HBWMA -Chapter 77 About Dreams

In Mingtang Flower Street, in front of the Red Mansion, two cleaning ladies were whispering.

“Hey! Do you think Miss Sui’er will be able to meet Old Master Kong today?”

“Probably not. I heard the Kong family’s kid cried all night yesterday. The older one hasn’t even been soothed yet, and now she’s already offended the younger one too. This is going to be tough!”

“If you ask me, Old Master Kong is just too strict. Miss Sui’er came with such sincerity—why make things difficult for a child like that?”

“Huh? You didn’t say that before. You used to say that if you were Old Master Kong, you wouldn’t bother dealing with such a troublesome young lady.”

“Oh come on, that’s because I didn’t understand Miss Sui’er back then. I only heard she was a spoiled young lady from the main family, and on her first day she even clashed with Old Madam Wu, so I thought… but now it seems she’s not bad at all? She’s a young lady from a wealthy family—having a bit of temper is normal.”

“That’s true. I heard when A-Huang chased after her yesterday, someone even stood up for Miss Sui’er. It wasn’t just us—the whole town seems to be paying attention.”

There was nothing much going on in the small town. The matter of Fu Sui’er apologizing had caused quite a stir for half a month. The townspeople had gone from doubt and indifference at the beginning to now even greeting her warmly when they saw her on the street.

At the small attic of the Red Mansion, the wooden window on the second floor was pushed open from inside.

Old Madam Wu stood by the window.

The courtyard was quiet, and fragments of the cleaning ladies’ whispers drifted into the room.

Old Madam Wu turned her head. “Are you really not going to see them?”

Inside the room, a teenage boy sat upright on a luohan couch, holding a copy of Lunheng. A bright red string bracelet was tied around his right wrist.

The boy kept his head lowered, his gaze never leaving the book.

Old Madam Wu understood his meaning and nodded. “Then I’ll go, Grandmother?”

“Mm.” The boy answered briefly.

Old Madam Wu was already used to this and slowly walked out of the room.

Today was still another failed attempt, but Fu Sui’er was full of energy anyway, because on the way through the street, the auntie selling pineapple ice had actually stopped her and given her and Jiang Huashan a bowl of chilled pineapple shaved ice every day.

When they returned to the old residence, half of the shaved ice was already gone.

Old Madam Wu was waiting at the gate.

Fu Sui’er thought the old lady was about to lecture them again and shot Jiang Huashan a wary look.

Old Madam Wu noticed her guard and waved them over.

“Grandmother.”

Old Madam Wu looked at both Fu Sui’er and Jiang Huashan, her eyes kind. “You’re tired, aren’t you? Go back and rest.”

Back in the small courtyard, Fu Sui’er dried her half-wet hair, still confused.

“I still don’t get it. Grandmother was waiting at the gate just to tell us to go rest?”

During the past month, the old lady had made things difficult for them in every way—she was strict about sitting, walking, eating, even smiling. Now she suddenly became so easygoing, Fu Sui’er couldn’t adjust.

“You don’t need to understand it. Just accept it,” Jiang Huashan said casually, her eyes still fixed on the comic book in her hands.

Fu Sui’er stopped what she was doing and stared at her. “Huashan, what are you reading?”

She had already noticed it. Every time they came back from outside, Jiang Huashan would read comics alone during their private time. Could she have turned into a manga fan?

Jiang Huashan closed the book and looked thoughtfully at Fu Sui’er’s head.

From the day Fu Sui’er could see the flower-like signposts, the words “stupid” and “impulsive” had already shrunk, and now they were ranked behind “naive.”

At present, Fu Sui’er’s main label was “naive,” which meant that “stupid” and “impulsive” were already weakening in influence.

Actually, reaching this point was already a milestone victory.

But what Jiang Huashan wanted was far more than this.

Her thoughts were even bolder, more radical.

“What is it?” Fu Sui’er touched the top of her head. “Is there something on my head?”

Jiang Huashan shook her head and handed her the comic book in her hand. “Didn’t you just ask what I was reading?”

“Oh.”

Fu Sui’er took the comic and flipped through it casually. She had read this one before—it seemed to be about a villainous female supporting character who suddenly awakened, gained a cheat ability, and started to conquer the male lead. In the end, even the male lead, male supporting lead, second male lead, and even the fourth male lead all fell under her charm.

Did Shan Shan like stories like this?

“I was just thinking… what I might do in the future.”

Fu Sui’er froze, completely unable to understand why Jiang Huashan would think about something like that.

Jiang Huashan said, “Sui’er, have you ever thought about what kind of person you want to become when you grow up?”

Fu Sui’er shook her head. “Ever since I found out my family is rich, I stopped thinking about it. No matter how I live, I won’t have a bad life anyway.”

She glanced at Jiang Huashan, curious. “What about you? What do you want to become in the future?”

Jiang Huashan thought for a moment. “If nothing unexpected happens, I’d like to become a painter.”

“A painter?” That was yet another answer Fu Sui’er had never expected.

But she respected any decision Jiang Huashan made and immediately said, “A painter is great! When you hold your exhibition, I’ll invest in you. You can paint whatever you want, however you want.”

Jiang Huashan then asked again, “What about you?”

Fu Sui’er scratched her head, suddenly irritated. “I don’t know. I’ve really never thought about it. When you ask me like this, my brain feels like mush.”

Jiang Huashan took her hand away. “Then start seriously thinking about it from today.”

Fu Sui’er paused. “Think about what?”

Jiang Huashan said, “Think about why you exist. What is the meaning of your existence? If one day there were no support from the Shen or Fu families, what would you rely on to stand on your own? Think—if you were only yourself, how would you choose to live your life?”

When you seriously begin to think like this, you will develop a way of thinking that resists the plot. And if one day that kind of thinking becomes strong enough, you can become another “Jiang Huashan”—awaken self-awareness, become a carrier of life-like traits, tear off all labels, and refuse to be defined by anyone.

Because back then, I awakened in exactly this way.

Jiang Huashan was someone who acted immediately. That very afternoon, she told Old Madam Wu that she wanted to learn painting.

Regarding personal interests, Old Madam Wu did not interfere. The next day she had all the necessary art supplies prepared. Originally, she even planned to hire a famous teacher to come to Xiangying to teach, but Jiang Huashan refused.

Her reason was simple: humans are born able to paint, just like they are born able to distinguish colors. Technique can be learned at any time.

Life in Xiangying was simple and fulfilling.

For the next half month, the two of them still went daily to apologize to Teacher Kong, and returned disappointed each time. After coming back, Jiang Huashan would set up her easel under the corridor to mix colors, while Fu Sui’er leaned against her, staring at the sky and thinking about the meaning of her life.

Sometimes a heavy rain would arrive, thunder roaring, raindrops striking the eaves like chaotic arrows, dark clouds pressing down on the city like war had broken out—an illusion of turmoil and disorder. At other times, summer winds brushed through fragmented shadows, white clouds drifted across a pure blue sky like a painter’s palette, bringing a quiet, peaceful sense of serenity.

One ordinary afternoon—

“Sister Shan! I’ve figured it out!”

Fu Sui’er suddenly clapped and shouted, grabbing Jiang Huashan’s hand.

Jiang Huashan’s brush paused. The red she had intended to place on the sea to highlight the dawn accidentally landed on the sunken ship at the bottom of the lake instead…

She looked up at Fu Sui’er, only to see her eyes burning with intensity, shimmering with excitement.

“I want to become the president!”

Jiang Huashan’s gaze trembled. The paintbrush slipped from her fingers and fell.