Chapter 78
Although the streets were deserted after the war and there were still unburied bodies, some shops had already started operating.
Zhou Minlin heard there was a place where they could get shaved ice, so the three of them walked for over two hours under the scorching sun to get some. It was all icy, not sweet at all. But no one said anything; they were all very happy.
Xiaoshuang and Wen Runze left together, and Zhou Minlin would also leave in a few days.
At night, Xiao Shuang gave her an envelope, but she pushed it back and said, "I can't accept it, you know."
"It's not much money, so you keep it."
"Really, no need. I still have some."
Xiaoshuang hugged her knees and sobbed. She knew Wang Jiazhi couldn't leave. She had no money and no family. Her father would never give her money to leave here quickly.
Wang Jiazhi said, "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. When I get back, we'll be able to meet again."
Xiao Shuang stopped crying and asked with tears in her eyes: "Where is he? Can he find you?"
Wang Jiazhi shook her head.
Xiao Shuang took out a crystal hairpin with a purple wisteria flower and gave it to her, saying, "Keep it as a souvenir."
Wang Jiazhi took out a pink rose pillowcase and a purple wisteria handkerchief she had embroidered and said, "This is for you. Keep it as a souvenir. My mother says that some people are blessed the moment they meet you. You have that kind of blessed face. You will have a good life."
"You will be fine too."
Wang Jiazhi smiled and said, "Yes, we will be fine."
On the day they were about to leave, Xiaoshuang hugged her and sobbed. Wang Jiazhi smiled and said, "Don't make it like we're parting forever. I'll go back too."
Xiao Shuang cried, "Don't talk nonsense. We will meet. I will write to you when we get there."
Wang Jiazhi nodded with tears in her eyes.
Wang Jiazhi and Zhou Minlin left only after seeing their boat sail away.
From now on, we are far apart and I don’t know if we will meet again.
When Wang Jiazhi returned home, she saw some money under her pillow. It must have been left there by Xiaoshuang while she was away.
Zhou Minlin is also leaving the day after tomorrow. Before leaving, he found a place for her to live with cheaper rent.
They were still walking and chatting on the boulevard as before.
Before leaving, Wang Jiazhi gave Zhou Minlin a copy of "Tess" and a few postcards she had drawn herself.
Zhou Minlin saw that it was a scene of them performing a drama, and there was also a photo of the three of them drinking cold drinks and looking at the sky together.
Zhou Minlin's eyes turned red when he saw this picture.
Wang Jiazhi said sadly, "Keep it as a souvenir."
Zhou Minlin handed her a copy of the Complete History of the Tang Dynasty and said, "Keep it as a souvenir."
Wang Jiazhi opened the book and left many annotations. He longed to live in the peaceful and romantic Tang Dynasty, but was born in this turbulent and precarious world.
On the day Zhou Minlin left, many people came to see her off. Zhou Minlin said to her, "You will definitely be happy."
She smiled and said, "I'll give you some good luck."
At the same time, I thought to myself, “How can I be happy?”
After bidding Zhou Minlin farewell, Wang Jiazhi returned to the dormitory. There were only a few people left, and the room was cluttered with packed gifts. That evening, a girl came and handed her an envelope, saying, "Zhou Minlin asked me to give this to you."
Wang Jiazhi opened it and saw a stack of money.
At night, the place was eerily quiet, like a cemetery. Wang Jiazhi couldn't sleep, and suddenly remembered that Huang Liju had died next door. Would she return as a ghost? That would be nice, so she could chat. When she was alive, she didn't want to hear her nonsense. Now she was lonely, and it would be nice to have someone to chat with.
The curtains had been drawn, letting in direct moonlight, casting dappled shadows of trees on the walls and ground. It felt completely different from the past, as if I were in a palace that had collapsed a thousand years ago, the moonlight shining on the mournful ruins.
The memories of the past came back to her, and she wanted to be alone. For the first time, she did not escape, did not feel pain, and did not have any guilt. She just calmly recalled the past.
"I'm not innocent, I'm guilty, but it's not entirely my fault," she thought to herself.
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