Chapter 335: The Road Back is Not Easy (Part 2)
Chapter 335: The Road Back is Not Easy (Part 2)
"Anna..."
As he spoke the name of the girl before him, just like the Lyon in his memories, Emma felt all his fatigue wash away like a receding tide, and even the heavy burden on his shoulders seemed to lift suddenly.
But what replaced it was not a sense of inner joy and delight, but a lingering feeling of pain and shame.
"I lost my job..."
After speaking these words dejectedly, Emma, or rather, the former Lyon, explained with a face full of regret:
"I really didn't slack off, but I could only handle about half the workload of others. The foreman only paid me half a month's salary and told me not to come to the docks tomorrow. I..."
"You did your best."
The dimly lit oil lamp and the girl approached, and after a warm embrace, a comforting voice, devoid of any blame, sounded in Emma's ear.
"Bro, it's not your fault. I know you must have tried your best. Come inside and rest after you eat..."
"I..."
"Senior Emma?"
The questioning voice in his ear and the warmth from the palm of his hand snapped Emma out of this memory that wasn't his own.
Emma shook his head in a daze, looking at Lyon with a hint of confusion, and as he came back to his senses, he apologized:
"Sorry, I just... um... I think I saw your memory.
Looking down at the white bricks beneath his feet, glowing with a faint light, Emma spoke softly:
"If I'm not mistaken, when two people step on the same brick, the latter person seems to see the former's memory.
Lyon, if you don't mind, I actually..."
"It's okay, go ahead."
Recalling the time he first lost his job at the docks and cried in secret, only to be comforted by Anna later, Lyon smiled slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"There shouldn't be anything too embarrassing in my memories. And if you hadn't saved Anna at the hospital back then, these memories wouldn't exist... Well, in any case, if seeing my memories helps you cross the Bridge of Yin and Yang, I won't mind."
"Thank you..."
Holding Lyon's hand, Emma felt his sincere and passionate emotions warming him from his hand to his heart. His cold palm finally regained some warmth, and a hint of color returned to his pale face.
As he assured her he was ready, Lyon, with one foot still off the bridge, clenched his fist and then lifted his other foot, stepping fully onto the bridge.
The white brick, representing happiness, welcomed him.
With Lyon's promise, Emma gathered her courage and followed, stepping onto the bridge with both feet.
"Big Bro!"
This time, the person who appeared before Emma was Lyon's younger brother, a cute boy with a serious face, always looking like a miniature adult.
At this moment, Emma, or rather, the Lyon in the memory, stood beside a wall, staring at the nails on the wall in a daze. William, standing next to Lyon, looked up with a serious expression and asked:
"Big Bro, are you sick?"
Lyon is sick again? Hearing his brother's question, Emma couldn't help but pause.
Why? Lyon stepped on the white brick, which should bring happy memories, right?
In Lyon's memory, he seemed to share the same confusion as Emma. After a slight shudder, Lyon shook his head in bewilderment and said, "No, I've been a bit tired lately, but my body should be fine."
"Don't lie to me!"
William, with his serious demeanor, looked intently at Lyon, then lowered his head to glance at himself. With a slight shudder, he spoke with a grave expression, "If you're not sick, then why is that part of you so swollen..."
"Cough, cough, cough! Cough, cough, cough!"
Lyon coughed violently, using the loudest voice he could muster, startling Emma out of her recollection. He never imagined that even the memory of the two brothers urinating against the wall would be captured by the Bridge of Yin and Yang. Lyon, feeling embarrassed, explained to the dazed Emma, "Um, I just thought about it, and although I don't mind sharing my memories with you, Senior... um... but there are some situations that are a bit special. So... um... can I filter the content first, and then you can step into my memory?"
Through their still-clasped hands, Lyon conveyed the embarrassment he felt, enough to make one want to dig their toes into the ground. As Emma snapped out of her reverie, she realized what scene she had just witnessed.
Recalling the strange yet vividly real sensation, Emma's fair complexion flushed, and even her delicate, shiny earlobes turned a faint shade of crimson. She quickly averted her head in embarrassment.
"Okay... okay..."
"..."
Damn it! I knew it was too good to be true, two consecutive white tiles. I should've known it was waiting for me here! Lyon cursed his luck silently, took a deep breath, and stepped out for the third time.
White tile, again.
This time, it was Melanie who appeared. Although she was mischievous, playful, and a troublemaker, most of the time, she was still a warm and comforting presence, like a cozy little jacket.
The fond memory associated with her was when he got drenched in freezing rain while selling newspapers. The next day, he had a high fever, and Anna went out to buy medicine for him. Melanie, along with William, had collected several nests of crow eggs, intending to nourish his feverish body.
Hmm... up until this point, it was all quite nice. Unfortunately, the following week, his house was relentlessly attacked by an enraged flock of crows. From the door to the windowsill, the entire place was covered in half-dry bird droppings.
When he finally recovered, he took a shovel to clean up the mess. The grey-white bird droppings were over two fingers thick, and he had to tap them with a hammer to chip them off. It took him three days of hard work to clean everything up.
All he could say about this situation was that the little jacket was indeed warm when it needed to be, but it also let in the cold when it mattered...
After witnessing this heartwarming yet bittersweet memory, Lyon shook his head helplessly. He then squeezed Emma's hand to indicate that there was nothing to hide, and she could step into his memory.
Lyon squeezed her hand several times, but Emma, who was behind him, remained silent and didn't take a step forward. A surge of overwhelming sorrow nearly overflowed, seeping through their tightly clasped hands and into Lyon's heart.
"Emma, my daughter..."
With a heart-wrenching sorrow that seemed to tear his heart apart, Lyon heard a voice trembling with grief, worry, and reluctance.
"Six years... how have you been?"
(End of Chapter)
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