Chapter 12 - A Heavenly Vision (1/2)

Jing Yi stayed beside his mother and wouldn't go back to spend time with the girls, regardless of how they or their mothers begged him. Madame Zhong just smiled, when the other women teased her about it. She patted her son's head. ”He's just a little shy. What's so bad about it?”

Jing Yi grabbed onto her skirt and refused to budge an inch. His eyes warily darted about. He looked at the mud one time, then at the girls another time, finally even examining the laundry his mother had done.

”What is it, Jing'er?”, his mother asked and bent down.

But this time, her obedient son didn't want to answer her. He didn't want his mother to remember he had nearly fallen!

Qiu Ling grinned. Mn, this is just perfect. I would be an idiot, if I didn't make use of this! He followed the two of them home and waited for the night to come. He already had a plan, but he still needed an opportunity to implement it. Considering how the last weeks had passed, he knew that Madam Zhong wouldn't leave her son out of her sight soon. He didn't want to wait that long.

”If there's no opportunity given, I'll just have to make one myself.”

Soon enough, night fell and the Zhongs went to bed. Qiu Ling waited a while, then he stood up and went to their bedside. He extended his hand and put the tip of his finger against Mister Zhong's forehead. ”Have a sweet dream and don't disappoint me tomorrow.” Saying so, he turned around and settled down at Jing Yi's bedside.

Meanwhile, Mister Zhong entered a dream: He saw himself kidnapping his own son under the cover of the night, while his wife was still asleep. He dressed the boy and brought him into the forest. His son woke up with the first rays of sunlight.

He blinked his doe eyes and noticed, that he wasn't at home. He seemed fearful at first, but after looking around, he warmed up a little. He curiously examined the plants and animals around him and followed him all around the forest. They came home late that day and Madam Zhong was furious and scolded the two of them, but father and son just looked at each other and smiled. They regretted nothing.

Mister Zhong woke up with a smile in the dead of the night. He looked at his wife, who was fast asleep. This dream couldn't be a coincidence! Hadn't he fruitlessly tried to coax his son into going outside for a few weeks already? The gods favored his son, he was sure of that, after that daoist master had come by twice for his Jing Yi's sake. So it must be, that the gods were moved by his tireless efforts and also wanted Jing Yi to be more like the other boys, so they sent him this dream as an inspiration how to solve his problem!

Motivated as such, Mister Zhong quietly crept out of the bed and dressed. He stealthily searched for something he and his son could eat, while out in the wilderness, and packed it up. Next, he took Jing Yi's clothes and looked at his sleeping child.

Mister Zhong was at a loss. How to dress him and take him away without him or his mother noticing?

Qiu Ling sighed. Really, maybe he should have just taken Jing Yi himself. But he knew, he wouldn't be able to bring himself to abandon him alone at the forest. The boy would be terrified and probably never sat one foot out of the door for the rest of his childhood days.