Chapter 64: Farewell in the Drizzle

It was a very quiet night. Grandma Ling Qing took Ling Ruyue to my room to sleep. Yang Sheng’s snoring was still going on. I was in my master’s room, once again looking at my master and Hui Jue, speechless.

Silence seems to be a contagious disease. When one person deliberately keeps silent, the others will also feel tired and speechless.

The light of the oil lamp was dim and warm. It was like this that Master and I, and occasionally Grandpa Huijue, would spend one night after another by the light of an oil lamp, sometimes arguing, sometimes talking nonsense, sometimes laughing. In short, it was a memory of the Bamboo Grove, a period of peace and tranquility.

“I’m leaving tomorrow. Sanwa, when we meet again, you’ll be a big boy, and maybe I’ll have a disciple by then. You have to be nice to him, and don’t be like me and your master, who fight every time we meet.” Grandpa Huijue was the first to break the silence. His eyes were very calm, and perhaps because he was a Buddhist, he was more at ease with parting.

The master sighed, touched my head, and said, “Sanwa, grow up quickly.”

I thought to myself, why does this sentence sound so familiar? After thinking about it, I realized that Hu Xueman had said it to me.

Why do all of a sudden everyone want me to grow up?

“Master, do you want me to grow up and join a department like you, and then serve the country?” I can only understand it this way.

“No, the future is your freedom. Master will not restrict you. A bird must fly alone.” The master looked out the window into the distance and said with a heavy heart.

I felt uneasy, but there was nothing wrong with what the master said. I followed his gaze.

Outside the window, a crescent moon.

The next day, the rain was falling in a steady drizzle, making a rustling sound on the bamboo leaves.

Ling Ruyue was lying on my back, with tears still on her face, because she had argued with her grandmother Ling Qing in the morning, saying that she wanted to stay for another day, but her grandmother had refused without hesitation.

Little girls are always more sensitive, and in the face of this kind of rejection, they can’t help but cry. It wasn’t until I coaxed her and said I would carry her down the mountain that she finally calmed down.

Yang Sheng walked behind me and Ling Ruyue. The mountain path was slippery, and he couldn’t help but stumble, causing the old man Hui Jue to laugh without any sense of shame. He was a Buddhist, but he was always the first to make fun of others.

But Yang Sheng is really good. Since learning the method of guiding, he always practices on time every day. I think he is much better than me, who is forced by my master and still finds ways to be lazy.

Huijue, Ling Qing, and the master walked behind Yang Sheng. Although they kept teasing him along the way, I could feel that there was something heavy about it. Could it be because they were sad to be parting?

But they don’t get to spend much time together.

After we get down the mountain, I’m going to let Ling Ruyue down. She refuses and insists on riding on my back. She says, “Brother San, carry me for a while. There are no children in the village to play with me, and no brother to carry me?”

My heart softened, and I didn’t let Ling Ruyue down after all. I asked her, “Why? Is it because you’re too annoying?”

“I don’t hate you. They all respect me, but they’re afraid of me. I don’t think they’re really close to me.” Ling Ruyue, a rare girl, didn’t argue with me and answered me seriously.

“Why are you afraid of you?” I asked Ling Ruyue.

But the little girl was silent. Never mind, she doesn’t like to talk, so I won’t ask.

From a distance, I saw a man standing at the entrance to the village. Who else could it be but Su Rou?

As soon as he saw us, Su Rou came running over. The kid’s injury wasn’t fully healed yet, and he was hanging by one hand. When he ran, all his fat jiggled.

“Fat brother,” Ling Ruyue called sweetly.

Su Rou answered, and then hurriedly greeted my master and the others. I was curious, so I asked, “Su Rou, why are you here?”

“I saw Master Jiang and the others go up the mountain yesterday, and I even said hello to them. But Master Jiang didn’t want me to go up the mountain with him. Later, I was eating dinner, and I was bored. I was walking around the village with Xiaowu and the others when I met Aunt Xue Man coming down the mountain. He said that a large group of people had to leave early this morning, so I didn’t wait for you?” Su Rou said.

I rolled my eyes. What does he mean by a large group of people leaving? I bet Auntie Xueman didn’t say it like that. This Su Rou is so lazy that he doesn’t even bother to speak clearly.

Before I could say anything, Su Rou was already busy helping Huijue carry her luggage. This kid is really good at making things happen.

With the presence of Su Rou, the atmosphere finally became more lively. The group walked on the familiar road, looking at the rain scene unique to this mountain village, and began to talk and laugh. A road, slowly walking, from the time it was just light to the time it was bright, when they arrived at the town bus station, it was almost 10 o’clock in the morning.

“Okay, I won’t see you off. I’ll go find Hu Xueman in town and ask him to arrange a car to take us back.” While she was talking, Grandma Ling Qing took Ling Ruyue off my back. The girl was full of reluctance in her eyes, and in an instant, her eyes were red.

It’s not her fault. Life in the village may be too boring for a little girl. It’s hard to find a few good friends, and they’ve even gone on adventures together. Who would give them up?

Before we could say anything, my master suddenly said, “Ling Qing, we are all getting old.”

Grandma Ling Qing once again showed the expression of melancholy she had in the tomb, and her mouth moved, but she didn’t say anything in the end.

Hui Jue, however, said, “Yes, we are old. It’s been 82 years. Do you remember 1951? The first time we worked together, after the mission was completed, the three of us parted at the station. Ling Qing, you even hit Jiang Lichun, threatening him that if he ever saw him again, you would definitely put a curse on him.

Grandma Ling Qing blushed and said, “It’s all in the past. Why bring it up?”

“Yes, I was just joking about someone who was afraid to ride the train and couldn’t stand the smell. It was her, the young lady, who was threatened with being bewitched.” My master said with a laugh, and the three of us laughed.

We younger people also laughed, and the atmosphere of parting was finally somewhat diluted.

“Now, it’s different. We’re still standing here, and the next generation is already so big. Huijue, you have to keep up. We’re getting old, and we want to do the things we want to do.” After laughing, my master suddenly said this.

“Don’t worry, my apprentices will definitely surpass the others, not worse than Sanwa and Ruyue.” The old man Huijue was not willing to admit defeat in front of my master.

“You two are still the same as before. In the past, you fought over who was better at Taoism and Buddhism. Now you fight over who has the better disciple?” Grandma Lingqing gave the two old men a sideways glance. Although time is the most ruthless, this angry expression from Grandma Lingqing is still full of charm.

My master was actually a little dazed.

“Sanwa, Su Rou, Ru Yue, I’ll bring you some local specialties from Xinjiang when I go there.” Yang Sheng suddenly interrupted the moment of elegance with his words. This kid always does this kind of thing.

My master coughed embarrassedly and scolded Yang Sheng: “You’re a little crazy again, aren’t you? What local specialty are you going to bring? Even if you know the address, you can’t mail it to Ling Qing. Do you know where Sanwa and I are in Beijing? Won’t it be bad for Su Rou to receive your local specialty?”

“Grapes don’t go bad.” Yang Sheng was unusually cunning for once, but he was clearly studying the subject, and he still put on his glasses and said seriously.

My master was upset and angry, so he simply ignored Yang Sheng.

Yang Sheng looked at us and said very seriously, “You may not be able to bring back local specialties, but I will give you three people a souvenir to remember us by when we meet again.”

We suddenly burst into laughter. Yes, we will meet again.

At this time, the bus to the town had already arrived. Listening to the honking of the horn, I, who had always been calm, suddenly felt a strong sense of reluctance, which I suppressed.

It was only when Ling Ruyue waved goodbye to me with tears in her eyes that I shouted, “Grandpa Hui, remember to play chess with me again. Grandma Ling Qing, Ruyue, I’ve grown up and will definitely come visit you.”

Hui Jue looked back at me with a loving look, while Ling Qing’s grandmother held Ru Yue and looked at me and smiled. Ru Yue then started to cry.

I watched the car go far away, and when I turned around, I saw my master smiling at me. He put his hand on my shoulder and said, “It’s just a joke. For people who travel around, parting is just a trivial matter.”

I held back the tears in my eyes and smiled weakly, “When did your child become so cultured?”

“Reading martial arts novels.”

“Damn it!”

Su Rou and I laughed at the same time, while my master looked at us, patted his head and said, “Let’s go, let’s go back.”

“Master Jiang, why don’t you tell us about the Hungry Ghost Tomb?”

The drizzle continued to fall thick and heavy. I leaned on my master’s shoulder and suddenly felt happy. The future is always full of warmth, hope, and infinite possibilities.