The Cornflower Witch Chapter 69

Chapter 69

When Grandfather Was Young

The carriage creaked along the road, and Talil leaned out the window, her eyes alight with excitement as she watched the rolling hills and scenery outside.

Inside the carriage, Hylial wore a practical dark grey coat, her silver hair casually spread over her hood and shoulders. She, too, had initially gazed out the window like Talil, but now, probably tired, she leaned back in her seat for a nap.

The gentle jolting of the mountain road did not wake her; instead, as she grew accustomed to the rhythm, it became a soothing, lullaby-like cadence.

Sparse snowflakes drifted in the sky. The carriage moved at a leisurely pace, with no one in sight on the vast plains, save for an occasional bird passing by, letting out a few chirps.

In her drowsy nap, Hylial recalled her previous life, when she used to visit her hometown during holidays, a journey that also involved long periods of travel.

The conversations and laughter of adults, the undulations of the mountain roads, and the fresh mountain breeze that wafted into the car were all so familiar and nostalgic.

Her hometown in winter and summer presented different sceneries. Gone were the cicada songs and shimmering water of summer, replaced by the warmth of a burning hearth and the fragrant scent of roasted sweet potatoes.

Time flowed on, and she and her childhood friends from back then grew up, eventually parting ways to distant, unfamiliar places.

…

As evening fell and the sky darkened, the carriage slowly climbed a high slope and then descended. On the flat land below, a village nestled among fields appeared. Scattered orange-yellow lights flickered faintly in the village, guiding the carriage closer and closer.

“Hoo, hoo-hoo—” The reed horse neighed loudly, exhaling white steam, then its hooves clacked a few times on the cobblestones, and the carriage came to a stop.

“Lia, we’re here.” Talil, wearing a brown little cape, stepped out of the carriage and called out to the girl behind her.

“Mm.” The girl softly assented, then pulled up her hood and also dismounted.

They stood in the village square, which looked much the same as it had a few months ago, save for subtle traces of the battle that had once taken place, such as lingering charcoal dust in the cracks of the stones, or a chipped railing.

“My house is behind the village, follow me.”

Talil waved at the coachman, then led the way forward. Villagers they met along the way greeted Talil.

“You’re back, Talil.”

“You’ve gotten prettier since we last saw you a few months ago.”

“Hehe, thank you, Uncle and Auntie,” Talil replied sweetly.

“I’m back!” she announced a little loudly, as if wanting to shout a few times to let out her feelings.

As she walked, Talil’s steps became light and bouncy.

Soon, they arrived in front of the village chief’s house. The old village chief had already heard their arrival and was waiting at the door.

“You’ve finally come back to see me, Talil.” He reached out and embraced his granddaughter, and the two embraced, giggling.

After a good catch-up, the old village chief reluctantly let go of Talil and greeted Hylial.

“Excuse me, Miss Hylial, I got a little excited, hehe.” The old man had deep brown hair and a thick beard.

“It’s alright. How have you been feeling lately?” Hylial walked over and placed down the two bottles of medicinal wine she was carrying.

“Drink these during winter; they’ll make you feel much better.” A small amount of “Blazing Sun”-attributed herbs had been added to the medicinal wine, making it very warming to the stomach.

“Oh, you shouldn’t have gone to such trouble.” He invited them into the house to sit, then went to arrange lodging for the coachman and a place to unload the goods.

That night, the trio gathered in the small house for dinner. On the table were roasted bread, smoked sausage, and steaming vegetable root soup. Though not luxurious, it was an exceptionally rich dinner for a village.

As he ate, the old man inquired about their recent situation in Burntstone City. Hearing that Hylial was studying with Scholar Hyde, he gave a thumbs up.

“Very good. That old man is a formidable scholar. If I hadn’t been poor back then, I probably would have sought his tutelage.”

“Oh, Grandpa, Scholar Hyde wasn’t that old when you were young, was he?” Talil propped her head and complained.

“He wasn’t that old, but he already had some renown back then. Many girls in Burntstone City admired him,” the old man replied, rubbing Talil’s head.

“I was about 20 years old then, working as an adventurer in Burntstone City. Scholar Hyde was in his early thirties and had already become a ‘Level 2 – Secret Word’ scholar, assisting the previous Viscount Xuefeng with administrative affairs. He often brought people to visit nearby villages to solve problems, so many people in this area knew him.”

“Some villages still have his early enlightenment readings that he left behind, supposedly printed with his own money.”

“Although not many people were literate, at least those who wanted to learn to read had a channel,” the old man recalled.

“I wasn’t too concerned about that then; I focused on earning money through adventurer quests, and that’s how I met your grandmother.”

“What did my grandmother look like? Was she pretty?” Talil was exceptionally curious, shaking the old man’s arm and demanding an answer.

“Your grandmother, ah…” The old man stroked his beard.

“She wasn’t the kind of person who was strikingly beautiful and drew attention at first glance. She came to Burntstone City with a circus, and her aunt worked in the circus, supposedly a fortune teller.”

“At that time, I didn’t have money for tickets, so I and a few companions climbed over the wall to watch the performance. That’s when I met your grandmother, who came out to pour water.”

“She was around eighteen or nineteen years old, with scattered chestnut hair, simply braided on both sides. Her smile was especially sweet, and I was instantly lost in her dimples.”

“I didn’t get to see the circus performance because your grandmother chased me and my companions out with a broom. It was surprising that such a young girl wasn’t afraid of several strong young men like us.”

“But we were going to live in Burntstone City for a long time, and it wasn’t worth getting into trouble with the constables over this, so we didn’t dare hit her. We just laughed awkwardly, dodged the broom, and ran out.”

“Nevertheless, we eventually got to know each other. During the time the circus stayed in Burntstone City, I always went to see her and gradually became familiar with her.”

“She told me many stories from distant lands, such as fire-breathing lizards, ravens and magpies that understood human speech, and black vines that grew at night.”

“All sorts of stories really captivated me at the time, even though I’d seen many strange things as an adventurer, she still occasionally managed to scare me.”

“She seemed to enjoy seeing me startled and felt particularly proud. Just like that, we almost ran out of things to talk about.”

“But good times don’t last forever, and the circus eventually had to leave. We were about to face a separation.”

“She pleaded with her aunt to let her stay, and I was there with her.”

“That was the first time I met your grandmother’s aunt. I can no longer remember what she looked like, but that deep purple hood and the crystal ball in front of her have always stayed in my dreams.”

“Her aunt initially refused, saying that your grandmother wouldn’t find happiness if she stayed, because she was a fortune teller, and many people in the circus believed in it. So, the first plea failed completely.”

“Originally, I also thought there was little hope and didn’t have the courage to force her to stay, because I wasn’t well-off or wealthy at the time, just an ordinary adventurer living hand-to-mouth, not even officially a first-tier yet.”

“So the last few days passed. When I had prepared myself mentally to see your grandmother off, she seemed to have made up her mind, jumped out of the carriage, and flung herself into my arms.”

“I’ve never so clearly remembered how I felt that day. When your grandmother’s body was in my embrace, that warmth and softness became the source of all my beautiful dreams throughout my life,” the old man said slowly, pouring himself some wine.

“Because of your grandmother’s persistence, her aunt finally relented, sighing and instructing me to take good care of her, and giving your grandmother a necklace, telling her to keep it safe.”

“Happiness came so suddenly. Soon after, we returned to the village and held a wedding. Many friends and relatives came to offer their blessings, and the celebratory atmosphere lasted for several days.”

“After that, I lived a stable and warm life. The first thing I did every day when I came home was to hug your grandmother and tell her about the day’s events, then we’d eat together. I would always bring back anything fresh and delicious I found for your grandmother. Just thinking about it now makes me happy.”

“That’s how we lived very happily, until later, your father was born.” The old man’s story slowly entered its latter half.

(End of Chapter)