Asking For A Favor

“What?”

“That I chose the sea as my final resting place…”

Xiaoguo shook her head calmly. “It’s quite a good idea. Better than being buried in the soil and suffering the pain of being bitten by bugs and rotting in the soil.”

“Haha, I was afraid that my thoughts would sound strange.”

Zhao Yuyan seemed to have found a confidante. She told Xiaoguo a lot, including why she wanted to be cremated.

In this era where soil burial was the norm, cremation seemed like an irrational idea.

Ever since Zhao Yuyan had this thought, she was worried that her idea would be frowned upon.

She had lived too mundanely in the better half of her life. She was a swallow at heart. Since she could not soar in the blue skies and white clouds, then she would wander in the vast and gentle sea instead.

“Can you bear to leave everything behind?”

Xiaoguo looked at her ordinary and yearning face and couldn’t help but find it strange. Could she really face death so calmly?

“The heavens never decide life and death based on whether you are ready or not. Either way, when it’s time, nobody gets to choose. It’s hard for anyone to leave without regrets.”

“But I am ready now.”

At this point, Zhao Yuyan looked at Xiaoguo. “Does Yu Ling already know?”

“Know what?”

“My condition.”

“…” Xiaoguo was silent for a second before nodding. “Yes.”

Zhao Yuyan looked proud. “She’s indeed my daughter. What a smart girl!”

“Yu Ling is so smart. With you by her side, I have nothing to worry about.”

Xiaoguo smiled and said deliberately, “It seems that I have a heavy burden on my shoulders.”

“It won’t crush you. I believe in you.”

After saying that, Zhao Yuyan lay down on the sand. She shook her head comfortably and continued, “Now, I’m just waiting to close my eyes and enjoy life.”

Seeing how comfortable she was, Xiaoguo also lay down on the sand. She closed her eyes and quietly enjoyed the sea breeze and the sound of the waves.

“In my next life, I still want to be Yu Ling’s mother. It would be great if I could bump into you again.”

“Why? Are you going to repay me?”

Xiaoguo laughed after saying that.

Zhao Yuyan smiled back. “That’s right. To repay your kindness.”

Xiaoguo snorted. “Then I’ll wait for you. You’d better not pretend to not know me in your next life.”

“Okay! Hahahaha…”

Xiaoguo smiled back at her.

Parting was for a better reunion the next time.

—-

During lunch, when Xiao Zhu found out that Yu Ling and Zhao Yuyan were not leaving, she was so excited that she almost flipped the table. She kept asking them if it was true.

The few of them nodded again and again. Only then did she believe them. Her beautiful eyes narrowed as she said, “That’s great! Then the three of us can stay together!”

A smile flashed across Yuling’s eyes when she heard this. Then, she smiled and nodded. “Hehe, sure!”

Yu Ling and Zhao Yuyan had no objections. Xiao Zhu was too lonely now. They also wanted to spend more time with this poor little girl.

In the afternoon, Xiaoguo was prepared to make a trip to the old village chief’s house. She didn’t let anyone follow her and was planning to go alone.

Now that Yu Ling and Zhao Yuyan had decided to stay in the fishing village, there were still many things to do. She was going to look for the old village chief to explain the situation and ask him to help watch over the girls.

“Mother, I want to go with you!”

This time, Xiaoguo agreed. She would just let him follow her. If she didn’t, Zhuang Zhuang would definitely cry.

It had been a long time since the mother and son had done something together. Zhuang Zhuang was very happy. Along the way, he kept asking her questions while looking at the clouds and the sea. The atmosphere was extremely lively.

Halfway through, he asked about their destination.

“Mother, where are we going?”

Xiaoguo laughed when she heard that. She pinched his little nose and said with a smile, “You… You wouldn’t even know if someone sold you.”

“Hehe, Mother won’t do that to me.”

Xiaoguo laughed and patted his head. “We’re going to look for the old village chief. Sister Yu Ling and her mother have decided to stay in the fishing village and live with Sister Xiaozhu for a while.”

When Zhuang Zhuang heard this, he tilted his head and asked, “For a while?”

“Yes, yes.”

Xiaoguo responded calmly. Then, looking at his strange expression, she remembered that she had yet to explain the whole situation to him.

“Zhuang Zhuang, can I tell you about Sister Yu Ling and Auntie Zhao Yuyan?”

“Okay!”

Xiaoguo stopped making her way to the village chief’s house. Instead, she found a spot and sat down with Zhuang Zhuang before she started explaining to him.

When Zhuang Zhuang heard the story, he couldn’t help but cry. Before Xiaoguo could ask him what was wrong, he jumped into her arms.

In between sobs, he said, “Mother, can you not leave me? Please never do that.”

Xiaoguo was stunned for a moment. Then, she patted his head sadly. “Okay, I promise you.”

After hearing her words, Zhuang Zhuang slowly stopped crying. He looked up at his mother, who looked so gentle in front of him. He didn’t even dare to think about it. If his mother were to leave him one day, he definitely wouldn’t be able to take it. Just thinking about it made him want to cry.

“Mother…”

“Sigh…”

Xiaoguo knew that children of Zhuang Zhuang’s age could not understand death. Just thinking about it would make them sad.

She still remembered the time when she was young, she would cry for a long time when she occasionally thought about her parents leaving her one day.

After calming down, Xiaoguo and Zhuang Zhuang patted the sand off their bodies and continued walking towards the village chief’s house.

When the two of them arrived, the old village chief was discussing something with a group of people. Xiaoguo saw that they were all men, so it was not convenient for her to go over. She followed the village chief’s wife to the back room and waited for the old village chief to finish his discussion.

Soon, the old village chief came in. He smiled sheepishly at Xiaoguo and said, “Madam, sorry to keep you waiting.”

“No problem.” Xiaoguo smiled and shook her head. After the man sat down, she said, “I came here this time to ask you for a favor.”

The old village chief looked at her in surprise and said, “Go ahead.”

Xiaoguo told him about Zhao Yuyan and her daughter staying in the fishing village. She also told him in detail about Zhao Yuyan’s health.

The old village chief’s wife was a sentimental person. When she heard about Zhao Yuyan and her daughter’s situation, she felt sad for them and tears welled up in her eyes.

The old village chief nodded silently and said firmly, “Don’t worry, Madam. I understand their situation. I’ll take care of their three meals and will look out for them.”

“It’s not like that.” Xiaoguo shook her head and continued, “It’s not good for them to keep troubling the two of you. Besides, Zhao Yuyan’s condition is unpredictable. It could drag for a week, a month, or half a year. I was thinking that maybe you can prepare some cookware and food for them. A moderate amount of food should suffice. Just keep your eyes peeled. When things settle down in the future, they can buy more themselves.”

“Sure, sure.”

The old village chief nodded readily. “Leave this to me.”

“Thank you in advance.”

Xiaoguo smiled and thanked the chief. This was what she had thought of. The physician on the island had said that Zhao Yuyan could live longer if she maintained a positive outlook. Seeing that she was getting better by the day, she might be able to last longer than expected.

Since they wanted to settle down here, they should try to lead a normal life. They couldn’t keep troubling the old village chief to provide everything for them. Therefore, it was more convenient for them to cook their own meals.

“Please accept this money.”

Xiaoguo took out fifteen taels of silver from her pocket and placed them on the table.

“That won’t do.”

The old village chief and his wife refused repeatedly. How could they accept her money?

“Take it. I can’t let you spend so much effort and money. Besides, I have nothing to thank you for after receiving such a warm welcome from you and Madam. This bit of money is my token of appreciation.”

Xiaoguo was being very euphemistic. Based on the current standard of living in the Shao Nation, fifteen taels of silver was more than enough to last most ordinary people for at least a year. After using the money to buy pots, pans, and food, there would still be a big sum left.