COTW 1

Translator: tweryu
Editor: yoshi

The new year always passes by rather quickly. In the blink of an eye, the day of receiving red envelopes[1] was seemingly so far yet so close. Yan Xiaoxuan touched the shriveled little cloth bag beside her and curled the corners of her lips as she looked away, feeling a little dissatisfaction towards her own family’s father.

Originally, a good new year should have their families going around the streets to celebrate the new year, and then stretch out both hands after the walk’s done to ask for a red envelope for good luck, but her father is a man that is more of a super-indoors person. He usually doesn’t step out of the door. Like a yellow flower girl who hasn’t gone out, he would not even head out of the house. Even if she has thick skin, she can’t go directly to someone else’s house to ask for a red envelope when her own father hasn’t even gone first, right?

Well then, just stay at home. If you don’t go to someone else’s house, someone will still visit her father, right? Red envelopes are still readily available. Just after she washed her hands and ran to her relatives, she was ready to pour out all the blessings she had memorised for three days and nights, which was refused by her father’s one line:

“This child is already grown up, she’s able to make money by herself already, no need for you all to be so stressed over giving red packets to her. Wait till next year, she will make money by herself. You don’t have to give her any money. Next year, let her give money to you elders. “

She was confused. When would she be able to make money? What’s more, her father even confiscated her new year’s money for the next few years, under the pretext that she’ll give it to her elders!?

Her father looked at her calmly, “From tomorrow onwards, you’ll go to the nursery.”

Yan Xiaoxuan’s eyes darkened and she had a mental collapse.

From today onwards, she will lose her personal freedom. Yan Xiaoxuan was so oppressed that she walked down the delicious snack street with a few copper coins that her father gave her. She wants to cry without shedding tears.

She normally has a very big appetite. She has to eat three meals and five bowls of rice a day to satisfy her poor belly. However, she was so angry that she ran out without breakfast in the morning. Facts have proved that the consequences of running away from home are really terrible!

What’s the use of a few copper coins? Buy two small steamed buns? Well, she also has a disadvantage. She can’t endure not going without eating when she is hungry. She can’t stop eating. If she really goes to buy steamed buns, she can’t guarantee whether she will rob the steamed bun vendor involuntarily later.

Sighing so hard that her head hurt and ran too much of the wild thoughts.

What a shame if she were to starve to death on the road before she were to get home later!

In order to avoid being tempted by the fragrance, she went further and further ahead until she couldn’t smell the fragrance of the food that allured her.

Yan Xiaoxuan sat down against the wall, covering her stomach and looking at the sky.

Would it be possible for a pie to fall from the sky?

A clear ringing sound occurred several times near her. Yan Xiaoxuan looked at the small copper coins beside her, raised her head and blinked blankly.

She saw an old woman in cloth standing in front of her with a vegetable basket whilst shaking her head and sighing, “What a poor child. Go and buy some food.”

How embarrassing.

Did she think that she looked like a beggar?

She didn’t dare to ask for those copper coins, but let the beggar on the side of the road take them away. After a while, she heard someone talking:

“Little girl, so you’ve been here. What happened?”

Good man!

He didn’t see herself as a beggar!

Yan Xiaoxuan opened a pair of apricot eyes to the man and said to him impolitely, “I’m hungry.”

“…”

After communicating with the man, Yan Xiaoxuan realized that what she was leaning against was not an ordinary wall, but… The wall of the imperial palace. And this man is the guard of the palace gate. Because he always looks like he won’t go even if he is kicked to death by a donkey, he came to ask.

She looked at the man feebly. In fact, they didn’t want the dead in front of the palace, did they?

Also, has her hungry expression been tragic enough to live or die with the things around her?

The guard was really a good man. Knowing that she was hungry, he went back and gave her some steamed buns. At this time, Yan Xiaoxuan didn’t have self-control. Without a word, she jumped up and ate it clean.

After biting the steamed bread in twos and threes, she couldn’t stop her mouth at all. She opened a pair of tears and looked at the guard with a pitiful expression like a puppy.

As soon as the stomach touches the steamed bread, it completely goes into a violent state. If she doesn’t eat enough, she’s afraid she’ll chew the back wall.

Thus, the guard finally knew what it was like to lift a stone and hit his own foot. This is not a weak little girl. She was someone not without a small appetite but a big one at that!

Footnotes
[1] – red envelopes/packets = new years money packet(红包)