Notes on Longevity

Chapter 179 With family wealth scattered, he sought to break free from the net; wanting to end his life, he died in despair.

Qin Xiangyu, knife in hand, pushed through the crowd and headed towards Wei Shengming, who was being protected by the Wei family guards. He glared at Wei Shengming, and as the distance drew closer, he raised his knife, ready to stab him.

The knife pierced through the clothes and body, and blood slowly seeped out, scattering on the ground along the knife that had pierced the flesh.

Wei Shengming looked at Qin Xiangyu in disbelief, while Qin Xiangyu stared in astonishment at the person in front of her, whose body had been pierced by the knife in her hand.

She was a young girl, beautiful in appearance, but with a sickly look, as if she had just recovered from a serious illness and had not yet had time to fully recover.

Qin Xiangyu saw the girl shield him from his blade with her own body, and in a moment of panic, he pulled the knife out of her body. Blood gushed forth immediately. The girl, too, lost all color in her eyes.

Wei Wanyao remembered that since she was three years old, she had always been lying in bed or staying in a dark, poorly ventilated room. In her mind, she felt imprisoned. But as she grew older, she drank unpalatable medicinal soup every day, was served by the servants, and even her father would stay by her side whenever he had time. Despite facing so much care and concern from so many people every day, she still felt imprisoned—imprisoned by their care and love.

Until one day, she asked her father why he always locked himself in his room.

Wei Shengming looked at her tenderly and said, "Because you can't stand the wind."

She asked again, "Why?"

Wei Shengming remained gentle. He stroked Wei Wanyao's hair and gently rubbed her small, pale face, feeling somewhat sad. "Because the wind told Father that you have bright eyes and can see it. But it's ugly and not gentle. When it comes, it's like a tiger in the forest, it will bite. It's afraid it will hurt and frighten you, so it told Father to stay in the house and not go anywhere. Until one day when you can't see it anymore, it will ask Father to come and tell you."

Wei Wanyao's questioning, sparkling eyes stung Wei Shengming, making him close his own. But the wind came and went quickly, brushing past Wei Shengming's eyes. When he opened them again, his eyes were filled with tears.

Hearing Wei Shengming's words, she asked curiously, "Father, what does the wind look like?"

Wei Shengming felt even more upset. Faced with Wei Wanyao's question, he could only say, "Unlike Wan'er, Father doesn't have eyes that can see everything, so I can't see it and don't know what it looks like."

Wei Wanyao pouted and continued to ask, "Father hasn't seen it before?"

Wei Shengming nodded without saying a word, his eyes filled with sadness, yet he looked at her with great tenderness.

"How did Father hear it talking?"

"Because the wind makes a sound when it blows."

"A sound? What sound?"

Do you know the little flowers, grass, and big trees in the yard?

“I know, I often sneak open the door and peek out. But I’ve only ever seen the trees. They’re so tall and big, Wan’er can spot them at a glance. I’ve never seen the little flowers and grass that Father mentioned.”

Wei Shengming was about to smile when he saw Wei Wanyao's excited and smiling face as she talked about the trees, but when he heard what Wei Wanyao said next, his smile froze.

Looking at Wei Wanyao's expression when she had never seen small flowers and grass, his sadness deepened.

He stroked Wei Wanyao's head, his gentle words unable to conceal his sadness and sorrow. He choked up as he said, "When the wind blows, the trees make a sound. Do you know what the wind means?"

Wei Wanyao shook her head, puzzled, and said, "I don't know."

After a sad sigh, Wei Shengming said, "The wind blows from afar. When the wind rises, it means that someone's longing has been heard by the wind. In the human world, the wind is a messenger, carrying the longing of people far away back to their hometown. It carries those people's longing across the earth, passing over blooming or withering flowers, telling them that it has brought that person's longing."

"In the human world, people have a custom that no matter where their home is, they will plant a tree in their yard or outside their door. If there is no tree, or if the tree has not yet grown, they will hang a large red lantern that is never lit at the door, and a string of wind chimes will hang under the lantern."

"In this way, when the wind comes, the leaves will rustle and the wind chimes will tinkle, reminding them. Then, the people in the house will go outside and look at the tree in front of the door, or at the wind chimes under the lantern. The wind will pause briefly as it passes by, and it is at this moment that the wind will carry everyone's thoughts to the person they want to see, word for word."

As Wei Wanyao listened, she looked up at Wei Shengming and asked curiously, "Sometimes I see Father often standing under a tree in the yard, gazing at them. Does the wind also carry Father's longing for Mother?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Shengming was momentarily lost in thought. He couldn't forget that woman, the one who died after giving birth to Wei Wanyao, the one he couldn't marry with the traditional marriage ceremony. She was the woman who stayed by his side during that difficult time after he and his wife were separated, and he only found her body, yet she never asked for anything in return.

"Yes." Wei Shengming's eyes finally couldn't hold back his tears, which poured down his cheeks. "Mother said she misses Wan'er, she wants to see her Wan'er again."

"But why doesn't Mother come back to see me? Why does she only gossip?"

Faced with Wei Wanyao's questioning, Wei Shengming hesitated, then pulled her into his arms, gently stroking her confused head, and softly said, "Mother went to a very far place. She said she might not be able to wait until Wanyao grows up, so she could only send the wind to carry her longing to you. But the wind was worried that you would be afraid if you saw its appearance. So, when it passes by Mother again, it is afraid that it will blame her, and therefore it can only ask me to tell you."

"Oh, I see." Wei Wanyao rested her head on Wei Shengming's shoulder, then turned her head to look at Wei Shengming, who was suppressing his sobs, and said, "But, Father, when will I be able to stop seeing the wind? I also have longings that I want to tell Mother."

Wei Shengming, who was holding Wei Wanyao in his arms, sobbed uncontrollably. He was too sad to speak and could only hold her tighter and tighter.

Seeing that Wei Shengming didn't speak, Wei Wanyao could only straighten her face, which was full of doubt, and look at the room with the windows and doors tightly closed, looking towards the tree that she often peeked at.

She imagined standing under that tree, just like her father, and expressing her longing to it: "Mother, Wan'er has listened to Father and hasn't run out of the house. I've only occasionally, just quietly opened the door a crack to look at the world outside. Father said that the wind carries my longing to the person I want to see. I want to ask you, Mother, why haven't you come back yet? Where have you gone?"

Upon hearing these words, Wei Shengming's desperate sobs suddenly rang out in Wei Wanyao's room, and he hugged Wei Wanyao even tighter, tears streaming down his face.

“My child, your mother is always here. She has always been by our side, but we just can’t see her.”

"Is Mother...always here?" Wei Wanyao asked, a hint of confusion appearing on her adorable face. "But why can't I see her?"

The sunlight that day was soft and warm. She remembered being held by her father that day, and seeing a beam of light streaming in from the window, spreading out into a patch.

That day, her tightly closed door was pushed open by someone.

She remembered seeing a woman dressed in a warm-colored dress walk in that day.

However, the soft sunlight fell on that person's face, and she couldn't see what that person looked like until...
It wasn't until she walked towards them against the wind that she could see what the person looked like.

She is truly, truly beautiful.
She remembered that the person called her Wan'er that day.

She asked her, "Who are you?"

"Wan'er, you've grown so much!"

"Mother?" "What, Wan'er doesn't recognize her mother anymore?"

"Mother, you are finally back."

She broke free from Wei Shengming's embrace, hugged her mother's neck tightly, and cried out, "Mother, I missed you so much!"

She remembered that her mother never left after that day.

She remembered that her mother always stayed with her under a tree, watching her grow up and witnessing the changing seasons, spring and autumn. It wasn't until she woke up that day that she realized it was all a dream, a very long dream.

Now, looking down at her body pierced through by a sword, blood flowing endlessly, she knew she was going to see her mother. She also knew her mother would always be waiting for her under that tree.

With her eyes closed, she returned to the place in her dream, just as she had wished. She saw her mother standing under the tree, waving to her.

"Mother!" Wei Wanyao called out, a smile on her face, as she ran towards her mother. It was as if she had returned to a dream, back to her childhood, running towards her mother just like today.

The mother knelt down, stroked Wei Wanyao's small head, and said gently, "Why is our Wanyao like a child who never grows up? She's always so small."

"But that way, Mother can stay with me forever. I will never leave Mother."

Wei Wanyao's childish voice made her mother laugh. Her mother stood up in that world of abundant golden leaves, a world of pure gold, and pulled Wei Wanyao along, walking towards an endless distance. Finally, Wei Wanyao seemed to hear her father calling. She stopped and looked back, but saw nothing.

"Let's go, let's wait for Father up ahead." After saying that, Wei Wanyao turned around sadly and asked her mother, "Mother, will Father come too?"

Mother smiled and said, "Of course we will. But we'll have to wait a long time."

"It's alright, we can wait here. Father will be back soon."

"Silly child, even if we wait here, it will take a long time."

"But wouldn't moving forward just make the wait even longer?"

"No, Father will catch up with us soon enough."

"really?"

"real."

Hearing her father calling out, Wei Wanyao hesitated before slowly following her mother.

However, she found that the farther she walked, the fainter her father's calls became, and she could hardly hear his voice anymore.

"Wan'er".

A gentle voice suddenly rang in her ears, and her eyes instantly filled with tears. She shook off her mother's hand and ran back the way she came. Not far away, she saw her father standing under the tree, waiting for her.

She cried and leaped into her father's arms. She clung tightly to his neck, crying out, "Father, Mother!"

Wei Shengming held Wei Wanyao in his arms, looking at her with eyes full of tenderness.

Wei Wanyao cried, pointing in her mother's direction, still calling out, "Mother."

Wei Shengming followed the direction Wei Wanyao pointed and looked in the distance. In a golden world, maple leaves fell in the wind and covered the ground.

He looked at the woman, then at Wei Wanyao in his arms, and finally smiled at the woman: "Wan'er, look! This is your mother."

"Mother."

This was the last sentence Wei Wanyao softly murmured as she lay in a pool of blood.

"Wan'er!"

"Miss!"

Wei Shengming saw his daughter, who had finally woken up, lying in a pool of blood, screaming in agony.

Wei Shengming pushed aside the guards surrounding him, strode to Wei Wanyao's side, and hugged her tightly.

The two young masters of the Wei family also hurried up behind Wei Shengming. They looked at Wei Wanyao, whose eyes were closed, and then fixed their gazes on the panicked Qin Xiangyu.

Qin Xiangyu never expected that Wei Wanyao would suddenly appear in front of his knife; he had only intended to kill Wei Shengming.

Wei Jiazhi frowned angrily. He looked at his sister lying in a pool of blood. Without saying a word, he went to Qin Xiangyu and kicked her in the chest. Qin Xiangyu, who was completely unprepared, staggered backward. If Tong Sheng hadn't been supporting her, she would have been kicked to the ground by Wei Jiazhi.

Seeing this, the Qin family guards rushed forward to protect Qin Xiangyu, while also preparing to attack Wei Jiazhi. Although the Wei family guards were few in number, they were loyal, and seeing the Qin family members making their move, they naturally wanted to protect their master as well.

Just then, Wei Shengming, holding Wei Wanyao who had already gone with the golden world, roared at Qin Xiangyu: "Qin Xiangyu, after today, our Wei and Qin families will be irreconcilable enemies. Even if it means going bankrupt, I will fight you to the death."

As Wei Shengming let out his final roar, Ping An, who was covered by Dao Yisheng under the tree, frowned at his regretful face and asked, "How could this happen?"

Faced with Ping An's doubts, Dao Yisheng sighed and said helplessly, "The cycle of cause and effect in this world is never singular. You must know that pulling one hair affects the whole body. When one thing happens, the people and things involved will also change. Even Taihua at that time did not expect why things would turn out the way they did."

"So what happened to those two families in the end?" Ping An asked, puzzled.

"Of these two families, one had squandered all their wealth but was unable to touch a single penny; the other was filled with remorse and wanted to end his own life to atone for his sins. However, he was constantly watched by his family. In the end, he died in despair, consumed by years of self-blame."

Dao Yisheng said helplessly, "Later, when Taihua learned about this, he wanted to find the Wei family, but he couldn't find them no matter what he did. This matter became a knot in his heart."

(End of this chapter)