MDZS: Still Lament Prologue

Chapter 10: Ganqing (Affection)

            

The wooden boat slowly rocked its poised way through the floating leaves and swaying pink lotus flowers.  Little Zhuqin, like the very first time she visited Yunmeng, was sitting at the very front of the boat and with the biggest grin, she totally looked forward to staying in the Jiang family household.  For Jiang Fengmian, although he was indeed excited for the young girl to stay under his care for three years, he was still struggling to properly accept that Lan Yunlin killed his best friend and if anything, his first love.  During the trip to Yunmeng by carriage, the Jiang leader was a bit hesitant to question if Little Zhuqin was still grieving over her mother's recent death.  

            He carefully stood from the boat's wooden seat and walked to Little Zhuqin.  As the young girl noticed his presence, she turned to him and cheerfully smiled.

            Fengmian returned her smile and began, "A Ling, about your mother..."

            The young girl only blankly blinked her eyes a few time and although she was still smiling, the Jiang leader could see a small fade in her joyful smile. She turned around and scooped her small arm under the water, strongly plucking out a blush pink lotus flower.  Little Zhuqin merrily handed the flower to Fengmian and while she thought he did not know, the Jiang leader knew what the young girl was doing.

            She was definitely going to try to put on another act.

            The young girl began with a gleaming smile, "...Bu nanguo (I am not sad) (ㆁᴗㆁ✿)."

            Fengmian anxiously questioned, "Really?"

            Little Zhuqin continued, "...It must be her fate uncle."

            "Fate?" The Jiang leader thought. 

            "She...she... (ﾟヘﾟ)"

            Surprisingly unlike any other time she freely spoke with Fengmian, Little Zhuqin began to stutter in her proper response to the kind uncle.  Noticing the difference, the Jiang leader set the lotus flower aside and worriedly wrapped his arms around the young girl.  Even on the day of her mother's death, during the mourning period or after the mourning, Guangshan did not even properly hold Little Zhuqin in his arms to reassure that everything would still be fine.  When a parent died, it was only right for any family member to embrace the child in their arms and share the burden. 

If the Jin leader was sincere with his love towards his only daughter, perhaps he would have properly held her in his arms and told her, "Even with your mother gone, I am still here."

No mistake, Guangshan did indeed love Little Zhuqin but perhaps the Jin leader was blinded by his grief for his deceased elder brother and blinded by if anything, his thirst for power in the cultivation world. 

But...Guangshan did love his daughter...

With the Jiang leader's embrace, the young girl could feel his fatherly warmth and even she felt comfortable enough...to cry.

"Bu, bu, bu (No, no, no)... ⊙△⊙" Little Zhuqin quickly shook her head and pulled her little body away from Fengmian's embrace.

"A Ling?"

Even though she was certainly still a small six-year-old immature child with no absolute sense of professional cultivation skills, Little Zhuqin was not going to let her own negative emotions take over her.  Besides, her mother had been neglecting her for six years and did not even bother to properly love her as a mother should have.  Little Zhuqin's mother had been trying to harm her for so long, it is only natural to not love someone as evil as Lan Yunlin.