Too high to reach

Chapter 73 Be Mischievous
The Mohists also frequently visited this temple.

Next to Qingfeng Pavilion is a courtyard with no buildings, just trees. Among them are some pine and plum trees that are hundreds of years old, with very ancient and rustic appearances. Every time I come here, I take a stroll here.

Especially in the summer when she comes with her father, she brings fruit and snacks and sits under the tree to drink tea.

That was always the happiest time for my father...

At this moment, the courtyard was empty, bathed in sunlight, and utterly silent.

The thought of the way that old woman from the Liang family mentioned her father filled her with uncontrollable anger.

"I don't even know what I came here for today!" he sighed.

Feeling down, I wandered around and suddenly noticed that the persimmon tree behind the two pine trees was shaking violently.

I was startled and quickly took two steps closer to look up.

These persimmon trees are quite old. They have large canopies, with branches stretching out far and wide in a tangled mess.

It looks like... there's someone up there?
It had climbed quite high, its feet on tree branches and its hands gripping twigs, and it was shaking them desperately.

It turned out that at the end of the high branches of the persimmon tree, there were a few small, bright red persimmons that had survived the winter.

The people in the tree were heading for the persimmons. Unable to reach them, they tried to shake themselves down.

Two things had already fallen to the ground and were smashed to pieces... "What was he doing? Even if they fell, they're not edible!"

The man swayed for a while, and when he saw that even when he tried harder, the branches only swayed slightly and didn't fall down at all... he then tried to climb higher using both his hands and feet.

Mo Yi was speechless. No matter how high you climb, you can't reach it! It grows on the very tip of the thinnest branch!
At the same time, she also realized that it was a young boy.

Whose brat is this?!

"Hey! Whose child are you? Who gave you permission to climb the tree?!" Mo Yi shouted.

The man above was startled. His foot slipped, he swayed… and stumbled. “Ah!?” He frantically grabbed the tree trunk with both hands, completely flustered…

"Ah!" Mo Yi, who was under the tree, was also terrified.

Moreover, neither the boy in the tree nor Mo Yi below knew that someone was hiding behind the tree next to them, and almost jumped out. That person was pale-faced and nearly scared to death.

Mo Yi reacted quickly, letting out a scream as she ran to the boy's feet. She stretched out her hands, intending to catch him as he fell.

As soon as the boy regained his footing, he angrily lashed out downwards...

"What are you yelling for! You can scare people to death, you know?!" The voice was changing and sounded strange.

Yes, he is indeed a boy in his early teens.

Her eyes were bright, and her clothes were made of good material, but there was a big tear in them, and the fabric was hanging down, fluttering in the wind.

"Aren't you the one who's scary? Whose child are you?! Where are your parents?!" Mo Yi stood with her hands on her hips, looking quite fierce.

The child got a little scared and whispered, "You, you shouldn't interfere!"

"Then hurry up and get down!"

"No!" He clung tightly to the branch, staring longingly at the few persimmons on it.

“Fool!” Mo Yi began to reason, “Winter is ending and spring has just arrived. The branches are at their driest and most brittle. They’ll break if you step on them. If you fall, your head will smash to pieces like this persimmon!”

"No way! Don't scare me! I just need to go up a little bit more..."

“If you go any higher, you’ll fall. And even if you climb to the top of the tree, you won’t be able to reach those persimmons.”

The boy was still not satisfied...

Mo Yi said softly, "Why don't you... go borrow a ladder from the temple? Or use a long pole to knock them down, then scoop them up with a cloth underneath so they won't break. That's much simpler!" "Stupid woman..." the boy actually sighed and shook his head, "What's the point of that?"

"What did you say?!" Mo Yi exclaimed incredulously! "At such a young age, who taught you to talk like that?"

"Hello?!" The boy rolled his eyes at her. "Didn't you call me an idiot?"

"Get down!" Mo Yi didn't care about arguing anymore; he didn't want Mo Yi to actually fall.

"No!" the child seemed to be searching for a path.

"Okay, okay. I was wrong, I won't call you a fool anymore. Come down now!"

"I just need to climb a little further..."

"If you don't get down, I'm going to call for help. You've ruined my perfectly good clothes like this; your mother will beat you!"

The boy gripped the branch, his voice suddenly low and somber, "I have no mother..."

"Ah!?" Mo Yi's heart sank, and she quickly said, "Then... I'm so sorry, I didn't know. Here, come down, I'll help you sew your clothes. Without a mother, you have to be even more careful, don't let people laugh at you!"

The young man was silent.

"If you break your arms or legs, without your mother, who will care about you? Get down now!"

The boy looked at the persimmons a few more times with lingering reluctance.

Perhaps realizing there was no other way, it climbed down the tree using both its hands and feet.

Watching him land with bated breath, Mo Yi wanted to get angry and yell at him again, but then she remembered that he had no mother... so she held back.

She said softly, "Come, let me help you with a few stitches." She always carried needles and thread with her. Looking at the boy's clothes, she sighed, "What fine material! What a pity."

Mo Yi sat on the stone bench, and the boy lingered in front of her.

Wow, white teeth and red lips, very good-looking! Especially those eyes, so dark and deep... unlike any of the boys she knew.

As soon as the needle was sewn on, Mo Yi started talking again, "You still blame me for calling you stupid...aren't you stupid too? If you want to climb a tree, you have to take off your outer clothes. One reason is that it's nimble and convenient. Another reason is that you won't get dirty or torn. Then it won't be easy for others to notice, right?"

It's not cold today! There's a proper way to do everything! Even being naughty has to be done correctly! Those persimmons are way out of your reach; you'd probably break your leg or get a big hole in your head. Your clothes are torn, and the elders will know you've done something naughty again! You didn't play well, and then you got scolded… Tell me, are you stupid?

The boy stared blankly at the unfamiliar girl. Was she... teaching him how to do bad things without leaving a trace?
Mo Yi rarely talks this much; she seems to be running out of breath.

She was quick and nimble, and finished sewing it up in no time. "Done!"

"Thank you sister."

"Hmm. Isn't that quite polite? From now on, you can't say those three words, 'stupid woman,' you know? If you want to eat persimmons... the persimmons around here are very good, and the temple must have dried persimmons. They're covered in white frost, and they're delicious. Go ask the young monks for some. Do you have any copper coins? Give the young monks a few copper coins, and they'll get them for you."

"No."

Mo Yi took out a few copper coins and some candy for him, saying, "Two pieces of candy will do. Little masters all like candy."

"I like to eat, too."

"Eat less sugar, or the bugs will eat your teeth. If you don't have any dried persimmons, just ask the little monk for a pole and knock them down! Okay, I'm leaving! Don't climb the tree anymore!"

The boy was a little reluctant to part, "You..."

"Oh my, young master, what are you doing here?" A servant-like man ran over.

When Mo Yi saw that there were outsiders, she smiled, turned around and left.

The boy was a little disappointed: he hadn't even had a chance to ask her name...

(End of this chapter)