Chapter 124 - 91, Descendants
The rooster crowed at dawn.
Crow pecked gently at Old Yao’s hair by the bedside.
Old Yao slowly opened his eyes, listening to the sound of water flowing gently in the courtyard. He put on his robe and stepped outside, holding Wu Yun.
In the courtyard, he saw Chen Ji rolling up his sleeves, picking up a shoulder pole to head out.
Old Yao chuckled, "It seems you weren’t tired enough yesterday, huh? If you’re really not tired, why don’t you start by making a door in the courtyard wall? It’d save the Princely Heir and Bai Li the trouble of climbing over the wall every day."
Chen Ji explained with a smile, "Last night we used too much water to wash off the dust; so I filled up the water jar early this morning to make sure we have enough for cooking. Did I disturb your rest? I’ll be quieter next time."
"No need," Old Yao sighed. He noticed the apricot tree in the courtyard that looked different and reflected, "Next spring, when the apricot tree bears white flowers, it should be quite a sight. It’s great to be young and do things with friends. Though we might have been covered in dust then, decades later when we recall, those old friends seem to glow..."
Chen Ji was taken aback.
Old Yao looked at him, "Do you have any red cloth left?"
Chen Ji paused, then hurriedly fetched the leftover red cloth strips from last night and went to the main hall to get a brush for his master.
In his mind, Old Yao had always been detached, never sentimental, nor tolerant of sentimentality.