The Obligations of the Elderly - chapter 39

Chapter 38

With a crisp “snap,” a flower stem fell to the table.

Holding a flower in his left hand and a pair of flower scissors in his right, Xi Liu sat upright at the tea table, arranging flowers.

In front of him was an antique vase, already holding several stems. He was about to place the final flower inside.

“Is it scissors like these?” Xi Liu gently shook the flower scissors in his hand, smiling. “If it’s flower scissors, I use them quite often…”

“Stop-” Gong Si suddenly covered his ears. “Don’t make me remember even more!”

But just after expressing his refusal, the next second, he raised his head with his ears still covered. “Not flower scissors, a bit bigger than flower scissors, but not by much. It’s silver, and there’s a red string tied around the handle…”

That pair of scissors seemed to be etched into his mind. As long as he closed his eyes-no! Now, even without closing his eyes, he could picture those scissors perfectly!

Ever since he had that dream about scissors in the fish tank, he’d had several more. Each time, it started with darkness, then that door appeared, he followed the light out, and then-scissors.

At first, he could only tell they were scissors. After seeing them so many times, he remembered every detail!

And it was a full three hundred sixty-five degrees, no blind spots-he’d observed those scissors from every angle!

“That length… that pattern…”

“I think I know what I am now…”

“I am a pair of scissors!”

Just now, Gong Si had spoken this realization with utter despair.

Xi Liu immediately pulled out his own small scissors and started snipping flowers right then and there.

“Speaking of scissors, I actually use them a lot. The flowers in the vases on our dining table every day are all arranged by me. How do they look? Pretty, right?” Xi Liu smiled.

Gong Si felt even more hopeless-this was bad, Xi Liu really did use scissors!

But that was nothing. When Gong Si finally called his parents to ask about the ancestral Vessel forms in his family-

“Hehe, Ah Si, you finally called Mom and Dad? We went somewhere really remote recently, no signal at all, so we haven’t been in touch. Sorry, the living expenses were sent late, but don’t worry, we sent double a few days ago~ You and your brothers can buy whatever you want, don’t be too frugal~” His carefree dad immediately drowned out his question with a long speech.

“Seriously, son, that’s not what you called to ask.” Gong Si heard his mom’s voice quietly in the background.

Then his dad coughed, trying to sound more serious. “Heard you underwent Vessel Transformation? Well… you might not want to hear this, but Mom and Dad still want to congratulate you.”

Gong Si, holding the phone: I really want to hang up.

And then, the next second…

“Speaking of when your mom was pregnant with you, since you were our first child, we were so excited every day, always wondering if you’d be a little knife~ or a little cleaver~” Dad’s voice turned dreamy again.

Gong Si: So you two have been cursing me since before I was born.

“Be serious, son doesn’t like your rambling.” Gong Si heard his mom whisper again.

Then Dad’s voice became a bit more proper: “You might not like it, but we’ve always wondered about your Vessel form, even before you were born. Actually, it’s a Gong Family tradition. Our family produces a lot of Vessels.”

Gong Si frowned-he’d never heard this before.

“No wonder you didn’t know, we haven’t had a chance to tell you. Almost every generation in our family has many Vessels, and most of them are cleavers. Supposedly, our ancestors were knife makers, specializing in cleavers in the countryside. Our family’s cleavers are especially good; almost every household in Lengshui Town has one of our old cleavers~” Dad said proudly. “This generation, your uncle inherited the craft-he makes cleavers.”

“Oh, and your mom’s family are all daggers, all small knives!”

“So, our family genes are all about producing small knives~”

Gong Si: More things I’ve never heard before.

“Has our family ever produced scissors? Just regular-sized scissors.” Gong Si asked.

Suddenly, Dad got excited on the other end: “Yes!”

“But very rarely, and supposedly, if someone in that generation is a pair of scissors, then that generation will definitely produce a super Vessel!”

“What, what? Ah Si, are you scissors? Then maybe one of your brothers will be really powerful~ At least A-Class!”

Already happened, A-Class is nothing-Ah Ji is at least S-Class, Dong Chun is A+, too-Gong Si thought. He’d already emailed Dad about everything that happened at home, but judging by Dad’s reaction…

He probably hadn’t read any of the letters.

“Dad, read my emails and we’ll talk later.” With that, Gong Si hung up.

After hanging up, Gong Si turned to Xi Liu. “Maybe I really am scissors.”

Ah Feng, who had been waiting behind the sofa, cleared his throat and stepped forward. “When it comes to Vessel Transformation, intuition is very important. Many Vessels and Users suddenly become very fixated on a certain form, and then suddenly transform into that Vessel or acquire it.”
“Master Gong Si’s dreams are also a kind of intuition, and to dream so frequently is already a very strong intuition. What’s more, Master Gong Si’s father also confirmed that scissors had appeared in the house before, and said that powerful Vessels would appear in the same generation.”

“This fits the current situation very well,” said Ah Feng.

Another steward named Zuma Gu spoke up: “Ability User genes are hereditary. It’s rare for Ability Users to appear from unions between ordinary people; even if they do, it’s either due to hidden genes or genetic mutation.”

“But when Ability Users marry each other, it’s much easier for Ability Users to appear-the probability increases to about five times that of ordinary people. However, to reach the probability of Master Gong Si’s family is extremely rare among common folk, almost comparable to the major Ability User families. Moreover, most Ability Users born are either single Vessels or Users. Although most Vessels in each generation are not of very high grade, this can already be called a distinguished family.”

“In such cases, when the family’s highly dominant genes are passed down for several generations, it’s not uncommon for a sudden explosion to occur in one generation, producing a high-level Ability User.”

“But to have three appear at once this time is extremely rare.”

Then, Xie Kai, who had been standing silently among the Chief Stewards, finally spoke: “Corresponding to Master Gong Si’s family, Master Xi Liu’s family is famous for being a User family. From generation to generation, countless high-level Users have been born, and most of the Vessels chosen by Users are blade-type Vessels, with almost no exceptions. Now, if Master Gong Si’s Vessel is scissors, although the appearance is quite different, in a sense, scissors are also a type of blade, so it fits the family tradition.”

“That’s right~ Kitchen scissors can be separated into two small knives!” interjected Steward Xiao Que, one of the only two female stewards.

Xie Kai shot her a cold glance, and Steward Xiao Que pursed her lips and fell silent.

“I suggest that both Masters go to school,” Xie Kai continued.

“Ji Ling Zhou has one of the continent’s most renowned Ability User academies-Ji Ling Academy. It has the most famous professors and students in Ji Ling Zhou, and every semester, renowned scholars from across the continent come to give guest lectures. What we old folks know is often rigid and outdated. I recommend that both Masters attend school there.”

He paused: “After all, Master Gong Si is still of school age. No matter when, learning is always important.”

He glanced at Xi Liu, and seeing Xi Liu’s meaningful look, he continued: “Of course, Master Xi Liu, counting by healthy years, is also of school age.”

Xi Liu finally smiled with satisfaction.

“That academy… I’ve heard of it. It’s a very prestigious and powerful academy. Besides being hard to get into, the tuition is also very high. Can we… can I really attend?” Gong Si asked.

“Don’t worry about that. Master Xi Liu is a Director of that academy-an anonymous Director, of course. I’ve already obtained Admission Letters for both Masters. Naturally, I’ve also secured Admission Letters for Gong Qiuxia and Gong Dongchun. Young Master Ah Ji is still small; I suggest he attend the academy’s kindergarten in a couple of years.” As he spoke, Xie Kai took several envelopes from his pocket and handed them to Gong Si. Upon opening them, Gong Si saw that they were indeed Admission Letters!

“This…” Gong Si looked at Xi Liu, then at Xie Kai. “Thank you very much.”

Not only had he settled Gong Si’s own schooling, but also taken care of Qiuxia and Dongchun’s future education. Gong Si thanked him, then said, “How much is the tuition for Qiuxia and Dongchun? We’ll pay for that ourselves.”

“Tuition is completely free,” Xie Kai replied, looking at him. “Because Master Xi Liu is a Director.”

“Then…” Gong Si was stunned for a moment.

“Although you’ve received Admission Letters, Ji Ling Academy is extremely strict. It’s not a noble academy where you can get in just by recommendation. There are rigorous entrance exams, and transfer exams are especially strict. If you fail, you’ll be sent back.”

“All I’ve done is get you a foot in the door. Whether you can actually enter depends on the qualifications of the Masters and Young Masters.”

After speaking, Xie Kai nodded slightly and returned to his original position.

Gong Si: This guy just can’t let people think only good things about him…

But with this, another matter that had been weighing on his mind-the issue of his brothers’ schooling-was perfectly resolved.

At first, he had considered the academies nearby, but since they were new to the area and had come from a rural town, transferring in would be very troublesome. Most importantly, Ji Ling Academy-it’s Ji Ling Academy!

Even as someone from the countryside and an ordinary person, Gong Si had heard of this academy’s reputation! It accepts ordinary people, and it’s the most famous academy in all of Ji Zhou!

Thinking about this, Gong Si happily tucked the Admission Letters away. That night, he told his brothers the good news about receiving the Admission Letters and began urging them to study hard.

As for himself-

Of course, Gong Si would study hard too. As the Eldest Brother, he had to set an example. Even if he wasn’t naturally a top student, he always worked hard at his studies, just to be a role model for his brothers.

But before that…

“Big Head, come here and see what good place I’ve found for you…” Standing beside the Cold Water Pool, Gong Si softly called Big Head’s name.
While calling out, he sniffed: Very good, there was no fishy smell, nor any stench.

The bottom of the Cold Water Pool here had a circulation system, with fresh water constantly being injected and old water flowing out. Even though Big Head had lived here for so many days, there was still no smell at all.

But Big Head was clean, too. Thinking carefully, Big Head rarely had any fishy or foul odor. After every meal, Big Head would find clean water to wash its mouth and body. Every time he hugged it, it was smooth and spotless, never unpleasant.

Gong Si thought about this, while the Cold Water Pool in front of him remained calm and undisturbed. Big Head showed no sign of wanting to come out.

Gong Si frowned. Just then, he suddenly heard a splash behind him, followed by the sound of something slapping the floor-twice.

Turning around, Gong Si was surprised to see Big Head right there!

In the hot spring pool-yes, the wooden hot spring pool where he and his brothers usually soaked-Big Head was soaking inside. Hearing his call, Big Head poked its head out of the pool, swam to the edge, and, as usual, slapped its two fins on the shore.

Steam was still rising from its body. Big Head looked at Gong Si with a silly expression, its big mouth wide open, full of large teeth. At first glance, it looked like it was grinning foolishly…

Gong Si was startled!

He rushed over in a flash, scooped Big Head out of the water, and touched its fish head and tail. Everywhere was warm. Gong Si carefully examined Big Head’s Lin: Oh my! It really was a bit red!

Just like a shrimp turning red when first dropped into hot water!

Red tinged with black!

“Big Head! Have you been cooked? Are you turning into boiled fish?!” Gong Si asked anxiously.

But Big Head kept grinning foolishly, wagging its tail. Its body was long, and with one wag Gong Si almost lost his balance, so Big Head didn’t dare move anymore.

Just like a dead fish, Big Head stayed still, letting Gong Si hold it.

“Looks like you’re fine, still lively…” After checking Big Head all over, Gong Si muttered to himself.

But he was still a bit dumbfounded: Wasn’t Big Head a cold-water fish? It used to live in the super-cold waters of Lengshui Town! How could it dare to soak in the hot spring here?

His brothers definitely wouldn’t move it; it could only have jumped over by itself-looking at the distance between the two pools, Gong Si was sure Big Head could jump back and forth between them.

“Big Head, you actually like soaking in hot springs?” Looking at Big Head’s wide eyes staring at him, Gong Si was speechless.

“But you’d better stick to cold water, okay? Big Head, let me tell you, I’ve found you a place even bigger than here. Once you’re there, you can swim however you like…” Gong Si said to Big Head.

“Big Head, wrap around me.” He told Big Head.

As soon as he finished speaking, Big Head wrapped its entire fish tail around Gong Si’s waist and nodded. Gong Si put on an oversized down jacket, and just like that, took Big Head toward the lakeside “big fish tank.”

It was snowing all the way. The deliberately preserved snow crunched underfoot. There weren’t many servants on the road; whenever they met Gong Si, they just nodded in greeting and continued with their tasks. In this way, Gong Si took Big Head and smuggled it from his own White House to another White House.

With a splash-

Gong Si dropped Big Head through the top opening of the fish tank.

Big Head fell into the water, its tail landing in the tank like a blooming black flower.

Coming down the stairs and returning indoors, Gong Si quietly admired Big Head swimming in the water.

Honestly, it wasn’t very beautiful. Big Head’s head was too big, and compared to its head, the middle section was disproportionately small, while the tail was extremely large.

But Big Head seemed to think it was quite beautiful. The first time it saw Gong Si through the water, Big Head was overjoyed! Spinning, leaping, it kept showing off its swimming skills in front of Gong Si.

Among the surrounding Ornamental Fish, which were colorful and elegantly shaped, Big Head looked a bit pitiful.

Oh, those Ornamental Fish were put in by Xi Liu from the stream, and the next day there were more fish in the tank. Besides those, Gong Si also threw in several Edible Fish, which he got from the kitchen specifically as feed for Big Head.

“Big Head, you’ll stay here for a while. How is it? More comfortable than the previous pool, right?” Gong Si said to Big Head through the glass.

Big Head wagged its tail, flipped its belly, and rolled in the water again.

Then Gong Si moved a bit farther away, sat in a chair, and quietly watched the fish tank around him.

The fish tank was no longer the empty tank it had been when he first arrived. Now, besides the fish created by Xi Liu’s energy from the stream, there were Ornamental Fish, Edible Fish, and Big Head.

After keeping Big Head company for a while, seeing that it had adapted to the new environment, Gong Si decided to leave.

“Big Head, see you later.” Waving his hand, Gong Si left the “fish tank.”

Not long after Gong Si left, Big Head swam around and encountered another big companion in the fish tank.