"He was smart his whole life, but also foolish his whole life. If he had just admitted his guilt back then, none of this would have happened."
Su Ran didn't speak. Old Su kept brewing tea, even though it had already been ruined.
She didn't understand Su Lao's actions.
After decades of ignoring and neglecting this matter, what's the point of such actions?
Seeing that Mr. Su was going to continue brewing tea, she reached out and pressed the old man's wrist. Their eyes met, and seeing the melancholy in Mr. Su's eyes, it was as if she saw that little old man again.
He sat in front of the tiled house all day, his eyes filled with unspeakable emotions.
"Mr. Su, brewing tea for too long will damage its essence."
"Repeatedly brewing tea not only wastes good tea but also damages the teapot."
Su Ran had been learning from the old man for a long time, so when she saw this action, she couldn't help but blurt it out, which could be considered a conditioned reflex.
Old Su paused in his actions, put down the tea, turned off the fire, and placed the ruined tea aside.
Seeing the ruined tea leaves, Su Ran's eyes were filled with heartache.
After all, that old man used to hesitate for a long time before brewing a pot of tea.
Moreover, there aren't that many good teas to brew.
So even though it was just a very ordinary tea leaf, the old man felt like he had found a treasure.
Brew the tea with care.
Grandpa Su lay back in his chair, and the two remained silent, yet the atmosphere wasn't awkward. It was Grandpa Su who broke the silence with his voice.
"Little girl, Su Zhengnian took you as his apprentice? Can you tell me about your situation?"
Su Ran looked at the hopeful eyes of Grandpa Su and nodded, but since Grandpa Su's previous words had sounded too casual, she said, "I also prayed to the old man for a long time before he accepted me."
Why did you choose to become Su Zhengnian's disciple?
Wouldn't Su Zhengnian's identity be considered taboo in your area?
Su Ran frowned in confusion. "Is the reason I worship Old Man Su because he speaks so freely and unrestrainedly? Although he wears coarse clothes, Old Man Su has a scholarly air about him. And why would he be so concerned about his status?"
“Back then, there were no teachers in our village, so we had to walk to the county town to study, and we would often miss a lot of classes.”
"Back then, I heard the uncles and aunts in the village talking about the old man. I was quite cunning at the time, thinking that someone who came from the capital must be very knowledgeable. So I pestered the old man for a long time before he reluctantly accepted me and my brother."
"But it wasn't like he was taking me on as an apprentice. It was just about learning more from Old Man Su. Back then, Old Man Su taught me and Su Chen a lot. At that time, the uncles and aunts in the village always said that girls didn't need to care too much about their grades, since they would all get married eventually anyway."
"I didn't believe it back then, so I wanted to study hard. It was from Old Man Su that I learned that girls can study just as well as boys. This is no longer the feudal society of the past."
"It was probably because of what Old Man Su said that I was able to devote myself to my studies. It also seemed that because of what Old Man Su said, it was as if I had opened up my Ren and Du meridians, and my learning speed and ability to absorb knowledge were much faster than others."
"Later, since my parents passed away early, no one stopped me from contacting Old Man Su. So, I studied with Old Man Su for more than a year, and then Old Man Su asked me if I would like to be his apprentice."
"At that time, I thought I was already Old Man Su's apprentice, but Old Man Su shook his head with a stern face. He said that there should be etiquette when becoming an apprentice, but at that time, Old Man Su still made me kowtow and offer tea."
"After that, I started learning from the old man."
Su Ran's expression was full of nostalgia for the past, and her eyes became more lively. After all, those days were truly carefree.
After listening to everything, Mr. Su's eyes revealed a trace of sadness, but he still repeated what he had said before, "If you had just admitted your guilt back then, none of this would have happened."
Su Ran frowned. "I don't understand what you mean, Mr. Su, but why would Old Man Su agree to do something he didn't do?"
Using the old saying "Where there's life, there's hope," that old man, who had been a man of unyielding integrity his whole life, accepted a completely fabricated charge.
I'm sorry, but I can't agree.
Grandpa Su looked up at Su Ran and said, "Young lady, you have no idea about the story behind this."
Su Ran asked again, "Old Su, since you are Old Su's brother, you should know Old Su's temperament. Making him do such a thing is more painful than killing him, especially since it is his own brother forcing him to admit to this fabricated crime."
Grandpa Su stood up, his body trembling slightly, and his voice became a little hoarse. "But if he accepts it, then he can continue to stay in Kyoto!"
"Then I could have saved him! Instead of being sent to some unknown village in Sichuan and wasting his life."
Looking at Old Master Su's expression, Su Ran shook her head slightly. "Mr. Su, since you still think this way after all this time, I think this conversation can end here. There's nothing more to talk about."
Su Ran cupped her hands slightly, intending to turn and leave, but then she heard Old Master Su's voice behind her, "Little girl, it's my fault. I won't bring up these things. Tell me about his past life."
Although Su Ran wanted to turn around and leave, she stayed by the old man's side. The old man would look at a yellowed photo for a long time without mentioning who it was or saying a word.
Whenever I asked him about it, the old man would smile and rub his head, gently saying, "Those are all things of the past, they're not important anymore. We should live in the present."
Although the old man said that, every action he took was a recollection of the past. Until one day, I couldn't help but ask him, "Old man, if you still miss it, why don't you go back and take a look? The internet and transportation are so advanced now, you can go and see it if you want."
Su still remembers what the old man said: "We can't go back. He's always been blaming me..."
The old man's sadness was impossible to hide. At that time, Su Ran didn't think about it anymore. Since the old man was unwilling, she would take good care of her master.
Su Ran looked at the old man and she roughly knew who the old man had been thinking about—the one who wanted him to take the blame for a mistake that wasn't his.
However, Su Ran also knew that the old man had always been thinking of her. When the old man left, she had vowed to find his family. Now that she had met them, she was relieved.
But I don't know how to say the words in my mouth.
Su Ran watched as the once clear and bright eyes of the old man gradually became cloudy, and the proud and arrogant old man seemed to have disappeared without a trace.
Su Ran was silent for a moment before finally speaking, "Mr. Su, I don't know what your attitude is towards my master, but I do know that my master is always engrossed in looking at a photograph."
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