Chapter 226 Epilogue - New World Arc (23)
After feeling her symptoms ease slightly, Yu Qingzhou looked up at E027.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, based on their current positions, the latter's figure perfectly blocked the electronic eye in the corner.
Although I don't want to admit it, there is indeed a feeling of almost hiding in a safe haven.
The moment she was seized by this unusual feeling, Yu Qingzhou bit down on a piece of soft flesh inside her mouth. The pain was immediate, and her brows furrowed involuntarily, accompanied by a faint taste of blood.
It seems they didn't control the force properly, so they bit too hard...
Even so, Yu Qingzhou was still quite satisfied. At least the feeling of weakness that had welled up in her heart had dissipated considerably and was not as strong as before.
This made the boy feel much better.
Instead, they turned their attention to the eccentric E027.
What... exactly do you want to do?
Originally, the questioning stemmed from curiosity and dissatisfaction, so a stronger stance should have been taken.
But in reality, once you actually say it, you realize how pale and weak your voice sounds. In addition, the pain from the broken mouth affects your pronunciation, making it sound even less intimidating.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, E027 first raised one eyebrow, revealing a slightly surprised expression.
Then he chuckled as if he had thought of something amusing.
When E027 laughed, her body trembled, as if she had transformed back into the listless, spineless figure that Yu Qingzhou remembered.
Hahahaha...
With a muffled laugh, E027 simply rested her head directly on the boy's shoulder, and the faint tickling sensation was instantly replaced by a stronger and more distinct tactile sensation.
Yu Qingzhou's body stiffened, and goosebumps immediately rose all over her body.
With nowhere to hide, the boy finally gave up struggling, stood with his back pressed against the wall behind him, and turned his gaze in the opposite direction, trying to hypnotize himself.
The furry, panting thing clinging to the nape of my neck right now isn't a person, it's just a cat.
It's just a cat, so don't worry about it. Yu Qingzhou felt she was almost there.
Despite the fact that Yu Qingzhou had never owned a cat, or even seen one much.
The village where he was born and raised regarded cats as thieves and drove them away as much as possible. After he returned to his so-called home, there was no reason for him to keep a pet.
Like a middle-aged woman... Oh right, according to blood relations, Yu Qingzhou should call her aunt.
So, just as my aunt had complained about, both openly and subtly—
[That little debt collector, we feed him, give him water, and send him to school, all out of consideration for our past relationship, and he doesn't even know how to be grateful—]
[...]
【A little touch? What's wrong with a little touch? It's not like it's real... They're all boys, why hasn't anything like this happened to my Da Bao? All he does is jump around and overreact, so petty at such a young age. I think he's up to no good. Ugh, he can make up such shameless lies. If people actually believed him, would there be any justice?!】
It was probably during the summer vacation before I entered fourth grade.
I forgot the specifics of what happened, but it seemed to be because of a conflict with her aunt's son that Yu Qingzhou was reprimanded like this.
This situation is actually quite rare.
After all, my aunt had moved out of the old house a long time ago, and only came back occasionally during holidays or festivals. Most of the time, she was single.
Yu Qingzhou's uncle was a long-distance truck driver, so he was often away from home and rarely even went back to his own home, let alone his parents-in-law's home, which symbolized his former status as a son-in-law.
As for that unpleasant cousin, he almost never came except for Chinese New Year, even though the elderly couple always fawned over and welcomed him whenever he visited.
All the delicious food and fun toys were reserved for this precious grandson... but the latter didn't seem to appreciate it.
—It's so boring.
Yu Qingzhou had heard similar arguments more than once, but he remained unmoved.
There was neither sympathy for the couple's hard work being wasted, nor criticism of the ungrateful young man; even if it were the other way around... it would be the same.
If we compare this "home" to anything else, well, let's just say it's an apple.
They are very common in fruit shops and in the fruit baskets that my grandmother used to offer to the Bodhisattva.
Leaving it for a day or two, or three or four days, is still within the realm of understanding. But after ten days or half a month, even if the room is not air-conditioned and never sees sunlight, it is still above ground.
Older residential areas are even less able to withstand the summer heat.
However, Grandma seemed completely oblivious to the sweet, rotten smell that was gradually seeping into the incense and candles... it was already starting to rot from the inside out.
Yu Qingzhou thought, then sat on the floor in the corner of the room, hugging her knees, and looked up at the incense-filled altar.
Yu Guangzhong depicts an old woman devoutly praying, kneeling on an old prayer mat, knelt with her hands clasped in prayer, and chanting words such as "May the house prosper and the family be safe."
After finishing his reading, he beckoned Yu Qingzhou, who was sitting in the corner, over.
Grandma never called Yu Qingzhou by her real name, only using vague terms like "you." On this point, the other people in the family seemed to have reached an unspoken consensus.
Of course, more often than not, they choose to turn a blind eye.
Come here...
Aside from being reprimanded the first time for hesitating, Yu Qingzhou never made a mistake in this matter again.
Without any further instructions, he was able to kneel smoothly on the still-warm prayer cushion and begin to pray as requested.
[Speak loudly and clearly, so that the Bodhisattva may hear you.]
The old woman, referred to as "Grandma," said this with great seriousness.
Yu Qingzhou was unsure where this idea came from, whether it was a truth that had been tested and refined, or something that a Bodhisattva had personally told him.
If she had to say something, Yu Qingzhou had heard that wishes don't come true if you say them to someone's face.
However, he knew that rebuttal would be futile, so he wisely remained silent, thus avoiding unnecessary scolding and punishment.
[May the Bodhisattva protect my home and ensure its safety...]
[No illness or disaster...]
I hope my mother is at peace and without worry over there...
Yu Qingzhou spoke words he himself didn't believe, looking up to see the compassionate face of the Bodhisattva obscured by the smoke, and looking down to see a dark brown liquid dripping from the corner of the table.
A fly was perched on it, sipping the wonderful nectar that belonged only to it.
The apples were eventually thrown away because the room was swarming with flies, ants, and tiny flying insects...
When the source was found by following those lively little creatures, my aunt's face turned green.
After many years, the woman stepped into this cramped room for the first time, just to deal with this basket of spoiled fruit.
It wasn't that she didn't want Yu Qingzhou to do it for her, but her mother was adamant, so her aunt had no choice but to do it herself.
Because it was so badly rotten, the entire fruit basket had to be discarded.
Grandma meant that at least a few apples should be left on the surface, as long as they looked intact.
But her aunt clearly disagreed and seemed unwilling to stay in the room for even a moment longer.
Unexpectedly, the dried juice had stuck the bottom of the fruit basket to the old wooden tabletop, so my aunt had to use more force than she had anticipated.
She succeeded.
As the fruit basket successfully detached from the wooden tabletop, the few perfectly intact apples flew out of the basket, rolling around on the ground and splashing their succulent, rotten juice everywhere.
Grandma murmured, seemingly feeling extremely regretful, and even leaned closer, wanting to explore whether there was any possibility of salvaging the situation.
My aunt screamed in a high-pitched shriek, sounding just like a fat rat squeaking and squeaking when its tail is stepped on.
Yu Qingzhou listened and watched, sitting in the corner without saying a word, just like a bored spectator.
Until his aunt stormed over and grabbed his arm, it hurt so much—
The other person's fingernails were digging into the soft flesh of Yu Qingzhou's arm, twisting hard, which made Yu Qingzhou gasp.
However, he remained silent.
[Make you laugh! Make you laugh!]
Did he actually... smile?
Even Yu Qingzhou herself didn't realize that she was actually laughing.
[You won't listen when I tell you to do something, all you do is laugh and laugh. Are your ears just for decoration? You don't take my words seriously, do you? I don't believe it! Who's really in charge in this family?!]
With a snap, the world suddenly fell silent, and the flow of time seemed to slow down for a moment.
In that instant, Yu Qingzhou saw the woman's moving lips pause in a semi-circle, as if she was about to cry out.
He probably didn't expect his slap to have such a miraculous effect. It made the child stagger and fall to the ground.
In the sudden shift in her vision, Yu Qingzhou clearly saw the Bodhisattva's face; beneath her gentle, lowered brows, her beautifully shaped lips slowly parted to the sides.
—Look, the Bodhisattva is smiling.
Even a Bodhisattva would find it laughable, so it's perfectly normal for a mere mortal like him to be unable to help but laugh.
Why can't I laugh? Why can't I laugh?
Once you start thinking about it that way, it becomes even more ridiculous...
That night, Yu Qingzhou was punished by not being allowed to eat dinner.
He didn't really care, and it wasn't the first time he'd gone hungry.
If you're really starving, you can eat the newly replaced offerings, since they're all going to rot anyway—it doesn't really matter whether they rot in your stomach or rot in the air.
As night deepened, the child huddled in a corner, leaning against the wall, his chin resting on his knees.
His eyes were fixed on the sliver of light that was streaming in through the crack in the window.
—It is moonlight.
A thin layer, spread out before your eyes, like frost or snow, yet not as cold as frost or snow.
Yu Qingzhou suddenly wondered if that night, the night the girl risked her life to escape from her home, was also a moonlit night like this.
As far as the eye could see, sixteen-year-old Yu Rou cautiously leaned out of the open window, the night breeze brushing against the stray hairs on the girl's face.
The gentle moonlight shone into her eyes, illuminating the path leading to the unknown.
At least in that moment, a resolute light must have shone in the girl's eyes. She chose to escape with such determination and courage, attempting to break free from the predetermined path of fate.
Little did they know that everything they did only hastened the tragedy...
Yu Qingzhou closed her eyes and imagined a girl hurrying through the night, the moonlight shining on her slender yet determined figure.
In Yu Qingzhou's imagination, or rather, in his hope, time was stretched out infinitely.
That night would never end, and the girl would never be caught by misfortune. Instead, she would walk confidently on her own path, embracing the same unease and hope.
If possible, choose a completely different path, even if they never meet again on that path...
There is no longer a person named Pipa or Yu Qingzhou...
Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance of happiness, go forward without looking back.
To live a truly peaceful and carefree life in that world without oneself.
That night, Yu Qingzhou didn't sleep well. She vaguely heard a cat meowing outside the window, but when she actually opened the window and peeked out, the sound disappeared. In the quiet night, even the cicadas had gone to sleep.
After several repetitions, Yu Qingzhou began to suspect that her ears were playing tricks on her.
Perhaps it was a lingering effect of the slap during the day that caused the auditory hallucinations.
He then ignored it, covered his ears, closed his eyes, and gradually fell asleep.
That night, Yu Qingzhou saw a cat in her dream. It was pure white with beautiful blue-green eyes.
He had never actually seen a cat like that.
But there was a strange sense of familiarity in that dream.
It was as if... as if they had met somewhere before, and he even felt that it was his own cat.
The moonlight in his dream was still very bright, almost eerily so. He chased after the cat, stumbling and falling, but he couldn't catch up no matter how hard he tried.
In a moment of panic, I tripped and lost my balance, falling to the ground.
Ignoring the pain, only endless regret welled up in my heart... because I knew that I was destined to never catch up.
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