The Little Peacock Raises a Snake (GL) Chapter 49

Her heart was beating so fast.
There was a feeling hard to describe, as if it had crossed a lifetime and crashed into the calm lake in her heart, startling up thousands of ripples.
The little peacock instinctively rose and backed away, but the snake tail beneath her feet tripped her, and she fell solidly back into the little nest. She widened both eyes and stared blankly at the little black snake before her. Nervously, she swallowed. Her eyes were full of not knowing what to do.
Just now, what had this little black snake done?
Kissed her?
Her brother had said that unless two people meant to entrust their whole lives to each other, they could not do such intimate things.
But who was her brother?
Why could she not remember…
Why… why did she feel that everything before her should not be like this…
When Qu Linyan saw the little peacock lose focus, she knew her own behavior had been very improper. She stiffened and stared blankly into the little peacock’s eyes.
This was Fu Xiaoba’s dream. It was also the memory sealed deep in Fu Xiaoba’s heart. She should not have come in and disturbed everything from Fu Xiaoba’s past. But she missed Fu Xiaoba too much.
She had missed Fu Xiaoba for more than three hundred years, day and night, with her soul tied to her dreams. At last, she had seen her again.
Even if it was only a dream, even if it was a past long since scattered like smoke, she still wanted to reach out and hold her in her arms one more time.
But that moment of impulse had clearly disturbed the dream. She had to make everything continue along its old path, or Yun Su’s memories might fall into confusion.
Only, three hundred years ago, on that day, after being pressed down, what had she said to Fu Xiaoba?
The little peacock widened her eyes. Seeing the little black snake freeze silently in front of her for a long time, she could not help tilting her neck. “Little Black, you… just now…”
Inspiration flashed through Qu Linyan. “You mountain pheasant…”
The little peacock had been full of confusion because of the little black snake. But when she heard the words mountain pheasant, she immediately grew unhappy.
She instinctively wanted to stretch out a little wing and cover the little black snake’s mouth, but found that she was wrapped up and could not move at all. So she simply pecked the little black snake’s forehead with her beak and said unhappily, “You little demon, why are you so ignorant!”
Qu Linyan could not help trembling. She truly never imagined that after Fu Xiaoba’s wings were bound, she would use her beak to peck someone.
Seeing the little black snake’s eyes full of shock, the little peacock thought her words and actions had made a strong impression. She immediately grew proud. With great difficulty, she puffed out her chest while wrapped in the little black snake’s coils and said, “Fu Little Black, listen clearly. Big Sister here is a peacock, not a mountain pheasant!”
After speaking, she pecked Qu Linyan’s little head again and asked, “Do you understand?”
Although this scene was not very similar to what had happened three hundred years ago, the little peacock’s expression and tone had not changed at all from before.
Qu Linyan suddenly felt a sour ache surge into her heart. The person she loved was close enough to touch, yet she did not dare speak the longing in her heart, afraid she would shatter this beautiful dream.
“Little Black, why are you crying?” The little peacock looked blankly at the little black snake before her.
She did not know why, but the tears shining in the little black snake’s eyes pressed on her chest like a boulder, making it hard to breathe.
“Do not cry. When you cry… I feel awful too…” The little peacock’s eyes reddened, and she spoke in panic.
Qu Linyan could no longer control the longing in her heart that was about to burst its banks. She closed her eyes and summoned the Dreamweaving Shuttle, choosing to flee this scene.
…
When Qu Linyan opened her eyes again, she was standing before the kitchen stove.
On the square shelf to the left of the stove, where ingredients were kept, lay a recipe book she had found in the study. The book was turned to a certain page, held down by a salt jar.
Three hundred years ago, she had not known how to cook. But because Fu Xiaoba, while she was badly injured, had used her clumsy peacock body to light a fire and cook porridge for her, she had been moved. That was why she decided to take good care of Fu Xiaoba for some time before leaving.
Back then, the first time she entered the kitchen, she had only cooked a bowl of porridge. Fu Xiaoba had buried her head and eaten it clean, moved until snot and tears flowed. This made Qu Linyan extremely proud. She felt she had extraordinary talent in this area. From then on, she began cooking for Fu Xiaoba in all kinds of ways.
At this moment, Qu Linyan looked at the stir-fried dish in the pot, which did not look very good, and curiously tasted it with her chopsticks. She could not help frowning.
So the things she had cooked back then had not tasted good at all. At most, they had been edible. Thinking back now, every meal she had cooked back then had been eaten with Fu Xiaoba. How confident had she been at the time to think she had talent?
Qu Linyan shook her head, secretly dumped out the finished food, found better ingredients, and made it again.
The little peacock was lying in the corner of the bedroom, squinting and yawning.
When her brother was there, every room in the bamboo courtyard had a layer of spiritual power outside it to block cold and heat. Now that her brother had been gone for so long, that layer of spiritual power had long since dispersed. Some time ago, she had been terribly cold.
Fortunately, not long ago, after she accidentally pressed the little black snake until it revealed its true form, it finally stopped shamelessly pretending to be weak and suffering with her. It used spiritual power to block all the severe cold outside the doors and windows, which were already broken. At last, this snowy winter had become much easier to bear.
“Xiaoba, time to eat.” Qu Linyan’s voice came from the kitchen.
She did not know if it was an illusion, but today’s Qu Linyan seemed much gentler than usual. She had not even called her little mountain pheasant.
The little peacock thoughtfully opened both eyes. Before she even saw Qu Linyan, she smelled a rich fragrance. She immediately jumped up and pattered into the cold wind to meet her.
Qu Linyan held a long serving tray. She had not walked many steps out of the kitchen when she saw Fu Xiaoba running over unsteadily and hopping again and again by her feet, stretching her neck up as if trying to see how abundant tonight’s dinner was.
“Are you cold? What are you coming out for? Come on, go inside to eat.” Qu Linyan spoke with great indulgence and quickly led Fu Xiaoba back to the bedroom.
“Why does it smell so good today!” Fu Xiaoba flapped her wings and hopped onto the stool. Her little pointed beak stretched forward, and her eyes were full of impatience.
Qu Linyan smiled and set the dishes on the table one by one. Then she sat and lifted Fu Xiaoba into her lap with both hands.
Although the little peacock was firmly held by Qu Linyan, her tiny body still worked very hard to wriggle forward. Her neck stretched very long, and she was only short of drooling.
Seeing Fu Xiaoba so hungry, Qu Linyan quickly picked up a bite and brought it to her beak, lest she struggle too hard and fall out.
The little peacock opened her mouth and ate in a big bite. The moment the food entered her mouth, her bean-sized eyes seemed to brighten.
“I want that!” The little peacock pointed with one little wing, and Qu Linyan picked up the dish for her.
“So good! Little Black, you eat too, you eat too…”
“All right, I will eat too.” As Qu Linyan spoke, every time she fed Fu Xiaoba a big bite, she followed with a small bite of her own.
Before long, the food on the table was swept clean.
The little peacock sitting on Qu Linyan’s lap suddenly leaned back lazily, half lying against Qu Linyan’s soft waist. She closed both eyes, stretched out a pair of little wings, patted her round belly in satisfaction, and burped.
Qu Linyan could not help curving her beautiful brows and eyes. Her fingers gently smoothed the feathers on Fu Xiaoba’s body.
The little peacock stretched. “Little Black.”
Qu Linyan said, “Mm?”
The little peacock opened her eyes and blinked at Qu Linyan. “You are not quite the same today as usual.”
Qu Linyan froze. Before she could say anything, Fu Xiaoba continued.
The little peacock said, “You did not call me little mountain pheasant today, and the food you made is tastier than the last few days.”
“I…” For a moment, Qu Linyan did not know how to answer.
But the little peacock’s gaze began to drift. “I always feel this taste is so familiar… The tone you use when you call my name is also very familiar, like… like…”
Qu Linyan asked, “Like what?”
The little peacock hesitated for a long time, then said awkwardly, “Like I… have waited for you for a very long time…”
In that instant, Qu Linyan’s eyes reddened again.
She opened her mouth, hesitated for a moment, then under the little peacock’s blank gaze, asked softly, “Then… did you miss me?”
“I, I…” The little peacock stared blankly at Qu Linyan before her, stammering for a long time and still not knowing how to answer.
At last, Qu Linyan smiled and touched her little head. “Forget it. It is not important.”
The little peacock suddenly felt a stab of pain in her heart, as if something had surged into her throat and was about to burst out.
The dream suddenly became unstable. Qu Linyan frowned. In the end, she bent down and placed a kiss on the little peacock’s forehead, then hurriedly left the dream through the Dreamweaving Shuttle.
It is important… Little Black, it is important!
I missed you. Even after forgetting everything, I never stopped missing you.
“Little Black!”
Yun Su woke from the dream with a start. The moment she sat up and opened her eyes, the person from the dream had already vanished.
The wind outside was soft. She swept her gaze over the entire dim room, and confusion could not help rising in her eyes.
“Fu Xiaoba… Little Black…” She lowered her head and obsessively repeated the two names that existed only in the dream.
Those images of the past once again invaded her mind in broken pieces from the dream. Now, when she closed her eyes, she dreamed of Qu Linyan. When she opened her eyes, what she thought of was still Qu Linyan.
Zhiming had once told her that as long as one wanted to forget, there was nothing one could not forget. But he had never told her that those forgotten pasts could actually be remembered again.
Was it not said that all matters of the previous life were clouds and smoke, and once forgotten, they could be put down?
Why, why did it seem she had never truly put them down? Why did she even look forward to it… look forward to remembering everything?
Yun Su shook her head and closed her eyes, wanting to enter the dream again. But for a long time, she could not fall asleep, until dawn gradually came outside the window.
She rose and changed into her daytime clothes, held the small hand warmer, pushed open the bedroom door, and sat quietly on the threshold, staring motionlessly into space.
She did not know how long passed before the scent of food drifted from far away. She stood and looked toward the bamboo gate in the front courtyard.
That familiar figure, just like always, walked through the snow at every midday mealtime.
Qu Linyan entered the room, set down the food and bowls, then silently tidied up yesterday’s dishes. She was about to turn and leave.
Yun Su instinctively followed her to the doorway. Looking at Qu Linyan’s departing back, she opened her mouth and hesitantly let out a sound. “Hey…”
Qu Linyan stopped. She wanted to turn back, but did not. She only quietly waited for Yun Su to speak.
Yun Su was silent for a long time. She bit her lip and, in a very low voice, timidly said, “Thank you, Little Black.”
Qu Linyan turned around in that instant. Joy could not stop rising in her eyes, but there was also fear and hesitation, as if she did not dare believe it.
“What?” she asked foolishly.
“I said thank you…” Yun Su turned her head away.
“What did you call me just now?”
No matter how vast heaven and earth were, no matter how boundless the years, in this world, only one person would call her that.
Only Fu Xiaoba.