Genshin Impact: My confession was rejected, so I traveled to seven countries

Bu Bu Lu

Bai Shu slowly withdrew his hand from the old man's pulse. He glanced at the weak old man on the bed, then at Hu Tao waiting obediently beside him. His expression turned grave. He looked at Zhong Li, who was also waiting, and the two remained silent.

Hu Tao, who was standing to the side and seemed to get the answer from his expression, felt a sinking feeling in her heart. It was as if a bottle of spices had been overturned, with sour, bitter, sweet and spicy flavors all rushing up at once, but she still held on to a sliver of hope.

Hu Tao took a deep breath to compose herself and forced a smile. "Dr. Bai Shu, how is my grandfather's illness?"

Bai Shu looked somewhat reluctant, wanting to say something, but when the words came to her lips, she didn't know how to speak, and finally let out a sigh.

Hu Tao's smile froze, and then she remained silent, simply taking care of the old man.

Looking at that somewhat slender and frail figure, Bai Shu couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. He knew Hu Tao well; her parents had died early, leaving only her grandfather to rely on. Now, the old man's health was deteriorating, and the little girl was so young...

Bai Shu gently patted the slightly thin shoulder and said, "Don't think too much. Fortunately, he was brought here in time, and with the help of the acupuncture treatment, the old master's health has already shown signs of improvement. However, from now on, he may need to take medicine frequently. With your careful care, he will get better sooner or later."

Hu Tao looked up at him hopefully, "Really?"

Bai Shu turned around and nodded, saying, "That's right. However, good medicine tastes bitter, and taking medicine for a long time may make the old master feel unwell. In the future, you should spend more time with him when you have time."

Zhongli also reassured him, "Young Master Hu, since Physician Baishu has said so, then the old master's illness will definitely get better, so don't worry."

The little girl nodded.

At Bai Zhu's suggestion, Zhong Li and the others took the old man back to the Rebirth Hall to recuperate.

Watching the crowd slowly walk away, Bai Shu felt somewhat heavy-hearted.

"Is it really okay to keep this from her like this?" Changsheng appeared out of nowhere and slowly climbed onto Baishu's shoulder.

Bai Shu gave a bitter smile, "What else can we do? Do you want me to say..." He stopped speaking.

Changsheng sighed and began to wrap his arms around Baishu's neck. Watching the departing crowd, he said, "Haven't you seen enough of these partings in this world?"

Bai Zhu shook his head and remained silent.

He also wanted to see enough so that when faced with such separation, he could remain calm and undisturbed, and would not feel guilty when he was powerless as a doctor.

As a doctor, one should naturally have a compassionate heart. Honesty is the most basic quality of a doctor. Faced with the old man's condition, he should have told him the truth. However, faced with the little girl's helpless and hopeful eyes, he ultimately did not have the courage to tell her the truth.

Those insincere words were not only a gentle cruelty towards the young girl, but also a reflection of his own guilt and self-reproach.

Bai Shu glanced back at the Bu Bu Lu sign above his head, then looked at the couplet on the doorpost next to him, where the characters were written in a powerful and vigorous style.

"I wish there were no sick people in the world, rather than have medicine gathering dust on the shelves."

……

The old man's health deteriorated after returning to the ancestral hall. Although he had some difficulty moving around before, he could at least walk around, but now that has become a luxury.

He was paralyzed in bed and often fell into a coma. Even when he woke up, he was very weak and looked drowsy.

The first thing Hu Tao does every day after class is to brew medicine for the elderly. If she hears that the elderly have woken up, she will immediately drop everything to chat with them for a few minutes.

With the nourishment of medicinal herbs, the old man was awake for longer periods of time, but his eyesight and mind seemed to be less clear than before. Sometimes, while chatting with Hu Tao, he would fall asleep without realizing it, and Hu Tao would gently cover him with a blanket and leave the room.

The elderly man's loss of consciousness occurred more than once. The most serious incident was when he woke up from a coma and didn't even recognize Hu Tao. He only asked Hu Tao whose child she was, and Hu Tao, with tears in her eyes, told the elderly man her identity.

As time went on, this happened more and more often. Every time the old man woke up, he had a distant feeling towards Hu Tao, while Hu Tao suppressed her sadness and repeated the same words she had said a hundred times over and over again.

That day, it was snowing outside the window. The old man suddenly struggled to get out of bed, and the others, not understanding why, hurriedly called Hu Tao over.

Hu Tao gently comforted the old man, which calmed him down.

When Hu Tao asked what was wrong, the old man looked out the window at the falling snow, his expression dazed.

"I want to make a plum blossom hat for Xiaotao, it's something I promised her."

The old man replied that it had snowed and the plum blossoms were in bloom. He wanted to make a plum blossom hat for his granddaughter, Hu Tao, as a promise they had made to each other.

Upon hearing this, Hu Tao turned her head away, covered her mouth with her hand to suppress any sound, and tears had already welled up in her eyes.

The old man asked why.

Hu Tao fought back tears and said she was fine, telling the old man to rest well.

Hu Tao stepped out of the room, found a spot where she was sure the old man couldn't hear her, and began to cry loudly. Large, hot tears slid down her face, dripping onto the pure white snow and leaving tiny marks.

Hu Tao was heartbroken, heartbroken that she hadn't taken good care of the elderly man, leaving him in this state. If she had been more careful back then, would things have been different? If she had gone with her grandfather, would things have been different too?

She was saddened not only by these things, but even more so by that promise she had made that she had taken for granted.

It was just a casual remark made in a fit of pique, but I never expected the old man to remember it.

At this moment, the old man had even forgotten who she was!

The little girl's tears slid down her face, leaving tiny marks on the snowdrift.

In a corner where Hu Tao couldn't see, Zhong Li watched the little girl's sad and slender figure, his feelings indescribable.

Afterwards, Zhongli discovered that the little girl who used to run, jump, and laugh seemed to have disappeared, leaving only a maturity and quietness that didn't match her age.

The impetuousness of the past is gone from his eyes when he does things; instead, there is a quiet and calmness that seems to be like the depths of a canyon.

Hu Tao spoke less and less, quietly busy taking care of the elderly between the funeral home and her own home. Only when the elderly woke up would she revert to her usual cheerful self.

But Zhongli also clearly saw that something had been lost in the little girl's plum blossom eyes, replaced by a hint of sorrow.

The snow continued to fall relentlessly, seemingly unaffected by the joys and sorrows of human life.

The old man passed away peacefully on a snowy night.

Upon hearing the news, Hu Tao did not cry or make a scene as expected, nor did she put on a dramatic display of grief. Instead, she stood quietly in front of the old man's bed for a long time, lost in thought.

Hu Tao picked up the wrinkled hand and pressed it against her face, as if she wanted to feel the old man's gentle touch on her face again, but all she received in response was its coldness.

Walnut silently sheds tears.

That night

The people at the Rebirth Hall suddenly discovered that Walnut had disappeared.

After the news spread, the Hall of Rebirth was thrown into panic. The old hall master's body was barely cold, and the young hall master Hu had disappeared. Could it be that he couldn't accept it and took his own life?

The affection between the grandfather and grandson is obvious to everyone, so if that's really the case, it's not surprising, but it's still a bad thing.

Zhong Li frowned. In his memory, although Hu Tao had a deep affection for the old hall master, she would never do anything that would betray the old hall master's last wishes.

Zhongli closed his eyes and sensed for a moment with doubt in his heart, then opened his eyes and sighed softly with a complicated look in his eyes.

This girl...

……

With the head of the hall absent from the Hall of Rebirth, it is natural that this guest elder needs to take on the main responsibility.

Under Zhongli's arrangement, the disappearance of Hu Tao was reported to the Thousand Rock Army, and a search was launched throughout Liyue Harbor.

Under Zhongli's arrangement, and with the help of the professional expertise of the Rebirth Hall, arrangements for the old hall master's funeral were quickly made.

That night, a light rain began to fall outside the window, melting the accumulated snow with the gentle drizzle.

Zhongli was sitting in the living room drinking tea when he suddenly noticed a figure walking in through the door. The figure had disheveled hair and was soaking wet, with raindrops dripping from the clothes onto the floor.

Zhong Li's eyes flickered slightly, "Young Master Hu?"

Hu Tao didn't speak, but had a gloomy face and unfocused eyes, seemingly lost in thought.

Seeing that she didn't respond, Zhongli didn't ask any more questions. He simply helped her tidy up her appearance, brought her a dry towel to wipe off the rain, and lit a charcoal stove to warm her up.

While Zhongli was wiping, Hu Tao seemed to have lost her soul, remaining completely still, like a lifeless puppet being manipulated in various positions by Zhongli.

It wasn't until Zhongli handed her a cup of hot tea that she slowly began to come back to her senses. She took a sip of the hot tea, and the warmth flowed through her body, giving her the feeling of being alive again.

Hu Tao looked up at the young man who had already silently done everything, and seeing his handsome but aloof and serious profile, she asked, "Zhong Li, don't you want to ask where I went?"

Zhongli shook his head. "If the Hall Master wants to tell you, you will tell him even without me asking. Besides, the Hall Master is already back. As for those things, do they still matter?"

Hu Tao nodded and sipped her hot tea.

“Now that the Hall Master has returned, I’ll leave the affairs of the Hall to you. These past few days, with the Heavenly Lord absent, I’ve been quite overwhelmed,” Zhongli said somewhat jokingly.

Hearing this, Hu Tao chuckled, "According to you, the position of the head of the Hall of Rebirth must be quite tiring."

Zhongli nodded, while Hu Tao remained silent.

The two watched silently as the flames burned in the basin, the crackling of the wood echoing in the room, just like that snowy night years ago.

……

early morning

The old man lay quietly inside the coffin, snowflakes falling on his clothes, and plum blossoms blooming in the wind above his head.

With Hu Tao back, Zhong Li's duties of receiving guests can be somewhat relieved. The guests coming and going, looking at the old master in the coffin, then at Hu Tao, point and whisper.

The discussions rose and fell.

Some felt sorry for Hu Tao, who was all alone in the huge house.

Some people are discussing the aftermath of the Wangshengtang (a Buddhist temple), and the development of its vast business empire.

There are good and bad

Hu Tao clasped her hands together, ignoring everything else, and simply knelt silently before the coffin and memorial tablet. If anyone bowed to the deceased, Hu Tao would return the greeting as the head of the household. Aside from that, she made no other moves.

On the day of the farewell, a grand procession set off, with Hu Tao carrying a portrait of the old man at the head of the procession, while Zhong Li accompanied Hu Tao as a guest minister.

Hearing the rising and falling chanting behind her, Hu Tao, who was walking in front, lowered her head, looked dazed, and swayed as if she was about to faint at any moment.

Hu Tao suddenly felt a push from her lower back. It turned out that Zhong Li had reached out and steadied her waist without her noticing.

Before Hu Tao could react, a calm and reassuring voice came from beside her ear.

"Stand up straight, the old master is watching too."

Hu Tao stiffened, glanced at Zhong Li, and then straightened her back.

Looking at Hu Tao's petite figure, Zhong Li couldn't help but recall his conversation with the old man.