They sipped their wine and chatted casually.
This meal took more than an hour to eat.
The older woman today is unusually talkative.
From the time she married that old man, to later when her family started fighting, they hurriedly fled and ended up in Beijing.
These events, one by one, seemed to be etched into the old woman's mind, and now, these scenes were being recreated.
The more he talked, the more silent the old man became.
Finally, he silently drank another glass of wine, his face showing a hint of drunkenness.
Those days were so tough, so tough that I don't even want to remember them.
"Alright, alright, what's past is past, why bring it up again?" an old man said.
"Hey, tell me what happened. Alright, alright, if you don't want to listen, I don't want to talk either." The old lady said reproachfully, "Come on, take a look at the good stuff I left behind."
She opened the large box.
It is divided into two compartments, one above the other.
An old man took one look and exclaimed, "Good heavens!"
A set of gold lock, gold bracelet, and gold necklace.
A set of jade pendant and jade bracelet.
There was also a beautiful, rather large, blue gemstone of unknown material. Even with the knowledge of an old man like myself, I had no idea what it was.
"Where did you get this stuff from?"
"My mother gave it to me," the middle-aged woman said proudly, her face becoming even rosier, as if she had returned to that era, to that night.
"Your mother? Would she give you something like this?"
He knew exactly what kind of family this woman lived in. Back then, it was less a marriage and more like her family had sold her to him.
"Who do you think you are? Let me tell you, back then, it's said that people from Beijing fled to our area and stayed there for one night. My mother took pity on them and took them in, and they gave her this box. According to them, this thing was prepared for the little princess. I was thinking of giving it to her when my daughter was born. Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance."
When she said this, the older woman didn't seem disappointed as usual. Instead, she said with a bright smile, "I think Xiao Chuan is influenced by Wang Shouren. He seems to like girls too. Remember to give him this when the time comes."
"You can keep it yourself, why give it to me?" An old man was puzzled. He felt that the old woman was acting strangely tonight, unusually energetic and full of vigor, completely different from her usual gentle and soft-spoken manner. If the old woman was usually a kind old lady, then tonight she was more like a young girl, with the unique charm and innocence of a young girl.
It made him feel a little dazed, just like when he first saw her all those years ago.
"Oh dear, I was just afraid I'd forget. I told you to keep it, so just keep it. You're quite good at keeping things, aren't you? I know you well; you prepared quite a few good things for that kid, didn't you?" the older woman asked with a grin.
"Alright, alright, I'll keep it for you, I'll keep it for you." The old man said somewhat helplessly.
The older woman nodded in satisfaction and quickly cleared away the dishes, while the older man carefully picked up the box, thought for a moment, and put it aside. He figured it was at least an antique. Tomorrow, he'd ask Qin Jingru how to preserve it; she should know a thing or two.
Around 8 or 9 pm, most of the old men are getting ready to go to bed.
An elderly man and woman were no exception.
An old man lay on the bed, already snoring softly. He had drunk a little too much tonight, so he was falling asleep easily.
The older woman stared at the ceiling with bright, sparkling eyes, her usual indifference replaced by longing.
She didn't speak, just stared straight at the ceiling, and slowly opened her mouth.
She hummed a song softly, the one whose lyrics were indistinct—a lullaby her mother used to sing to her when she was little. As she sang, she suddenly gave a sly laugh, then glanced cautiously at the old man, as if afraid he would notice. She wanted to keep this memory, so uniquely hers, to herself.
She missed home; she missed her mother and her father.
She longed for the country road from her childhood that allowed her to run freely.
She also missed the rolling pin her mother used to hold when she was little, chasing after her from behind.
She still longs for the autumn harvest, for the golden rice paddies, where she would sit on the ridges, swinging her little feet, watching her parents work.
That feeling was very comfortable and lighthearted, and I was indescribably happy.
That was the purest joy from the depths of her heart.
As memories surfaced one by one, the song grew softer and softer until, gradually, the sound faded away like the flame of life slowly dying out.
The next day, the sun rose as usual.
An elderly man slowly opened his eyes. He seemed to be in good spirits, even though he had drunk a bit too much the night before. He had slept well enough, and his health was still quite good thanks to his years of practicing Tai Chi. He reached out and touched the ground beside him, somewhat surprised to find that an elderly woman hadn't gotten up early today.
Normally, the older woman gets up first, goes to the kitchen to do this and that, and then wakes the older man up. Finally, the elderly couple goes to the yard to practice Tai Chi with the younger men. After that, they go back inside to have breakfast.
It's rare for me to not get out of bed for a whole day.
An old man reached out and nudged an old woman.
It can't be pushed.
The old man paused for a moment, then seemed to realize something, and his expression changed slightly.
He reached out and checked the old woman's breath.
He's not breathing!
He froze, standing there dumbfounded.
It took him a while to remember what the old lady had told him the night before.
That didn't sound like something an old lady would say at all; the girlish innocence was like going back to when they first met more than 50 years ago.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh again.
Are you sad?
The old man didn't know either, he just felt a tightness in his chest.
At his age, he was already prepared for things like life and death. But the sudden passing of his wife left him somewhat bewildered.
He stood there for a while, then changed into clean clothes, went to the bathroom, filled a basin with water, and was about to wipe the old woman down when he paused again. He realized that the old woman was wearing clothes she had prepared long ago. He had no idea when she had changed into them.
A slight smile played on her lips, as if she had dreamt of something that made her happy before she left.
Only after all this was done did the old man go to inform others. Now, he's too old to handle these things by himself.
Wang Shouren was naturally the first to be notified.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
