“Every time I bring up these things, my master falls silent, his expression filled with sorrow. Now I understand why he would rather stay alone in that small village than go back.”
My master lives in my village. Although the people in the village aren't exactly friendly, there has never been anyone who has ever wronged my master.
"My master grows vegetables in a small garden and has lived in a tiled house for most of his life. Whenever he wants to drink tea, he goes to the back mountain to look for wild tea trees, and he spends a long time looking for them."
Later, I learned this skill and often went to the back mountain to find tea. Once, when I was on school holiday, I went back to my master's house and found his head wrapped in gauze.
“I knew then that my master must have gone to the back mountain to find tea on my back and then tripped and fell. So I told him not to go to the back mountain anymore. After that, I found a small tea seedling and planted it nearby.”
"At that time, my master was very happy and took good care of the tea seedlings. I also learned about tea culture from him. He was very strict and would only say one thing and then never say another."
At this point, Su Ran smiled slightly.
"The old man slapped my hand quite a few times in order to help me learn."
Su Ran's expression was gentle. After all, her parents had passed away, and she had taken care of Su Chen. Later, when she had a master, she could act like a child and throw a tantrum at him.
"Later, my master taught me a lot. At first, he was just going through the motions in teaching me and Su Chen our studies. Later, he got tired of Su Chen's playful antics and only took me as his disciple."
"I learned about tea from my master, from appreciating tea, selecting tea to brewing tea. I studied for a long time, and when I closed my eyes, all I could see was the knowledge about tea that I had learned before."
"After the initial learning phase, I was able to catch up quickly. My master taught me about tea, about life, and shared his wisdom with me."
"Back then, Old Man Su didn't act like an elder, so people started calling him Old Man Su, and once they started, they couldn't change it for the rest of their lives."
"Old Su taught me life philosophy, which taught me not to believe others' one-sided opinions when judging them. He also taught me manners and how to be magnanimous."
"Back then, I really felt that Old Man Su was omnipotent. There was nothing that Old Man Su couldn't do, and there was nothing that Old Man Su couldn't defeat."
"Unexpectedly, such a knowledgeable and resilient old man succumbed to cancer."
"Old Su's spirit was almost worn down by cancer, but for some reason, he became more natural later on, brewing tea and fishing every day."
"Every time I visit Old Man Su, he seems to have grown even taller, but there's always a hint of other emotions about him, which he always manages to conceal very well."
"Before the cancer was discovered, Old Su was depressed for a long time. He went to the hospital for treatment, but after two weeks he didn't want to stay there anymore."
"He said that every day he heard the groans around him and felt like he was going to die. But he couldn't understand the old man. At that time, he didn't realize anything and just thought that the old man Su just didn't want to stay in the hospital."
"As instructed by the doctor, I was able to rest at home, so I went home and took care of Old Man Su. Later, I also took leave to study at home."
"Back then, I was in my senior year of high school. I often had to work part-time to cover various expenses. At the time, I didn't think much of it. I just thought that once I got into university, I would have more time to earn more money."
"So I didn't observe Old Man Su's situation too closely. Later, I did receive a college admission notice. Shanghai offered more money, so I went to Shanghai."
"I was overjoyed to see Old Man Su with my admission notice in hand, but the villagers told me that Old Man Su had left on the night I left home to go to the county town for a reunion with my classmates."
"At that time, Old Man Su said that I was saying goodbye to my old friend and that no one in the village would pass on the message to me. Later, Old Man Su was covered with a tattered straw mat and was casually placed under that tea tree."
"Later, some people raised some money to cremate Old Man Su, and as soon as I came back, they gave me the urn containing his ashes."
"So, while I was out having a good time eating, drinking, and having fun, Old Man Su passed away. Later I found out that what Old Man Su said before wasn't to comfort me, but to talk about his funeral arrangements."
"I buried Old Man Su's ashes next to that tea tree, next to the tea that Old Man Su loved all his life."
Su Ran spoke calmly, slightly raising her head to conceal the sorrow between her brows. Old Man Su had passed away just like that, a carefree and unrestrained old man who had lived a life of ease and freedom.
There was no grand funeral; his body was simply wrapped in straw, and later turned into a box of light ashes. Finally, it was bound in a box and buried next to his favorite tea tree.
Mr. Su's eyes welled up with tears, which streamed down his cheeks. "He... he's gone just like that."
Mr. Su's tone was full of sadness and reluctance, but his body gradually relaxed, and he lowered his head, his words filled with self-reproach.
“It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t acted that way, if I hadn’t been so stubborn, then I wouldn’t have gone more than forty years without seeing him, and I wouldn’t have been by his side when he left.”
Seeing Mr. Su's condition, Su Ran suppressed all the words in her heart, because he was the person Mr. Su had thought about for most of his life.
She did feel hatred, but upon reflection, she realized it was unnecessary.
The old man is no longer here.
It's no longer necessary.
I just hope for the next life.
The old man lived out his life peacefully and quietly.
Su Ran composed herself, suppressing all the words she wanted to say, and looked at Mr. Su. "Mr. Su, when I have time, I will gather Mr. Su's belongings for you, but I hope you can take Mr. Su back with you."
Old Su wasn't from that village, but for some reason, that village had trapped him for most of his life.
So Su Ran only hoped that in the future, Old Man Su could return to the side of the person he always missed.
They can return to their roots.
The old man's talent couldn't be suppressed in Sujia Village.
The old man shouldn't have remained in Sujia Village after his death.
The old man's talent, knowledge, and vision were buried in Sujia Village.
But in those days, talent was a crime.
The old man was born in the wrong era.
After Su Ran finished speaking, she cupped her hands in a gesture of respect to Mr. Su, then turned and left. Her relationship with Mr. Su came to an end because of these words.
She declined the man in the Zhongshan suit's offer to see her off, glanced at the old Mr. Su in the pavilion, and then looked at the man, saying, "Take good care of your old man."
She then left immediately.
Stepping out of the courtyard, Su Ran felt the natural air around her; after all, the courtyard had been too oppressive.
Once I stepped out the door, the oppressive feeling on my body gradually dissipated.
It seemed as if the old man's voice was ringing in my ears again.
I looked up at the sky.
Old man.
You can go home now.
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