Chapter 718: The Prince's Steed
I felt I was beginning to understand adults. Their way of doing things was no different from children's—that is: don't do what you want to do, and don't say what you want to say.
I thought this was a lesson only children could sum up from experience, but it turned out adults followed it too.
The sister before me was clearly a "Zodiac." She killed without blinking, having already executed nearly a hundred of her own family members, yet now she was teaching me how to survive. Meanwhile, back then, Uncle Wan kept saying he was looking out for me, but from time to time, murderous intent wafted off him. They all had two faces.
"But I want to help them," I said. "Sister, if someone saw you as a 'hero,' wouldn't you want to help them?"
"No, because I know I'm not one," the Zodiac sister said. "In this world, I can't even handle ordinary human nature, let alone twisted human nature."
"But this is what I want to do," I said. "It's also what I believe is right. As long as I keep doing what I think is right, it's fine even if I die."
I suddenly thought of Kuafu, Yugong, and Jingwei.
They did very well. I wanted to learn from them.
Seeing how stubborn I was, the Zodiac sister didn't continue. She just shook her head helplessly.
She couldn't understand me, and I couldn't understand her.
Just then, Sister Siwei was walking over from not far away, holding a large, flat cloth bundle in her arms. When she saw I was talking with the "Executioner," a flicker of worry crossed her face.
"Hero brother...!" she called out, then set the bundle on the ground and ran over.
She stood in front of me, facing the Executioner with a serious expression. "Hey... he's just a kid... you don't need to drag him into the game, do you...?"
"Ah..." The Executioner shook her head. "Don't worry, I know how important he is. I'm not short on lives either."
"Good... good..." Sister Siwei nodded with relief. "Thank you..."
"You're welcome."
The two sisters exchanged a glance. This was probably the first time Sister Siwei had spoken with her.
Although their personalities were completely different, I always felt they were very similar.
"Hero, come with me." Sister Siwei tugged my hand and pulled me over to the cloth bundle.
I gave this big thing a puzzled look. It was a bit larger than my desk, wrapped in cloth, lying flat on the ground.
"Hero brother!" Sister Siwei seemed very happy. "Remember what I said yesterday? I have something to give you!"
I stared at her blankly. She'd said she'd tell me where to find the sword and crown, but instead she'd brought back something this big?
Sister Siwei propped the cloth bundle upright, then gently pulled off the cloth covering it.
Only when the thing revealed itself did my eyes go wide. Beneath the dirty cloth was a bicycle that looked fairly new.
I froze.
"Um... Hero brother, don't dislike it, okay?" Sister Siwei said. "After I talked to you yesterday, I ran all over the place. The crown and sword really were too hard to find, but I found you the 'white horse' for the prince!"
She pushed the bicycle forward and placed it in front of me.
The bicycle was a little rusty in some spots, but the dust had been carefully wiped away, and the torn seat had been re-stitched with a soft cloth cushion.
The handlebars were wrapped in a layer of sponge. It looked like Sister Siwei had used every method she could find and think of on this bicycle.
I didn't step forward to take the bike; I just stood there stunned.
"What's... wrong?" Sister Siwei's expression turned a bit uneasy. "Hero brother, I know what I'm giving you is a little shabby..."
"No..." I said, dazed. "I really like it..."
"Really...?"
"Yeah!!"
I was so happy. I had always wanted a bicycle of my own.
But I had never even dared to mention such a request.
When I was very young, I wanted a lot of things. I would point at the giant lollipops hanging in the little shop and say, "I want that."
Back then, my parents would say, "If you behave, I'll buy it for you." After I agreed, they would quickly lead me away from the scene.
Gradually, what I said changed too. Whenever I walked down the street with my parents and saw something I wanted, I would point and say, "Dad, Mom, if I keep being good, will you buy that for me?"
They would nod happily, and I would be overjoyed.
No matter how long passed, no matter how well-behaved I was, I never got the things I wanted even once.
But now, I had a bicycle of my own.
That day, I rode that bicycle around and around the small square downstairs. Sister Siwei and the Executioner stood at opposite ends of the square, watching me in silence.
Not until my legs were sore and my face was chapped from the wind did I finally stop in front of Sister Siwei.
"Done riding?" she asked.
"Sister..." I said. "Now that I have my own vehicle... starting tomorrow, I'm going to go out and look for the crown and sword, so I want to save my strength."
"I already found them for you." She pointed to a small box on the back seat of the bicycle. "This is your crown and sword."
I was a little stunned and gently opened the box.
Inside were a crown folded from newspaper and a sword also folded from newspaper.
Even though they were made of newspaper, they looked very beautifully folded.
"A newspaper crown and short sword?" I blinked.
"Sorry, Hero." Sister Siwei gave a bitter smile. "First, I want to make it clear—I'm not treating you like a child by making these play-pretend things to appease you. I just want your wish to come true. Even in this city where supplies are scarce, I wanted you to get what you wanted."
Why did Sister Siwei feel the need to apologize to me?
I loved them.
I loved something not because of how precious it was or what material it was made of, but because of who gave it to me.
Though they were folded from newspaper, they meant the world to me. I would protect this crown with my life.
That day, Sister Siwei placed the crown on my head with her own hands. I became a true hero. I would be the "Happy Prince" of "Jade City."
Even if in the end I was dismantled by everyone, someone would still remember me.
But fairy tales are just fairy tales after all. Even if their endings are already heartbreaking, they are still beautified.
The dark side of human nature is uglier than a prince stripped of his gold leaf. When it is laid bare, every ugly thing in this world will be made to look stunningly beautiful by contrast.
I never imagined that one day the poor would catch the swallow, threaten it with its life, and demand that the "Happy Prince" serve them forever.