Chapter 357 (2/2)

When Ning Que woke up, he didn't see Sangsang. So he walked to the courtyard and shouted, but there was no response from Sangsang. He stretched himself and glanced at the kitchen. There was no trace of Sangsang at all. He shook his head, then found the bowl of hot and sour sliced noodle soup on the table at the front of the shop.

”I haven't even brushed my teeth yet, how can I have breakfast now?”

He thought to himself at the sight of the hot and sour sliced noodle soup, his eyebrows knotted. During the past few years, Sangsang would hand him a bowl of clean water and the dental set when he got up every day. He had gotten used to this over a long time, so he felt unaccustomed to it when Sangsang didn't come out.

”Even if you were in such a hurry to buy the first and most delicious bowl of soup, you should first serve me as I wash my face and brush my teeth. Wait, the soup has been bought. Where the h.e.l.l did you go?”

Eating the hot and spicy shredded noodles beside the table, Ning Que spent some time wondering where Sangsang could have gone. Finally, he guessed that she might have gone to the vegetable market at the south gate to buy the cheap and fresh vegetables sold there, driven by her parsimony.

”It's only a few coins cheaper. Is it necessary for you to get up so early and walk such a long distance?”

After eating, Ning Que went to the backyard with the bowl while laughing at her in his heart. He randomly put the bowl down on the hearth and felt somewhat sleepy, so he went back to sleep again.

When the sun had climbed higher in the sky, he woke up again and rubbed his eyes, then went outside without wearing his shoes. There was still no trace of Sangsang, so he shouted in great anger,”Bring me hot water! How can I go out today?”

n.o.body responded. Every corner of the Old Brush Pen Shop was in silence.

Ning Que stiffened and walked into the kitchen. He found the bowl was still on the hearth, and there was neither firewood nor fire in the hearth. Of course there could be no hot water.

He walked to the wall of the courtyard and sighed at the tidy firewood pile, then picked up a small bundle of firewood and returned to the kitchen to make a fire.

It was not difficult for him to make a fire and heat up some water, although he hadn't done such trifles for many years. After all, it was he who had to manage their lives in the earlier years. The water in the pot was soon boiling.

Looking at the hot steam, Ning Que felt that something was wrong.

After the water was heated, he washed his face and even washed the dirty bowl.

Normally it would be time for him to go to the Academy or to idle in Chang'an. But today, he went nowhere other than the front of the shop. He sat on his armchair and looked at the displays that were polished till they shone, as well as the clean floor devoid of dirt. He felt absent-minded.

After a long period of silence, he felt stiff to some extent. Occasionally, someone would pa.s.s by the shop, and he would raise his head at the sight of their shadows. But in the end, n.o.body pushed the door open to walk in.

n.o.body pushed open the door to come back.

Ning Que had been waiting in silence until noon, after which he stood up, opened the door and walked out.

He bought a roasted duck in the Bianyi Shop in the Eastern City and some green vegetables in the market, then returned to the Old Brush Pen Shop.

Sangsang still hadn't come back. After a moment of silence, Ning Que entered the kitchen and fried two dishes of vegetables and a bowl of steamed rice. Then he peeled the duck and arranged the pieces beautifully on the plate. Finally, he put the dishes on the table at the front of the shop.

Two pairs of chopsticks, two bowls of white rice, and a rich spread of dishes.

Ning Que was satisfied with the dishes on the table. He put his hand on his knees and waited.

However, n.o.body came back even after a long time.

There were still two pairs of chopsticks, but only one person. What was worse, the rice and the side dishes had become cold.

After staring at the food for a long time, Ning Que picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.

But somehow his hands were trembling. He tried for a long time, yet failed to pinch even a piece of the vegetable.

He wanted to pick up and throw away the chopsticks, yet he refrained himself from doing so. Then he gently placed them on the table.

Suddenly he stood up and went to his bedroom. He rudely turned over the bed board and took out the box, then threw all the contents of the box onto the bed.

Looking at those drifting notes, he was finally convinced that she had left by herself.

Ning Que folded those notes and put them into his pocket emotionlessly. From the storage box in the corner, he took out the Primordial Thirteen Arrows that had been repaired the day before and put them into his bag, then inserted all the Fu paper into his sleeves. He took the chopper from beside the pile of firewood and put it on his waist, and finally, he hung the big black umbrella on his back and walked out of the Old Brush Pen Shop.

He knew Sangsang would be safe, but he was clear that what he would now confront would be the harshest moment of his life, so he brought with him all his most important objects. It seemed that only in this way could he feel comfortable again, and he a.s.sured himself that he would definitely bring back the most important person in his life.

If he couldn't bring her back, then it wasn't necessary for him to come back either.

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