Chapter 157 A Perfect End to the World (The Finale)
Chapter 157 A Perfect World (The Grand Finale)
It's jasmine season again.
Under the covered walkway in the back garden of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, dozens of jasmine plants bloom as expected, their emerald leaves like jade and their blossoms like snow. Their refreshing fragrance lingers in the warm breeze of early summer, unchanged year after year.
Under the eaves, an elderly woman with silver hair sat on a cushioned wicker chair, a thin brocade quilt covering her lap. Her head was tilted slightly, as if she were dozing, but her wrinkled hands were unconsciously patting something in her arms. Upon closer inspection, it was not an infant, but a lazy tortoiseshell cat, purring contentedly.
"Grandmother, Grandmother?" A little girl, about seven or eight years old, dressed in a pale yellow shirt, with her hair in two buns, ran closer like a butterfly, her voice low, as if afraid of disturbing the old woman. She was Gu Mingxuan's eldest daughter, the most beloved and pampered child of the Gu family's generation, named Yueya'er.
The old woman was none other than Su Wanrou, who was over sixty years old. She slowly opened her eyes, her gaze initially a little hazy, but upon seeing her charming granddaughter, a loving smile immediately spread across her face, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes smoothed out: "It's Yueya'er... Class is over?"
"Mmm!" Crescent Moon nodded vigorously, moved closer to her grandmother, and sniffed with her little nose. "It smells so good, just like Grandma!" she said, reaching out her little hand to carefully touch a pot of jasmine that was in full bloom next to the wicker chair. "Great-Grandma, this flower blooms so well every year."
Su Wanrou's gaze followed her granddaughter's small hand to the pure white flowers. Her eyes became long and gentle, as if she could see a distant past through the fragrance that blooms year after year. "Yes, it blooms every year..." she murmured softly, as if answering her granddaughter, or as if speaking to herself.
Just then, a steady sound of footsteps approached from afar. Crescent Moon turned around, immediately stood up straight, and sweetly called out, "Great-grandfather."
The man who arrived was none other than Gu Yangui. Although he was nearly eighty years old, with white hair at his temples, his back was still straight. He wore ordinary dark-colored civilian clothes, and his gait still revealed the steady demeanor left by his military career. Time had etched deep lines on his face, but it had not diminished the heroic spirit and dignity between his brows. However, this dignity transformed into endless gentleness when he was facing his elderly wife and young grandson.
He walked to the wicker chair, first nodding slightly to his great-granddaughter, then his gaze fell entirely on Su Wanrou. He naturally reached out to tuck the thin blanket that had slipped off her, his voice low and gentle: "Why are you sleeping here? Be careful not to catch a cold."
"The sun is shining, and the jasmine smells wonderful. I've been sitting here for a while and I'm already dozing off." Su Wanrou looked up at him, her smile serene. Decades of mutual support had long since made every glance and gesture filled with unspoken understanding.
Gu Yangui sat down on another stone bench next to the rattan chair, his gaze falling on the jasmine flowers. After a moment of silence, he slowly said, "Someone from the palace just came. His Majesty, considering my old age, granted me permission to not attend court regularly in the future, and to submit memorials only for important matters."
Su Wanrou was not too surprised when she heard this. She simply gently covered his hand, which was covered with age spots but still large, and said softly, "That's good. You've worked hard all your life, so it's time for you to rest."
Gu Yangui took her thin but warm hand in return and patted it gently. He had devoted his life to the court, serving three emperors, rising from a general who had fought on the battlefield to a duke who had reached the pinnacle of officialdom, and now retiring in his old age—it all seemed to have happened in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, she had always been by his side through thick and thin.
"Great-grandfather, great-grandmother, what are you talking about?" Crescent Moon asked curiously, blinking her big eyes as she looked at the two old people's clasped hands.
Su Wanrou lovingly pulled her granddaughter to rest against her knees, pointed to the jasmine flowers, and spoke softly as if telling a beautiful fairy tale: "Crescent Moon, let me tell you, these jasmine flowers were planted by your great-grandfather for me many, many years ago..."
Her gaze became unfocused, as if she had traveled back decades to that summer when everything was just beginning. The hunting ground where the startled horse first appeared, the anxious bride, the young stepmother cautiously interacting with her stepson, the arguments, misunderstandings, reconciliations, and moments of mutual understanding, the joy of childbirth, the longing of separation and reunion, the ordinary yet precious moments spent together... all unfolded slowly before her eyes like a scroll.
Gu Yangui didn't interrupt her, but listened quietly, never letting go of her hand. Those distant memories came alive in her soft voice. He remembered her shy demeanor when she married into the manor at fifteen, her joy and bewilderment as a new mother, and the seemingly fragile yet incredibly resolute look in her eyes whenever he faced court intrigues or separations during wartime. It was she who, with her gentleness and resilience, transformed this once cold and empty Duke's mansion into a truly warm and welcoming home.
"...Later, your grandfather came along, then your second grandfather, and then your great-aunt..." Su Wanrou continued her story with a smile in her voice. Mingxuan had already inherited the title of Duke, and was a steady and capable pillar of the court, with a virtuous wife and filial children; Gu Sheng did not like officialdom, but chose the path of the imperial examination, and is now a distinguished scholar in the Hanlin Academy, devoted to calligraphy and painting; and their beloved daughter, Mo'er, had long since married and was a well-known virtuous lady in the capital, with many children.
"Great-grandmother, what happened next?" Crescent Moon asked, engrossed in the conversation.
"Later," Su Wanrou stroked her granddaughter's hair, her smile warm, "later, life was like the fragrance of jasmine, plain and uneventful, yet year after year, it just passed by like that."
There were no earth-shattering legends, only a gentle, enduring warmth. This was their life.
As the sun set, the sky was filled with a magnificent sunset, bathing the courtyard in a warm golden hue. The servants began to quietly light the lanterns under the eaves.
Gu Yangui helped Su Wanrou slowly stand up. Neither of them had regained the agility of their youth and needed each other's support to walk steadily. They didn't speak again, but simply strolled slowly along the covered walkway in tacit understanding, just like every evening over the past few decades.
The fragrance of jasmine grows ever more delicate in the twilight. Walking past pots of blooming flowers is like walking through the long years they've shared. The passionate love of youth, the mutual support of middle age, the companionship of old age—all the joys and sorrows have ultimately settled into the warmth and peace of holding hands in this moment.
"Returning from the banquet," Su Wanrou stopped and looked at the last rays of sunset on the horizon, saying softly, "It's so good to have met you in this life."
Gu Yangui turned his head to look at her profile, softened by the sunset glow. Although it was marked by the passage of time, it was still the most beautiful sight in his eyes. He tightened his grip on her hand, his deep voice carrying the certainty and tenderness that came with experience: "Wanrou, if there is an afterlife, I will still go to the hunting grounds to wait for you."
Upon hearing this, Su Wanrou turned to meet his gaze, her eyes glistening with tears, yet filled with a blissful smile. She remembered the three-life vow he had made on Mount Li that year. In this life, they had walked hand in hand, their union complete and without regret.
“Okay,” she smiled, tears streaming down her face, but her voice was unusually clear, “In the next life, it will be my turn to find you.”
As the afterglow faded and twilight descended, lights began to twinkle one by one within the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, like stars scattered across the earth. Inside the main hall, children and grandchildren filled the room, their laughter and chatter filling the air as they awaited the two elders for their evening meal.
Gu Yangui and Su Wanrou smiled at each other and walked hand in hand towards that warm light.
Jasmine blooms year after year. Its fragrance remains unchanged, just like the unfading depth of their love. They have witnessed the lights of Chang'an hand in hand through this lifetime. And that three-life vow, which began with an arrow shot in the hunting grounds, has only just completed its most perfect first chapter.
Human perfection is nothing more than this: holding hands and growing old together; surrounded by children and grandchildren, a lifetime of peace. In the vibrant atmosphere of this prosperous Chang'an, they have each other, and thus they have the entirety of human perfection.
(End of article)
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