No more! (Between a rock and a hard place 7)

Chapter 2

"Nice to meet you, Little Brother," greeted Wei Ying cheerfully.

He was happy to have a little brother. Back when he had been living on the streets, he had always helped younger children to get by and he took it as his personal mission to protect this boy as well. After all, he only had one precious little brother. He was sure they would get along splendidly.

Jiang Cheng however did not seem to be as enthusiastic about gaining a sibling. He was scowling hard at Uncle Jiang's hand on Wei Ying's shoulder. His cheeks were once again puffed out in an angry pout. Wei Ying wondered what he had done wrong.

"A-Cheng, where are your manners," Uncle Jiang reprimanded.

Before Jiang Cheng could react in any way, there was a sound that Wei Ying knew only too well resounding in the field. He shivered hard and started frantically looking around to discover where the thread would come from. His legs shook and his heartbeat quickened, he was ready to run. Unconsciously, he took two steps backward, pressing himself against the steady wall of Uncle Jiang's legs, this way, at least his rear was covered and somewhat safe.

"Princess, there you are!"

Jiang Cheng turned around and squatted with his hands spread out to the sides as if he was about to hug the puppy which appeared seemingly out of nowhere. It was hopping excitedly up and down, barking nonstop; and Wei Ying just knew that it was rambunctious enough to not listen to anyone.

He turned around fully, ready to flee, but the only thing he accomplished was to run into the adult's legs. In his rising panic, he had not expected to be stopped and had to grab Uncle Jiang's legs for support lest he would fall down onto his behind.

He was only half aware of what was happening. The only thing on his mind was to flee, and that his escape route was being blocked. His muscles were tense but the overwhelming fear was making it impossible to move. He was trapped. Any second now, the sharp fangs of the feral beast would tear into his flesh and he would have no possibility to protect himself.

"A-Ying, everything is fine. You do not have to be afraid," torn him out of his panicked struggle Uncle Jiang's gentle and soothing voice.

Wei Ying realized that he was being held in the adult's arms, far from the yapping puppy's white teeth. He relaxed somewhat, at least he was safe for now. He clutched tighter the purple robes, holding for dear life. Even if Uncle Jiang wanted to put him down now, he would not let go. He realized he was trembling and hated himself for displaying so much weakness. Surely a great cultivation sect did not have use for a someone who was this scared of dogs?

But, to Wei Ying's never-ending surprise, Uncle Jiang only adjusted his hold and glanced at him once. Then, as if it was the most natural of all things, he told his son: "A-Cheng, A-Ying does not like dogs, we will have to send your puppies away."

Without waiting for any reply, Uncle Jiang turned on his heel and walked away with a stunned and still trembling Wei Ying in his arms. From behind, Jiang Cheng was throwing a tantrum, but no one heard him aside for his father – who clearly chose to ignore it for now in favour of getting Wei Ying to safety – and his new older brother.

"Do not worry, A-Ying. I am sorry the puppies scared you. You will not have to see them again. And A-Cheng will come around, he may be angry now, but he will warm up to you in no time, I am sure."

Uncle Jiang walked for a while, reassuring Wei Ying that they would be a family. That Third Lady as he called his wife and A-Cheng would come to like him, that they have been just a little surprised. Wei Ying had no idea if this was true or not. His new mother and younger brother had seemed very mad at him for showing up. To him, it did not feel like they were about to turn around and start liking him. However, he trusted Uncle Jiang, after all, he was the one who saved him when dogs had been chasing him, had offered him food and had brought him here to give him a home.

He finally managed to calm himself. He felt bad about Jiang Cheng's puppies. His new younger brother clearly loved them. Wei Ying was the problem here; if he was not so scared of those ferocious beasts, then everything would have gone differently. Now, he was afraid that his new family would not accept him.

The feeling was so strong that it made him shudder and blood froze in his veins. He could not even properly remember what it had felt like to have a home. His memories of his own parents were blurry at best, he could not recall their faces no voices clearly. There were just vague impressions of warm hugs, sweet lullabies and joyous laughter. Oh, how he wished to have something at least distantly similar again. Despite the rough start, he still hoped that it could become reality.

First things first, he had to repair the impression he had left on the two members of his new family that he had met till now. His mother terrified him to the marrow of his bones, so he was not eager to start with here. But something could definitely be done so his brother would stop hating him.

"Uncle Jiang..." he started in a pleading voice.

He wanted to ask his father to take back his words and not send Jiang Cheng's puppies away. If it was just for his sake that they had to go, he would learn how to tolerate the creatures. And if it would be impossible, he could still probably avoid them most of the time. Lotus Pier was a big place, big enough for a boy who was used to hiding in the smallest crevices to pass unnoticed by a bunch of dogs.

In the end though, Wei Ying never got to finish his plea. Because Uncle Jiang suddenly stopped when a young girl almost bumped into them running from behind a corner. She quickly recognized who was standing in front of her and smiled like an angel, soft and kind:

"Father, I have been looking for you. I heard you have brought someone new that you wanted to introduce." Her eyes became bigger and kinder when she spotted Wei Ying cradled in her father's arms. "Is this perhaps my new little brother? What is your name? I am Jiang Yanli, but you can call me Sister."

Wei Ying could not help it and he grinned in response. It looked like there were at least two people in his new family who were nice to him. He would take that over life in the streets any day. He was convinced that he could make this work after all.