The Weight of Gratitude and the Shadow of Death

Whether it was compensation for medical expenses or the looming threat of imprisonment, neither was something he could bear.Any outcome would utterly devastate his family and ruin his life.As for the affluent gentlemen, those in charge, they had refused to even replace the rope, thus they would certainly be unwilling to incur any additional compensation costs or shoulder any responsibility.Their sole course of action would be to shift all blame onto a mere cog like him!

Fortunately, Joel observed no bloodstains at the scene, and the man and woman nearby, who appeared to be siblings, seemed perfectly fine.

“It’s truly a blessing that you’re both unharmed. I am profoundly sorry; I swear this was an accident!”

Sun Youde remained silent, observing the worker’s expression for a moment.He concluded that the man did not appear to be lying, suggesting this was likely a simple accident rather than a deliberate act.

At that moment, the girl still clutched Sun Youde’s arm tightly, her eyes glistening with tears.Completely disregarding the worker, her voice trembled slightly.

“I scarcely know how to describe my current feelings. You couldn’t possibly know, but not only are you my savior, you also offered me encouragement during my most agonizing moment.”

Having uttered these words, her emotions settled somewhat, and she seemed to realize her momentary lapse in composure.

Stepping back, she bowed slightly. “My name is Yali Miller, and I thank you again for your assistance.”

“Hello, Ms. Miller, I am… er, Yodel Finn.”

“Finn? What an unusual surname,” Yali remarked, though her surprise quickly faded.Changing the subject, she continued, “Would you be willing to come to my home as a guest? While you seek no reward, I genuinely wish to properly host you.”

Yali’s sudden invitation left ‘Yodel Finn’ feeling somewhat at a loss, but after a moment of consideration, he decided to accept.Having just arrived in this unfamiliar place, a meal and a place to rest his feet could only be beneficial.

Watching Yodel and Yali depart, the worker Joel breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that these two had not caused him any trouble.[In reality, they had barely acknowledged Joel at all.]

‘It seems I’m rather fortunate after all,’ he mused.

With this thought, Joel returned to the construction site.

****

“You may leave now. You should consider yourself lucky; although you neglected your duties, those above do not wish to pursue your responsibility…”

In an instant, Joel’s face turned ashen.He wanted to protest, to explain that the rope’s breakage wasn’t his fault, that he hadn’t been negligent at all, but his words were cut off before he could utter them.

“Your wages have been used to compensate for the damaged sign and rope. Now get out!”

He was summarily thrown out, left standing forlornly on the street, while passersby cast curious, spectating glances his way.

****

Yali’s home was small, yet impeccably tidy.The few pieces of furniture were arranged with meticulous order, clearly indicating that its occupant cherished this little dwelling, consistently cleaning and organizing it with care.

Regrettably, no matter how diligently the owner maintained it, the humble home still exuded an air of financial strain.

While Yali prepared food, Yodel surveyed the few ornaments adorning the living room.

A small dressing mirror reflected Yodel’s gaunt, grimy face.He abruptly lowered his gaze, discovering he was clad in what could only be described as beggar’s rags; his original work clothes had vanished without a trace.

‘Oh right, I soul-transmigrated,’ he thought.’The God of Death (TL Note: Refers to the female character ‘死神小姐’ in the glossary, who is responsible for Yodel’s transmigration) likely dropped me into the body of some vagrant who died on the street.’ ‘This works out well; with no family or connections, I won’t have to deal with the original body’s social circle.’

‘No wonder the passersby looked at me so strangely when I saved Yali.’ ‘Hmm… and no wonder Yali insisted on cooking for me; she probably thinks I’m a starving homeless man. What a kind girl.’

Shifting his gaze, he noticed a photo frame on the other side, displaying a smiling young man and woman.

Though it was a black-and-white photograph, Yodel immediately recognized the girl as Yali.

As for the man…

“He’s my brother,” Yali said, having returned to the dining table at some point, placing a bowl of prepared mashed potatoes before Yodel.

“Really? With a sister like you, your brother must have been a kind and upright person as well.”

Yali smiled. “Thank you. If he could hear that, he would be very happy. You’re right, he was the best brother in the world.”

‘If he could hear that.’ ‘The best brother in the world.’ These phrases immediately struck Yodel as troubling.His first intuition was that her brother had likely met the God of Death, just like himself.

Deciding to steer clear of the topic, he thanked Yali and began to eat the mashed potatoes.

The taste was unremarkable, but considering this was likely an alternate-world Britain, Yodel felt a sense of resignation.

‘Ah, British cuisine,’ he thought with a shrug. ‘As long as it’s edible, that’s fine.’

However, Yali showed no intention of letting the topic drop; she seemed to have taken Yodel as her confidant.

“My parents passed away when I was very young, and my brother always looked after me.”

“He was truly incredible; he sustained this small home all by himself, and I hardly ever went hungry. You can surely imagine how difficult that must have been for a family like ours.”

“I remember when I was ten, I told him I wanted to go to university, to study history. Haha, quite naive and willful, wasn’t it?”

“But his reply was: ‘Of course. Whatever you wish to do, I will support you.’”

The more Yodel listened, the more uneasy he felt, so he interrupted Yali. “So now he…”

“He passed away last week.”

‘I knew it,’ Yodel thought, immediately regretting his impulsiveness, wishing he could slap himself twice.

Now he understood the reason for Yali’s attempt to jump.

With her beloved brother gone, and having been overly protected, she lacked the ability to live independently.Under this dual blow, she saw no hope in life, which led to her suicidal thoughts.

“I’m sorry for bringing up painful memories.”

“No, you needn’t apologize. It was I who wished to speak with someone; I should be the one apologizing.”

“Please, sit a while longer. I’ll get you something.”

A moment later, Yali returned, holding a stack of scattered banknotes and coins, which she handed entirely to Yodel.

“Please, you must take this. I know you seek no reward, but if I truly gave you nothing, my conscience would trouble me immensely.”

“Judging by your appearance, you must have encountered difficulties just like me. I apologize, I can only give you this much; it’s all the money I have.”

She paused for a moment, then withdrew a portion from the pile of money. “I still need to pay overdue rent, so please allow me to take some back.”

“What about yourself? Haven’t you kept any for your own needs?”

In Yodel’s estimation, Yali likely had no source of income, and this money was probably her last safeguard.

“Me? You don’t need to worry about me,” Yali replied, smiling once more as she firmly pressed the money into Yodel’s hand.

The moment he received the money, Yodel discerned a hint of relief in Yali’s smile, yet he felt no joy whatsoever.

For, precisely as Yali smiled, the death premonition resurfaced.

“Holy hell!”

‘No, sis,’ he thought.

The money in his hand instantly felt like a branding iron, and Yodel, as if electrocuted, tossed it onto the table.

“No, I cannot accept this.”

This action had an immediate effect; the still-forming premonition instantly froze.

Yodel surmised this was because Yali was in a state of indecision, causing her future death status to remain unclear.

‘What a close call,’ he thought.’Thank goodness I can see death premonitions, otherwise this girl would have died three times already.’

‘Didn’t I talk her out of it? Why is she still contemplating suicide? Where did I go wrong?’

Yodel quickly recounted the past few hours he had spent with Yali, and soon pinpointed the core of the problem.

‘Yali never truly intended to live from the start,’ he realized.’It was only because I saved her that she wished to repay me before dying. Thus, the idea of gratitude took precedence over suicide, and the death premonition temporarily vanished.’

‘And just now, she gave me all her money, believing she had done everything she could to repay me.Consequently, she prepared to commit suicide again, and the death premonition reappeared.’

In short, if Yodel wanted Yali to live, he would have to keep her tethered by the notion of ‘repaying a debt of gratitude’ until her suicidal thoughts were thoroughly eradicated.

Perhaps by stalling Yali for a period, allowing her to emerge from the grief of her brother’s death, and learn to be self-reliant and live independently, her suicidal urges would naturally dissipate.

Having grasped the crux of the issue, Yodel immediately launched into a verbal offensive.

A few minutes later, under Yodel’s earnest and persistent persuasion, Yali finally took the money back.

Nevertheless, she adamantly insisted that Yodel stay, offering to look after his daily needs until he found a job and stable accommodation.No matter how Yodel tried to decline, Yali showed no sign of backing down.

She even agreed to let Yodel stay overnight in her brother’s room, provided he tried his best to keep the room as it was.

Left with no alternative, he could only agree to temporarily reside there.This served a dual purpose: to keep an eye on Yali and prevent her from having another sudden suicidal thought, and to secure a temporary lodging for himself.

****

Having temporarily stabilized Yali, Yodel finally had time to clean himself up.

He performed a simple wash, ridding himself of the body odor and grime, lightly styled his hair, and changed into the clothes Yali had prepared.

‘Gazing into the mirror, Yodel displayed a satisfied smile. “It seems she didn’t just randomly pick a body for me to resurrect into; the God of Death (TL Note: Refers to the female character ‘死神小姐’ in the glossary, who is responsible for Yodel’s transmigration)’s aesthetic taste is quite on point, after all.”’

Though the face in the mirror appeared somewhat gaunt from malnutrition, its underlying features were good enough that it wasn’t entirely unattractive.

Yodel nodded contentedly. “Not bad; I’m at least a tenth as handsome as I was in my previous life.”

Turning to look out the window, he noticed that dusk had already fallen.

Yodel couldn’t help but sigh, reflecting that in just half a day in this new world, he had been repeatedly startled by death premonitions, his emotions rising and falling like a roller coaster.Now, with a moment of relaxation, weariness immediately enveloped him.Yodel lay on the bed, closed his eyes, and welcomed his first night after transmigrating.

In his dream, he once again heard the God of Death’s voice:

“Yay? How did this girl’s fate get fixed? Excellent, no overtime for me today!”