Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
“What’s wrong?” Sheng Yize frowned, thinking she wasn’t feeling well.
An Xiaxia shook her head and forced a smile. “It’s nothing… Where are we staying?”
Sheng Yize rubbed her hair. “It’s just around the corner. Let’s walk there.”
It was such a tiny place that it only took them less than twenty minutes to reach their destination.
A small white villa was enclosed with a fence. The yard was filled with plants and green vines reached the window on the second floor. It looked cozy and peaceful.
An Xiaxia bit her lip, fighting back her astonishment.
It couldn’t be… It must be her illness. Her memories were still confused.
Or how could she recognize this small town thousands of miles away from her hometown? She even remembered this building…
Sheng Yize led her in. He had had the rooms cleaned beforehand, and they were now all very tidy. The tables were covered in floral cloth and there were white gardenias in vases, which filled the room with a light fragrance.
“We’ll be the only two here. No one will bother us,” Sheng Yize explained, then put the bags away in the bedroom. Seeing the stupefied look on An Xiaxia’s face, he felt helpless and aggrieved. “You look so down. Are you hungry? Tired?”
An Xiaxia tried her best to suppress the unpleasant feeling. She rubbed her stomach. “I think I’m a little hungry…”
“I’ll go make us some lunch. Go relax — watch TV or take a walk outside, but don’t go too far!” He pecked her cheek affectionately, but An Xiaxia stumbled back gingerly, which hurt Sheng Yize a little.
An Xiaxia realized what she had done. She bit her lip and said timidly, “I’m sorry…”
“Don’t worry. We’ll take it slow if you still feel uncomfortable,” Sheng Yize said mildly, so good-natured that it didn’t sound like him.
He rolled up his sleeves and busied himself with the cooking. An Xiaxia watched some TV, got bored, then wandered out into the garden.
There were quite a few types of flowers she didn’t recognize. When she moved closer to have a look, someone greeted her enthusiastically from next door. “Why, is it Miss Sheng?”
Huh? An Xiaxia looked up and saw a middle-aged woman. She had a food basket on her arm and spoke with an accent.
An Xiaxia smiled shyly. “Hello… I’m not Miss Sheng.”
“Oh… You’re Young Master Sheng’s friend, then. I was the one who tidied up the rooms you’re staying in!” The woman chortled heartily and even took some vegetables out of her basket to stuff into An Xiaxia’s hands.
An Xiaxia tried to decline, but failed. She ended up accepting the gift. When her gaze landed on a neighboring house with white bricks and black tiles, her stomach lurched. She then asked hesitantly, “Is anyone… still living there now?”
“Oh, you mean Grandma Song’s house?” The woman pondered for a moment, then smacked her lips. “It’s been deserted for years. Such a sad story. A grandma used to live here and her granddaughter fell into the river and drowned, but she wouldn’t believe it no matter what. She would wait at the crossroads with a walking stick for her granddaughter to return. We all told her that it was never going to happen, but she simply wouldn’t listen. It must have gone on for years… That tottering tiny old lady was such a sad picture…”
An Xiaxia put her hand over her heart. “Where is she now…”
“What do you think? She passed away. Given her old age and what happened to her granddaughter, she fell ill and didn’t survive…” The woman sighed. “That granddaughter was a poor little thing as well. She didn’t have a proper name back then and everyone just called her ‘Songsong.’ She was such an adorable chubby kid…”
An Xiaxia couldn’t take it anymore. As the woman cried out in surprise, An Xiaxia dropped to the ground.