TSIAGBICATMWI Chapter 50

Chapter 50: Shuyou Speaks

Chapter 50: Shuyou Speaks

Beyond the stream was an endless plain. The rising sun cast its light on the grassland, but even though it was almost autumn, only withered grass and trees were visible, with no sign of the weather cooling down.

The vast grassland made the group appear as tiny dots as they walked across it, giving it a real backpacking feel.

Luo Shuyou had recovered his energy and was playing happily with the White Tiger Cub. Seeing this, Gu Tangyue exclaimed, “This energetic Youyou is so much cuter!”

Gu Tangxi agreed, “Yes, so vibrant.” Even though he was a little zombie, he gave people a sense of vibrant life, far more than them.

They exchanged a look and saw the exhaustion in each other’s eyes. Gu Tangyue said listlessly, “We were told that after crossing that river, we’d be opposite Half-Moon City. How come we’ve been walking towards your ‘opposite’ for days and still haven’t arrived?”

Gu Tangxi took a deep breath, adjusted her shoulders, and perked up, continuing to walk. She said, “Like standing on a high mountain, gazing at the Great Wall—visible but unreachable!”

“Besides, we knew the map was inaccurate, right? Who knows where we’ve ended up.” Yes, she was also tired, but what could she do? Now, no matter which way she turned, she couldn’t see the end.

Gu Tangyue glanced at her, “You have the nerve to say that.”

Gu Tangxi, though not entirely justified, put on a brave front, “What’s wrong with saying it? Come on, yes, we’ve walked a few extra days, but look how well I chose the path. We haven’t encountered a single zombie.”

“Yeah, you picked a great place where ‘birds vanish from the mountains, and human tracks disappear from all paths.’ So, what do we do now? I’m about to fall apart. After walking for so many days, my feet are blistered.”

“You’re just delicate. Look at Xie YunChuan, carrying one on his back and holding one in his arms, and he hasn’t complained.”

“Heh, not complaining doesn’t mean he’s not tired, okay? Maybe he just wants to save face and is embarrassed to say it.”

Luo Shuyou and the White Tiger Cub chased a butterfly back and forth. It was rare to see a butterfly flying freely in these mountains at this time.

The butterfly landed on a small yellow flower. Luo Shuyou pounced, but it flew away. He noticed the lonely little flower and, abandoning the butterfly, picked it and ran, beaming, toward Xie YunChuan.

Xie YunChuan smiled and opened his arms, waiting for him to jump in. Luo Shuyou held the flower in front of Xie YunChuan’s face to show off, his smug expression as if to say, “Look, little flower! I have it, and you don’t.”

Gu Tangyue reached out to tease him from the side, “Wow! Youyou’s flower is so pretty. Can I see it?”

Luo Shuyou glanced at her, then haughtily turned his head, shrinking back and placing the flower between himself and Xie YunChuan, not letting Gu Tangyue see it.

Xie YunChuan pinched his pouting cheek, his eyes gentle as water, filled with endless doting and tenderness. He softly coaxed, “Okay, be good and walk properly. She doesn’t want yours.”

Luo Shuyou didn’t want to walk by himself. He opened his arms and hung them around Xie YunChuan’s neck. This action clearly meant he wanted Xie YunChuan to carry him. Xie YunChuan put his arms around his waist, pretending not to understand, “What’s wrong? Stop being spoiled. We have to hurry. Be good.”

Luo Shuyou shook his head, stubbornly clinging to him. Xie YunChuan let him fuss, but didn’t pick him up. “Youyou has to say what he wants. If you don’t say it, how am I supposed to know? If I don’t know, I can’t fulfill your wishes, understand?”

Luo Shuyou finally stammered, “Carry… carry…!”

Xie YunChuan, feigning sudden realization, picked him up. “Oh! So you wanted a carry! That’s right. If you say it, I’ll carry you. When have I ever refused your requests? But you have to say it, you know?”

Xie YunChuan tried to guide him to say more. Luo Shuyou, however, didn’t care about the silly guy’s gentle coaxing. Once he reached his goal, he lazily nestled in Xie YunChuan’s arms, completely ignoring Xie YunChuan’s requests.

Xie YunChuan gave up on getting the little lazy cat to say more. Oh well, at least he confirmed that he could speak.

He had deliberately not carried him just now. He knew he couldn’t have misheard or hallucinated such an important thing. He had clearly heard Luo Shuyou speak that day. Why hadn’t he said a single word in the past two days, only humming and whining?

But from now on, he had to slowly train him to speak more. Otherwise, who knew if he would regress again and become unable to speak? Since he could squeeze out one word at a time, with practice, he might become fluent.

Gu Tangxi and Gu Tangyue, who were overwhelmed by the sour-sweet smell of their love, were stunned in place the moment they heard Luo Shuyou speak. It took them a while to recover and excitedly ask, “He can talk?”

“Did Youyou speak?”

Speaking in unison, they looked at each other to confirm they weren’t the only ones who heard it. Their joy was overflowing. Earlier, they had kept their distance to give the two of them space, so they hadn’t heard Luo Shuyou speak.

Gu Tangyue exclaimed with joy, “That’s great! Youyou can call me ‘sister’ now.”

Who understands the sense of pride of seeing one’s own child growing up!

Gu Tangxi nodded in agreement. “Yes, he can call me ‘Mom’ now!”

Gu Tangyue pushed her. “Hey! Hey! Hey! That’s too much. You’re messing up the generations. It’s one thing to take advantage of me, but aren’t you afraid Xie YunChuan will smash your dog head with an ice shard?”

“Who’s afraid of who? I’ll roast him with a fireball. I don’t care. I’m a ‘Mom’ fan. We’ll each have our own roles. From today on, Youyou is my own son.”

“Just save it. He doesn’t need a ‘Mom’ who’s two years older.”

“Heh! And he needs a ‘sister’ who’s two years younger?”

Okay, Gu Tangyue was also lacking in age, “Whatever. As long as you’re happy.”

Very good, Gu Tangxi won the debate with completely unreasonable arguments and illogical evidence.

No one asked Luo Shuyou, the protagonist, if he agreed, and no one cared about Xie YunChuan, the brother-in-law and son-in-law’s opinion.

The White Tiger Cub couldn’t join the two’s lovey-dovey group and witnessed the argument speechlessly. Hmph, it wouldn’t admit that these two were the little master’s sister and mom.

…Uh! No one cared whether it admitted it or not.

Xie YunChuan didn’t reject the two’s non-romantic affection for Luo Shuyou. It was good this way. If anything happened, they would help protect Luo Shuyou. Besides, with Luo Shuyou being the way he was now, having two more people chattering around him might stimulate him to speak.

One happy event lifted everyone’s spirits, and the seemingly endless road ahead no longer seemed so distant, empty, and hopeless.

Without deliberately slowing down to let Luo Shuyou play, Xie YunChuan carried Luo Shuyou and they actually walked much faster. Luo Shuyou hung on Xie YunChuan like a giant panda, his legs swinging back and forth. The little flower in his hand was about to fall because he was dozing off and not holding it tightly.

The White Tiger Cub was strong for once and didn’t climb onto Luo Shuyou’s shoulders. Actually, it was because the big grassland was perfect for running and rolling around. It hadn’t had enough fun yet.