Chapter 135 Encountering Kongming (Part 2)

I blinked, and through my blurry vision, I saw a pair of gentle, smiling eyes—they looked so familiar…

"Kongming?" I raised my hand, rubbed my eyes again, and staggered to my feet.

"Xiaoxiao," he looked at me and smiled, seemingly not at all surprised to meet me here.

"Wow! It really is Zhuge Liang!" I exclaimed, feeling like I'd met an old friend in a foreign land, and stumbled towards him.

Kongming smiled and stepped forward to help me up, "How did you get so drunk?"

"He! He forced me to drink!" I turned around, pointed at Hua Yingxiong, and accused him.

Kongming looked at Hua Yingxiong and frowned slightly.

Hua Yingxiong looked at Kongming with a surprised expression. He quickly walked to my side, nudged me, and asked, "Hey, is he really Kongming? Zhuge Kongming?"

I nodded smugly, a smug grin on my face. "Yes, Kongming! Zhuge Kongming! Hahaha... You've heard of him, haven't you? I know him..."

Hua Yingxiong looked at me like I was an idiot, shook his head and sighed.

Kongming looked at me with a smile, as if I were still in that small courtyard in Xiangyang, amidst the fiery maple forest, and had never left.

The restaurant became lively again, with everyone pouring drinks and eating.

"Come, come, it's better to meet by chance than to invite someone. Sit down and eat together." I pulled Kongming back to his seat.

Kongming smiled and glanced at me before taking a seat with me.

"Who are you?" Baozi asked Kongming curiously.

"I am Zhuge Kongming." Kongming actually clasped his hands in a fist salute to the steamed bun, introducing himself in a very serious manner.

"My name is Cao Chong, courtesy name Cangshu." Baozi returned the greeting in a serious tone. "I know you. My mother often talks about you to me."

"Your mother?" Kongming was slightly taken aback.

Baozi turned her head and pointed at me, who looked completely innocent.

Kongming asked curiously, "What did your mother say about me?"

“They say the fish soup is delicious, and the plum wine is delicious too,” Baozi laughed. “I had some when I was in my mother’s belly.”

Kongming smiled.

"Uncle Zhuge, Mom also said you're like Doraemon!" Cao Baozi said something shocking, and incidentally promoted Kongming to "Uncle Zhuge".

"A cat? Why do you say I'm a cat?" Kongming asked with a calm smile.

"Doraemon is the cat from my mother's hometown. It has a magic pocket that can produce anything!" Baozi snuggled up to Kongming, trying to be charming.

"Hmm..." Kongming nodded thoughtfully, then smiled and looked at Baozi, "Then let me guess, what do you want?"

Baozi chuckled, "Uncle Zhuge is indeed clever."

Kongming laughed and gently waved his feather fan. "What do you want?"

"I want a pair of shoes."

"What kind of shoes?" Kongming asked deliberately.

"These are shoes for Mom." Baozi looked at my shoes, which were soaked from stepping into dirty water, and said.

I sniffed, and a warm feeling washed over me.

"Okay." Kongming actually nodded, not afraid at all that he might ruin Doraemon's reputation.

“It’s immoral to lie to children.” I shook my head.

Kongming smiled, reached out, and slowly pulled a pair of brand-new shoes from his sleeve.

I was greatly surprised, "It's been so many years, your skills have improved!"

After changing into the shoes, my admiration for Mr. Zhuge was like a surging river, endless... because the shoes were just like they were custom-made, extremely comfortable and fit perfectly.

Kongming still smiled good-naturedly.

“I get along really well with Uncle Zhuge,” Baozi said, trying to get closer to him. “I’ve seen you since I was in my mother’s belly.”

"Yes, it's been a long time." Kongming shook his feather fan, chuckled, but his eyes were on me.

That "long time no see" made me feel guilty. I had inexplicably appeared in his life, clinging to him shamelessly, making a mess of his life, even tying his hands and feet, causing him to be vilified. This shady thief of mine had stirred up a perfectly clear pond, freeloading off him for half a year, and in the end, I left without even a goodbye, hastily avoiding him.

So many years have passed since we parted ways in Xiangyang...

I still remember the day I left. The little courtyard in the morning light was so warm and bright that I couldn't bear to leave.

I spent the coldest winter in that small courtyard.

I love to sit on the bed, drinking rich soup, with the window open, and watching the snow fall. He, on the other hand, always sits quietly in the outer room reading, occasionally offering me snacks to amuse myself.

And those few red plum trees in the courtyard, when the snow was falling all around, bloomed as brightly as fire, breathtakingly beautiful...

That warmth once gave me the illusion that it was my home, my final destination.

"If you want to leave next time, remember to tell me, and I'll see you off. That way, I'll feel more at ease." Kongming's voice interrupted my reverie.

I nodded with an awkward smile.

"I never imagined you were Cao Cao's wife."

I looked up at him and noticed a sigh in his extremely soft voice.

“Cao Cao once came to see you,” Kongming said, looking at me.

I lowered my head guiltily and remained silent. Of course I knew that I had left that day and even bumped into Cao Cao on the road. I had narrowly avoided Cao Cao and gone to Danyang, but I never expected that after all my hard work and wandering around, I would still be back at the starting point and be caught by Cao Cao again. What I regret most is that I actually walked right into his trap.

The thought of this reminds me of Zhou Yu, and I grit my teeth in hatred…

"He didn't do anything to you, did he?" I asked cautiously.

"He found no trace of the lady, so he left."

I grinned and, fueled by a bit of alcohol, pretended to be silly and smiled ingratiatingly.

“I really like Uncle Zhuge!” Baozi cleverly stepped forward to ease my embarrassment.

Kongming turned to look at him, smiled, raised his feather fan, and gently patted Baozi's head, his warm eyes filled with tenderness.

After they ate, the drizzling rain stopped. Hua Yingxiong then hired a few people to help push the carriage. Baozi, unable to sit still, also happily followed Hua Yingxiong to see how the carriage was being pushed.

So all that was left was me and Kongming.

Kongming sat quietly, looking at me, without saying a word or moving, like an old monk in deep meditation.

"Hehe, what a coincidence! You're so far away in Xiangyang, yet we still managed to meet here." I felt a chill run down my spine from his gaze, so I picked up the tea on the table, took a sip to sober up, and tried to make light of the situation.

"Hmm." Kongming smiled.

"How are you planning to get back?" I continued, trying to find a topic of conversation.

"Hire a carriage to go back," Kongming replied with a smile.

"I'm going to Yizhou."

"Hmm." Kongming continued to smile.

"I've mentioned it to you before. I have a friend who's just as smart as you and likes to be mysterious. I'm going to visit him." I resignedly continued making small talk.

"Is this man Guo Fengxiao, Cao Cao's strategist?" Kongming finally spoke up.

"You've seen him before?" I asked, quite surprised.

"No," Kongming shook his head. "I've heard that this person is incredibly insightful and a genius."

I nodded and continued drinking my tea.

“But…” Kongming frowned slightly and glanced at me.

"What?" I looked at him in confusion.

“I have been observing the celestial phenomena lately, and this star will soon fall,” Kongming said, looking at me with some concern.

“I know,” I said, biting my lip and turning my head to look at the distance where the carriage had been pushed out of the mud. “That’s why I went to Yizhou to see him.”

“I remember you telling me that he became so weak and ill because of a woman,” Kongming suddenly said.

"You also said that if emotions can be controlled, they cannot be called emotions."

"If emotions can be controlled, then they cannot be called emotions..." Kongming murmured, repeating what he had once said, with a hint of bewilderment. "Back then, it was just theoretical talk. How can I say it so easily now?"

"How poignant!" I chuckled mischievously. "Could it be that, Kongming... you've found someone you love?"

Kongming was slightly taken aback, then smiled and looked at me, "Even if I don't know the way, it's impossible for me to have gotten lost all the way from Xiangyang to here."

"Oh? Then why are you here?" I asked curiously.

Kongming was still smiling, but that smile had turned into a bitter one.

I was still blinking, not understanding the true meaning behind it.

"I will cling to your pure and virtuous gentleman for the rest of my life, until my death. What can you do to me?" Kongming suddenly spoke, reciting.

I took a sip of tea and blinked blankly. These were the words I'd blurted out that day in the maple forest, when I'd lost my temper with those villagers and almost got beaten up for them. I never imagined he'd overheard them.

“I am very happy to hear this,” Kongming suddenly said.

"Pfft..." Upon hearing this, I immediately spat out all the water in my mouth, choking and coughing violently.

Kongming stood up, wiped the tea from my lips with his sleeve, and patted my back gently. "Drink slowly."

I closed my eyes. This has nothing to do with drinking tea, right...?

"Don't be afraid. I'm just here to see you. Perhaps we'll never see each other again," Kongming's voice rang in my ears, very gentle.

I froze, turned to look at him, and asked, "Why?"

"Several months ago, Liu Bei, the Imperial Uncle, came to visit. I was grateful for his three visits to my thatched cottage, and I promised to help him plan to conquer the world," Kongming said, his clear eyes now showing a different kind of brilliance.

Liu Bei? That big fox? He's finally found his great strategist...

A true man, born between heaven and earth, should recognize his master and serve him.

I looked at Zhuge Liang before me, his features bright and clear. With the Longzhong Plan to divide the world into three, he finally stepped onto the stage of history, strategizing and winning battles from afar, securing one-third of the country for Liu Bei.

"Mom! The car can move now!" Baozi ran over and said.

"This parting may be our last," Kongming said, looking at me with a hint of pain in his clear eyes. "I will remember you."

"If we meet again, it's good that you remember me; if we can't meet again, then forget me." For some reason, I suddenly thought of Guo Jia. The torment that memory brings to a person makes me tremble with fear.

"Okay." Kongming nodded and agreed with a smile.

"Be careful next time, and don't get lost again..."

"good."

"Take care on your journey..." I opened my mouth, but only four words came out.

"good."

"What's so good about it!" I finally said irritably, thinking about the upcoming separation.

"Everything is fine," Kongming said with his usual good-natured smile.

"You...you're such a nice guy," I finally chuckled.

"It's time to set off. I wonder how Fengxiao is doing," Hua Yingxiong said as he walked in.

I nodded and stood up.

He had just said that if I wanted to leave next time, I should remember to tell him and he would see me off.

I never imagined that our next parting would be so soon.

"Mr. Zhuge, until we meet again." Hua Yingxiong clasped his hands in a fist salute, speaking with an air of antiquity.

"Until we meet again," Kongming said, clasping his hands in greeting.

"Goodbye, Uncle Zhuge." Cao Chong also said goodbye with a smile.

Kongming smiled and patted his head. "Goodbye."

"I'm leaving." Standing to the side, I glanced at Kongming and said.

"Yes, take care on your journey," Kongming looked up at me and smiled. "Watching you go like this makes me feel at ease."

I turned around, grabbed Baozi, and followed Hua Yingxiong away, leaving him with only my back view.

Sitting in the carriage, I pulled back the curtain and looked in the direction of the tavern. A tall figure stood against the wind, watching me leave.

Many years later, I still remember this day.

That man had clear, insightful eyes that seemed to see through the ways of the world, and his eyes often held a gentle compassion...

He said that if emotions could be controlled, they would not be called emotions...