The next morning, Xiwang woke up just as the sky began to lighten...his biological clock recently made him wake up at this time.
He first glanced around and found that the light in the living room was still on, the door did not seem to have been opened, and the objects around him did not seem to be missing... It was obvious that the girl did not come out at night.
This is fine - Xi Wang thought so, and then quietly and quickly packed up his things, took out some cash and put it on the table in the living room, and pressed it down with decorations as payment for his one-night stay, and then quietly left.
squeak-
However, not long after Xi Wang left, a faint sound of a door opening was heard. The girl hiding in the house quietly observed the living room through the crack of the door. After finding that Xi Wang had left, she walked out with peace of mind. She first checked the items in the living room and the door. After confirming that everything was fine, she noticed the cash left on the table. After counting it carefully, it was almost the price of one night in a standard hotel.
"He's a good person..."
The girl muttered to herself.
"She sings really well and looks pretty... It's a pity that I don't know her name and I don't know if I'll be able to see her again..."
The gentle melody last night really made her linger, but since he was a traveler, a [Bard], he must have been passing by here, and she would probably not see him again in the future.
This is just a small episode...
"Ah... No, no, don't let your imagination run wild!"
The girl hurriedly shook her head, her gorgeous purple hair swaying with it, and raised her hand to gently pat her cheek, trying to bring her thoughts back to normal.
"But... Mom still hasn't come back..."
She looked out the window. The world outside was still covered with snow, but apart from the few traces left by Xi Wang, there were no other footprints... She felt a little lost.
She turned off the lights in the living room and locked the door. She walked back into the room with a depressed mood, huddled down on the bed, wrapped herself in the quilt left by her mother, and curled up, as if she could feel some of the breath her mother had left behind.
She took another look at the photo frame on the bedside table. It was the only photo of her and her mother left. Then... she slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep. She did not sleep last night because she wanted to wait for her mother. But last night was just like the previous day. Her mother did not come back.
"Mother……"
In her sleep, a crystal tear quietly ran across her face.
Chapter 5142: The Story of Xilin and Xingxing ()
[The encounter with that girl was just a brief interlude. After receiving her help for one night, you should leave.]
[The snow scene in the small town in the early morning is unexpectedly beautiful. While others are still asleep, you quietly stroll around the town, taking out your camera and occasionally capturing the gorgeous and peaceful scenery.]
[But slowly, you found that there was a person following you... a person with a dishevelled figure and ragged clothes, who looked like a homeless person.]
[You seemed to be thinking about something, and then you quickly walked through the streets, and the person behind you quickly followed... and then he bumped into you after turning a corner]
[You politely asked him why he was following you, but he didn't answer. He just looked at your pretty face with a little wariness and hostility... Then, he turned around and asked about your identity and what you were doing here, especially last night]
[You vaguely guessed something, and explained your identity in slow and clear words, saying that you were just a traveler passing through here. You arrived late last night, but unfortunately you couldn't find a place to rest... Fortunately, you got help from others in the end and didn't have to spend the night in the snow.]
[At the same time, you also asked him if there was a place similar to a hotel in the town. After he looked at you warily, he still pointed out the location of a restaurant... You can get a room there, which can be regarded as a substitute for the function of the hotel. However, the restaurant will not be open late at night.]
[You thank him and ask if he wants to go with you, so you can give him a hot drink in return, but he refuses and leaves, hurrying away as if he is running away.]
[You followed the instructions and came to the restaurant. After confirming that there were people inside, you gently knocked on the door and asked if there was any accommodation available.]
[The restaurant owner seemed a little surprised. After all, this town is really remote and it's hard to see travelers like you. But he immediately invited you in and arranged a room for you.]
[The boss is a very enthusiastic and honest middle-aged man with a good temper. He tells you some interesting stories about the town from time to time and describes where you can find beautiful snow scenes.]
[However, his wife is a bit noisy, with a loud voice, and her words are also full of inexplicable irritability... But Xi Wang can hear her hidden concern. She even made the bed in your room while complaining, and even asked if you wanted breakfast before leaving.]
[Thanks to meeting this somewhat strange but also easy-to-talk boss couple, you can quickly learn some things about the town and hear some stories and gossip from them... Halfway through, you also told them that you are a "bard" and you came here to find stories and inspiration]
[Your statement made the two of them laugh, but they quickly realized that you must be a singer, and you nodded in agreement and performed a short piece for them on the spot]
[The beautiful singing naturally won the applause of the two people, and even attracted many other people in the town. You also introduced yourself to them briefly, and under the encouragement of everyone, you agreed to play for everyone during dinner... It can be regarded as a small reward for the boss.]
[However, it was somewhat surprising that... at night, you met the girl again]
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"Um... so... the child is your niece? And you are her aunt and uncle?"
At night, Xi Wang looked at the purple-haired girl who was busy in the restaurant and asked thoughtfully.
Although the busiest dinner time has passed, many people still stayed because they wanted to listen to Xi Wang's performance. Many of them ordered some drinks and snacks for him... Judging from the girl's skillful response, this restaurant should have had a function similar to a tavern in the past. After all, there are too many alcoholic beverages stored here...
"That's true, but... well... he's also a poor child."
He didn't know if it was because the boss and Xi Wang got along very well during the day, but he began to sigh unconsciously.
"Her father ran away before she was born... He said he was going out to make money, but in the end, he never sent a penny back, and he disappeared without a trace... Tsk, maybe he ran off with someone."
"Then there's her mother, my wife's sister... Alas, she originally said she was going out to look for her husband, but after going out on a snowy day, she never came back. It's very likely..."
At this point, the boss became a little sad and his words became a little choked up. It was obvious that they had a very good relationship with the girl's mother and were willing to take care of the girl when she was alone.
"The child has been in a bad state since then. Although we can still take care of her in her daily life and her mother has left her a room, but... well, her mental state is not very good."
"She doesn't sleep every night and leaves the lights on in the room, saying she's waiting for her mother to come back. The lights are on so her mother can see... Speaking of guests, you seemed to have said you came last night, right? That should be..."
"Well, I saw the light in her room was on, so I went over to ask for a glass of water... But later the child took me in for the night, so I didn't have to set up a tent to rest in the snow. She's a very kind-hearted child."
Xiwang nodded and told him about his experience last night.
"...Honestly speaking, if I hadn't spent some time with you as a guest and felt that you were a good person, I would have troubled you for this matter."
"Haha, that's what I should do. It's better to say that my behavior at that time was very rude... If she hadn't taken the initiative to care about me and invited me, I wouldn't have agreed... But please rest assured, she hid in the room before I entered the house, and I only stayed in the living room to rest for one night. Besides... that child is lucky to have relatives like you."
Xi Wang was not annoyed. After all, no matter how you looked at it, he would have some problems in this matter. And since the boss was willing to speak up about it, it meant that the matter could be easily resolved and would not become a grudge between them.
"Relatives... But no matter how close we are, what can we do... We can't take care of her forever... She doesn't want to be taken care of by us forever."
However, when it comes to this point, the boss sighed again.
"We will be moving out soon... Our son is getting married in the city and has prepared a house for us, so we will have to move there when the time comes... But this child doesn't want to go with us, and always says she wants to wait for her mother at home. She won't listen to anything we say, and I don't know what to do. After we leave, there will be no one here to take care of her, alas..."
"Have you ever thought about bringing her father back?"
"Huh? Why would a bastard who didn't even stay with his wife when she gave birth, and didn't even come back to see his daughter after she was born, look for him?"
When talking about this matter, the boss became a little angry.
"He said he was going out to make money, but I think he was just fooling around, who knows where he is dead... He didn't even leave a photo, didn't even send a message, so the child didn't even know what her father looked like, and could only know that she had a father from her mother... Tsk, forget it, forget it, let's not talk about this, it's so annoying."
"Really? Well... not necessarily..."
Xiwang thought of the homeless man who had stopped him again, recalled his posture and expression, and did not comment on what the boss said... But the boss was right. No matter what, abandoning his wife and daughter and not caring about them was ultimately a dereliction of duty as a husband and a father.
"Well...but you're right. There's no need to discuss these unpleasant things now."
As he spoke, Xi Wang looked at the purple-haired girl who was gradually becoming idle. Seeing that she was also looking at him, he smiled and waved at her, causing her to blush and hurriedly run back to the proprietress.
"Well, now, as a reward for receiving a story, it's time for me to start~"
Xi Wang said this, picked up his violin, and walked slowly to the place specially reserved for him to perform amid the cheers and applause of the crowd. He stopped, bowed gracefully to everyone, then lowered his eyelids slightly, slowly pulled the bow, letting the music flow.
…………
………………
When Xiwang's performance ended, everyone left one after another in a hazy state of drunkenness. After the restaurant was about to close for a break, Xiwang came to the backyard of the restaurant, set up the equipment there, adjusted the camera, and occasionally looked up at the clear night sky, as if waiting for something.
"Um... hello..."
A familiar, timid voice sounded from behind.
"Ah, hello, child."
Xi Wang could tell who it was from the voice, so he smiled and turned around to look at the purple-haired girl who seemed a little timid.
"Well... I'm not a child anymore... and you're not much older than me..."
She puffed up her cheeks and muttered a little unhappily, then moved forward curiously, looked at the equipment Xiwang had set up, and asked.
"Um... May I ask what you are doing? Brother... Ah, sorry, can I call you that? I just think that this name would be more suitable for you..."
"Of course you can. It's just a name. Don't take it too seriously. I'm actually honored to be called that by a cute kid like you."
"But...cute...No, I'm not a child!"
"Yes, you are already a big girl~"
Xi Wang smiled, then adjusted the camera to ensure that the video he would record would be clear.
"As for this, I use it to photograph the starry sky, um... something like time-lapse photography. The one next to it is for video recording. I heard there will be shooting stars tonight, and I want to try to see if I can capture them here."
"Meteor? The kind that leaves a tail in the sky?"
“That’s about it~”
“I see… It would be great if I could take a picture of it…”
Hearing Xiwang's affirmative answer, she subconsciously turned her gaze to the starry night sky, looking forward to it sincerely.
"Mom said that when people leave, they will turn into stars in the sky, so that they can see each other across a long distance... Dad is like that, he went to a very far place, and in the end he could only turn into a star, so that he could see me and mom..."
"But later my mother left and turned into a star... But I can't find which one is my mother, just like my mother can't find which one is my father..."
She spoke softly, as if she was talking to Xi Wang, but also as if she was talking to herself.
"Then, when the shooting stars fall, that's when people come back... because those who left no longer need to use the stars to see each other, because those who left have already come back."
"So...so...if there is a meteor this time..."
She subconsciously stretched out her hand, as if wanting to touch the stars.
"Could it be that mom is back?"
"Or... is it Dad?"
She was a little dazed, as if immersed in her own world, but she soon came to her senses and acted a little flustered in front of Xi Wang.
"Oh, sorry, I forgot, I came to see my brother for this..."
As she spoke, she took out a few bills from her pocket.
"Um... Brother, you don't have to pay. I... I just left a space for you... So... I'm returning these to you..."
"No, just accept these. After all, I disturbed you for a whole night, and you really helped me... Consider these as my thank you gift."
"But...but..."
"Then let me put it another way."
Xi Wang tilted his head and did not take the money from her.
"You know, I'm a [bard], so I'm interested in other people's stories because these stories can provide inspiration for my music..."
"And it just so happens that the story about the stars you just told me is of great interest to me and has given me some inspiration, so... I bought it. After all, it provided me with inspiration for a song, which is priceless. Just consider this as my small reward."
"Is... is that so? That's great!"
The girl was very happy, and seemed to really think that what she had just said had provided inspiration to Xiwang, so she accepted the money with peace of mind.
"Um...brother, and...um..."
"Hmm? If you have anything to say, you can just tell me."
"I want to know my brother's name... When mom comes back, I can tell her that I met a great bard like you... um...?"
"Is that so? Sure. Don't be surprised when I tell you that my name is [Xiwang]. Of course, it's not the usual [hope]. The way it's written is different."
"Xiwang...what a great name."
"Yeah~"
"Then you can also call me Xilin... This is my name..."
Xilin's face turned slightly red, and she seemed a little embarrassed.
"Xilin... well, it's a very nice name~"
"hey-hey……"
Xilin was very happy. Then she noticed something and an excited expression appeared on her face. She pointed at the starry sky and gestured to Xiwang.
"Brother! Look! A shooting star!"
"Yeah, I saw it."
Xi Wang calmly checked the instrument to make sure he could capture the scenery, but Xilin's eyes stayed on the starry sky and never moved away.
"I hope it's mom who comes back this time..."
She prayed softly.
