Underneath A Thousand Skies ✔️

82 Foster Son, Don't Be So Crazy (19)

Song Jia clicked her tongue. If only she had the necessary equipment to do a blood test, Nian Shou's name would be quickly cleared of the accusation.

However, she had not brought any testing equipment inside her storage space ring. And even if she had, the Magistrate would only accuse her of witchcraft. Song Jia folded the report that she was reading into a paper frog. She pressed its rear and made it hop towards Xiang Feng, who was reading a thick book in front of her on the same table.

"Gua gua," Song Jia said, imitating a frog. [1]

The paper frog jumped in the center of the book's page, and Xiang Feng glanced up to see Song Jia looking at him with a smile.

"Jia?" His eyebrows slightly knitted.

Song Jia propped her chin with her hand and continued saying in a slightly squeaky voice, "Gua, I am so happy! Mister Turtle, when I go out, the well is so big. When I come home, I rest inside a hole in the well. These wriggly worms, crabs, and tadpoles, none of them can compare with me. I am lord of this well and I stand tall here. My happiness is great. My dear sir, why don't you come more often and look around my place?"

Xiang Feng looked at the paper frog, quickly understanding what she meant. He also smiled and pressed its back to make it hop back to her.

"Miss Frog, should I tell you about the sea? Even a distance of a thousand miles cannot give you an idea of the sea's width, even a height of a thousand meters cannot give you an idea of its depth."

The frog stopped in front of Song Jia.

Xiang Feng continued, "The sea does not change along with the passage of time and its level does not rise or fall according to the amount of rain that falls. The greatest happiness is to live in the sea."

His dark eyes curved into crescents as he met her stare. "Miss Frog, you shouldn't be content living as a frog in the well."

Song Jia laughed.

"Gua, Mister Turtle is so bright, ah."

To her, these people that came from an ancient era were like frogs in a well, not knowing how large the world is and how much information were still beyond their grasp.

Song Jia thought to herself that she was very lucky to meet two boys who were open-minded than most about her strangeness.

If she were to save Nian Shou, she should do it like she was a frog that came from a well too.

Xiang Feng looked at Song Jia's tired face. His heart twisted from pain and he could not help but add, "However, I could use a watering can and make Miss Frog think that it's raining. It's not bad for me, who knows plenty of things that Miss Frog doesn't."

Song Jia's face became blank, and a light flickered in her sky-blue eyes. Then an excited expression slowly appeared on her face as she exclaimed in a soft voice, "Oh!"

A soft sigh escaped Xiang Feng's mouth, and he returned back to his book. A faintly depreciatory smile hung on his lips. He flipped a page of his book, not seeing the words at all.

He was truly...

Xiang Feng shook his head.

Hopeless.

...

When Nian Shou's trial came, both Song Jia and Xiang Feng dressed meticulously.

Song Jia had ordered a ready-made dress from a well-known seamstress, and she patiently put on the inner chemise, the petticoats, and finally the gown itself, with the lacings on the back making it difficult for Song Jia to breathe. But it made her waist look smaller than it already was, and the color of the gown turned her eyes a darker blue than they really were.

Song Jia looked down at her breasts which were nearly spilling over and glanced at Xiang Feng, who had long since gotten ready.

"Do you think I need to change? I can't breathe."

Xiang Feng blushed and looked away.

"Jia needs to definitely change. It doesn't look good on you."

"It doesn't?"

Stunned, Song Jia rushed towards her dresser mirror, unable to believe that she went through all that pain only to look ugly. Song Jia stared at her reflection, and then turned around to give Xiang Feng a resolute look.

"I think...I don't need to breathe."

This brat, daring to lie to his own mother. She pursed her lips at him in disapproval.

Seeing her expression, Xiang Feng stood stiffly in place. He forced his lips to open despite the look that she was giving him.

"Jia should change."

"Why should I? It looks good on me."

Song Jia twirled around, making the bottom of the dress flare out like a blossoming rose. She stepped forward towards the door, but to her surprise, Xiang Feng blocked her way.

"Jia should change," he repeated nervously.

His eyes held a trace of reluctance, and his small body was tense. He didn't want to forbid her from anything that she wanted to do, but many people would definitely stare at her if she wore that dress. Xiang Feng felt a surging emotion inside his chest, but since he was still young, he did not know what it was.

The only thing he knew was that he did not want other people to look at her.

Song Jia stopped in her tracks. She looked at the child blocking her way and her lips pressed tightly together.

Slowly, she called out, "Xiao Feng."

[1] Chinese onomatopoeia sound for the 'ribbit' of a frog.