Because of what happened this time, I got to see my mom.
But the Seventh Master suffered quite a blow.
Four of the sworn brothers he had bonded with back then died all at once.
Now, apart from him, only two were left.
Those two elders had packed their things too and were getting ready to go home.
Before they left, they burned four piles of spirit money in the open yard outside the main gate.
They said a lot to those four piles of spirit money, as though they were having a chat.
"Xiao Guo, Brother Yong, Third Brother, Second Brother."
"We're leaving. We're going home."
With that, they stood up to say goodbye to the Seventh Master.
Seeing their reddened eyes, the Seventh Master smiled. "You're getting on in years, and there are youngsters here. Why get so sentimental? Everyone's day comes sooner or later."
"Transport and technology are so advanced now. We can see each other over a video call."
"Go on, get going. With those looks on your faces, you'd think I was about to die."
The two elders said nothing more. They shouldered their backpacks and turned to leave.
The moment they turned away, tears were already falling from the Seventh Master's eyes.
I stood to one side with Xiuzhu in my arms and saw it clearly.
After walking a little way, the two elders suddenly came back, threw their arms around the Seventh Master, and sobbed.
At their age, people had actually come to take partings and death quite calmly.
If someone their age still reacted like this, it had to be because the other person was one of the most important people in their life.
What they had gone through back then must have been ten times more eventful than our experiences.