Chapter 11: The Dreamscape

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Hong Xiaoduo had never actually said that, but she knew it was what the seven children believed.

Even when she had rescued them, she had told them that she would find them a safe place to settle down.

She felt that she ought to have a proper talk with them about the matter. It sounded rather cruel and heartless, but there was no way she could keep taking care of them forever.

After all, she did not even know when she would have to leave this place. Yet seeing how excited they were now, Hong Xiaoduo sighed inwardly.

Forget it. Tonight was not the right time for such a conversation. She would find a better opportunity later.

“Mother, can’t we all take your surname?” Little Alkaid asked timidly.

“Wouldn’t it be strange if you all took Mother’s surname? Aren’t surnames supposed to come from your fathers?” As she said this, Hong Xiaoduo slapped her forehead. A whole group of children calling a young girl “Mother” was strange enough already.

Besides, they did not even know where their home was or who their family might be. They had neither father nor mother. Why had she said such a thing to them?

“If you like my surname, then you may use it. But it’s only temporary, all right? If, if…” She wanted to say that if someone later agreed to adopt them, they could change their surnames again.

But when she met the children’s clear, innocent eyes, she simply could not bring herself to say it.

“I’m sleepy. I’m going to bed now.” She could not let the conversation continue. Even if she could not sleep, she would have to pretend.

“From now on, I’ll be called Hong Megrez.” Megrez had only just said the surname aloud when the slightly older children beside him all shushed him, signaling that he should keep his voice down and not disturb Mother’s sleep.

Hong Xiaoduo no longer felt sleepy, but after all, she had been struggling through the past two days and was exhausted. Amid the children’s suppressed whispers and murmurs, she sank into a deep sleep.

In her dream, she arrived somewhere familiar. It was the science and technology experience center.

Hong Xiaoduo’s heart nearly leapt out of her chest. Overjoyed, she hurried forward, only to see a sign hanging on the entrance: Temporarily Closed.

Unwilling to accept it, she reached out to push the door. Her hand passed straight through it. After a moment’s hesitation, she walked through the thick glass doors and entered.

There was no one in the main hall. She followed the stairs upward and saw lights glowing in the simulation chamber, along with the silhouettes of people inside.

She passed through another glass door and saw two people within: the receptionist from that day and the elderly curator.

The old curator, wearing glasses, sat before a computer console studying something. The receptionist brewed him a cup of coffee and carried it over.

“Coffee? You’re still drinking coffee?” Hong Xiaoduo angrily waved a hand at the cup. Her hand passed through it without feeling a thing, while the steaming coffee remained perfectly intact on the table beside the old man.

“Professor, have some coffee to refresh yourself. If that doesn’t help, you should rest for a while. You haven’t rested for two whole days and nights,” the receptionist urged.

Hong Xiaoduo reached for the old man’s collar.

You rotten old bastard. I’m not showing you any respect for your age today.

Once again, her hand closed on empty air. Unwilling to give up, she grabbed at the old man’s hair, again and again, as though she were trying to seize a handful of air.

The old man suddenly raised a hand, rubbed his neck, then scratched the back of his head and muttered, “I really can’t deny my age anymore.”

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After saying that, he lifted the coffee cup and took several small sips.

Hong Xiaoduo looked at the computer screen. It was filled with codes and symbols, none of which she could understand.

“Professor, you can’t blame yourself. The only problem was that she arrived at the wrong time. Our program wasn’t fully completed when she appeared. If she had waited until you solved the problem of cross-temporal communication before coming here, everything would have worked out perfectly,” the receptionist comforted him.

What in the world?

Hong Xiaoduo was furious. She had more or less understood what they were saying. So this was her fault now?

Unfortunately, all she could do was rage at empty air. Otherwise, she would have smashed the entire place to pieces.

The old man sighed when he heard this. “Ah, it was all fate.”

“Fate, my foot!” Hong Xiaoduo swore. She believed she had shouted loudly, but the two men did not seem able to hear her at all.

“So, Professor, go get some rest. Your health is what matters. You finally encountered someone so perfectly compatible—the Chosen One—and managed to send her over successfully. What you have to do from now on is even more important. You can’t work yourself into the ground, or all your efforts will have been for nothing.”

Hong Xiaoduo finally understood. This man was not merely an employee at the science center; he was the old man’s student.

And she, Hong Xiaoduo, was that unlucky Chosen One who was so perfectly compatible.

Seeing the old man nod and rise to go rest, Hong Xiaoduo hurried after him and tried to grab him.

You rotten old bastard, don’t leave! Hurry up and send me back! Otherwise, wherever you go, I’ll follow you!

Hong Xiaoduo made up her mind to keep an eye on the old man. She could not strike him, but at least she could learn more about why he had sent her to ancient times.

Yet something behind her seemed to have seized hold of her, preventing her from moving forward. Before long, the old man was farther and farther away. Then a blinding light flashed before her eyes.

“Mother, you’re awake?”

A childish voice sounded beside her ear. Once her vision cleared, Hong Xiaoduo recognized the little head topped with tangled hair in front of her.

It was Little Alkaid.

Hong Xiaoduo did not have time to answer the child. She quickly closed her eyes again, trying to return to the science center—to the old man’s side.

But even after lying there for more than an hour, she still could not go back. Beside her, the children whispered reminders to one another to keep their voices down and not disturb Mother.

In the end, she opened her eyes helplessly. The sky was already bright. She sat up and saw all seven children sitting obediently nearby, watching her.

“Mother, perhaps you should lie down a little longer,” Dubhe said cautiously in a soft voice, seeing that she did not look well.

Hong Xiaoduo sighed and shook her head. She rose and walked outside. Glancing at the sun overhead, she realized it was almost noon.

“Mother, look! This morning we dug up two mouse holes and found lots of beans and corn kernels. They’re already stewing in the pot. They’ll be ready to eat soon.” The second child, Merak, hurried over to report this with an ingratiating smile.

“There’s something to eat?” Hong Xiaoduo asked.

Then they would not have to hurry to catch sparrows. Her guilt at sleeping late and making the children go hungry eased somewhat.

The seven little heads nodded together. If they had not been waiting to eat with Mother, they would never have allowed the food to stew for so long.

Hong Xiaoduo nodded as well.

The children were doing fairly well. They had even managed to find food for themselves.

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The very next moment, she suddenly froze as an idea struck her. Looking at the children, she asked, “The beans and corn kernels you’re cooking—did you dig them out of a mouse hole?”

“Yes. Our eldest brother thought of it. He said there would be good things in the mouse holes beside the fields, and when we dug, we really found some. There was so much that we put the rest in a sack. We can eat it for several meals.” Alioth pointed toward their eldest brother as he spoke.

Hong Xiaoduo raised a hand and rubbed her forehead. “Don’t eat that. Throw it out. If you’re hungry, bear with it for now. I’ll catch some sparrows for you.”

“Mother, why?” Merak asked, utterly puzzled. The other children wore the same bewildered expressions.

The beans and corn kernels they had dug up were all perfectly good. Mice were clever creatures; they always chose the plumpest grains to steal back to their nests.

“Because mice are filthy. They crawl through drains, latrines, and all sorts of dirty places. They even get into graves and feed on corpses. Their bodies carry countless viruses and bacteria, and they can host the pathogens of many different diseases. Their droppings and anything they have gnawed on can transmit those viruses to people.

“So, if we know for certain that the food came from a mouse hole, then we absolutely cannot eat it.”

The children seemed to understand, yet seemed not to understand at all.

“Mother? When we were desperately hungry, we caught mice, skinned them, and ate the meat. Nothing happened. We never got sick,” Dubhe said softly.

The moment he finished, the other children nodded along with him.

Good heavens. Hong Xiaoduo no longer knew how to describe her feelings.

She was not disgusted. She was heartbroken. These poor children had been driven by hunger to eat even mice simply to survive. Her hatred for the people who had abused them burned hotter than ever.

“You didn’t get sick because you were lucky. I’m not trying to frighten you. Diseases carried by mice can be extremely serious. The person who eats contaminated food may become ill and die. It can even cause a major plague, spreading to many people and taking countless lives.

“I don’t care what you did before. But now that you’re with me, you are not allowed to eat anything dug out of a mouse hole again.

“Of course, if you don’t believe me and still want to eat what’s in that pot, I won’t stop you.”

Hong Xiaoduo patiently explained how dangerous food from mouse holes could be, but she was afraid the children would not believe her, so she could only add a slight threat.

If they refused to listen and insisted on eating it, then fine—she simply would not be responsible for them anymore.

The children were young, but they understood the unspoken meaning of her words. Uneasily, they looked toward Dubhe.

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