Chapter 4 - Encounter

83 8 4
                                    

Chapter notes:

Recap: Xiao Tian was tasked to assassinate Bai Feng but he hesitated at the last second. So the masked assassin paid the cedar-haired beauty another visit and a great spar ensued.

In this chapter, we'll get a glimpse at the unfeeling assassin's childhood~

⊱ ━━━━.⋅❈⋅.━━━━ ⊰

"A-Tian, wake up.. Didn't we plan to go to the market today?" A gentle voice calling out his name caused young Xiao Tian to stir from his sleep.

"Hurry and get ready, we have to get back before your father arrives home" continued the beautiful woman with onyx-colored hair.

Hearing his mother's words, Xiao Tian quickly peeled off his thin blanket and rubbed his eyes, trying to chase away his drowsiness.

Finally, it was their day out.

Xiao Tian couldn't explore too far from the neighborhood that often, so he has been waiting for a chance to venture into the city. The young boy then looked out the window, watching snowflakes flurry in the cold winter draft.

"It'll be a bit cold today, but we'll stay warm if we stand close enough to the stalls. Let's get going" the lady said while patting her son's head. Xiao Tian proceeded to tie up his hair, and soon they were set to go. The dark-haired boy grabbed onto his mother's hand and together they walked through the snow in the direction of the city.

⊱ ━━━━.⋅❈⋅.━━━━ ⊰

Once they reached the market, Xiao Tian was overwhelmed by the bustling atmosphere. There were so many people selling toys and sweets, children running around as their parents tried to catch them from falling over in the snow. 

Xiao Tian just stood there, holding onto his mom's hand as he watched loving families walk away with smiles on their faces. Seeing the young boy's longing expression truly broke his mother's heart.

You deserved a better life A-Tian, thought his mother apologetically.

As Xiao Tian walked around, he saw something that caught his eye and immediately tugged on his mother's sleeves.

"Can we get one?" Xiao Tian asked as he pointed at the sweet stands. His mother looked in the direction where he was pointing and chuckled.

"Tanghulu has always been your favorite, isn't it? If we have enough money after buying food, we can have some. Now, be a good boy and wait for me okay?" Xiao Tian nodded and watched his mother queue for food, slowly blending into the crowd.

While waiting for his mother, Xiao Tian kept looking at the tanghulu stand. He stared at the seller dipping fresh fruits into piping hot sugar and how the freezing winter air quickly hardened the sugary shell. Unbeknownst to Xiao Tian, a child his age was watching him all this time.

Out of nowhere, Xiao Tian felt a tap on his shoulder and a gentle voice came soon after.

"Does Gege* want some?" *a way to address an older male

Xiao Tian quickly turned around to see a golden-eyed child. But as he stared back, the boy immediately hid behind his mother.

"Ah I'm sorry, he can be quite shy at times.." the lady with cedar-colored hair explained as she crouched down and urged her son to come talk to Xiao Tian once again. The child then hesitantly walked towards Xiao Tian and asked,

璧玉之輪 | Fortuitous JadeWhere stories live. Discover now