Chapter 8: Father and Daughter (Part 1)

I stayed at home for a week, simply to keep my parents company. There were some things I was too embarrassed to say when I was younger, but I told my parents the day before I left.

“Dad, Mom, no matter where I go in the future, I will tell you before I leave, even if it’s in heaven or on earth. I will definitely call you whenever I can, and I will never disappear again.”

I said this very seriously. My mother wiped her eyes and hugged me tightly. My father was stunned for a long time and said, “Good, good, that’s the way it should be.”

In fact, I should thank my parents. No matter what kind of pain I have experienced, they always accept me with love when I return to them. Even if they cannot heal my wounds or stop my pain, I still have warmth when I am with them.

I should cherish them, and I should cherish them from the moment I become aware of them!

The plane flew to Tianjin. I was relieved. I have parents, so I have a home and roots!

When I arrived in Tianjin, I immediately went to find Master Liu. After I had settled his daughter’s affairs, Master Liu no longer lived in that small building. I didn’t know where he lived, either. The only clue I had was a number Qin Huai gave me. He said it was the phone number of Master Liu’s new address.

The rest, Qin Huai seemed to be a little hesitant, and didn’t comment much.

The phone was quickly connected, and it was Master Liu who answered. His voice was still as unpleasant as ever, but in comparison, it seemed even more aged.

“Master Liu? I’m Chengyi. I’m in Tianjin and I want to come see you. Is that convenient?” Master Liu’s personality is a bit strange. He doesn’t necessarily want me to visit him, so I asked carefully on the phone.

There was a long silence before he said, “Come on, it’s lonely being alone. I’m living at XXX now.”

Master Liu answered more quickly than I expected, but I couldn’t help but be surprised. Why was he alone? His daughter had already completely recovered using the forbidden technique, hadn’t she?

Thinking about this, I still took a taxi, gave the address that Master Liu gave me, and headed over there.

When I got there, I was shocked. I didn’t think Master Liu would live in such a place!

Is it because this place is too remote and simple? Obviously not. On the contrary, this place is a wealthy area, and Master Liu lives in a villa.

I was shocked by the contrast with the simple building where he used to live.

I followed the address given by Master Liu and found the villa where he lived. I rang the doorbell for a long time, but no one came to open the door. I lit a cigarette and waited patiently. It wasn’t until I had smoked half of the cigarette that I heard the sound of the door opening. Who was standing in front of the door if it wasn’t Master Liu?

I had seen him almost always in that dimly lit building, where he had to turn on the lights even in broad daylight. I had almost never seen him in the sunlight, so when I suddenly saw him like this, I couldn’t help but freeze for a moment.

Compared to more than a year ago, he was even more gray and old. There were very few white hairs left, long and standing up, very messy. He was even thinner, almost skin and bones, and the wrinkles on his face were like dried-up land, forming deep ravines, even more exaggerated than the dried-up oranges I had thought before!

I thought it was my illusion to hear his voice and think he looked older, but I didn’t realize it wasn’t until I saw him in person that it turned out to be no illusion at all.

How could this be? From the time my master took me to see him for the first time to more than a year ago, when he was still trying to save his daughter’s life, I didn’t think he had changed much. Now that his daughter can finally live a normal life, he…

I stood by the door, frowning and thinking, but Master Liu spoke up: “Won’t you come in?”

“Oh, come in,” I said quickly, and then entered the door.

Inside the door was an extraordinarily luxurious hall, with extravagant colors everywhere. I didn’t really understand the so-called furniture and furnishings, but the extravagant meaning could be felt even without understanding them.

But that’s not what I care about. All I see is Master Liu shuffling along, taking only about 20 centimeters of steps at a time, and he’s not very stable. It’s like a small tree in a strong wind, ready to fall at any moment.

No wonder it took so long to open the door. Is this how he moved to open the door for me?

Thinking this way, I quickly took two steps forward, holding onto Master Liu and asked, “Where are we going?” This was not a stupid question. After all, this was a three-story villa, and I was not sure which room Master Liu was taking me to.

“Third floor, my study and bedroom are there.” Without refusing my help, Master Liu said to me very directly.

I was surprised. The third floor? At the same time, I had an uncontrollable rage in my heart, so I couldn’t help but ask Master Liu directly, “You have such difficulty moving around, why do you live on the third floor? Isn’t there a room downstairs?”

Master Liu looked at me, and there was a hint of sadness in his eyes, but more of blame, as if I shouldn’t have been meddling.

He didn’t say anything, and I was embarrassed by the look he gave me. I couldn’t ask him any more, so I just kept silent and almost half-carried him up to the third floor.

The third floor still has Master Liu’s study. After entering, I found that except for the floor and walls, which were cleaner, it was almost no different from before. Master Liu asked me to help him sit down in his usual seat, and then I sat across from him.

“There’s no one at home, so I won’t make you tea.” When he said this, Master Liu licked his lips. Actually, I didn’t have to drink tea, but I thought he wanted to drink tea, so I stood up and asked, “Where are the tea leaves and cups? I’ll make it for you. I’m thirsty, so I’ll do it myself.”

Master Liu looked at me gratefully, but still didn’t say anything. Everything was in the silence.

A feeling of sadness rose in my heart. Master Liu didn’t say anything, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t feel it. But how could I say anything about this?

He is a strong person, otherwise he would not have been able to support his daughter, who could die at any time, on his own for so many decades. He was grateful to me, but I was unable to say that he wanted to drink tea because I was embarrassed.

The sun shone into the room, illuminating the rising steam from the hot tea, and the whole room was filled with the aroma of tea.

I tried to say something, but found that nothing I could say would be appropriate. I could only sit in the room with Master Liu, silent and motionless.

“Huh…” Master Liu picked up the teacup with a trembling hand, took a sip of tea, and let out a sigh of satisfaction. His eyes half-closed as he stared at the sunlight outside the window, and then he suddenly said, “In the past, I hated the sunlight because my daughter couldn’t bear it, and I hated it too.”

“Xiao Nan?” I was surprised.

“My daughter’s nickname. I’ve been calling her that for so many years, I can’t change it now.” Master Liu leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes as he said this.

I didn’t say anything, waiting for Master Liu to continue.

“Xiaonan has lived in that small building for a long time. She said she had never had a good life before, so she wanted to live in the best place possible. We moved twice, and we simply took out most of our savings and bought this house.”

It’s only been two years, but… I was a little stunned, but obviously I had no say in how someone else’s money was spent.

Master Liu seemed very lonely, in stark contrast to his usual reticence. Before I could say anything, he continued, “Moving here has been good. At least I’ve discovered the benefits of sunbathing. I didn’t like it before, but now I find it very nice to bask in the warmth.”

“Then get some more sun.” With that, I stood up and opened the curtains completely, and for a moment the room was filled with sunlight.

“Shen Xing is a good girl,” Liu Shifu said in a low voice.

I stood in front of the window, my body stiffened for a moment, and then I said with a forced smile, “Why are you talking about this all of a sudden? Master Liu, your tea is good.”

I deliberately changed the subject, but Master Liu just went on talking about himself: “That girl is good. I helped her once, and she took good care of my food and drink, and also helped take care of the little girl. She was quiet and read books all day long. She’s a good girl.”

Master Liu’s voice was a little desolate, but I couldn’t even force a smile.

“In this world, there is cause and effect, and there must be retribution. If you can’t hold on to something, why force it? Even if you force it, it will change. It’s better to be cute and adorable as a child, calling out to Dad, and it’s better for both of us. I have the best memories, and she doesn’t have to suffer for so many years. But even if I think like this, I still can’t bear to let her die. I can’t bear to.” Master Liu’s voice, as if he were talking to himself, echoed in the large study, but I could only pretend not to understand.

“Chengyi, come and sit down. Stay with me for a while. Are you going to leave to find Penglai?” Master Liu suddenly opened his eyes.

I quickly sat down and explained the general arrangements.

“Can you leave later? I want you to take care of my funeral arrangements. It won’t be long now.” Master Liu suddenly turned his head and looked out the window, and said this to me.