The hustle and bustle of the teahouse gradually faded away as Lin Wanwan and Xiao Che strolled along the town's newly renovated streets. Sunlight filtered through the lush willow trees, casting dappled shadows on the cobblestones, and the air was filled with the faint fragrance of flowers and the aroma of food, creating a scene of peace and harmony.
However, a lingering unresolved question remained in their hearts: what became of the old woman who, more than a decade ago, held her daughter's lifeless body and wept bitterly before them?
"Let's go take a look," Lin Wanwan said softly, a lingering concern in her eyes.
"Mmm." Xiao Che held her hand tightly. Without saying a word, the two understood each other perfectly.
Guided by their hazy memories, they turned into a quiet alley. The hustle and bustle here seemed to have faded, replaced by a more lived-in atmosphere. The sounds of children playing and women chatting drifted from the courtyards, filling the air with the warmth of everyday life.
Soon, they found the courtyard from their memories deep in the alley.
However, what they saw before them made their hearts sink slightly.
The wooden gate to the courtyard was tightly locked, with a rusty brass padlock hanging on it. In the corner of the courtyard wall, weeds had grown to waist height, stubbornly peeking out from the cracks in the stones, proclaiming that the place had been uninhabited for a long time. The sadness and despair that once lingered over the courtyard had now been replaced by a deathly stillness of things changed.
Lin Wanwan's heart tightened. Could it be...?
Just then, the gate to the neighboring courtyard creaked open, and an older woman who was hanging clothes out to dry poked her head out, curiously observing the two of them.
Xiao Che stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and asked gently, "Auntie, may I ask where the owner of this house is now?"
Seeing his distinguished bearing, the aunt dared not be negligent and sighed, "You two are asking about Granny Chen, right? Alas, she was not blessed with good fortune and passed away a few years ago."
Upon receiving the confirmation, Lin Wanwan's heart inevitably sank.
The older woman seemed to sense their disappointment and added, "But when Granny Chen passed away, the whole town came to see her off! She spent the rest of her life doing a tremendous act of kindness and accumulating great virtue!"
"A good deed?" Lin Wanwan asked, somewhat puzzled. What good deed could an elderly woman, orphaned and alone, possibly do?
“Yes!” The auntie’s face showed admiration, and she pointed with her chin toward the alley entrance. “If you follow this road to the center of town, do you see that magnificent girls’ school? That’s where Grandma’s good deeds are done! Go and see for yourself.”
Girls' school?
Lin Wanwan and Xiao Che exchanged a glance, both filled with confusion. They thanked the woman and, still harboring their doubts, turned and headed towards the town center.
The "Royal Academy of Sciences Affiliated Girls' School," converted from an ancestral hall, came into view once more. This time, they didn't linger at the entrance but went straight inside. The school was quiet, presumably during class time. A cleaning maid, seeing their elegant attire, assumed they were philanthropists who had come to donate funds and respectfully directed them in the right direction.
Passing through the sounds of students reading aloud in the front yard, they arrived at the quieter backyard.
The courtyard was filled with flowers and plants, full of vitality. In the sunniest corner of the backyard, two small graves stood quietly.
One was slightly larger, with a tombstone, but the inscription was somewhat blurred. Next to it was a smaller earthen grave, without a tombstone, but in front of it was a bunch of fresh wildflowers still covered in dew.
The scene exudes an indescribable solemnity and sorrow.
Just as they were lost in thought, a gentle voice came from behind them: "You two kind people, have you come to pay your respects to Granny Chen?"
The two turned around and saw a lady in an elegant long dress, with a quiet demeanor, standing not far away, nodding slightly to them. She looked to be no more than twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a scholarly air about her and clear, firm eyes.
“We…we are acquaintances of hers,” Lin Wanwan said cautiously. “May I ask, sir, about these two graves…”
The woman walked to the grave, her gaze softening with tenderness and reverence. She explained softly, "This grave with the tombstone is Granny Chen's grave. And this small, unnamed grave next to it is a cenotaph for her daughter."
A cenotaph... Lin Wanwan felt a pang of sorrow. Sure enough, that poor girl's body could not even be found intact.
The female teacher seemed to see through her thoughts and continued, "After that case was settled, the imperial court converted the ancestral hall of the tyrant into a school. Granny Chen donated all the pension money issued by the government, as well as her life savings, without keeping a single penny, to the school, which became our school's first donation."
This unexpected answer stunned both Xiao Che and Lin Wanwan.
"Not only that," the teacher's voice choked with emotion, "the old woman said she had no children and no worries, so she volunteered to stay at the school to do chores like sweeping and cleaning. She didn't want wages, she just wanted a place to live and to listen to the girls reading day and night. She said that if other girls could read the books that her daughter couldn't, she would be content. She did this for nearly ten years, until she passed away peacefully."
"Her only wish before she died was to be buried here, so that she and her daughter could forever hear the most beautiful sounds of this land."
Lin Wanwan's eyes instantly reddened. She never imagined that the old woman, who had been overwhelmed by immense grief, would achieve self-redemption in such a way, transforming her personal tragedy into a great love that benefits others.
The female teacher looked at the nameless grave, her eyes shining: "To commemorate the mother and daughter, the first scholarship we established at our school was named after Granny Chen's daughter. Now, dozens of girls from impoverished families have been able to leave the town and see a wider world thanks to this scholarship."
Xiao Che remained silent, his heart overwhelmed by immense emotions. He had thought that all he had done back then was punish evil and promote good, uphold justice, but he never imagined that the seed they had planted would blossom into such a magnificent flower in the hands of an ordinary yet great mother.
The female teacher seemed to find them agreeable and took the initiative to invite them, saying, "Please come with me, kind sirs. There is another treasure of the school, which is also related to Granny Chen."
They followed the lady to a clean and elegant memorial room.
In the very center of the room, an umbrella is quietly displayed in an exquisite glass cabinet.
A Umbrella for the People, whose vibrant colors have long since faded but which has been preserved in an exceptionally good condition.
It was the very same hand that the people tearfully gave them when they left.
Lin Wanwan's heart clenched painfully the moment she saw the umbrella.
The woman's face radiated an almost religious glow as she pointed to the umbrella, as if telling a beautiful myth: "This was given to me by Granny Chen before she passed away. She instructed me to pass it down from generation to generation."
"She said that back then, just when everyone in the town thought the sky was falling, two god-like figures descended from the heavens. One was 'Master Xiao,' and the other was 'Lady Lin.' They helped her without asking for anything in return, seeking justice for her wrongfully deceased daughter and clearing away a century of gloom from our town."
"The old lady said she couldn't remember what the two benefactors looked like, but she would never forget their kindness. This umbrella for all people is their testimonies."
The female teacher's voice echoed in the quiet room, filled with utmost devotion.
"Today, this umbrella has become a spiritual symbol of our school. Every female student who enrolls must come here to see it. The teachers will tell them to always remember that justice and hope may be late, but they will never be absent. They should be like that 'Lady Lin,' a woman with a compassionate heart, wisdom, and strength."
Lin Wanwan listened quietly, tears finally streaming down her face uncontrollably. She wasn't sad, but rather enveloped by an unprecedented and immense sense of happiness and fulfillment.
She saw that Xiao Che was also looking at her, his deep eyes brimming with a light more dazzling than the stars and the sea.
They said nothing, just quietly looked at the umbrella, and at the girls running and laughing in the sunlight outside the window, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.
After a long while, Lin Wanwan turned her head and looked at Xiao Che with teary-eyed smiles, and said softly, "You see, she didn't die in vain."
Xiao Che tightened his grip on her hand, the warmth of his palm firm and comforting. His already masterful "artificial voice pack" uttered, at this moment, the most profound love confession of his life:
"No, it was you who made her death heavier than Mount Tai."
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