Chapter 89. Wishes come true.
In October, leaves began to fall in Edinburgh. The morning air was cool and damp, and a faint scent of earth wafted from the cracks in the old stone slabs, mixed with the fresh fragrance of decaying leaves and moss. This was the unique scent of autumn in Edinburgh.
A lithe figure, draped in a color-blocked wool scarf, orange and golden, like fallen leaves around her neck, wrapped in a thick black coat, and wearing over-the-knee boots, lightly treads on the rain-soaked leaves, one foot on the left and one on the right.
"Ah Shu, slow down." Gu Sui, wearing the same black coat and a misty blue scarf around his neck, with his hands in his pockets, called out to Shang Shu slowly from behind.
Shang Shu stopped in her tracks, turned around, and skipped back to Sui in a few steps, burying her face in her scarf, revealing only her smiling, almond-shaped eyes: "Happy birthday."
Today is October 11th, Gu Sui's birthday. It's the first birthday we've celebrated together after so many years. Shang Shu canceled all her work commitments and specially brought her back to Aicheng, back to where their story began.
Gu Sui took his hand out of his pocket, reached inside his scarf, pinched Shang Shu's cheek, and laughed, "Haven't I told you many times already?"
Once just after midnight on the sofa, once after the goodnight kiss before bed, once in bed when I opened my eyes in the morning, once when I helped her put on her scarf before leaving the house, and once now on the way to Edinburgh University.
Shang Shu wrinkled her nose slightly, wrapped her arm around Gu Sui's, and then casually put her hand into Gu Sui's pocket: "I just have to say it a lot, so you'll be twice as happy."
"I see," Gu Sui said with a gentle laugh, holding her hand. "Thank you, it was indeed very enjoyable."
Shang Shu gave her a light kiss on the cheek with satisfaction.
Edmonton was kind enough not to rain today. The light mist around 8 or 9 pm dispersed the sunlight, and the sky looked like watercolors had been blended, with soft pink and blue hues merging together.
"Look, it's light blue." Shang Shu looked up at the sky. With Gu Sui holding her hand, she never had to worry about her footing.
"Yes, very pretty." Gu Sui also looked up at the sky, then turned his head to look at her. The little girl's lips were slightly parted, she was cute and playful, and the tip of her nose was pink, a little lighter than the pink of the sky.
Shang Shu tiptoed and turned to her with a smile: "Beautiful Tian also wishes you a happy birthday."
Gu Sui smiled and nodded, "Thank you for the beautiful weather."
Shang Shu tucked back into her scarf and hummed contentedly, as if no matter how childish or whimsical she was, Gu Sui would always go along with her.
"Are you cold?" Gu Sui asked softly, touching the warm hand in his pocket.
“Just a little bit,” Shang Shu craned her neck to look ahead and could already see those familiar old buildings. A few more steps and the school’s large garden would be there. So she suggested, “Let’s go to Moss.”
Moss is the most popular coffee shop near the entrance of the university. When she was in school, she and Gu Sui always liked to buy a cup of coffee from there when they passed by.
Shang Shu always felt that this name suited it very well. Moss, in Scotland, sometimes refers to low-lying marshes and wet meadows. So ancient, green, and moist, it fits this ancient city and this historic school perfectly.
"A Viennese cup, double vanilla, and a flat white, thank you."
"You still remember?" After Gu Sui finished counting, Shang Shu leaned against her and asked, unable to hide her smile.
I remember she liked this Vienna-style restaurant, and I remember she liked the specialty cocktails.
"Of course," Gu Sui replied softly, looking at her. Of course she remembered.
Shang Shu was satisfied again. Holding her hand, she looked around while waiting for her coffee.
It's been many years since I last came here. Moss is still the same, and so are Edinburgh and Edinburgh. It's as if time can stand still here, just as it is exactly the same as it was a hundred years ago. Only the traffic has left some traces of modern people.
Shang Shu thought that even if it were a few years, decades, or even hundreds of years later, this place would still be the same, and time would carry the part of herself that she and Gu Sui left here, slowly moving towards eternity.
Holding the hot coffee, their hands and bodies warmed up. As before, they still habitually held it with one hand, leaving the other hand for each other.
Walking in the gardens of the University of Edinburgh, the familiar cherry blossom trees line both sides of the path. In spring, they are pink and lush, with petals falling everywhere. They used to kiss under the trees countless times. Now, the ground is covered with orange and yellow blossoms, creating a completely different scene.
Shang Shu glanced at Gu Sui discreetly, moistened her lips, and then took a sip of coffee as if to cover up her embarrassment.
"Is it good?" Gu Sui looked down at his toes, his lips curving into a subtle smile.
The Martin boots stomped on the fallen leaves. Perhaps because there were more and thicker layers of leaves here, the leaves, though damp, still made a tiny, crisp sound as they stepped on them.
"Hmm?" Shang Shu blinked at her. She'd been drinking for ages, why was she only asking now?
She stopped and extended her hand slightly, asking, "Would you like to try some?"
Gu Sui didn't take it, but his chest trembled slightly twice. He leaned over and said, "Hmm, I'll try it."
The kiss landed on the lips, as smooth and creamy as cocoa powder coated on them. The tongue swept the cream into the mouth, inviting the other person to taste it together.
As the wind blew, the fallen leaves began to flutter and dance, and Shang Shu's heart danced along with them, flitting and soaring, pounding uncontrollably.
"Is it sweet?" After the brief tasting session, Shang Shu asked her, her ears flushed.
Gu Sui smiled and whispered in her ear, "Special."
Shang Shu reached out and caught a falling leaf steadily, just like her own heart, which was caught by Gu Sui before it even hit the ground. It made her feel both sweet and at ease.
She felt that this spring was even better than the spring of yesteryear.
Shang Shu glanced at the time, then continued to stroll hand in hand with Gu Sui. Their only destination was memories.
Looking around, there is still that vast green space, with people leaning against the trees reading, lying down and spacing out, and chatting in small groups. Regardless of the season, as long as the weather is good, there are always people here enjoying photosynthesis to their heart's content, and not just people.
"How come these squirrels are still so fat?" Shang Shu sighed as she watched the squirrels frolicking in the grass.
Edmonton has a lot of squirrels, especially the grey ones. You can see them almost anywhere there are parks or green spaces. They are all round and plump, and they are not afraid of people at all. They jump around for food, brazenly cross the road, and even appear out of nowhere in the library.
“Ah Shu, it’s red.” Gu Sui stopped and gently tugged at her hand, gesturing for her to look at the red squirrel on the other side of the lawn.
Actually, red squirrels are the native squirrels here, but they are always bullied by gray squirrels from North America, which are bigger and more cunning. As a result, the number of red squirrels has gradually decreased, making them rare and hard to find.
"Really!" Shang Shu tiptoed closer to take a look. The little guy was fluffy, and the two tufts of hair on his ears stood up like little flames. He was incredibly cute.
“You’re so lucky,” she whispered to Gu Sui, who had come closer. “The little squirrel also wishes you a happy birthday.”
Gu Sui chuckled and replied softly, "Then thank you, little squirrel."
The wind blew the leaves down, startling the little fireball, which darted away in a flash. Shang Shu skipped after it, and Gu Sui looked at her with a smile, as if he were seeing Shang Shu at eighteen years old.
"Do you know what they like to eat the most?" Shang Shu asked, shaking Gu Sui's arm as she returned to her side.
"Blueberries and peanuts."
"How did you know?" The arm hovered in mid-air.
“You told me,” Gu Sui raised an eyebrow, “that afternoon in the autumn of your junior year of college.”
You remember it so clearly?
Shang Shu glanced at her nonchalantly, and seeing that Gu Sui indeed looked like she didn't remember, she immediately felt a little guilty.
Before she could speak, her hand was released, and Gu Sui put it back into his coat pocket without stopping.
This is……
Shang Shu stood there, glancing at her empty hands, and regretted digging herself into this mess.
"Are you angry?" Shang Shu quickly followed, tilting her head to look at her.
Gu Sui remained silent, casually raised his hand, and took a sip of coffee.
"It's cold, don't drink it." Shang Shu walked around to her other side, trying to snatch the hand from the coffee.
Gu Sui held his coffee, unmoved.
"Oh, Gu Sui, Ah Sui, I was wrong." Shang Shu swayed left and right as she reached for Gu Sui's arm, the tassels of her orange scarf swaying with her movements, making her look like a fallen leaf floating beside Gu Sui.
"The birthday person shouldn't get angry." We just said happy birthday, so wouldn't that negate the point?
"Who said that?" Gu Sui glanced at her, then said nothing more.
Wow, Shang Shu regretted saying earlier that this person was easy to coax.
She stood still for two seconds, cleared her throat, and caught up with Gu Sui, tapping her shoulder from behind, her voice deliberately softening: "Senior, do you know how to get to the auditorium?"
Gu Sui tripped slightly on a falling leaf and couldn't help but laugh: "I don't know."
"Oh, where are you going, senior?"
"hall."
"What a coincidence! Shall we go together?"
"Not on the way."
The two of them asked random questions and gave random answers, laughing so hard they almost fell over. Gu Sui reached out his hand to her and took hers again.
The auditorium remained as dignified and solemn as ever, with its sandstone walls of varying shades, its classical semi-circular dome, and its arched doors and high windows, as if framing every inch of its space, whether sunny or cloudy.
Shang Shu glanced at the time; it was just right. She stepped onto a flight of stairs, turned around, and looked down at Gu Sui.
"Close your eyes."
"Okay." Gu Sui's breath twitched slightly as he closed his eyes.
Three, two, one.
October 11, 10:11 AM.
Shang Shu held her palm down, fingers clenched, and presented it to Gu Sui: "Happy birthday."
The moment Gu Sui opened his eyes, Shang Shu relaxed her fingers, and the thin chain slid down her palm, then hung down naturally, revealing the crescent moon at the end.
Gu Sui gazed at the necklace swaying in the light and shadow, her eyes sparkling. She couldn't help but reach out her finger to touch it, touching that inexplicable sense of familiarity.
"What I owe you is a dance of souls," Shang Shu said softly.
In July, she returned to Yijing Bay, retrieved the unfinished manuscript from years ago, and spent several months designing this version based on the original.
It is still her moon, but it no longer has the original elaborate exterior. Geometric cutouts are carved in three dimensions, and diamonds are scattered in the gaps, blending into the moon and dancing with it.
The light spots, framing the moon's outline, fell on the ancient carved pillar beside her. Gu Sui sighed contentedly; her little girl would always give her a sense of ritual.
"Ah Shu, I like it very much." She took it and held it in her palm, examining it closely.
Shang Shu bit her lip and said, "I'm glad you like it."
Gu Sui untied the scarf with one hand, tilted her head to reveal her snow-white neck, and said softly, "Help me put it on, okay?"
"Mmm." Shang Shu wrapped her arms around her neck, feeling her breath, and brought the moon closer to her heart.
After putting the scarf on, Shang Shu wrapped it around Gu Sui's neck again and left a kiss on her lips: "Happy birthday."
"Thank you." Gu Sui warmed her hand.
Thank you for giving me such a wonderful birthday, thank you for giving me such a wonderful love.
In the afternoon, they continued to stroll leisurely through the streets and alleys. They even encountered a light rain shower along the way. While waiting for the rain to stop, they stood under the eaves of an unknown building and listened to the bagpiper across the street, who was wearing a plaid tweed skirt, play a melodious tune.
When the aroma of wheat mixed with the scent of butter broke the rain shower, they would pass by shop windows and slip into the old-fashioned bakery at the end of the street to get freshly baked toast.
There was no fancy restaurant, no three-tiered cake, and no large bouquet of ninety-nine roses. They simply seized the last days of daylight saving time, slowly sweeping away the dust and uncovering those long-sealed memories that belonged only to them.
As the sun set, Shang Shu took Gu Sui's hand and went up Carlton Hill. People who were watching the sunset were already scattered on the hillside, and they also found a place to sit side by side.
Shang Shu leaned on Gu Sui's shoulder and gently tugged at her scarf: "It seems the birthday girl hasn't made a wish yet."
"Hmm... but there are no candles." Gu Sui smiled as he looked at her.
Shang Shu thought for a moment, then reached out and cupped the orange-yellow sun in her palm: "Go ahead and make your wish, I'll hold it for you."
As expected, after a light laugh, Gu Sui solemnly closed his eyes.
Shang Shu's eyes gradually reddened. Looking at her lover, she once again clearly saw her own small yet magnificent love.
Gu Sui, do you know?
I have never loved anyone like this before. I clumsily copied down all the answers to love in the world, but I still feel it is not perfect enough. I am willing to die for you, and I am also afraid to die for you.
No one has ever loved me like this before, cherished me like a treasure, wanted to give me a home, made a promise to never leave me, loved everything about me, and lived for me.
I think that even when I reach the end of my life, I will definitely remember these moments.
I remember in this autumn, with fallen leaves everywhere, in this ancient city that is never short of romance, accompanied by the melodious bagpipes, wearing warm, thick coats, tasting freshly baked toast from a small shop at the end of the street, and leaning against Carlton Hill to watch an orange-red sunset.
I wished you a happy birthday nine times today. The tenth birthday wish is another gift for you.
Three, two, one.
"Gu Sui, let's get married."
"good."
Your wish has come true.
(End of article)
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Author's note: It's finished!
Thank you to everyone who has read this far. I'm so glad to have met you all, and I'm very grateful for your support and companionship during this time. I hope you enjoyed reading.
I'm deeply moved. I've never written such a long story before. This story has given me so many first-time experiences. In the process, I also developed a deep emotional connection with Ashu and Asui. I started to feel particularly reluctant to finish it when I was writing the last few chapters. So much so that when I typed "The End," I was actually crying while typing. I didn't feel relieved at all, only purely moved and reluctant to part with it. So no matter what, in my heart, it is more complete than perfect.
There should be one more sweet epilogue, but the story of Ashu and Asui will never end. They will continue to live well and be happy forever.
Thank you so much for your kindness and understanding. Thank you for your support, comments, likes, and support. I also wish everyone can find wonderful love, with few regrets and plenty of happiness. See you in the next story!
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