Zhao Pei sighed. Since she was tricked out by this little girl, she might as well take a walk. Thinking that Zhen'er might not be able to stand the noise in the building, she went downstairs and took her for a walk. I don't know if it was driven by her subconscious, but she walked to the garden next to Qingyin Pavilion without thinking.
"The mountains and rivers have clear sounds..." She subconsciously chanted this poem, and suddenly felt lost. Zhen'er looked around with her big eyes, and suddenly she started to babble. Her excited cry called Zhao Pei's wandering mind back to follow her line of sight and look into the distance.
The sky was dark blue and clear without a single cloud. A bright sky lantern rose slowly, and the dim warm light illuminated the lonely night sky. Zhao Pei stared at it closely, and her heart began to waver. She quickly asked Zhen'er in her arms: "Good Zhen'er, do you want to go and have a look? Shall we go and have a look?" She said she was asking Zhen'er, but her feet were already moving.
She hurried towards the sky lantern, her steps getting faster and faster for fear of missing something. At the end of the corridor, a white figure appeared faintly, and Zhao Pei's steps suddenly stopped. She seemed to have been acupunctured for a moment, unable to move. Although she did not move forward, she did not retreat either. She stood there blankly, her eyes drifting to the distance.
Zhen'er pouted impatiently, and suddenly burst into tears for no apparent reason. Zhao Pei was startled by her sudden cry, and almost lost her grip on Zhen'er. The cry was particularly noticeable in the quiet night, successfully attracting Xiao Tong's attention.
Zhao Pei walked out slowly from the shadows and said with a shy smile, "Sorry to bother you, big brother." Her gaze met Xiao Tong's eyes, but she was stunned.
She had never seen such sorrow in his eyes. The pain welling up from the bottom of his eyes made her tremble all over. The sorrow in his eyes gradually disappeared, and then he smiled sadly: "Why are you here, Seventh Sister?"
Zhao Pei hugged Zhen'er in her arms and laughed awkwardly: "Zhen'er was crying and making a fuss, so I had no choice but to take her out for a walk."
Xiao Tong smiled and gazed at Zhen'er, whose face was still covered with tears, and gently extended his arms. Zhao Pei understood and carefully handed Zhen'er to him. Xiao Tong held her in his arms, his movements extremely skillful and natural, and patted her body with his slender white hands as if to comfort her.
Zhao Pei almost forgot that he was the father of three children.
Zhen'er really quieted down, staring blankly at Xiao Tong's face. He smiled lightly, took out a red string with a small jade stone from his bosom and tied it around her wrist: "I have been thinking about giving Hanzhen something for a long time, and I also know that her parents can't treat her badly. So I went to the temple to ask for this and gave it to Hanzhen. May she be healthy."
Zhao Pei was delighted to see the small jade stone, which was white and transparent, and hurriedly thanked him. He was speechless for a moment, and Zhao Pei looked up at him, still feeling some pain.
He forced a smile and said, "Was it Big Brother who released the sky lantern just now?"
Xiao Tong nodded slightly, his voice was as deep as water, cold and long: "Today is the anniversary of my biological mother's death." These few simple words were filled with heavy sadness. Zhao Pei's heart trembled and he lowered his eyes. On such a lively night, his heart was lonely. Nothing is more heartbreaking than the departure of a loved one.
She understood the deep loneliness in his heart. Such loneliness was like a heavy shackle, trapping him in sorrow and making him fall into ruin. No matter how glamorous he looked on the surface, he was always lonely in his heart. In fact, Xiao Tong was just an ordinary person, so ordinary that she felt deep pity for him.
Zhao Pei felt a little stuffy in her nose and choked up. She apologized in a muffled voice, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."
"It's okay." Xiao Tong looked up at the sky lantern that had flown away to who knows where. "Everyone will eventually have a day like this. I just hope that after I'm gone, someone will remember me like this."
Zhao Pei was surprised at his thoughts: "Brother, what are you talking about? Brother... how could... ..." She could not utter those words.
"Just saying it casually." Xiao Tong smiled casually, but his brows were still furrowed. On a night like this, it's easy for people to have wild thoughts.
She stood facing the wind, unaware of the oppressive smell of gunpowder in Qingyin Pavilion at that time. She just stared at his fluttering white shirt blown by the wind, immersed in his sadness as deep as the night.
It was not until much later that I recalled the feelings and scenes of that time and discovered the desolation hidden behind it. (To be continued)