Li Qingshen walked over and silently sat down beside the girl; Ling Momo felt someone’s presence, turned her head, and found herself face to face with Li Qingshen’s stunning visage.
"Are you hungry?" Li Qingshen stared at Ling Momo for a moment before he simply spoke up to ask.
Ling Momo shook her head, then silently turned her face away again, gazing blankly at the fresh grave not far in the distance.
Li Qingshen quietly watched Ling Momo’s profile for a while before speaking up again, his tone faint, "Condolences to you."
Ling Momo nodded gently, still saying nothing.
"You’ve been sitting for a long time, do you want to stand up and walk around? Your legs must be uncomfortable!" Li Qingshen spoke again, and Ling Momo shook her head, upon which he stopped speaking; the two just sat side by side in silence, the cold moonlight pouring down from the sky, casting their two forms onto the ground, leaving neat dual shadows.
The fields were very quiet, with the occasional sound of rustling leaves carried by the wind.
Li Qingshen turned his head, looking at Ling Momo, a deep adoration flickering in his dark eyes.
Ling Momo might have found it uncomfortable to sit in the same position for too long, so she shifted slightly, staring at the night sky before suddenly speaking up. Perhaps it was because she had run here from home and cried secretly for a long time—her voice was somewhat hoarse, "Actually, even now, I have this hazy feeling that my great-grandfather is still by my side, as if he’s never left."
"When I was little, I spent some time living in the countryside. I was very naughty, always playing in the fields. Even when it got dark and all the other kids had gone home, I would still be having a blast by myself. Then my great-grandfather would come with a flashlight to find me and bring me back home for dinner." Content originally comes from noᴠelfire.net
Ling Momo’s gaze became misty as if she was reminiscing about the past, her mouth curving into a gentle smile, "Then my great-grandfather would take my hand and walk home with me. Step by step, the road seemed so long, as if it never ended; whenever I became stubborn and refused to walk, clinging to my great-grandfather to carry me, he would then squat down in front of me, and I would climb onto his back..."
At this point, Ling Momo’s lips were still curled in a smile, but her eyes were brimming with tears.
Actually, Ling Momo really wanted to pour these feelings out, but she didn’t know who to tell. Sitting alone here, as she watched the daylight gradually fade, she felt profoundly pitiful. The sorrow bottled up inside made her feel exceptionally oppressed. Now, in the deep silence of the night, Li Qingshen’s presence somehow made her spill these words to him, one by one.
Li Qingshen said nothing, just quietly listened.
"But as I grew up, I realized that even the longest road has an end..."
After Ling Momo finished speaking, she said no more.
Li Qingshen blinked at Ling Momo’s profile, then softly began to speak; in the quiet of the fields, his voice was cool yet tender, like a warm spring breeze, touching the heart with an exceptionally stirring rhythm, "Momo, I know you miss your great-grandfather deeply, and there’s nothing I could say to console you. But, Momo, have you ever thought that your sorrow now would also disturb your great-grandfather’s peace? Before he passed away, he must have been most reluctant to leave you behind, worrying that you wouldn’t be well. After all the things your great-grandfather did for you, don’t you think you should do something for him now?"