Chapter 713 (1/2)

Chapter 713: A Better Performance

Translator: TransN Editor: TransN

Not long after May left the square, she heard a sound of soft footsteps coming from behind her.

“Mrs Lannis, please wait, Mrs Lannis!”

It took her quite a while to realize that it was referring to herself. When she turned back, she saw a girl, aged 17 or 18, running toward her.

The girl’s hair was tied up like ram’s horns, and her cheeks had gone red in the freezing wind, but her cotton-padded clothes and leather boots were brand new with good quality. If it were two years ago, May would have imagined the girl as someone’s daughter from a rich family. But now more and more civilians could afford new clothes, it was not such a safe bet to judge a person’s status from one’s appearance anymore.

The girl ran to May’s side and handed May one of her two salted fishes while gasping the cold air.

“Mrs Lannis, this is a little token of my gratitude. Please do accept it.”

May was stunned and then asked, “A token of gratitude?”

“I’ve always wanted to meet you. If my father had watched your show, he would have been very gratified!”

“But I don’t know you or your father… Can you tell me exactly what this is about?”

It took the Star of the Western Region half an hour to roughly understand the whole story.

The girl’s name was Jasmine. She was on her way back from the Convenience Market when she happened to recognize May from behind. Giving May fish was only a hasty decision to express her gratitude.

Jasmine’s father was a former soldier of the First Army who was accidentally killed during the battle against the church and left Jasmine and her mother behind. The generous compensation from City Hall and the recruitment priority policy relieved them from worrying about their livelihood. Jasmine grieved for her father’s death for quite a long time. It was not until the staging of the new play “The Hero’s Life” did Jasmine pull herself together.

In the play, all those soldiers who bravely sacrificed their lives for protecting their families and the kingdom were bestowed with the title of Hero by His Majesty.

“Mother said that father used to be a common hunter. She never expected him to gain such an honor after death. She told me to thank you if I ever got the chance to meet you.” Jasmine deeply bowed to May. “Now people call me the daughter of a hero, which makes me feel that father actually didn’t leave me. If not for the rule that the First Army doesn’t take in females, I’d have carried a flintlock and fought against those hostile enemies.”

“…” May remained silent for a while, then asked lightly, “But you might be killed on a battlefield. Aren’t you afraid of death?”

Jasmine nodded, then shook her head. “In former winters, every family in my area would migrate toward Longsong Stronghold. Many people died on the way there and had their bodies were cast into the Redwater River. Every sound of something dropping in the water meant a person had died. When we reached the slum, death became more frequent. After heavy snow, the streets were always filled with frozen bodies. At that time, I often shivered out of fear. I feared when I closed my eyes, I could be the next victim.”

“Since I don’t want to live like that again, there needs to be people to stand out and fight for a new life,” she said word by word.

That was a line in the play.

Suddenly, May felt that something soft, deep in her heart was touched.

She reached out her hands to touch the girl’s hair. “Even if you’ll lose everything?”

When this line of narration sounded in the theater, May vaguely remembered the whole square was in silence, the audience were holding their breath and waiting for the impersonator of the hero to answer.

At this moment, Jasmine’s answer was as powerful as the “Hero” in the play, “Because it is worth fighting for.”

“I accept your gift.”