dao of coming back home Chapter 3: Chapter 3. Time for School

Read chapter 3 of dao of coming back home by paprykarz on NovelPedia.

Chapter 3. Time for School A new morning rises in the small village in the middle of the forest. On its outskirts stands a small wooden-and-bamboo house, where at this moment Hong Tin leaves his bed. — That was nice. I don’t remember the last time I slept so well. — He looks around energetically, but to his sadness he is still in this strange world. — Unfortunately, I’m still here... To the sadness caused by transmigration was added anger at himself, caused by his outburst toward Hua Li. Yesterday’s conversation with Wang Li had truly moved the boy’s heart. Because of these matters, despite having a rested body, his spirit was not in such a good state. — I have to apologize to her. He quickly got dressed and went down to the kitchen, where a slightly depressed woman seemed to be cooking something. — Hi, “Mom.” Hearing the unexpected sound behind her, Hua Li jumped in fright. — Is that you, Liang? About what you said... She did not manage to finish before hearing loudly: — I’m sorry. I behaved like a complete idiot. Forgive me, “Mom.” Hua Li, now on the border of shock and astonishment, quickly recovered, approached her son and pulled him into an embrace, almost exactly like a few days ago, while not saying a single word. Tears flowed down her beautiful face. She held him like that for several minutes until she finally let go. — I’m happy, you don’t even know how happy I am, but... Suddenly her voice began to grow sharper. — What did you say in the presence of your mother? Hong Tin, slightly surprised by the woman’s remark, repeated questioningly: — That I’m an “idiot.” Hua Li’s lips curled into a smile as she grabbed a cloth and lightly smacked her son with it. — Ouch, what was that for? — he asked, confusion written all over his face. In response he saw a woman unable to stop laughing, but when she finally finished, she answered in a light voice: — For scaring your old mother. She swung again and hit him a second time. Even more bewildered, he repeated the question. — And this time? — For your language. If I hear something like that again, you won’t get off so lightly. It was clear she was much happier than she had been minutes ago. The woman returned to preparing food with almost double the energy, while the boy calmly waited at the table until finally it arrived. A small wooden bowl of rice was placed before him, a lightly fried fish, and a salad made from a strange fruit he did not recognize. On one hand he wanted to simply eat in peace, but on the other he wished to strengthen the bond between himself and his “mother,” so he began talking with her about seemingly nothing. The topics were food and drinks, but whenever Hua Li wanted to move toward a direction requiring greater openness, Hong Tin cleverly redirected the conversation elsewhere. — I want to get along with her, really, but... I just can’t, at least not now. He sighed quietly to himself. After breakfast, during which at least on the surface mother and son understood each other a little better, the boy remembered that today he had school, where the path back home might be hidden. The mysterious cultivation of body and soul. Because of this he temporarily suspended both his investigation into the strange man he had met the previous night and the legendary cave. He quickly said goodbye to his mother with a simple: — Bye, I’ll be back this evening. He left the house and headed toward where the school was supposed to be. Unfortunately, only on the way to school did he realize that there would also be other people from this world there. Despite seemingly overcoming his fear of the people of this new reality thanks to his parents, that only applied to them, whose memories filled Hong Tin’s head. He froze in place. Suddenly he saw a bird in the sky breaking through the winds, flying against the current of air. That ordinary sight almost enlightened the boy. — I want to be like that bird. To travel the heavens, stopped by nothing, flying wherever it wants, even if it opp