Chapter 174: The Joyful Little Frog (Best Enjoyed with Music)

The weather in July changes at a whim.

Dark clouds rolled in, and within moments, raindrops the size of beans pounded down on the trees, rooftops, and people.

Juanjuan squatted at the doorway, looking up at the pouring rain outside.

A blinding flash of lightning streaked across the sky, and Juanjuan quickly raised her hands to cover her ears.

Even with her ears covered, she could still hear the deafening crash of thunder.

In the past, she was terrified of rain.

When it rained, her mother would go mad, her father would become violent, and her brothers would watch coldly, as if it were the most terrifying thing.

But now…

In her ears, apart from the sound of raindrops and the rumble of thunder, there was also the chatter of voices.

【This thunder… tsk tsk tsk, is this all there is? No wonder there’s no Spiritual Energy! Not scary at all.】

This was the leisurely voice of her Eldest Brother.

【Let’s hope for favorable weather this year, no floods or droughts.】

This was the reliable voice of her Second Brother.

【This is what it’s like to quietly watch the rain. In the apocalypse, you couldn’t get wet; every time it rained, there was worry about zombies and mutated plants and animals getting stronger. But here… it’s so relaxing.】

This was the relaxed voice of her Third Brother.

【On a rainy day, shouldn’t you be lying on a soft, fragrant bed, curtains drawn, projector on, with a bowl of snail noodles or at least some instant noodles, paired with a soda, enjoying it comfortably?】

【I want to go home… my little house, my little car, my instant noodles…】

This was the frustrated voice of her mother.

“A happy pond grows dreams into oceans, with bulging eyes and a big mouth, singing just as loudly, lend me a pair of little wings, and I can fly to the sun, I believe miracles are within me, la la la la la…”

A strange voice appeared.

This wasn’t an inner thought; it was a voice echoing in her ears. Juanjuan turned to look.

Reacting similarly to Juanjuan were Jiang Dai and the Bai Yunqi brothers.

They all turned in unison, casting peculiar glances at Bai Tian, who was perched on the windowsill, happily bouncing and humming a tune.

Juanjuan couldn’t understand what her father was mumbling, but it sounded cheerful.

Jiang Dai: 【Wait a minute, this song sounds familiar. To sing ‘Little Jumping Frog¹‘ like this, he’s quite the talent.】

Bai Yunqi: 【Is Dad chanting some sort of spell incantation?】

Bai Yunxing: 【This sounds like a nursery rhyme, but why does it feel so odd?】

Bai Yun’an: 【He’s off-key, isn’t he? Even in the apocalypse, I know that much.】

Bai Tian hadn’t noticed, fully immersed in his emotions.

Singing in the rain felt really good, especially when stressed. Singing loudly during a thunderstorm, like a madman, was a great way to relieve pressure.

As someone who used to dominate the bathroom concerts, he hadn’t sung in the shower since arriving in the Great Yu Dynasty.

Now, with the storm raging, it somewhat resembled a modern shower room.

“A joyful little frog, lu lu lu lu lu, in the happy pond there’s a little frog…?”

“Ribbit?”

Bai Tian turned his head and saw his entire family watching him.

Startled, his voice cracked into a ribbit.

Jiang Dai: …

【Hold it in, don’t laugh! Don’t laugh!】

The more she tried to hold it in, the harder it was, until she burst out laughing.

Bai Tian, feeling defeated, turned expressionlessly to look at the rain outside, feigning indifference.

Jiang Dai touched the tip of her nose, understanding the need for dignity as a fellow modern youth.

Thus, Juanjuan felt her mother gently nudge her, signaling for her to comfort her father.

【At times like this, only Little Juanjuan can do the comforting. It’s perfect for a child to do such things.】

【As for those three… pseudo-children, forget it. Their taunting might be worse than if I went.】

Juanjuan: ???

Comfort her father? How? She’d never done it before…

But seeing her mother’s hopeful and encouraging eyes, Juanjuan pondered how to comfort him as she scooted over to her father’s side.

“Daddy~”

A soft, sweet voice came through.

Bai Tian looked down to see a fair, slightly chubby little face, shyly and adorably gazing at him.

“Daddy, do you like the rain?”

Bai Tian nodded, “I do! After it rains, there’s a very pleasant smell. Do you like the rain, Juanjuan?”

“I didn’t like it before, but now I do.”

Bai Tian raised an eyebrow, curious as to why.

The little one flashed a comforting smile at him, “Because Daddy, Mommy, and my brothers are all so nice! When we’re together, I’m not afraid!”

When the child mentioned this, Bai Tian recalled the memories he received upon transmigrating and couldn’t help but curse the original owner a few times.

Indeed, the dead are to be respected, but beating one’s wife and children, not supporting the family, and shirking responsibilities are unforgivable.

The summer rain came quickly and dissipated just as fast.

Looking at the muddy ground, Jiang Dai sighed, “Sometimes I really miss cement roads.”

“What are cement roads?”

Juanjuan never missed a chance to ask questions.

Her parents’ whispered conversations were beyond her understanding and couldn’t be questioned.

But when her mother spoke openly, she had to ask.

Looking at her little girl, who was eagerly awaiting an explanation, Jiang Dai began, “Cement roads are…”

“Mom had a dream, where there was a place like where Immortals live. The roads there were cement roads, hard and smooth, and carriages wouldn’t bump when traveling on them.”

“Moreover, the Immortals there didn’t ride carriages; they rode something like small houses with wheels that moved on their own.”

“There were also flying machines in the sky, called…”

Juanjuan tried to answer, “Flying chickens²!”

She knew this! Her father had mumbled about it before.

Not only flying chickens, but many, many chickens.

“Indeed, it’s called an airplane, but it’s not a chicken that lays eggs; it’s a machine like a loom. People can sit inside and fly far away.”

“And there’s a small box you can hold in your hand to talk to people far away, even see them.”

For the first time, Juanjuan heard such detailed explanations from her mother.

The previously incomprehensible terms now seemed to form a vague picture in her mind, allowing her to guess their meaning.

Her mother said it was a dream of an Immortal world.

But Juanjuan knew it was where her parents used to live.

No wonder they always wanted to go back.

Who wouldn’t want to visit such an Immortal-like place?

Bai Yunxing also paused his work, listening intently for the first time to his mother’s description of that wondrous era where everyone was equal.

Perhaps it was no longer called a dynasty.

The people were happy, with no external threats or internal strife. Wasn’t that the prosperous age the Mu Family had longed to see for generations?

Bai Yunqi slowly moved closer, “No Spiritual Energy, but they can fly? And zoom around? And communicate over long distances?”

What kind of world is this?

Without Spiritual Energy, they can still be like cultivators. So what’s the point of his cultivation?

Bai Yun’an just smiled faintly.

The world before the apocalypse seemed really good, but the only downside was…

You couldn’t just kill and burn as you pleased. In that sense, the ancient times were more convenient.

After all, he had Spatial Storage.

These days, he’s been eating half at home and sneaking out to find more food.

His Spatial Storage was already stocked with many things.

When they go to Jingcheng, he wanted to… secretly seek some excitement.

Translator’s Notes