Chapter 108 There were two people when they left, and they returned…
There were two people when they left, but only one person returned. Xie Zhuo left his residence alone and strolled through the bustling streets.
During the festive season, people travel in small groups, and amidst their lively conversations, a warm sense of happiness shines through their ordinary daily lives.
Xie Zhuo tried his best to keep his eyes steady, but a hint of envy flashed across them.
Shuangmu... Lin Zhechun kept that body under the pretext of returning it to its rightful owner. Unable to take his blood-related child back for a proper burial, he felt no anger whatsoever.
The child had already returned to his side.
What if blood ties are erased, and the body is made of stone?
In his eyes, it was a unique and top-quality stone in the world.
"Father."
A child's voice beside him interrupted Xie Zhuo's thoughts. He turned around on the long street, trying to find that most special stone in the world in the vast sea of people.
"I want a hug."
The sound coming from below made Xie Zhuo look down, but he didn't see that familiar figure. He only saw a father and son brush past him, the shorter one tugging at the other's sleeve and acting spoiled.
"Okay, okay, Daddy will hold you."
The man, agreeing to the child's request, scooped up the little one beside him and weighed him in his arms.
"I want to eat candied hawthorns too."
The child whose request was met climbs up the pole and makes another request.
But the man hesitated, until the child in his arms pouted and cried out pitifully again:
"Daddy, I want to eat some. I'll just have one, and you can have the rest."
The man reluctantly agreed, glancing around before lowering his voice to speak:
"Daddy will buy it for you, but you can't tell Mommy, okay? Otherwise..."
Before the man could finish speaking, the child regained his energy and chirped like a sparrow: "I know, I know, otherwise Mommy will..." Then the man covered his mouth and manually mute him.
I want to see him.
I want to abandon everything I have now to find that stone whose whereabouts are unknown...
The voice in his mind screamed, but Xie Zhuo stood firmly in place, only his eyelashes trembled slightly. The factor that would take Xiao Bao away from him again had not been eliminated. He could not leave Xiao Bao in danger, and he could not experience the taste of loss again.
If, if Xiaobao really had grown up under his care, if Ajin were still alive, would they still be an ordinary family like this...?
Xie Zhuo's gaze followed the father and son as they stopped in front of the candied hawthorn stall. He was drawn to them and slowly took a step forward until he had a string of bright red candied hawthorns in his hand, at which point he came to his senses.
Under the sunlight, the sugar coating on the hawthorn shell showed a golden luster, like crystal clear amber, much more transparent than in the dim environment of that night.
The golden sugar coating reflected Xie Zhuo's smile. He still remembered the first time Xiao Bao called him "Daddy" just to ask him for candied hawthorns.
"Uncle, it's so nice that you still love candied hawthorns at your age. When I can earn money, I'll buy them every day."
When Xie Zhuo heard the child's innocent words, he turned his head and saw that it was the same child who had been held in his father's arms, who was now looking at him with the candied hawthorn in his hand.
But the child, lacking imagination, said something somewhat offensive in his first sentence, and quickly earned a sharp rap on the head from the man: "If you really eat that every day, let's see if you'll still have teeth when you grow up?"
While the child was covering his head, the man smiled apologetically at Xie Zhuo.
"It's alright. I only thought of taking your son back to him because I saw your son."
That being said, after the father and son disappeared into the vast crowd, Xie Zhuo stared at the candied hawthorn skewer in his hand, perplexed.
Xiao Bao can't stand sour tastes and doesn't like the common candied hawthorn skewers. Even other candied hawthorn skewers made by the cooks in the mansion are rejected because the fruit inside doesn't taste sweet enough due to the sugar coating. He'll only eat a few pieces.
As for him eating it himself, things are different in the capital than outside; if his colleagues saw him, they would inevitably tease him...
"Dad, I'm so old, why are you still bringing me candied hawthorns?"
With unknown feelings swirling in his mind, Xie Zhuo unknowingly arrived at Xie Baoqiong's courtyard, bumping into Xie Rongjing who was also there, and casually handed him some snacks.
The two stood together under the eaves, next to a relatively small rocking chair. In the past, when the weather was sunny, Xie Baoqiong would always move it to the shade of the trees in the yard and take a nap on it, but now it was left idle in this corner.
Xie Rongjing looked away, saying this but honestly taking the candied hawthorn skewer. His gaze lingered on the red sphere peeking out from the oil paper wrapping, and he knowingly explained the origin of the candied hawthorn skewer:
"Is this for Qiong'er? But Qiong'er always just grabs the outer coating and gnaws on it. You might as well bring him some pine nut candy from West Street..."
At this point, Xie Rongjing's lips twitched slightly, and a look of sorrow appeared in his eyes. He was missing Qiong'er a little.
Sunlight streamed down, bypassing the eaves, blending this silent longing into its soft glow, bathing even the unchanging scenery of the courtyard in a gentle light. Seeds buried in the small mound of earth at the corner of the wall had already sprouted; the zinnia plant had grown branches, unfurling layers upon layers of vibrant flowers, its slender stems supporting the heavy blossoms, much like this profound longing.
The flowers bloomed, but the person who said he would wait until they bloomed to pick them and give them to him had vanished without a trace.
But Xie Rongjing's low spirits returned to calm when he recalled the incident, and even a hint of joy appeared:
"Father, I have something to tell you."
"Coincidentally, I also have something to tell you."
As the autumn wind rose, it carried Xie Zhuo's brief description to Xie Rongjing's ears.
Xie Rongjing's eyes widened little by little, his surprise and joy undisguised, lingering for a long time before finally turning into a smile at the corner of his mouth:
"That's great, my little brother is back with us."
He then changed the subject, a hint of barely perceptible schadenfreude in his voice: "Then Father will have to coax Qiong'er properly."
Xie Zhuo glanced at him, a hint of a smile in his eyes: "In Xiao Bao's eyes, you're also my accomplice."
“Every time, I’m just an accomplice who gets dragged down by you…” Xie Rongjing muttered.
Warm light slanted down from the eaves onto the two of them, their heavy yet light longings intertwined, stretching towards the same destination.
After a few lighthearted banter, Xie Zhuo got down to business: "What do you want to tell me?"
Xie Rongjing's smile remained unchanged: "Father, I have good news and bad news to tell you. Which would you like to hear first?"
"Is the good news related to Qiong'er?" Xie Zhuo guessed, noticing the corner of his mouth curving upwards.
"Father, how did you know?" Before Xie Zhuo could answer, Xie Rongjing delivered the good news: "A message came from Fenghai City saying that Qiong'er is there and they hope the Marquis's mansion will go and bring him back."
Upon hearing the news, Xie Zhuo felt no joy whatsoever; instead, a fleeting gloom crossed his face. How could Xiao Bao be there?
Worry and anger welled up at the same time. Only now did he feel a little angry at Xie Baoqiong for leaving home without a word, but he was mostly angry at himself. How could he have failed to keep an eye on Xiaobao...
Even the bad news Xie Rongjing delivered failed to stir any emotion in him.
Xie Zhuo didn't show any extra emotion that would worry Xie Rongjing. He left with the words, "I have something important to do and need to go out for a while," and then hurriedly disappeared.
—
In Fenghai City, Xie Baoqiong, who was completely unaware of what was happening in the capital, dragged the dressed Qi Gui into the street.
Yesterday, when he and Qi Gui were about to go out, they were stopped by the guards outside the courtyard. Just as he was about to resume his persona, another official came and gave them a long explanation, basically saying that they could only go into the city after their identities were confirmed. In the end, for some unknown reason, he changed his mind and said that they could go out. However, it was already late by then, so after discussing it with Qi Gui, he decided to wait until the next day to go out.
When they went out today, although the guards at the gate had changed, they did not stop them anymore.
At the entrance of the long street, two giant lanterns hung below the archway. The candle in the middle had not yet been lit. The surface of the lanterns was made of special paper, and each side was carved with different flowers, birds and figures. The two boys passing under them had no time to pay attention to them and plunged into the hawking noise in the long street, becoming one of the couples traveling together.
Qi Gui glanced at the bustling scene on the long street before him. The steam rising from the steamed bun stalls softened the harsh sunlight. Faces of various kinds, each with a serene and happy expression, brushed past him, but none of these people were cultivators.
"Arjun, where is the monks' market?"
Xie Baoqiong was also a little confused, and her tone was slightly regretful: "Yesterday I only saw that some cultivators from the market were walking in this direction."
"It's alright, the mortal market is quite interesting too." Qi Gui noticed Xie Baoqiong's downcast tone. Although he was also somewhat disappointed, he still cheered her up and comforted her: "Look, there are cultivators over there too."
Xie Baoqiong looked in the direction Qi Gui had indicated, and in front of a building, two or three young men dressed in the same uniform were also looking over.
Cultivators are naturally sharp-witted, and it's not surprising that the two of them were caught speaking in hushed tones.
Qi Gui looked somewhat embarrassed, avoiding the gaze of the crowd opposite him, his ears, hidden in his hair, faintly revealing a bright red color.
Xie Baoqiong, on the other hand, took the opportunity to investigate the other party while several cultivators nearby were observing them. Those people were wearing the uniforms of their sects and had the same waist tags hanging from their waists. He felt like he had seen them somewhere before...
After confirming the other party's strength, Xie Baoqiong grabbed Qi Gui's wrist and walked through the crowd, heading straight towards the group.
As he got closer, Xie Baoqiong could see that the group consisted of one woman and two men, and his gaze met theirs without any attempt to avoid eye contact.
"Fellow Daoist, do you know where the cultivator market is in Fenghai City?"
The people opposite, who had initially shown a hint of wariness when they saw them approaching, relaxed slightly upon hearing his question, but remained wary nonetheless:
"Are you two new to Fenghai County?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
