212 Lucky Chance (1/2)
Chapter 212: Lucky Chance
Translator: TransnEditor: Transn
After a while, Sangsang looked at the old man and earnestly said, ”If you only like women from your own country and don't like Yan women, I also know some brothel girls. But, if you want them to give birth to children for you, the estimated cost will be very high.”
The old man stood dazed. But, after a long silence, he finally sobered and solemnly said, ”I don't want to find a wife to have my children. I'm looking for a disciple to inherit my things.”
This time, it was Sangsang's turn to fall silent. She had not realized that she would be involved in finding a disciple. Her bones were not elegant and her life experience had not been bizarre. Although the cotton jacket on his body was really dirty, it seemed that he had not been begging these days. So, she did not think he looked like an Unworldly Sublime Being like in the stories Ning Que had told during her childhood.
”Are you asking me to be your disciple, or are you asking me to find a disciple for you?” she inquired seriously.
”I want you to be my disciple,” the old man replied seriously.
Sangsang decided to ignore him and squatted down as she began to wipe the legs of the table.
The old man looked at the absolutely stainless, bright table legs and fell silent.
The old man did not leave the Old Brush Pen Shop, instead, he silently followed Sangsang and watched her. He watched Sangsang wipe down the table legs and chairs, cleaning non-existent dust. He watched as she rebuilt the shop door that had been repaired earlier, closed the shop door, fetched water from the well, chose rice, dealt with vegetables, cooked a meal, cut garlic, and sat at the table, where she began to eat alone.
Sangsang did not ask him to join her, however, she surprisingly did not ask him to leave either.
Across the window, the old man looked at Sangsang as she sat silently having a meal and sympathetically said, ”Aren't you bored?”
Sangsang's hands stiffened while holding a bowl of rice. She looked down at the three vegetables mixed with white rice and nodded before she continued to forcefully chew her food, with her little black cheeks slightly bulging.
After dinner, Sangsang washed the dishes, her face, and her feet as she prepared for sleep.
Before laying down, she gave a sheet and some bedding to the old man, who had been on the patio's courtyard for a long time. She said, ”If you don't have a place to sleep, you can move some tables from the front and sleep on them for the night.”
The old man felt the weight of the bedding and became more and more resolved in his heart. He looked at the girl before asking seriously, ”Do you believe in Lucky Chance?”
Sangsang began to shake her head, but then she thought about an encounter from many years ago, and the life that she had devotedly lived with somebody over these years. Her willow-shaped eyes became a little brighter as she nodded.
”I believe in Lucky Chance.” The old man said, ”I believe that everyone is destined to meet specific people and do something. These things are arranged by Haotian, namely Lucky Chance.”
The turbid eyes of the old man gradually brightened as he looked past the small courtyard toward the night scene of Chang'an. He paused briefly before saying, ”Many years ago, I saw the shadow of Nightfall in this city. Once I saw him, I became destined to meet him.”
”And once I meet him, we will not be separated again. However, I didn't see him clearly or meet the real one. I only know that he exists but I don't know where he is.”
”Then I saw a person in Chang'an City who was born knowing. I think it's not right, there shouldn't be anyone born knowing in the world. So, the Lucky Chance between me and him began.”
”The Lucky Chance between me and him is to see him and kill him.”
”Nine months after seeing him, I started trying to kill him. But, I knew that I hadn't killed him, for he was still alive. I was also the only one in the world who could clearly feel that he was alive.”
”After that, the Lucky Chance became weak and I could no longer see where he was, except for one random time. But recently, I saw him again. So, I came to find him, renewing my Lucky Chance.”
The old man sitting on the high threshold, like a devout foolish woman, recalled those fragmented memories from the past. Sangsang silently listened to him for a long time and her willow-shaped eyes would occasionally brighten or fade away. Then she asked, ”When you find him… what will you do?”
”Kill him,” the old man replied.
Sangsang asked, ”If you're such a great person, why weren't you able to kill him over all those years?”
”Because there isn't an absolute match of Lucky Chance between us... Not everyone can easily enter a city to kill people, especially me. So, only the people living in this city would be able to do the killing. The more crucial reason is that the entire world became skeptical of what I saw with my eyes, and they didn't believe me.”
The old man went on to say, ”I don't know what will happen after I find him. Haotian's arrangement could never be guessed by mortals like us. But, I firmly believe that he is the person who has a great Lucky Chance with me. I thought I came to Chang'an for understanding this Lucky Chance. That was until I... met you.”
The old man looked at Sangsang's slightly black cheeks and her bright willow-shaped eyes, falling silent for a long time. He quietly thought about the real reason for making his many loyal subordinates sacrifice themselves, making the entire Peach Mountain and the Tang States feel uneasy, attracting him to come to Chang'an City. Was it the shadow of Nightfall, or the girl in front of him?