Luzhou Moon - Chapter 85
Lian Junqiu held his slightly cold body, and the longing to be close to him repeatedly overwhelmed her heart.
--Just like that night three years ago
Chapter Fifty-Eight: A Thousand Acres of Emerald Green Waters, Love Extinguished
That happened after Yue Ruzheng and Shao Yang left together with the Face-Fixing Pearl.
Lian Junchu proposed to return to Nan Yandang Mountain alone, but Lian Junqiu strongly opposed it. At that time, her younger brother remained calm as if nothing had happened, and he didn't even shed a single tear.
He stood stubbornly in front of the Pavilion of Forgetfulness, uttered the request only once, and then fell silent. Unexpectedly, his father agreed.
"Aren't you worried about your brother? He's frighteningly calm!" Lian Junqiu asked Lian Haichao anxiously after he left alone.
Lian Haichao scrutinized her, then said calmly, "This is an opportunity." He paused, then looked back at the three large characters "Forgetful Pavilion," "If you can't get past this hurdle, Jun Chu's life will be ruined."
Lian Junqiu was still worried, so she secretly left Seven Star Island and chased after him to Nan Yandang.
She witnessed Lian Junchu bring the scroll to her doorstep, and then burn it to ashes.
The flames danced wildly, burning away the pure white Xuan paper and his tears.
In the deep woods, Lian Junqiu lay hidden behind a large tree, suppressing her sobs, not daring to disturb the boy who seemed to be dead.
Ashes drift and eventually scatter.
Lian Junchu eventually returned to Seven Star Island, the place he had once vehemently resisted and terrified.
For a whole month, he didn't say a word.
Initially, some servants gossiped about the matter behind his back, expressing nothing more than "sympathy" or "pity" for this unworthy young master. They pitied him for having lost both arms since childhood, thinking that he too would win the girl's favor, only to find it all in vain. Those whispering servants were dragged to the front of the Forget-Love Pavilion by Lian Junqiu and severely beaten with the heaviest punishment.
The muffled shouts and the whistling of whips intertwined.
Lian Junchu stood outside the empty courtyard, watching all of this with a blank expression.
From then on, he never left the house.
Lian Haichao forbade Lian Junqiu from visiting him. She almost knelt down: "My brother will die if this continues!"
"He'll see the light." Lian Haichao stood in front of the small courtyard gate, staring at the tightly closed door, his voice low and somber. "What do you think your comfort will solve?"
After saying this, Lian Haichao remained silent for a long time until dusk before slowly leaving. Watching his retreating figure, Lian Junqiu suddenly felt that her usually resilient and unrestrained father seemed to have aged.
This continued for more than half a month. Every day, Lian Junqiu would go to Lian Junchu's door to check on him, but he would just sit quietly by the window.
After nightfall, she saw him open the window and stare motionlessly at the swaying shadows of the trees on the ground, as if he could while away a lot of time with those shadows.
Lian Junqiu quietly entered the courtyard, gazing at the shadows of the trees beside her, and whispered, "Little brother, what's so interesting about shadows?"
Lian Junchu's gaze remained fixed on the ground, and she remained silent for a long time.
"Can I come out and sit with you for a while?" she said, almost pleadingly.
He silently shook his head, his eyes lowered, dressed in pure white, as quiet as the moon in the sky.
That night, Lian Junqiu had already returned to her residence, but she tossed and turned in bed, her mind in turmoil. Around midnight, she got up, opened the door, and went out into the yard.
Summer had arrived. The sea breeze, carrying a humid heat, swept over her, stirring up her thoughts.
On the deserted beach, the waves came and went, one after another without ceasing. Lian Junqiu strolled along the coastline to the foot of the high cliff, where she saw a solitary figure in the distance.
Lian Junchu sat alone on the rocks by the sea, facing the dark blue ocean. Waves crashed against the bottom of the rocks, wetting the hem of his clothes.
She stopped in her tracks, didn't go over, and stood behind the rock, quietly watching him.
Under the clear moonlight, Lian Junchu curled up her legs, bent her body close to her knees, and turned her face to the side, as if gazing at the distant sea.
The surging waves gradually rose, covering his feet, and the violent spray began to crash onto the beach. The rock he was sitting on was already mostly submerged and was about to sink into the water.
Lian Junqiu couldn't wait any longer and ran quickly towards him: "Junchu, the tide's coming in, come back with me!"
His face was always turned towards the ocean, pressed tightly against his knees.
"What do you want to do?" Lian Junqiu grabbed his shoulders and forcefully straightened his body.
A pure white conch shell lay quietly between his knees.
Lian Junqiu stared blankly at the conch shell, and suddenly realized that he had been listening to the sound coming from inside the conch shell while turned to the side.
A huge wave crashed in, soaking both of them to the bone. Lian Junqiu, her hands trembling, grabbed the conch shell and laughed angrily, "Junchu, are you thinking about Yue Ruzheng?"
Water droplets dripped from Lian Junchu's face, his lips trembled slightly, and he looked at the conch shell in her hand with sorrowful eyes, whispering, "Give it back to me."
"She's gone! Have you forgotten? Two months ago, she left side by side with Shao Yang! Taking the divine pearl you gave her!" Lian Junqiu's voice was stern. "She's a thief, a fraud!"
"I gave that to her myself! Don't say I lied anymore!" Lian Junchu remained seated on the rocks, the seawater already reaching his waist. After more than a month of silence, he shouted at Lian Junqiu in such a loud voice for the first time, his voice full of stubbornness.
"Give it to her?" Lian Junqiu raised her eyebrows, her eyes filled with sorrow, but her words were still direct and cutting. "Can't you wake up?! Does she need you to give it to her? From the moment she approached you, everything she did was to obtain the Divine Pearl! I warned you long ago that she wouldn't stay by your side! Why didn't you believe me? Why are you still deceiving yourself until now?!"
She grew increasingly angry as she spoke, and suddenly flung the conch shell in her hand away with all her might. The dark blue waves swallowed the tiny conch shell in an instant, leaving not a trace.
"Look, everything's gone." Her eyes were filled with tears, but a smile played on her lips. "Forget her, Junchu."
Lian Junchu stared blankly at the ever-undulating waves, then suddenly burst into laughter, her unrestrained laughter echoing in the swirling wind.
"Everything's gone..." He laughed, leaning against his knees. "I never had anything, did I? I thought I had everything, but in the end, I couldn't even hold onto the illusion! Sister, I can't help it, I've given my heart! What else can I do?!"
Lian Junqiu bent down and hugged his shoulders tightly. His clothes were soaked, and his broken arms were especially noticeable.