Distance Between Us 1

The moment he laid eyes on her, a surge of indistinct images flashed through his mind. Yang Lin thought back to their meeting under the shade of a maple tree in the moonlight, his helplessness back then, and the ups and downs of his life that came thereafter.

Although he inadvertently blushed, it wasn't that apparent, mainly due to the cold weather and the bite of winter, those without the context would simply relate Yang Lin's bright cheeks to the circumstances.

Having been stunned for a moment, Yang Lin was jolted back to reality as Grandma Mo said, "Are you going to keep us by your doorsteps, young lad?" She remarked sarcastically with a hollow chuckle.

Yang Lin staggered in his steps before awkwardly smiling, he then side-stepped from the door, allowing the women to peer inside. The interior was rather plain and shady, a single room that contained a bit of furniture. A pair of futons, a big carpet, sparse sheets, and a pot of vegetable soup.

Yang Lin wasn't embarrassed at all by the display of such a desolate home. In his mind, the fact they had abundant vegetables was already a luxury, this is most likely the most extravagant meal he had in months, so he was rather looking forward to it.

Grandma Mo took a step in after relaying a few remarks of courtesy, and so did her granddaughter. Though the young woman clad in black garments complementing her silky hair, fair skin, dark eyes, and well-endowed physique, she was caught aback by the environment this sturdy-looking boy lived in.

In the orphanage, she had heard many rumors about how harsh the life of the villagers is, and that the only reason orphans had a better life in the Cloud Mist Orphanage is due to the monthly charity contributions from the adjacent cities. Nonetheless, she also knew that not about anyone could be enlisted as an orphan, otherwise...

"Ming'er, what's wrong?" Grandma Mo looked back at her granddaughter who stood by the entrance, her eyes seemed to veer around from one corner to another as if scrutinizing the house, though there was basically nothing to gape at.

The girl referred to as Ming'er gasped lightly, an absentminded smile graced her face, that slight fluctuation over her pristine countenance fell into Yang Lin's gaze. For a moment, he stood there like a statue, prompting his adoptive mother to lightly tuck at his sleeve.

Saying, "Lin'er, what's wrong? You're hardly ever this befuddled..."

The atmosphere was a little muddled for a while, both Lady Yang and Grandma Mo looked at each other with bitter smiles. They eventually brushed it off as children being children.

After a phase of polite formalities, the group of four sat down by the flickering flames. At first, Lady Yang was embarrassed by being on a higher altitude than both the guests and the food, she constantly apologized, but both Grandma Mo and Ming'er asked her to pay it no mind.

For the majority of the feast, Yang Lin seemed to be evasive of Ming'er and her pair of starry eyes. Whenever she looked his way, he would either brush his nose, rub his nape, chuckle, and spout incoherent words. However, one thing that prevailed; Yang Lin had always kept his eyes closed.

Ming'er ate slowly, trying her best to not compare this dinner with the ones she used to have.

Suddenly, Yang Lin looked at Grandma Mo and said, "Grandma, I'm interested in the story, if you don't mind."

Upon mentioning the story, Lady Yang flinched lightly. She didn't know, but Grandma Mo's words flashed through her memory like a cycling stream of water.

'I have an affinity with this young lad,'

'A story about a crippled mother and her child,'

Those two sentences were like a bolt of electricity to the woman. She didn't know why her heart raced in ill omen when she thought about the various hidden meanings in Grandma Mo's words.

She could only force down another mouthful of soup down her throat, hide her expression behind the round bowl, and listen attentively.

Granma Mo chuckled lightly before placing down her bowl, the wrinkles on her face waved about as her pair of hollow eyes peered through to glance at Yang Lin.

Under her gaze, Yang Lin felt a tad unsettled, but he didn't shy away. He would rather feel uncomfortable like this and keep a steady heart than feel flustered in an unnatural manner as he observed Ming'er.

Grandma Mo nodded approvingly and said, "This is a story from an era long gone. The tidal waves of time and change will always attempt to erase the old and promote the new, and that woman was no different. She was born a commoner, rising in power she became a royal concubine, caught the heart of a young prince, and risen once more from the shackles of her bleak past."

"It was an era where beauty was a double-edged sword. That woman took her chances, preserved herself, and who knew that ever since the prince took her chastity, she never revealed her face before a man ever again. Always in a veil, even before the remaining concubines."

"She knew she was a blossoming flower, but she never revealed her matured petals to a living soul other than that one prince. One day, the prince took her as a second wife, gave her his last name, and together they conceived a child."

"When that day came, the prince was already a king of his land. Many concubines, many heirs, many offsprings, but his heart belonged to only two. The commoner, and another woman from an aristocratic family. The women were like sisters, very much like sisters."

"One day, on an ill-fated night, the pregnant woman lost her ability to walk. It was the doing of poison, though the efficiency was very low. She lived on, and so did the son in her womb."

"However, she became the center of ridicule and mockery, she lost the ability to satisfy her man, and all she was left with was a luxurious bed, a number of maids, and the son growing in her womb."

"A few months went by, the woman gave birth to a beautiful son, it was a thunderous night, chaos and disorder washed over the palace, bloodshed and shrieks of dismay invaded the halls. By her side, the woman found that one friend she called her sister, and a beautiful young lass with a crestfallen expression."

"Everyone else had already fled the palace, the kind was killed in cold blood, and everyone in the room knew that death is looming over their heads. Nonetheless, the crippled woman wanted to give birth to her son at any cost, and her sister in name didn't want her best friend to die young without experiencing the joy of being a mother; thus she stayed behind."

"Three women of uneven ages, in a dimly lit room, ignoring the bloodbath erupting behind a row of frail doors. With a crisp, high-pitched cry, a child was born."

"Alas, as fate had it in dismay, the noise of hurdling footsteps and billowing waves of laughter encroached upon them. Having no choice, the woman who performed the delivery entrusted the baby to her daughter, ordering her to flee from the balcony and never look back."

"Just like that, the crippled woman became a mother, but the face of her child never graced her eyes, all she could remember is his reverberating cry, his delicate body, and the silhouette of her niece dashing through the curtains, leaving nothing but a string of crystalline tears behind."

"Moments later, the bedroom's door snapped apart with a heavy kick..."

Bang!

Just as Grandma Mo got to this part, coincidentally, the door to the hut was smacked down by a heavy stomp.

A howl of frosty winds crept in abruptly, sweeping away the carpet and the struggling flicker of flames, bringing along a wave of disembodied peals of laughter.

Lady Yang's face paled like a sheet of paper as she looked through the door, a group of ten robust men, their faces scarred, each holding a hatchet stained with rust and blood.

She could tell at a glance that they're people from adjacent villages, she then thought back at the revelation of the silver coin during the day.

The man didn't beat around the bush, his tongue slithered out like a snake as his viscous eyes surveyed the shagged hut and said, "Haha! Give us the lass and silver, and we will leave your whole corpses intact!"