Chapter 56: Beauty and the Beast

“Yes, yes! Mother is amazing!”

When she first bought them, Zhuang Zhuang was always wondering if they had laid any eggs. However, after observing for three consecutive days, he was very disappointed.

Hence, he went to Xiaoguo and asked her why they didn’t lay eggs like the chickens in Xiaohua and Xiaohu’s house. Xiaoguo smiled when she heard this and told Zhuang Zhuang that this was very normal. Chickens wouldn’t lay eggs in unfamiliar places. After a couple of days, when they get used to the place, they would start laying eggs.

After hearing Xiaoguo’s words that day, Zhuang Zhuang had been watching them closely. In the past two days, he had been kept busy—going to the county and spending time studying. He had forgotten to check on the eggs. Just when he remembered and checked on them today, he saw that they had indeed laid eggs!

“Mother, I admire you so much!” At this moment, Zhuang Zhuang felt that his mother was the most powerful person in the country of Shao. She must be the most knowledgeable person here.

Xiaoguo was a little shy when she heard this. Her eyes narrowed into as slit as she smiled. “You’ll know a lot too when you’re older. I’ll tell you everything I know.”

“And will I be a powerful person?” Then he added, “Like Mother?”

“Zhuang Zhuang is already a powerful person in my eyes!” Xiaoguo said seriously to Zhuang Zhuang, her eyes rested on him, and looked at him with sincerity.

Zhuang Zhuang was very moved and nodded earnestly. “Mother, don’t worry! I will definitely become a powerful person!”

Xiaoguo smiled and nodded the same way as he did!

It was nightfall and every house was lit up with candles. After dinner, Xiaoguo was sitting at the table and sewing some clothes by the light of the fire. Zhuang Zhuang was sitting at the side and working on his writing. Xiaoguo would look at Zhuang Zhuang every now and then as she did her sewing.

After dinner, Xiaoguo took down Zhuang Zhuang’s body measurements. The fabric she had bought last time was just enough to make two sets of clothes. Xiaoguo did not know how to make fancy clothes. She could only make simple styles like the modern wide-legged pants. The tops she could make were boxy loose types with three-quarter sleeves. It was a good thing—not only did the clothes look good, they were easier to make too.

Zhuang Zhuang wrote the words stroke by stroke. Whenever he made a mistake, Xiaoguo would remind him. Zhuang Zhuang was very smart. He could understand everything she said, and she only had to teach him once. He was a very intelligent kid.

Xiaoguo finished the last stitch and broke the thread with her teeth. Zhuang Zhuang saw what Xiaoguo was doing and asked excitedly, “Mother, is it done?”

Amused, Xiaoguo flicked his head. “Not so fast. I just completed the top.”

“Then can I try?” Zhuang Zhuang’s eyes were sparkling.

“Of course. But have you finished writing?” Xiaoguo reminded Zhuang Zhuang. In order to enhance his memory, she made him write every word twenty times in addition to memorizing them. This had to be done every night. Zhuang Zhuang gladly accepted the homework that Xiaoguo assigned to him.

“Yes! I’m done!” He continued to use his starry-eyes approach on her.

Xiaoguo covered her eyes helplessly and sighed with a smile. Zhuang Zhuang was becoming better at getting his way. She really couldn’t take it anymore. “Come on, put away the book and give it a try!”

Zhuang Zhuang quickly put away the book and stood beside Xiaoguo in a split second. He quickly took off his shirt and looked at Xiaoguo expectantly with his big eyes. Xiaoguo held the top in her hands and helped Zhuang Zhuang put it on. Zhuang Zhuang cooperated by maneuvering his body into the top. Very soon, he was wearing it.

Zhuang Zhuang lowered his head and twisted his body left and right. “Mother, do I look good?”

“It looked great!” Xiaoguo praised.

To be honest, the more Zhuang Zhuang grew, the better he looked. When she first arrived at this place, he was dark and thin. Now, he had gotten fair and chubby. Of course, that was just relatively speaking. Now, his weight was actually just right.

He seemed to have grown much taller and his facial features had become more defined. Initially, it was true that Zhuang Zhuang looked a lot like her. But as time passed, his facial features had changed a little. The bridge of his nose had grown higher and his nose had become straighter. It was different from her small and perky nose. From the side, his nose looked like a small slide, it was high and long from the bridge to the tip.

Previously, Zhuang Zhuang’s eyes and mouth looked exactly like hers. But now, it seemed that his dimples were the only feature resembling her the most. They both had deep dimples when they smiled.

Xiaoguo loved to see Zhuang Zhuang smile at her. Just like now, he was smiling at her with his eyes narrowed and dimples showing. It was impossible to say how happy she was. With this thought in mind, Xiaoguo hugged Zhuang Zhuang and raised her eyebrows. She said proudly, “My son is handsome no matter what!”

Zhuang Zhuang chuckled shyly and wrapped his arms around Xiaoguo’s neck. “Mother, are you still going to tell me stories tonight?”

Realizing that it had been a long time since she had told Zhuang Zhuang a story, Xiaoguo nodded. “I’ll tell you one tonight!”

She took off Zhuang Zhuang’s shirt and placed it aside. It was better to wash his new clothes before he started wearing them. Once she was done with a complete set, she would wash them together.

Xiaoguo got into bed with Zhuang Zhuang and patted him. “Let me think about what story to tell you tonight…” Xiaoguo thought to herself… previously, she had only told him stories about enlightenment. This time, she would tell him a fairy tale. It would be educational too. “Let me tell you a tale about Beauty and the Beast.”

Zhuang Zhuang got up immediately. “Beauty and the Beast?” Zhuang Zhuang started to think of a beauty like his mother and a beast with a green face and fangs. He shivered. How could these two be connected?

Xiaoguo smiled mysteriously and slowly opened her mouth. “A long, long time ago, a prince lived in a golden and magnificent castle. He was arrogant and selfish. An old beggar lady came to the castle on a cold winter night and offered the prince a bouquet of red roses in exchange for a place to rest. Seeing that she was ugly and strange, the prince asked her to leave. The old lady told the prince,”

Xiaoguo cleared her throat and switched to an old woman’s voice. “Don’t just look at one’s appearance.” Then she changed back to her original voice. “But the prince still refused to let her stay. At that instant, the beggar old woman suddenly became an extremely beautiful witch. In order to punish the prince, she cast a spell on the prince and turned him into an ugly beast. She also turned his servants into various utensils. From then on, the prince locked himself in the castle and could only see the outside world through a magic mirror. The witch left him the bunch of roses. If the prince could find a girl who didn’t care about his appearance before all the roses withered, he could return to his original appearance. Otherwise, he would remain a beast forever…”

“In a village not far from the castle lived a kind and beautiful girl. Her name is Belle…” Xiaoguo’s voice rose and fell—bringing the story to life. “There’s a warrior called Hugh who adores Belle, but Belle doesn’t like him. While looking for her father one day, Belle mistakenly entered the castle. She volunteered to stay in the castle to save him…”

Zhuang Zhuang was touched by Belle’s kindness. Xiaoguo continued to tell the story. “After getting along with each other, although there were still differences between the two of them, they slowly got used to each other without realizing it…” Although Zhuang Zhuang was young, he still blushed.

“In order to save Belle, the beast was bitten by a wolf and got injured. Belle was extremely touched. From then on, the two of them slowly developed a friendship… Hughes knew that the beast lived in the castle and called on everyone to attack him. He came to the castle to challenge him with a fight to the death…”

Zhuang Zhuang was also worried about the Beast. He wondered if he could win the fight. “Belle rushed to the castle to give Beast the courage to defeat Hughes. But at that moment, the last petal of the rose wilted and the Beast fell to the ground, injured.”

Zhuang Zhuang looked sad. “Prince, you have to hold on.”

Xiaoguo’s voice continued, “Belle ran to him and knelt beside him, crying and begging for him to come back to life. Most people would cry when they could not be a normal person. But at that moment, Belle’s love and sincerity defeated the witch’s spell. Golden light exploded and formed a ring around the beast on the ground. As the golden light faded, the prince had regained his true appearance. He was handsome again and the castle returned to its golden glory. The servants were also turned back into their original state. From then on, the prince and Belle lived a happy and beautiful life.”

When Zhuang Zhuang heard this, he couldn’t help but cheer for them. Xiaoguo kissed Zhuang Zhuang dotingly and said gently, “Alright, go to sleep.”

Zhuang Zhuang fell asleep with a smile on his face. Before he fell asleep, he was still thinking about the story that Xiaoguo had told him.