Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

The not-so-long period of time passed steadily.

[Remaining lifespan: 3 days, 23 hours, 46 minutes, and 27 seconds]

The plum blossoms that were preserved in sugar a couple of days ago have completed the process of removing their astringency. They only need to be sealed with white wine and left to sit for more than a year before they can be opened and drunk.

The longer it is aged, the better the flavor.

"The process of making plum blossom wine is so simple, and it doesn't contain any special ingredients that I don't recognize, so why does it taste so good?"

Clarice blinked her big eyes, her face full of confusion.

The most arduous step, in fact, was personally going up the mountain to pick plum blossoms.

The subsequent steps of draining the water, soaking in sugar, and finally adding white wine to seal it are all easy for even young children to remember and learn.

"Perhaps this is what plum blossom wine is all about: simple to make and delicious."

"Well……"

Despite saying that, Clarice always felt there was more to it than met the eye.

The plum-pickled soybean cake I brought home a couple of days ago, my mother couldn't stop crying after tasting it, and she held me and cried for half the night.

It seems that the more experiences a person has and the older they are, the more profoundly they can feel this feeling.

If the purpose of pickled plum and soybean cake is to allow people to confront the regrets and sorrows that have been lingering in the past, then...

On the contrary, Mr. Qi's plum blossom wine can make people temporarily forget their worries.

Could it be...

Clarice suddenly remembered that there was a rather unusual water dispenser in the dean's office.

The water poured from that water dispenser will taste sweet.

A student once asked the dean about the principle behind it, and the dean explained that the water dispenser was a strange object.

Incidentally, it also explains the types of strange objects.

It's bizarre and varied, containing all sorts of things.

A puddle of water might be a strange object, a ball of fire might be, or it might be an object with a solid form.

Even food could be a kind of strange object.

Something with special effects is not necessarily a rare object, but something without special effects is definitely not, regardless of whether those effects are useful to humans.

Forget it, let's not dwell on that for now.

"When are you departing, Mr. Qi? I'll come to see you off."

"...The day after tomorrow at this time," Qi Zhimu said calmly.

"Huh?" Clarice was a little surprised.

"What's wrong?"

"The Great Cold is in three days, which is also your birthday. I thought you would stay until after your birthday."

She thought about it and subconsciously felt that Mr. Qi might want to celebrate his birthday with someone important to him.

But then he thought back to how he had always lived alone.

On that day, Mr. Qi would always drink until he was almost drunk to celebrate.

"Mr. Qi, are you going to celebrate your birthday with your teacher this year?" she couldn't help but ask.

"No, the teacher will never see me again. I can't go into the specific reasons."

"I'm sorry, I asked something I shouldn't have..."

"It's okay."

Qi Zhimu sealed the last wine jar and moved them all to the wine cellar.

Just as I was about to get up, a sudden, intense dizziness hit my brain, and my body slumped to the side, powerless.

"Mr. Qi! Mr. Qi?!"

Before her consciousness completely sank into darkness, the girl's panicked cries could be faintly heard.

After an unknown amount of time, Qi Zhimu slowly woke up.

Clarice's familiar face came into view, but her pretty face was now filled with worry and haggardness.

His eyes were red and his tear stains were still wet, indicating that he had been crying for quite some time.

"You're finally awake..."

Clarice's voice was hoarse, completely devoid of her former youthful vitality.

Qi Zhimu tried to sit up, but found himself too weak to exert any strength.

"I'm fine..."

He was stunned as soon as he opened his mouth.

His voice lacked any youthful clarity, possessing only the aged quality of an old man.

In other words...

"You suddenly collapse, and then age rapidly in less than ten seconds, and you're still okay?!"

Clarice didn't believe Qi Zhimu's words at all, and her voice was clearly trembling with tears.

"...What exactly happened, Mr. Qi? Please don't hide it from me, okay?"

Qi Zhimu sighed, but did not immediately offer an explanation.

Unexpected events always happen in life.

The previously effective drug developed resistance in the last few days of his life.

Or perhaps, the decaying body is no longer able to fully absorb the medicinal power.

In short, the reasons are no longer important.

I wanted to die quietly by myself, but now it seems that's not possible.

"Clarice, I'm going to die of old age on the day of the Great Cold."

"What?!"

Seeing the girl's incredulous look, Qi Zhimu confirmed it again.

"I'm dying."

Clarice's expression froze instantly. A few seconds later, she shook her head frantically: "Impossible! You're playing a prank, aren't you? How could someone suddenly..."

"There was no prank."

Qi Zhimu interrupted her, his voice weak, but it shattered all her hopes.

"I've been taking medication to maintain my youthful appearance all these years. What you see now is what I originally looked like."

The atmosphere suddenly became eerily quiet.

Clarice opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

Looking at his calm face, then at his withered hands, I suddenly realized—

Why travel so far away, sometimes for a few years, sometimes for decades...?

It's all just talk!

fraud!

"Why...why didn't you tell me the truth..." Her voice trembled, and tears streamed down her face.

"It will only add unnecessary sorrow."

Qi Zhimu smiled, his expression magnanimous.

"Being able to die of old age is a blessing for humankind, but people are accustomed to defining eternal farewell as sorrow."

He looked out the window; the sky was gradually darkening.

"So, there's no need to be sad, girl. Not everyone is blessed with the chance to die of old age. You should be happy for this old man who's almost 175."

Clarice bit her lip hard.

Mr. Qi is dying of old age...

The divination three months ago was not entirely accurate, but it can't be said that it was completely wrong either.

How can she say what she feels now, after preparing such a long-awaited gift and confession?

From the day I met Mr. Qi, it was destined that I would have this regret today.

He can't accept himself; instead, he might feel guilty, after all...

She knew Mr. Qi too well; even if she confessed everything, he would refuse, citing that he couldn't delay her own life.

…He wouldn’t even say he had no feelings for her, nor would he use the excuse that he didn’t like her at all as a reason for rejection.

Mr. Qi is such a gentle person...

They always like to take all the blame and mistakes upon themselves.

But where did he go wrong?

Clarice felt completely weak.

Fate was cruel to her; the person she loved was right in front of her, but she couldn't speak.

It's selfish of you to add to Mr. Qi's troubles during these final moments.