| GB | In My Arms | 115
The wind blew across the waves of rice fields, where long and narrow ridges crisscrossed and stretched out. The valleys on both sides of the mountain pass extended endlessly, bathed in a beautiful shade of orange-yellow.
The elementary school was located inside the village's small shop, with a total of just over twenty students.
School ended early in the afternoon. Little Yu Bai, carrying a handmade single-strap bag sewn by his mother, had just left the shop when he quickly ran along the narrow ridges of the fields.
Several dragonflies were startled and flew up, landing on the distant ears of grain. Their gem-like eyes glimmered faintly under the sunlight, as if suspiciously watching the strange "person" following behind Little Yu Bai.
What is that? A monster?!
Huo Duo'er wasn't sure why he had ended up in this strange place, but he saw Yu Bai in his younger form and followed him wherever he went.
The surroundings were completely unfamiliar, yet somewhat similar to what Yu Bai had once described to him. Could this be the homeland of the orc god?
Before he could think further, the tall giant clan member stayed close to Little Yu Bai, his gaze unwilling to stray even for a moment.
The young Yu Bai was so full of life.
Yu Bai also ran alongside Huo Duo'er. Everything here felt so familiar to him—it was his past.
—
At night, a cluster of fireflies flitted above the grass in the yard.
The fireflies drifted into the room, which contained only a bed, a simple wardrobe, and a desk and chair to the left of the wardrobe, facing a square window.
A white incandescent lamp hung from the grayish wall. Little Yu Bai, dressed in blue shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, sat upright with his soft, jet-black, slightly curly hair falling down. He held a pen in his right hand, diligently working on his homework.
At this moment, Huo Duo'er sat on the floor with his legs half-bent, his head lowered as he focused on Little Yu Bai in his arms, occasionally glancing at the homework in Yu Bai's hands.
Over the years, Yu Bai had taught Huo Duo'er to read, so he could recognize most of the words on the homework.
It wasn't until Yu Bai's mother knocked on the door and said, "Xiao Yu, it's time for bed," that Little Yu Bai finally put away his homework. He first went to the yard to fill a cup of water from the faucet to brush his teeth, then returned to the room to sleep.
The light was turned off, and the room was plunged into darkness. A beam of moonlight seeped through the window, accompanied by a few clusters of crystal-green fireflies.
Yu Bai went to the other two rooms, checking on his sleeping mother and grandfather, before returning to his small room.
The room felt cramped with the addition of the giant. Yu Bai glanced at his younger self on the small bed, then his gaze fell on the orc, who had curled up his tall frame and lay on his side on the floor.
Huo Duo'er was like a loyal beast, guarding the younger version of himself on the bed.
The night passed peacefully.
—
The peaceful days of youth were soon disrupted. One day, after Little Yu Bai had just started middle school, he felt unwell and was sent to the emergency room. The school doctor advised him to go to a larger hospital for a check-up.
At first, Little Yu Bai didn't pay much attention to it. But a few days later, the pain became unbearable. His grandfather took him to the county hospital for an examination, and the county hospital recommended that they go to the provincial hospital.
His mother and grandfather took him to the provincial capital by bus.
Yu Bai "sat" in the bus, looking back at the past. He felt a bit sad, but mostly calm.
Huo Duo'er was at a loss. He gently touched Little Yu Bai's face with his fingers, seeing him purse his lips and endure the pain quietly. He wished he could do something to help.
When they arrived at the provincial hospital, the test results came out quickly. Little Yu Bai was diagnosed with bone cancer, but fortunately, it had been detected relatively early.
In an instant, Mother nearly fainted, feeling as if the sky were collapsing. Grandfather, suppressing the twitching on his face, held the somewhat bewildered little Yu Bai, sighed, and patted his shoulder, saying, "It's alright, it's alright. Xiao Yu is so obedient and smart. With some care, he'll get better."
Little Yu Bai listened to Grandfather's words.
After a period of treatment, he returned to school. At that time, he only remembered that he had been sick and couldn't jump around like before, and gradually becoming quieter.
A boy who was too quiet seemed a bit out of place, and little Yu Bai felt somewhat lonely. He simply read books by himself, unaware that a giant was sitting on the ground beside him, watching.
Yu Bai sighed, walked over to Huo Duo'er, and sat down beside him. He propped his elbow on the desk and stared at little Yu Bai.
—
The scene shifted. Several years had passed, and the now adult Yu Bai had been living in the countryside for a long time. Initially, he had been recuperating in the hospital, but the family ran out of money. The donated funds couldn't cover his subsequent treatments, so they had to bring him home.
Mother followed an uncle to the county during the day to do odd jobs. At night, the uncle would ride an electric bike to bring Mother back to the village to take care of him. The money they earned was all pooled together to save for his medical expenses.
Grandfather ran up and down the mountains, bringing the herbs he collected to sell in the county. He also went to surrounding villages to treat people and collect fees.
Little Yu Bai had grown up and was no longer the plump and lively child he once was. He was now pitifully thin and had come to understand what late-stage bone cancer meant.
Huo Duo'er watched as little Yu Bai grew weaker and weaker. At first, he was at a loss and heartbroken, but in the end, only numbness remained. What stayed constant was his unwavering protective stance.
Huo Duo'er followed behind Yu Bai, day after day, night and day, guarding the boy who was in so much pain he couldn't close his eyes.
And Yu Bai, who had witnessed all the past events and developments, remained silent.
He gently stroked his own trembling body on the bed, trying to bring some comfort to that version of himself.
After a long while, his fingertips passed through Huo Duo'er's palm and rested on the other's furrowed brow, gently caressing it.
The atmosphere at home grew increasingly silent. Mother and Grandfather had become much more haggard. Sometimes, they would muster the strength to talk to him and wipe his body, but in the process, their voices would choke, and they would quickly turn away, squatting on the ground, biting back tears.
The doctor had a simple, adult conversation with Yu Bai in private.
Facing the impoverished and struggling household, and seeing the increasingly haggard relatives who had sacrificed so much over the years, Yu Bai, endured the pain throughout his body, wrote a letter and placed it under a pencil box.
He quietly left the small house he had lived in for over a decade, with Huo Duo'er following him until they stopped in front of a tranquil lake.
The moonlight was as clear as water, and the lake surface was like a mirror.
The mirror illuminated Yu Bai's past, which had taken a dramatic turn.
The young Yu Bai stood still for a moment, then made up his mind and stepped into the lake.
Huo Duo'er sensed his intention and ran in front to stop him.
"Bai, don't!"
"Don't go in, please, Bai—!"
Huo Duo'er desperately pulled at Yu Bai, trying to drag him back to shore, but the cold water gradually submerged his body, then his neck.
Tears welled up in Huo Duo'er's beastly eyes as he let out a low roar and immediately jumped in after him!
Yu Bai watched as the young version of himself and Huo Duo'er sank together into the boundless, icy coldness.
He looked up dazedly, the moonlight stinging his pupils.
"Don't jump! Huo Duo'er!!"
"Come back, Huo Duo'er, don't jump—!"
At this moment, Yu Bai seemed to hear another voice in his heart.
[Do you regret it? Do you regret jumping into the lake to end your life?]
[As long as you don't want to, you won't die. You can return to your past life. Think of your loved ones. Look, he jumped in to save you. Do you regret what you did in the past?]
[Now you have a choice. If you change your mind, you can go back to the past...]
Yu Bai's head ached, as if countless fine needles were pricking him. He let out a low groan of pain.
Did he regret it? Did he regret the decisions he had made?
The moonlight grew brighter. Yu Bai endured the pain and looked up, a flash of thought crossing his mind.
Two more years had passed.
His grandfather had reached the end of his life and passed away from illness.
The countryside remained as it always had been, quiet and peaceful, with the scent of the fields drifting in the wind.
The young people had all gone out to work, leaving a few elderly villagers sitting at the entrance of the village. Their hair was gray as they basked in the sun, gazing at the distant fields and country roads. It was unclear what they were looking at or thinking about, but they would sit there all day.
His mother had fallen into a deep depression, but Uncle Chen, who had been by her side for over a decade, remained to care for and comfort her.
Yu Bai's heart ached. He knew.
Ever since that irresponsible man had left, his mother had only had him and his grandfather.
Although she had feelings for Uncle Chen, she had always refused to remarry, fearing that she would burden him because of her own situation.
So, two years after his suicide, his grandfather had also passed away...
And his mother...
Yu Bai hurriedly followed. Under Uncle Chen's care, his mother had regained some mobility and her health had improved somewhat. The two of them would sit around the table to eat, exchange a few words, and then Uncle Chen would go out to work in the fields while his mother sat in the yard, basking in the sun, lost in thought. Later, she would go to Yu Bai's room and sit there.
Another six months passed, and his mother's spirits began to improve. After more than a decade of ups and downs, she finally married Uncle Chen.
The two of them lived in the countryside for a year. To make it easier to visit the hospital, Uncle Chen used the money he had painstakingly saved to buy a small second-hand house in the county town. After cleaning and furnishing it, he brought his mother there to live, making it much more convenient to take her to the hospital.
Time passed steadily and quietly.
Yu Bai watched as his mother learned to use her phone to take videos, asking Uncle Chen to teach her how to post them online. She would dance and chat with the retired women in the neighborhood, and Yu Bai couldn't help but smile faintly.
The voice that had occasionally surfaced in his mind had finally stopped. He had his answer.
He didn't regret the decisions he had made in the past. He had seen his mother finally pull herself together and live a peaceful, stable life. That was enough.
Why should he yearn for a path that had never been taken or a future that had never happened?
"I don't regret it!"
Yu Bai heard himself answer.
—
The scene shattered, and when he opened his eyes again, Yu Bai was trapped in a solid chest.
Ignoring the cold sweat on his face, he patted Huo Duo'er's twitching face.
"Huo Duo'er, wake up! Don't jump, don't fall into it!!"
Huo Duo'er was immersed in the cold, unable to reach the white figure who had taken his own life—his orc mate...
It felt like an eternity had passed, so long that he wanted to close his eyes and follow, to stay by Bai's side...
Why did you do this? Why did you take your own life...
Huo Duo'er's face stung, as if he had been struck hard by something.
Then, his ears also hurt, feeling warm, as if he could hear a voice.
His heart felt empty. Bai, where was his Bai? Once they had formed a bond, they were supposed to be together forever. How could Bai...
The bond?
Huo Duo'er instantly grasped the crucial, forgotten point.
Yes, Bai had been sleeping in his arms, so how could he have jumped into the lake?
In his arms, the Bai in his arms, Yu Bai was right there in his arms!
Then, where was this place...
"Bai—!"
Yu Bai cupped Huo Duo'er's face and gently touched the slightly reddened area where he had been struck.
"Your finally awake..."
He leaned in, tightening his arms around the other's neck.
"Were you dreaming? Don't think about that dream!"
Huo Duo'er looked at the young man in his arms with uncertainty. As his mind regained clarity, his orc eyes swept over the faintly glowing shell.
His expression turned cold, one hand firmly gripping Yu Bai's waist, his fingers tightening, ready to crush it!
"Don't kill him—!"
Outside the tent, the sea breeze blew, lifting the animal hide curtain.
A’Sen and the other orcs were all in a deep slumber. In the sea mist, several large clams surfaced, their shells as white as flat ground. As the shells opened, several androgynous orcs emerged.
Their hair hung to the ground, their skin pale and sickly, dressed in pale blue gauze, their hair and skin adorned with gleaming pearls.
At this moment, they looked nervous, facing the cold, emotionless face of the giant race, and pleaded again, "Don't kill him."
0 Comments
Post a Comment