that his opponent’s current height was less than 1.4 meters. On the other hand, Cheng Nuo was now 1.65 meters. To think that he was bullied by this little child! He felt rather embarrassed.
He walked silently and because he wasn’t moving very fast, Liu Guang slowed down his pace, too. Cheng Nuo thought that this didn’t seem like the kind of attitude a person would show towards his food supply, right?
Neither one of them spoke. The two of them quickly arrived at Liu Guang’s old, shabby house. Cheng Nuo did not intend to give himself up, but went straight to the edge of the bed and sat down.
Cheng Nuo looked at the red-haired blue-eyed child in front of him and coughed a bit before asking: “What are you planning to do with me?”
He had been here for a few hours. He was tired and thirsty after all that exertion. Seeing a small bowl of water at the table that was somewhat tilted to the side, he couldn’t help but take a drink. Although the rough porcelain bowl had a few cracks in it, it was clean and the water tasted sweet and fresh.
Watching him enjoy the drink, Liu Guang felt a strange sense of satisfaction. But when he remembered how the female had secretly slipped away, he became angry again. He stood at the bedside, staring at Cheng Nuo. He said fiercely: “I brought you back to make you my wife. If you don’t obey me, I’ll tie you up later!”
Cheng Nuo nearly sprayed out the water in his mouth. The corners of his lips twitched – the poor young fellows in the mountains do look for children to raise to be their wives in the future, but aren’t you in over your head this time? Does this child have a problem with his eyesight? What part of him looks like a woman?
(TN: 童养媳 – child bride; girl adopted into a family as a future daughter-in-law)
Although I suddenly became childlike, with cute tiger teeth, do I not look like a lively young man? But now I’m afraid I’m going to experience puberty again.
After all, the child clearly saw Cheng Nuo’s body. Doesn’t he know the difference between men and women?
Probably this world of cannibals is extremely lacking in women. The boy picked up a “wife” the way a child wants to play with a doll. If Cheng Nuo were to say that he isn’t a woman or refuse to the role, would he be cooked and eaten?
Because he had a lot on his mind, Cheng Nuo looked quite shocked. In Liu Guang’s eyes, he looked very reluctant.
Liu Guang’s heart sank. His eyes narrowed and he stared at Cheng Nuo, saying fiercely: “If you are obedient, naturally I will treat you well. If you don’t listen, beware … hmph!”
Although he doesn’t know what a wife does, no one would ignore a ready-made wife-to-be if one appeared in front of him.
Except for city lords and nobles, five out of ten of the ordinary people, especially those in the slums, were mostly not able to find wives. Most people shared a wife but Liu Guang did not intend to do so. This place isn’t the same as those wealthy or noble houses. Regarding formal weddings, there were none. Since his earliest childhood, he had always heard that it was best to marry as young as possible, otherwise, his wife might be snatched away by other people.
No matter what this female’s background is, she must not have been engaged. Anyway, I’ve picked her up and now she’s mine!
When he saw Cheng Nuo’s black, shiny eyes looking at him, Liu Guang inexplicably felt a little flustered. Worried that he had been too fierce and frightened the other person too much, he made his tone gentler: “Don’t be afraid, as long as you don’t run away again, I will let you eat until you’re full and wear warm clothes.”
Liu Guang seldom speaks so gently. His face felt hot but, thanks to the thick layer of dirt on his face, the other person didn’t see him blush.
Cheng Nuo was speechless. In his 19 years of life, he has fantasized about one day arrogantly saying to a girl “You will be my wife” but now a little rascal less than 1.4 meters tall said these arrogant words to him.
Although he was tempted to slap the babbling child, his reason told him that it would be better to agree for now. Cheng Nuo looked at Liu Guang calmly and said: “Well, right now I’m hungry.”
“… Oh.” Not expecting such a calm response, Liu Guang was dumbfounded.
But a male who lets his child bride go hungry is not a good husband …
Liu Guang brought the food he had found before and put it on the table.
The food was a plateful of dry steamed buns. Cheng Nuo frowned but he knew that in this place they weren’t picky about food. He took a bite out of a bun and threw the other one at Liu Guang.
Liu Guang caught it, stunned. However, he was someone who was not always able to eat until he was full so he simply started eating without much ado. He shoved food into his mouth until his cheeks bulged. He swallowed the food down noisily.
Unfortunately, the dry bread was too hard. Cheng Nuo took a bit of food and left the rest on the table.
Liu Guang looked at the rest of the steamed buns and swallowed a mouthful of water, dissatisfied. The female ate too little!
Cheng Nuo knew at a glance that he was still hungry so he pushed the plate towards the other person: “I’ve eaten. You should finish eating the rest of it.”
Liu Guang hesitated then quickly devoured the food.
Cheng Nuo frowned. The clothes he was wearing really stank! However, his original clothes were too big. He asked Liu Guang: “Do you have needle and sewing materials here?”
Liu Guang gave him a wary look then went out to borrow scissors and sewing materials from the neighboring huts. When he returned, Cheng Nuo sewed up his original trousers with stitches on both sides of the waist. After all, he wasn’t the type of person who’s all thumbs so he easily fixed the clothes.
Cheng Nuo couldn’t wait to take off the dirty and stinky clothes. He put on his original pants over his bare legs. Fortunately, they didn’t fall off.
Liu Guang looked at him in surprise and almost bit his tongue in anger: “You shameless female! I warn you not to undress in front of others! And you mustn’t tell others that you are female…”
Cheng Nuo heard that the word “female” twice. Ah, this world’s perception of males and females is truly terrifying! He saw that the previously scary Liu Guang looked just like a lively little boy now, very normal-looking …
He laughed and put on his T-shirt. Sitting on the bed with his legs crossed, he stared at Liu Guang. “My name is Cheng Nuo. What is this place?”
Liu Guang was stunned. He silently said the name of his future mind in his heart and thought that it was not bad. Since he had decided to take Cheng Nuo as his child bride, he said spoke freely. Although he was articulate, he was just a young boy so his ability to express his thoughts was limited. The more Cheng Nuo heard, the more it made his head swim.
There are no countries in the world but there are numerous cities. A city lord is equal to an emperor. Development is different everywhere, but this slum is undoubtedly one of the most resource-poor areas. They belong to the border area of the city, which is adjacent to the two districts and is close to the commercial road.
Liu Guang said, looking down at Cheng Nuo: “You don’t even know these basic things. Did you run away from a noble house?”
The old people in the slums gossiped about nobles who raised good-looking females in small gardens for them to play with. Cheng Nuo was young and totally lacking in common sense so he must be from one of those noble caravans.
Anyway, here in the slums the dragons and fishes are jumbled together. The surrounding mountains are barren and the terrain is difficult, therefore he wasn’t afraid of people looking for the female.
(TN: 鱼龙混杂 – dragons and fishes jumbled together; good and bad mixed together)
Although he didn’t understand what he meant by “servant,” Cheng Nuo wisely chose to remain silent.
Liu Guang thought he had tacitly agreed and that he had brought up some bad memories. After a long pause, he clumsily and awkwardly patted the back of Cheng Nuo’s hand. “You don’t have to worry. I’ll be good to you in the future.”
********
Translator’s Notes:
- I still don’t have an editor so if you find any errors, please let me know. Thanks.
- Looks like Cheng Nuo has been mistaken for a female who was being raised as a plaything by a noble family.
- Please leave a comment below to let me know your reaction to this story. I love comments!
