Chapter 217: Mom

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=2188414

This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.

Xi Mo’s heart tightened. Even though Jian Yuan had already passed away many years ago, hearing about her mother’s experience back then still made her instinctively worry about Jian Yuan’s safety.

Ruan Yesheng looked at Xi Mo and was also on edge.

“What happened to Mom afterward?” Xi Mo anxiously asked. “If she was infected by the mycelium, after the doctor cleaned out those thin fibers, were there any side effects?”

Although she didn't know much about biology, she knows basic common sense. Most infections, especially fungal infections, are very stubborn, and even with consistent treatment, they are difficult to cure completely in a short time. Moreover, that unknown species of Tai Sui had long transcended the realm of ordinary organisms; it was something from another dimension. The infection it caused shouldn't be so easily eliminated.

Upon hearing this, Jian Sun's eyes darkened further, and Jian Hui's complexion also looked rather unwell.

Xi Mo's heart sank even further. She immediately confirmed that this matter had not truly ended. In fact, it was only the beginning.

Jian Yuan’s experience at that time continued through Jian Sun and Jian Hui’s alternating narration.

After Jian Yuan and Yang Shirong returned from the hospital, they had a long discussion about that item. Jian Yuan always felt that thing was too dangerous. Even though it had already been buried, the thin fibers in her nose had been removed by the doctor, and her condition had improved, she still did not lower her guard.

She placed herself in an observation period to monitor her body for any unusual changes. During this time, she tried to minimize contact with others. She was very worried that if she was infected, she might spread the virus to others through some means.

Yang Shirong had helped her greatly, and she also did not want him to be implicated. So she quickly said goodbye to Yang Shirong. The two avoided meeting again and mainly communicated through letters and phone calls regarding follow-up matters.

Upon returning to the Xi Manor, the first thing Jian Yuan did was send away the young Xi Mo.

She asked Ding Ru’s younger sister, Auntie Lan, who later took care of Xi Mo’s daily life, to take Xi Mo to stay at the Ding family for a while. Five-year-old Xi Mo didn't understand what had happened. Jian Yuan couldn’t explain it to her. She couldn’t understand, and Jian Yuan certainly couldn't tell her what she had gone through. At that time, Jian Yuan didn't even dare get close to her. Wearing a mask to cover her mouth and nose, she stood far away from Xi Mo.

Jian Yuan passed away too young, and Xi Mo was still so young that she didn't have a deep impression of many things, her memories of Jian Yuan were also somewhat vague.

However, one memory is deeply ingrained in her: her mother must have loved her very much.

Moreover, Xi Mo always remembered the day Jian Yuan saw Xi Mo off.

Xi Mo asked Jian Yuan, “Mom, why are you standing so far away from me?”

Jian Yuan said, “Mom caught a cold and is afraid of infecting you. Go stay at Auntie Lan’s house for a while. When Mom gets better, I’ll bring you home.”

“What is infecting?” little Xi Mo asked.

Jian Yuan replied, “Infecting means if Mom is sick, you will get sick too. Mom doesn’t want you to get sick because of me.”

Xi Mo didn't want to leave Jian Yuan. She said, "It's okay, I can get sick. When I was sick before, I always got better after taking medicine. You'll get better soon too, and we'll get better together."

Jian Yuan comforted her, "But if you get sick because of Mom, Mom will feel really guilty and sad, and she'll secretly cry under the covers at night. What will we do then?"

“Really?” Five-year-old Xi Mo had already begun feeling a little sad.

Because if Mom was sad, she would also feel sad.

“Really.” Jian Yuan looked gently at her daughter.

Xi Mo was reluctant to part, but finally agreed: "Then I'll stay at Auntie Lan's house. But you have to come pick me up soon, okay? That means you'll get better soon."

"Of course. I'll come pick you up as soon as Mom gets better."

“Okay.” Xi Mo looked expectantly at Jian Yuan, who stood a bit far away. “Mom, you have to come see me.”

“Of course.”

"How often can you come to see me? Can you come every day?"

“I can come every day, but I can only come after you fall asleep so you won’t easily catch anything. If I have a cold, I can’t come to your bedside, so I’ll just stand at the door and look at you. And every time I come, I’ll leave you a note. When you see the note, you’ll know that I’ve come to see you.”

"Okay." Xi Mo listened to Jian Yuan: "I'm happy as long as Mom has come to see me. You need to get better soon."

"Yes, Mom will get better soon."

However, Jian Yuan couldn't visit her every day, and even if she missed her terribly, she had to avoid seeing Xi Mo as much as possible.

When Jian Yuan spoke, she always wore a mask. Although Auntie Lan was very worried, she couldn't possibly think of anything strange, such as a fungal infection or abnormal goods. She just assumed that Jian Yuan had a bad cold and had to self-isolate for a period of time to protect her daughter.

To reassure Xi Mo that she could stay at Auntie Lan's house, Jian Yuan left Auntie Lan many different notes, each dated sequentially, totaling several days' worth. Jian Yuan told Auntie Lan that she had a severe cold and that Xi Mo, being so young, would suffer greatly if she caught it. She asked Auntie Lan to take good care of Xi Mo for the next while, promising to bring Xi Mo back home as soon as she recovered.

As for those notes, they could be used to coax Xi Mo, since Xi Mo recognized Jian Yuan's handwriting. In addition, Jian Yuan also prepared many different gifts and entrusted them to Auntie Lan for safekeeping, so that she could match the notes with the gifts.

Only after preparing all of this did Jian Yuan leave.

Every morning thereafter, Xi Mo would see a note from Auntie Lan. Each time she received a note with a different message, Xi Mo was delighted.

Her Mom really did come to see her last night.

On the first note she had written in advance, Jian Yuan said, "Xi Mo, Mom came over today. Auntie Lan said you were very well-behaved."

These words didn’t have any exact description, and there were not many words, so they could work at different times. Besides, Jian Yuan did not even need to look to know Xi Mo was very good, because she had always been very good.

The next morning, Xi Mo received another note from Jian Yuan.

Jian Yuan wrote:

“Xi Mo, Mom came today too. But Mom was a little busy today, so I came a bit late.”

The note on the third morning read: "Xi Mo, Mom brought you a gift today, it's a little dolphin."

So, in addition to the note, Xi Mo also received a soft little dolphin doll from Auntie Lan.

The note on the morning of the fourth day read: "Xi Mo, Mom came to see you today. See, Mom kept her promise and came every day. So Mom believes Xi Mo will also keep her promise and wait for Mom to come pick you up after Mom’s cold gets better.”

The fifth day, the sixth day, the seventh day...

“Xi Mo, Mom’s cold got a little better today. Mom took a kind of cold medicine. It tasted like strawberry. Do you remember? Before, when you had a cold, the cold medicine you drank was strawberry flavored too.”

"Xi Mo, the gift Mom brought you today is..."

"Xi Mo, Mom came to see you today too. Mom misses Xi Mo very much."

"Mom misses Xi Mo a lot today too."

….

At this time, Jian Yuan was already teaching Xi Mo to read, but even so, young Xi Mo couldn't possibly understand all the slips of paper. She didn't recognize some of the characters, especially those with complex strokes. However, Auntie Lan would read them to her. Even if she couldn't recognize all the characters, she could understand them. Moreover, since they were all Jian Yuan's handwriting, Xi Mo believed them without a doubt.

How could her mother lie to her?

Her mother definitely came every day.

Little Xi Mo longed for the day when Jian Yuan would truly appear, instead of only coming to see her when she was asleep. She wanted to go home with her mother.

But in truth, after Jian Yuan returned from Auntie Lan’s house that day, she quickly discovered discomfort in her nose again. Although she could not see the exact situation, she felt that the mycelium had appeared again. Just as she feared, she had indeed not escaped the infection. She immediately contacted Yang Shirong by phone and told him what had happened.

Yang Shirong rushed to the place where the item were buried overnight. After digging it up, he found that the spot was empty.

The item... has disappeared.

Yang Shirong was horrified. He realized that this item, this whole incident, was far beyond his comprehension. He quickly contacted Jian Yuan and told her what he had seen. Jian Yuan was still bleeding from her nose when she spoke to him on the phone. After hearing what Yang Shirong had said, she looked down at the bloodstains on the napkin, feeling as if she were trapped in a cold hell.

Deep down, she had a feeling that the item would come back to her.

The mycelium existed inside her body. Some kind of connection between her and the item seemed not to have disappeared. Perhaps the item would soon find her again.

Taking advantage of Xi Mo's absence, Jian Yuan began a race against time to save herself. Moreover, this rescue couldn't be known by her family; otherwise, if they found out, they would inevitably come to her side. With how terrifying the mycelium was, Jian Yuan did not dare imagine what would happen if they became infected too.

So she asked Yang Shirong to keep it a secret and then arrange everything as meticulously as possible. She called Xi Ji and Jian Sun and told them that she had caught a cold and that to avoid infecting them, Xi Mo had been sent to Auntie Lan's place for care, so they shouldn't worry and could focus on their studies and work.

Xi Ji and Jian Sun were naturally worried when they heard this. Jian Sun wanted to ask for leave to come see her, and Xi Ji also planned to end his work early and fly back to take care of her.

Jian Yuan had anticipated their reaction and said it was just a cold, and that she was an adult and could take care of herself. Besides, she was currently handling a very important shipment and still needed to work; missing it would result in huge losses. Xi Ji and Jian Sun knew her personality well and understood from her words that she didn't want to delay her work at this time, so they didn't press her for the time being, reminding her to take her medicine on time and to balance work and rest.

From that moment on, Jian Yuan began tracing the origin of the item. She had received them, and no matter how convoluted the process, there was always a source. To dispel Xi Ji's doubts, Jian Yuan continued to call Xi Ji every day during this investigation.

But her body continued to change.

She often had visual and auditory hallucinations. Her memory was also affected, and she always forgot things. These reactions grew stronger and stronger, much worse than when she had unknowingly been affected by the item before.

Despite the dual torment of physical and mental suffering, Jian Yuan still managed to trace the source of the item thanks to her strong willpower and execution ability.

The item was acquired from a villager in Guizhou and, after changing hands several times, finally ended up in her hands. Without any hesitation, Jian Yuan immediately set off for Guizhou.

She rented a house in that village in Guizhou and continued her investigation, while also sharing her findings with Yang Shirong by phone.

However, Jian Yuan's memory was deteriorating more and more, so she had to prepare a notebook for herself to record the events of the day and the results of her investigations, while also reminding herself of the things she needed to do tomorrow.

In her dazed state, she felt another terrifying consciousness arise deep within her mind. That consciousness wanted to make her forget what she was investigating, or to change some of her decisions. But each time, Jian Yuan relied on the words of warning she had written in her notebook to stick to the right path.

These are the sentences she always writes in her notebook.

"Call Xi Ji today. Call Xi Ji every day, don't let him come back."

“Jian Sun has no school on Sunday. Call Jian Sun. Tomorrow is Sunday.”

“Call A’Lan today and ask about Xi Mo. Talk to Xi Mo every day and comfort her. Very important.”

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=2188414

This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.

"I need to call Jian Youhai today to give him instructions and make sure the people at the auction house don't think I've disappeared and arouse suspicion."

Jian Yuan struggled bitterly in this resistance and self-rescue until one day she opened the notebook she used as a reminder and saw a line of words.

The text is still in her own handwriting, which means that she wrote it herself. However, it seems that there was some trembling and resistance during the writing process, so the characters are a bit shaky.

Jian Yuan's heart almost jumped out the moment she saw the words.

The line read: ‘You love your family very much, especially your daughter, it really moves me. Your daughter is adorable, and I’m curious, will she be able to grow up smoothly? I’d love to see.'

Jian Yan was so startled that her hand trembled, nearly flinging the notebook away.