Chapter 54 Story
"Grandma, are you the only one?"
"Yeah."
"Let me help you up."
"No, no, it's just an accident this time."
Xiao Xiao didn't say much, and just kept following the old man.
"Hey, why are you following the old lady? Isn't this a waste of time? Just leave first."
"The old woman is really fine."
Xiao Xiao just smiled and didn't answer.
Seeing this, the old man felt helpless and could only accept Xiao Xiao's kindness.
"I'm sorry to trouble you, young man."
"Young man, you are such a good man."
……
"It should be here." The old man's expression was mixed with trance and nostalgia.
Um? Xiao Xiao looked around. What a coincidence. Isn't this the place where he wants to come and where the turtle is?
"Grandma, don't you go to the top of the mountain?"
"No, besides, time is not forgiving, and the old woman doesn't have the strength anymore." The old man shook his head.
"I came this time, just..." The old man's voice became softer and softer, almost silent murmuring. The look on his face was a little melancholy, but there was a faint light in his eyes, and his wrinkled face glowed with excitement. A different look.
Looking at the absent-minded old man, Xiao Xiao did not interrupt. It seems that something must have happened in this maple forest that is deeply memorable but precious to the old man.
"Young man, do you want to hear a story?" The old man came back to his senses and saw Xiao Xiao standing aside, showing a kind smile, but it clearly showed a bit of girlish brightness.
Xiao Xiao was stunned for a moment, then slowly smiled.
"Of course."
"My pleasure."
……
This is a story that may sound like just a girl’s fantasy in her youth to most people.
However, Xiao Xiao knew that this story was true.
The old man's voice was very calm, but there was a hint of obvious excitement when he recounted the strange and wonderful experience that day.
It was the time when the maple leaves were red, and Xu Yuan, a junior high school student who had made an appointment with her classmates to come to Xiangshan to enjoy the maples, was let go. Naturally, she was not in a good mood.
Walking alone among the maple trees on the mountain steps, Xu Yuan always felt a little depressed even though the scenery was beautiful.
"Ah~" Xu Yuan finally couldn't help but yelled. It's so annoying. It's obvious that we have made an appointment before, but it's the most annoying thing to say nothing!
Just when Xu Yuan was gasping for air, he suddenly heard a soft snort.
"Idiot."
Xu Yuan suddenly became furious, "Who are you calling an idiot?".
Looking around, he met a pair of eyes that were a bit lazy and contemptuous.
Xu Yuan's eyes widened suddenly. Is this... a bird?
What a beautiful bird! Xu Yuan's face was full of surprise.
Then he thought of something, and Xu Yuan's eyes almost popped out. Wait, was this bird the one who spoke just now?
Haha, how is that possible? It's not a parrot, so how can it talk?
So, who? Come out, she promises not to beat him to death!
Xu Yuan looked around, but found that even if there were people, they were a little far away from her, but the "idiot" just now was obviously coming from close by.
And, thinking about it now, it really seemed like the sound was coming from above.
Xu Yuan was a little confused.
Looking at the bird carefully again, I found that although the bird was very beautiful, its appearance was obviously different from other birds.
But she didn't know much about birds either, only the most common ones, like sparrows, orioles, crows and the like.
Xu Yuan swallowed her saliva and looked up at the birds resting among the maple leaves. The slanting sunlight dazzled her eyes. She tentatively said, "Was it you who was talking just now?"
She didn't know if it was her imagination, but she seemed to see a flash of surprise in the bird's eyes.
Xu Yuan looked cautious and his eyes were shining.
The main reason is that Luo Tao's appearance is good enough, so the girl is not only not afraid, but also has a look of interest on her face. Then she didn't know what her psychology was, maybe she felt that all this was like a dream, and the unreal feeling made Xu Yuan subconsciously reach out and tug on the long tail hanging in front of her eyes.
Like the tail of a burning flame, the bright colors almost made Xu Yuan's eyes feel like they were being burned.
The feeling in the hand is warm. It's true, Xu Yuan thought blankly.
With a flick of its tail, Xu Yuan fell backwards uncontrollably, and the hand holding the tail subconsciously let go.
Xu Yuan landed on his butt. The fall was not heavy, but he was a little confused by the unexpected situation.
"Huh, human being." The strange tone, with its ups and downs, suddenly recalled Xu Yuan's somewhat wandering mind.
Xu Yuan suddenly threw himself under the maple tree where the mandarin duck was, and his eyes seemed to be filled with thousands of stars, which were so bright that they almost overshadowed the sunlight at that time.
……
The experience that day was like a dream so beautiful that it was almost unreal.
She meets a beautiful monster and spends a wonderful day with it.
The scene of this day has never faded in her memory.
Unfortunately, she never saw the monster again since that day.
She still remembered how confused and disappointed she felt when she ran to Xiangshan in excitement the next day, but could not find the monster again.
Why?
Didn't we make an appointment?
She was confused and sad.
Surrounded by similar maple trees, the fiery red color almost dazzled her eyes, but there was no hint of the red she wanted to see.
Xu Yuan stood blankly in the maple forest, looking around, and tears suddenly burst out of his eyes.
Later, she came again and again, but was disappointed again and again.
Later, she went to study abroad, got married, and had children. The busy life made her forget this persistence in her youth.
However, now that she is old and about to die soon, just yesterday, she woke up in the hospital bed. She clearly remembered her dream last night. The dream about that day was so beautiful that she almost shed tears.
In fact, the corners of her eyes were indeed moist.
So, she went on the last adventure of her life without telling everyone, including her children, nurses, and doctors.
It was also the last act of willfulness in her life.
At such an old age, he is still dreaming like a little girl. The old man was a little helpless and laughed, but he finally obeyed his own voice and came here again after many years.
She didn't expect that she could still clearly remember the place where she and the monster first met.
Maybe the experience that day was really too incredible and too short, maybe she was just too regretful, unwilling, and even a little aggrieved, so she could still remember all the details of that day. New, yet so unforgettable, and even more so... unforgettable.
……
The old man seemed to just want to find someone to talk to, and didn't care about Xiao Xiao's reaction.
So she didn't realize that the expression on Xiao Xiao's face was not the disapproval and scorn she thought he was hearing as if he was hearing some ridiculous story.
On the contrary, a look of understanding flashed across Xiao Xiao's face.
The old man was slightly hunched over, and his gray hair was carefully collected in a beautiful knitted hat. There were some age spots on his thin cheeks, but he was neatly groomed. Even the floral clothes he wore were obviously carefully considered and thought out. design.
Everyone who sees it will smile knowingly. This is a cute and neat little old lady.
The old man walked steadily step by step.
She stretched out her hands that were no longer plump and smooth, but instead looked shriveled and old, as if there was a layer of old withered bark covering them. There were even a few age spots scattered around the back of the hands up to the wrists that were covered by the sleeves, and they were deep and dark. The deeply wrinkled skin makes people feel alarmed by the old man's thinness and thinness.
The old man's nails were neatly trimmed, but they revealed an unknown cyan color.
The old man brushed the trunk of the maple tree and rubbed the dead leaves scattered on the branches. He kept his head slightly raised, looking for something among the intertwined branches.
The expression on his face was either happy or sad, but the glimmer in his eyes gradually dimmed as time passed.
The old man's back seemed a little more bent.
"It really doesn't work..." The old man's brows were filled with bitterness and helpless relief.
……
(End of chapter)