The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

Chapter 129 The weary soul found the solace it craved.

In the darkness, Wang Jie passed through a dense forest, which blocked out the sun. He made his way forward with difficulty, and the area gradually opened up before him, leading him to Emerald Lake. The lake's surface was vast and rippling, and the bright sunlight shone on it, causing a hazy mist to rise from it.

In the mist, an ancient pavilion appeared like a mirage, its silhouette appearing and disappearing, casting dappled light and shadow on the shimmering lake. The pavilion, with its upturned eaves and carved beams, though unreachable, exuded an indescribable solemnity and mystery, causing Wang Jie to involuntarily stop and gaze at this incredible sight.

A gentle breeze swept by, bringing a touch of coolness and seemingly parting the mist before our eyes, making the outline of the pavilion clearer for a moment. But soon, the mist, like a mischievous child, gathered again, enveloping the pavilion once more, leaving only a faint, alluring phantom.

Walking ahead of him was an elderly man with his hands behind his back, his body hunched over, and his steps faltering. The back view was so familiar; he must know someone. Wang Jie chased after him, wanting to see who it was, but he was always half a step behind the old man and could never see his face.

The old man's weathered voice drifted from afar, echoing in the vast emptiness: "If I hadn't met you, how could I, a wanderer, have made the decision to return to Cuihu Lake? Cuihu Lake is where I was born, and it will be the homeland where my soul returns. Because of you, I was able to settle down and have hope for the future. Thank you, child."

"It's been a long time since I've been to Green Lake. I want to take a good walk and see it. You go home and wait for me, I'll be right back."

The old man continued walking along the lakeshore. On the lake, several water birds swam leisurely, occasionally skimming low across the surface, creating ripples. Sunlight pierced through the mist, scattering golden light across the water, like countless stars fallen to earth, a breathtakingly beautiful sight.

Wang Jie followed closely behind, looking at the old man's thin back, feeling extremely at ease and content.

The old man stretched his arm above his head and waved it in the air. Wang Jie stopped and stood still, watching the figure in front of him gradually disappear into the misty fog...

A strange sadness welled up in Wang Jie's heart. Wasn't he the same? He had been running around chasing the light in the tunnel, and his weary soul had finally found the comfort he longed for. Who should he thank?

The wet stone pavement under his feet pulled Wang Jie back to reality. He walked alone along the pavement, his steps uneven. As he went deeper, he noticed that the scenery around him was changing. He returned to the alleyway and entered his home in the tenement building.

The door was ajar. He pushed it open and went inside. His grandfather was sitting on the edge of the bed, tidying up an old-fashioned wicker trunk. He took out two thick dictionaries, one a Xinhua Dictionary and the other a Chinese-English Dictionary. He fumbled around, flipping through the pages one by one. He muttered to himself, "These are the ones you used when you were little, remember?"

Grandpa murmured, "Back then, because you couldn't get a household registration, you couldn't enroll in school when you reached school age."

I found a Xinhua Dictionary at a recycling station, I'll bring it home for you.

You were so smart when you were little! You learned to read and write using this tattered dictionary.

Later, with the help of the neighbors, they wrote a joint letter to the neighborhood committee, and the problem was solved. They were able to register your household and finally go to school.

When I got to middle school, for some reason, all my grades were excellent except for English, which was particularly bad. The high school entrance exam was approaching, and as a core subject, English would drag me down. Even though I didn't understand anything, I knew how important grades were.

I asked around and found out that other kids need extra tutoring to improve their English, but my family just can't afford to send you to English tutoring classes.

The most learned person on Yangxi Road is Teacher Shang. I went to ask him for help. Teacher Shang is a good person. He gave me a Chinese-English dictionary and promised to spend half an hour every night teaching me.

The dictionary was worn out by Teacher Shang; he was originally going to give it to us. He had already promised to tutor you for free, so how could I take his things for nothing? I gave Teacher Shang 30 yuan, which is about half the price of a new dictionary. We met a kind person; gratitude wasn't enough, we couldn't possibly owe him anything more.

Grandpa put the two dictionaries back into the wicker trunk and said solemnly, "Keep these two dictionaries safe, keep them as a memento."

Grandpa closed the lid of the wicker trunk, looked in the direction where Wang Jie was standing, and forced a smile. "Child, Grandpa is leaving. Take good care of yourself from now on. Go do what you need to do." He paused, then continued, "I know you're not Wang Jie. I don't know who you are. Actually, I don't know who Wang Jie is either. God took pity on me, being all alone, and gave you to me. Thank you for being by my side all these years. Grandpa couldn't give you a good life, and you suffered a lot with me. Child, you must study hard. I asked Teacher Shang, and he said that only studying can change your destiny. What I can't give you, you must take from books yourself."

Wang Jie wanted to go over and tell his grandfather that he had already given him a lot and had also gotten what he really wanted from the books.

But there seemed to be an invisible barrier blocking Wang Jie's way, preventing him from passing through. He could only stand in front of his grandfather, opening his mouth, but no sound came out.

He was like an observer, only able to watch from the sidelines, unable to participate.

Then, in his deep voice, Grandpa said, "Wang Jie, are you alright? Grandpa will come to find you right away. We'll be reunited soon."

......

"Wang Jie, Wang Jie!"

Wang Jie woke up with a start, opened his eyes abruptly, and saw Zhou Yanruo sitting next to him, pushing his arm and calling his name.

After catching his breath, Wang Jie sat up straight. It was pitch black outside the train window, and the railway tracks made a rhythmic clanging sound. "I fell asleep. What time is it? Aren't you asleep yet?"

Zhou Yanruo said, "I just woke up too. Your pager is ringing. Do you want to see who sent the message?"

Wang Jie picked up the pager on the small table, turned it on, and saw a message from Jian Zheng: "Grandpa is gone."

He lowered his eyelids and silently handed the pager to Zhou Yanruo.

"Ah!" Zhou Yanruo's eyes instantly reddened, tears welling up in them. "We couldn't get back in time, we couldn't see Grandpa one last time. We couldn't even say goodbye properly, why did it have to be like this again?"

Wang Jie said in a trembling voice, "Grandpa said goodbye to me."

"What did you say?"

“I just dreamt of my grandfather by the Green Lake. He told me that he had passed away…” Wang Jie said, her voice choked with emotion.