(415)

The strong scent of camphor permeated the surroundings, like smoke and mist, as if it were the time of his youth that he could never return to.

Cai Wenchuan's father threw down the chainsaw, bent down and picked up the machete again, determined to destroy it completely. As he chopped the tree trunk into sections, the fragrance grew even stronger, like onions, wetting Cai Wenchuan's tears. It was as if, with the falling of the camphor tree, the little girl in the purplish-black sailor shirt was also smiling and walking away from him.

The sunlight was like a raging fire, scorching Cai Wenchuan's back and heart. He stood there like a dying man.

He stared blankly, his eyes red as a rabbit's, and at that moment, he seemed to hear his own heart crying out in pain.

His youthful love, his teenage years, his secrets, his joys and sorrows, and all the little secrets he shared with her—all of it collapsed at this moment, shattering into dust.

The father finally finished felling the trees, just as Samson destroyed the world. Cai Wenchuan stared blankly at his brutal father with tears in his eyes.

He threw down the machete, glanced at him, and the old man seemed to know everything. He yelled at him, "Aren't you awake? Can't you tell right from wrong?!"

Cai Wenchuan slowly squatted down to pick up the camphor tree leaves. The rich fragrance of the leaves filled the air, making his nose sting with pain. He could only lower his head because tears were already welling up in his eyes.

He picked up leaves again and again, trying to grasp something, but he soon realized that everything in the past was like sand through his fingers; the more you try to hold on, the less you can hold on.

The camphor tree, which had stood for decades, crashed down and died in an instant. The little girl in the sailor uniform, like a kite whose string had been cut, gradually flew away and drifted further and further away from him.

His heart was filled with pain, followed by a sense of relief. Could the past truly end like this?

Cai Wenchuan's father said in a weathered tone, "Xiaoyu doesn't like you because this tree hasn't fallen!"

Cai Wenchuan suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with tears as he stared at his father in shock. The old man seemed to know everything; in his heart, Cai Wenchuan was as if made of crystal glass, and he could see through the darkest secrets in Cai Wenchuan's heart at a glance.

Cai Wenchuan's father sneered and said irritably, "Now that the tree has fallen, you have to make changes! I believe that one day, Xiaoyu will like you!" After saying these words, the old man sighed and went into the house without looking back.

The fallen leaves and branches scattered on the ground mirrored Cai Wenchuan's heart at that very moment.

A mountain breeze blew by, and he seemed to hear the camphor tree crying, and also the crying of a ten-year-old girl.

Cai Wenchuan squatted down and stared blankly at the fallen camphor tree.

It was as if all the blood in his body had drained away; his body was ice-cold, and his hands and feet were trembling.

His mother walked up to him and said in a low voice, "Wenchuan, I think the reason Xiaoyu disagrees is because she found a picture of the young lady in your room. You put that picture in the book you often read. I think no woman could accept that. So, like your father said, you have to change, okay—"

The mother's words were pleading at the end.

Cai Wenchuan slowly raised his head and looked at the old woman. His mother was only fifty years old, but she looked like a sixty-year-old, older than her actual age. He thought of Madam Lin, who looked like she was in her early twenties when she was forty. Why did his mother age so quickly?

Her hair was gray, her eyes were lifeless, and her face was wrinkled like a walnut. Was it because he had been making her worry and sad?

The mother's eyes were swollen, like peaches, probably because she had been crying for too long in his room.

Guilt surged over him like a rising tide, almost suffocating him.

He really let her down!

Cai Wenchuan remembers when he was a child, his mother took Lin Tingxuan to school. Because of the flood blocking the road, she was a little slow in opening the umbrella, and Lin Tingxuan, who was waiting there, scolded her fiercely.

Later, he went to the place to check and found that the sewer was blocked by fallen leaves, which caused the road to flood. He cleaned the sewer. When his mother learned about this, she was so moved that she hugged him tightly and praised him as a filial son.

He must be very disappointed in his mother right now!

Thinking of this, Cai Wenchuan felt extremely guilty.

"Here, take this first—" The old man placed the brocade box containing the gold bracelet in Cai Wenchuan's palm again and said to him gently, "Your father and I both like Xiaoyu. We watched our child grow up and she is marrying you. We are at ease, knowing her background well."

She paused, forced a smile, looked down at the camphor tree leaves scattered on the ground, and continued, "As for the young lady, apart from being pretty, in terms of education, taste, and personality, she can't even compare to Xiaoyu's toes. Besides, she's a young lady, and we're just working for her family. We're not a good match, so there's no possibility between us."

Cai Wenchuan was stunned again; it turned out that his mother knew his secret.

Cai Wenchuan's mother continued gently, "So son, you're my only son. I don't want to see you sad. My biggest wish is for you to be happy. So, listen to me, take the initiative, be nice to Xiaoyu, and go after her, okay?"

Hearing his mother's pitiful pleas, Cai Wenchuan finally understood. He nodded and tightly gripped the brocade box in his hand. A large tear fell onto the box, immediately soaking a large patch of the red velvet. He gritted his teeth, desperately trying to control himself.

He was controlled by a not-so-good girl, trapped in his own self-imposed prison, a situation he didn't want to be in, because she didn't love him. He lived as if he were in an abyss for years, feeling utterly hopeless.

After agreeing to his mother's request, Cai Wenchuan felt a sense of relief and joy, like a prisoner finally released from his cage. He squinted at the fallen leaves on the ground. His father had cut down the camphor tree, and at first he was very sad, but now, looking around, he found that the yard was much more spacious, almost three times the size of before.

He slowly stood up.

My parents are both wrong. Everyone only has one life, so why get stuck in a hopeless relationship?

Seeing Cai Wenchuan's roused and enlightened state, his mother smiled through her tears, her expression full of relief. She said happily to Cai Wenchuan, "Let bygones be bygones. Be good to Xiaoyu, make her fall in love with you, and then give her this brocade box. I believe she won't refuse it again. Mom is waiting for your good news!"

Cai Wenchuan looked at the old man and realized that he liked the young lady. He originally thought it was the deepest and darkest secret in his heart, known to no one but him. But now it seemed that his parents had known all along, and Ye Wenyu knew now. That's why she refused to settle. Why should such a proud and outstanding girl settle for being someone else's backup?

Yes, he was wrong!

He must find her, beg for her forgiveness, and pursue her again to make up for his mistakes.