I was just playing tricks, how come I became Bai Yueguang

Chapter 589: The Language of Camellia

"Is this Huaicheng?"

Jiang Huashan sat at the bow of the boat, looking at the scenery in front of him with a leisurely look.

Ancient buildings built by the water, moss-covered blue brick walls, and the shadows of sycamore trees reflected along the shore...

It is the city in my memory, but because it has been empty for too long, it has become a little strange.

The old man on the boat looked back at her and grinned, "Yes, we've arrived in Huaicheng. You're not locals, are you? Are you here for tourism?"

Jiang Huashan couldn't tell where she was from for a moment, so she pointed to the high-rise building in the distance and asked, "What place is that?"

The wrapped building was covered with a huge advertising curtain, which looked out of place in the whole city.

The old man took a look and sighed slightly, "That's a stage. The government is now trying to develop tourism, and those old things are outdated, so they have to be eliminated."

Stage?

Jiang Huashan's eyelids trembled slightly, and the lights and shadows in her mind flashed by like a kaleidoscope.

Every time the rain cleared up, grandma would hang out in the yard to dry the clothes. Those clothes were very strange, bright red and green robes with long sleeves. She was playful and always liked to dress up in brightly colored clothes and pretend to be a princess. Grandma would always smile and applaud beside her.

Later, when she grew up a little, she loved to show off more and wore those strange clothes to play on the street, but her friends around her laughed at her.

"Princess dresses are all pink and sparkly, not like yours. You look like an opera singer! Hahahaha!"

The adults around her shouted the rude child away and then lectured her, "This is your grandmother's life's work. How could you ruin it like this? Costumes are lifeblood to opera artists. Wash them quickly and hang them back up."

That day she understood two things. First, those colorful and strange clothes were called costumes. Second, if she couldn't even pretend to be a princess well, she would definitely not be a princess in the future.

It's strange that little girls always like to imagine themselves as princesses, and sometimes they feel even sadder about not being able to become a princess than failing an exam.

When she returned home, she found that her grandmother had washed her dirty costume again, and the fragrance of soapberries was amplified tenfold by the sunlight.

"Grandma, I'm sorry I soiled your treasure."

She was five years old and very short, and even though she was very careful, her costume still dragged on the ground.

Grandma noticed that she was unhappy, so she squatted down and touched her head. "Grandma, look, your face seems dirty. Can I wash it for you?"

She threw herself into her grandmother's arms and said, "Grandma, they said I'm not a princess. They said I look like an opera singer when I put on this."

Grandma held her in her arms and sat on the porch, patting her shoulder gently. "Xiaohua, what kind of person you can become is not up to them, and what you wear is even less important."

She raised her head, not quite understanding, "Then who has the final say? Grandma?"

"What grandma says doesn't count." Grandma smiled and gently touched her forehead. "Only what our little flower says counts."

Her eyes lit up instantly, "Really? I'm that amazing?"

Grandma nodded and said, "Yes, our little flower is the best."

"But grandma, they said these costumes are your lifeblood. I won't play with them anymore."

"That was in the past. Isn't grandma's lifeblood in my arms right now? No matter how much we cherish the past, it can't compare to the peaceful and tranquil years ahead..."

The black boat moves slowly in the water lane, and the reflection on the water surface shatters little by little in the waves and then slowly reshapes.

Seeing that she had been staring at the pavilion for a long time without saying anything, Shen Guiling took the initiative to ask, "What are you going to build after the pavilion is demolished?"

The old man took a drag on his pipe and put it back on his waist. "I heard a big boss came in and wants to build a water park. The outside world has developed too fast these days, and many young people don't want to come back. The completion of the park is a good thing. If it becomes a red building with lights, it will just be a different way to continue the excitement."

“No matter how good the past was, we still have to look forward~”

Jiang Huashan's thoughts turned back. Looking at the old buildings covered by modern advertisements, her mood was completely different.

She curled her lips and pointed to a bougainvillea plant not far away. "Uncle, just drop us off at that intersection."

"Okay." The old man was agile. He pulled in the long pole and slowly approached the shore by pressing against the bluestone slab.

Shen Guiling followed and was about to reach out when Jiang Huashan jumped onto the shore in one leap.

"..."

*

After eight years, I'm finally back.

Jiang Huashan took a deep breath and walked into the alley in the direction of his memory.

Once you enter the alley, you will see old bluestone walls on both sides, and the courtyards are mottled with traces of time.

Shen Guiling followed Jiang Huashan quietly, their shadows overlapping and leaning against each other on the ground.

Walking past a cluster of banana trees, Jiang Huashan stopped. She remembered this place. When she was a child, whenever it rained heavily, she would come here specifically to pick a banana leaf to make an umbrella, and then hold it on her head to listen to the sound of rain hitting the banana leaves.

She still remembered that her home was at the next intersection after the banana trees turned around.

She lifted her foot and slowly turned the corner. When the gate in her memory reappeared before her eyes, she suddenly had the illusion that she didn't know what day it was.

Shen Guiling took a step forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with her. He took her hand, slipped his fingers through hers, and led her towards the bamboo gate.

"Hey..." Jiang Huashan was a little slow and jogged a few steps to catch up, "Don't pull me..."

Shen Guiling stopped and took her hand to the door knocker, "We're home, open the door."

Arrived home?

Jiang Huashan was stunned for a moment, and when she came to her senses, her hand was already clasping the door knocker. Suddenly, the memories of living in this courtyard for ten years came flooding back.

She gently pushed open the door, and the dust that had accumulated over the years fell lightly on her shoulders. The autumn wind blew, and the deserted courtyard seemed to come alive.

"Little Flower is back?"

The old man in the yard put down his needlework and stood up with a kind smile.

Jiang Huashan's fingertips trembled slightly, and she took a step forward. The illusion in front of her eyes suddenly disappeared, and all she could see was the yard full of weeds that were taller than people.

The yard has been abandoned for too long, and everything has changed, except for the camellia tree that has been there for decades.

Time seems to have stood still on it, with glazed white flowers weighing down its branches. Spots of light wander across the mossy brick floor, brushing past the fallen petals one by one.

Camellias are one of the few flowers that bloom in winter, blooming in the cold and bidding farewell in spring. Unlike other flowers that scatter petals one by one, camellias wither at the peak of their bloom, shedding their pedicels along with their petals, leaving a sense of loss and finality.

Shen Guiling's gaze lingered for a moment, and he whispered, "How dare you despise my love?"

……