Chapter 17: I’m Here
Xing had been to this pond many times. Whenever she missed Chenglie too much, she would come here for a swim. Someone in the forest had told her this pond has many medicinal properties and sometimes even celestial maidens visit here and it was owned by a God. She didn’t care about all that but this pond always had the same temperature in summer or winter which means it was no ordinary pond. And she had learned to hold her breath for long underwater as she felt calm here. Whenever she came here she’ll remember the promise her Prince had made, which always lighten her mood.
Today too, she walked here unconsciously as her mind was troubled . The one she waited for came back, but her mother had left her and went to a place she can’t follow unless she is dead. She dipped in the water. Her thoughts overwhelmed her, now her mother is gone, the only one who had constantly stayed and took care of her and loved her unconditionally is gone. She can never hear her voice again, can never see her smile. All her hugs, kisses... Who will scold her when she’s home late? Who will feed her food no matter how late she arrived home? She felt a pain in her chest that made her grunt. She lookedv around to see a dim light. Right, she’s under water and the water feels warmer than usual like it was comforting her.
Maybe be this is good, she thought. May be the pain will go away if I stay here in the warm, comforting water for a while.
Chenglie who was watching her noticed she was not surfacing for a long time. Is she trying to ...., his thoughts went wild and he stopped himself from over thinking and he jumped in the pond immediately. He found her deep in the water, grabbed her and pulled her to the shore. Xing who was suddenly grabbed and yanked out of the water felt cold suddenly exposed to the outside.
Seeing Xing naked and shivering, Chenglie immediately covered her with her white inner robe and held her close to him. She stuck to him like a leech.
Wow! He is much more comfortable and warmer than the water!
Chenglie couldn’t bear any longer seeing her suffer. He said, " Xing! my sweet little moon! Why did you try to find solace at the bottom of the pond when I’m here? I’m right here. Can’t you see me waiting for you?", his voice trembled and Xing could feel how painful he was feeling in his heart. Xing’s eyes welled up and all her feelings she had pushed inside her heart burst out. She clasped his wet clothes and sobbed, pushing her face inside his firm chest.
"Chenglie! My Mother....", she sobbed , he put his hand at the back of her head and said, "I know"
" She... She’s.....dead"
" I know"
"What will I do....? "
" I’m here, aren’t I? It’s fine! It’s fine if you cry. Don’t hold back. I’m here", he gently patted her back. She sobbed and wailed for a long time before calming down while he was holding her close to his heart.