Chapter 402: Chapter 402 Special New Year_1
Qiao Niang wiped a tear, gently cradling Kang Kang while staring at the snowflakes drifting in front of her, lost in thought.
After a long while, she sighed and then spoke: "When we, mother and son, were thrown out of our home and died from exposure to the freezing cold, we didn’t even have a decent place to be buried.
A few months after our death, my husband’s family arranged for him to marry another woman.
This woman came from a respectable family, but her character was quite different from mine. She was reserved and quiet, hardly speaking a word, an ill match for my husband’s personality. Although his parents respected her, as time passed, they developed very little affection for her.
The sad part was, she bore three children, each of whom died before their first birthday.
This caused immense grief to my husband and his parents. Even the whole family was enveloped by a somber and oppressive atmosphere.
Gradually, their business started to go downhill, and their practiced affluence declined into destitution. My husband’s parents and his wife died one after the other, and he himself, in his forties, succumbed to hunger and cold.
What brings me both joy and sorrow is that he desperately called out my name at the time of his death."
Upon saying this, Qiao Niang revealed a bitter smile.
Qin Sisi tentatively asked: "After his death, when his soul left his body, he should have been able to see you. So why didn’t you try to explain everything to him?"
Qiao Niang replied sorrowfully: "I did. When he died, I was actually at his side, and as soon as his soul parted from his body, I went forward and proclaimed my innocence and injustice.
He stared at me dumbfounded, and in the end, let out a long sigh. He said, ’Qiao Niang, perhaps I wronged you, perhaps I failed you, but I’ve paid the price. I have lost everything, without a child to carry on my legacy. It seems that we were fated to suffer. Let’s not meet in our endless reincarnations.’
With these words, he left with the Messenger of Death."
In the endless cycle of reincarnation, they would never meet again.
Perhaps there were still lingering feelings, but the pain and suffering they had experienced were too intense and profound, leaving him without the courage to face her again.
After her husband’s death, the lingering resentment Qiao Niang harbored for him also dissipated. Since then, her loneliness and fear as a wandering ghost were for herself and Kang Kang alone.
Qin Sisi listened quietly, answering only with a deep sigh.
Qiao Niang took a deep breath, with fortitude on her face. She held Kang Kang’s face, gazing at him affectionately for a long time, and finally raised her head to Qin Sisi: "Ms. Qin, thank you for your kindness. Now we are willing to offer you our Soul Power, hoping you can keep your promise and allow us to continue our mother-son relationship."
Qin Sisi nodded, saying with a serious expression: "I will."
Ye You made a gesture, bringing the snow-white Refining Spirit Bottle into the snowy night. It spun slowly, calling out to the soul willing to offer its soul power.
Qiao Niang still sat quietly in the snow, tightly holding the young child in her arms, with mother and son snuggled against each other.
A moment later, their figures turned into white smoke, gradually entering the Refining Spirit Bottle.
With a gentle sweep of Ye You’s hand, the bottle flew back to him, quickly disappearing from view.
Looking at the dancing snowflakes, Qin Sisi stayed silent for a moment before slowly standing up. Brushing the snow off her body, she looked at Ye You, smiling but not smiling, and said, "This New Year is truly unusual."
Ye You’s eyes flickered momentarily as he softly said: "Sisi, thank you."
Qin Sisi laughed, questioning: "You were the one who heard their cries first, allowing me to find them. Why are you thanking me instead?"
Ye You’s eyes shone a deep purple that glowed like two brilliant stars amid the snow. He replied in a low voice, "Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to acquire the Soul Power so easily."
Despite Ye You’s powerful magic, he was unable to communicate with ordinary ghosts or offer them comfort. Qin Sisi’s innocent appearance made it easier for them to lower their guard.
Feeling Ye You’s appreciation warmed Qin Sisi’s heart. She softly replied: "Don’t be so formal. Let’s go home. It’s nearly dawn."
"Hmm," Ye You responded, and with a swipe of his paw, an invisible bubble enveloped both Qin Sisi and himself before slowly rising into the air.
Due to the delay caused by Qiao Niang and Kang Kang, the invisibility spell was long gone. They had to rely on Ye You’s magic sphere for their journey home.
Ye You didn’t speed up, allowing the silver sphere to leisurely head towards the residential area.
Qin Sisi sat inside the silver sphere, cuddling Ye You and watching the floating snowflakes in the early morning of the New Year.
It was peaceful and tranquil, as if they were in a quiet and romantic fairy-tale world.
Back home, Qin Sisi changed her clothes, washed her face, and cheerfully told Ye You: "This is the first time in my life that I’ve stayed up until the New Year."
Ye You blinked his eyes and asked: "Stayed up until the New Year, what does that mean?"
Qin Sisi sat down on the sofa and explained, "The last day of the year is called New Year’s Eve. Spending the whole New Year’s Eve night without sleeping to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new one is called staying up until the New Year or enduring the year. When I was young, I always said that I would stay up with the adults, but I always fell asleep early. Later, when it was just my mother and me, the atmosphere was gone."
Despite a faint smile on her face, Qin Sisi’s voice hinted at a sliver of fatigue.
Feeling a pang of concern, Ye You softly said, "Alright, now that you’ve managed to stay up until the New Year, you should get plenty of sleep."
Qin Sisi hesitated before answering, "Alright, I’ll make dumplings for you to eat once I wake up. Dumplings are a New Year’s tradition."
Ye You sprang into Qin Sisi’s arms, wrapping his arms around her neck, and softly said, "Okay, I’ll wait."
Qin Sisi went into the bedroom holding Ye You, and the two drifted into sleep, woman and cat curled together.
Outside the window, the wind howled and snow swirled in the freezing air while inside the room, it was warm and cozy.
After a sweet dream, Qin Sisi awoke to find daylight streaming through the window.
After freshening up, she recalled how her mother used to make dumplings and began to shape the dough herself.
Kneading the dough, chopping meat, cutting vegetables, mixing fillings, rolling dumpling wrappers, and making dumplings.
When Ye You entered the kitchen, he saw the round dumplings that resembled fat little gold ingots on the plate.
"Can I help you?" Ye You asked, feeling guilty for watching Qin Sisi working hard.
Qin Sisi thought for a moment and replied, "Why don’t you watch how I do it and see if it’s something you can do?"
If Ye You were human, Qin Sisi would have pulled him over for a lesson without hesitation.
But facing a delicate little cat, she hesitated, unsure whether Ye You’s magic could be used to make dumplings.
