Chapter 3

The blind man grabbed his new cane and walked out of the door he'd been leaning against. He could feel that it was much sturdier than the branch he'd been holding, so he felt a sense of security as he slowly walked away. He didn't want to bother the kind man again, as he'd just left the house feeling very cold outside.

But after being blown by the wind for a while, he got used to the cold again. Besides, he had just eaten a full meal, so at least he was warm.

The little blind man was in no hurry to go anywhere else. He walked towards the quieter side. The snow in front of the houses on the long street had been swept clean by everyone. He could hear the sound of his cane hitting the ground again. This cane had a muffled sound and felt a little heavy in his hand.

But he liked the new cane even more. The dull sound of it knocking on the ground now sounded unexpectedly peaceful, just like the gentlemen's slow tone, polite and kind, who was willing to give him a cane.

He was now a little afraid that he would sit in front of the door again, so he waited for a while until the crutch made a sound in the air, and then walked back and forth for a long time with the support of a place to lean on. He felt relieved when he didn't touch anything uneven, and thought that what he touched must be the wall.

Now he had nothing else to do, so he just sat against the wall in the snow and rested. It didn't matter whether it was day or night, because he couldn't see the sun or the moon in the sky. But the place where he was was quiet enough, and his ears could rest too.

The snow had begun to melt, trickling down to the surface. The little blind man kept touching his stick, from end to end, and then back again.

The cane was surprisingly straight; he couldn't tell if it was a branch or something else. It was also very smooth. He felt it for a long time without getting a single splinter or a scratch. But besides the shape of the cane, the little blind man couldn't discern anything else. There seemed to be no patterns, no other features.

The blind man clasped his cane tightly against his chest. He could smell a faint scent on it. It was something he couldn't put his finger on, a scent that reminded him of the warmth of the room, the satin sleeves of the gentleman, and brought him a sense of peace. Whether it was an illusion or not was unimportant to him.

He also felt a pity for being born blind. When his grandfather brought him home, he had to hold his grandfather's hand or use a cane to learn to walk. He hadn't been able to see what his grandfather looked like, but he had touched his grandfather's face. As for this gentleman, he naturally wouldn't dare do the same. But the gentleman must be a good person. He didn't know if he would have the chance to meet him again. Next time, when he thought of what he wanted to say, he would say it and wish the gentleman well.

The gentleman also said that when he grew taller, his cane would be more convenient to use. The little blind man took this as a blessing, thinking that it would take him many years to grow taller, so he just hoped the gentleman would wish him many more years.

The snow that had piled up in Chang'an turned to ice, and the ice melted back into water. The little blind man continued walking down the street as usual. As the snow melted, more people came and went. He slowly explored the path ahead, leaning on his cane. After the heavy snow, they could go back to their normal routine of begging for food to survive the winter. The shops and vendors on the street reopened, and when the crowds had mostly dispersed, some kind-hearted people would throw them some leftovers.

They still had to grab it. The little blind man could usually only grab a little bit, and he had to stuff it into his mouth quickly, without chewing it much, just swallowing it. Sometimes he would choke, but that was still the satisfaction of having something to eat.

He remembered that winter was very cold, and the winters of the following years were even colder. He had endured the pain of blindness from childhood until he was completely blind, completely abandoning all worries. Whenever food was thrown to him, he would hold his crutches tightly and crawl on the ground like a dog, groping for it, holding it tightly in his palms, and then quickly find a corner to chew his hard-earned food.

Ever since Grandpa passed away, he couldn't count the days any more. The blind man didn't know how much time had passed since that year, but after several heavy snowfalls, his ears were starting to fail him. The noises he'd heard before were too chaotic, and the constant pain made him unwilling to hear any more noise.

In his memory, many years had passed. So long that he had forgotten his grandfather's voice and even lost the cane the gentleman had given him. It was a very hot day, or rather, a very hot night. He was so sleepy that he didn't walk to the street he was most familiar with. He lay down against the nearest wall and prepared to fall asleep.

Perhaps it was his fault. He did not realize that he was leaning against the door instead of the wall. So when the owner opened the door in the early morning, he saw himself blocking the door.

He could not remember what happened afterwards. By the time he ran and crawled to shake off the vicious dog that was biting him, he had no idea where the crutch was.

At that time, he was still a blind boy. After feeling the warm and wet feeling on his hand, he ignored it and just crawled back slowly. Even after someone helped him up, he still couldn't follow the path he had just taken and find the crutches that the teacher had given him.

Although someone on the street took pity on him and broke off a new branch for him, and he soon had a new crutch, the little blind man was still very sad. He was so sad that he couldn't cry, and he felt that he shouldn't have thrown away the crutch that was very important to him.

He could only use his new crutch to support himself up. The branch had forked twigs on it, and the sound of it hitting the ground was so light that it almost faded into the air and could not be heard clearly.

The little blind man pulled himself up, not daring to lean on anything. He found a quiet spot and curled up, hugging his knees. His legs hurt, and it was especially hot today. He carefully raised his fingertips to wipe the blood off his legs, but it was impossible to wipe it clean, just like how he couldn't find his crutch earlier.

What happened next? The little blind man gradually grew blind and was unable to answer the gentleman's question. He didn't know if he had grown taller or if the cane would become more comfortable to use.

Over the years, he'd changed many crutches, listened to them break, and received new branches from kindhearted people. The blind man dragged his lame leg, walking from street to street. He felt that he had almost walked through the entire city of Chang'an, and there was no chance he would see that gentleman again.

At first, he naturally felt sorry for her, but then he thought, maybe the gentleman had already moved to a new house and achieved everything he wanted to do. He hoped that one of his wishes would come true - that the gentleman was well, and he would be happy enough.

As for the blind man himself, he has already completely figured out what the streets and alleys he often walks on look like. Now, even if he puts down his crutches, he can still walk along the route he remembers and reach the next street.

He just walked slower. The blind man knew he couldn't walk fast, and he happened to have a lame leg. If he walked slowly, he would hear less curses. At least not many people would scold him for walking slowly.

It snowed again this winter, and the blind man was used to such heavy snow. He lay down on the snow and fell asleep quickly in the cold.

Even his dreams were dark. All he could think of were the sensation of pain and the taste of food. Sometimes he would fall, sometimes he would return to that summer night, and sometimes he would dream of that hot pancake with sugar, which didn't bite so hard.

But he still couldn't stay in such a cold winter like his grandfather. After waking up, he had to move his frozen hands and feet, gradually regaining consciousness and the familiar pain.

He heard the loud ringing of bells, the cries of people running in the streets, and the voices of "A new dynasty has been established." However, he could no longer hear clearly and was used to a world where he could not hear clearly. What could other things have to do with him, a blind and lame man?

Now, he really missed his grandfather. He missed his grandfather's voice and the days when he was with his grandfather. He missed him and wandered around, wanting to wait for the day when he would no longer realize that he was in endless darkness.

Soon, the noise in the streets died down. Spring followed the winter night and entered Chang'an City. Most families resumed their former laughter and joy. In fact, the streets were even more lively than before.

The blind man still walked along the wall, silently from one end of the long street to the other. If someone offered him something, he would nod and thank them. When no one was around, he would just live a similar life, thirsty, hungry, and suffering from physical pain.

He didn't know what the new dynasty would be like, but he felt that he hadn't heard dogs barking for a long time. Those sounds that frightened him seemed to have disappeared from the streets, so he felt that the new dynasty must be good.

Because there were more people walking on the street, and there were also the sounds of children running and playing, and the vendors on the street had set up long stalls. The blind man listened to these sounds every day, and listened to these sounds getting smaller and smaller in his ears - until the day he could no longer hear.

It was a very hot day, and the blind man couldn't tell whether it was spring or summer. He huddled against the wall, groping for his cane, but he could no longer hear the sound of it hitting the ground.

The blind man raised the corners of his mouth and laughed. Of course, he didn't know whether the sound he made could be considered a laugh, but he just wanted to do it.

Something soft was blown into his palm by the wind. The blind man was drowsy and unwilling to move. He retracted his fingers and grasped the thing that floated into his palm. It was soft and fell apart after he held it. He remembered a little bit. His grandfather had described snow to him in terms of poplar catkins, light and cold snow.

The snow melted into water in his palm, and the poplar catkins floated out of his palm. The blind man waited and waited. Now he could not see, could not hear the cursing and the noise, and could not walk.

Let it stop here - let it stop here. He just felt a little regretful. He regretted that he had lost his grandfather, lost the crutches given by the gentleman, and let down the gentleman's kindness.

But he was too sleepy and too tired. Now it was quiet, just right - the blind man no longer thought about these things, but just felt that he was slowly losing consciousness. He smiled, and had never been so happy, because he knew now, knew that he would never wake up again.

The poplar catkins all over the city were blown and drifted by the wind, contrasting with the prosperity and bustle of the new dynasty, as well as the rich families, vicious dogs and people who died with the old dynasty.

White fluff like the heavy snow every year covered the blind man's eyes. Those eyes that had never opened were soon blown away by the wind, blown to every corner of Chang'an City, searching for their whereabouts in a daze.

End of Volume 4.