Chapter 58: Nothing Has Changed - I Forged Them in Darkness, and They Buried Me in It

**Chapter 58: Nothing Has Changed** Luo Cong An's hand, hanging by her side, clenched so tightly that it almost dug into her flesh. Instinctively, she took half a step back. Xiao Yu appeared puzzled but noticed something was off with the white-haired girl. She remained silent, choosing to stand quietly in the courtyard. Suddenly, Xiao Yu felt the girl seemed familiar. Yet, she was certain it was their first meeting. With such a stunning face and distinctive white hair, if they had crossed paths before, there was no way Xiao Yu wouldn't remember. So, where did this sense of familiarity arise from? As Xiao Yu pondered, she heard the girl standing at the door speak. Her voice was hoarse, as if suppressing a flood of emotions. "Fu-funeral...?" Xiao Yu nodded, confirming, "Yes, a funeral." She thought for a moment and then added, "Are you Mr. Chen’s old acquaintance... his daughter?" Originally, she intended to ask if the girl knew Mr. Chen from before, but considering their age difference, she added two words at the end. However, Luo Cong An paid little attention. She simply stared ahead blankly. Once she received an affirmative answer, she remained in that state, not truly hearing the latter part of the question. "Funeral..." The girl's voice was a drifting whisper, like the murmurs carried by the wind. Xiao Yu frowned. She found this person extremely peculiar and couldn't help but urge, "If you don't have anything to do here, please leave early. I need to continue organizing the gentleman's belongings." As she spoke and was about to close the door, she suddenly met Luo Cong An's gaze. Her eyes were dark and lifeless, devoid of any light. Empty, lost, even unfocused. In short, Xiao Yu felt somewhat terrified for no apparent reason. She pulled her neck back slightly and stopped her actions. A hoarse voice broke the silence once more. "You, who were you to sir?" "Why do you call him sir?" Xiao Yu tensely held her ground. She wasn’t inclined to answer those questions, but a vague feeling suggested that something terribly wrong would happen if she didn’t. So, after a moment of hesitation, she spoke, "I was Mr. Chen’s... book servant? Anyway, that's what Mr. Chen called me back then." Having said this and seeing the girl still staring intently at her, Xiao Yu felt compelled to continue, "As for sir, everyone calls him that. Even City Lord Ma instructed me to address him as sir. Is there a problem?" Luo Cong An remained silent, shaking her head. She stepped forward, moving through the door like an insect inching forward bit by bit. Xiao Yu did not stop her, because she thought this person likely knew Mr. Chen; otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense for her to behave in such a manner. As Luo Cong An stepped into the courtyard, her mind was momentarily dazed. It turned out she had been away from this place, laden with countless beautiful memories, for thirteen long years. Time hadn’t changed the courtyard much. Aside from a few more stains on the walls, it was just as she remembered. The tall locust tree, the bamboo chair beneath it, the stone table beside the chair, and the stone stools. Everything, every detail remained unchanged. Even their placements were identical. Xiao Yu followed her in, noticing the girl’s gaze, she looked too. Soon, a hint of nostalgia appeared on her face, "Sir loved lying on that bamboo chair the most. He’d often lie there for the better part of a day, sometimes you'd call him to eat, and he wouldn’t wake up." "So I didn’t move the chair when tidying up. I always felt that sir might come back. If he returned and found his beloved bamboo chair gone, wouldn’t he be heartbroken?" Xiao Yu said this and suddenly laughed at something. "But then again, who knows? Sir always seemed so indifferent. Even if the chair was gone, he’d probably just smirk and say it was a pity." She rambled on, these days, whenever someone would come to pay their respects, Xiao Yu would share stories about sir to deepen everyone’s impression of him. It was because Chen An, during his lifetime, was so reclusive that even City Lord Ma had a hard time seeing him, let alone others. Most who came to pay their respects were people from the capital, those whom Mr. Chen had helped in the past, or former students from his teaching years. Thinking of this, she remarked, "You came from the capital too, right? Actually, sir was buried three days ago. If you’re interested, you can come and pay respects together on the seventh day.” “Oh, I haven’t asked your name yet?” Upon hearing this, Luo Cong An turned her head with a slight stiffness. She looked at the delicate girl and replied, "Luo Cong An." "Which Luo?" Xiao Yu continued to probe. Luo Cong An was taken aback, finding the conversation oddly familiar. However, she was no longer the illiterate little beggar hiding in dark alleys as she once was. She replied softly, "The Luo with the three drops of water, the Luo from Luoyang." Xiao Yu understood and responded with an "Oh". Silence fell over the courtyard again, broken only by the occasional rustle of wind and snow. Soon, Xiao Yu broke the silence. She strode into the hall and struggled a bit to bring a wheelchair out. Carefully moving it past the threshold, she placed it in the open area of the courtyard. Afterwards, Xiao Yu clapped her hands and sighed, "This wheelchair sir designed is so ingenious. It’s far better than any of those sold in the market, no wonder the craftsmen couldn’t help but praise it back then when they saw the plans.” “I’m planning to burn the wheelchair with some winter clothing for sir on the seventh day.” Luo Cong An stared intently, her gaze blank, "Wheelchair?" Xiao Yu gave her a sidelong glance, "Yes, a wheelchair, you didn't know?" Without waiting for Luo Cong An to respond, Xiao Yu continued to answer her own question, "Well, it's normal for you not to know, given the distance from the capital and sir not being the type to announce things." She moved behind the wheelchair, placing her hands on its handles, her eyes reflecting profound nostalgia. “I remember it was not long after I came, sir started using the wheelchair.” “It was an ordinary morning. I heard sir calling from his room and hurried over.” Xiao Yu smiled as she recalled. “Actually, sir was such a good person. He even said that he’d trouble me a bit more in the future.” “Honestly, I was sent by City Lord Ma specifically to care for him, and yet he was so polite to me that it made me feel a bit embarrassed…” She continued her recollections, ever since sir passed, Xiao Yu found herself frequently reminiscing about the past. "During his lifetime, sir often had me push him around the city, sometimes to enjoy the scenery in the west, other times to listen to storytelling at a teahouse. He thought I didn’t know, but I did… he was just worried I'd be bored cooped up in the courtyard." “But every time we returned, sir would sit at the door for ages, refusing to go in. Even though his health was frail and he couldn’t withstand the wind.” Xiao Yu spoke with a hint of reproach, then raised her head, "I'm being a bit long-winded, you shouldn't..." Her words abruptly stopped. Because she saw tears streaming down the girl's face. (End of Chapter)