In the space where plants have taken over any free space, it has been stuffed in, and the smell of medicine became the norm, sat a toddler in a black Hanfu, who was frowning while he looked down. In his hand was an ivory ink brush made just to fit the size of his little hand.
His hand glided across the surface and during the interval that he wrote, his eyes twitched continuously. However, he still continued to finish the word before finally placing the ink brush on its wooden rest.
He picked up the rough-textured paper, looking at it with squinted eyes. The longer he looked at it, the more he wondered what he was even trying to write. The words on the paper were different, down to the strokes that made them. Some of them were painted lightly, looking like a static board and then some of them were painted heavily, making them look like black blobs.
There were no in-between the two writing infrequencies. It looked more like an abstract painting than the sentence, "My name is Ignis, and I am three years old." His eye twitched more before setting the paper aside and grabbing another to try again.
"How about going out today, Ignis?" An older voice halted the toddler. Ignis looked up to meet the eyes of Zhou Li, who was in the middle of placing new herbs away. The older man turned to look out the window to see a sunny day with blue skies. He could hear the leaves ruffling and the birds chirping before looking at the oversized mushroom that used to be a child.
His mouth twitched in vexation as he continued to convince the transformed mushroom to become a child again. "You've been hoarded in here for almost a month. If you aren't reading that book, then you are learning. It's not healthy." Zhou Wu couldn't believe there was a day he had to tell a person to take a break from learning. Yet this child accomplished it in only a month.
Ignis didn't understand some of what Zhou Wu said but from the few words he did know, he understood the man's intentions. However, the good intentions were instantly placed in the trash can of "stupid ideas" in Ignis's brain, as he didn't care about the man's intentions and just wanted to go back to work.
Thus, he tilted his head, pretended not to know what the man said and continued to learn. For about a month, he tried to comprehend what the Sun Book was about, but each time, the results came to nothing.
He was getting headaches and episodes from not being able to crack it and the only way to relieve the building grievances was to learn the Zhuqili language. Especially after finding out the language was simply the main one from the Northern Continent, Zhudo.
This world was split into two continents. The Southern Continent, Mindko and the Northern Continent, Zhudo. Then those two continents were split into two, the west and east. Mindko was split into Mido in the west and Dinko in the east. While Zhudo was split into Zhu in the west and Udo in the east.
When he first heard it, Ignis questioned the naming ability, yet he didn't express his judgement to the namer and instead took note that he was in the west part of Zhudo, Zhu. Zhu was split into several districts and the Zhou residence was in the district that was named after them. They had control over the city they were currently in, along with a mass of towns, the furthest being 20 miles away from the city.
Thus, it was only natural that there would be many languages in the world. Zhuqili was the main language in Zhudo but in Midnko, it was Inuqili. Children growing up on either continent were required to learn both main languages and all four west and east sublanguages.
Ignis eye twitched as he looked over at the failed attempt at practicing Inuqili, which looked like a combination of Cantonese and Hindi. The more he looked at it, the more his intentions of relaxing were failing. Seeing the child looking at the paper like it would magically fix itself, Zhou Li sighed before placing what was in his hands down and walking over to grab the back of Ignis's Hanfu.
Ignis didn't struggle, as he was basically being carried like a kitten. The next thing he knew, he was in the hallways with his mask and gloves on and a closed door behind him. He could hear Zhou Li return to work while he looked blankly at the wall in front of him.
A quiet sneeze sounded out from beside him. When he looked over, a black Chow Chow was sniffling before another sneeze sounded out. Snorting, the dog looked up at him with a whine, which improved the boy's mood greatly as he laughed and took out a handkerchief to rub the dog's nose with.
After finishing up, he stood back up and with a silent sigh, he reluctantly turned and walked to the courtyard. The women attendees on his way would smile at him before bowing. Not wanting to be rude, he copied their mannerisms back to them, causing them to laugh before they continued back to their work.
Sitting down on the edge of the household's platform with a humming Po, he swung his feet as he sunbathed in the sunlight and felt a relief wash over him. His tensed shoulders relaxed and mind cleared to nothing. For once, he didn't feel like he needed to do five hundred things.
He sat there for a bit before one of the women attendants came and placed down a tray with snacks for humans and dogs and water without saying anything before walking away. Looking at the retreated back, he looked down at the tray filled with what looked to be cookies, meat, water, and fruit.
Already mastering the ability to hide his face while eating. He went through his bag to pull his "easting mask" and tied it on. Grabbing a cookie, he bowed his head, using his clothes as a blockage from any seeing eyes. Afterwards, he would grab a slice of meat to feed the awaiting Po.
Ignis looked around the courtyard, finally taking the chance to study the household he was in. He has always been interested in other countries. China just happens to be one of his favorites to learn about. Thus, when he examined the courtyard, he found that the household he is in has the layout of a two-court house.
Where he currently sat was in front of the second court in the west side area. The courtyard in front of him was the size of a basketball court. It had well-maintained plants surrounding the outside and in the middle were graveled pathways leading straight to the very center, where he saw the party.
However, there were also differences. This household seemed to have more rooms and layouts compared to a regular two-court household. From the moment he saw it, he knew this place was bigger than he originally thought. He wouldn't be surprised if it was five courtyard house.
When he was on his fifth cookie and Po was on his fifteen pieces of meat, they both heard two footsteps and children talking coming from down the hallway, opposite from where Zhou Li and Chen Liang resided. The voices were talking spiritedly before they stopped, along with the sound of their footsteps.
Ignis didn't look over to meet the two sets of curious eyes. He was hoping they would leave him alone if he stayed still enough but the children's bothersome nature once again remained undefeated as the two footsteps resumed but this time heading straight to him.
He felt his eyes twitch as Zhou Mei made her way into his sight, pouting at him with crossed arms. "I see you are finally out of the room." She sassed. Po perked up, panting at the newcomers before shimmering down as none of the three people paid attention to him.
"I am and I'm slowly regretting not struggling against Zhou Li." Ignis couldn't help but think but he didn't say anything as the little girl in front of him went on a spiel while he patted the sullen dog beside him. He slowly drowned her out as he placed the cookie that was left uneaten on the tray.
Closing his eyes, he let the little girl in front of him continue talking, too lazy to get up from the comfortable position of the warm sun shining down on him. Po's fur was smooth as he glided across it from the many times he'd been washed. However, it didn't last long, as Ignis was suddenly in a shadow, and opening his eyes, he looked up to see an umbrella blocking his light.
He felt his eye twitch.
Ignis finally gave up on relaxing. He was getting too peeved at the firecracker in front of him when he really didn't want any type of entertainment. He was about to get up and figure out how to convince Zhou Li to let him back in, but before he could, the other child brought another umbrella and placed it next to Zhou Mei.
The two umbrellas confused Ignis to no end. He judged the boy to be a relatively calm child and this action of bothering him didn't fit the young boy.
A frustrated-looking Zhou Mei, who placed the first umbrella, berated the seemly dazed younger boy in front of her, "Why are you in the sun? You shouldn't be in the sun! You will get sick!" Ignis was confused about what the hell the little girl was talking about until it dawned on him that it was the excuse Zhou Li gave to Zhou Jian.
He forgot about it but the little girl didn't. Looking at her properly at this moment, Ignis can now see the hidden worry under the tough, assertive exterior. The hidden emotion made him feel a little twist in his stomach and made him reflect on his previous thought process before signing, "What I'm wearing doesn't allow the light to do anything to me." He thought for a bit before adding, "I like the sun."
Zhou Mei looked at his hands confusedly before turning to a woman attendant that Ignis had just noticed was there. "Luo, what did he say?" Zhou Mei asked. Hearing the interpretation, Zhou Mei nodded before smiling back at Ignis. "Well, that's good! I like the sun too. It makes the ponds warm and all the critters come out!"
Zhou Mei sat on the ground, with the boy coming to sit by her. The little girl instantly started chatting about the pond located at the back of the house. At first, Ignis was listening to her before realizing the girl just liked to talk regardless of whether you responded to her or not.
Plus, most of what she was saying couldn't be translated fast enough in his head. Leaving her to continue her one-man talking show, Ignis took his time to look at the two in front of him.
Zhou Mei took a lot after her father. Her eyes were a shimmering amber and her black hair was thick as it framed her face. Ignis was surprised during mid-conversation when Zhou Mei said she was six years old, as she is taller than the average size of six-year-old girls, even being taller than the boy next to her.
However, there was evidence of other features too that he assumed to be from the girl's mother, such as her soft-shaped face. She talked animatedly and he looked over to the boy next to her, whose whole attention was solely on her. When Ignis first saw them, it was obvious Zhou Mei had a crush on the boy but now seeing this, the feeling might be mutual.
"I might be wrong, though. Romance isn't in my expertise, besides maybe being a spectator of it when drama happens," Ignis thought, suddenly missing the overly dramatic reality TV shows. Looking at the little pair in front of him. His heart stirred with mischief but he pushed it down.
It took a while for the boy to notice that Ignis was looking at him before facing him and smiling as he introduced himself. "My name is Jiang Wu." Ignis nodded before signing his own name, which Luo imminently translated.
"Baby cousin, you have a unique name." Zhou Mei commented before saying something under her breath about practicing something. The boy, Jiang Wu, next to her smiled while also nodding in agreement. Ignis wasn't able to respond with anything before the little girl added on, "I like it!"
Ignis looked at the girl's honest eyes and big smile, making him smile himself. However, the soft aura was soon interrupted as the girl stood up, with her hands on her hips, as she said, "Let's go to the pond." After saying that, she turned around and started walking back down the hallway where they came from.
Ignis looked at the little back before shifting back to his original position, ready to get comfortable again, only to meet eyes with a smiling pair. The little boy that stood in front of him smiled with his head tilted as he reached out his hand and asked gently, "Let's go?" Ignis looked at the face before shaking his head but he had a promotion that it wouldn't go as planned, and he was right.
The little girl who walked a couple feet away turned to look at them to tell them to hurry up. The boy in front of Ignis replied to her and before Ignis knew it, he was picked up and carried away by a still smiling Jiang Wu. Po stood up and stretched before trotting after them, humming while his tail wagged.
"You're the worst guard dog ever." Ignis couldn't help but think as he was carried away to their location while staring at the dog, who looked up at him with a doggy smile. When he was finally placed down, he was standing in front of a pond and because of the sunlight, the area around them was humid, making it seem hotter than it actually is.
Ignis felt suffocated under all his black and looking at the back of the reason why he was here, his eyes twitched and plans appeared in his mind one by one. However, he did take a good look at the place he had never been before.
The pond was a good size, around the same size as an average pool, and around it were moss, flowers, and flat rocks that stacked upon one another. When he touched the rocks and pushed them with a little strength, Ignis noticed that even though they looked casually placed, they didn't move an inch, no matter how much strength he put in.
After a few more pushes, he gave up and focused more on the water instead. The water was surprisingly not murky. He saw fish like the Chinese Dragon Fish, Sarcocheilichthys Sinensis, Acrossocheilus, and Mastacembelus Aculeatus in there, alongside other fish he didn't recognize.
The dog beside him let out a happy whine as he put his nose close to the water. A couple times, when a fish was swimming by, the dog would pretend to try to bite it. Doing this a couple times made the dog trot in place, causing the boy to chuckle.
When Po saw his next target, a red Chinese Dragon Fish, he instantly went to pretend to bite it, but before either boy or dog knew it, the fish spun around in quick motion and made a robust slap against the dog's nose before swimming away.
Ignis looked at the fleeing fish in shock before looking over at the frazzled dog, who looked to be stunned in place. Ignis looked at the dog, who sniffled for a bit before looking at the pond and then eventually turning away. Seeing the retreating back of the dog caused Ignis to laugh, while Po huffed.
Returning back to the pond, Ignis watched the fish swim by more vigorously, as if knowing the big monster had been "defeated," much to the boy's amusement. Though there was one aquatic creature he kept noticing whenever he tried to look through the water grass on the pond's floor, the thing now sat there looking at him from the perch of its rock. Finally giving up on the task of finding more fish, Ignis's eyes connected with the blank stare of a frog.
"Or maybe it's a toad." Ignis thought as he looked at the overly big size of the frog/toad in front of him. The frog was a color Ignis had never seen before—a deep purple and the eyes were pink. Ignis wondered if the thing was poisonous but when he looked to the side, he saw Zhou Mei touching frogs just like it.
"Maybe it's normal here. I mean, I've never really been to a pond before in California so maybe there's a frog like that too." He thought before turning back to the frog, who was still looking at him with a bored face.
Ignis walked up closer to the frog to look at it more closely but was stopped mid-step by a hand on his shoulder. When he looked up, his eyes connected with Lou's, who smiled down at him while saying, "It's best you don't go near them. They're poisonous." And with that, all interest in the pond vaporized, and Ignis went to the pavilion that was surrounded by flowers to sit down.
Sitting down after struggling to get onto one of the shaded benches, only able to get on when Po came and pushed him on, Ignis looked over at Zhou Mei, who was touching the frogs, before looking over at Lou, who turned to look at him after feeling his stare and instantly knew what he was expressing as she answered, "Zhou Mei has cultivation under her belt, thus the frog's poison won't bother her..." She turned to look at the little duo before finishing, "much. Madam Zhou informed me not to stop the inevitable and lessons must be learned."
Ignis's back felt cold as he turned towards the children, who were still poking and prodding. Well, it was more Zhou Mei poking and prodding before picking the frog up to give to Jiang Wu to touch as well. Jiang Wu smiled hesitantly but still touched the frog, keeping his distance whenever a bug came around.
Ignis did think to warn the children but seeing Jiang Wu touching the frog and knowing that there's a responsible adult to fix if anything went wrong, he decided to just sit aside and watch the show while petting the still-sullen dog.
Jiang Wu, who was crouched to the side next to a chatting Zhou Mei, was oblivious to it all as the girl pointed towards a frog. "That one is so fat, I bet it's the King of the Pond!" She announced. Jiang Wu hummed in agreement, not caring that the girl had pointed towards a different frog yesterday and said the exact same thing.
Seeing that one agreed with her, Zhou Mei turned her head to look for the other, but the short boy wasn't anywhere near them. Instead, he sat under the shade of the pavilion alongside Lou, who was watching over all the children.
"Ignis! Why are you there?! Come look at the frogs! I found the King of them!" Zhou Mei shouted excitedly but the young boy shook his head and used one hand to point to the other. Zhou Mei looked at the gesture in confusion and looked at Lou but Lou just smiled at her. Becoming confused by the second, Zhou Mei was going to ask what was wrong but she was interrupted by a hesitant voice next to her.
"Mei, are your hands getting itchy?" Jiang Wu hesitantly asked. Bewildered, the little girl turned to look at the boy, who was looking at his hands. They both watched in horror as bumps slowly formed on the boy's fingers. They were becoming bigger and purple by the second, causing both children to let out screams.
Ignis watched on the sidelines as Lou laughed quietly before coming to the children, who were screaming and crying as both of them started having purple warts on their hands. He looked at the crying face of Jiang Wu and suddenly felt that it was a good day to come out to enjoy the sun.