Chapter 455: A Delightful Change
Chapter 455: Chapter 455: A Delightful Change
’That Pan Ling’er obviously dislikes onions, but she’s forcing herself to eat them to leave a good impression on my brother. She’s really trying hard.’
After lunch, Pan Ling’er washed out the lunchbox and put it away neatly.
Zhao Nuan Yang was in a hurry to get back to work, but Little Red Carp pulled on her brother’s hand. "Brother," she said, "a walk after a meal will help you live to ninety-nine. You just finished eating, so you can’t go right back to work. Let’s take a walk together."
"Yes, yes, that’s right! Little Red Carp, you’re amazing for knowing such a useful saying." Pan Ling’er’s heart bloomed with joy when she heard Little Red Carp speak. ’This child is just so clever and endearing!’
Seeing his sister holding him back, Zhao Nuan Yang had no choice but to stop. He led Little Red Carp for a stroll nearby. Pan Ling’er claimed her job involved patrolling, so she tagged along, managing to both work and walk off her meal.
Pan Ling’er saw Little Red Carp happily running ahead and called out a reminder, "Little Red Carp, you just ate! You can’t run so fast, or you’ll get indigestion and throw up."
Little Red Carp wouldn’t have thrown up even if she’d done a somersault, let alone from just a light jog.
"Alright, I’ll just walk then." Little Red Carp stopped and walked over to a nearby pond that had frozen over. "Ms. Ling’er, should we go ice skating?"
Pan Ling’er hurried forward and quickly grabbed Little Red Carp’s arm, afraid she would run onto the ice. "The ice on the pond is too thin," she said. "You can’t skate on it at all; you’ll fall through! It’s so cold out, you won’t just catch a cold—you could lose your life."
Zhao Nuan Yang’s expression turned grim. "From now on, if Ms. Ling’er and I aren’t with you, you are absolutely forbidden from going ice skating. Do you hear me?"
"Uh-huh, I hear you." Little Red Carp nodded repeatedly. ’Brother rarely gets angry, but when he does, it’s scarier than when an older sister gets mad, and he’s especially hard to appease.’
Seeing his sister being obedient, Zhao Nuan Yang picked her up. "Good girl, Little Red Carp. Don’t do dangerous things. Alright, we’ve been out for half an hour already. It’s cold, and I have to get back to work. Mr. Pan, we’ll be taking our leave."
"Alright, I have to get back to work too." Pan Ling’er waved. Zhao Nuan Yang and Little Red Carp said their goodbyes in return.
"Goodbye, Ms. Ling’er!" Little Red Carp chirped, happily bidding Pan Ling’er farewell. She really liked this guileless girl.
In the afternoon, Little Red Carp continued to read her copy of the Earth Book.
Zhao Nuan Yang’s colleagues noticed his sister. She was so young, yet so well-behaved, sitting there quietly and reading a book without making a sound. ’No wonder Zhao Nuan Yang dares to bring his sister to work,’ they thought. ’She’s so good, he doesn’t have to worry about her being a distraction.’
When it was time to leave work, Zhao Nuan Yang was ready to go. Having Little Red Carp there had made him work with high efficiency all day, all so he could take her home early.
It was completely dark outside. Zhao Nuan Yang packed up his things, preparing to take his sister home.
"Brother, can I take this book home to read?" Little Red Carp looked at her brother with hope in her eyes. "The stories in it are amazing, and there are lots of spirit monsters. Maybe I can even find my ancestors in here!"
Hearing his sister’s request, Zhao Nuan Yang felt a pang of guilt. He shook his head and said, "Little Red Carp, you can’t take this book home. This is a museum, not a library."
Hearing that she couldn’t borrow it, Little Red Carp reluctantly put the book down. "Then I won’t borrow it," she said. "I really like it, but I can’t cause trouble for you, Brother!"
Little Red Carp’s maturity touched Zhao Nuan Yang deeply.
’Little Red Carp is always so considerate,’ he thought. ’She can be a bit mischievous sometimes, but she’s so much better behaved than most children.’
Zhao Nuan Yang took the book from her hands, then crouched down and said softly, "Little Red Carp, once I’m finished with my work, I’ll take you to the library to look for it. If we can borrow this book, I’ll definitely get it for you. If we can’t, then I’ll copy the entire book for you, and I’ll even redraw the illustrations inside—in color."
"Okay!" Little Red Carp nodded. ’If Brother really copies it for me, then I’ll have my own Earth Book,’ she thought. ’Maybe I can find my true origins in it.’
Zhao Nuan Yang pushed his bicycle, with Little Red Carp sitting on the rear rack. That way, she would be shielded from the wind by his back as he rode.
At the entrance, Pan Ling’er was also with her bicycle. She noticed that Little Red Carp was only wearing a hat, her small ears still exposed to the cold. Pan Ling’er unwound the scarf from her own neck and wrapped it around Little Red Carp’s, making sure to cover her ears. Soon, only the little girl’s big eyes and nostrils were visible.
"There, now your ears won’t get cold," Pan Ling’er said with a smile. "Be safe on your way home."
Zhao Nuan Yang was taken aback by her action. He realized he had completely forgotten to grab a scarf for Little Red Carp that morning. He started to refuse the gesture but then thought about his sister’s ears getting cold. He swallowed his words and said with gratitude, "Thank you, Pan Ling’er!"
’Pan Ling’er... she’s such a kind person. From the first time I saw her helping Aunt Wang rescue that little kitten to all our interactions since, she’s proven to be a warm and cheerful girl.’
Pan Ling’er froze when she heard Zhao Nuan Yang say her full name, and then she was immediately overcome with ecstatic joy.
’I’ve gone from being a nameless person to ’Mr. Pan,’ and now he’s taken another step and is calling me ’Pan Ling’er’! I bet it won’t be long before he starts calling me just ’Ling’er’!’
"You’re welcome." Pan Ling’er’s face lit up, her eyes crinkling with a smile. Under the dim yellow glow of the streetlight, the round-faced, big-eyed girl’s smile was as brilliant as it had been that morning, capable of warming one’s very soul.
Little Red Carp sensed the change in her brother and giggled to herself.
"It’s getting late. You should get home soon, too," Zhao Nuan Yang said softly, a gentle smile on his face.
"See you tomorrow, then!" Pan Ling’er said with a grin. She got on her bicycle and rode alongside Zhao Nuan Yang for a while before they parted ways at a fork in the road.
The days passed happily. Before she knew it, Little Red Carp had been coming to the museum with Zhao Nuan Yang for ten days. During that time, she had read the ancient Earth Book over and over again.
"I’m finally almost finished." Zhao Nuan Yang heaved a long sigh of relief. "Little Red Carp, after dinner I’ll call Immortal Grass Hall and have our sister come pick you up. I’m going to work a little later tonight to get this all done."
"Can’t you do it tomorrow?" Little Red Carp frowned. "You’re going to pull an all-nighter again, Brother. That’s not good for you."
"I’m really in the zone today. If I keep at it, I can finish it and finally take a break. If I stop now and come back tomorrow, it might take me three more days to finish. So... you see which is better, right?" Zhao Nuan Yang explained. He was feeling exceptionally energized today, working with incredible speed, and the piece he was creating had a remarkable sense of spirituality.