"The first wish should already be resolved…"
Xiangli Yao sounded a little hesitant when he said that. After all, rumors about those two had already spread throughout the entire research institute…
In a way, that counted as fulfilling Shifan's wish too, right?
"So what's the next wish corrupted by the data?" Zane muttered with a yawn. "Let's hurry this up, I still have missions to do."
Seeing how tired he looked, Rover pulled him down to sit on the grass in front of the wishing stall.
She bent her legs slightly and let him rest his head on her lap. Her slender fingers gently combed through his messy white hair, smoothing it little by little.
Peach blossoms rustled overhead, and a pale pink petal happened to cling to the edge of her brow, reflecting in his eyes.
Her originally sharp brows looked softer under the shadow of the flowers. When she lowered her gaze, the corners of her eyes drooped ever so slightly, and her lashes cast faint bluish shadows across Zane's face.
The peach tree above them whispered in the wind. Three birdcalls cut through the sky in succession. Their breaths quietly tangled together, and for a moment it became impossible to tell which was softer on the heart.
Xiangli Yao rubbed his stomach… He clearly hadn't eaten breakfast, so why did it feel like his blood sugar was rising?
But business came first. He had no choice but to cough lightly and relay the second letter Little Robot had deciphered, "They say the Moon-Chasing Festival is supposed to be about reunion, but with my son no longer by my side, the house feels empty every single day… I wonder if my son is lonely over there in that other world too. Should I go keep him company? But I promised him I'd live well here too…"
"Moon Tree House, oh Moon Tree House, I'm already old and don't have any special wishes. If you're truly as miraculous as they say, then please tell this old woman what I should do."
As soon as Xiangli Yao finished recounting Granny Heying's wish, Zane immediately sat upright from Rover's lap.
Even Stelle lowered her eyes, no longer carrying her usual liveliness.
Just reading that wish made people's hearts ache.
Among everyone present, perhaps only the Doctor could still maintain the ability to analyze things rationally at a time like this.
"I think this elder, just like Xiaosheng before her, submitted her wish because she hoped someone would help her. That hope gave her the courage to send it out."
"Let's go." Rover stood up and brushed the grass clippings from her clothes. Determination shone in her golden eyes.
"Wishes involving life and death aren't something human strength can solve. Only the person involved truly understands the pain of losing family."
"If we try to help in the wrong way, we might only deepen the wounds in her heart."
But...
"Listening, understanding, and thinking. Those are the things we need to do. The right to choose will always belong to Granny Heying herself."
She couldn't ignore someone who had reached out for help.
That had always been true, and it always would be.
No matter what the outcome was, she would make her own choice.
After witnessing all this, Xiangli Yao quietly walked over to Zane's side and nudged him with his elbow, teasing him with a grin.
"She's already got the bearing of the mistress of Moon Tree House."
"Mind your own business!" Zane laughed and cursed at him before quickly catching up to Rover and asking around for Granny Heying's home.
The moment people heard mention of the old woman, they all said she was kind-hearted and willingly pointed the way.
Not long after, Zane spotted an elderly woman in the courtyard tending to some potted plants.
Though she was already past middle age and her hair had turned gray, she still moved with energy. It was only because of her son's passing that her otherwise healthy body now seemed slightly hunched.
"Happy Moon-Chasing Festival, Granny Heying."
The old woman put down the flowerpot in her hands and looked them over.
"Happy Moon-Chasing Festival… And you are?"
Zane then introduced everyone to Granny Heying one by one. At first she looked delighted, but when she heard that the tall black-haired girl among them was Rover, confusion appeared on her face.
'Rover… Rover… That name sounds familiar somehow…' Granny Heying fell into thought.
Before long, the wrinkles on her face suddenly eased, and surprise and joy climbed onto her brows together. "I remember now! You're the great hero who stopped the Tacet Discord from hatching and protected Jinzhou!"
Hearing this, Rover awkwardly played with a strand of hair beside her cheek and smiled shyly.
"Thank you. Thank you for fulfilling my son's wish."
"Your son's wish?"
The old woman nodded. With her hands behind her back, her posture straightened a little more.
"That child had this wish ever since he was young, to protect me and protect everything in Jinzhou."
"He was always saying, 'One day, I'll definitely defeat the Tacet Discords and let everyone live normal lives.' Later on, he joined the Nightbreak Army and became a soldier."
Whenever she talked about her son, pride would always appear on her face.
But the moment she remembered his sacrifice, bitterness and sorrow mixed into that smile.
Once she started talking about him, it was as though a floodgate had opened. Pride, grief, and resentment all came pouring out at once.
"During one mission, he stayed behind with the other soldiers to buy time for ordinary people like an old woman like me to escape."
"I know that child did it so he wouldn't betray his own wish, but… but didn't that mean he left nothing behind? He never even got to see the day the Tacet Discords were defeated."
The old woman let out a long sigh, turned around with her back facing them, and clenched her fists as she forced down the grief in her heart.
Zane and the others simply stood there quietly, waiting.
Soon enough, after calming herself down, the old woman turned back again. A smile once more appeared on her face.
"Look at me, rambling on and on during a holiday like this. I've talked your ears off. So, what did you come to see me about?"
Looking at the forced smile on the old woman's face, Rover felt as though something had wrapped tightly around her throat, making even breathing hurt.
But she also knew clearly that even this pain wasn't one ten-thousandth of the agony of losing a child.
"Grandma, do you remember the wish you submitted to Moon Tree House?"
"I do, I do. Everyone says Moon Tree House has miraculous powers. In that case, you must've been sent by it to help me fulfill my wish, right?"
The old woman believed that since they had helped her son fulfill his wish, they would surely be able to help her fulfill hers too.
"As for me, I don't really have any special wish. Just like I wrote there, I don't know what I should do anymore. I wanted to rely on Moon Tree House's power to help me choose an answer."
"If it's about choosing an answer…" Zane rubbed his chin and glanced at Xiangli Yao.
Seeing him nod in return, he turned to Rover. "Answers work better when spoken in front of Moon Tree House itself. Right, great hero?"
As he spoke, Zane winked at Rover. Right now, in the old woman's eyes, only Rover, who had helped fulfill her son's wish, likely had any persuasive power.
With the understanding between them, Rover understood Zane's intentions from just that one glance.
"That's right, Granny. Why don't you come take a walk with us to Moon Tree House? Peach Blossom Village has also been preparing for the Moonlit Night Festival lately, and there are lots of interesting stalls set up. We can stroll around together too."
The moment going out was mentioned, the old woman visibly hesitated.
Ever since her son's death, she rarely went outside anymore, much less somewhere lively like that.
Right then, a petite girl quickly ran over to the old woman, gently took her hand, and pleaded sweetly,
"Come on, Granny. Let's go take a look together."
Among the group, the only one who could really be called petite besides Jue, who had stayed behind in Peach Blossom Village, was the Doctor.
Faced with such adorable pleading, even the worldly old woman couldn't help chuckling. She raised a hand and gently patted the Doctor's black hair, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes softening with kindness.
"If I had a granddaughter, she'd probably be about your age too… Alright, alright. This old woman will come along with you."
Seeing the old woman give in, the Doctor quietly raised her brows toward Zane and the others as if claiming credit. The little expression on her face was unbearably cute. No wonder the old woman's heart had softened.
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