Great Power Reclamation

Spring arrives quietly in the courtyard. The forsythia in the corner has bloomed, a small cluster of tender yellow flowers swaying gently in the still slightly chilly spring breeze.

Yang Geyong sat in his usual spot, holding a musical score—a newly compiled facsimile of Tang Dynasty music scores by Song Qingyun. He didn't quite understand the ancient symbols, but he studied them intently, occasionally gesturing with his fingers on his knees.

Ye Yuze came out of the house, carrying two cups of freshly brewed Longjing tea. He placed one cup in front of Yang Geyong and sat down opposite him.

"Can you understand it?" Ye Yuze asked with a smile.

"I don't understand it," Yang Geyong answered honestly. "But Qingyun said that if you look at it more, you can feel the rhythm."

"Did you feel it then?"

“I sensed a bit of it.” Yang Geyong closed the book and picked up his teacup. “It’s like listening to her play the piano. Even though I don’t understand fingering or music theory, I can still feel the beauty.”

Ye Yuze nodded and slowly sipped his tea. A spring breeze swept through the courtyard, bringing a faint fragrance of flowers.

"Ge Yong," Ye Yuze suddenly spoke up, "have you made arrangements for all your... ex-lovers?"

Yang Geyong raised his eyes and looked at Ye Yuze. The question was sudden, but he understood what Ye Yuze meant.

“Everything has been arranged,” he said calmly. “The compensation that should have been given, the responsibilities that should have been borne, and the obligations that should have been fulfilled have all been done. They are all doing well now, with their own lives and a peaceful old age.”

"What about the children?"

“I don’t need to worry about the children at all.” Yang Geyong smiled, a smile that contained both relief and self-deprecation. “Ayijiang is doing well in northern Xinjiang, Yang Xue is making waves in the political arena of a neighboring country, and those six kids in Africa are working hard with Ye Rou and Ye Mei. They are all more successful than me, and they don’t need me, their incompetent father, anymore.”

Ye Yuze was silent for a moment, then asked, "Then...aren't you going to see them? Those women who once loved you, those women who bore your children. After all..."

"After all what?" Yang Geyong interrupted him, his tone calm. "After all, we had a relationship? After all, we had children? Old Ye, you're right. But I understand now, sometimes not disturbing is the best respect."

He put down his teacup and looked at the persimmon tree in the yard that was beginning to sprout:
“They all have their own lives, new families, or have gotten used to the peace of living alone. What am I doing here? Reminiscing? Repenting? Or reminding them of their unpleasant past?”

"My biggest regret in this life is not being able to say sorry to Ayijiang's mother, China'er, while she was alive. Now that she's gone, I've spoken to her at her grave, and that's enough. Let's not disturb her peace anymore."

"As for Yang Xue's mother, that Russian woman, I gave her enough money to live on for three lifetimes. She now runs an art gallery in St. Petersburg, has a French partner, and is doing very well. My visit to her would only make her current husband uncomfortable."

“I built houses and opened shops for those women in Africa, and gave their children—our children—a future. They are now prominent figures in their communities and don’t need some old Chinese man to suddenly appear and disrupt their lives.”

Yang Geyong paused, his voice lowering: "Old Ye, I owe too many women and too many children my life. What I can do now is not to make up for them one by one—that's impossible, and I can't make up for it all. What I can do is not to incur new debts, and not to hurt any new people."

"Qingyun is my last woman, and she will be the only woman I love with all my heart and cherish for the rest of my life. As for those people and things from the past... let them be the past. I'm at peace as long as they're doing well."

Ye Yuze listened quietly without interrupting. Only after Yang Geyong finished speaking did he slowly say, "The fact that you can think this way shows that you've truly matured."

“It’s not maturity, it’s getting old.” Yang Geyong smiled bitterly. “When you get old, you understand what responsibility and love are. It’s a pity that you understand them too late.”

"It's not too late." Ye Yuze shook his head. "It's not too late for you or for Qingyun."

The two drank tea in silence. Sunlight filtered through the sparse leaves, casting dappled shadows on the blue brick floor.

"And you?" Yang Geyong suddenly asked, "How are your...female confidantes?"

Ye Yuze smiled faintly: "I'm different from you. I don't have that many romantic entanglements."

“But you’ve been with many women,” Yang Geyong said. “Yu’e, and those others… I know them all.”

"Yes, I have," Ye Yuze admitted frankly. "But the biggest difference between me and you is that I have never made any woman hate me, nor have I made any child suffer."

He put down his teacup, his gaze distant: "Yu'e is my wife, whom I married through proper channels, and we will grow old together. Those confidantes... were all just casual acquaintances, but I treated every relationship seriously. I gave them the respect they deserved, fulfilled my responsibilities, and made the necessary arrangements."

“They are all doing very well now. Some are abroad, some are in China, some have started new families, and some have chosen to remain single. But no matter where they are or what kind of life they choose, I make sure they have enough to eat and wear and live a stable life.”

Ye Yuze looked at Yang Geyong: "Do you know why?"

"……Why?"

“Because from the very beginning, I understood one principle,” Ye Yuze said. “Desire is not shameful, but having only desire is shameful. Liking a woman is not shameful, but only thinking about possession is shameful. Loving someone is not shameful, but not knowing how to respect and be responsible is shameful.”

"Therefore, I take every relationship seriously. I start it seriously, treat it seriously, and end it seriously. When it ends, I don't just walk away, but make all the necessary arrangements to ensure that the other person can live a worry-free life."

Yang Geyong fell silent. He recalled his foolishness in his youth, and the women he had hurt, and a deep sense of shame welled up in his heart.

“Old Ye, you’re always more clear-headed than me,” he said in a low voice.

“It’s not about being clear-headed, it’s about understanding what I want,” Ye Yuze said. “What I want in this life is to have a clear conscience. To Yu’e, to my confidantes, and to my children, I can say with a clear conscience that I have done my best.”

"So now..." Yang Geyong hesitated for a moment, "Do you still miss them?"

"I do think about them," Ye Yuze said frankly, "but not in a romantic sense, but as a friend. I hope they are doing well, and I will think of them occasionally, but I will not bother them again."

"Just like you?" Yang Geyong asked.

“Just like me.” Ye Yuze nodded. “We’re getting old, it’s time to be more mature. Let go of what we should let go of, cherish what we should cherish, and take responsibility for what we should take responsibility for. But there will be no more new beginnings, no more new feelings, and no more new ties.”

Yang Geyong seemed lost in thought. He looked at Ye Yuze and suddenly asked, "Old Ye, have you ever regretted it? Regretted those...romantic past events?"

"No regrets." Ye Yuze shook his head. "But if I had the chance to do it all over again, I would do better. I would be more loyal to Yu'e, more respectful to my female friends, and more responsible to the children."

"But you don't have a second chance."

“So now we need to do the right thing.” Ye Yuze looked at him. “Right now, you are doing the right thing. You are doing the right thing to Qingyun, to all those people from the past. That’s enough.”

Yang Geyong nodded, a strange sense of peace welling up inside him.

Yes, what's past is past. What matters is the present, the future, this very moment, doing the right thing.

“Old Ye,” he said, “thank you.”

"no need thank me?"

"Thank you for always being by my side, watching me act foolishly, watching me wake up, watching me... become who I am today."

Ye Yuze laughed: "If I don't watch you, who will? We're brothers who grew up together. If I don't watch you, who will?"

The two exchanged a smile. In that smile lay decades of friendship, the years they had spent together, and the clarity and maturity that had finally arrived.

Spring breezes rise again, rustling the flowers and plants in the courtyard. Faint sounds of daily life drift from afar, but the courtyard remains quiet, save for the rustling of leaves in the wind and the occasional chirping of birds.

"How is Qingyun doing lately?" Ye Yuze changed the subject.

"Very good." Yang Geyong smiled gently. "Her research is going very well, and her students are doing very well. It's just... she's still trying to have a child."

Is there any hope?

“The doctor said the chances are slim, but not entirely hopeless,” Yang Geyong said. “Qingyun said, ‘Let it be. If we get pregnant, it’s fate; if we don’t, it’s also fate. The important thing is that we’re together.’”

"The fact that she can think this way means she's truly let go," Ye Yuze nodded. "What about you? What do you think?"

“What I think isn’t important,” Yang Geyong said. “The important thing is that she’s happy. If she wants to try, I’ll try with her. If she wants a child, I’ll help her try. If one day she says she doesn’t want one, I’ll help her not have one. In short, as long as she’s happy, that’s all that matters.”

Ye Yuze looked at him, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes.

This man, who once only knew how to satisfy his own desires, has now finally learned to put the other person first and finally understood what true love is.

“Ge Yong, you’ve changed,” Ye Yuze said softly.

"Has it gotten better or worse?"

"It's gotten better," Ye Yuze said confidently. "It's gotten to the point where I'm really impressed."

Yang Geyong smiled, a smile that showed satisfaction, relief, and anticipation for the future.

“Old Ye, you’re right,” he said. “At our age, we should be more mature. We should let go of what we should let go of and cherish what we should cherish. What I cherish now is Qingyun, and the rest of our days together. Everything else… doesn’t matter anymore.”

Ye Yuze raised his teacup: "For your new life."

Yang Geyong also raised his teacup: "For our sobriety."

Two teacups gently clinked together, producing a crisp sound. The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet courtyard. Just like their lives, once noisy and absurd, but ultimately returning to peace, to clarity, to the most essential understanding of life.

As the sun set, the sky turned a deep orange-red. The two sat in the courtyard, watching the sky gradually darken.

"It's time to go back," Ye Yuze said. "Qingyun has been waiting for you."

"Okay." Yang Geyong stood up. "I'll come find you for tea again tomorrow."

"it is good."

As Yang Geyong walked to the courtyard gate, he suddenly turned around and asked, "Old Ye, tell me... have I figured out what I've been through in my life?"

Ye Yuze looked at him, the afterglow of the setting sun shining on his face. That face, which was once filled with desire and restlessness, now only showed calmness and composure.

"I understand." Ye Yuze nodded. "Although it's late, I finally understand."

"That's good." Yang Geyong smiled. "If you understand, then you haven't lived in vain."

He pushed open the door and walked out. His shadow stretched long in the setting sun, but his steps were firm and composed.

Ye Yuze stood in the courtyard, watching him disappear around the corner of the alley, a complex emotion welling up in his heart.

It is a feeling of relief at the changes in old friends, a feeling of sober reflection on their finally arrived awakening, and a sigh for the irreversible passage of time.

But in the end, all the emotions subsided into calm.

Because that's life. There's absurdity, there's clarity; there's loss, there's gain; there's regret, there's acceptance.

The important thing is that in the end, you can say with a clear conscience: I have lived, I have loved, and I have understood.

This is enough.

Ye Yuze turned and went back into the house, preparing to close the courtyard gate. Just then, his phone rang.

It was Yu'e who attacked from the northern frontier.

"Yuze, have you eaten?" Yu'e's voice was as gentle as ever.

"Not yet, I just finished having tea with Ge Yong."

"He came to have tea with you again?" Yu'e laughed. "You two old folks are always together."

"Brothers who grew up together, who else would we be inseparable from?" Ye Yuze laughed. "How about you? Are you doing alright over there?"

“That’s great. Ayijiang came to see me today and brought fresh mutton, saying he’d make soup for me.”

"That child is very thoughtful."

"Yes, that's so thoughtful." Yu'e paused. "Yuze, I miss you."

I miss you too. I'll be back in a few days.

"Ok, I will wait for you."

After hanging up the phone, Ye Yuze stood in the courtyard, watching the last rays of sunset disappear on the horizon as night gradually fell.

He thought of many people: Yu'e, his close female friends, the children, and Yang Geyong, Zhao Ling'er, Song Qingyun…

Throughout his life, he loved many people and was loved by many people. He experienced passion, tranquility, separation, and reunion.

But in the end, everything returned to peace, to the twilight of this courtyard, to a cup of tea, a greeting, and a wait.

This is enough.

Marriage is never the ultimate form of love, because love itself is pure and complete enough.

The important thing is that in our limited lives, we have loved, been loved, cherished, and been cherished.

This is enough.

Ye Yuze closed the door and went inside. The lights came on, their warm glow illuminating the courtyard in the night.

On the other side of the city, Yang Geyong returned to his and Song Qingyun's home—not the courtyard in Xishan, but a small apartment Song Qingyun lived in near the school. It wasn't big, but it was cozy.

"You're back?" Song Qingyun was cooking in the kitchen when she heard the door open and poked her head out.

"You're back." Yang Geyong walked over and hugged her from behind. "What are you making for dinner?"

"Your favorite braised pork." Song Qingyun turned her head and kissed him on the cheek. "Go wash your hands, it'll be ready soon."

Yang Geyong went to the restroom to wash his hands and looked at himself in the mirror. His face had aged, his wrinkles were deep, and his hair was white, but his eyes were bright and shining.

That was the light of love, the light of clarity, the light of finally understanding life.

He smiled.

Stepping out of the restroom, I found the meal already laid out on the table. It was a simple three-dish meal with soup, but it was steaming hot and smelled wonderful.

"What did you talk about with Brother Ye today?" Song Qingyun asked while serving rice.

"Let's talk about the past, the present, and the future." Yang Geyong sat down. "Let's talk about us."

What are you going to talk about about us?

"Let's talk about how happy we are." Yang Geyong held her hand. "Qingyun, thank you."

"You're saying thank you again," Song Qingyun said reproachfully. "Didn't we agree not to say thank you?"

"Okay, I won't say anything." Yang Geyong smiled, his eyes full of tenderness. "Let's eat."

The two ate quietly, occasionally exchanging a few words about everyday matters. The night outside the window was deepening, but the room was warm and bright.

After dinner, Song Qingyun went to play the piano. Yang Geyong sat on the sofa listening, his eyes closed, his fingers gently tapping the rhythm on his knees.

The music was melodious, like a spring breeze, like flowing water, like this peaceful and beautiful night.

Yang Geyong opened his eyes and looked at Song Qingyun's focused profile, his heart filled with happiness.

This is the life he wants: simple, peaceful, loving, and with companionship.

As for those absurdities, mistakes, and hurts of the past... let them go.

What matters is the present, the future, this very moment, being with the woman he deeply loves.

This is enough.

The music stopped. Song Qingyun turned to him and smiled, "Was it beautiful?"

"It sounds beautiful." Yang Geyong stood up, walked over, and sat down next to her. "Qingyun, I love you."

"I love you too." Song Qingyun leaned on his shoulder. "Yang Geyong, will we always be like this?"

"Yes." Yang Geyong grasped her hand. "Always, forever."

Outside the window, thousands of lights shine. Under each light, there is a story.

Their stories may be imperfect, and may have regrets, but they are real, sincere, and genuine.

This is enough.

Because love never needs to be perfect.

All you need is sincerity. (End of Chapter)