eunoia | bl | tgcf

Chapter 3: Part Two

Chapter 3
The man called Qian Limin

Part Two
beauty

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"Once he managed to feed himself properly and nursed xiaohua back to life, that child spent the next few years giving those people a proper burial, just like he promised.

"A proper burial for thousands of strangers."

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There are rumors of a beauty who appears in Mochou City.

He comes and goes like a ghost.

Although they mention beauty, no one truly remembers his face. They only recall the awe and surprise they felt when the people first saw him. When a painter tries to paint that person, the face is always blank because he cannot remember how the beauty looked.

Thus, this beauty became a myth in Mochou City.

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"Dammit!"

A certain young man yells as he falls on his back, lying on the bed with a frown. Around him, numerous scrolls are unfurled, strewn on the bed and all over the floor. The room seems to be a bedroom but with all the scrolls, one may as well mistake it for an office or a library.

"I'm still short of a few hundred names," there is hopelessness in his tone. He no longer has other means. The libraries, their homes, even undergoing surveys and interviews–he still cannot find the names of those who perished in this village under the merciless sword of war.

After a few moments of silence, he quickly gets back up on his feet. "No," a light of stubbornness flashes in his eyes. "I can't give up just yet. I promised them that I'll give everyone a proper burial."

But not even two seconds later after he said those words, his shoulders slump in dismay. "What else am I supposed to do, though? I've done everything I can other than–" he pauses and shakes his head, not willing to entertain that train of thought any further.

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"It's okay now."

A disembodied voice says but they are words that the young man will never hear.

"We're already happy with what you've done for us."

They are the voices of the dead, of the people in that village devastated by war.

"Min-gege, I really like the flowers you place on my grave every week! They smell good and they're so beautiful!"

"Min-gege, you pray for us every morning, you talk to us every day; what more could we ask for?"

"Xiao Min-ah, you should live life for yourself now. Looking after us old folks who are already ghosts should not be an excellent young man like you spend your entire life on."

"Xiao Min, what have we done to have a child like you arrive at our humble village? If we were still alive, we would have loved you and made sure you grew up well and happy."

"Min-gege, you know, we're only staying here because you still care for us. I think it's time you move on; your kindness should be directed at someone else who deserves it much more than us."