Chapter 85 I think I dreamt of you when you were a child...
The woman's cold words still echoed in my ears.
The cool fragrance of plum blossoms was no longer present at the nose.
Pipa snapped out of her daze. The night outside the window was desolate, with a scarlet full moon hanging high in the night sky, just like the demonic moon she had seen in the Asura Domain that night.
My head feels heavy.
Pipa vaguely recalled what she had seen in her dream just now.
A boy with heterochromia, a spoiled child, a girl with almond-shaped eyes, a cat... and then there's the senior sister, Yu Qingzhou's senior sister.
They are similar, yet not entirely the same.
Pipa couldn't describe the strange feeling in her heart at that moment; her heart was pounding.
Because of the question my senior sister asked in my ear, and because of the powerful feeling of weightlessness I felt the moment I was pulled out of the dream.
This recurring dream, which had been recurring for many years, finally rose higher and higher like a tide, and then suddenly engulfed him in it.
Pipa suddenly started to feel scared. If... this dream continued, would he one day lose sight of who he really was?
Is it a loquat, or a metaphor for a light boat?
A soft knock came from the door.
Pipa snapped out of her daze, walked to the door, and opened it with a creak. Under the moonlight, the girl holding the cat seemed to have stepped right out of a dream.
“Zhuzhu…”
He couldn't help but blurt it out.
The girl outside the door was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then smiled softly, with a hint of melancholy that shouldn't belong to someone her age.
"Young master hasn't called Cuizhu that in a long time," the young girl said softly, her almond-shaped eyes shining brightly in the moonlight.
Pipa then realized her lapse in composure.
"I'm sorry." He instinctively wanted to apologize.
Cui Zhu laughed cheerfully: "What are you doing, young master?"
She paused, a hint of concern in her gaze as she looked at the young man: "Young master, were you having a nightmare? Your face is so pale."
The loquat shook its head.
He couldn't say whether it was a good dream or a nightmare.
Or perhaps it was all just an empty dream...
Thinking of this, Pipa looked at Cuizhu again: "It's so late, is there something wrong?"
Cuizhu seemed to only then realize that she had knocked on the door first, smiled apologetically, and lifted the cat in her arms.
"It's all because of Tangyuan. He's not sleeping at night and keeps scratching the wall. I bet he's missing the young master, so he thought he'd bring him over to see him."
Compared to when we first picked her up, Tangyuan has grown bigger and fatter.
This, however, created a significant gap between her and the pitiful little cat in her dream.
Only those cat eyes remained the same, perfectly round and emerald green.
It really does look like it...
However, they are not entirely similar.
In my memory, the boy's eyes were never so silent; they always held one little thought or another, sometimes arrogant and haughty, sometimes as aggrieved as an innocent child.
Pipa thought, "The year is almost up, and perhaps it's time to say goodbye to all of this."
"Zhuzhu." Pipa called out to the little girl again, her tone firm and her words clear.
So it's not that it was called wrong.
"If I said I wanted to leave this place, would you be willing to leave with me?"
Upon hearing this, the little girl's almond-shaped eyes widened slightly, as if she didn't quite understand.
"Does the young master mean that he wants to leave Flower Moon Pavilion?" she asked uncertainly.
"It's not just the Flower Moon Pavilion, but also this city."
Pipa spoke clearly, word by word: "As I told you before, I am not from this place. I just happened to come here. Now it is time for me to leave."
"But... but where will you go next, young master?"
Compared to Pipa's confident attitude, Zhuzhu seemed somewhat confused and bewildered.
Unlike her husband, she was a native of the area.
The farthest place I've ever been in my life is from the east side of the city to the west side.
"The South. If possible, I think I should go and take a look again."
Pipa answered, then looked at Cuizhu—now it should be called Zhuzhu.
He once said that he would personally escort her to her wedding, but now it seems that he probably can't do that.
So at the very least, he wanted to do his part.
"The journey has been arduous, and there may be unexpected dangers along the way, so if you wish to stay here, I will do my best to find you a good place."
"..."
"Dr. Liang is a good person, without prejudice, and has the makings of a good doctor. If you're willing, I'll send you to the Liang family's clinic. You can study medicine if you want, and working as Dr. Liang's assistant would be a good option. You—"
Before the boy could finish speaking, he felt a tightness in his chest as the little girl suddenly hugged him tightly.
Pipa looked at Zhuzhu in her arms, somewhat at a loss. This child had always been very obedient and well-behaved in front of her, and this was the first time she had ever acted so childishly.
Pipa felt the other person trembling, and the warm breath seeped through his clothes and warmed his heart.
Some parts were scalding hot, and some were damp and hot.
It turned out she was crying.
Finally, Pipa couldn't help but reach out and pat the other's head, gently comforting her, "Why are you crying? This is a good thing. Zhuzhu, this wasn't a place for you to be in the first place. If you hadn't met me..."
"If it weren't for...if it weren't for meeting you, young master..."
Zhuzhu buried her head and sobbed as she protested, "I don't even know where I died. It was you, young master, who saved me. I... I want to repay your kindness."
"In that case, let's live well."
Upon hearing this, Zhuzhu raised her eyes, which were red from being soaked in tears, and stared intently at the boy's face while sniffling. The boy smiled slightly and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Calloused knuckles brushed against the red, swollen cheek from crying, the touch slightly cool.
"I'm so glad you were by my side this year. You've done so much, so go live your own life."
Then Pipa told Zhuzhu a secret that Pipa had never told anyone before.
The ransom money he gave to Li Xiao back then was not actually lost. He accidentally dug it out of the ruins and hid it somewhere else.
Because at that time, Pipa couldn't think of anyone else she could entrust her with.
So I simply kept it buried.
Now, he's made up his mind to leave. With his savings from the past year, plus what he's hidden away, he should have enough.
As Zhuzhu listened, her expression shifted, showing a mixture of surprise and complexity.
Finally, she couldn't help but ask in a hoarse voice, "Does the young master trust me that much?"
Her moist almond-shaped eyes met his calm and gentle gaze, filled with doubt and perhaps confusion.
Pipa chuckled softly: "Yes, that's why I want to give it a try."
Pipa never placed any hope in Lu Qingyao, because he knew he couldn't give her what she wanted.
He didn't want the girl to abandon her loving family, her parents, and her siblings for him; the price was too heavy, not something a little girl could easily pay off on a whim.
—As for Shen Yun, Pipa has never understood this person.
Moreover, because of Shen Yingxue in his dream, he had always wanted to avoid getting too involved with her. He was afraid of accidentally getting himself into trouble, which would be too dangerous.
Especially after Shen Yun suddenly did that to him.
Pipa had no desire to provoke the other party again.
so……
Pipa lowered his eyes to look at the little girl in front of him. Whether in a dream or in reality, he hoped that she would have a good future.
Pipa watched Zhuzhu turn and leave, closed the door, and then picked up the glutinous rice balls on the ground.
Tangyuan obediently allowed the boy to pick her up and place her on his lap.
"sweet dumpling."
Pipa called out softly, and Tangyuan seemed to understand, raising its small, round head, tilting its head, and staring unblinkingly at the human in front of it with its pair of eerie green eyes, looking quite like a child with innocent curiosity.
Pipa smiled and gently stroked Tangyuan's fur, listening to the purring sounds coming from the cat's throat.
Then, as if talking to himself, he said, "You know what, Tangyuan, I think I dreamt of you when you were little."
The boy's voice was soft, like a lonely murmur in a dream, floating in the exceptionally quiet night.
The dark red moonlight fell silently into his window.
It also landed beside the bed of the tossing and turning girl...
Of course, on such a night with a full moon after a downpour, these two were not the only ones unable to sleep.
In the very center of the heavily guarded imperial city, in that cold and desolate palace, a thin young man was gazing at the crimson full moon.
The room was dimly lit, with only a single candle burning near the main entrance. The faint light did little to brighten the spacious, almost empty room; instead, it flickered like a weak will-o'-the-wisp.
Suddenly there was a soft knock on the door from the outside.
"Come in."
Upon hearing this, the person outside gently pushed the door open and entered, carrying a tray in their hand.
On the plate was a porcelain bowl, and the dark liquid inside swayed gently in the dim light of the room, making it impossible to tell what it was.
The person delivering the items carefully placed the tray down.
Throughout the entire process, the person kept their head down and did not make a single extra sound.
Finally, the delivery person put down the tray and quietly left.
The door closed silently again.
As if sensing something, the young man who had been gazing at the night sky turned around and walked towards the door.
His steps were very light, and the only sound was the rustling of the fabric on his body.
He walked at a leisurely pace, as if he were someone quietly walking in the dark.
Finally, the young man arrived at the door.
The flickering candlelight fell on the young man, casting a distorted, enormous shadow on the high wall behind him.
—The pale face illuminated by the candlelight was none other than the appearance of Lan Yunzhi, who had long since died!
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