Chapter 194 - 193: Little Old Man, You Can Go Home Now

Chapter 194: Chapter 193: Little Old Man, You Can Go Home Now

"Every time I brought these things up, my master would refuse to speak of them. His expression would be filled with sorrow," Rian Sinclair began. "Now I finally understand why he preferred to stay all alone in that little village rather than return.

"My master lived in my village. Although the villagers weren’t particularly friendly, no one ever dared to walk all over him.

"Master grew vegetables in a small garden and spent most of his life guarding a simple tile-roofed house. Whenever he wanted to drink tea, he would run to the back mountain to look for wild tea trees. And he would search for a long time.

"After I learned his techniques, I often went to the back mountain to find tea myself. Once, during a school holiday, I went back to his house and saw his head wrapped in bandages.

"I knew right then that he must have sneaked off to the back mountain to look for tea and taken a nasty fall. I told him to stop going up there, and later I found a small tea sapling and planted it nearby.

"He was quite happy about that, constantly tending to the sapling. That was when I started learning tea culture from him. He was a strict teacher; he would only ever explain something once and never repeat it."

Speaking of this, Rian offered a faint smile.

"To make sure I learned, the little old man smacked my palms quite a few times."

Rian’s expression softened completely. After her parents passed away, she had to take care of Ash Sinclair all by herself. It was only after she met her master that she was finally able to act her age, throwing childish tantrums at him.

"Later on, he taught me so much," she continued. "At first, he would just half-heartedly help Ash and me with our schoolwork. But eventually, he got annoyed with Ash’s playfulness and took me on as his sole disciple.

"I learned everything about tea from him—from appreciating and selecting the leaves to brewing them. I studied for so long that whenever I closed my eyes, all I could see was what I’d learned about tea.

"Once I got past the initial learning curve, I picked things up quickly. He taught me about tea, about life, and imparted his wisdom.

"At the time, Old Man Sinclair didn’t put on any airs of being an elder, so I started calling him Old Man Sinclair. Once I started, I could never bring myself to change it for the rest of his life.

"Old Man Sinclair taught me his philosophies on life. He told me never to judge others based on a one-sided story. He taught me etiquette and how to carry myself with grace.

"Back then, it truly felt like Old Man Sinclair could do anything. There was nothing he didn’t know, nothing he couldn’t conquer.

"I never expected that such a knowledgeable, resilient old man would ultimately be defeated by cancer.

"His spirit was almost entirely worn away by the illness. But for some reason, he later seemed to make peace with it. He spent his days brewing tea and fishing.

"Every time I went to see him, he somehow seemed to stand a little taller. Yet, there would always be subtle hints of other emotions lingering around him, though he hid them well.

"When he was first diagnosed, he fell into a long depression. We went to the hospital for treatment, but after just two weeks, he refused to stay any longer.

"He said that listening to the groans around him every day made him feel like he was dying too. I couldn’t out-argue the stubborn old man. I didn’t notice anything amiss back then; I just thought he simply hated being in the hospital.

"Following the doctor’s instructions, he was allowed to rest at home. So, we went back. I stayed by his side to take care of him, even taking a leave of absence from school to study at home.

"I was only in my senior year of high school then. With all our various expenses, I frequently went out to work part-time jobs. I didn’t think much of it at the time; I only thought that once I got into a university, I’d have more time to earn more money.

"Because of that, I didn’t observe his condition closely enough. Eventually, I received my university acceptance letter. Argent offered higher pay, so I went to Argent.

"I was filled with joy as I held my acceptance letter, ready to show it to him. But the villagers told me that Old Man Sinclair had passed away the very night I left home for a class reunion in the county town.

"He had told them I was saying goodbye to my old friends and forbade the villagers from sending me the news, no matter what. After he died, he was covered with a tattered woven mat and carelessly laid beneath that tea tree.

"Eventually, some people scraped together enough money to have him cremated. As soon as I returned, they handed me his urn.

"So, while I was out there eating, drinking, and having a good time, Old Man Sinclair passed away alone. I only realized later that all those things he had said to me weren’t to comfort me, but to arrange his affairs.

"I buried his urn beside that tea tree, right next to the tea he had loved his entire life."

Rian’s tone was calm. She lowered her head slightly, hiding the sorrow between her brows. Old Man Sinclair was gone just like that—an old man who had lived his whole life so freely and unrestrainedly. There was no grand funeral. His body was wrapped in a simple straw mat, later reduced to a box of weightless ashes. In the end, he was confined to a small box, buried next to his favorite tea tree.

Old Mr. Sinclair’s eyes grew wet, and tears slipped down his cheeks. "So... he’s really gone, just like that."

His tone was utterly heartbreaking and filled with unbearable grief. Yet, his posture seemed to slowly release a heavy burden. He lowered his head, his words heavy with self-blame.

"It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t been so stubborn, so intent on proving a point, we wouldn’t have gone over forty years without seeing each other. I wouldn’t have missed being by his side when he left."

Watching Old Mr. Sinclair, Rian swallowed down the many, many words she had wanted to say. She held her tongue because this was the man Old Man Sinclair had thought about for most of his life. She had harbored resentment once, but upon careful reflection, she realized it was no longer necessary. The little old man was gone. There was no need for it anymore. She only hoped that in his next life, the little old man could live a peaceful and steady life.

Rian composed her expression, suppressing everything else in her heart, and looked at the grieving man. "Elder Sinclair, when I have time, I’ll sort through Old Man Sinclair’s belongings and bring them to you. However, I hope you will bring him back home."

Old Man Sinclair didn’t belong to that village, yet due to certain circumstances, it had trapped him for the better part of his life. Because of this, Rian only wished that he could finally return to the side of the person he had always missed. That falling leaves could return to their roots.

Sinclair Village was too small to contain his brilliance. He shouldn’t be forced to remain there even after death. His talent, his knowledge, and his vision had all been buried in Sinclair Village. But in that era, brilliance was a sin. The little old man was simply born in the wrong time.

Having said her piece, Rian cupped her hands in a respectful salute toward Old Mr. Sinclair, then turned to leave. With those final words, any further connection between her and Old Mr. Sinclair came to a definitive end.

Declining the offer from the man in the tunic suit to walk her out, Rian glanced at Old Mr. Sinclair in the pavilion before turning to the man. "Take good care of your master."

With that, she walked away.

Stepping out of the small courtyard, Rian breathed in the natural, fresh air. The atmosphere inside had been far too suffocating. Once she passed through the main gates, the oppressive weight on her shoulders began to dissipate.

The little old man’s voice seemed to echo in her ears once more.

Looking up at the sky, she thought, "Little old man. You can finally go home."