Love from the Male Protagonist’s Harem

Chapter 51-Doudou And Shuangshuang [Buried Memories] Part 2

Translated by Snowfall77

One night, stars adorning the sky, two little girls who’d just been gnawing on leaves climbed to the top of an old, dry crooked tree to be cooled by the wind and dream of tomorrow.

Doudou asked: “Shuangshuang, what do you want to be when you grow up?”

Xia Ge, having just endured 2 months of hunger and cold, wrapped her rags a little tighter around her body as she bleakly contemplated her future: “Um……be rich, I guess.  Eating what you want every day is the best.  Even though things are hard right now, that’s my dream…….or maybe become especially strong.  Like ‘punching at Nanshan Nursing Home and kicking Beihai Kindergarten’ type of powerful.”

That way she could loot and plunder to her heart’s content.

She’d strongly disliked the village head, an evil tyrant named Zhu, for a long while now.  The pity was that she had no hardware, otherwise she’d have stolen from him already.

Well, maybe a more politic way to put it would be……robbing the rich to feed the poor?

A nonplused Doudou: “……Shuangshuang, you’re saying weird things again.”

Her daydream screeching to a halt, Xia Ge eyed her own stick-thin arms and legs, and gave up the idea of being a ‘Robin Hood.’  Since she’d have to stick to being a proper socialist, she quickly shifted to a different fantasy: “Alright, I dream of living well, where every day I eat, I drink, and I lick all the yogurt lids before I throw them away.”

Doudou: “What’s a yogurt lid?”

“Something delicious.”

Although she still didn’t understand, Doudou sincerely wanted the best for her friend: “Shuangshuang, that day will definitely come.”

——No, that day wouldn’t come.  Because there was no Wei X yogurt in the godforsaken world they dwelt in, and therefore no yogurt lids either.

In spite of Doudou’s good wishes, Xia Ge could not cheer up.  She hadn’t had the pleasure of licking a yogurt lid for 2 months, whereas before she could have as many as she liked.

And now, just 3 minutes ago, she’d had to be satisfied with the taste of Wutong leaves.

The taste was really……not easily put into words.

Covering her mouth, wishing she could forget that flavor, Xia Ge gloomily decided that inquiring after her friend’s inner life would be more enriching to a beggar’s life: “What about you, Doudou?  What do you want to be?”

Ah, weren’t they just like 2 elementary students exploring their □ □ dreams under the warmth of the red socialist sun?

Xia Ge checked out her puny arms.

Ok, maybe ‘kindergartener’ would be more accurate.

Silently gazing up at the stars for a long while, Doudou finally whispered: “Someday……I guess I hope……I can be free forever.”

Xia Ge: “???”

Dwelling in abject poverty, where had Doudou come up with such a high-brow view of life?

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Weren’t they living a little too ‘free’ right now?

So free their taste buds had sunk to the level of Wutong leaves……

Xia Ge wanted to tactfully counter her little leaf-eating friend, but before she could, Doudou’s small voice continued: “Shuangshuang, I don’t think we’re doing so bad.  Even if we can’t eat rice, we’re very free.  I never used to understand how sweet freedom was……until I saw slaves being sold off, saw girls being taken away as prostitutes.  They get to eat every day, yet I can’t envy them.”

Given pause for thought, Xia Ge stayed silent for a minute.

Well……if that was how Doudou felt, Xia Ge could see the reason in it.

Although, what was the use of a free little beggar wishing for even more freedom, when said beggar was nothing but skin and bone?

“……you don’t wish to become powerful?”  Xia Ge decided to come at it from the side: “Doudou, the way we’re living, we’re not free at all.”

Doudou glanced at Shuangshuang with an uncomprehending expression.

“It’s not just chains and rules that hold people captive, starvation and poverty do it too,” Xia Ge argued, “In fact, if you’re one of the living, there’s no way you can truly be free……”

Tilting her head, Doudou still didn’t look like she understood.

“Aiya, how to help you get it……let me pose you a question.”

“What are you gonna eat tomorrow?”

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Doudou’s face scrunched up: “……”

Xia Ge: “See?  We’ve no way to determine what we’ll eat tomorrow.  How can that be freedom?”

Feeling her question had hit the mark, Xia Ge waited to see how Doudou would crack this nut.

Not knowing what they would eat tomorrow or even if……no way that could be considered freedom.  No, it was just a very pressing problem.

Doudou hugged her legs and stared up at the glittering stars.  Perhaps the point Xia Ge had raised was too difficult, for Doudou chose to ignore it, instead saying: “Shuangshuang, you just said……you want to become very powerful?”
Busy dwelling on the practical problem of tomorrow’s breakfast, Xia Ge had lost interest in some distant future.  Still, although unhappy, Xia Ge answered her friend: “Mmm, it’d be awesome……everyone calling me the best ‘Daddy’ and kneeling down before me.”

Taking in Doudou’s extraordinarily blank expression, Xia Ge knew Doudou had no idea why Xia Ge would want to be called ‘Daddy.’

……ai, schoolchildren were too much trouble.  Never understood anything.  Oh well, Xia Ge would explain it.

Xia Ge cleared her throat: “So……I mean that I want to become someone who’s adored by many, by other powerful people too……like if the Emperor saw me, he’d salute me……the type of person who shines for all to see.”

Finished, Xia Ge sighed.

It was dark, it was late, and a kindergartner had no business conjuring up pipe dreams with an elementary school student.

“A shining person?”  Doudou’s tone was baffled, “There are people who shine?”

Xia Ge: “……”  What, no, it’s a metaphor……

Doudou was cheered up by her misunderstanding though, her crinkled brow smoothing: “If Shuangshuang becomes stronger, she’ll shine too?  Like……”

Considering for a moment, Doudou then pointed up at the night sky: “Like the stars?”

Xia Ge: “……”

How did Doudou come up with that?  Sweet……but people don’t glow like stars.

Xia Ge: “No, I mean……like being a dazzling person……”

While Doudou hadn’t been many places and hadn’t seen many things, Xia Ge couldn’t help thinking that Doudou was actually a bit dim-witted.

Foolish, yes—lovable too though.

Xia Ge tried to phrase it so that Doudou could understand: “If you can be very powerful, if you’re a very capable person, most people will look up to you, you’ll be admired by lots and lots of people……you’ll stand out from amongst the crowd.  That kind of person is a ‘shining’ person.”

“You’re kinda right about the stars though, I guess.”  A melancholy Xia Ge contemplated the heavens, “They exist to be looked up to.”

Now Doudou caught Xia Ge’s meaning and she laughed, right before getting distressed again: “But if you’re that powerful, you’ll end up taking care of a lot of people, right?  Look at the village chief……he has to take care of all the people in the village.  All he does is fret all day, so he’s lost all his hair.  If Shuangshuang becomes like him, you’ll get very worn out.  I don’t want you to lose all your hair……it would be really ugly.”

Punching at Nanshan Nursing Home and kicking Beihai Kindergarten comes from the lyrics of Hua’er Band’s “Nonsense and Reasonable”.

It comes from the song “Bullshit and Hushou” from the album “Hua Tian Xi Shi” by Hua’er Band in 2006. The singer of this song, “Flower Band”, has a great interest in the art of cross talk, so they created a musical cross talk based on the characters, behaviors and characteristics of the four members. And there are imitations, self-deprecation and exaggerated use of various dialects in the lyrics. The stalk comes from these lyrics:

“This young master was born in a poor

family. Apart from six babysitters, there are more than a dozen security guards in the family, but he is

upright and especially upright

. He punched Nanshan Nursing Home

and stepped on Beitou Kindergarten

.

Wen Nengwu,

why is someone Rain but I am Runtu”

——”Nonsense and Reasonable” Flower Band, 2006