Chapter 357: Is this really just a dream?
Although Cheng Ling was uncertain, she knew now was not the time to dwell on these things, so she continued to control the skin as it stumbled towards the distance.
‘The further away, the better. Otherwise, if she catches me, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to come out again.’
Cheng Ling knew her Main Body’s temper very well, so she drifted through the forest, resting when she was tired, and continuing to drift again when her Spiritual Sense recovered. Although her speed was urgent, she was exceptionally determined. Every time she thought of the dark and hopeless “imprisonment” of the past fifteen years, a chill would surge through her.
After drifting for about an hour, Cheng Ling fainted again due to mental exhaustion. Then, she had another dream.
When Qi Huang regained consciousness, she found that she had become the little loli named “Yaoyao” again. She was helping her parents shuck corn in the yard.
“Our Yaoyao is so good. She’s so young and already knows how to help Mommy and Daddy with work.”
Her young mother praised her from the side. Although her skin was rough from long hours of labor, a hint of childlike innocence could still be seen on her face. She couldn’t be older than twenty.
“Yes! Yuanyuan, the greatest pride of my life is marrying you and having a precious daughter.”
The equally young father sighed beside her. He looked no more than two years older than his wife.
“Look at you! Aren’t you being too cheesy?”
His wife, Yuanyuan, said coyly, a little embarrassed.
“Alas! My greatest wish now is for our precious daughter to grow up quickly and find a good family to marry into, so she doesn’t have to suffer with us anymore.”
The young father reached out his large hand and gently touched his daughter’s tender little face.
“Hua Ge, can… can you bear to?”
Yuanyuan asked in a low voice.
“How could I bear it? But as the saying goes, you have to give to get. I can’t keep her by my side to suffer out of my own selfishness.”
Husband Hua Ge sighed, a hint of reluctance in his eyes, but more self-reproach and sadness.
“But when it comes to marriage, it’s about matching social status. Can she really marry into a good family?”
Yuanyuan was a little worried.
“It’s okay. You can’t find anyone poorer than us in the entire county now.”
Hua Ge smiled wryly.
Hearing this, Yuanyuan’s eyes also showed a hint of sadness.
“Besides, our precious daughter is so cute. When she grows up, she’ll be a great beauty like you. How could she not marry into a good family?”
Hua Ge realized he had said the wrong thing and quickly changed the subject.
“We’re an old married couple, stop being so cheesy, I can’t stand it.”
Yuanyuan’s expression softened considerably upon hearing this.
“The sun is setting soon, why hasn’t Mother come back from the market yet?”
Hua Ge looked up at the sky, his face showing concern.
“Don’t know.”
Yuanyuan shook her head and then chided, “You should have gone to the county town with Mother to get her medicine. She’s sick, and the journey is long. As her son, shouldn’t you be more at ease?”
“What can I do? I still owe a lot of money from treating Father two years ago. They’re coming to collect tonight. If we can’t shuck and sell this corn, what will we use to pay them back?”
Hua Ge showed a wry smile.
“Actually, I can manage on my own.”
Yuanyuan gritted her teeth.
“As the head of the family, I can’t put all the burden on you. Don’t worry, Mother went with some villagers. Nothing will happen.”
Hua Ge comforted her.
Not long after, Hua Ge pushed the three bags of shucked corn out with a wheelbarrow and soon returned with a bag of copper coins, which looked like several hundred.
“Alas, I was going to buy you and our daughter a new outfit with this money,”
Hua Ge sighed, looking at the money bag in his hand.
Unfortunately, as soon as he finished speaking, the debt collector walked in from the door.
Hua Ge had no choice but to hand over the money bag. Feeling the lingering warmth in his hand, he gave a bitter smile.
“It’s okay, husband! Things will get better.”
His wife Yuanyuan comforted him understandingly.
“Yes, there’s always a way out. I don’t believe I’ll be unlucky my whole life.”
Hua Ge took a deep breath, and a fighting spirit appeared on his face again.
As the sun set, the stars in the sky gradually began to twinkle.
Qi Huang glanced at them unintentionally and found that the distribution of these stars was completely different from that in the Cultivation World. She didn’t dwell on it, after all, it was just a dream.
Just then, Yaoyao’s grandmother finally walked in, a parcel slung over her shoulder.
“Mother, you’re back! Was the journey smooth?”
Hua Ge quickly went forward to inquire, and his wife also went to meet her.
“Don’t worry, I’m very healthy. This little bit of road is nothing!”
Yaoyao’s grandmother smiled easily, then walked up to her granddaughter, opened the parcel, and took out a string of shiny Tanghulu. “Granddaughter, here! Grandma promised to buy you Tanghulu.”
“Ahhh…”
Yaoyao excitedly took the Tanghulu, then immediately stuffed her little mouth with it, but unfortunately, it didn’t fit at all.
“Eat slowly! Eat slowly! No one is snatching it from you!”
Grandmother reached out and touched her granddaughter’s little head.
“Yaoyao, what did Daddy teach you? Say thank you to Grandma!”
Hua Ge immediately instructed.
“Thank you, Grandma!”
Yaoyao quickly thanked her between bites, her words a little unclear.
“Why thank Grandma!”
Grandmother affectionately touched her granddaughter’s little head again and sighed, “My poor precious granddaughter, she’s never eaten Tanghulu before even though she’s this old. It’s all my fault for being useless.”
“Mother, don’t say that. It’s my problem.”
Hua Ge quickly took the blame.
Yaoyao’s grandmother didn’t say anything more but took out a little red floral padded jacket from the parcel. “Granddaughter, this is the clothes Grandma bought for you. Try them on to see if they fit!”
Hua Ge and his wife exchanged glances, their faces filled with confusion, not understanding where their mother got the money.
“Wow! New clothes!”
Yaoyao jumped for joy after putting on the clothes.
Yaoyao’s grandmother took out a slightly larger floral padded jacket from the parcel and handed it to her daughter-in-law. “Yuanyuan, this is what your mother-in-law bought for you.”
“Mother! Where did you get the money?”
Yuanyuan couldn’t help but ask.
“It’s the money you gave me.”
Yaoyao’s grandmother replied casually.
“Ah? Then what about the medicine you got?”
Hua Ge quickly inquired.
“Didn’t get any!”
Yaoyao’s grandmother answered casually.
“How can you not get it? You need to take medicine when you’re sick. Otherwise, how can we, as your children, be at ease?”
Hua Ge’s tone became more agitated.
Yaoyao’s grandmother turned her head and looked at her son quietly. After a moment, she said, “Son, I know your filial piety. I also know my condition. Since it’s a terminal illness, there’s no need to treat it. Use the money for something meaningful, take good care of them, the mother and daughter, and then I can die with my eyes closed.”
Hua Ge was stunned when he heard this, then closed his eyes in pain. His wife beside him began to sob.
…
The dream ended there. As Cheng Ling woke up, Qi Huang also regained consciousness. Recalling the events she had seen in the dream within a dream, her heart was deeply unable to calm down.
“Why is it this dream again?”
After an unknown amount of time, Cheng Ling suddenly muttered in her heart, and then complained, unable to figure it out, “Moreover, the events of the two dreams are consecutive. This is really strange!”
Although Cheng Ling found it a bit bizarre, she couldn’t find any clues, so she continued to control the skin to flee.
Qi Huang’s heart, however, was in turmoil. These consecutive “dreams” were so similar to what she was seeing now.
“Are they really just dreams? Or are they someone’s memories?”
Qi Huang vaguely had this thought.
Cheng Ling controlled the skin and had not flown far when she discovered that the dark red spot on it had expanded by another circle, now as large as a copper coin, and its color had also faded a bit.
“If it continues to spread like this, it will eventually cover my entire face. I just hope its color can completely disappear by then, otherwise, it will be too ugly.”
Cheng Ling thought this. After all, she was a girl. Even if her current body was just a face, it had to be clean and beautiful.
