Chapter 647: Pine and Cypress · Red Makeup (2)
The setting sun cast a deep red glow over Songbai Town.
The sunlight shone upon them, following them as they made their way up.
Xiao Ziru tilted his head back slightly, silent as ever. He watched impassively as the young man and woman disappeared at the top of the stairs, utterly unmoved.
Just as Rong Taotao thought he had failed again, Xiao Ziru suddenly moved.
Rong Taotao: !!!
Rong Taotao swore he never thought he’d be so thrilled to see someone just take a step!
Xiao Ziru was actually walking up the stairs!
303 steps. Not too long, but not too short, either.
By the time the two of them reached the top, the young man and woman from before seemed to have separated.
The young woman was standing by the stone railing on the south side of the monument, looking down at the panoramic view of Songbai Town High School below. Her eyes were distant, as if lost in some quiet memory.
The young man, meanwhile, stood stiffly on the east side of the monument, seemingly gazing at the distant pine and cypress trees.
Xiao Ziru seemed completely oblivious to their presence. He simply kept his head tilted back, gazing at the single large word on the towering monument: HERO.
That’s right. The monument had no epitaph, no name, not even a sculpture.
Only that one large, gilded word: HERO.
Rong Taotao knew that the monument commemorated Xiao Ziru’s father: Xiao Li.
Likewise, Xiao Ziru seemed to understand the monument’s significance.
He parted his lips slightly, as if to say something, but no sound came out.
Watching from the side, Rong Taotao felt a whirlwind of emotions.
Rong Taotao was certain this wasn’t a case of Xiao Ziru hesitating to speak—he genuinely couldn’t.
Xiao Ziru opened his mouth several times, but to no avail.
What made Rong Taotao’s heart sink even further was that even in his frustration and distress, Xiao Ziru’s face remained a blank mask, as if he had forgotten how to express emotion at all.
As Xiao Ziru stared up at the monument, the figure of the young woman walked past and went to the young man’s side.
Abruptly, a cell phone rang. The sound was almost jarring in the quiet surroundings.
“Though heavy snow may seal the door, and the God of Wealth be sent away; A raging fire cannot consume the one within my heart…”
The young man hurriedly pulled his phone from his pocket. From a distance, from a place unseen by the others, a cool voice said, “Don’t answer it.”
The voice made Xiao Ziru slowly turn his head toward the young man and woman standing beside the monument.
As expected, the ringtone stubbornly continued.
“The setting sun of the northern frontier is her Red Makeup, a mountain of Pine and Cypress her bridesmaids…”
The woman’s cool, faint voice trembled slightly. “He said… he said he would come back. That I should wait for him here.”
On Xiao Ziru’s otherwise expressionless face, his eyes widened slightly.
In his moment of shock, the young man and woman by the monument exchanged a hasty farewell and rushed back toward the stairs.
As they passed Rong Taotao and Xiao Ziru, their words were perfectly clear:
“Three whole years, and this is the first time I’ve ever heard her speak.”
“Is she waiting for family?”
“You’ve met him.”
“Hm?”
“Xiao Ziru.”
At last, Xiao Ziru started forward, moving to the side of the monument in an attempt to see the person it was obscuring.
But in that instant, the world of Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon shattered.
Back in the real world, Rong Taotao lowered his head again, rubbing his temples with one hand. He’d pulled back at the last second. He had gotten a little scared; it was better to proceed step by step.
Watching Rong Taotao’s movement, Dr. Cheng Qing continued, “Just now, did you see—Ah!”
Before she could finish, Xiao Ziru, who had been completely still, suddenly shot to his feet, grabbed Rong Taotao by the collar, and hoisted him into the air.
“Old Xiao!?” Xia Fangran’s heart jumped, and he shouted in alarm.
Beside them, Gao Lingwei had already drawn a Great Xia Dragon Sparrow…
But Rong Taotao, dangling in the air, gripped the hand on his collar with his right hand while holding up his left in a gesture to stop the others.
The room fell silent, as if the entire world had frozen in place.
Xiao Ziru’s lips trembled, and a film of moisture welled up in his eyes. They were filled with an infinite yearning as he stared intently at Rong Taotao.
He looked like he wanted to re-enter the world of Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon, but he struggled to speak, unable to form the words to ask.
Rong Taotao said softly, “You know in your heart that none of this is real. It’s meaningless. Cooperate with Dr. Cheng’s treatment. Once your condition improves, you’ll be able to see the real thing.”
As he spoke, the hand Rong Taotao had used to signal a stop reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of Sanxiu cigarettes.
He flicked open the pack with his index finger and gently pushed a single cigarette forward with his thumb.
“That was a good reaction. According to the doctor, that deserves a reward.” While his right hand still held the hand gripping his collar, Rong Taotao extended his left toward Xiao Ziru. “Here. This is your reward.”
Xiao Ziru’s agitation gradually subsided. His eyes rested quietly on Rong Taotao. They held each other’s gaze for nearly twenty seconds. The silence in the room was deafening…
Slowly, Xiao Ziru’s gaze lowered to the cigarette offered before him.
After another dead silence, a flicker of change finally crossed Xiao Ziru’s face.
His expression was odd. It resembled a smile, but it was incredibly unnatural, his facial muscles rigid.
A single, muffled word escaped his lips: “Fire.”
Rong Taotao nodded. “How about you put me down first?”
To Xia Fangran’s utter astonishment, Xiao Ziru set Rong Taotao down and slowly sat back on the sofa.
And as Dr. Cheng Qing watched on, Rong Taotao actually handed over the lighter…
CLICK… The metal gear scraped, throwing off a few sparks before igniting a small flame.
The way Xiao Ziru lit the cigarette was completely natural, the motion seemingly etched into his very blood. There wasn’t a trace of his earlier stiffness.
However, the first drag he took was met with a fit of violent coughing.
“COUGH COUGH, COUGH COUGH COUGH…”
Watching this, however, Rong Taotao broke into a grin.
Life was indeed bitter, and for such pain, there was no cure.
Thankfully, there were many painkillers.
For example…
The harsh bite of smoke, a long-missed hometown, a beloved person.