Chapter 429: Reasons to Live
"What’s that supposed to do?"
Ars insisted that talking would not make her better.
He already understood how fragile people could be.
It was true that no amount of conversation could heal an aging body.
But...
"You know, when people have things that make them happy and bring them joy, they want to keep living."
"...I don’t get it."
When people are surrounded by happiness, joy, and things they treasure, very few wish for death.
"You feel happy when someone praises you, don’t you? It makes you want to work even harder next time. That feeling is also the strength that helps people keep living."
Some might call it a stretch.
But wanting to try again also meant wanting to keep living.
"Your growth, and everyone else’s, gives the old lady strength. Watching all of you work hard and seeing you smile gives her the greatest reason to keep living. That’s because she loves all of you so much. Seeing the people she loves living happily is what makes her happiest."
"I... But I haven’t..."
After washing his hands, Ars lowered his head.
Qiong Xing gently cupped his cheeks.
"Are you glad you came here, Ars?"
"Yeah."
Ars nodded without the slightest hesitation.
Qiong Xing smiled.
"You have work to do. You cultivate the fields so you can live. There are many things to do, and plenty of hardships too. Even so?"
"Because everyone is here. This home, the food, and... you too."
Qiong Xing was happy to know that his presence had become a source of support for Ars, even if only a little.
"Thank you. Hearing you say that makes me very happy. Then you understand now, don’t you? Just as you’re glad everyone is here, the old lady is also happy that she has all of you. She wants to keep living for all of you."
Every living being had a lifespan.
But how long someone could continue living also depended on their own will to keep going.
"I’m not telling you to work harder than you already do. I just want you to live each day with a smile, knowing you’re happy. That alone is what makes the old lady happy."
"...Got it."
Qiong Xing did not expect Ars to understand everything he had said.
Still, judging by the boy’s expression, the meaning had reached him somehow.
"When the old lady hears that you helped make this meal, I’m sure she’ll be very happy."
"...Yeah."
His reply was short, but his reddened ears revealed how embarrassed he was.
After preparing several more dishes, everyone gathered around the table together.
"Hey, old man, eat your vegetables too. Aren’t you embarrassed acting like that at your age? It’s pathetic."
Those words were directed at Narka who kept eating nothing but meat while leaving his vegetables untouched.
Qiong Xing had thought Ars had become much calmer, but apparently his sharp tongue was still very much alive.
Still, despite the harsh wording, Ars was not wrong.
So Qiong Xing silently watched what happened.
"You... sound just like Rohen. Tch. Fine then."
Although Narka grumbled, he did not get angry.
Instead, he reluctantly finished every last bit of the vegetables he had left behind.
...
Seeing the pained look on Qiong Xing’s face, the old lady could not help but feel happy despite feeling a little sorry for him.
That Qiong Xing considered her that important.
A boy who, just like her, had loved a beastman.
"It’s alright. There’s still time. But if that day ever comes, you’re the only one both I and those children can rely on."
Qiong Xing was truly the only person they could reach out to without hesitation.
"...Yes."
Even though he clearly looked unwilling, he still nodded.
Qiong Xing smiled softly.
He beckoned him closer, and when Qiong Xing stepped forward, the old lady gently took his hand.
"Don’t be sad. I’m happy. Ever since my husband passed away, I’ve been alone. I don’t even know how many times I wished I could go be with him. But I kept telling myself, ’Not yet. Just a little longer.’"
Just before he died, he had said, "I wanted to live longer with you."
There had been sadness, but more than that, she had been happy to know he had loved her so deeply.
He had never been a man of many words, but that single sentence had told her more than anything else that he truly cherished her.
That was why she had continued living with those feelings in her heart.
He was gone, but she carried his love and lived on in his place.
"Then you brought this happiness into my life. I never had children with him, and we’re not related by blood, but those children are my precious children."
Her precious, precious children.
Calling out, "Grandma!"
Asking with genuine concern, "Are you okay?"
Beaming with excitement as they said, "Look what I did!"
They loved her sincerely as part of their family.
They had brought her something she could never have obtained during her days as a slave.
"I wanted to watch over them until they grew into adults, but I can’t... so I’m counting on you."
The old lady had probably prepared herself for this when she entrusted the children to Qiong Xing.
That was why, although Qiong Xing he lowered his head sadly, he never said he refused.
Even as her body grew weaker day by day, she did not resent the fragility of human life.
How many times had her heart been warmed by those children gently rubbing her aching knees and back with their tiny hands?
The wish she once had for death to come quickly had now become a desire to keep living just a little longer.
"I can entrust them to you. No, you’re the only person I can ask... so please."
If it was Qiong Xing, someone who had likely already considered the day this would happen, then surely he would bring those children happiness.
"I won’t die that easily either. I’ll keep living until my very last moment. I’ll burn the sight of those children’s healthy, smiling faces into my memory, and when I see him again, I’ll proudly tell him about the wonderful children I spent my days with."