At first light, Ma Linya and Zeng Mu rode out of Ponta Delgada Village.
The ending had been rather bittersweet. The Morton family had ceased to exist, all because of accidents.
No one knew where they had gone. Perhaps, even years later, the villagers would still wonder why Arthur Morton had not attended his uncle and aunt's joint funeral.
Naturally, they would never know how that "accidental" fire had started, either. Many rumors circulated, but the most familiar was still that Galsworthy Seavister had failed to watch the fire while brewing tea to sober them up, bringing about the tragedy.
As for Hewlett Moulton, no one knew how he had left. Not a soul had seen him after Mitchelson Molly departed. Like his cousin Arthur Morton, he never returned.
As for Mitchelson, perhaps she would return to Ponta Delgada Village a few years later. If she grew tired of the chaos outside, she would come back to this secluded haven and spend her twilight years in peace. That would also mean spending the rest of her life alone, for she had never found another man out there whom she could love for a lifetime.
Later, Ponta Delgada Village returned to its own rhythm of life. The villagers rose with the sun and rested at sunset, watering the land beneath their feet with their sweat. As for the secret of Wheat-Awn Mountain, it would pass through the memories of each generation, perhaps unchanged, perhaps slowly transformed. Who knew? Zeng Mu certainly never would.
Ma Linya said nothing along the way. Of course, she knew where Gitton's family had gone and what had caused the fire, but she did not utter a word. As far as she was concerned, this was something she neither wanted to interfere in nor could do anything