... to go somewhere?
The moment he heard this, Wu Tianzhen's hair stood on end. He instinctively reached for the Ghost Seal, but after looking around, he couldn't find the lingering, unforgettable faint glow.
Fatty, on the other hand, was more direct. He let out a "Holy shit!" so loud that the auntie next door could probably hear him.
"What the hell? Did that Bronze Gate come back to life?"
"Didn't it already lie in its coffin? How the hell can it do a sit-up here?"
Zhang Qiling: ...?
As the manager of the kitchen, Fatty was always good at giving the dogs extra meals.
Because of this, his loud shout instantly attracted the attention of a group of dogs outside. The three of them just paused for a moment, and then dogs of all sizes, tongues lolling, came rushing in, looking as excited as if they had already smelled the aroma of chicken butts.
Amidst the flying dog fur, the tables and chairs that Wu Tianzhen and Fatty had just cleaned became messy again, with strands of dog hair clinging to them, making them look like they had suddenly acquired a fluffy tablecloth.
Zhang Qiling, now surrounded by countless dogs, finally slowly understood the thought process of Wu and Fatty. He was silent for a moment:
"...It's not the Bronze Gate."
"I want to see my mother," Zhang Qiling's voice was very soft, his tone very calm, so calm it was as if he were just relaying the weather forecast.
Wu Tianzhen, who was wrestling with a dog, immediately turned his head upon hearing this, his movements so abrupt that it made one worry about his cervical spine health. Then, he lost his balance and was bumped by a dog, sitting down on the ground with a thud.
...Mother?
The word was so tender, so tender that it seemed out of place with Zhang Qiling. This person seemed to be born with cold labels like loneliness, strength, indifference, and tragedy, so much so that anyone looking at him would think he had been like an ice sculpture from the moment he appeared in the world.
But Zhang Qiling was clearly a person with flesh and blood, and all mortal beings should have a mother.
Wu Tianzhen sat on the ground blankly, letting the dogs lick his cheeks enthusiastically. He looked at the section of pale jaw exposed under Zhang Qiling's down jacket hood, and a name suddenly flashed in his mind.
(...Baima)
Meaning "lotus" in Tibetan, it was a name that evoked beauty and purity at first glance.
But Wu Tianzhen and Fatty first saw it accompanied by blood and scars.
It was etched firmly on Zhang Qiling's arm, and it quietly rested above the names "Wu Tianzhen" and "Fatty."
When Zhang Qiling first emerged from the Bronze Gate, he was dressed warmly, his faded down jacket like a protective circle wrapping around him, making it seem as if he had merely slept for two years inside the gate.
Perhaps he didn't want those scars to be seen, so he deliberately tore off his sleeves and zipped up his jacket before coming out. The scars on his arm, along with the blood from the wounds, were roughly hidden beneath the thick clothes, rubbed repeatedly by the coarse fabric, leaving long, blood-red trails.
So Wu Tianzhen and Fatty did not mention it in front of him.
Having lived together for so long, how could they not have seen it even once? It was just that he never spoke of it, and they never asked.
...There was nothing to ask about. Although these scars were silent, they had already spoken volumes in a shocking way. Those struggles in the dark, those pains of walking alone, those helpless and resilient moments of chasing fragments of memory only to fall into the abyss bit by bit, were laid bare before them like the ruins after a war—
Like the broken pain of ruins, like the silent shock of ruins.
But they couldn't help but wonder: ...What kind of person was Baima?
...This was a woman's name, and what kind of woman could accompany Zhang Qiling's life with both cherished intimacy and unspoken sorrow?
And now, amidst the barking of dogs, the two felt a dawning realization, as if the sky had broken open—Mother.
Baima was the name belonging to his mother.
...And this mother, most likely, was no longer alive.
With a "snap," Fatty threw the rag in his hand onto the table. It was as if he had lost all interest in cleaning at that moment:
"We have to hurry! Don't keep Auntie waiting!"
"Quick, quick, quick!" He nudged Wu Tianzhen a few times, his tone urging, "Go pack some gifts. We have to let Auntie see our sincerity, right?"
It was as if he had directly assumed that the three of them would go to visit Baima together, without even discussing the decision to leave immediately.
"Ah? Ah..." Wu Tianzhen didn't quite react for a moment, but in fact, he would absolutely not allow Zhang Qiling to go far away alone anymore.
So he instinctively took out a bag and stuffed two health supplements gifted by the Zhang family into it. Then, as if remembering something, he looked at the dogs on the ground: "...If we go out now, what about these animals in the house?"
"Isn't that simple?" Fatty smiled contemptuously, displaying a composure that suggested everything was under control. Then he clapped his hands, and a blue rabbit with patchy fur suddenly appeared!
The blue rabbit was still wearing that big pink bow. Its fur, which should have been thicker in winter, was bald in several places, making it look like it had some skin disease.
But in reality, it was so healthy that it could swat away three wild boars with one paw. Those bald spots were completely rubbed off by enthusiastic tourists when it was attracting customers.
At this moment, it looked at Fatty resentfully and, with no will to live, allowed Fatty to put a custom-made New Year red cotton coat on it. It listlessly accepted the task of guarding the house.
"We'll give the auntie next door some payment later to ask her to feed the zoo here. Isn't that perfect?" Fatty was extremely satisfied with the clothes he had chosen for the furball, and he admired it with his arms crossed for a while.
"It's only for a few days. When Zhang Yisanwu and Zhang Ersiu come back, we won't have to worry about it anymore~"
This was a good idea, so Wu Tianzhen stopped worrying. With a humanitarian spirit, he reached out to stroke the blue rabbit's head, only to be slapped away by the rabbit.
Clearly, even in its current state of torment, the furball's noble head was not something a common dog could easily defile.
Wu Tianzhen's ability to preserve his small body under the monstrous strength that could swat away three wild boars was the result of the furball's great mercy!
Wu Tianzhen: ...If I pity you again, I'm a dog.
He glared at the furball for a while before continuing to pack his luggage.
With a Tibetan name, the place the Little Brother is going should be quite far...
Thinking this, Wu Tianzhen stuffed some more daily necessities into his bag. Then, turning his head, he asked:
"Little Brother, is there anything you want to bring?"
Zhang Qiling did not respond for a moment.
He stood quietly by the window, looking out at the courtyard.
The swirling white snow was slowly falling under the dimming sky, gradually covering the mottled ground.
This was a rare winter snow in Yuncun.