NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Jing Shaoyu and Na’er
The city of Aolai, a small coastal town along the eastern shores of the Douluo Continent, was an unremarkable place within the jurisdiction of the Sun-Moon Federation. It held a population of merely a hundred thousand and spanned just five hundred square kilometers.
Within the Federation Orphanage of Aolai City, a six-year-old boy sat on the doorstep, staring dazedly at the birds flying in the distance, entirely oblivious to the orphanage director calling him from behind.
"A-Yu, what are you looking at? It's time to eat!" The orphanage director, Jing Ziyuan, was a woman in her forties, with gentle features and a kind face. She walked over to the boy, her voice soft as she asked him.
"Mom, why do birds fly?" The boy turned to look at the director's face, his innocent voice brimming with curiosity.
"Because they have wings!" Jing Ziyuan replied with a gentle smile, patting the boy's head.
"Is that really it?" A hint of confusion appeared in the boy's clear eyes as he continued, "So, does that mean anything with wings can fly?"
"Yes, with wings, anything can fly!" Jing Ziyuan patiently responded.
"Then… if there were a really big car with wings, could it fly too?" the boy pressed, his small face filled with even more puzzlement.
"Ah, that… I'm not really sure." Jing Ziyuan laughed helplessly. Sometimes, the boy's peculiar questions exasperated her, yet the purity and curiosity in his eyes always softened her heart, making it impossible to be upset with him.
"Alright then." The boy lowered his head, somewhat disappointed. For some reason, he'd been having strange dreams in recent months, dreams that left him feeling peculiar.
"A-Yu, if you don't come soon, Na'er might finish all the food on her own!" At that moment, Lin Xin, the orphanage's only other staff member, called out to him once more.
"No, she won't! Na'er would never eat my share!" A little girl, appearing slightly younger than the boy, chimed in with a spoon in her hand, protesting.
"Alright, A-Yu, let's go eat." Jing Ziyuan lifted the boy from the doorstep and set him down, urging him.
"Oh, right, food!" Abandoning his earlier questions, the boy quickly followed Jing Ziyuan toward the dining area, calling out as he ran, "Na'er, I'm coming!"
The boy's name was Jing Shaoyu, and he was one of only two children at the Federation Orphanage in Aolai City.
Why were there only two children in the orphanage? Because it was an orphanage slated for closure. If not for Jing Shaoyu, it would have been shut down six years ago.
Jing Shaoyu, the reason the orphanage remained open, had been found by Director Jing Ziyuan herself, abandoned on the shore. He was less than a year old when she found him, wrapped only in a sea-green blanket with no identifying information.
Jing Ziyuan had reported him to Aolai City's administrative office, but no records of him could be found. With no other options, she brought him back to the Federation Orphanage, awaiting news for half a year. When none arrived, she decided to adopt him and gave him the name Jing Shaoyu.
Thanks to Jing Ziyuan's persistent pleas, the orphanage's closure was temporarily postponed, though the situation remained unchanged in every other respect.
In a sense, the orphanage in Aolai City was almost exclusively maintained for Jing Shaoyu.
The orphanage had only one child until Jing Shaoyu was four years old. Then, while playing by the shore, he found another child—Na'er. Na'er was only three when Shaoyu found her, and she appeared to have lost her memory. Other than her name, she remembered nothing.
Shaoyu brought her back to the orphanage, and Jing Ziyuan was astonished to see a young girl in his care. When she learned Na'er had been found on the shore, Jing Ziyuan initially assumed she was a lost child from the town and took her to the administrative office.
The result was predictable—no records of Na'er existed there, either. With no alternatives, Jing Ziyuan temporarily kept Na'er at the orphanage, and so, two years had passed.
At the dining table, Jing Shaoyu plopped down next to Na'er. She eagerly held out her drumstick toward him, her voice cheerful and sweet, "Big Brother, the drumstick tonight is so tasty! You have to try it!"
Na'er was an exceptionally delicate-looking girl with rare silver hair that shimmered in the sunset light. Her large eyes were like two clear amethysts, so reflective that one could almost see their own image. Her long eyelashes curled naturally upward. Her skin was fair and rosy, as if a gentle pinch would release fresh dew, and she carried a soft, fresh scent. She was like a porcelain doll, irresistibly endearing.
"Alright!" Shaoyu took a bite from the spot Na'er had already eaten, not minding the trace of her saliva. Indeed, the drumstick was delicious, and his eyes lit up in delight. "You're right!"
"Heehee, see! Na'er's taste is just like Big Brother's!" Na'er giggled happily, pleased that Shaoyu agreed.
"Alright, you two, let's not hog all the sibling love—there's more than one drumstick." Jing Ziyuan sat down at the table and gently chided them, "A-Yu, don't eat your sister's food. You have your own drumstick in your bowl, don't you?"
"No way! I want to share with Big Brother!" Before Shaoyu could respond, Na'er clung to his arm, pouting in protest.
"This girl…" Jing Ziyuan sighed, exasperated yet amused. "I just don't know what to say."
"Haha, it's wonderful to see such close bonds between them, isn't it?" Lin Xin, the staff member, chuckled.
After dinner, Shaoyu and Na'er played in the yard while Jing Ziyuan and Lin Xin cleaned up. When they finished, they brought the children back inside to prepare them for bed.
"A-Yu, Na'er, who's going to bathe first?" Jing Ziyuan asked the children as they stood by the bathroom.
"I want to bathe with Big Brother!" Na'er clung to Shaoyu's arm, looking up at Jing Ziyuan with pleading eyes.
"No, I can only bathe one child at a time!" Jing Ziyuan refused firmly, keeping a strict expression.
"Alright, then Big Brother can go first." Na'er relented but gave a sly look, as if scheming.
Jing Ziyuan saw through her thoughts immediately and announced loudly, "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. I'll have Aunt Lin Xin keep an eye on you, so don't even think about sneaking into the bathroom!"
"Ah!" Na'er's little scheme was foiled, and she wilted like a defeated swan as Aunt Lin Xin led her away.
Jing Ziyuan guided Shaoyu into the bathroom. He stripped off his clothes, jumped into the prepared tub, and sat obediently, letting Jing Ziyuan wash him.
"A-Yu, after you awaken your spirit tomorrow, you'll have to bathe yourself from now on, alright?" Jing Ziyuan instructed gently.
"Mm, I understand, Mom." Shaoyu nodded, a look of excitement on his face. "Mom, what do you think my spirit will be? Could it be like yours, Blue Silver Grass?"
There was a note of anticipation in his voice, but Jing Ziyuan's smile turned slightly bitter upon hearing it.
"If that's the case, Mom would be heartbroken."
"Why?" Shaoyu asked, puzzled.
"Because Mom hopes A-Yu can become a powerful Spirit Master. But if your spirit is Blue Silver Grass, it will be difficult to grow strong."
"Why can't Blue Silver Grass become powerful?" Shaoyu asked, clearly not understanding.
Jing Ziyuan hesitated, unsure how to explain the hardships unique to those with the Blue Silver Grass spirit. Only those who possessed it could understand its challenge
s, something others couldn't truly comprehend.
She simply smiled sadly, without answering.