The old man knew Mu Anxiao wanted him to fulfill his wish, but after what had just happened, he truly lacked the courage to face his relatives.
Therefore, to avoid feeling disappointed, he decided to escape, saying, "Let's forget about it."
"..." Mu Anxiao, seeing the old man's deliberately evasive gaze and recalling the various individuals who had revealed their true colors, said, "Every family has its own circumstances and stories. I believe your children must be different."
"..." The old man was taken aback and looked up at Mu Anxiao. "You know what I'm thinking?"
For decades, Mu Anxiao had witnessed many children receiving unfair treatment from their parents, and even more families that favored sons over daughters.
Whenever she saw such scenes, she couldn't help but imagine her own family still disliking her after she returned home. Gradually, as these thoughts took root, she completely lost her sense of familial affection.
Now, seeing the old man's hesitation, she couldn't help but relate to him, so she understood his thoughts.
However, she still couldn't articulate the specifics.
"I don't know, but I'm guessing that after seeing those greedy children, you lost the courage to see your own relatives."
"..." The old man nodded slightly.
"It seems I guessed correctly," Mu Anxiao understood the old man's meaning.
The old man: "You guessed right, but I still don't want to go."
"Facing it might lead to disappointment, but not facing it will leave you with regret."
Feng Qishi: "Once I go down there, I won't know anything. How can there be regret?"
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao shot Feng Qishi a look. "What business is it of yours here?"
Unlike Mu Anxiao, Feng Qishi had experienced despair after seeing his family clearly.
For him, it was sometimes better to indulge in fantasy; seeing reality clearly wasn't always a good thing.
"You don't understand."
"You..."
"What happened here just now?" Feng Qishi suddenly asked.
Mu Anxiao was startled. "Why are you asking this?"
"Is it that almost half of the people chose to seek justice for their relatives only for financial gain?"
"..." Mu Anxiao didn't understand why Feng Qishi said this, but the reality was indeed as he had described.
"If yes, nod."
Mu Anxiao didn't want to admit it, as she didn't want Feng Qishi to lead her by the nose, but considering the reality, she couldn't deny it.
So, she nodded.
"Therefore, I respect the old gentleman's thoughts." Feng Qishi glanced at the old man and then at Mu Anxiao.
Immediately, Mu Anxiao frowned. "But those people's relatives cannot represent your relatives."
"You..."
"This logic is like this: you cannot build your pain on someone else's pain, because someone else's pain is different from yours. If you put the two pains together, it's meaningless, just like them," Mu Anxiao became serious. "Their relatives are materialistic, but that doesn't mean your relatives are materialistic."
Mu Anxiao had never liked discussing family affection. Whenever Feng Qishi asked about her relatives, she would say she had no relatives and that being alone was quite good.
However, at this moment, Mu Anxiao speaking like this surprised Feng Qishi. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing's wrong with me. I just feel," Mu Anxiao also glanced at the old man who was looking at her in surprise, and said, "Since you have a wish, go fulfill it. Giving up because of others is really not worth it."
Feng Qishi was speechless for a moment after Mu Anxiao said this.
After hearing Mu Anxiao's words, the old man hesitated for a moment and said, "Let's go."
"You're willing to go?" Mu Anxiao had only intended to express her inner thoughts, never expecting to actually persuade the old man. She felt happy about this.
"Yes, you're right. Every family has its own circumstances. My children have taken care of me until I'm ninety, which shows they are different. Therefore," the old man said, "regardless of the outcome, at least my wish will be fulfilled." xxs one
"I'm really happy that you could listen to me," Mu Anxiao smiled.
Feng Qishi couldn't help but smile, seeing Mu Anxiao happy about such a trivial matter.
The old man smiled faintly. "Let's go."
Mu Anxiao nodded and looked at Feng Qishi, who hastily withdrew his smile. "We're leaving. You wait for us here."
"Okay." Feng Qishi agreed.
Then, Mu Anxiao gently patted Feng Qishi's shoulder and turned to lead the way.
The old man glanced at Feng Qishi before leaving and then followed Mu Anxiao.
Meanwhile, Alon stood before the thatched hut, surveying the surroundings. After confirming no one was present, he conjured a folding fan and walked gracefully to the door of the hut. He then lowered his head, looking at the seamless ground, hesitated for a moment, unfolded the fan, and gently fanned the ground twice. A beam of light ignited, and neatly square cracks gradually appeared on the ground.
At the same moment, the old man rushed to the center of the courtyard and called out, "Alon."
Hearing the sound, Alon's body stiffened. He hurriedly put away his folding fan, turned sideways to look at the old man standing in the center of the courtyard, and asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Please, help me," the old man's voice was choked with sobs, but no tears fell.
The moment the old man uttered these words, Alon's eyes welled up with tears. "What do you want me to do? Tell me!"
In the past, whenever the old man needed Alon's help, he would be this anxious. After decades of interaction, Alon had seen through all his tricks.
At this moment, she was just curious what he wanted. As for helping, she certainly wouldn't do it anymore.
"You..." The old man knew that stating his purpose directly would enrage Alon. So, he took a step forward and said, "In my heart, there is only you."
"..." Alon narrowed her eyes.
Seeing Alon's expression of clear disbelief, the old man quickly said, "What I'm saying is the truth. In my heart, there is only you. Ever since I met you that year, my heart has held you. Although it wasn't love at first sight, after spending time with you, I realized I cannot live without you..."
"If I were an idiot, you wouldn't be saying this, would you?"
Alon remembered everything that had happened over the decades more clearly than anyone. For instance, twenty years ago, it was indeed Alon who had asked him to divorce her.
But in reality, her words carried a hint of testing him.
This was because someone had told Alon that if a man truly couldn't do without his wife, he wouldn't let go no matter what happened. Even if the woman strongly requested it, he wouldn't let go, even if it meant abandoning his masculine dignity.
But the reality was just like this.
Yet, even so, his tears still moved her, making her completely accept that outcome and continue to choose to stay by his side.