"I've been waiting for twenty years," the woman seemed to have grown accustomed to the taste of "fleeting life," and there was only half of the tea left in her cup. "He hasn't come back."
I turned around and looked at the dying ginkgo tree in the backyard.
"You're also a tree demon. Can you help me find him?" The woman leaned forward, tears welling up in her eyes. "He left a whole box of gold for me. As long as you can find him, I'll give you the rest."
"You still can't read, can you, Ah-Liao?" I replied without directly addressing her request.
She stared blankly before nodding sheepishly.
"That's also good." I chuckled.
She looked at me, puzzled.
"You'll always remember him, won't you? And all those days you spent together," I took a sip of my tea. "Remember the happiness you promised him."
"Yes," her tone held the gentlest determination.
I set down my cup and pushed the gold bars back toward her. "Please return."
"Miss Shaluo, you..." She was stunned, then disappointed.
"Live happily. Maybe there will be a chance to meet again."
I got up and saw her out.
"Boss, you... you actually refused so much gold!" Fatty, one of the workers, emerged from behind me and stared at Ah-Liao's retreating figure with a look of great sadness and frustration.
Skinny, the second worker, rapidly tapped on his calculator, calculating how much cash that pile of gold could fetch at today's gold price and how much of life's luxuries it could buy.
I ignored their presence, reached out, and plucked a book from the air. The yellowed cover bore the title "Prescription of Elixir of Immortality for Demons" in neatly written characters.
I flipped through it twice and landed on the "Tree Demon" section. My gaze rested on the last few lines—
"Ginkgo Nut: A panacea, born from the Sacred Ginkgo Tree in the heavenly realm. Four appear in the mortal world every thousand years, transforming into humanoid form upon landing. They all resemble young girls, with flesh, blood, heart and will indistinguishable from humans. They have a mellow and full appearance, are pure of heart, and devoid of evil thoughts. Where they reside, withered trees flourish, bearing abundant fruits even in winter. Take her heart on the day of the destined calamity, supplement it with the above mentioned medicinal ingredients to create the Elixir of Immortality for Tree Demons. Consuming it can protect the tree demon's primordial spirit from dispersing and its true body from getting destroyed. Longevity is assured."
"It's quite easy to deceive her," I chuckled, closing the book and walking towards the backyard.
"What? Boss also has this book?" Fatty and Skinny made a huge fuss as they rushed, their eyes fixed on what I held like it was a treasure.
"You'd be wise to abandon any thoughts of snooping," I gave them a withering look and raised an eyebrow. "Otherwise, I might take a leaf out of my kind's book and cast a forgetful spell on your food, leaving you illiterate for the rest of your life."
Fatty and Skinny looked at each other and whispered: "We don't seem to know many words to begin with..."
The moon arched gracefully in the sky, and its cool radiance gently bathed the courtyard at night.
"Why do I feel like this ginkgo tree suddenly looks much healthier? It has so many more leaves, and they're so green. It looked nearly dead during the day," Fatty exclaimed loudly, pointing at the once-wilting ginkgo tree.
"You're right..." Skinny wandered around the tree for a while, then suddenly pointed high up in the tree and shouted, "Look there, it's bearing fruit! Isn't it too early for that?"
"So...can we make stewed chicken with ginkgo in advance?" Fatty began to drool, "That woman really is a ginkgo nut. She only stayed in our store for a long time, that's all, and now even this rotten tree is bearing fruit."
"I'll go get a pole to knock down the ginkgo nuts," Skinny disappeared in a flash.
I stood under the tree, patting its rough trunk, and mumbled to myself, "Killing her to make medicine, this so-called immortality will probably turn into endless loneliness and sorrow..."
When there's someone who treats you well, a moment is also a form of immortality.
Being firmly concerned about in someone's heart, never to be forgotten, death is also a form of immortality.
Liang Yudong probably thought so too at the end.
"Boss, won't we also have to face the destined calamity someday?" Fatty sneaked up behind me, eyeing the book in my hand greedily. "Um... I'm sure it must mention how our kind can survive the ordeal..."
"You're a long way from that time," I glanced at him. "But I'd suggest losing weight, so you can run faster when the thunder god strikes you."
"You're mocking my physical shortcomings..." Fatty bit his finger and squatted in the corner, looking wronged.
Seeing Fatty like this made me suddenly think of the white cat, Mo Bai. She was the smartest, much smarter than Liang Yudong. At least she understood the importance of making herself hate Ah-Liao from the beginning, rejecting all her kindness, so she wouldn't be wrecked with guilt when eating the ginkgo nut in the future.
However, she still didn't have the heart to do it in the end.
She had hundreds of chances to kill Ah-Liao.
Neither Liang Yudong nor Mo Bai achieved immortality.
But they both lived longer than anyone else—in the heart of a somewhat stupid woman who couldn't read named Ah-Liao.
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