Family ties, friendship, even love, all seemed increasingly out of reach to him. Especially love, which seemed possible only in dreams when the heart was weary.
Andy looked a bit startled, as Su Chen’s words seemed to pluck at the strings of his heart, sending ripples of memories outward. Scenes of arguments and banter with Kula and Dorong flashed vividly before his eyes, as if they had happened just yesterday.
"Like three brothers, after some tussling, they would quickly reconcile and be as close as ever."
He muttered these words, lost in thought, his mind drifting to who knows where. The more he thought, the more he felt the profound force in Su Chen’s words that moved him. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⚫𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵
"Andy, you green-haired ghost, give me back my hammer!"
"No way, Dorong you stink bug, you almost got me burned last time during my potion-making, can you take responsibility for that?"
"Isn’t it your damned cave, leaking water on a sunny day, damn it, distracting me during forging!"
"Damn it, always with the excuses, Dorong, I’ll never let you help me forge anything again, just wait!"...
Scenes of arguments and swinging on a swing appeared repeatedly before his eyes, and Andy became lost in thought. He did not know how much time passed before he suddenly heard Su Chen placing a cauldron into the cooling pool, jolting him awake!
"Senior Andy, your relationship with Kula and Dorong is really something I envy."
Su Chen put down the tongs, wiping the sweat trickling down his forehead.
Andy said unnaturally, but his voice was noticeably softer.
"In our world, you meet very few friends in a lifetime, let alone true confidants. If you don’t cherish old friends like you have, it’s truly regrettable."
Su Chen caught his breath and put both the hammer and tongs into a long wooden box.
Andy gazed at his sweat-drenched profile, recalling his words, feeling a wave of emotion. Indeed, how many friends would one encounter in a lifetime? Since the day he was sealed at the summit of Sunshine Mountain, it was destined that he would live with Kula and Dorong together. Forever and ever. Despite the daily quarrels and bickering, no one ever truly bore a grudge, and in spare time, they still swung together, chatted about anything under the sun. Perhaps, as he said, if they didn’t cherish each other, it would really be regrettable...
"Young...young man, here you go..."
Su Chen was sitting on a stone chair resting when Andy suddenly handed over a broken bowl, filled to the brim with slightly dirty water. He was momentarily stunned, but upon seeing Andy’s kind face, he smiled and said, "Thank you, Senior Andy."
"No, I should be the one thanking you."
Andy shook his head, his expression kind, "You made me realize something. Otherwise, I really wouldn’t have known how much I care about friends like Kula and Dorong."
Su Chen blinked, quickly understanding, "It’s good that Senior Andy sees it that way."
"Yes, no matter how we argue, we still have to live together. There are no eternal grudges, especially since what we have are just trivial matters."
Andy paused, then sighed again, "Thank you, young man, you taught me these simple yet true principles. To repay you, I will now take you to retrieve the seeds of the flame and that secret manual."
Su Chen felt happy but maintained a calm expression, "Then I’ll trouble you, Senior."