Author: 打字机N号
Chapter 66: Good Father 12 [Epilogue]
“Yu Xi, my condolences.”
“That’s right, ah. Aunt also doesn’t want you to be so sad after her death.”
Inside the mourning hall, Yu Xi, who had adorned black mourning dress, looked so wan and sallow. At this moment, she could not even raise her spirits to greet these friends who had come from afar. These friends of her were also very considerate of her who had been suffering from the death of her mother. However, they could only offer her a few words of comfort.
After sending away all the guests, Yu Xi also persuaded her husband and children to return. In this last moment, she wanted to accompany her mother alone.
Aside from the white candle inside the mourning hall, making a crackling, the empty room was in silence. Yu Xi looked at her mother ’s kind and gentle smile in portrait, just like how she did when she was alive. But even this could not provide consolation to her heart and soul.
It is said that a child with a mother, no matter how old it is, will always be a baby. Now that her mother had gone, she can no longer be coquettish like a child.
Yu Xi rubbed her tear-stained eyes and returned to her mother’s room to sort out the unfinished relics.
When she was organizing the jewellery box left by her mother, she saw a notepad in the hidden compartment of the jewellery box. Due to her curiosity, she could not help but take out the book.
This is a diary with a leather cover. The pages already yellowed with ages. The words Jiang Yueliang written on the cover prove that the owner of the journal is her mother.
Although she knew that it was wrong to do so, Yu Xi missed her mother too much. She wanted to learn about her mother’s past through this diary. With such an urge, she opened the journal.
2018.09.27
Dad took me to Disneyland and bought me this diary. I like it very much. I love Dad.
2018.09.28
Having nightmares. My dad comforted me. I love dad.
…
There wasn’t much substantive content. Yu Xi calculated the age of her mother when she wrote this diary. She couldn’t help but smile. At that time, her mother was still a child, and she also liked to annoy her parent.
However, it is no wonder that mother likes her father so much. In Yu Xi ’s heart, her grandfather is also the best in the world. When she was very young, her grandfather ’s arm was her cradle. She could ride on her grandfather ’s shoulder and laugh proudly against those little ones with the same age as her.
Unfortunately, her grandfather died of illness when she was nineteen years old. At that time, she was still in school and could not even come back to see her grandfather for the last time. This has always been her regret.
Thinking of her grandfather, who died early, Yu Xi got even sadder.
She sucked her nose and continued to read.
2019.7.3
My dad took me to learn taekwondo. It was harder than I thought. This was the first time that dad didn’t indulge me. My dad told me that I couldn’t always be lucky to hope that all the people I met are good. When I met bad people, I should have the ability to protect myself. He will not be able to accompany me forever. He told me that I should learn to grow up.
So sad, will dad leave me?
Angry. I will start a hunger strike for three hours.
“Pfft-“
Seeing this entry, Yu Xi was feeling sad and funny. She seemed to be able to see her young mother pouting, pretending to be angry while her small eyes will still from time to time, stole a glance at grandfather, like a tsundere. Precisely how children will behave.
[T/N: Tsundere in Chinese is [àojiāo]. I used the more familiar term]
Yu Xi felt that this a must tradition for the Jiang’s family children. First her mother, then her, then her two children. Yu Xi thinks this tradition should be passed down from generation to generation. Like how the grandfather had taught her mother. We cannot hope that all the people we meet are good. When danger comes, they must have the ability to protect themselves.
With a sigh of sorrow, Yu Xi turned down one page at a time. The diary was not written every day. When the book turned halfway, Yu Xi’s page-turning speed become much slower.
2026.5.17
Having nightmares again, now I understand what happened to me eight years ago. The man is a demon.
2026.5.18
I dare not imagine what would happen to me if Dad didn’t show up.
The text in the diary during this period was very messy, and Yu Xi’s heart was just like these words. There was a suspicion in her heart, but she was not sure of it.
After a long time, the diary was suspended, and it was not until three years later that the journal was resumed.
2029.7.23
After going through many connections, I finally found out that man who was in a mental hospital. It seemed that his life is not good. I was pleased.
When I went to visit him, he was curling up at the corner of the ward. He was continually banging his head against the wall while saying “I’m sorry, I’m wrong. I’m sorry, I’m wrong.”
The doctor said that this has been like that since he was sent to the mental hospital. This man is a paedophile, and it seemed that he had provoked someone. The other party castrated him and tortured him severely. Since then, his psychological defence was broken down to pieces. He was too immersed in his trauma and unable to heal ever again.
This person who had tortured me in my dream for a long time; the one that existed as a nightmare had finally disappeared. Now he is like a bug that continually endures psychological and physical torture.
I am free!
2029.7.26
When that man had an accident, Dad was often away from home. In retrospect, during that time, it seemed that a policeman had also come to our home. I didn’t know what he had talked with Dad, but now I seemed to realize it.
Not only did Jiang Yueliang aware of it even Yu Xi who was reading this diary become conscious of it.
She had a dull pain in her chest. There was a feeling of breathlessness.
She was distressed that her mother once had such an encounter. She was also feeling thankful to her grandfather for saving her mother at that time so that her life would not be messed up because of that incident.
But her mother had grandfather to protect her. However, Yu Xi couldn’t imagine how her grandfather was feeling during that time. How much grief that he had to endure? He alone made a comprehensive plan to retaliate that even the police could not catch his little tail.
Yu Xi wiped her tears, then continued to read.
In the later entry, her mother no longer mentions that matter again. Her mother was liked any other typical girl who experienced love-breakup, love-marriage, child-raising, and daily trivial issues and work. Most of the diary fills up with such entry. That goes on until the year 2048, the year that Grandfather died.
The diary is nearing its end.
The last entry was on March 21st. The day grandfather died.
2048.3.21
Every girl expects a Prince in her life, coming to her while riding a white horse. In my life, a great King has been with me for half of it.
He pulled me out of the quagmire and taught me how to be a Princess and a Queen in my life. He is more important to me than any Prince.
Today, my King is gone.
This concluded the diary.
Yu Xi covered her mouth. Her tears fell like rain.
*****
On the day of cremation, in addition to a set of clothes, Yu Xi only added the red diary to the relics that going to accompany her mother.
Her husband and children couldn’t understand her action, but Yu Xi decided not to explain much.
Her mother’s tomb is already set. The left one was her grandfather’s grave, and the right was Yu Xi’s father’s grave. Holding her mother’s favourite jasmine during her lifetime, Yu Xi, who was over 50, stands in front of the tombstone.
She shouldn’t be sad. Maybe now her mother is happily reuniting with her King and Prince. That is her mother’s greatest happiness.
T/N This is the end of this arc. So much mixed feeling. Many of this stuff really happened in the real world [like that nth room case]. These predators are trash. This is a hard arc for me. Even though neither I nor my near relatives ever experience it, but to think my fellow sisters and brothers out there might have a difficult life because of these kinds of scum are so unbearable. Yet I can’t do much to help others than providing a few words here and there. I wish and pray all my sisters and brothers out there are having a safe and secure life. May we persist against this toxicity. May we bless with someone who will protect us unconditionally.
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Entertaining arc.
Man, I teared up. Seriously.
This arc has satisfying end and well written. I read the whole arc on a train and shed few tears (hoping no one notice that haha).
I couldn’t help but notice that it was based on real assault case in South Korea, the rapist was out of jail recently. (But thankfully the victim is still alive ). This story provides some sort of alternative end for real life cases as the punishment for them is really unsatisfactory…