Uneasy daily life

"Sobu Taka no Rikishi!"

"Xiao Fuqiang!"

"An An!"

"Qiangwa!"

"Weight **** tons!"

"Ugh! Why is the 'beep beep beep' censorship even more infuriating than the actual numbers?!"

After a period of harmonious and friendly mutual teasing, Angelina decisively changed the subject: "Speaking of which, where are the others? Sir, have you seen Yukinoshita and the others?"

Bai Ying gestured towards the child in front of her who had finished crying: "They're watching too, you just can't see them."

Angelina blinked, feeling a little guilty for some reason: "Uh...sir, is it alright for you to stay here?"

“Of course, no problem.” Bai Ying said casually. “Anyway, let’s keep watching. I really can’t remember so many things from my childhood, and I’m not even sure if I’ve ever felt despair. After all, the level of despair required for the Killer Queen might have changed after her evolution…”

"oh oh……"

Angelina was both happy and uneasy. Was there something wrong with temporarily setting everyone else aside? There was definitely something wrong with that!

But I'm really happy!

Ugh, being happy about something so despicable doesn't seem so great after all...

"Sir, are Yukinoshita and the others alright?" Angelina hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. "They mustered up the courage to come here, but they know nothing about the current situation..."

Bai Ying smiled and said, "Isn't it quite interesting to get to know me again without so many preconceived notions?"

"Really?" Angelina scratched her head, then relaxed. "Anyway, I've already mentioned it, so it's all Bai Ying's fault!"

Why is he called Xiao Fuqiang instead of Xiao Fugui?

"This name was given by my grandfather. He probably found it in the phrases 'prosperity, democracy, civilization, harmony, and freedom.'"

"Oh……"

Angelina watched quietly. To be honest, compared to her own childhood, the officer's childhood was quite strange... His parents were not around, and they basically never came back except for the Chinese New Year.

The officer must be very sad... right?

……

My lips turned purple from picking and eating mulberries, and my mouth was full of juice.

I would use my pocket money to buy shiny fishhooks from the corner store, and then catch some earthworms to go fishing in the rice paddies.

Having successfully learned how to use the tool, I wield the broom and sweep away cats, dogs, chickens, and ducks with a whoosh; within a ten-foot radius, I am invincible.

The growing child wasn't sad; in fact, he was incredibly excited.

Grandpa was a kind, hardworking, and quiet man. He rarely spoke but had many things to do. He rarely scolded his growing grandson and seemed colder than Grandma, but he actually doted on him. Grandma was hardworking, talkative, and assertive. She made the decisions on all matters, big and small. She was also someone who could talk about anything with others. Although she loved her grandson very much, she would also pat his bottom and back and nag him about his naughty behavior.

Xiao Fuqiang grew up freely and was then sent to the only school in the village.

The school is located beside the road leading from the village to the town, and there are several small shops nearby that the children frequent, so the road to school is not difficult. Villagers who usually go to town to buy things do not use this road, but instead take a remote mountain path, which is shorter, saves time and money.

There is only one teacher at the school, who is responsible for teaching all subjects.

Xiao Fuqiang didn't dislike studying; in fact, he found going to school novel and exciting. It was much more fun than playing with just a few friends on weekdays, and he could play games like tile-slapping, hopscotch, and tag—games that couldn't be played alone. He thoroughly enjoyed reading the textbooks the teacher handed out, and the colorful sticks he bought at the school store during breaks for math calculations were his most prized possessions.

Even on rainy days, when the roads become muddy and blocked, and you have to wade through the water in your cool rain boots, you can still feel happy about the muddy waves you kick up. You can also feel joyful listening to the raindrops hitting the umbrella while holding an umbrella that is much bigger than yourself.

As we grow older and become more sensible, we experience more and more joy.

Xiao Fuqiang gradually understood the magic of money, the methods of manipulating flames, how to smash a tile to make the smoothest round piece and get a spanking, and how to use firecrackers to blast smoke-filled craters on a damp field ridge...

The sumptuous meals during Chinese New Year, the lucky money from relatives and elders, and the occasional visit of parents. The croaking of frogs and the buzzing of mosquitoes in summer. Gathering dry branches and leaves in autumn to burn and roast sweet potatoes. Wearing thick, bulky clothes and sweaters in winter, going from feeling uncomfortable to gradually getting used to it each time.

Of course, it's impossible for a human cub not to be bear-like.

Late at night, without eating, he learned to lock the door without any instruction and shouted loudly outside.

"I want to eat instant noodles! I just want to eat instant noodles!"

……

"Wow……"

Angelina gasped in amazement. She glanced at the white figure, then looked away, shaking her head and clicking her tongue. She glanced at the white figure again, then looked away once more, sighing with emotion. She glanced at the white figure again, then looked away once more, her face full of disdain.

The effect is minimal.

Bai Ying simply smiled, her eyes filled with melancholy, watching her grandmother outside the door trying to reason with her, knocking, shouting, and 'threatening' her, occasionally turning back to scold her grandfather who had told her he would buy her instant noodles at the convenience store tomorrow: "I still remember this."

Angelina blinked, quieted down, and whispered to comfort her, "Don't worry about it. Kids all do these things, right? Making strange requests for no reason."

“That’s true—later I could eat instant noodles anytime, anywhere, but all that was left was a reason for people to eat.” Bai Ying sighed. “What was it that you insisted your parents make for you back then?”

"A birthday cake... *gulp*."

Angelina suddenly realized what had happened, staring at the white figure with a face full of grief and indignation. She had been tricked!

Bai Ying smiled and said, "I don't really care about birthdays. I don't care much about them myself, and I don't want others to care too much either, so that I don't end up not caring about them."

Uh...wasn't it a case of being tricked and tricked into revealing information?

Angelina felt a little ashamed.

"When you weigh over 70 kilograms, I'll send you a cake to celebrate."

"No! Need! It!"

……

Kids can never win against adults.

With just a few words, Grandma got the naughty child to obediently open the door.

"Come out quickly, the instant noodles have been bought."

The mischievous child happily opened the door, only to be picked up by his grandmother and run aggressively to the ridge of the field under the cover of night.

"Are you still going to eat instant noodles?! If you do, I'll abandon you. Whoever wants to raise you can raise you!"

"Waaah—I don't want to eat, I don't want to eat..."

This is Grandma's victory!

Xiao Fuqiang didn't lose too much; he obediently ate his meals and received instant noodles from his grandfather, who brought them back from town, on Saturday.

While scolding the silent Grandpa, Grandma added water to the pot and cooked a bowl of fragrant instant noodles that tasted even better than regular instant noodles.

There are always many things that mischievous kids don't understand, such as what their parents are doing and why they need money.

"Your parents work hard in the city; they need money to run their business."

One evening, just as the child was about to go to sleep, his grandmother came over and said to him, "Qiangwa, can you give your saved New Year's money to your parents?"

The child doesn't quite understand logic; all he knows is that he wants his New Year's money.

Lunar New Year money is a wonderful thing; it can buy shiny fishhooks, delicious snacks, and exciting firecrackers...

But if Grandma needs it, she doesn't feel unwilling.

I already have a small plastic bag of fishing hooks, I can mooch snacks from my classmates, the corner store doesn't sell firecrackers anymore, and I can play games like tile-slapping, hopscotch, and eagle catching chicks. Thinking about it this way, money isn't such an essential thing.

"Have it."

The child responded simply, pulling out his New Year's money from under his pillow. He didn't think it was a big deal, but his grandmother seemed very happy. When it came to the New Year's money, she started nagging excitedly, "When they earn more money, you can go to school in the city and become a cultured person..."

The child didn't quite understand, but seeing how happy Grandma was, he happily went to sleep too.

Grandma is happy, but she shouldn't nag so much.

……

"Money from when I was a child..."

Angelina frowned, trying to recall, and muttered, "I think Mom saved it for me?"

The white figure suddenly blurted out, "Are you sure it didn't turn into your weight?"

"I'm getting angry! I'm really angry!" Angelina's eye twitched, and she said earnestly, "Bai Ying, this is already a tired trope. Continuing to repeat this kind of boring cliché means you're turning into one of those boring old men who can't talk... Your creativity is plummeting! You might even fall into the trap of only being able to write the same kind of story, and end up copying your own books every day because of writer's block!"

"Hiss—!" The white figure gasped. "Alright, alright... I won't go into details, but I acknowledge your aggressiveness!"

"Hmph~"

Angelina curled the corners of her mouth.

"I knew it would be the same old 'youthful high school girl' trope!" Bai Ying scrutinized her carefully, then recited softly with satisfaction, "Bright, shimmering brown, a gentle yellow and a shy red. The fluffy ponytails are like the bubbling of dough. Her eyes blink gently, bringing a sweet, smoky breeze... Oh! Angelina—you..."

"Shut up! What kind of nonsensical sentences are these, making it sound like I'm delicious!"

The girl roared in frustration, wishing she could send the other person to their demise with a planetary explosion: "Anyway! Now is not the time to talk about this. Where is Killer Queen? Where is Kira Yoshikage? Now we should focus on fighting the BOSS. Let's put everything else aside for now!"

“I already said it’s ‘my despair’.” Bai Ying gestured to Xiao Fuqiang, who was sleeping on the bed. “To be honest, I can’t even remember when I’ve ever felt despair before, or which despair I’ve felt that could be used as a bomb by the Queen of Assassins. Anyway, we’ll see. When the time comes, it will be your turn to make a move.”

Angelina glanced at him sideways: "And you? Slacking off?"

"If I could handle this myself, would I need to drag you all into this?" Bai Ying said casually. "Anyway, good luck. As my subordinate, you've been deeply influenced and trained by me. I'm sure you have a pair of insightful eyes and a gentle heart that understands others."

Angelina was happy for a second, then immediately retorted, "Are you praising me or praising yourself?"

……

Go to the city.

My parents came back outside of Chinese New Year, saying they were taking the whole family to the city and had bought new clothes as gifts.

Xiao Fuqiang was just a primary school student and didn't understand what his family was talking about. He only knew that he was busy packing his things. The adults took him to visit a relative in the village and his teachers at school, and they discussed things he couldn't understand.

Since my grandparents are still here, let's go to the city.

While visiting other relatives, the adults chatted about random things, Grandma packed bags of things, and Dad said that none of these things were needed. The two of them argued back and forth.

These things happen during the Lunar New Year. Xiao Fuqiang isn't used to them or likes them, but he doesn't care. After all, once the time is over, everything will naturally return to normal.

Until Grandma locked the door, until the group left home and reached the roadside, until the bags were put into the trunk, until they got into the car...

The child sat in an unfamiliar car, watching the scenery become unfamiliar. He subconsciously turned around and knelt on the seat. Familiar scenery came into view through the rear window—the flagpole at school, the large steamer and chimney for heating lunch, the convenience store, the dirt road, the familiar mountain peak, and the home that could no longer be seen below the mountain peak…

These things suddenly seem distant, and are slowly shrinking.

An indescribable feeling arises in the child's heart; it's neither sadness nor happiness, just like every day when he opens his eyes and has to encounter happy or sad things on his own.

However, the feeling of unfamiliarity came suddenly and lingered.

The child was peering around when suddenly the car turned a corner, and the already small scenery abruptly disappeared from sight.

I left my hometown, and from then on, I lost it. A piece of my life shattered, forever remaining in my hometown… From this day forward, my life will continue to break apart, scattered across piece after piece of land, from the unfamiliar to the familiar, never to be pieced back together again.

Words that are not quite understood but seem to be understood pass through the child's mind, creating ripples.

"Sit still in the car and don't move around, or you'll bump your head."

Grandma reached out and pulled the child over, turning him over so he could sit comfortably in the chair.

The child leaned quietly against the soft car seat. He was always a quiet and reserved person. Even when he met a stranger who was supposed to be a relative, he would always need his elders to urge and remind him before he knew how to address the other person as a relative and before he would greet them.

He looked at the unfamiliar scenery, closed his eyes and entered the familiar darkness. He vaguely smelled a strange odor. It was something a relative had dipped into with chopsticks and let him taste during the New Year... I think it was called wine?

The child drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

"Uh... are you desperate?"

A questioning voice came from an unidentified stranger.

What is despair?

The child did not respond, but simply stared blankly into space.

"Hey! Don't ignore me!" the stranger comforted. "You're just leaving home to live in the city, isn't that a good thing? Besides, it's not like you're never coming back. You'll definitely have a chance to come back someday! Um... right! Just like Chinese New Year, your parents come back for Chinese New Year, and you'll definitely come back with them!"

The child asked doubtfully, "Will it come back?"

They'll definitely come back!

Angelina wanted to emphasize this loudly, but suddenly she was at a loss for words...

Returning to a place is easy, returning to a certain way of life is difficult—too long to reiterate, are you kidding me? This method won't solve 'my' doubts. Subordinates need to work hard with a positive and sincere attitude; this isn't some homework to be finished quickly!

For example, trying to hang you in the sky?!

Angelina inwardly grumbled, shook her head to refocus, and looked at the child in front of her, deep in thought.