"Huh? Is Brother Xiao leaving too?" Wanwan was a little surprised. She was thinking of coming back to visit him whenever she had time!
“That’s right. As the saying goes, a good man’s ambition lies in all directions. My second brother is leaving, so how can I stay in Hailan Village forever?” Xiao Qi’s eyebrows and eyes were gentle, and his eyes, like water, rippled with waves.
Wanwan scratched the back of her head and asked tentatively, "Will Brother Xiao go to live in the capital with Wanwan?"
When he met the girl's pure and joyful face, her happy and expectant eyes were as lively and captivating as if they were filled with red carp, Xiao Qi's heart felt as if it had been suddenly gripped by an invisible hand.
He lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes drooping down, casting a faint shadow in his already deep and indifferent eyes.
"That's still undecided," he said in a deep voice.
Wanwan wasn't too disappointed when she heard this. It was within her expectations. Brother Xiao wouldn't always be with her. Everyone had their own things to do. Didn't her older brother leave the Wan family a long time ago to join the army as a guard?
Wanwan nodded in agreement, then became cheerful again, grasping Xiao Qi's hand, which had become much broader than hers, just like when they were little friends, and shook it happily, "Then Brother Xiao, you must write to Wanwan often! Wanwan will write to Brother Xiao too!"
The girl's bright eyes, like a pool of spring water, sparkled and danced on Xiao Qi's face, illuminating his entire face.
The boy, more mature than his peers, could not accept Wanwan's affectionate gestures as easily as he had when he was five or six. In the brief moment the girl clung to him, a faint blush appeared in the boy's eyes.
"Okay." Xiao Qi turned his face away, forcing himself to respond coldly.
Wanwan was still as carefree as she was when she was a child, completely oblivious to Xiao Qi's awkwardness, and chattered away beside him for a while. However, during this time, Wanwan never mentioned the upcoming separation again.
As before, Wanwan talked about trivial things in a illogical and cheerful manner, repeating some of her words several times. Xiao Qi listened patiently, and although she didn't talk about himself, he carefully remembered every word Wanwan said.
In the distance, the increasingly mature and experienced guard leaned against a tree trunk, holding his sword. He looked at the young man and woman, one still and the other moving, one in black and the other in blue, and a warm feeling appeared in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
"I don't know when we'll meet again, so Wanwan will give this to Brother Xiao as a keepsake!"
Wanwan suddenly became serious, took a sachet from her waist, opened it and carefully poured out her mermaid pearl. This mermaid pearl had been with her for more than ten years, and she had already mastered the mermaid's mental techniques contained within it.
Since it can protect itself, it can certainly protect Xiao Qi well as well.
Over the years, the beads have absorbed the elegant sandalwood scent from the sachet, which is also the scent of Wanwan herself.
Xiao Qi carefully took it, then reached into his sleeve and took out a wooden hairpin.
The end of the wooden hairpin is carved with a delicate and beautiful little fish. The hairpin body has been carefully polished, and it is smooth and thick, unlike ordinary wood. It even exudes a faint and elegant fragrance.
"Beautiful!" Wanwan clapped her hands in amazement.
Seeing her happy expression, Xiao Qi smiled without realizing it. His eyes softened even more, more tender than spring water melting away from ice. The blush in his eye sockets faded without a trace, and his expression became much more natural.
"If you like it, I'll give it to you," Xiao Qi said, presenting the wooden hairpin to Wanwan. "Consider it my return gift."
Wanwan didn't answer. Just as Xiao Qi was wondering what was going on, Wanwan suddenly leaned closer, her delicate face suddenly magnified in front of Xiao Qi. He didn't realize that his breathing quickened for a moment.
"Wanwan wants Brother Xiao to help me put it on." Wanwan said in a childish, childlike manner, her face as radiant as a peach blossom, her smile exuberant, her eyes filled not only with expectation but also with a hint of self-righteousness.
After saying that, without asking any questions, she turned her back to Xiao Qi and gestured for him to put the hairpin on her hair himself.
Xiao Qi's hand, which was holding the hairpin, froze in mid-air. His brow twitched slightly, and his eyes darted around as his emotions surged and mingled, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.
After a moment of silence, Xiao Qi carefully placed the hairpin into Wanwan's hair.
It seemed like it had been a long time since he had touched the little girl's head with the same comforting or joyful gestures he had shown in her childhood. When he touched her cascading black hair, he was somewhat at a loss for words.
"Is it pretty?" Wanwan playfully shook her head.
"Mm," Xiao Qi replied succinctly.
Zhang Xiu called out to Wanwan to get in the car, and the two then hurriedly said goodbye.
The guards, who had been hiding in the distance, watched Wanwan walk away before slowly approaching and standing beside Xiao Qi.
Xiao Qi remained seated, motionless, like a clay sculpture.
"Young master, you could actually stay."
The guard tentatively spoke up. Over the years, his young master had become increasingly stoic and stubborn. Although he was still gentle and polite in his dealings with others, the guard knew that his young master was exhausted. The burden of the blood feud on his shoulders was becoming heavier and heavier, and he could hardly even give a smile. Today, exchanging gifts with Miss Wan was the happiest moment in recent months.
"Stay?" Xiao Qi repeated the guard's words emotionlessly, his voice chilling, as if it were thorny and could draw blood. The guard's words had hit a nerve.
The words spoken could not be taken back, and a surge of anger welled up in his eyes, like a mysterious wave rising from a bottomless black pool. He looked at the guard as if he were looking at a stranger.
"If I stay here now, all these years of my life have been wasted. When the Xiao family was wiped out, you and I fought together. At that time, flames soared into the sky and blood flowed like rivers. Ordinary people don't understand, and don't you understand either?" Xiao Qi's deep black eyes were filled with barely concealed anger, and his usually calm and resolute face was also full of pain.
The guard realized he had said something he shouldn't have, and hurriedly knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in apology, "This humble servant spoke without thinking, please forgive me, young master!"
Xiao Qi stood up silently, glanced coldly at the guard, and left in a huff.
Wanwan returned to the Wan family home, boarded the carriage, and was about to set off when Wan Suizhou arrived, carrying a small box in his hand.
"Wanwan, Grandpa has something to give you." Wan Suizhou's kind face was tinged with a complex emotion as he opened the box under Wanwan's questioning gaze.
Inside lay a thick stack of letter paper, the cover smooth and the characters vigorous yet elegant.
"This is what Young Master Xiao asked me to give you." Wan Suizhou handed the box to Wanwan, who took it and nervously began to look through it.
Each letter was quite long, and Wanwan held them in her hands, reading them carefully.
The carriage set off, and on the bumpy journey, Wanwan looked at the letter in front of her and felt a sense of loss and confusion.
The scenery outside the car rushed past. After reading the letter, when Wanwan looked out the window again, whether it was the breeze or her emotions, her eyes quietly filled with a layer of mist.
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