Chapter 296
Luo Cong’an’s lowered palm was clenched so tightly that it almost dug into her flesh. She subconsciously took half a step back.
Xiaoyu was a little confused, but she could tell that the white-haired girl was not right. She didn’t speak, just stood silently in the yard. She suddenly felt that this girl looked familiar. But she was sure that this was the first time she and the girl had met. If they had met before, given the girl’s stunning face and white hair, Xiaoyu would not have forgotten her. So where did this familiarity come from?
As Xiaoyu was wondering, she heard the girl standing outside the door speak. Her voice was hoarse, as if suppressed with many emotions. “Funeral…?”
Xiaoyu nodded and confirmed, “Yes, a funeral.” Thinking for a moment, she added, “You’re Mister Chen’s old acquaintance’s… daughter?” She had intended to ask if the other person had a past connection with Mister Chen, but then she considered the age difference between them and added two words to the end.
But Luo Cong’an didn’t pay attention to that. She just stared blankly ahead. After receiving confirmation, she remained in this state, not hearing the latter half of the sentence at all.
“Funeral…” The girl’s voice was light and ethereal, like a whisper carried by the wind.
Xiaoyu frowned. She found this person very strange and urged, “If you have nothing else to do, please leave soon. I still need to pack up Mister’s belongings.” After saying that, she was about to close the door when she met Luo Cong’an’s gaze.
Her eyes were dark, a desolate expanse, devoid of any light. They were hollow, unfocused, and unnervingly empty. Xiaoyu instinctively flinched and stopped what she was doing.
The next moment, a hoarse voice sounded again. “Who are you to the Mister?” “Why do you call him Mister?”
Xiaoyu tensed. She didn’t want to answer these questions, but she had a strange feeling that if she didn’t answer properly, something very bad might happen. So she hesitated and said, “I am Mister Chen’s… attendant? That’s what Mister Chen called me back then.” Seeing the girl still staring at her, she continued, “As for Mister, everyone calls him that. City Lord Ma also told me to call him Mister. Is there a problem?”
Luo Cong’an remained silent, then shook her head. She took a step, then another, moving into the door as slowly as a worm wriggling. Xiaoyu didn’t stop her, thinking that the other person probably knew Mister Chen, otherwise, she wouldn’t be acting like this.
The moment she stepped into the small yard, Luo Cong’an’s mind went into a daze. She had been away from this small yard, which held countless beautiful memories, for a full thirteen years. Time had not changed the yard much. Apart from some new speckles on the walls, the yard was exactly as she remembered it. The tall locust tree, the bamboo chair under the tree, the stone table and stools beside the bamboo chair. Everything was unchanged. Even their positions were exactly the same.
Xiaoyu followed her in, noticing the girl’s gaze, and looked in the same direction. Her face showed a hint of nostalgia. “Mister loved to lie on that bamboo chair the most when he was alive. He would often lie there for half a day. Sometimes when I called him for meals, he wouldn’t wake up.”
“That’s why I didn’t move it when I was packing. I always felt that Mister would come back. If he came back and saw his beloved bamboo chair gone, how sad would he be?” Xiaoyu said, then suddenly chuckled as she thought of something. “But then again, Mister always seemed indifferent. Even if the bamboo chair was gone, he would probably just smack his lips and say it’s a pity.” She rambled on. In recent days, whenever visitors came to pay their respects, Xiaoyu would share more stories about Mister to leave a deeper impression on everyone. It was true that Chen An had lived a very reclusive life, and even City Lord Ma found it difficult to see him, let alone others. And most of the people who came to pay their respects were from the Capital. Xiaoyu heard from City Lord Ma that they were people Mister Chen had helped in the Capital, and some were his former students from his teaching days.
Thinking of this, she said, “Are you from the Capital too? Actually, Mister was buried three days ago. If you intend to, you can wait until the seventh day after his death to pay your respects together.” “Oh, right, I haven’t asked for your name yet?” Luo Cong’an turned her head slightly stiffly upon hearing this. She looked at the delicate young girl and replied, “Luo Cong’an.” “Which Luo?” Xiaoyu asked. Luo Cong’an froze, finding the conversation strangely familiar. But she was no longer the illiterate beggar who used to hide in dark alleys. She softly said, “The Luo with the ‘three water’ radical, the Luo from Luoyang.” Xiaoyu understood and let out an “oh.”
The yard fell silent again, with only the occasional rustling sound of the wind and snow. After a moment, Xiaoyu broke the silence. She strode into the hall and, with some effort, brought out a wheelchair. She carefully maneuvered the wheelchair over the threshold and placed it on the open ground in the yard. After finishing, Xiaoyu clapped her hands and sighed, “The wheelchair Mister designed is truly ingenious, far better than those sold in the market. No wonder the craftsman who received the blueprint couldn’t help but praise it.” “I plan to burn this wheelchair along with some warm clothes for Mister on the seventh day.”
Luo Cong’an stared blankly. Her eyes were dull. “Wheelchair?” Xiaoyu glanced at her. “Yes, a wheelchair. Didn’t you know?” Before Luo Cong’an could reply, Xiaoyu continued, “That’s right, it’s normal that you don’t know. After all, the Capital is so far away, and Mister isn’t the type to talk about these things proactively.” She walked behind the wheelchair, her hand on the handle, her eyes filled with even more longing. “I remember Mister started using a wheelchair not long after I arrived.”
“It was a normal morning. I heard Mister calling from his room, so I quickly got up and ran over.” Xiaoyu smiled as she said this. “Actually, Mister was a very good person. He even said he would have to trouble me more in the future.” “Really, City Lord Ma specifically sent me to serve him, and he was so polite to me, it made me feel a bit embarrassed at the time…” She continued to chatter. Ever since Mister passed away, Xiaoyu had been unusually fond of recalling past events. “When Mister was alive, he often asked me to push him around the city. Sometimes we went to the west of the city to enjoy the scenery, sometimes to the restaurant to listen to stories. He thought I didn’t know, but I did… He just didn’t want me to get bored staying in the yard.” “But every time Mister came back, he would sit at the doorway for a long time, refusing to enter the house for any reason, even though his body was weak and he couldn’t stand the wind.” Xiaoyu’s tone held a hint of complaint. She looked up. “I’m a bit long-winded, don’t…” Her voice suddenly stopped. Because she saw two clear tears streaming down the girl’s face.
(End of Chapter)
