Chapter 313: Chapter 312: I Have No Home Anymore
Daisy looked at him and suddenly smiled.
Little Jasper had been with her for days and seeing this woman smile so beautifully made him feel something was amiss.
Indeed—
"You’re so concerned about me, are you secretly in love with me?"
"You!!" Little Jasper’s fair cheeks instantly turned as red as a tomato, "Don’t spout nonsense!"
Daisy saw him blushing and smiled even more unabashedly, reaching out to poke the rosy cheeks of Little Jasper, teasingly saying, "Oh, blushing? Did I hit the nail on the head?"
A three-year-old human child has no knowledge of the treacherous hearts of adults and was rendered speechless by Daisy’s teasing; after stammering "you" for a long time, he still hadn’t made sense, looking at Daisy’s smiling face with eyes reddened in grievance.
"Hey, don’t cry," Daisy sighed and reached out to pick up Little Jasper, "I didn’t mean it, I’ll apologize to you, okay?"
Little Jasper turned his head away, "I don’t like you!"
"Alright, alright," Daisy replied amicably, "You don’t like me. Can I like you then?"
"Hmph."
"Our little Jasper is so cute, I really like you."
"..." Little Jasper’s ears turned red, "...Don’t speak anymore!"
Daisy looked at his pink ears and smirked.
Children are just adorable.
*
Dinner as usual was at Granny Dixon’s house.
The old lady grew up in the small town and lived here even in old age. Her husband died, and her son went out to work, so she and her grandson depended on each other.
Perhaps it was loneliness; the villagers were warm and welcoming but none invited people to their homes for three meals a day like she did.
On the table was the fish Daisy caught today.
There was braised fish and also clear soup; the crucian carp from the lake was wild, never fed with chow, and the broth was milky white, even more delicious than the refined dishes in Banyan City’s restaurants.
Granny Dixon hunched over to ladle a bowl of white rice for Daisy, handing it to her with a smile, "Miss Lesser, did our Jasper make trouble for you again today?"
Little Jasper’s full name was Jasper White; despite his genteel name, he was a rascal. Once outside, he would run through the hills and roll on the ground, his clothes never clean, and the dogs sneered at the snot hanging from his nose.
Today, he went home and washed himself, scrubbed his face with soap until it was clean; Granny Dixon knew her grandson well and could tell he had been teased by Daisy just by looking.
Daisy glanced at the little guy beside her who was busy eating fish soup with rice and smiled, "No. He’s very well-behaved."
Granny Dixon also glanced at her grandson; knowing him well, she said, "Don’t jest. This kid was a wild monkey since birth; it’d be strange if he were well-behaved."
Little Jasper raised his rice-smeared face, discontentedly pouting his mouth and dragging his voice, "Grandma~"
Even children have pride!
Saying bad things about him in front of Daisy was embarrassing.
"Alright, alright, Grandma won’t say it." Granny Dixon chuckled as she picked a piece of fish for Little Jasper, "We’ve been eating fish and meat these days thanks to Miss Lesser. You should thank her well and not cause her trouble. Understand?"
Little Jasper pouted again, glanced at Daisy’s smiling face beside him, and dragged his tone, "Understood!"
After finishing his meal, Little Jasper went to the kitchen with Grandma to start a fire and wash the dishes.
Daisy didn’t really want to sleep yet, so she wandered about Granny Dixon’s courtyard.
Today was the fifteenth, the moon was very round, and its cool brilliance enveloped the small town, exuding a peculiar peace.
"Miss Lesser." Granny Dixon’s voice came from not far off, and Daisy turned to see her carrying a bamboo chair. Though small in stature and with a hunched back, the chair nearly covered her whole body.
Daisy quickly went over to help her carry the chair.
"Sit down."
Granny Dixon said cheerfully.
Not far away, Jasper brought over a small chair for himself.
Granny Dixon went to the room and brought out a bunch of grapes. The three of them sat in the courtyard, admiring the moon.
Jasper couldn’t sit still and soon went into the grass to catch grasshoppers.
"Where’s his mom?" Daisy watched Little Jasper’s back, "Did she go out to work too?"
"Jasper doesn’t have a mom." Granny Dixon said softly, as if afraid her grandson would hear, "Three years ago my son suddenly came back with him, told me his mom died in childbirth," Granny Dixon sighed, "Young women in the village have all gone out to earn money, Jasper hasn’t seen women your age, probably why he clings to you."
Who would’ve thought such a carefree child had such a rough background.
Daisy fell silent, unsure how to respond, her gaze lingering on his back.
"Miss Lesser, what about you?" The old woman shifted the topic to her, still with that kind look, smiling, "Why did you come to this poor place? To be honest, you’re not suited to stay here."
Daisy smiled, "Why do you say that?"
"Miss Lesser looks like a young lady raised in the city," Granny Dixon chuckled, "Coming here, your family must be worried sick. You should go back early and not let them fret over you."
"..." Daisy was silent, taking a grape. It was very sour, her brows furrowing slightly, and then she softly said, "I don’t have family anymore."
The old woman sobered, a bit surprised, looking at her.
Daisy lowered her head and wearily said, "...I have nothing left."
This was the first time she spoke to an outsider about her own matters.
Unlike talking to Zoe Hilker and Ethan Pond, confiding in someone uninvolved seemed a bit easier.
There was no need to pretend to be strong or indifferent to avoid worrying her friends; all her thoughts and grievances didn’t need to be hidden with words.
She herself didn’t know how she fell to this state, despite not having done anything wrong, she lost everything overnight.
"I have nowhere to go." Her voice carried faint confusion, "I have no home."
The old woman became silent, reached out, and gently held her cold hand with her warm palm, offering silent comfort.
"Miss Lesser, though it may sound presumptuous," Granny Dixon spoke beside her, "I don’t quite understand your life, but I believe God won’t abandon his people. He surely has laid out a path for you, a path that will lead you to happiness."
Daisy did not believe in any faith, only in herself.
She didn’t know what could make her happy again.
She had lost Alice Lesser and Edward Stephens, lost happiness itself.