Transmigrated as Jane’s Ghostly Godmother - Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Past, Present, and Future — The Magic of Time!

Her gaze remained fixed on that bruise. She tried to ask about it, but her voice seemed to have vanished from her body, leaving only a soft sigh. Jane remained silent, continuing to study the person before her.

Aside from the bruise, Lin Zhao’s appearance didn’t look much different from what she was familiar with. If she had to pick a difference, it was that the girl before her showed much more intense emotions, giving off a more youthful, raw feeling.

The Lin Zhao who claimed to be her Fairy Godmother usually spoke with a faint smile. Even when caught daydreaming, her gaze remained distant and her expression shallow, as if separated by a pane of glass—always just out of reach. Come to think of it, the strongest emotions Lin Zhao had ever shown her were her excitement when discussing her “mission” at the very beginning and her rare, unconcealable low moods during their few arguments.

But the Lin Zhao standing before her now had furrowed brows, and a deep gloom swirled in her eyes.

They were standing in a strange place. Beside them was a glass panel, and above them was a small overhang. Beyond this, a curtain of rain fell, the water splashing rhythmically. A large portion of Lin Zhao’s clothes was soaked.

“Does a home have to be a house with a father and mother?” Regarding her silence, Lin Zhao—just as in the previous dream—continued talking to herself when she received no response. “Is it not enough to just have myself?”

“What happens if you don’t have a home? As long as there’s a place to shelter from the wind and rain, and food and water, a person can live, right?”

This was the second time Jane had dreamed of Lin Zhao mentioning her parents. She began to realize that this was likely a very important matter. But even realizing this, she couldn’t offer any answers. After all, it was only tonight that she had learned more about her own parents from her uncle. Regarding the parents who had died early of illness, she had no memory; thinking of them only brought sadness.

She could not understand Lin Zhao’s current anger.

Jane hesitated, took two steps forward, and gently touched the bruise beneath those cloud-covered eyes, wiping away the rainwater from her face. Lin Zhao froze at the touch. She pursed her lips, tears suddenly welling in her eyes as she stared intensely at Jane.

“Jane, you can understand it, right? The feeling of not knowing where you come from, or where you can go… If you are engulfed by this feeling every second of every day, how are you supposed to keep going?”

“I wish I had a heart as firm as yours. I wish there was something clear for me, too, so I could throw all these things behind me and think of nothing—just look forward to tomorrow.”

“Sometimes I wonder if it would be easier and more peaceful to just die?” As she spoke, her eyes curved. The reddish tint of her eyes clashed with her bruised cheek, creating a startling, heartbreaking smile. “But, having you to accompany me occasionally makes living feel somewhat interesting. Does this count as us… depending on each other for survival?”

There wasn’t a trace of joy in Lin Zhao’s smile. Her hollow black eyes stared at her as she talked incessantly. “I’ll keep trying. I’ll at least try to live until I’m twenty, like you, and see if things take a turn for the better.”

Twenty?

Jane frowned, only now realizing that the perspective from which she was looking at Lin Zhao was unfamiliar. She withdrew her hand and studied her open palm—it was clearly not the hand of a young child. The palm was broad and the knuckles distinct; it reminded her of the hand Miss Constance used to pat her head.

She looked down at herself. She was wearing a completely unfamiliar gown.

Whose eyes was “she” looking through?

The moment the question surfaced, Jane felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar. A massive wave of horror crawled up her spine, causing her to snap her eyes open.

Before her was an unfamiliar ceiling. Outside, the daylight was bright, and the sound of waves in the distance reached her ears like the slow sound of falling rain. The figure sitting by her bed turned at the sound, almost overlapping with the residual image of the face in her dream.

“Jane,” Lin Zhao smiled at her. “You’re awake. Did you sleep well last night?”

This smile was much more real than the one in the dream, but Jane’s chest felt tight, and she could hardly breathe. She took small, deep breaths, closed her eyes, and gripped the blankets tightly for a long time until her heartbeat leveled out. When she opened her eyes again, Lin Zhao was looking at her worriedly.

“Did you have another nightmare?” She was backlit, her hair appearing translucent in the sunlight. Jane’s gaze locked onto the area under her eyes; the place that had been bruised in the dream was now perfectly clear.

“Perhaps it wasn’t a nightmare.” Jane shook her head. She paused, then asked the doubt born from the dream: “Lin, do you get along well with your parents?”

Lin Zhao’s smile froze for a second. Her hand hovered a few inches above her leg, stroking the “air” following her words. Jane’s gaze followed the movement, thinking that the book they used to hide secrets was likely sitting there.

Yes, secrets. Lin Zhao’s companionship was her greatest secret. If life was an ocean, they were currently crossing it in the same boat. If Lin Zhao asked why she was asking this, she would share the strange dreams she had been having—

But Lin Zhao asked nothing and answered nothing. Her hand pressed down firmly, and a look of realization appeared on her face.

“Did Mr. Eyre tell you about the ‘adoption’? Don’t worry, he’s doing it to make it easier for you to inherit the business. If he ever uses the name of a father to force you into something you don’t like, I’ll find a way to fix it.” She was clearly confident in this promise. She patted the “air” again. “Anyway, there aren’t many years left. If it comes to it, we can always run away.”

Though Lin Zhao’s tone was certain, Jane heard a bit of strain in it. Furthermore, this didn’t fit Lin Zhao’s usual style of advice. She pushed the blanket aside and moved closer to Lin Zhao. “What do you mean, not many years left… shouldn’t you encourage me to face it bravely?”

Lin Zhao clamped her mouth shut and blinked at her. A guilty expression, Jane noted internally. She nudged her and pressed further. “Besides, run away where…?” She pulled a phrase from the one-sided dream conversation that had left an impression on her. “Do you want us to ‘depend on each other for survival’?”

Having said this, she stared at Lin Zhao, trying to catch any minute reaction.

However, Lin Zhao gave no reaction. Her expression changed, but her answer focused on the logic of the words: “Mmh… no. In my situation, living a wandering life is fine. But you still need to build social connections. At this age, disappearing completely is too dangerous.” She seemed to have completely forgotten the words she had once said.

Or was it that the things in the dream weren’t Lin Zhao’s past as she had guessed? Jane hesitated, missing her chance to follow up.

“Anyway, don’t think of things too poorly,” Lin Zhao successfully steered the topic back. “Jane, did you talk to Mr. Eyre about the future arrangements yesterday? Do you mind sharing? I need to make plans as well.”

I didn’t say I was worried about the future, did I? Weren’t we asking about your parents?

Jane didn’t know how the conversation had ended up here; she even suspected the other was deliberately avoiding the question. However, the Lin Zhao before her had put away her smile, wearing the slightly serious expression she used when discussing the future. Jane felt her suspicion was unlikely and threw it to the back of her mind. Following Lin Zhao’s request, she highlighted the key points of yesterday’s conversation.

After listening, Lin Zhao went through a combination of encouragement and planning for the current and future arrangements. Finally, the ghost lady revealed an incredibly relaxed smile and rubbed Jane’s head.

“A lot has certainly happened this year. Well then, let’s look forward to the new life of ‘Miss Eyre’ once we return here.”

Jane closed her eyes and leaned into her palm with a bit of pressure. Yes, a new life. As long as enough time passed, all mysteries would eventually be solved.

Three Years Later

Midsummer, London, a street-side cafe window seat.

“Is that so? You’re returning to Funchal tomorrow?” The girl with chestnut hair and blue eyes spoke with a tone of regret, leaning forward toward the girl diagonally across from her. “You should have told me sooner, Jane. If it weren’t for my aunt, I wouldn’t have even seen you!”

The blonde girl at the table put down her coffee cup with an expression of one used to such things. “Lina, Miss Eyre is a very busy person now. I fear she looks down on having afternoon tea with us!”

The girl they were looking at wore a high-collared long dress, her soft chestnut-brown hair falling forward. Braids on either side of her head were tied back with deep green ribbons. She tilted her head slightly, her curved bangs swaying, unable to hide the light in her vivid green eyes.

“If we’re talking about being busy, no one compares to Miss Knox.” Jane raised her eyebrows, mimicking Beatrice’s phrasing—a habit from their days as roommates—and tossed the words back. “I hear you are now the ‘New Pearl’ of the balls.”

“Ah… it really has been a long time since I’ve heard you two joke like that.” Eleanor spoke with nostalgia. She withdrew her hand, asking with eyes full of curiosity: “Look at you now, so capable and neat. Life in Funchal must be very different from Whalewood, right? Quick, tell us, how have you been these past three years?”

Jane blinked, a wave of emotion washing through her. Yes, time had flown. Since she reunited with her uncle in Madeira, so much time had passed in a blur.

During the first year after that, she kept her promise and returned to Whalewood, completing her final year before the upper grades with single-minded focus. That year was both long and short; long because of the anticipation for a new life, and short because days with a goal always fly like lightning.

When the school year ended, she bid farewell to the rain and fog of England and boarded a ship for Funchal, officially opening a new chapter of her life.

There, her adoptive father, John Eyre, fulfilled all his promises. The lineup of teachers he found for her was both rigorous and comprehensive. Not only were there teachers responsible for the classical curriculum she hadn’t delved into at Whalewood, but there were also specialists to teach her multiple languages, world geography, higher mathematics, and all the business knowledge required to take over the family business.

And among all this disciplined instruction, there was a very special course—the art of disguise, infiltration, and camouflage. The person in charge of this course was an unexpected, yet perfectly logical, “old friend.”

Her gaze swept across the street to the tailor shop diagonally opposite. Through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, she could see Miss Constance talking to someone wrapped tightly in a cloak.

The latter was Lin Zhao, who had been inseparable from her for these four years. In recent years, alongside her work as an “information broker,” Lin Zhao’s collaboration with the tailor shop had been flourishing. During the first year of living in Funchal, when Miss Constance visited Mr. Lint at Grapevine Villa for business, they were surprised to learn that the tailor shop in Funchal also belonged to her.

Jane was able to meet Eleanor on the streets of London today because of this business interaction; her adoptive father had agreed she could go out with Mr. Lint to clear her head.

“Father is very devoted to me.” Jane withdrew her gaze and smiled at her friends. “I have indeed learned a lot in Funchal.”

She shared the novelties of her life with her friends and didn’t forget to ask about theirs. Eleanor had one year of school left, while Beatrice had just graduated from Whalewood and was beginning to enter society. They were currently enjoying another summer holiday in London.

“By the way, who is that gentleman who came with you?” After catching up, Eleanor suddenly clapped her hands and asked curiously.

Beatrice couldn’t help but add: “That outfit. He wouldn’t happen to be that strange person we saw on the streets of Funchal before, would he?”

Jane had long been prepared for this question. She coughed lightly and lowered her voice: “He is a very remarkable gentleman. He has business dealings with both my father and Miss Constance, and he is currently serving as my tutor.”

“What do you need to learn from him?” Beatrice shook her head, not quite believing it. “What kind of gentleman from a respectable background needs to wrap himself up like that?”

“Ah! My aunt mentioned to me that there is a gentleman in Funchal with many novel insights regarding clothing.” Eleanor was quite enthusiastic. As she spoke, she gave Beatrice a mysterious smile. “Yesterday in the shop, you even praised one of his designs!”

“…” Beatrice’s expression turned odd. She pursed her lips and took several sips of coffee before finally being unable to resist asking, “Which one?”

Jane and Eleanor shared a smile, making Beatrice blush. The girls chatted for a long time until Miss Constance and Mr. Lint finished their business meeting and came to take them away.

“Miss Constance asked me if there are any improvements that can be made to the design of clothing for nursing staff,” Lin Zhao said as she walked alongside Jane, sharing the details of the meeting. “It seems a nursing school has opened in London these past few years.”

Jane was attracted by her words, her gaze moving from the road. “A dedicated nursing school? Could it be related to that Miss Nightingale…?” Before Jane could finish, Lin Zhao suddenly reached out and pulled her back, narrowly avoiding a collision on the street.

The pedestrian who was avoided was also startled. She looked up and apologized to Jane quickly: “Oh, I am so sorry, Miss. I was in such a hurry to get to the tailor shop that I forgot to look where I was going.”

Jane looked at her, and her pupils shrank.