Human Doll Contract (人娃契) [1. Snow: 1 An Extra Girl]

Whoooooooot, first chapter! So I had translated and then saved over my draft with an empty page T____T. Yea, I had to re-translate the whole thing...it's also not completely proof-read but it'll be a while before it gets that and I want it posted ASAP.

Again, took some translation creative liberties. It’s kinda hard remembering Chinese names and I want them to be as associable as possible so I translated some of them. If you've got a suggestion, feel free to toss them in the comments section. Just a heads up, surnames are listed first in China so I kept it that way. (Surname Name Given Name).

The book is broken up into 5 chapters with 3 sections to each. Here's chapter 1.1.

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1. Snow: 1 An Extra Girl

Jiang Ziya1 always thought that he was the only abnormal one in his family.

Well…perhaps his father who gave him the name Jiang Ziya, then left one day in search of immortality, was also a bit bizarre but everyone at home pretends he never existed.

The current circumstance…

His twin sister Jade2 was busy feeding her two daughters wheat porridge, alternating spoonfuls between the right and left child. Meanwhile, her husband, Jiang Qibing3, read reports while he ate dinner. Occasionally he would turn his head to ask questions like ‘how’s school been,’ grades, and other things of that nature.

Everything looked normal and the atmosphere was pleasant. One could say it felt like a warm family.

However, there was something unusual that caused Ziya to question his own sanity and the sanity of the whole family.

Jade only gave birth to one daughter.

At least when he left in the morning for class, there was only one. When he came home in the evening, there was a pair.

As soon as Ziya walked through the door, he saw the two children and froze. They called out to him in unison, “You're back, brother Ziya!”

Jade was busy cooking in the kitchen, seemingly unaware that she had an extra child. When her husband came home from work moments later, he even asked one of the little girls if she was obedient and helped her mother take care of her sister.

This was when Ziya began to think he had gone crazy. He tried his best to recall just how many kids this family actually had.

One of the daughters was definitely real. Ziya clearly recalled pouring milk for her that morning and she hiccuped, spewing it all over him. He had to take a shower and change his clothes or risk reeking of milk all day. In the end, he arrived late and the teacher gave him a cold glare all throughout class.

On the flip side, the other child looked very foreign with large, blue, watery eyes. She had beautiful white hair with curls and skin as white as the snow. So adorable! Even more beautiful than any baby on TV.

How could that be a Taiwanese child?

No matter how you sliced it, she looked like a foreigner! Both Jade and Qibing are black eyed, black haired Taiwan natives. The doctors would’ve done a DNA test immediately if the couple had given birth to a blue-eyed, white-haired child!

The brother-in-law cleared his throat, bringing Ziya’s thoughts back to the dinner table. After a moment, Ziya asked cautiously, "Sis…is this the neighbor’s kid?"

However, their neighbor's a weird lady; a through and through homebody, who hardly leaves her apartment and never has visitors. It was hard to imagine a child living with her when the only one who ever went to her place is the postman.

As soon as he finished asking, the warmth immediately drained from the room.

The spoon in Jade’s hand stopped in mid-air and Qibing’s smile stiffened, but their expressions remained fairly normal. The children also paused, their large unblinking expressions frozen on their faces. In that split second, the two looked like a pair of dolls, adorable but lifeless.

A moment of silence followed, then the two tilted their heads in unison. Ziya got the impression they were watching him but their eyes weren’t focused on anything in particular, just like a pair of doll’s eyes.

The hairs on Ziya’s neck stood up as a feeling of anxiousness overwhelmed him, nearly causing him to jump from his chair. However, the rest of the family seemed not to notice. Jade glared at him and snapped, “Stop joking, don’t you like to pinch Snow's4 face and now you're suddenly calling her someone else's kid! Careful or you'll make her cry."

...Who's Snow?

The one he enjoyed pinching was the other normal Taiwanese child. The one with black eyes and black hair! Her name wasn't Snow, it was Ginger5!

When they were choosing names, the overjoyed couple was happy that their two surnames, when put together, sounded cute or whatever.

There was no Snow!

Another thing that bothered him was that the two girls’ movements were identical. Could there be something wrong with Ginger too? No...can't be! He clearly remembered Ginger, what she looked like when she was born and her growing up little by little...

At that moment, Snow gave him a puzzled stare and called out, "What's the matter, brother Ziya?"

So cute! Huge eyes, tender pink cheeks, and that dimpled smile. Although she was only three-years old, the same as Ginger who was standing next to her, Snow was ten times cuter!

But Ziya didn't want to rub her head or pinch her cheeks because she was too pretty. She looked just like a model poster child...no, poster children weren't this pretty. She made people feel as though they'd blemish her beauty if they touched her, almost like she should be displayed behind a glass case instead.

Ziya tried to close his right eye, simply using his left to take a quick glimpse of Snow.

Since he was young, he knew his left eye was a little strange. Don't misunderstand, it wasn’t clairvoyance or anything of the sort. It was just that his left eye could see certain things differently, such as beings that weren’t visible to most. But they weren't ghosts...at least most of them weren't.

Jade had taken him to see a doctor previously. The doctor had said that Ziya was having hallucinations and questioned whether he had any childhood traumas. He never had any trauma except for being named Jiang Ziya by his father. This had caused him to be saddled with the nickname Grandpa Jiang while growing up.

It was then that the doctor declared this to be the cause of his hallucinations. When Ziya was told, all he wanted to cause the doctor some trauma!

Ziya directed his glance with his one eye but wasn't able to see anything abnormal. He casually flipped his hair so it obscured his right eye, and completely then shut it. If he had stared with one eye, it might appear bizarre and he didn't want to creep Jade and Qibing out.

Through his left eye, Snow's face was extremely adorable. She had monstrously large, watery eyes with thick, long lashes and deep double eyelids. Her mouth was very small and tender, with peach-colored lips, much smaller than the average girl's. It's not the face of a real person.

Snow was a doll!

Ziya knew better than to yelp and jump out of his seat. He could hardly count the number of times he'd been called crazy for doing that while growing up. In this situation the best course of action was to hold still, stop looking, and not listen.

But this time it's different. This was his home! How could he pretend a doll was his niece?

"Hey Snow! After you finish, brother will take you to the park, okay?" Damn it! Why does it feel like he was some sort of weird child-snatcher6?

Ginger immediately pouted, "That's so unfair! Ginger's going too!"

He instantly caved. Anyone who had taken care of a child knows they are very fussy. If one child has it and the other doesn't, they will be sure to make your life hell. It's also unwise to waste time trying to persuade them since a three-year-old won't listen to reason."Okay! You can come too," he added quickly.

Qibing had a weird feeling. "It's already dark out. Isn't it a bit late to head to the park?”

The only thing Ziya could do was bite his tongue and lie, "I heard there's a small night market..." Leaning in, he whispered into his brother-in-law's ear, "I want to take the kids out to play. It's your chance to take Sis to the movies."

Qibing's eyes lit up and muttered, "thanks!"

Ziya could only smile. He didn't dare say stuff like "You owe me one!" that he'd done in the past or opportunistically demand "Help me write my report!" After all, there was a hidden motive and he wasn't doing it to help.

"What are you guys whispering about?" Jade asked with feigned discontent. "Are you sure the girls aren’t allowed to listen?" She just had to drag the kids into this. Three pairs of puppy-dog eyes watched Ziya and Qibing intently.

Really too cute...but Ziya had just identified Snow as a doll. Although Snow appeared normal most of the time, she would occasionally expose her doll joints by accident. If he looked only through his left eye, he would see a life-sized doll...but it could move!

Tiny fingers clutched a fork. A cherry pink mouth that shouldn't move would open and close. Those large, inhuman eyes blinked...he began to doubt whether he could go by himself. No, wasn’t he just a normal uncle taking his nieces out to play?

Although he's seen a lot of mysterious things growing up, going hand in hand with a doll that popped out of nowhere...a shiver ran up his spine.

Unfortunately, he couldn't take it back. After dinner, the couple left for the movies hand in hand. It was so sappy Ziya thought he would be sick.

The two lovers, starry eyed and sweet like honey, left him to deal with a doll monster. How is this fair?

It didn't matter if they were right or wrong. In the end, they had rushed though their meals and hurried out the door.

"Let's go." Ziya said to the two girls. He had to bite the bullet. To tell the truth, he was in a hurry to take the two kids out anyway; standing in a room with a walking, talking doll by himself is too creepy! He was too scared to look at Snow. If it wasn't for Ginger, he would've already bolted from the room.

They should hurry! According to the clock, the garbage truck should be arriving soon, right?

While leaving, he even remembered to lock the front doors. Ziya felt he gained new insight on just how much he could put up with. This wasn't good news, really...

"Come on! Head downstairs." Ziya looked back before heading down himself.

"Where are you taking me?"

Ziya snapped to attention. Just a moment ago, Snow's voice didn't sound like the voice of a child. More importantly, the lights down the stairwell suddenly flickered off making it difficult to see more than halfway down. It was pitch black at the bottom, almost like a black hole. So dark it seemed that someone could scream for three whole minutes before they hit the floor.

He looked down for a while longer before determining he had no courage to continue.

Suddenly, Ziya felt someone tug on the ends of his shorts causing him to nearly fall by accident. He looked around and saw the two girls, each holding one side of the his shorts legs.

Snow...completely looked like a doll now! She still held hands with Ginger but they no longer looked like sisters, more like a little girl with her doll.

But the doll was more expressive than the real girl. As she blinked, her plastic eyes rotated smoothly in their sockets. In contrast, the real girl was more doll-like with her stony expression. But stoic little girl or over-expressive doll monster, it was all the same...creepy as hell!

Ziya stood frozen in place. He couldn't go down even if he wanted to and heading back to the apartment was just as terrifying. While pondering his dilemma, the neighbor's door abruptly opened. A feeling of salvation rushed through him. Although the woman next door is also strange, she's a hundred times better than a living doll!

However, the person who emerged wasn't a woman at all, but a handsome man who looked like he belonged on the cover of some magazine, from head right down to his clothes. He wore a white undershirt, black vest, and red tie.

Ziya wasn't sure if he was losing it but he instinctively covered his right eye, using only his left to look.

What he saw was a male doll holding two trash bags...kind of funny, but the humor of the situation didn’t last long. As panic soon took over, the anxiety made it hard to breathe and his head slowly began to feel numb.

Did he go insane? Had the world start replacing humans with dolls?

He dropped his hand, struggling to look only with his normal eye, "The la-lady next door, is she there?"

The man replied Ziya with a warm smile, "Mistress? Yes, she's here..." He gasped as the familiar music resonated from downstairs, then apologetically said, "The garbage truck's here. Sorry, but I need to take out the trash first."

The man hurried off as soon as he finished speaking. Despite wanting to request the Snow doll be tossed out, Ziya didn't dare get in his way because the guy was a doll too.

After several heavy breaths, Ziya focused Snow and Ginger. Snow's doll appearance had disappeared again. The two girls stared at him holding each other’s hand. Together, they looked like close siblings.

Ziya bit his lip then yanked the ends of his shorts out of the girls’ fingers. Pushing Snow aside, he picked up Ginger, flung the neighbor's door open, rushed in, and firmly locked the door behind him. He pressed his whole weight against it hoping that the horror movie doll-breaking-door scene was only in his imagination.

As Ziya nervously gasped for air, he looked around. In the middle of the living room sat a woman wearing a large vest and shorts. A pair of black-rimmed glasses rested on the bridge of her nose. She looked up, one hand on a cup of coffee and the other held some unknown catalogues.

He quickly covered his right eye and checked with his left...thank god! She's human!

"You're from next door?" she asked, apparently recognizing him. Though they've never small talked, they have seen each other often since they lived so close, but majority of the time was when they took out the trash.

“I, I...need a place to hide!"

The woman tilted her head. She stared at Ginger for a moment before putting down her cup. Swiftly picking up the dagger on the coffee table, she said, "No offense but you look like some weird child-snatcher, mind if I call the police?"

Where'd she get the dagger? A dawning realize hit him, the catalog she had been flipping through was a weapon's catalog. Pistols graced the front covers. This person...shit! On the wall hung a pair of crossed cutlasses and above the TV cabinet were Japanese swords. On the coffee table was not only that dagger, but also a gun. He couldn't tell if it was a real gun but it looked pretty real.

Who is this woman? Is she some sort of terrorist? Maybe it was safer outside with the Snow doll?

The woman suddenly picked up the phone. She looked like she might actually make the call.

“Wait! No need to call the police!" Ziya hastily said, "I didn't abduct her! She's my sister's kid! She lives with me next door!" The remark triggered his memory of something important and he blurted out, "Hey, hey wait, do you happen to remember if my family had several children?"

She shook her head, "Children? Don’t know."

Ziya was crushed. Ginger twisted and turned in his arm, "Brother Ziya, Snow's outside. She said she wants to come in, brother, let her in! Let her come in!"

As she spoke, Ginger gave him an adorable smile...the expression made her look more doll-like than human. This immediately made Ziya feel uneasy so he put her down.

The woman responded coldly, "I didn't let you two in. Get out!"

Ziya was stunned. All of a sudden, Ginger let out an ear piercing scream causing his whole mind to go blank. The only option was to cover his ears and wait it out. When the scream finally ended, he looked up and noticed...

Ginger disappeared!

"Where's Ginger?" Ziya wasn’t sure what happened but Ginger was his niece and his responsibility! "What'd you do to her! Give her back now!" he growled.

It was a shock to see the woman even more angry than he was. She shouted back, "You broke into my house with that thing! I haven't demanded compensation and yet you're asking me for something first?"

"That, that thing?" He asked nervously, "She is, she's my sister child. The thing is outside. Snow is the doll..."

The woman tilted her head, "You're not the housekeeper, right? When I met her while taking out the trash, she mentioned she had a twin brother. A guy with a blue left eye, that must be you."

Ziya nodded. His left eye not only saw strange things but it also looked strange. The top right corner of that eye has a slight discoloration, it was blue.

"She mentioned she had married young and that her boyfriend was her high school teacher. The situation turned into a huge mess and he lost his job. After she graduated from high school, she married him. No offense but she's really chatty. The short while waiting for the garbage truck feels like an eternity. It’s as though I’ve learned about her past eight generations!"

Uh...

She tilted her head and gave him a faint smile, "The thing is, I don't remember your house had any children."

Ziya was floored.

"Children are loud, aren’t they?" the woman mused, "But I've never heard children from your house. I remember her mentioning that she really liked kids but found out that she had a fragile uterus. It's difficult for her to keep a child and she's even had a miscarriage. She mentioned that she considered adoption but I don't think orphanages adopted out things like that, right?"

But Ginger...

The door suddenly opened. Ziya jumped back. He was scared half to death thinking that maybe Snow managed to break down the door after all. He wasn't expecting the man from before...the man who's also a doll.

Now wide alert, he considered his options for escape. The man blocked the only entrance/exit and hiding inside didn't seem like an option.

"W, w, wha...what is he?"

The woman looked shocked. She observed Ziya's gaze then wistfully said, "You can tell? How's that possible? I thought this butler was perfect."

Ziya was stunned. When the butler took two steps forward, Ziya freaked out sprinted behind the woman screaming, "Don't come near me!"

Woman sighed and spoke in a hopeless tone, "Sit down. Do you want some tea or coffee? I'll tell him to leave the room and prepare some drinks, okay?"

"...coke."

"Don't have any."

¹Jiang Ziya (姜子牙) - the main character has the same as a famous ancient Chinese military strategist who helped overthrow the Shang Dynasty

²Jiang Yu (姜玉) - the surname Jiang (姜) means Ginger and her first name Yu (玉) means Jade

³Jiang Qibing (江其兵) - he’s a got a different Jiang (江) which translates to river, his first name means soldier

⁴Xiao Xue or Jiang Xue (小雪)(江雪) - direct translation is little Snow. It’s common in China to put little in front of someone’s name to show endearment for someone younger.

⁵Jiang Jiang (江姜) - the parents supposedly put their two surnames together which makes her first name Ginger (姜) and her surname River (江)

⁶It directly translates to 'weird, child abducting uncle' but kids also call middle-aged men uncle too so I'm not sure what occasion it's being used, leaving uncle out seemed like the better option