Chapter 692: A Few Words of Experience

Chapter 692: A Few Words of Experience

Sister stared blankly as she turned around, finding Uncle standing right behind her. She asked warily, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just came to check," Uncle replied. "How's the kid doing?"

Strange. That fleeting scent had vanished.

The moment Uncle appeared, I distinctly smelled a scent I'd never encountered before. Two words surfaced in my mind: "Killing Intent."

If I hadn't shouted "Sister, watch out," I had a feeling something terrible would have happened.

Luckily, that scent disappeared. Sister should be safe now.

I found a wooden box at the bottom of the well. On the back of the box were four characters. "Female..." something—there were no pinyin, and I couldn't read the other three.

"Little brother, did you find the key?" Sister called from above.

I thought for a moment, took the key out of the wooden box, tucked it into my pocket, and tugged on the rope. "I found it!"

They discussed things up there for a long time. Just as they were about to pull me up, I suddenly felt my hair getting wet. I looked up and saw water seeping out of the small holes at the top.

The water rushed down fast, like a dozen faucets turned on at once. I got drenched in a downpour at the bottom of the well.

I was soaked through. I was going to get scolded again.

Chaos erupted outside. With the sound of rushing water and echoes, I couldn't hear a thing they were saying.

But I could still smell everyone's scent. How strange.

Sister's scent carried "worry," "unease," and "helplessness." Then came Uncle, the leader, with "killing intent" wafting off him continuously.

Then the others. Their scents wavered between "hesitation" and "killing intent."

These smells kept flooding my nose, making me feel like I was getting sick.

The water grew louder, the water level in the well rising higher. Soon, it reached my neck.

I looked up and saw a head poking out, someone peering down at me from the well's edge. Water was falling everywhere, blurring his face, but his scent was foul—it must have been Uncle.

Strange. Where was Sister?

"Kid!" Uncle shouted. "You and the rope are both soaked, way too heavy! We can't pull you up! Untie the rope and tie it to the key! We'll pull the key up first, then figure out how to save you."

As he said this, another strange, heavy scent drifted off him. But this time, the scent didn't translate into words in my mind, so I didn't know what it meant.

Many years later, I finally understood.

That scent was called "Deception."

"No! Little brother!" Sister's voice came from far away. "Don't trust him! Remember what I told you?"

Her scent was "worry" and "sincerity," now with an added "fear."

I remembered. Sister told me that if I wanted to survive, I must never untie the rope.

But why was she speaking to me from so far away? Couldn't she come over?

"U-Uncle," I stammered nervously. "If you can't pull me up, that's okay. I know a little swimming. Once the water fills up, I can float up with it."

I was getting anxious. When I get anxious, I feel like crying. If I cry, I'll get scolded.

"Screw you!" Uncle cursed. "There's only three minutes left on the countdown! Who's going to wait for you to swim up? Hand me the key now, or I'll beat you to death when you get up here."

His scent changed again. Now it was all "killing intent."

I hadn't done anything, and I still got yelled at.

And what was wrong with this strange prison? Why did everyone have such strong scents?

Did I have one too?

I lifted my wrist and sniffed. An even more absurd word appeared in my mind:

"Spiritual Scent!"

"What's going on?"

"Kid, don't space out!" Uncle shouted even louder. "Untie the rope! We'll open the door and come right back to save you!"

That heavy scent came again.

I didn't know whether to agree. I rarely disobeyed adults, or else they wouldn't like me.

When adults don't like you, your days ahead won't be easy.

Luckily, I had plenty of experience dealing with adults.

Let me share it with you—don't say what you want to say, and don't do what you want to do.

You have to think about what the adult wants you to say and do. That's how you avoid getting scolded.

If an adult takes you to visit their friends, no matter how bright and beautiful the fruit on the table looks, you can't say you want to eat it, or they'll say you have "no manners." They'll say you're very rude and won't amount to anything when you grow up.

I'm really scared of people saying I "won't amount to anything," because my parents only call me that when they're extremely angry.

Oh, right. If an adult puts out leeks, your most hated food, even if you want to throw up, you have to swallow it. Otherwise, they'll call you "picky." They'll say they'll starve you for three days, and then you'll eat anything. They'll also tell you that when they were kids, they couldn't even get enough to eat, and now that life is better, how dare you be picky about something as delicious as leeks? You're just "spoiled rotten."

And also... if you meet a child younger than you, whether they break your things or take your toys, you have to smile and say it's okay. Otherwise, you're "not acting like an older sibling." Even with kids your own age, you'll be accused of "not knowing how to share and be considerate." So whenever another kid asks, you'll inevitably lose something you love. But if you dare to take something from another child, that's called "selfish and greedy," and you're bound to get a beating.

If you feel unhappy, you absolutely cannot cry out loud. No matter what you do, do it quietly. Otherwise, you'll be called a "little nuisance." Adults will tell you how hard they work to earn money to raise you, how exhausted they are every day, and how you don't understand a thing.

Once you reveal your true feelings, they'll say you're "not good," "not sensible," or "won't amount to anything." Some adults will even hit you.

These are all the lessons I've accumulated from dealing with adults, time after time. Hiding my true feelings can save me a lot of scolding. I really don't want to be scolded, especially in front of a crowd. That would make me especially sad.

I suddenly thought of Kong Rong.

Kong Rong did it well. I should learn from him.

So this time, I had no choice but to agree. I didn't want to be scolded, and I definitely didn't want to be hit.

"Uncle..."

I was about to agree, but before the words left my mouth, I suddenly smelled a strong scent I'd never experienced before.

How should I describe that scent?

It was a "thought." Yes, I smelled a "thought."

I vaguely smelled that sister's "thought."

Hard to understand, right? Because I can't really explain it either. Even though that sister didn't speak, a notion just popped into my head out of nowhere, and I clearly knew where it came from.

But the notion wasn't made of words. It was just an idea, a thought. I still had to find a way to describe it myself.

"I... I don't think I can untie the rope..." I blurted out, following the sister's thought. "If I untie it and hand you the key, you'll abandon me."