Engagement

Inside Vera's residence in the West Borough.

Beyoncé forehead beaded with sweat, took off her oversized apron and sat on Single Sofa, fanning herself with her hand while muttering disdainfully:

"Goddess above, how do you manage to stay in such a dusty place?"

Half a minute later, having received no response, she frowned slightly, then glanced at Vera wiping the air with a rag, and tiptoed over.

A mischievous smile appeared on her lips, and she suddenly slapped the other person's shoulder.

Snap!

Startled, Vera snapped back to reality and met a pair of smiling eyes:

"What are you thinking about, so intently... Police Officer, I was just talking to you! Confess, are you slacking off and not wanting to clean?"

"You can manage when you live alone, but I can't."

"From now on, this will be our place..."

Seeing the woman's radiant smile, Vera forced a smile, only to be met with a glare. "Your smile is uglier than your tears..."

Vera could only manage a wry smile upon hearing this.

Beyoncé pulled him by the hand and sat him on the Long Sofa, saying softly:

"You don't seem quite right today. Is the engagement date too rushed? If you're not ready... we can postpone it."

Vera paused for a few seconds, then said in a low voice:

It has nothing to do with the engagement.

Last night, one of my friends passed away.

Beyoncé paused, then lowered her head guiltily and said, "I'm sorry, Police Officer... I didn't know. May the Goddess bless him with peace..."

She closed her eyes and traced Crimson Moon on her chest.

Vera hesitated, then shook her head and said:

"It doesn't matter."

Beyoncé reached out and held Vera's hand, blinked her watery eyes, and whispered, "If it's convenient, could you tell me about him?"

"I think we can go to Church together tonight to pray for him."

"I can't tell you the specifics of the case, but..." Vera's heart skipped a beat, "I can tell you how we met, would you like to hear it?"

Beyoncé nodded without hesitation, because that was her original intention.

She often volunteers at orphanages and knows that many sorrows don't need comfort, but rather a cathartic release.

It's better to cry it out or shout it out than to keep it bottled up inside.

With this thought in mind, Beyoncé got up, poured two glasses of pre-cooled warm water, placed them on the Tea Table table, and then gently held Vera's hand.

She gently patted the back of the other person's hand, her eyes full of encouragement.

After a moment of silence, Vera slowly spoke:

"A few years ago, I went to a small Village along a tributary of the Tussock River to investigate a case of attempted Devil worship, which is somewhat ridiculous."

"The mastermind wanted to destroy the river embankment before the flood season, so that the entire Village would be flooded, thus pleasing the Devil and gaining power in return."

"To be honest, although this plan is rough, its feasibility is quite high."

"The mastermind went to great lengths to deceive most of the villagers, but forgot about a boy who had lost both his parents. He seized the opportunity to secretly report him to the Police."

"This boy is the friend I was talking about."

When he spoke of the past, his expression became slightly more lively, and he seemed lost in memories, a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth appearing on his lips.

"Guess how he found out?"

Beyoncé cooperated by adopting a thoughtful expression and gently shaking her head:

How was it discovered?

Vera continued:

"This guy has no parents and is ostracized by his peers in the village. Every day he goes to the river to talk to the fish and shrimp and treats them as friends."

"At his age, he didn't realize that if the river embankment were damaged, it would bring Catastrophe to the village; he simply didn't want to lose his friend."

He knew that fish and shrimp would die if washed ashore, so he climbed into Wooden Crate full of vegetables and came to Backlund without telling anyone else.

"Having handled similar cases before, I realized there was something wrong with this matter, so I volunteered to take on the task and quietly began an investigation."

"The process went smoothly, and I quickly killed the mastermind."

"But unexpectedly, he had a secret accomplice who somehow obtained explosives from mining and ruthlessly blew up the river embankment ahead of time."

"Because it is not yet the flood season, the water volume of this tributary is far from sufficient. I arranged for the villagers to evacuate in time, and there were no casualties."

"Just when I thought it was all over and was preparing to return to Backlund, I saw this guy next to the breached riverbank."

The curve of his lips widened further as he chuckled:

"This guy was actually picking up the fish and shrimp that had been washed ashore by the water one by one with his bare hands, and then throwing them back into the water."

"I told him that professionals would come soon to drain the water and repair the riverbank, and most of the fish and shrimp would be able to survive."

"His actions are meaningless except for wasting energy, indulging in self-pity, getting all sweaty, and eating two extra bowls of rice at night."

Then he said...

Vera then adopted the other person's tone and repeated their words verbatim from back then:

"You're wrong. Repairing the riverbank is a good thing, but it takes time. Even if most of the fish and shrimp survive, some will be picked up and eaten, die in the sun, or become toys for children."

"And I can save the life of a fish or a shrimp simply by bending down."

"Police, you are a great man in Backlund, with a long-term vision. I am just an orphan child, only able to see what's in front of me."

"That's the meaning behind what I'm doing."

He suppressed his smile, his emotions instantly becoming complex.

Just as Beyoncé felt lost and was about to offer some words of comfort, Vera grinned and glanced wistfully at the woman beside her:

"As a result, the water conservancy department repaired the river embankment in less than a day."

"Do you think he's very stupid?"

Beyoncé carefully looked Vera up and down to make sure he seemed calm before softly offering her opinion:

"I think your friend is right. Everyone has a different role, and everyone just needs to do their job well."

"Some people are responsible for the present, and some are responsible for the future."

Vera pursed her lips and asked in a deep voice:

"You really think so?"

"Of course." Beyoncé was completely unaware of the man's thoughts beside her.

Vera nodded slightly, and after a moment of silence, she spoke:

"I've thought about it carefully. Since his death, I'm really in a bad state. How about we follow your suggestion and postpone the engagement for a while?"

"After all, this is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and I don't want to have any regrets."

"Are you really going to postpone it?" Beyoncé pouted, frowned, and asked sullenly, "Then when do we reschedule?"

Vera took his small hand in hers, caressing it gently with affection, and smiled as she threw the question back at him, "How did you feel about New Year's Day?"

In the evening, after watching the lady's carriage leave, Vera strode back to the Living Room, quickly wrote a letter, and dropped it into the mailbox by the roadside.

Taking advantage of the darkness, he turned into a side alley, gently stroked the White Bone Ring, and his figure quickly became ethereal, disappearing from the spot in the blink of an eye.

Soon, Vera appeared on the banks of the Tussock River.

He was just about to survey his surroundings, searching for the location Jon had mentioned when he slept Spirit Channeling him, but before he could even begin, he heard a soft sigh:

"I gave you a chance... Vera."

"Twice."