In the early morning, Li Nanke had breakfast cooked by his wife, and headed to Meng Xiaotu's home in the cold weather. The approaching day was dimly lighted in the sky.
On the rocks on the hillside, there are no familiar figures from the past.
Meng Xiaotu, who usually stayed in bed, was already up.
"Grandma is sick."
The girl's eyes were red and she was holding the freshly cooked medicinal soup in her hand.
The hot steam made the girl's cute little face a little hazy, and the tears on her face were clearly visible in the haze.
Li Nanke entered the house.
Grandma Meng lay quietly on the bed, her eyes slightly closed, looking older than before.
At this moment, she was like an oil lamp that had burned to the end.
In fact, her body could no longer support herself.
I just persisted with the last trace of obsession in my heart. Now that the obsession is gone, my body and spirit can finally relax.
Li Nanke sat in front of the bed and looked at the old man silently.
The figures of the two people kept appearing in front of my eyes...
That lively and kind girl, that kind old lady who hit him on the head with a cane, that sharp-tongued little village girl, that old naughty boy who deliberately played a prank on his granddaughter...
The figures of the two people kept overlapping and overlapping, and they kept pulling towards the two time and space.
"Both."
Li Nanke called softly.
The old man slowly opened his slack eyelids, looked at Li Nanke, and asked weakly: "Where is Brother Bei?"
Compared to the excitement of meeting for the first time, Grandma Meng was very calm at this time.
Calmly, it was as if she was asking about a strange friend who had nothing to do with her in her memory.
Li Nanke covered her with a quilt and said softly, "Is he still looking?"
When the old man heard this, a smile appeared in his deeply sunken eyes. He waved his hand gently and said softly, "Tell him not to look for him. He will easily get lost."
"good."
Li Nanke nodded.
The old man took a few sips of the medicinal soup, then closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
"So smart, grandma..."
"I'll ask Madam to prescribe some medicine."
Li Nanke understood what the girl was worried about, so he just patted her on the shoulder and left this small room that was so stuffy that it was almost hard to breathe.
When he walked out of the small courtyard, he saw Bai Buai squatting in the corner outside the fence.
The man's hair was disheveled, his eyes were sunken with dark circles, and his whole body was full of haggard and tiredness, just like an abandoned dog, which made people pity him.
He looked at the ground absentmindedly, motionless.
Just like the old Grandma Meng.
Li Nanke reached out to touch the other person, but stopped when his fingers were about to fall on his shoulders. Finally, he sighed and turned around to leave.
Li Nanke returned home and explained the situation to his wife Luo Qianqiu.
Luo Qianqiu put down what she was doing, picked up the medicine box and followed her husband to Grandma Meng's house.
When he came, Bai Buai was still curled up there.
It was as if there were countless sharp knives hidden in that small room. Once you entered, you would be stabbed into a lake of flesh and blood.
He never dared to take a step forward and face her.
After Luo Qianqiu carefully checked Grandma Meng's physical condition, a dark look appeared in her beautiful eyes.
Seeing this expression, Li Nanke already understood.
Grandma Meng's life is coming to an end. ….
Coming outside, facing Meng Xiaotu's nervous and expectant eyes, Luo Qianqiu said softly:
"Grandma can't hold on for a few more days. Her health has actually failed for a long time. It's a miracle that she can survive until now. I can only prescribe some medicine to make her feel better..."
Although she was mentally prepared, Meng Xiaotu cried when she heard the sentence of "death".
She did not beg doctors to save her relatives like others. Because she understands that whenever there is a glimmer of hope, Luo Qianqiu will do her best to save it.
Right now
If Fang says there is no hope, that means there is really no hope.
Looking at the sad and desperate girl, Li Nanke hesitated for a moment, and finally hugged the girl in front of his wife to comfort her.
Seeing this scene, Luo Qianqiu showed no other emotions.
In this case, the girl really needs comfort.
only……
Luo Qianqiu sighed secretly. Sister Leng, Sister Leng, you still failed to watch your husband.
Not far away, Bai Buai stared blankly, his eyes blank.
Unknowingly, he dragged his legs, which weighed as much as a thousand pounds, to the door of the house, but still did not dare to go in.
He gently knocked his forehead against the cold wall.
One moment, one moment...
The sky was gloomy, and the dark clouds that kept coming seemed to bury all the good moods.
The man eventually entered the house.
He sat in front of the bed and looked at the old man who was unfamiliar but could vaguely recognize the appearance of a young girl. He seemed to be gazing at the happy memories that had not faded away not long ago.
Perhaps sensing the man's arrival, Grandma Meng opened her eyes.
She looked at the man beside the bed, but she still didn't show much excitement. Only tears fell from the corners of her eyes, sliding down the wrinkles.
"Brother Bei."
A bright smile broke out on the old man's face.
Bai Buai gently held the old man's hand and stroked the back of his hand as rough as old pine bark with his fingers.
He wanted to say something, but he couldn't say a word. He felt like there was a hard lump in his throat.
The hand he held yesterday, although a little rough, was very slender and full of youthful vitality. However, just one day later, what I held in my hand was a full forty-eight years of waiting, a love that had grown old.
"Brother Bei, I've finally waited for you."
Grandma Meng smiled softly, her old voice filled with relief and satisfaction.
These light words seemed to twist Bai Buai's heart so hard that he couldn't breathe.
The man shed tears, held the old man's hand tightly and pressed it against his forehead.
"You...why are you waiting...why are you waiting!! Why are you so stupid!"
Bai Buai's voice roared out from his chest, choked with sobs.
The old man's eyes were soft and he said with a smile: "You said you would come back, so I waited and waited because I believed Brother Bei wouldn't lie to me. If I didn't wait any longer, he would be so sad."
The man's heart suddenly contracted, as if he had been stung by a poisonous bee, and his sobs were muffled.
"Look, I told you you were a crybaby and you still didn't believe me." Grandma Meng said with a smile.
Bai Buai also laughed, her face covered with tears.
Crybaby.
She still remembered it after all these years. ….
In an instant, the two of them seemed to be back on Phoenix Mountain again, when the girl was making faces while taunting him.
The old man stretched out his other hand and smoothed the man's messy hair. His voice was as soft as a dandelion carrying memories, and his eyes flashed with tears as he sighed:
"Actually, there was a time when I didn't want to wait anymore.
I'm wondering if Brother Bei won't come?
Was he locked up by his family because he wanted to marry me?
But I don't know where to find you.
I just waited and waited, hoping that Brother Bei would come back one day.
There were a few times when I thought about getting married. Brother Bei might have forgotten about me.
But I also thought, what should I do if Brother Bei suddenly comes back?
He must be very sad when he sees me marrying someone else, so I might as well wait a little longer, wait a little longer... If I really can't wait, I'll get married.
I just waited and waited, but no one wanted me anymore. Because I'm older and ugly.
I thought, since no one wants it, I can only wait. I just looked at the Phoenix Mountain, thinking about our previous scenes, your appearance, your voice...
But slowly, your voice and your appearance began to imitate me.
I don’t seem to remember you, I don’t remember anything. It's already very early, so I don't expect you to come back.
But what else can I do besides wait?
I can only continue to wait..."
When Grandma Meng said these words, she always had a smile on her face without any emotional fluctuations.
It felt like she was just telling a story.
A story that no longer belongs to me.
In her world, time seems to pass very slowly and very quickly.
The passing time warned her more than once that they might never meet again, but she never listened until her days were running out and she was getting weaker.
Bai Buai finally couldn't suppress her emotions and burst into tears.
He hated himself so much.
I hate myself for making a woman promise to wait.
He thought they would meet again one day soon, but he forgot that time is the biggest enemy.
A separation that seemed short to him, but to a woman, was an endless wait.
She could only hope silently and grow older.
Full of grief, he became like a naked autumn grass, his whole body swaying feebly.
He knelt on the ground, stretched his neck and poured out all his grief. Tears, snot, and saliva dripped down to the ground. He even started retching.
At this moment, he seemed to have vomited out his soul.
————
The medicine prescribed by Luo Qianqiu was still very effective, and she took it personally. By the next day, Grandma Meng's energy had improved a lot and she could get out of bed and walk.
But everyone knows that this is just the final reflection.
During this period, Bai Buai was always by his side.
This playboy who used to be rebellious and dissolute suddenly became much more mature and calm.
He talked to Grandma Meng and watched the sunset with her.
Two people who meet in different time and space can finally be together.
Although life is counting down.
But Li Nanke is in trouble. ….
Because Ye Yaoyao had injured the Dragon Guard before, and because Li Nanke could enter the Phoenix Mountain filled with red mist, the Dragon Guard decided to send people to arrest Li Nanke.
However, he was stopped by the eldest princess on the way, and a dispute broke out.
Due to Bai Ruyue's identity, Long Guard could only give up temporarily, but he had already reported the matter, and it is estimated that the real trouble will come next.
Although Ye Yaoyao has a lonely personality, she also knows that living in Li Nanke is a trouble.
She was about to leave, but Luo Qianqiu persuaded her to stop.
First of all, Luo Qianqiu didn't care.
She has never had a good impression of the imperial court. The worst she can do is take her husband and live in seclusion in disguise. Anyway, her husband doesn't want to work in the Night Patrol Department.
Secondly, senior sister Yan Yunfang suddenly came to her and said that the senior sister was here.
This news frightened Luo Qianqiu.
Of course, what she was afraid of was not the gentle master's wife, but the cold and ruthless master.
Master's Wife usually rarely leaves the Spiritual Valley. She came back suddenly this time and didn't know what happened. She left Ye Yaoyao here so that she could have a helper if Master came to visit.
Luo Qianqiu didn't tell her husband about this.
It's not that she wants to hide it deliberately. Some things are better buried underground forever without mentioning them.
But Li Nanke had no time to take care of this.
Because he was worried about the eldest princess.
The reason why he rejected the other party's courtship was not only because of the other party's identity, but also because of his psychological resentment.
Is there really love between him and the eldest princess?
Is love in dreams considered love?
This kind of illusory love makes Li Nanke feel very unreliable. Once he accepts it, he is afraid that one day the woman will become sober again and eventually cause a tragedy.
because of him
We are never playing ourselves, but playing others.
But he was unwilling to accept it.
After all, that was the wife he had spent his whole life with in his dream.
He couldn't tolerate that the eldest princess would eventually marry another man, let alone being close to the opposite sex.
Li Nanke has never been so entangled.
Fortunately, Bai Ruyue never came to him, giving the man breathing space to think.
…
Time always slips away quietly inadvertently, and five days passed in a flash.
These days, everyone has a tacit understanding to leave all time and space to Bai Buai and Meng Shuangshuang.
Grandma Meng's spirit seems to be getting better and better.
Seeing the smile that was always on her grandma's face, Meng Xiaotu was very happy.
Because she had never seen her grandma smile so carefree, no longer persistent, no longer waiting, relieved of all the burdens in her heart, and enjoying the last happiness in life.
Bai BuAi is not tired of his aging lover.
In the past, he only valued a woman's good-looking skin. He believed that without a good-looking skin, a woman would no longer have any attraction for a man who loves her to pay for it.
But now, he feels that his old lover is still so beautiful.
In my eyes, I will always see that lively girl with dark cheeks.
In order to make up for his promise, Bai Buai decided to make a wedding dress for Meng Shuangshuang and find a large sedan chair after discussing with Li Nanke and Meng Xiaotu.
Although he knew that this would attract criticism and cause anger in the family.
But he doesn't care.
The red sun sets in the west, and the sunset fills the sky. ….
The houses and trees are inlaid with a golden edge of light, like silhouettes with clear contrast between light and dark.
The courtyard was quiet.
Bai Buai and Li Nanke, who went to the store to pick up wedding dresses, haven't come back yet.
In order to surprise her grandma, Meng Xiaotu planned to put the decorations for the wedding room in her house.
As soon as she stepped into the house, the girl smelled the aroma of rice.
There are simple meals on the table.
There are her favorite dishes such as Xianggu cauliflower and braised pork... these are what her grandma used to make for her.
There is also a separate meal.
The dishes are exquisite.
On the rocking chair, Grandma Meng, wearing an apron, sat quietly, resting with her eyes closed, peaceful and kind.
"Wow, it smells so good."
Meng Xiaotu's beautiful eyes were bright, and she picked up a piece of braised pork and stuffed it into her mouth, "Grandma, it's been a long time since I've eaten the braised pork you made. It's still so delicious."
The familiar taste of food brought back memories of the girl's childhood.
She looked back at her grandma and said, "Grandma, how about I take you to make a sedan tomorrow morning? It will be fun."
The old man didn't respond. The rays of light that spilled into the room fell on her wrinkled face, as if she was bathed in radiance.
The girl stared blankly for a while, then sat on the chair again, looked at the rice and said with a smile: "Grandma, I won't wait for them. I'll eat first. I'm going to be hungry after running for a long time."
She glanced at the exquisite food placed separately next to her and said, "Grandma, you are so partial."
The girl's playful complaints did not receive a response from the old man.
Meng Xiaotu didn't care, picked up Kuai Zi and took a mouthful of the slightly cold rice. While eating, she said, "Grandma, are you hungry? Let's eat together."
The old man remained silent, just like this silent room.
"If you don't eat, I'll finish it."
Meng Xiaotu stuffed her head and said, "I have a big appetite, and these dishes are not enough for half of my stomach.
Grandma, would you please cook me some braised pork in the future? I’m not afraid of getting fat. Someone will want me anyway.
Grandma, we bought you a new dress, it looks great. You will definitely like it when they bring it back later.
Grandma, when I get married, you have to prepare a dowry for me. It needs to be a lot. You can’t
Let the wise lady laugh.
grandmother……"
The girl was talking to herself, even if the old man never responded, she didn't stop.
After a while, Li Nanke and Bai Buai came to the door.
Looking at the food on the table and Meng Xiaotu devouring it, he was a little dazed.
"You guys are here, grandma has cooked delicious food."
Meng Xiaotu saw the two of them and waved quickly, "Sit down and eat, it's delicious. If you don't eat it when it's cold, grandma will be very angry later. I was beaten by her when I was a child..."
Li Nanke silently looked at the old man with his eyes closed peacefully on the chair, his expression dark.
Snapped!
The box with the wedding dress in Bai Buai's hand fell to the ground.
The red wedding dress looked bright red under the afterglow of the setting sun, seeming to burn memories of the past.
He stood absentmindedly for a while, then came to the table like a zombie.
Silently eating the meal left for him alone.
I remember Shuangshuang once said that when they meet again, she will cook delicious meals for him. ….
"You're so smart, you should eat too."
Meng Xiaotu said to Li Nanke, "But I don't know what's wrong with today's rice. It's very salty..."
The girl's face was stained with tears.
There were also drops of tears falling in the bowl.
At the top of the dense trees, the last trace of the afterglow gradually dissipated and faded...
…………
Grandma Meng’s cemetery was chosen at the foot of Phoenix Mountain.
Not many people came to attend the funeral, including Leng Siyuan and his wife, colleagues who had a good relationship with Meng Xiaotu, Shangguan Guan, Luo Qianqiu, Leng Xinnan...
Even Ye Yaoyao and the eldest princess Bai Ruyue came.
Only if you don’t see it, don’t love it.
No one knows where he went.
Maybe he was drinking alone to relieve his sorrow, or maybe he returned to the capital and chose to stay away from this sad place.
Or maybe...
At the funeral, Meng Xiaotu burst into tears.
Li Nanke and Shangguan Guan helped arrange everything.
Perhaps the God was infected with emotion, and pieces of snowflakes fell silently downward from the leaden sky.
The snow in October is very soft and seems to be warm.
It melted as soon as it hit the ground.
Disappeared without a trace.
After the funeral, Li Nanke opened the box that the old man had kept for 48 years, took out the old red rope, and carefully placed it on the tombstone.
After everyone left, a gust of wind blew——
The red rope was blown into the sky.
The red rope floats and floats.
It is like a homeless person, pulled by the rootless wind, floating over trees and across rivers...
It didn't slowly fall until in front of an ancient temple in the mountains.
Amidst the bells of the ancient temple, a red rope stained with snowflakes gently fell on the shoulders of a young monk...
The monk looked neither sad nor happy, silently sweeping the withered yellow leaves on the ground. The rustling of fallen leaves and snow seemed to blend in with the chanting in the temple, creating a silence.
Leaves fall continuously from the birch trees, and the patterns are rearranged in the swept places.
The young monk in the snow was not annoyed and continued to sweep patiently, even if he kept sweeping.
"Grandmaster."
A respectful man's voice sounded.
The young monk stopped cleaning and looked up.
In front of them was a middle-aged couple and a young man with a loyal and honest face, who looked like he was a nearby villager.
The middle-aged woman was holding a little baby in her arms.
The baby wrapped in swaddling clothes only showed a pink and tender face, and its pure gem-like eyes looked at the monk curiously.
The middle-aged man looked at the unfamiliar monk and asked respectfully, "May I ask what the master's name is?"
"Little Monk Dharma Name"
"No". "
The young monk lowered his eyes and spoke in a low voice.
He once had it but didn't love it; now he loves it but can't get it.
"Master, is Abbot Yongming here?" the woman next to her asked with a smile.
The young monk clasped his hands together and bowed, and said in a gentle and apologetic voice: "The abbot went out not long ago and is not in the temple."
"Ah, what an unfortunate coincidence."
A look of disappointment suddenly appeared on the woman's face, and she quickly asked, "Then when will he come back?"
"I don't know."
The young monk shook his head.
The three of them frowned, looking sad. ….
"I originally wanted Abbot Yongming to help me name the child, but now it's all in vain." The young man sighed, "Why don't you spend some money to find a fortune teller to name the child."
The middle-aged woman stabbed her son with her arm.
Those magic fortune tellers you spend money to find are not as good as the respected abbot. Moreover, you can go to the abbot to pray for blessings and keep your child safe throughout his life.
The middle-aged man looked at the monk's handsome face and suddenly asked: "Master, could you help me name my granddaughter? Her birthday is -"
Before the man could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the woman's elbow.
The woman looked unhappy.
How can a young monk compare with the abbot?
The man had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.
At this time, the little baby girl suddenly stretched out Fat Dudu's pink little hand and grabbed the red rope on the monk's wrist, as if she had seen a beloved toy, with an expression full of curiosity.
The monk's expression changed and he wanted to stop him.
"Crybaby!"
Suddenly, a crisp sound came from a distance.
"Both!"
The monk turned his head subconsciously.
But it was a strange little girl who came to offer incense and was playing with her companions, laughing and grimacing.
The light in the monk's eyes gradually extinguished and then cooled.
As her wrist loosened, the red rope was pulled away by the little baby girl.
The woman was frightened when she saw this and wanted to help the monk get the red rope back from her granddaughter. However, the baby's little hands were tightly clenched and she started crying.
"I'm sorry, Master, this... this child..."
The woman looked embarrassed.
The monk looked at the shallow marks on his wrist and looked up at the snowflakes falling like goose feathers. There was a hint of relief on his face and he smiled and said, "It doesn't matter."
After that, he bowed and continued to clean the fallen leaves.
The woman laughed dryly and said to her husband, "Then let's come back to Abbot Yongming tomorrow morning."
The middle-aged man wanted to say something else, but the woman dragged him away.
The yard fell silent.
The fallen leaves fell one after another, and the coldness of the snowflakes fell to the ground.
The lonely figure of the monk is like a harp with broken strings, playing silent and sad notes in silence.
Until the red rope slowly slipped from the shoulder...
Just as he was about to land, he was gently caught by a hand.
The monk stared blankly at the old red rope in his palm, with a slight smile on his lips.
…
The woman who left the monastery was still complaining about her husband.
Finally, the man couldn't stand his wife's nagging, and said angrily: "Didn't you see that the monk was very unfamiliar? He must be new here. He looks like a noble man and is very spiritual. He might become a monk in the temple in the future. Abbot."
"impossible."
The woman frowned and thought carefully.
After thinking about it like this, I suddenly felt that the monk did have a temperament that was different from ordinary people, with a bit of nobility.
Could it be that this is an opportunity given by God?
The woman immediately regretted her behavior and said nonchalantly, "How about we go back and ask him for a name for his granddaughter?"
"You don't have the face, but I want the face."
The middle-aged man shook his sleeves.
When the woman saw that the head of the house was angry, she dared not
Too much to say.
Thinking of the monk calling "Shuang Shuang" just now, the middle-aged man hesitated and said with a calm expression: "Just call this girl Shuang Shuang."…
The woman did not dare to disobey her husband at this moment. She looked at the red string held by the baby in her hand, blinked and suddenly said: "This little red string is something that the master wears with him. It must have Buddha nature on it. If it really comes true in the future, It’s a big deal if you don’t meet the abbot and the holy monk.”
As she spoke, she forcibly pulled the red rope out of the child's hand and tied it around the baby girl's wrist.
"From now on, Shuangshuang, I will always wear this red string to protect her forever."
——
——
The night was dark, and the stars and moon gave off a cold and faint light.
Li Nanke and Luo Qianqiu strolled on the moonlit path, intertwining their fingers, and the gentle snowflakes intertwined into an endless beautiful snow curtain between the sky and the earth.
"Where are you taking me?"
Looking at the unfamiliar building, Luo Qianqiu asked curiously.
"You'll know when you go."
Li Nanke still maintained a mysterious smile.
Luo Qianqiu smiled and stopped asking, walking silently with her husband.
The shadows of the trees beside the road danced with the wind in the night, making a rustling sound that blended with the shadows of the two people.
After half a stick of incense, Li Nanke took the woman to the top floor of a pagoda.
From here, you can see the entire Cloud City.
"It'll be ready soon."
Li Nanke put his arms around the woman's slender waist. As soon as he stepped out, he hesitated and said, "You are good at lightness, take us to the top of the tower."
Luo Qianqiu smiled softly, hugged the man despite his embarrassment, put her lotus-like toes out of her skirt, and flew to the top of the tower with a single click.
"Then what? You're not going to take me here to have a good time, are you?"
Luo Qianqiu pretended to be dissatisfied and pursed her lips.
Li Nanke smiled and said nothing, took out a signal-emitting device and pulled the tail rope.
Peng!
A wisp of flame flew into the sky.
"How about it? It's pretty," Li Nanke said proudly.
Luo Qianqiu opened her mouth slightly.
Seeing her husband's proud expression, she felt angry and amused, "I dare to bring you here just because -"
stop!
Suddenly, a sharp sound pierced the night sky.
Immediately afterwards, a retroreflective meteor flew up into the sky in the black sky, exploded with a sudden burst of youthfulness.
Then one after another fireworks bloomed one after another.
Yellow light, red light, purple light, sometimes like golden chrysanthemums in full bloom, sometimes like colorful butterflies fluttering, or bright fire trees... reflecting the woman's dreamy and clear childlike eyes.
"Does it look good?"
Li Nanke hugged the woman from behind and asked softly.
The petals are falling like rain.
Looking at the blooming fireworks, Luo Qianqiu's eyes were full of tenderness, but she smiled and said: "It's so childish."
"The more childish ones are yet to come."
Li Nanke stood in front of the woman, with his back to the fireworks.
He took out a small box and opened it gently. Inside was a beautifully crafted ring.
"This is……"
The woman was confused.
Li Nanke gently put the ring on the woman's slender white finger and said softly: "Qianqiu, marry me."
"But I am already your wife."
Touching the two people's names specially engraved on the surface of the ring, the corners of Luo Qianqiu's eyes were moist, and she smiled lightly.
"Marry again."
"What if I don't agree?"
"Then...then I'll jump from here." Li Nanke stood at the edge of the top of the tower.
Luo Qianqiu's bright Jianshui eyes reflected the man's figure and the fireworks in the sky, but the smile on her face gradually faded, she shook her head and said, "I don't believe it."
"Uh...you'll catch me, right."
Li Nan
Ke felt a little weak.
Luo Qianqiu stared at him steadily without saying a word.
Fight!
The man gritted his teeth and prepared to jump.
But as soon as he leaned out halfway, the woman grabbed his arm.
Li Nanke looked down at the 100-meter-high sky, the sweat on his back was soaked with sweat. He breathed a sigh of relief, turned to the woman and smiled: "I just said husband——"
However, the next second, a delicate white hand pressed on his chest.
Pushed the man down.
The wind howled in his ears, and the unprepared fall made Li Nanke almost scream in horror. He wanted to take Hongyu out of his arms, but remembered that he didn't take that thing tonight.
Just when the man was desperate, a pair of soft lotus arms hugged his waist.
"Ms. sir, I agree to marry you."
Luo Qianqiu raised her moist, affectionate eyes and kissed the man's lips.
——
[Author's note: I'm too lazy to divide it into chapters, so let's do a big chapter at once. The summary of the third volume will be posted tomorrow or tonight]
lq.
The best bean sprouts
