Phoenix stared at Old Tian for a while before shaking her head. "Uncle Tian, I don't hate you. After all, although I'm a descendant of Mingyue, I don't know her and have never seen her, so I won't hate you... But I must admit, I've always looked down on you because of your cowardice. When happiness was right in front of you, you actually gave it up. I just can't understand that. You loved her so much, stayed by her side through thick and thin, and helped her through those painful years. But when she finally accepted you, you backed down. That makes me despise you. Maybe you have your reasons. But I think you should have tried to win her over instead of giving up so easily."
Old Tian didn't speak; he was giving a bitter smile.
Strive for it? Try it?
Yes, it seems that all hardships are worth trying to overcome, even if the person Mingyue fell in love with back then wasn't me, but him... I'm willing to hold on to a sliver of hope and wait.
But... can blood ties be changed?
Unless, unless I never existed at all! Unless time could turn back! Unless…
Unless I don't have such a damn long lifespan!!!
Why have I lived so long?! Why?!
But Lao Tian wouldn't tell Fenghuang any of this.
He chose to avoid it, only giving a faint smile to mask the bitterness in his heart.
“Let them despise me if they want. Even I despise myself.” Old Tian shook his head and looked around. “This forest, this place, was cleared by Mingyue and me back then. There used to be a wooden house here, which we built together. I lived here for a few months, keeping her company. Sometimes, do you know what my biggest worry is right now?”
"What?" Phoenix asked.
“It’s time.” Old Tian’s tone was somewhat enigmatic, his eyes unfocused, and he seemed lost in thought. He murmured, “Time can erase all traces, but I’m still alive! After all these years, I’m still alive. I miss her madly, and whenever I miss her, I can’t help but try to find traces of what we left together back then. Yes… there must be so many traces…”
Back then, I accompanied her on trips to relax. We watched the rain by West Lake in Hangzhou, drank wine on Leifeng Pagoda, and I took her to the desert, the grasslands, the area beyond the Great Wall, the south, Japan, and many, many other places. In these places, we left our mark and our memories.
However, far too much time has passed.
Most of the traces we left behind back then are gone. Trees have been cut down, hillsides have been leveled, buildings have been demolished... Even West Lake is no longer the same as it used to be.
Sometimes I think, decades from now, I might still be alive, and when I miss her, I probably won't be able to find a place where I can reminisce about the years we spent together.
For example, right now, here, in this place, this house, was originally a wooden house that we built ourselves back then.
But many years have passed, and the house was demolished and rebuilt. The current brick house was built by later people and is no longer the wooden house that belonged to Mingyue and me.
It's becoming increasingly difficult for me to find a place that bears our traces. Most of those places no longer exist.
There's a saying: "Everything will pass with time."
At this point, Lao Tian glanced at Fenghuang. Although his face still resembled that of a middle-aged man, his expression revealed his advanced age: "Do you believe this statement?"
Phoenix paused for a moment, then shook her head: "I don't know."
"I don't believe it." Old Tian quickly made his conclusion, and then he laughed, but the laugh was even more bitter.
"Some things in this world will pass... but some things will never pass!"
Upon hearing this, Phoenix suddenly trembled and looked at Lao Tian with a complicated expression.
Old Tian slowly walked over and stood in front of Phoenix. He looked at Phoenix's young and beautiful face, then smiled, a kind smile in his eyes.
He reached out and pinched Phoenix's nose, then gently stroked her delicate cheek: "You, and all of Mingyue's descendants, are like my children. Little Phoenix, I've always cared about you."
I know that you secretly come to the Xiao family every year to visit your ancestral home in Xiaojia Town.
Every time the Xiao family holds an ancestral hall meeting or clan gathering, you receive the news and, no matter what you're doing, you find a way to drop everything and run back to hide in the shadows, secretly watching the Xiao family members.
My heart aches for you because… back then, I only sent Xiao Qing back, but not you… Please forgive me, this wasn't my decision, but your mother's. Therefore, Xiao Qing can return to 'home,' but you don't have a 'home.'
Phoenix's expression changed; her beautiful face twitched, and a shadow of gloom flashed in her eyes, but then she smiled: "So what?"
She tried her best to smile, but the smile was forced: "These are all fate's arrangements! They are destined! The fireworks told me!"
"To hell with fate, to hell with destiny!"
Old Tian suddenly cursed, his expression turning very angry.
Phoenix's expression changed drastically, staring at Old Tian in astonishment: "What did you say!"
"Screw fate!" Old Tian shouted. "We've always believed that fate is predetermined! That's because we believe it! But if we don't believe it, then we don't need to care about it! Just live your own life, and screw everything else!"
Old Tian laughed wildly a few times, then tears streamed down his face: "It's a pity that I only recently began to understand this principle. If I had understood it ten years earlier... perhaps everything would have been different! Even if Mingyue and I were to separate in the end, at least I could have enjoyed a wonderful time with her and listened to me say a few words, Phoenix."
Old Tian placed his hand on Phoenix's head and gently stroked her hair: "When you think something is impossible, it's because your own heart has already given up and decided that it's impossible. But if you don't have that conviction in your heart, then... anything is possible!"
Amidst the laughter, Old Tian drifted away. After walking more than ten meters away, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and said, "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. Perhaps you don't know yet, but the news hasn't spread... Fireworks, that girl who always told us that fate was predetermined, she died. She died because of what she believed to be her 'destined fate'! Because she believed in fate, she died."
When Lao Tian returned to the inn, Shi Gaofei finally turned off the TV and got out of bed. The TV had been disassembled into a pile of parts, and on the table was a small detector that had already begun to take shape.
The fat man assisted Shi Gaofei, assembling the small parts one by one.
When Fatty saw Lao Tian return, he was surprised to see the black dirt on Lao Tian's face and the tear stains at the corners of his eyes. He wanted to ask something, but Lao Tian had already quickly gone into the bathroom.
"Shhh."
Shi Gaofei grabbed the fat man's arm, stopping him from speaking.
"Don't ask, and don't provoke him." Shi Gaofei lowered his voice and chuckled, "Little Fatty, you're still young, you don't understand. When a man sheds tears, it's usually when he's at his lowest point. At that time, he's like a wounded wild animal, so it's best not to mess with him!"
Shi Gaofei glanced at the chubby guy who seemed to understand something, then patted him on the shoulder: "Go get some food. That guy surnamed Tian has been out for half a day, he must not have eaten anything."
The fat man walked out in a daze, and when Lao Tian came out of the bathroom, the mud and tear stains on his face had been washed off. He saw that Shi Gaofei was the only one left in the room. Lao Tian walked over and sat down opposite Shi Gaofei.
"Perfect timing, now it's just the two of us. I have something to say to you."
Old Tian's expression gradually hardened as he stared into Shi Gaofei's eyes, where there was even a hint of murderous intent!