I Came From Heaven [Transmigration/Time-Travel] - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I cursed under my breath, feeling indignant. All this trouble and drama, not only did I get myself locked up, but in the end, I was still stuck eating the stale steamed buns I had shamelessly packed. I took a furious bite, venting all my anger on the bun. Just then, a rustling sound came from the wall, startling me.

I hate cockroaches and spiders! Don’t scare me, I’m easily frightened! But focusing my eyes, I saw a small window on the wall, partially blocked by a cabinet of miscellaneous items. A small head was bobbing outside. I moved closer and saw it was a little boy. He was poking the small corner of the window with his finger.

This allowed a sliver of light to enter the room. I raised my voice, trying to scare him: “Hey, kid, what are you doing?”

But the little boy showed no sign of alarm. He blinked his innocent eyes, grinned at me, and said in a childish voice:

“Are you the liar who ate food and didn’t pay?”

Pah! What the heck is a liar? Which eye of yours saw me eat anything from this crooked shop? I didn’t even have a bite of meat!

“You stinky kid, you can eat things recklessly, but you can’t talk nonsense!”

“But the kitchen was busy making lots of food for you!”

I decided to treat it as innocent children’s talk and ignored him, sitting back down on the floor to rest. But the little guy wouldn’t leave it alone. He jabbered:

“Do you want to come out, then?”

Eh? I like this topic! I immediately stood up and pressed my face against the window, staring at him:

“Of course I do! Why don’t you help big brother unlock the lock outside?”

“Liar, don’t try to trick a kid. I’m not opening it for you.”

I knew this little guy was too smart and mischievous. He was intentionally playing games with me. I put on a pitiful expression and placed the steamed bun I was holding in front of him:

“I was just hungry and wanted something to eat. Big brother really isn’t lying. Little thing, what’s your name? Do you want a steamed bun?”

The little guy shook his head innocently: “My name is Zhu Sixiao. My mother said you shouldn’t randomly eat food given by strangers.”

“Zhu Sixiao? Little one, you have good safety awareness.”

“Liar Big Brother, what’s your name?”

You brat! If you call me “Liar Big Brother” one more time, believe it or not, I’ll kill you! I glared fiercely at the little brat, scowling. He stuck out his tongue and made a face at me. My integrity hadn’t even started to shine before it was completely smeared! I let out a helpless sigh:

“My name is Ji Sijie. I’m warning you, if you call me a liar again, I’ll hang you up and beat you when I get out!”

I bit my bun while shaking my fist. The little guy pouted: “I’m a man! I’m not afraid of you!”

“You’re soaking in the Chun Sheng Lou at such a young age. Be careful not to learn bad habits!”

“Hmph! The big brothers and sisters here are very nice to me! You’re not allowed to say bad things about our building!”

The child was brainwashed from a young age; he was a lost cause. I shrugged and didn’t bother arguing with him. Just then, a familiar figure appeared behind him, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and lifted him away:

“Hurry up and help wash the dishes! What are you doing standing here? Freeloader.”

Immediately after, ‘Bao Xia Ju’s’ greasy face abruptly appeared in front of me:

“You stinky boy, you wasted my manpower and resources today, hit my face, and caused trouble in my establishment. I’ll give you a discount: only fifty taels of silver, and I’ll let you go.”

Oh, really! A lion’s mouth wide open! Extortion to the heavens! I sniffled and repeated the same old phrase: “I have no money.”

“Fine, no money is okay. Sign a contract of indenture and work as a laborer for me.”

“Am I, a precious modern person, only worth fifty taels of silver? Bah!”

I wanted to spit right in her face. ‘Bao Xia Ju’ stood up straight with her hands on her hips, looking like she knew I would regret it: “I’m telling you, if you neither pay nor agree to servitude, you’ll stay locked in here until you beg me to let you out. Don’t say Mama didn’t give you a chance.”

With that, she swayed her shaking fat and walked away. Ah, why did I forget Miss Handan’s advice? I blamed myself for losing my cool. I scratched my head and paced back and forth. It looked like I’d have to stay in this wretched place and continue to starve.

…

🌙 Nighttime Reflections

Extremely bored, I managed to force the window crack open a bit wider so I could see the activity in the backyard. The sky was slowly darkening, and I could hear the lively noise coming from inside the Chun Sheng Lou.

The backyard connected to the kitchen. The attendants were running back and forth, busy at work. The scent of delicious food wafted into the room through the window. I swallowed my saliva and peered out the window, watching. Every now and then, I could see the small figure of Zhu Sixiao bustling about with the attendants.

He looked to be only five or six years old. Working odd jobs in a place like this at such a young age, it was clear that the little guy’s background was probably unfortunate. Since it was dark and the temptation of the food outside was torture while I was awake, I might as well try to sleep early. I’d worry about tomorrow’s problems tomorrow.

I turned on the flashlight on my power bank to illuminate the storage room. There was quite a lot of junk inside. I rummaged for a while, piling up everything useful. After some tinkering, I laid some old cloth on the ground, using the excess as a blanket. I put my bag at the very bottom. Taking pleasure in small comforts, I hummed a tune, rested my head on my hands, and closed my eyes.

I don’t know how long I slept, but I was eventually woken up by the rumbling of my own hungry stomach. I looked up at the window; moonlight was stealing into the dark night sky, and the noisy backyard had quieted down. I stretched before pulling open my backpack. I had two steamed buns left. Reluctantly, I broke one in half, carefully wrapping the rest and putting it back in the bag.

I was surprised to find that someone had helped me fully open the window. I walked to the window, chewing on the bun half while looking up at the bright moon in the sky. I don’t know why, but despite my usual optimism, a sudden wave of sadness brought me to tears.

I lowered my head and looked at the small piece of bun in my hand, tears dripping down. A person who suddenly lost their friends and family, making jokes alone in this strange world. Even if I could face everything with a cheerful demeanor, helplessness is still helplessness. No one can help me, and all I have is myself.

Finally, I clenched my teeth and shook my head angrily: “Ji Sijie, you passed the CET-6 English exam on the first try! What is this little difficulty? What are you afraid of?! No crying allowed!”

I shoved the rest of the bun into my mouth and wiped the tears from my face with my sleeve. I was a good man again! Pah, a good woman! Just as I finished my cult-like self-encouragement, a sound came from the backyard. A woman, carrying something, walked leisurely to the center of the courtyard. The wooden door of the room directly opposite the storage room slowly creaked open.

A small figure darted out of the door. It wasn’t hard to guess—it must be the little brat Zhu Sixiao. He skipped and hopped over to the woman and opened his arms: “Mommy!”

The woman squatted down and hugged him: “Xiaozhi, did you listen to the big brothers today?”

“Yes! I’ve been helping in the back kitchen!”

The woman handed the object in her hand to the little guy, lovingly stroking his head: “Mommy brought you some pastries. Hurry and try them.”

I tilted my head, unsure of the expression on my face at that moment. Although I couldn’t clearly see the woman’s face, her sweet and gentle voice was unforgettable—it was Miss Handan. I hadn’t expected her to be Sixiao’s mother.

Handan led Sixiao to sit on the steps in the backyard. She put her arm around Sixiao’s shoulder, and the two sat close together. The little guy held the food Handan gave him with a look of affection. After carefully choosing, he held up a piece of unknown pastry, chirping: “Mommy, you eat first.”

“Mommy isn’t hungry. Xiaozhi, you eat.”

Handan looked at her child. Her eyes reflected a light that only a mother possesses, full of tenderness that turned love into water. Sixiao munched happily on the pastry and excitedly recounted the interesting things he had seen during the day to Handan: “That Liar Big Brother didn’t look like a bad guy.”

Just as I was immersed in the tender moment between the mother and son, the little brat suddenly mentioned me!

“You stinky kid! Call me ‘Liar Big Brother’ one more time, and believe me, I’ll really hang you up and beat you!”

I shouted through the window. Handan was startled by my voice, and Sixiao stopped eating. They both stared blankly in my direction. It’s pitch black, what ghost can you even see? I reached out a hand and waved at them:

“Hey! Miss Handan, you’re looking in the wrong place. I’m over here.”