Echoes of Time

Chapter 8: Can You Teach Me?

After returning to the room safely, Narnia asked him, "Who was that person just now?"

"My mother."

Narnia wasn't too surprised. She had guessed as much earlier. He did resemble his mother somewhat, but he looked more like his father. Narnia had seen Shen Yi as an adult, so she knew what his father looked like without a doubt.

However, Narnia found it strange. Since that was his mother, why hadn't she come to visit him these past two days?

From what Narnia understood, Jurassic had moved abroad with his family when he was six years old. His father was a business magnate, a millionaire, so Jurassic was naturally a wealthy young master who should have been pampered and cherished.

But after these past two days of contact, Narnia didn't think so.

The environment here was too oppressive, lifeless, without any vitality. His daily schedule was not something a normal person could bear. It felt like he was trapped in a cage, restricted, without any freedom.

Narnia, drying her hair, casually asked, "Do you not get along with your mother?"

He lowered his head and after a long while, said, "She was r***d by a man and gave birth to me. Every time she sees my face, she just wants to strangle me."

Narnia's hand paused as she dried her hair. She gaped at him, her mind flashing with a single thought—what had he gone through?

In the dead of night, Narnia lay on the sofa, unable to sleep no matter what, so she simply opened her eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling.

After spending these two days with this young Jurassic, Narnia noticed that he had a slight tendency towards autism. He was reticent, spoke little, and never smiled. This reminded Narnia of the adult Jurassic she had seen—graceful, elegant, gentle, and modest.

Narnia found it hard to imagine what kind of growth this Jurassic had experienced to change so much.

Thinking of this, Narnia sat up, walked to the bed, and looked at the already sleeping Jurassic. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his hands tightly gripping the blanket, seemingly having a nightmare, sleeping restlessly.

Although she didn't know what experiences he had undergone at such a young age, Narnia could tell that his past was incomplete.

Narnia felt that she should do something. Otherwise, she dared not think about what he might become if this continued...

At six o'clock in the morning, Jurassic woke up on time. As soon as he opened his eyes, he looked at the sofa first and, finding Narnia not there, he panicked and sat up abruptly!

Then he heard Narnia's voice coming from behind the sofa, "Fifty-eight, fifty-nine, sixty..."

Jurassic walked over and saw Narnia doing push-ups on the ground. Frowning, he asked her, "What are you doing?""Doing push-ups, I haven't exercised in the past two days, my bones are getting stiff," Narnia said, standing up after the last repetition, stretching as she spoke to him. "You should come and exercise with me too. Don't just focus on studying; you need to work on your physical fitness as well. Remember the importance of a balanced education, including physique, intelligence, aesthetics, and labor."

He grimaced, muttering, "I don't feel like it."

"I can tell you don't exercise much, just look at your build, so fragile and weak, almost sickly. Don't be afraid of sweating; it's quite refreshing!" Narnia wouldn't take no for an answer and dragged him into working out, leaving him drenched in sweat by the morning.

Jurassic, exhausted, slumped to the ground, gasping for air. Looking up, he saw Narnia throwing punches and performing high kicks, her martial arts skills clearly impressive.

After catching his breath, Jurassic asked her, "Are you good at fighting?"

"Of course, I'm proficient in sanda, boxing, and martial arts. Only by being strong can I protect the people around me," Narnia said with a sense of pride.

Jurassic pondered, no one had ever said anything like that to him before, nor had anyone encouraged him to build his strength. But hearing Narnia's words, he felt a new urge to change.

"Then, could you..." he began.

"What?" Narnia, noticing his hesitation, stopped her punch mid-air and waited for him to continue.

Jurassic bravely met her gaze, "Could you teach me?"

"Sure!" Narnia agreed promptly, thinking she had found a new student, which would help pass the time and keep her from being bored.

After that, whenever they were alone, without the tutor around, Narnia would come over to spend time with him.

Narnia played several games of Go with him and lost every time. Each defeat led to her throwing a fit, yet she kept wanting to play despite her losses. Eventually, Jurassic deliberately allowed her to win, and she was delighted for the entire day.

Jurassic couldn't comprehend why winning against a child would make her so happy, especially since he had intentionally lost.

However, he had to admit that seeing her so joyful made his own mood improve, and he gradually grew accustomed to Narnia's constant chattering and laughter by his side.

This made the room, which he had once wanted to flee, much less daunting.

And so, a month passed with Narnia's presence.

During that month, Narnia was not idle. In the dead of night, she would secretly explore her surroundings, becoming thoroughly familiar with the environment.

To be precise, this place was a manor, but it was sparsely populated: seven or eight maids, a gardener, two cooks, and the butler had left and showed no sign of returning, much to Narnia’s annoyance!

Upon further investigation, Narnia discovered that the only people living here were Jurassic and his mother.

It was an odd feeling, as if they were being kept by a wealthy person, living in the shadows.

Narnia was curious to know more about what he had mentioned before, about his mother being r***d by a man, which led to his birth. But he didn't want to talk about it, and Narnia wouldn't force the issue.Unintentionally, Narnia overheard Feilita and several maids gossiping, mentioning Jurassic's mother, and Narnia learned who that man was.

He was Jurassic's father, Daniel.

Jurassic's mother, Gilead, was a Southern woman born into a scholarly family. Unfortunately, many beautiful women have a destined tough life, and Gilead's turning point was her decision to study abroad.

The story is somewhat cliché; during her studies, Gilead fell in love with a man who also liked her. However, this man was not Daniel but another named Atlantis.

Daniel "stole" Gilead from Atlantis, differing from the gentle Atlantis, Daniel was someone who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

If he set his eyes on someone or something, he would not allow anyone else to take it; if pushed too far, he'd rather destroy it than see someone else have it!

Daniel used such tactics to impregnate Gilead, forcing her to marry him.

Gilead never loved Daniel, only hated him. She tried to escape many times, but each time, Daniel caught her. Reality is not like a romance novel; every time Gilead fled, she was brutally beaten by Daniel to the point of vomiting blood.

Jurassic grew up in such an environment.

He witnessed his mother being abused, witnessed her holding his neck, her face twisted with the curse of why he didn't die. Gilead always looked at Jurassic with nothing but disdain.

She harbored deep hatred for him, and seeing his face become more and more like Daniel's, she would go mad, often screaming hysterically, her mental state deteriorating.

This was what Narnia inferred from snippets of conversation, but such testimonies can't be considered evidence and may contain false elements.

That is to say, whether this story is true or not remains to be verified.

As a criminal investigator, she couldn't make a conclusion based on a few words. However, regardless of the truth, Jurassic is the biggest victim in this incident.

Is Gilead pitiful? Yes, but is she innocent? That's hard to say.

The harm she caused has been passed on to her son. From this alone, Narnia feels sorry for her, but will not sympathize with her.

Narnia thought she would continue to live like this with Jurassic every day until Caprica returned, with no unexpected incidents. But one morning, Jurassic told her, "That man is back."

Narnia was initially confused. "Who's back?"

"Daniel, my father."

Narnia was taken aback. Daniel is back?