diskusbooks Chapter 101 Reality
Chapter 101 Reality
After the old man led Lin Zhihao and the other woman into the store, he ignored them and headed straight for the small room on the second floor with the man in the suit.
Lin Zhihao and He Manman split up. These vintage clothing stores are like high-end boutiques, and every girl is powerless against them.
Lin Zhihao was admiring the collection of oddly shaped wind chimes when she suddenly sensed a gaze from the second floor. Turning her head, she found an old man staring at her from the corner of the stairs.
The two locked eyes, and the old man gave her a mysterious smile.
Lin Zhihao didn't take it to heart and continued to study the wind chimes.
After wandering around for a while, Lin Zhihao finished exploring the first floor and went up the wooden stairs to the second floor.
There were no other customers in the shop, and He Manman became very interested in some of the traditional rouge boxes on the first floor, looking around and touching them.
Lin Zhihao, who had come to the second floor alone, finally found her main purpose for coming here after looking at all kinds of ornaments: the pocket watch section.
A wall was covered with various pocket watches, each exquisitely carved, and each watch seemed to have its own story.
Lin Zhihao immediately picked out a pocket watch with a hollowed-out blue diamond from among them.
She was very satisfied with it.
"Found someone you like?" A voice suddenly came from behind.
Lin Zhihao, who was carefully examining the pocket watch, was startled. When she turned around, she found that the old man had somehow appeared behind her, with the man in the suit still standing beside him.
Upon seeing the watch on Lin Zhihao's wrist, the man in the suit stopped her, saying, "Miss, I'm sorry, this watch is not for sale."
Upon hearing that it was not for sale, Lin Zhihao frowned. She had finally found something she liked, only to discover that it was not for sale. Although she was unhappy, Lin Zhihao still obediently put the watch back in its original place.
"Hey, take it if you like it. It's its good fortune to have been chosen by you." The old man took off the watch and handed it to the man in the suit next to him. The man in the suit understood and went to help Lin Zhihao pack it up.
Only the old man and Lin Zhihao remained by the wall of pocket watches.
The old man leaned closer to Lin Zhihao and carefully observed her face.
Lin Zhihao looked at the old man who suddenly approached her, put her hands close to the seams of her pants, tucked her chin in, and remained motionless.
After reading it, the old man smiled and glanced at He Manman on the first floor. "Your friend will probably need a little more time. Would you like to come inside for some tea?"
Lin Zhihao followed the old man into the small house as if possessed. The small house was also made of wood, and once inside, the woody fragrance became even stronger. There was a tea table in the middle of the room.
The old man sat down and waved to Lin Zhihao, signaling her to sit down.
The old man took a sip of tea and placed the teacup on the table. "Young lady, you've been seriously ill recently, haven't you?"
Lin Zhihao paused, her hand holding the teacup still: "?"
The old man stroked his snow-white beard and chuckled, "You seem to have something on your mind. Would you like to share it with this old man?"
Lin Zhihao gripped the cup tightly, gave an awkward laugh, and said, "What are you talking about? I'm fine." Without looking at the old man, she finished the tea in one gulp.
The old man looked at Lin Zhihao and the empty teacup in her hand.
His smile remained unchanged. "Hahaha, little girl, don't you want to share with this old man? You're drinking so fast, hahaha."
The old man picked up the teacup in front of him and examined it from left to right. "Drinking tea requires savoring it. Only by carefully experiencing its flavor can you say you've truly drunk tea. Just like life, you only know whether it's worth it after you've experienced it yourself."
Lin Zhihao thought the old man opposite her was strange. Not only did he wear a hat in the room, but he also acted strangely.
"Hey, I'm an old man, and I'm often alone. There aren't any young people around me, and I don't know what kind of mentality young people have these days. My life is always like a pool of water, without any ups and downs. Young lady, please tell me about your life, considering how pitiful this old man is."
After saying this, the old man wiped away a tear, looking just like a left-behind elderly person in the village whom no one wanted to talk to.
Lin Zhihao looked at the old man in front of her, who seemed to be wiping away tears but was actually secretly watching her, and felt speechless.
But for some inexplicable reason, she still started sharing her life with him.
From childhood to adolescence, and now; from experiences to growth, and now to uncertainty about the future.
Looking at Lin Zhihao, who was rambling on and on, the old man maintained a kind smile in his eyes. He did not interrupt Lin Zhihao and remained a quiet listener.
After sharing, Lin Zhihao felt relaxed all over, as if something in her heart had been relieved. She took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.
The old man looked at Lin Zhihao, stood up, opened the mechanism on the wall, and took out a black box.
Back at the table, the old man pushed the box in front of Lin Zhihao, saying, "I think we have a connection, so consider this a gift from this old man to you."
Lin Zhihao pushed the box back to the old man, saying, "I can't accept it. We don't even know each other, yet you're giving me something, and it looks so valuable."
"Hey, you can't say that. You're willing to share your stories with this old man, which makes me exceptionally happy today. So, I should give you a gift. Besides, I'm so old, shouldn't I give something to the younger generation?"
The old man pushed the item back to Lin Zhihao, saying, "Take it, take it. It's just a little trinket, it's not worth much."
Seeing that she couldn't refuse, Lin Zhihao had no choice but to accept the box, put it in her bag, and bow to express her gratitude, saying, "Thank you."
"No need to thank me, it was yours to begin with..."
"Hmm?" Lin Zhihao looked up, not quite hearing what the old man said.
"It's nothing. I just wanted to give it to you because I had already startled you earlier."
"Oh."
Seeing that it was getting late, Lin Zhihao said goodbye to the old man and prepared to leave the hut, but was stopped by the old man before she went out.
"Little girl."
Lin Zhihao stopped and turned to look at the old man with a puzzled expression.
"Life is only about 30,000 days long, so cherish the present moment."
Lin Zhihao looked into the other person's eyes, "What if the person in front of you isn't your own?"
The old man's smile vanished, and he stared intently at Lin Zhihao. "How can you be so sure that memories are truly memories, and that the past is truly the past?"
Lin Zhihao didn't know how to answer the question, so she simply didn't reply and turned to leave.
The old man watched the door slowly close and muttered to himself, "Is the past really just the past?"
The man in the suit emerged from the hidden door and silently refilled the old man's teacup. "Perhaps," he said.
"Hehehehe, haha ...
The old man threw his head back and laughed, while the man in the suit also smiled slightly. Both of them looked in the direction Lin Zhihao had left, their eyes filled with anticipation.