章節 4: Chapter 4 Green Persimmons_1
Before long, she stood in front of the door of the home from her memory.
The door had two large copper rings, the size of bowls, and a rusty iron lock secured the mottled wooden doors.
It used to be her home, but now it belonged to Qi Fangfang; it was no longer her own.
Thinking about it now, she found herself ridiculous, so foolish!
This house was left to her by her parents, but because of the guilt inside, she didn't want to come here, leaving her parents' lonely ancestral tablets behind.
Ever since she transferred the house to her sister-in-law, given the latter's cold nature, perhaps even the ancestral tablets of her parents were gone. The house changed its name, and everything her parents left behind had become someone else's.
Because of her own weakness and cowardice, she had lost so many precious things; it was both laughable and sorrowful! It was a punishment for her, unworthy of anyone's sympathy, and now, all alone, there was no one to sympathize with her anyway.
He Tiantian pushed the worn wooden door vigorously, and the two doors fell into the courtyard as if they could no longer withstand any external force.
Qi Fangfang was transferred to Huai City ten years ago, leaving the courtyard in Nan City vacant. With no one living there for a long time, the yard overgrew with weeds, and an old persimmon tree, untended, still bore quite a few green, palm-sized fruits.
He Tiantian looked around inside and out, finding everything changed beyond recognition, decrepit and dilapidated. She walked under the persimmon tree, picked a green persimmon, wiped it with her hand, and took a bite, the tart flavor filling her entire mouth.
Although hard to swallow, the sour taste cleared her mind a little, making her think more clearly.
Just then, faint footsteps could be heard, approaching from afar.
For some reason, He Tiantian instinctively hid behind the persimmon tree, holding her breath. At this moment, she didn't want to see anyone.
"Chairman, this place is messy and dirty, please go back," a middle-aged man advised deferentially, slightly turning his body to persuade the middle-aged man who kept walking forward.
"This is my home, no matter how messy, it's still my home," the man's voice wasn't loud but revealed a gentle stubbornness.
He Tiantian's body stiffened slightly; she would remember that voice for a lifetime. Although it now carried traces of the vicissitudes of time, the clear tone hadn't changed.
It was him—Huo Yingjie!
At that moment, a flood of flavors—sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, salty—swirled in He Tiantian's heart.
As He Tiantian was lost in thought, a branch of the persimmon tree about a half meter above her head moved a few times, and someone from the neighboring property reached out to pick a tart persimmon.
"Chairman, this persimmon isn't ripe..." someone reminded. Persimmons, even when ripe, couldn't be eaten in excess, let alone the unripe ones; their taste was definitely unpleasant.
Huo Yingjie didn't respond, as if muttering to himself, "Astringent persimmons, they're the best for refreshing the mind and waking up the brain..."
This sentence, like a key, unlocked the gates to He Tiantian's memories.
"Brother Yingjie, I always doze off during class; what should I do?" a little girl with pigtails and a round face tilted her head, asking her know-it-all neighbor brother. She had to find a way; if the teacher caught her napping again, her parents would be called. She was a good child; how could she bear the mistake of involving her parents?
"Silly girl, astringent persimmons, they're the best for refreshing the mind and waking up the brain. Take one tomorrow, and if you feel sleepy, just take a bite. You definitely won't feel drowsy," Huo Yingjie, already a graceful young man, suggested an unreliable idea, flashing a mischievous smile.
Initially intending to tease the little girl, He Tiantian took it seriously.
He Tiantian ate the sour persimmons and indeed did not doze off, but she was still caught by the teacher eating during class, failing to escape the fate of having her parents called in.
Yet the innocent He Tiantian still thought Brother Yingjie was amazing for coming up with such a good method.
Although her parents were still called, it was her own carelessness, next time she would be more careful while eating, and she wouldn't get caught.
The astringent persimmons! That was their secret between the two of them.
He remembered!
She remembered as well!
A voice in her heart clamored for He Tiantian to go see that person. However, the image from the dressing mirror that morning flashed in He Tiantian's mind, and she hesitated.
She left here at eighteen, like a budding young woman, her skin dewy, eyes watery, figure graceful and beautiful, light and healthy.
But now? Now her hair had turned white, her skin had grown loose, her eyes no longer clear, and her figure had become plump and out of shape.
She lacked the courage to come forward. In this life, she had already ended up like this, so she might as well stay in his fondest memories.
The footsteps by the neighboring wall grew more distant; Huo Yingjie had left.
He Tiantian didn't want to see Huo Yingjie, but she wanted to take one more look at him, just one, even if it was only his silhouette. She stuck half her head out, waiting for that person to pass by the front gate.
As if sensing something, Huo Yingjie turned his head and looked toward the old persimmon tree.
Under the persimmon tree, there were only wild grasses, no longer the playful girl grinning and squinting as she ate persimmons.
He Tiantian had already withdrawn her head before Huo Yingjie looked in her direction.
Huo Yingjie turned his head and continued to walk on.
The assistant beside him noticed that the chairman's stride had become uneven, and his ramrod straight back was slightly bent. Perhaps... perhaps the chairman was thinking of someone!
When He Tiantian stuck her head out again, she saw only Huo Yingjie's retreating figure. Although it was just a silhouette, it was enough for He Tiantian.
Just then, He Tiantian felt a pain in her ankle, a numbing sensation, as if something had bitten her. She looked down and saw...
A chopstick-long silver-white little snake had bitten onto He Tiantian's ankle. It was summer, and He Tiantian wore a loose dress with stockings. However, they were no match for the Little Silver Snake's sharp fangs.
Just as He Tiantian tried to shake off the little red snake from her foot, she suddenly found her body had gone weak, without the strength to lift her foot, and she couldn't stand any longer. She let her body collapse to the ground, boneless.
Although her strength was fading away, and she couldn't cry out for help or call for rescue, the fear of death loomed over He Tiantian. But as her gaze fell on the stone table not far from the persimmon tree, she felt unafraid.
She and her parents often ate at the stone table beside the persimmon tree. This courtyard held too many memories of her and her parents, and of Huo Yingjie.
At the moment of death, to know the truth was more gratifying than to die of old age amidst lies; before dying, in her own courtyard, to glimpse the person she could only see in dreams – she had no regrets.
He Tiantian's eyes grew heavier, and she slowly lost consciousness.
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