The Lantern Festival passed unhappily, and my heart was heavy. The next morning, I received a call from Gao Ziyan.
"Tang Nan, I have something important to do that requires your participation. Can you come with me?"
"Of course!"
Gao Ziyan's important matter was to submit her resignation at the kindergarten. Watching her, with tears welling up, bid farewell to each of the children, and hearing their childish voices offer blessings, my heart was once again scorched. Why should a girl like this live amidst schemes and conspiracies?
According to Old Ghost, Gao Ziyan might be the most skilled in plotting, but I refused to believe it. Let this be my stubbornness. No matter how dark the world becomes, I hope people will always see the dawn of hope at the edge of darkness.
. . .
"There's one more place to go?"
Gao Ziyan left the iron gate, wiping away her tears. She spoke to me with a smile, yet I could feel her heart aching. I didn't ask further, merely nodding. Gao Ziyan took me to a poetry house.
I looked at this place, filled with poetic imagery, and then at the dejected Gao Ziyan.
"What is this?"
"This is my dream."
Gao Ziyan was right. This was her past dream. Without leveraging the Gao family's influence, she had built this poetry house, bit by bit, with her own salary.
Here, there was no other purpose but the hope that poetry could have a home. In this process, born from a love for poetry, Gao Ziyan had received much help. Some poetry friends sent their verses and collections. Some book lovers brought benches. There were young people who eagerly volunteered to contribute to the construction of the poetry house, and even an old gentleman who, moved by Ziyan's dream, gifted her rare poetry anthologies. The establishment of this poetry house, in this inconspicuous corner of the city, had become a beautiful tale, a legend in the eyes of poetry lovers, an immortal legend.
"Do you read poetry often?"
Looking at Gao Ziyan's expectant eyes, I awkwardly shook my head, "No!"
"Do you read at all?"
"I do, 'The Art of War,' 'How to Win Friends and Influence People,' 'Traces of the Case,' 'The Complete Works of Guiguzi,' and occasionally I read fantasy novels."
"That's good too!"
I looked at the reluctance in her eyes and asked earnestly, "Is this poetry house also closing?"
"No, my father once said that people who love to drink don't change their capacity with the weather, and those who love to read don't stop reading whether they are busy or idle. Because love persists due to genuine liking."
"Then why are you here today?"
"An interview. I will be very busy from now on, and this place must continue. " As she spoke, Gao Ziyan glanced at her exquisite wristwatch. "There's still some time. I want to talk to you about my mother."
"What about her?"
The Second Madam had recently been contacting lawyers to transfer the Gao family shares, which should have rightfully passed to Gao Ziyan after Gao Xiaoqing's death, to Gao Ziyan. This involved enormous inheritance tax. But the Second Madam was insistent; she wanted to sever ties and leave Hong Kong.
"Where is she going, leaving Hong Kong?"
"To become a nun."
I was somewhat surprised by this outcome. I recalled our conversation that day; she was a woman who understood only hatred, not love. I had expected her to choose an extreme path like suicide, or to continue her malicious ways and seize assets. But I never imagined the Second Madam would choose to become a nun, to leave this mortal realm.
Before the Second Madam left Hong Kong, I wanted to see her. Gao Ziyan agreed. She couldn't leave today; she had something very important to do. She needed to find someone who loved "poetry" to take over this place. Because of their passion, the manager could properly care for these poetry collections.
I went alone to see the Second Madam. As soon as I arrived, I saw Gao Zihui stumble out of the house. He looked at me with hatred. Suddenly, he lunged at me like a mad dog, grabbed my collar, and roared, "Tang Nan, why did you spout nonsense?"
I knew Gao Zihui was referring to my involvement. I sighed, "Gao Zihui, what decision the Second Madam makes is her own, it has nothing to do with me."
"If it weren't for you..."
"Enough, Gao Zihui, leave. I controlled you for revenge, I toyed with your feelings, and I never loved you. You're grown up now, it's time to be sensible. If you leave quietly, no one will ever know about this sordid past." The Second Madam's stern voice stopped Gao Zihui.
Gao Zihui looked at the Second Madam, tears involuntarily streaming down his face, "I don't care what others think, I just..."
"Enough, shut up, get out now, go, scram!"
Gao Zihui turned and left. After a few steps, he suddenly howled at the sky like a madman. He turned back and saw the Second Madam's resolute gaze once more. I thought Gao Zihui would erupt in a frenzy, but instead, he began to cry like a child.
Then, it started to rain.
The dew drops on the grass blades were crystal clear, forming a stark contrast with Gao Zihui, who was as pathetic as a drowned rat. This cold rain seemed to offer a perfect closure to the past, to the people and events, to Gao Zihui's lost youth.
Water drops, do you know Gao Zihui's feelings right now?
. . .
Today, the Second Madam was still in her cotton pajamas at home, with no makeup, her hair uncombed. After I followed her inside, she said faintly, "This is the first time I'm seeing Gao Zihui in my true appearance."
"What did he say?"
"Nothing. Every time he sees me, his eyes shine brighter than before. I know that's the look of someone in love. I have wronged this child."
"Do you feel guilty?"