The ship sailed quietly on the river at night, the gentle splashes of water hitting the hull, making a gentle sound. Even in the dead of night, lanterns were still lit in the corridors on each floor of the ship.
Through the lantern paper, the yellowish light ripples slightly on the lake.
Loran Hill opened the door, walked out of the house, and came to the corridor outside. He held the vermilion fence and looked down at the deep river with rippling waves below. In the distance, there were some sounds of drinking and laughing coming from the deck at the stern.
She touched her arm, then went back into the house to find a coat and shawl, covering her shoulders with it, and then walked out in the direction of the sound.
The voices gradually became clearer, they were the voices of several middle-aged men.
"The river water is almost colorless, the night is long and waiting for the dawn..." Someone seemed to be drunk, speaking verses that sounded like a delirium.
"Hahaha, Brother Jin, how about another drink?"
"Everyone is mortal, so we dance and drink to pursue the rest of our lives."
"My dream is to go to heaven..." There was a hint of vicissitudes and nostalgia in his voice.
"Stop talking, stop talking. Come on, keep drinking." The voice next to him continued to persuade, as if to comfort him.
When Loran Hill walked out of the aisle, the scene where the voices were heard came into view.
The four people sat on the four sides of the square table. The table in the middle was filled with messy dishes. There were many empty wine bottles at their feet. They rolled slightly with the ups and downs of the boat, occasionally bumping into each other and making slight noises.
One of them was Yu Baichou. He held the wine glass and shook his head slightly, as if he was sighing about something. Next to him was a burly man dressed in black cloth. His dress and demeanor were somewhat similar to Yu Baichou. He was supporting the man on the other side, occasionally patting his back, as if to comfort him.
The man being comforted was wearing a blue cloth shirt and a messy scarf on his head. Although he was still holding a wine glass in his hand, he seemed to be half drunk and half awake. The tears on his face had not yet dried, and he was speaking incoherent verses.
The last person was wearing a reddish-brown robe, holding a wine pot, pouring wine for the other people at the table, and muttering some words to persuade them to drink.
These people are all quite old. The youngest one looks to be nearly 40 years old, and the oldest one seems to be in his 50s or 60s, with faint white strands visible in his hair.
The night was deep, and the fields were silent, with only the occasional chirping of cicadas and the croaking of toads from both banks. Several lanterns hung beside the wine table, illuminating the few people below.
Loran Hill walked over slowly, and Yu Baichou also looked up and saw this familiar young lady.
"Did you wake up at night because you couldn't sleep?"
"Well, I want to go out for a walk."
"That's fine, but it's a pity that there is no moonlight now. In the past, appreciating the moon would have been a blessing." Yu Baichou continued to answer, and then said to the people next to him.
"It's getting late, why don't we stop here today."
The others looked at their drunk companions and the cold leftovers on the table, and nodded.
"Well, fine, let's stop here. I'll help Brother Jin to rest, and then I'll trouble Brother Fan to find someone to clean up."
After they finished speaking, they slowly stood up, staggered towards the aisle, and slowly disappeared into the night around the corner.
Looking at the empty tables and chairs, with only Yu Baichou left, Luo Lanxier said a little uncomfortably, "Did I disturb you from drinking?"
"Ha, it's okay. It's just that it's really getting late, we should go home." Yu Baichou put down his wine glass and stood up.
The night was long and endless. He placed his rough hands on the railing and looked at the dark distant view of the river at the stern.
“Life is only a hundred years long, how short it is…”
"Uncle Yu, are you remembering something from the past?" The girl walked slowly to the nearby fence, also gazing at the river in the night.
"Yes, just now when I was listening to the past stories of another classmate at the same table, I couldn't help but recall some of my own past experiences." He seemed quite emotional.
"It's the person who just sat opposite me, reciting poetry and crying."
"His name is Jin Huanian, a native of Hedaizhou. As a young man, he was a prominent figure in his area, having passed the imperial examinations and entered the world's most prestigious Imperial College. Full of ambition and joy, he vowed to travel the world and explore every mile."
"But time passes by like this, day and night, and when I look back today, I already have white hair."
"Although I don't have his literary talent, I still feel quite emotional when I listen to him. As I grow older, the father, brothers, and uncles I once relied on have all entered their gray-bearded years. Looking around, there is no one left to rely on."
"He said that a few days ago, in a dream, he recalled his youth, outings with his boy friends in the wild, searching for a beautiful woman. But after waking, he felt only bitterness in his heart."
"Because he can never return to that age and time, the things he once longed to pursue, even if they still exist, are no longer within his grasp. His body is growing old, his spirit is fading, he becomes breathless when he climbs high, and weak when he walks far. Only regrets linger in his heart, as he leans on the railing and sighs at the moon."
"After listening to it, I felt sympathetic and sad." After Yu Baichou finished speaking, he walked to the table, picked up the wine jug, poured another glass, and drank it.
"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Miss. It's just a bunch of frustrated people adding to their sadness."
After hearing this, Loran Hill rested his chin on the back of his hand covering the fence, and looked at the river water without saying a word.
She wanted to comfort Uncle Yu, but she didn't know how to start.
Lamenting the passage of time, she wondered if this was reality. What constituted a perfect life? How could one live life without regrets? Even she didn't have a good answer.
Everyone's experiences and temperament are different. It is extremely difficult to find a universal life principle that applies to everyone from ancient times to the present.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com