Chapter 2 — Little Grass Under The Sun

I used to open the lock and put the money in her hand. She stared blankly at the string of copper coins, her eyes blurred. Separated from the world for so long, she no longer recognizes today's currency. Suddenly, she glared at me: "You lied to me. You are his species, you are definitely lying to me." At that time, her mind was alternately awake and unconscious, her speech was confused. I tried my best to coax her to help her walk out the door. But before we could run a hundred steps, we ran into the Third Clan who was on night patrol. The villagers raised torches and chased us, tying us up. That time, mother and child were beaten to the point where flesh and blood were mixed. Her forehead was hit by a stone, leaving a bloody hole, blood drenched the pile of firewood. When she woke up, the only thing left in her eyes when she looked at me was extreme hatred.

"It's all because of you, if it weren't for your trouble, I would have escaped long ago." “Nie Niep, is it okay if I take you there?” “You Lam family are all evil, please let me go…”

Her mind became increasingly chaotic. Later, thanks to a generous person donating money to build a classroom, I was sent to town to study. Gradually understanding the situation, I realized that the lady was the one who was kidnapped. I am the child of a human trafficker. I told this secret to my only friend, then the next day, I was isolated by the whole school.

“Your mother is crazy, your father is a man, you are not a good thing either.”

They threw trash at me, spit on me, and even pushed my head into a stinking compost bin.

03

Later, the officials followed the trail and came to rescue both me and my wife. Mrs. A was sometimes awake and unconscious. Whenever she saw me, she trembled and kept backing away: "I don't know it... it wasn't born from me." Grandfather was so angry that he fainted on the spot. When he woke up, he closed the door and did not let me in.

"The Wen family doesn't have this kind of wild species, does that human trafficker deserve to have anything to do with my Wen family?"

My brother (cousin) pushed me out of the palace gate. I had no place to stay, and I couldn't bear to leave my mother, so I had to cower under the stone steps for two days, and finally starved in front of the hallway door. When I woke up again, I was lying on the hospital bed in the hospital. Grandfather's grandfather stood beside the bed with a cane, his hair and beard were white: "This child, don't resent us. Whether it's your mother or the Wen family, we can't accommodate you. Who said that person's blood flows on your body, this is something that cannot be washed away. We will provide for your education, give you the best education, the rest, we have to look at your own creation." I don't resent you. I understand clearly, I am his flesh and blood, this original sin cannot be washed away in a lifetime. I didn't even dare open my mouth to ask for a piece of food, even though I was really hungry. But we know, they are all suffering. Ah's wife is suffering, her grandfather is also suffering. Being able to continue studying, I am very satisfied. That man once said that he would let me finish the beginner class, know a few words, and later sell him to a rich family as a concubine in exchange for more money. Just like that, I was brought to this library. They seemed to have paid enough tuition for me, but forgot to give me money for food and expenses. Since returning to the Wen family until now, I have not had a single grain of rice in my stomach, only the thin porridge I ate at the hospital that day remained in my stomach. My brother doesn't study here, but he warned everyone long ago in class: My father is a servant, so he told them to "take good care" of me. Today, I was able to eat a full meal and eat such delicious food, with so many meat dishes that I have never seen before, I was very satisfied. Being "taken care of" is so nice.

04

When I return to class, no one throws trash at me anymore. According to common sense, they knew my identity and should have avoided me like evil. I quietly sat back in my old seat in the last row. The lady sitting next to me looked extremely beautiful, her eyes were clear and cold, her Confucian dress was so clean that it seemed to exude the scent of sunlight. Seeing me sitting down, she didn't cover her nose and hate my dirty appearance like her previous table mates. She just frowned slightly and pushed the book "Zhong Dung" on the table back half an inch to the side.

“Look at something, open it to the 'Ung Da' sky."

Her voice was so clear, I was stunned when I heard it.

"Still dumbfounded? If you lower your class rank this time in the monthly exam, I will definitely settle the score with you."

I frantically bowed my head and turned the pages of the book, but in my heart, a trace of disapproval flashed through my heart. She must be holding some trick to deal with me. Rumor has it that the way noble descendants torture others has always been very cruel and cunning. But for an entire class period, no one bothered me anymore. When the teacher lectured, there was nothing unusual on his face. Later we learned that she was Tan Tri Lam - the eldest son of Thien Tu class, the person who valued the class's learning the most. From that day on, a few more items often appeared on our table. Sometimes it's a carefully handwritten commentary on the sutras, sometimes it's old exam papers with important points circled with a red pen. I couldn't master the "Chu Dich" hexagram, so she took advantage of the empty lunch break and used a ruler to gently tap the corner of my desk.

"Hey, first we have to look at the monsters."

Her voice was monotonous, but she explained each step in extremely detailed detail. Every time she explained a step, she paused for a moment, waiting until the confusion in my eyes disappeared before continuing to explain the next part. Regarding "Analects", I am even more like a blank sheet of paper. She coldly tossed me an old commentary scroll.

“Watch carefully, will check tomorrow.”

Her face was cold, but her voice was clear and gentle. When she explained to me the four words "First, Tai, Thu, Co", I was distracted and suddenly sighed softly:

“Is your reading voice… always this pleasant?”