Chapter 151 The World Comes First (Part 2)

I wandered aimlessly, completely lost and confused. "Yuanzhi! Yuanzhi... Yuanzhi..."

I twisted my ankle and fell to the ground. I struggled to get up, but my foot hurt again, and I fell back down. I cursed under my breath and gritted my teeth.

"Yuanzhi! Yuanzhi!" I sat on the ground, shouting angrily, while grabbing at the pitiful weeds on the ground.

"Mother, I'm here." A clear, watery voice rang in my ears. Zhou Buyi stood in front of me and reached out to help me up.

I looked up in a daze and saw a boy with eyes as clear as water.

He reached out and picked the weeds off my head. "I'm here, Mother."

I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. Seeing that he was unharmed, I finally relaxed and couldn't help but reach out and pinch his cheek to vent my anger. I pinched his delicate face until it was distorted, but he didn't flinch. He just smiled with his eyes narrowed, looking very easy to bully, even easier than Baozi. If it were Baozi... he would definitely beg for mercy loudly and cunningly, and then I would soften and not be able to do it...

"Where did you go?" I asked, my voice choked with emotion.

“Young Master said before he died that he wanted to give Mother a pair of shoes, so I’m going to buy some.” Zhou Buyi stretched out his left hand, which had been behind his back, and in his hand was a pair of new shoes.

Suddenly, I remembered what Baozi said to Kongming on the way to Yizhou that day.

"Uncle Zhuge, Mom says you're Doraemon!" Cao Baozi's words were sure to shock.

"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!"

"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.

"Mother? What's wrong?" Zhou Buyi's voice rang in my ears, interrupting my recollection.

I sniffed, took the shoes from Zhou Buyi's hands, and felt a warm current flow through my heart. Then I took Zhou Buyi's hand and said, "Hurry up and pack your luggage. Let's leave the Prime Minister's residence."

Zhou Buyi smiled faintly and said, "No rush, Mother, have you eaten yet?"

"We're in a real crisis, what are we going to eat for! Come with me!" I said urgently, pulling him along.

Zhou Buyi stumbled as I pulled him, his expression changing slightly. He then squatted down, looking up at me with a somewhat pleading smile, "Mom... I'm too hungry to walk..."

I was slightly taken aback. I had never seen Zhou Buyi, who had always been so sensible, act so coquettishly.

"Okay, let's go after we finish eating." I said helplessly, pulling him up.

Zhou Buyi smiled and said, "Mm."

Back at Tongmeng Pavilion, Zhou Buyi paused slightly, then looked up at me and asked, "Mother, will you cook for me?"

"You want me to do it?" I raised my eyebrows, feeling a little guilty.

"Hmm." Zhou Buyi looked expectant.

I had no doubts and turned away helplessly. Today, Zhou Buyi seemed unusually affectionate, unlike his usual self.

I rolled up my sleeves and followed Rouge to cook in the small kitchen of Tongmeng Pavilion. This small kitchen was specially prepared for me because Rouge's cooking is exceptionally delicious.

"Madam Pei, oil...add oil..."

"Ouch...it's so hot!"

"Oh my god, it's going to catch fire..."

"Shouldn't we add the vegetables now?"

"Quick, put it in! The pot's about to catch fire..."

"It's burning! It's burning... Hurry..."

"Madam Pei...please, let me do it..." Rouge pleaded, her face contorted with grief.

"No way, Yuanzhi wants to eat the food I cook myself!" I raised my chin, determined not to compromise.

Rouge hung her head dejectedly, looking resigned to her fate.

After finally managing to prepare a few dishes, I happily called over Rouge to serve them together.

"Yuanzhi, come and try the dishes your mother made!"

I stormed out of the kitchen, but couldn't find Zhou Buyi anywhere in the room.

My heart sank slightly. I put down the bowl and plate in my hand and chased after him out of the room, only to see Zhou Buyi standing at the entrance of Tongmeng Pavilion, his back to me.

"Yuanzhi, what are you doing?" I asked cautiously as I approached.

Zhou Buyi raised his sleeve, seemingly wiping something, then turned around, smiling at me, "Mother..."

There was a trace of blood on his lips that he hadn't wiped away...

His slightly pale lips were shocking.

"I cooked a meal and stir-fried a few side dishes. It's too late to escape now. You have to eat it all, even if it tastes bad." Composing myself, I lowered my eyes to hide the glimmer in them.

In the end, it was too late...

“Okay.” Zhou Buyi obediently replied, stepped forward, took my hand, and went back to the room together.

I served him rice and laid out the dishes, and watched him eat.

"Is it good?" I asked with a smile.

"Mmm, delicious," Zhou Buyi replied with a smile.

We were happy and harmonious, just like any ordinary mother and child in the world.

Rouge looked at the dark, unrecognizable dish with suspicion. Could it possibly taste good?

After finishing his meal, Zhou Buyi pushed aside the dishes, stood up, knelt respectfully before me, and kowtowed deeply, saying, "Thank you, Mother."

I chuckled dryly, "It's just a meal, why such a big gesture?"

"Because this is the first time I've ever eaten a meal cooked by my mother." Zhou Buyi tilted his head slightly and smiled at me.

My heart started to ache, and I helped him up.

Zhou Buyi rested her head on my knee and smiled, "Mother, do you still remember the day I swore brotherhood with the young master?"

On that day, in the courtyard of Tongmeng Pavilion, Baozi and Zhou Buyi knelt down and swore an oath to heaven.

"I, Cao Chong, am willing to become sworn brothers with Yuanzhi."

"I, Zhou Buyi, am willing to follow you for life."

At that moment, Baozi tilted his head and pouted, "Aren't we brothers?"

“In Yuanzhi’s heart, the young master will always be the young master. He is a young master, but also a brother. However, the proper etiquette must not be disregarded.”

Those two young men made a vow between heaven and earth.

"I would rather die on the same day, in the same month, in the same year than be born on the same day, in the same month, in the same year."

"I would rather die on the same day, in the same month, in the same year than be born on the same day, in the same month, in the same year."

The two boys spoke in unison, looked at each other, and smiled.

"I would rather die on the same day, month, and year than be born on the same day, month, and year..." Zhou Buyi spoke softly, his voice clear as flowing water, without a trace of impurity.

I stared blankly at Zhou Buyi.

He leaned against my knees and said softly, "Actually, when Mother was looking for me, Yuanzhi was watching the whole time. Yuanzhi watched Mother search for me garden by garden, every corridor, every passageway, every corner... listening to Mother calling my name... Originally, Yuanzhi had already quietly left because he was afraid of hurting Mother again, but I... I greedily wanted to see Mother one more time... I was greedy... So, I'm going to make Mother sad again..."

Crimson blood slowly trickled down from the corner of his mouth.

I closed my eyes, blinked away the stinging sensation, and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with my sleeve. "No, I'm not sad."

Zhou Buyi held my hand and said, "Mother, I have no regrets in dying because I was able to meet you, the young master, and recognize you as my mother."

The phrase "I would die without regrets" twisted my heart into a knot.

"You're so smart, why did you come back to the Prime Minister's residence?" I asked him absentmindedly. He knew Cao Cao would kill him, he should know Cao Cao wouldn't let him go.

“You and I are sworn brothers, and you are my mother,” Zhou Buyi replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Wherever my mother is, that is where I will be. There is no son in the world who abandons his mother, unless…”

I slowly raised my sleeve to wipe away the dark red liquid that kept flowing from his lips. He was still looking at me, as if he didn't notice at all.

"Mother, please don't resent the Prime Minister because of Yuanzhi's matter. The Prime Minister has the world on his mind, but he was also forced into this situation. He is just as heartbroken as the Prime Minister for losing our son..."

I silently tried to wipe away the blood welling up from the corner of his mouth, a very mechanical action, but the blood kept flowing...

"Mother..." he murmured, tears streaming down his face. Those tears were red.

...It's blood.

Slowly, his body went limp and he collapsed to the ground.

Blood slowly flowed from his eyes, nose, mouth, ears...

I rushed forward, knelt on the ground, and desperately tried to wipe away the glaring blood...

But it just wouldn't stop...

My clothes, my sleeves, were covered in blood...

After a long and busy day, I finally discovered that Zhou Buyi had already breathed his last in my arms. After sitting there for a while, I finally burst into tears.

"Madam! Madam Pei!" Rouge came to pull me.

I stared at her blankly, then slowly got up, sat down at the table, and ate using the bowls and plates that Yuanzhi had used.

"Madam..." Rouge sobbed softly.

"It tastes awful..." I looked at Rouge with a puzzled expression. "It tastes so bad, why did Yuanzhi lie and say it was delicious?"

Rouge knelt on the ground, covering her mouth and sobbing.

I felt completely lost.

Three days later, the Prime Minister's residence held a grand funeral.

Because I buried Baozi on my way to Danyang, Cao Cao erected a cenotaph for him.

Zhou Buyi was buried alongside Baozi in a cenotaph.

A touching story is circulating throughout Xuchang: Zhou Buyi, a student of Cao Chong, was deeply grateful for the Prime Minister's kindness and Cao Chong's goodwill, and followed the example of the ancients by sacrificing his life to repay the favor...

Stories are always beautiful. While the whole of Xuchang was sighing and admiring Zhou Buyi's righteousness, who knew about the cup of poisoned wine that Cao Cao had given him?

I sat silently in the car, draped in white silk, as the funeral procession moved slowly forward.

I have no more tears left to shed.

As the hearse carrying the two coffins slowly drove along the main street of Xuchang, the street was filled with people, all eager to catch a glimpse of the remains of the two genius teenagers.

Someone was crying in the street, and I stared blankly as others shed tears.

The soldiers, clad in heavy armor, stood solemnly. Cao Cao personally presided over the funeral, and Zhou Buyi's body was buried with great respect next to Baozi's cenotaph.

Amidst the endless white curtains and fluttering paper threads, I stood before the spirits of the two boys, my heart feeling so empty that it seemed as if a gust of wind would make it whistle.

Looking at Cao Cao, dressed in plain clothes, I felt neither sorrow nor joy.

Cao Cao: The world is of utmost importance; what is of little importance?