Chapter 308: Heavens, I’m Freezing to Death
When Fangfang was happy, Faye Yardley felt as if the sky itself had brightened.
Faye Yardley never would have imagined that tending a fire was such a skilled task.
Seeing her choking and coughing from the smoke, Fangfang quickly put down her mushrooms and came over to help. "Oh dear, let me do it. Go wash your face, or you’ll be covered in so much soot you’ll look like a little black kitten."
Finally, under Fangfang’s tutelage, Faye Yardley managed to get the hang of tending the fire.
Then she tried to learn how to make the mushroom soup, which was an even bigger headache. The specific order in which to add the six types of mushrooms was particularly complex.
But as she added the mushrooms one by one, the aroma that wafted up from the stirring pot smelled like pure happiness to Faye Yardley.
When she finally ate the mushroom soup, Faye Yardley truly felt it was the most delicious food in the world.
She ate with great relish, and seeing her so happy, a joyful smile spread across Fangfang’s face.
Her sister had suddenly become so obedient that it made Fangfang abandon the idea of going to confront Clementine.
As it turned out, she didn’t have to go looking for Clementine, because Clementine—a girl with long, curly, orange-yellow hair—showed up at their door carrying a small basket.
"Sister Fangfang, has Faye woken up yet?"
"Oh, Clementine, come on in. Faye’s awake. She even had a whole bowl of mushroom soup."
"That’s wonderful! I brought some clementines and peaches. I hope she’ll like them."
Just as they were speaking, Faye Yardley finished the last of her soup and put down her bowl. She walked to the kitchen doorway and waved to the pretty girl who had just arrived. "Hi, Clementine. You’re here."
"Yes. It looks like you’re really all better. I’m so relieved."
Clementine was smiling as she said it, but an inexplicable chill ran down Faye Yardley’s spine. ’Fangfang’s suspicion that Clementine tried to harm me wasn’t baseless after all.’
’In the story of Clementine, according to the conventions of a fairy tale, Clementine should be the absolute heroine. How can the heroine not be kind?!’
’This is insane. Can you even call this a fairy tale from the Fairy Tale World?’
’Faye Yardley recalled the dark versions of fairy tales that used to circulate back in Veridia. She had a sudden feeling that completing her mission here wasn’t going to be simple at all.’
"Alright, you’ve seen her. Faye still needs to rest, so I won’t keep you."
Fangfang bluntly asked her to leave. Clementine took the hint, smiling as she reminded Faye Yardley to take care of herself before setting down the fruit and leaving with her empty basket.
"Sister, is the fruit from Clementine safe to eat?"
Fangfang walked over and stroked Faye Yardley’s head. "Our Faye has really grown up. You know not to just eat anything people give you."
’Oh god, so we really can’t eat it.’
’She sighed internally. It seemed she could only eat food that Fangfang approved of, and clearly, the beautiful fruit Clementine brought did not make the cut.’
"Then what are you going to do with the fruit, Sister? Just throw it away?"
Fangfang shook her head. "Of course not, that would be a waste. Come on, let’s put the fruit in a basket with a few mushrooms. We’ll take it to Grandma Hayes in the village."
Faye followed Fangfang out the door and glanced down at the watch on her wrist. It was 4:00 PM.
"Faye, why are you looking at your left hand? Does it hurt?"
’She can’t see the watch on my wrist.’
Faye Yardley came to this conclusion instantly. She quickly shook her head and made up an excuse. "It doesn’t hurt. I was just thinking a red string bracelet braided by you would look really nice on my wrist, Sister."
"Alright, if you’d like one, I’ll braid it for you. Let’s go. Grandma Hayes’s house is at the edge of the woods. We need to hurry, or the sun will set."
As they left, Faye Yardley followed Fangfang and quickly discovered that her sister was incredibly popular in the village. She, on the other hand, was not. Everyone who saw her just told her to stop making her sister angry, saying how hard it was for Fangfang to raise her.
Fangfang would just smile and speak up for Faye, telling them that her sister was much better behaved now and wasn’t causing her any trouble anymore.
Once she said that, the villagers’ attitude toward Faye Yardley would soften from disapproval to something much warmer.
’Damn, in this world, Fangfang’s the real Clementine, isn’t she?’
’The one named Clementine must be the fake.’
They walked toward the woods, leaving the village behind. A faint mist began to rise from the path, and the sun was already close to setting.
"Stay close to me. Actually, just take my hand. I don’t want you getting lost."
Faye Yardley obediently hugged Fangfang’s left arm. "Sister, how much farther is it?"
’She had already checked her watch. They hadn’t been walking long since they left the village, but it was already close to five.’
"Not long now, don’t worry. We’ll definitely get there before dark. We can stay the night at Grandma Hayes’s place and go pick mushrooms in the mountains tomorrow."
"But we didn’t lock the door at home."
"Our house has nothing but mushrooms. A wild wolf would go in and come out crying."
"Ah, there are wolves here?" Faye Yardley quickly added, "Don’t worry, Sister. If we run into a wolf, I’ll protect you."
Fangfang was clearly pleased by her words. She laughed and said, "You won’t have to. I can just kill it myself and give you some meat to eat."
’Alright, another edible food source: wolf meat.’
It felt like no time at all before the fog grew so thick you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.
Faye Yardley had no idea how Fangfang was finding her way, but her sister’s steps were firm and she didn’t hesitate for a moment.
It was a good thing she was holding on to her arm so tightly, otherwise she would have definitely been left behind.
But as she held on, Faye Yardley felt the arm in her grasp begin to change. What had been warm was now like a popsicle, radiating a chilling cold that seeped through her skin and into her bones, making her teeth chatter.
’What’s going on?’
’For her to feel this bone-chillingly cold with such a high Constitution attribute... just how cold is it?!’
She could also feel Fangfang’s pace quickening, until Faye was practically being dragged along.
If she hadn’t endured the biting cold and held on for dear life, she was sure Fangfang would have left her behind.
’Is this mission really this difficult?’
She didn’t know what would happen to anyone else, but Faye Yardley remembered Fangfang’s warning to stay close and not get lost. So no matter how cold it got, no matter how frozen her hands felt, she didn’t dare let go. In fact, she held on even tighter.
A small, orange-yellow light appeared in the dense fog.
They drew closer and closer to the light. Just as Faye Yardley felt she was about to freeze solid, Fangfang finally stopped. Her sister’s body temperature was gradually returning to normal.
Once the chilling cold from the arm subsided and she could even feel a little warmth, Faye Yardley finally heard Fangfang’s voice. "There. We finally made it to Grandma Hayes’s house before the sun set completely. Come on, let’s go knock."