Waterbound Love - Chapter 58
Du Bai quietly watched the man across from her, Qing-Ge, as referred to by Redd, pushing a stack of money towards him, “Take this money and use it, don’t let her work so hard.”
The man placed his hands on the money, gently caressing it, feeling the texture of the bills against the calluses in his palm, a mesmerizing sensation.
He moistened his chapped lips, his Adam’s apple sliding up and down, “Even if we take your money, we will still go out and sing.”
Du Bai raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.
“She, you see, appears so calm, but she can’t forget the things that happened long ago. We live on the money she earns from singing. Although times are tough, they are also joyful, proving that she is a useful person. The scar is buried too deep in her heart, if we stop her from singing, none of us can make it through tomorrow.”
Du Bai quietly observed his hands, unlike the slender, pale ones she was used to seeing; these were unevenly cracked, deeply lined with calluses formed from years of labor. There was a trace of grime under his nails.
Suddenly, Du Bai felt filthy, realizing that helping Redd wasn’t about her being noble, but rather about using her to atone, to cleanse herself of her own deep-seated guilt, but it had backfired.
She had always approached them with a sense of superiority, harboring ulterior motives. Engaging in sanctimonious acts to display her integrity. Though not seeking fame, such behavior was indeed infuriating.
It turned out, the superfluous one had always been herself, seemingly confirming the old saying that she only brought misfortune to others. Her existence, perhaps, was also superfluous.
Du Bai stood silently amid the ruins, watching Qing-Ge slowly push Redd, who was oblivious to the crowd dropping money into a bucket in front of her. Qing-Ge watched Redd, his face breaking into a naive smile, as if she could see it. And Redd, unaware, poured her heart into singing sweet ballads.
Du Bai watched the continuous flow of people approaching, and smiled knowingly. She walked away through the snow, the sweet melody still filling her ears, heartbreaking yet intoxicating.
They could support each other into old age, each holding a secret they thought the other didn’t know, and the other pretending not to know.
This secret would accompany them into their old age, perhaps to be mentioned, perhaps to fade away with the dust of life. That would be fine, letting the secret quietly wither in the river of time, no longer complex, waiting to be discerned.
