Chapter 55: Destiny

Xiao Xiaoxiao did not leave, because this was also his destination, and moreover, he felt somewhat uneasy about leaving the elderly woman here all by herself.

The elderly woman’s complexion did not look very well; he wondered if she was perhaps feeling slightly unwell to begin with.

Watching the light in the elderly woman’s eyes gradually fade away, Xiao Xiaoxiao felt a sense of discomfort and heaviness in his chest.

He pressed his lips together, yet had no idea what to say. He wanted to help the elderly woman, but he was unable to find the Lingniao unless it chose to appear on its own.

While keeping an eye on the elderly woman, Xiao Xiaoxiao also raised his head to survey his surroundings. The maple grove was devoid of maple leaves, offering an unobstructed view in every direction.

Therefore, whether the Lingniao was present or not was entirely obvious at a glance.

Xiao Xiaoxiao felt deeply helpless, yet there was nothing he could do.

……

Noticing that Xiao Xiaoxiao was also looking up and searching the surrounding maple trees just as she had been, the elderly woman could not help but smile.

"Young man, what are you looking for?"

Xiao Xiaoxiao was momentarily at a loss for words, but the elderly woman confirmed her own guess, assuming that Xiao Xiaoxiao had seen her actions and wanted to help her out, even though he did not know what she was searching for.

"Thank you, young man."

The elderly woman paused for a moment, and ultimately said, "You don't need to look anymore."

"Perhaps the timing isn't right?"

"It's too late."

"The maple leaves have all fallen."

"And I no longer have the time left."

……

The elderly woman’s voice grew softer and softer. Rather than talking to Xiao Xiaoxiao, it was more like she was forcing herself to admit: her bond with that spirit had long since ended in that autumn of years ago.

When ties come to an end like this, what else could one do but sigh?

"After all, it was only a bond of a single day."

The elderly woman smiled quietly, yet a soft sigh still inevitably slipped past her lips.

"Young man, this old woman has to head back now."

"I've been out all morning; if I don't go back now, I'm going to be in big trouble."

The elderly woman made a frightened expression, though her eyes carried a trace of a smile.

What a lovely old lady she was.

Xiao Xiaoxiao could not help smiling as well, yet he simultaneously felt a pang of sorrow.

He knew that the elderly woman was disappointed, and her current attitude was merely a helpless compromise.

Indeed, what else could she possibly do?

The elderly woman was advanced in years, and the long passage of time had taught her restraint and the art of letting go.

Even though there was a lingering sense of desolation, she no longer lost her composure as she might have in her youth.

It was just that there was truly a lingering sense of unwillingness.

The elderly woman smiled on the surface, but inside, she was sighing.

And Xiao Xiaoxiao heard that sigh deep within the elderly woman's heart.

However, after the elderly woman declined his offer to accompany her, he, equally powerless, could only stand quietly beneath the maple trees, smiling as he bade her farewell.

The elderly woman's figure gradually receded into the distance.

Xiao Xiaoxiao stood with his hands tucked into his pockets as the piercing cold wind howled, whipping his hair into a wild frenzy, some stray strands pricking his eyes.

Xiao Xiaoxiao turned his head to avoid the wind, and suddenly caught a glimpse of a brilliant flash of red.

Amidst the desolate and deep hues of the winter maple grove, it was dazzling enough to be almost blinding.

The Lingniao?!

Without stopping to think too much, Xiao Xiaoxiao abruptly turned his head and shouted toward the elderly woman, whose figure was now becoming distant: "Granny, wait a moment!"

His voice, mingling with the howling wind, seemed to carry a sudden, thrilling power.

As he called out, Xiao Xiaoxiao broke into a run.

By the third time he called, the elderly woman finally heard his shouts.

She turned back and saw that Xiao Xiaoxiao was already running up to her side, looking somewhat surprised and confused.

"What is it? Is something the matter?" The elderly woman’s voice remained calm and gentle, as if her fruitless search had left no negative impact on her whatsoever.

"Granny, come with me." Xiao Xiaoxiao walked up to the elderly woman's side; even though he had just sprinted over, his breathing remained steady without the slightest sign of panting. He gently supported her arm and guided her back along the path they had just taken toward the maple grove.

The elderly woman found this very strange, but she held a very favorable impression of this kind-hearted young man.

Furthermore, Xiao Xiaoxiao had listened to her recount her greatest secret and most fantastical experience, which seemed to forge a wonderful bond between them.

Therefore, the elderly woman allowed Xiao Xiaoxiao to lead her back to the very place she had just left.

She believed that this boy harbored no ill intentions and would never harm her.

……

Phew, the Lingniao was still there. Xiao Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief.

"Granny, look!" Xiao Xiaoxiao pointed in the direction of the Lingniao, his voice carrying a hint of a smile and excitement.

The elderly woman looked in the direction Xiao Xiaoxiao was pointing, only to see an ordinary maple tree with a smooth, straight trunk and slender, vigorous branches, upon which clung merely a few withered, yellowed leaves.

The elderly woman looked at the tree and then back at Xiao Xiaoxiao, failing to understand what he wanted her to see.

The old lady's puzzled expression was like a basin of cold water poured over Xiao Xiaoxiao's head. His expression froze instantly.

Xiao Xiaoxiao raised his head to look at the Lingniao perched on the branch, and fancied he caught a fleeting trace of mockery flashing in its eyes.

It glanced casually at the elderly woman, then turned its head away, paying her no more heed.

Xiao Xiaoxiao lowered his head slightly, the shadows cast by his stray locks concealing his expression.

"What's wrong?" The elderly woman asked with some concern.

"It's nothing." Xiao Xiaoxiao quickly lifted his head, wearing a clear and bright smile tinged with a trace of embarrassment, "I just saw a very pretty bird earlier, so I wanted to let you take a look."

"It seems it has already flown away."

"I'm sorry for dragging you all the way back here."

"Did I delay your time?"

The elderly woman revealed an understanding smile: "It's nothing."

"Thank you for still thinking of this old woman."

The elderly woman turned to leave once more, but after walking a few paces, she suddenly came to a halt. Without turning around, she simply stood right there.

Xiao Xiaoxiao felt a sense of perplexity and was about to step forward when the elderly woman turned around.

"In the end, I still want to ask." The elderly woman's hands were tightly clasped together; there was a light in her eyes, yet a trace of bitterness spread from the corners of her mouth.

"Was the bird you saw a red one with a long tail?"

Xiao Xiaoxiao was startled, unsure how to describe the look in the elderly woman's eyes at that moment.

It was a flash of sudden, glowing hope, alongside the faint, desolate despair of utter disappointment.

"Yes." Xiao Xiaoxiao ultimately decided to tell the truth.

The elderly woman's lips trembled slightly, quivering as she repeatedly tried to open her mouth to say something. Yet in the end, no sound emerged; she merely nodded, and tears seemed to shimmer in the corners of her eyes.

After a long while, the elderly woman finally parted her lips.

"I see... It's not that it wasn't there; it's just that I can no longer see it..."

"Nor did it break its promise... It was I who broke mine."

The elderly woman's voice was hoarse and melancholic, imbued with a child-like bewilderment and loss.

"Thank you."

"It's wonderful to know that day wasn't just a figment of my imagination."

"It's just... I still wanted to see it one more time. We clearly promised that I would bring it the cookies I made."

With trembling hands, the elderly woman reached into her cloth shoulder bag and retrieved a flat, red tin box featuring a cartoon pattern of a bird on top.

"Could I trouble you to give this box of cookies to it?"

"It is already sixty years too late."

……

Xiao Xiaoxiao felt a wave of sadness. Clearly, neither of them had broken their promise; clearly, the human and the spirit were within arm's reach of one another, yet they were forever unable to greet each other.

Because from the second day onward, the elderly woman could no longer see the Lingniao, nor could she hear its voice.

The elderly woman had come so many times and searched for so long; had she not crossed paths with Xiao Xiaoxiao, she would never have known that the Lingniao she yearned for so deeply had always been right by her side, watching over her and keeping her company.

Xiao Xiaoxiao accepted the tin box, gazing at the elderly woman's slowly receding figure, unable to collect his thoughts for a long time.

The bond between humans and spirits is wondrous, yet at times, it is also cruelly poignant.

The elderly woman's husky voice still seemed to echo in his ears.

"This is fine too, this is fine too..."

The smile on the elderly woman's face before she turned away was peaceful and serene, as if a long-held worry had finally been laid to rest.

Perhaps the outcome was not entirely perfect, but how many people in this world can have everything turn out as they wish?

"This old woman is truly fortunate to have even laid eyes on a legendary spirit."

"Not only did I see it, but I even chatted with a spirit, albeit for just a single day."

"What a wondrous bond."

"Young man, you must cherish your bond with spirits."

"It is a very rare bond indeed."

"Who knows when the heavens might take this bond back."

"So before that happens, do not fail this special connection."