Chapter 2: Mother
"No, Dad! Listen to me… Ah!"
"Xiao Yanzi climbed up by himself, I swear it's true! You have to believe me—"
"Is that what I asked you?"
Wails echoed through the night, mixing with the eerie sound of a spinning top. The sound was so chilling it made the night feel colder.
Click.
Xiao Yan quietly closed the door, shutting out the noisy tragedy happening outside.
He was just a weak, helpless spectator. It wasn't his place to judge who was right or wrong, much less enforce family rules.
In fact, maybe this was better — a little suffering now might stop something worse later.
Better to be beaten now than dragged back halfway through an escape, he thought. Otherwise, it'll be another beating for running away, another one for leaving without a word, and another for becoming a mercenary…
Big Brother, I'm doing this for your own good!
"Third Young Master."
A maid stepped out of the inner room when she heard the door, bowing politely.
"How is Mother?"
"She rested a little while ago, Young Master, but just woke up," the maid said softly, patting the towel on her arm. "She said she doesn't want to sleep anymore, so I wiped her face."
Did the screams wake her up?
Xiao Yan considered for a moment whether to suggest that Xiao Zhan should cover his mouth during future punishments.
"Got it. You can go."
"Yes."
The thick curtain between the outer and inner room swayed slightly as he walked inside. Even the windows here were tightly sealed with cotton, only opened on sunny afternoons for air.
"Yan'er?"
The soft, tired voice on the bed made him pause. Even speaking seemed to take all of her strength.
"Mm."
He walked to the table, touched the kettle's lid to check if the water was still warm, then poured a bowl.
"Did your Second Brother upset your father again?"
"Yes, but this time it was Big Brother's fault."
He poured the water back and forth between two bowls, letting white steam rise.
"Does Mother like Big Brother very much? You always scold Second Brother."
"Ah…"
Her voice carried a trace of sadness. "Your Big Brother has had a hard life. I can't always side with that monkey of a Second Brother and ignore him."
A boy carrying his baby brother through the forest, running for his life. Rain pouring down, mud everywhere, yet he still climbed trees to find food, hunted rabbits, and cooked for them.
Years later, he learned to sew, learned to cook better, worked hard until life improved and servants could be hired again.
That frail body, that long-neglected cultivation…
The Xiao Family's First Young Master, the one everyone admired, had carried too much on his shoulders.
"A hard life? Then aren't you the same, Mother?" Xiao Yan blew on the water, then took a sip.
"Me? I've already been lucky. If I close my eyes early, it just means one less worry for me…"
Her voice grew softer as she began to ramble. "Back then, I never thought I'd gain anything from this journey…"
"Journey?"
"…"
She stayed quiet for a while, lost in thought.
Was she remembering the injured youth who saved her life? Or the moment when he stood before his father and declared, "Yes, only her."
Or maybe that night — the blood, the chaos, the words, "I'm here, I'm here…"
"Yes. This journey."
"Mother still has a long road ahead — a very long one." Xiao Yan wiped his face, then carried the water to the bedside. "Want some?"
"No, there's no need…"
"Here."
Before she could finish, he held the bowl to her lips. She paused, then drank more than half.
He glanced at her dry lips but didn't comment. This happened almost every day — the maid would ask, she would say "no need," and yet she was always thirsty.
Just like people and events that seemed to repeat from a past life.
I'll pour more later.
"You're hurt."
Even lying there, her senses were sharp.
"It's nothing, just a small scrape from climbing the mountain. Didn't even bleed."
He adjusted the bandage on his hand where it had loosened.
You're lying.
She said nothing, but she knew. That smell… she had used that same medicine countless times, first on her husband, even back when they first met.
Clearly, it was a bone or tendon injury.
"Don't push yourself too hard while cultivating. You're still young — injuries now will trouble you later."
"But Big Brother said cultivation can't be delayed."
"This child! What nonsense is he teaching you every day? You're still a child, how can you train like that?!"
Her scolding almost made her sound more alive.
Xiao Yan decided to finish the job. "Big Brother also said that if I don't cultivate properly, I'll have to become a mercenary like him one day. And… he might not even come home for years."
The room went silent.
"Call Xiao Ding," she said firmly. "And your father too."
Big Brother, this is for your own good, Xiao Yan thought.
He took one last look at her before heading out.
In the original story, you probably didn't even get to see Mother one last time before you left, right?
"Big Brother! Mother wants to talk to you!"
"Huh?"
The spinning top outside suddenly stopped.
"I told Mother." Xiao Yan almost laughed but kept his face straight.
"You! What?!"
Xiao Ding's world collapsed.
His well-behaved Third Brother had finally turned into another Second Brother.
The boy who used to cry and run to their parents now ran straight to their father, hugging his leg and begging:
"Dad! Dear Old Dad! Please, think of a way! Save me!"
"Heaven helps those who help themselves."
Xiao Zhan folded his hands behind his back, looking up at the moon. "This one's on you."
Don't drag me into this, brat!
"Dad, Mother said you too."
"No— wait, what!?"
The Clan Chief pointed at the moon, then at himself.
I was just standing here looking at the moon — why am I being dragged into this?
"Cough… cough."
Then, realizing his son was watching, Xiao Zhan pulled his belt tight and spoke with all the authority of a Clan Chief. "Alright! Tell them the Clan Chief knows."
"Aye!"
"Mother! Dad said he's the boss!"
"You little brat, what are you saying?!"
That night, the Xiao Family courtyard was lively — so lively that the other two families were curious enough to gossip about it for days.