Chapter 078: Life Needs Space
“Waah!”
A scream came. Colin looked at his arm, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. The child in front of him had bitten his wrist, and so fiercely that her whole body was hanging from it.
Since she was a child, Colin couldn’t be too hard on her. Chen Ran quickly picked up little Dongfang and apologized to Colin. “Um, she’s just a child and doesn’t know any better. And she hates it when people touch her head. She says it’ll stunt her growth.”
Chen Ran gave Dongfang a little scolding. “What’s the matter? And why are you wearing boy’s clothes again?”
Colin raised his hand innocently, looking at the miserable row of teeth marks on his wrist…
“Girl’s clothes are too troublesome to wear,” Dongfang said, landing back on the ground and spreading her hands. “I’ve come to report some not-so-good news. The flowers and plants you asked me to take care of are almost all dead.”
“Ahem…” Chen Ran coughed.
Although he knew the general guidelines for raising a loli, when it came to educating a little girl, Chen Ran felt that he lacked some grasp of the details, and the direction had deviated. Although the prospect of raising a loli was good, Chen Ran clearly lacked the real educational methods in this area.
Today, Ella was wearing a light blue long dress, still with the image of an introverted, intelligent, and noble girl. She looked down at the lively Dongfang, seeming to be very fond of her. “She’s so cute. At first glance, I really thought she was a little boy. Her eyes are very beautiful, and she looks very clever.”
“She’s alright,” Chen Ran said, patting Dongfang’s head. “I also think this little girl is quite clever, so I wanted to cultivate her properly. But although I have ideas, it’s very difficult to implement them. I was busy before and didn’t have time to take care of her. Now that I’m free, I want to teach her some skills. But whether it’s gardening or dressing like a lady, there always seems to be something missing. I was considering finding some suitable teachers to teach her some practical things, like music, flower arrangement, and physical arts.”
“Is that so?” Ella’s eyes lit up. “Coincidentally, I should be able to help with the so-called flower arrangement, music, and some girlish behavior. I also happen to like this little girl very much. I can take some time to teach her some practical things.”
Colin, at the side, slapped his forehead and said, “That’s right! I forgot that my cousin is a music master. She’s proficient in most musical instruments, such as the piccolo, harp, violin, and harmonica. Her singing is even at a professional level. And she also likes to dabble in flowers and plants. With my cousin as this little girl’s teacher, there will definitely be no problem.”
Colin was about to pat Dongfang’s head again, but he saw the neat row of canine teeth and remembered the tragedy from just now. He couldn’t help but pull his hand back and said, “Speaking of which, hearing you say that, this little girl really does look like Ella when she was a child. She was also very wild back then, better than me at climbing trees, scaling walls, and catching birds. One day, she accidentally fell from a tree and cried her eyes out. I brought her home, and my dad thought I hadn’t taken good care of my cousin and gave me a spanking. But this situation got much better after she grew up.”
“Ahem!” At the mention of her childhood embarrassment, a hint of gloom appeared on the usually gentle and proper Ella’s face. She nonchalantly pinched Colin’s waist with two fingers…
Colin immediately sucked in a cold breath…
Ella quickly recovered her expression and actually took out a high-grade, fruit-flavored lollipop from her clothes and handed it to Dongfang.
“Little sister, take me to your little garden. Maybe I can help you with something.”
After being bribed, Dongfang squinted her eyes obediently, a foxy smile on her face, and said sweetly, “Thank you, big sister. I’ll take you there right away!”
The two girls, one big and one small, temporarily walked away. At this, Chen Ran remembered the special effect of the berserk potion that day and couldn’t help but ask, “By the way, how did you comprehend the magic runes at that time?”
Speaking of this question, Colin himself was also in a daze. “I was in a berserk state at that time, and I can’t really describe the feeling. I only remember that I was going all out at that time, and my body was supporting me at its limit. But the effect of the potion was still continuing. Because the energy was flowing too fast, I couldn’t control its trend. It was circulating in my body on its own. I even thought I was going to collapse at one point. I just felt a special fluctuation gradually appear in my body, and then… I lost consciousness…”
“So that’s how it is,” Chen Ran said, nodding after hearing Colin’s description. He had a better understanding now. No wonder those with innate magic runes often needed parents with excellent bloodlines to have a chance of being born. A very small number of people could also awaken them in their later years under extreme conditions. In fact, the so-called Holy Marks and Magic Runes could really be controlled by man.
He would leave this question for now.
“Chen Ran, I owe you for this. I never thought Bies would be so strong. But if it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have broken through to my current talent. My perception of lightning-element magic is at least twice as strong as before, and my future cultivation will be twice as effective with half the effort. In this way, when I go to the Turin Academy, where geniuses gather, I will still have the ability to become one of the top students there. Just for this, I can entrust my cousin to you with peace of mind. No one is more worthy than you!”
“Can we not talk about this…” Hearing this, Chen Ran slapped his forehead. “I’m dizzy…”
“What, you don’t like my cousin?” Colin said seriously. “I’m doing this for your own good. My cousin is gentle and virtuous, with a dignified appearance, considerate and caring, and proficient in music and poetry. She doesn’t have any major flaws. In Xilan City, I’ve never seen a better girl than her. The line of boys chasing her is long.” Colin nudged Chen Ran’s stomach with his elbow and said, “I’m only willing to introduce her to you because you’re my brother. You don’t look like the type to be particularly popular with girls. Besides, she doesn’t dislike you. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have come here with me.”
“I surrender… I’ll tell you the truth…” To not get entangled in this question any longer, Chen Ran said helplessly, “I’ve had two relationships, and neither of them really ended.”
“Two?” Colin squinted his eyes. “Then where are they?”
“This… I don’t know either…” Chen Ran sighed deeply. “It seems that for personal reasons, they both left without saying goodbye. I don’t know if I’ll ever see them again. As for your introduction, I really don’t think it’s necessary. It might just delay Miss Ella.”
“I think they will definitely regret it,” Colin said, smartly not dwelling on this question. “But as a cousin, I think that if Ella can be with you, she will definitely not regret it. Everything you’re doing now is not just for yourself. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have taken over this desolate church, you wouldn’t have taken in and healed those who have been abandoned by life, and you certainly wouldn’t have adopted those homeless children. At least, in your heart, you’re not a bad person.”
Colin continued, “You have courage and ability, and you also have your own sense of responsibility. And you don’t go around chasing after every girl. I’m already lucky to have met someone with such qualities. I can’t not try to keep you. I’m going to the Imperial Capital soon, and my cousin will have no one to look after her. So there’s no one I’d feel more at ease entrusting her to than you.”
“Alright, I accept your praise,” Chen Ran said, shrugging his shoulders, not feeling any happiness from so much praise. He sighed deeply. “I was wrong. I shouldn’t be so negative. But some things have to be taken slowly, right?”
Colin patted Chen Ran’s shoulder and comforted him, “That’s how people are. It’s good to part on good terms. Don’t always think about the unpleasant things in the past. I just mentioned this casually, and I’m not forcing it. You’ll understand in the future. By the way, the auction is in a few days. I remember you said you had something to put up for auction. What is it? Is it a magic item?”
“It’s just a two-handed longsword. It should be able to make a small profit.”
“A sword…” It seemed that because it was not something he could use, Colin’s interest immediately waned, but he still praised, “Then I look forward to witnessing the first step of your take-off. If you need any help in the future, just ask. You’ve helped me so much, and I haven’t found a way to repay you yet. I feel a little bad.”
“Don’t worry, I definitely won’t be polite then.”
In the flower garden on the other side, Dongfang faced the half-dead flower branches and spread her hands. “Big sister, I’ve tried my best, but they’re still half-dead. Half of them are already dead.”
Ella looked at the situation and quickly found the problem. She smiled and said, “First of all, Dongfang, you’ve fertilized and watered them too much. You’ve overfed them.”
“Is that wrong?” Dongfang scratched her hair and pouted. “In my opinion, being full is the happiest thing in the world. It’s rare for me to be so loving as to feed them well. That bad guy of a big brother never lets me eat my fill.”
“That’s not how it is,” Ella shook her head. “Too much love can sometimes be suffocating, making it hard to breathe. It will only harm them. So you have to know how to let them go appropriately, so that they can grow healthier.”
At the same time, Ella picked up a small shovel and carefully dug out the chaotically arranged flowers, loosened the soil underneath, and then neatly sorted and arranged them. After that, she trimmed some useless flower branches, and the flowers looked much more spirited.
“Growth requires enough space. Not everything can grow together. They also need their own companions. Flowers are living beings. They are very fragile, so they need more care and nurturing. If you can understand this, they can live out their due beauty and splendor.”
Under Ella’s care, the small garden was indeed much neater and clearer, no longer the messy jumble it was before. Dongfang, half-understanding, helped Ella as she was told, accepting her guidance.
Looking at the spirited little garden, Dongfang couldn’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment, and she firmly remembered every word Ella had said.
