HNYWEF -Chapter 14 Moving

Wude Year Nine, Ninth Month, First Day.

The woods south of the city had begun to shed their leaves.

They rustled underfoot, each step leaving a clear print behind.

Li Shimin came alone.

No honor guard, no escorts. He had not even ridden a horse. Dressed only in an ordinary dark robe, he walked through the forest and stopped in front of the old wooden door, weathered black with age.

He stood there for a while.

Then he raised his hand and knocked three times.

The door opened.

Zhou Xiong stood inside, looking at him.

The two men locked eyes for an instant.

Li Shimin spoke first.

“May I come in?”

Zhou Xiong stepped aside.

Li Shimin crossed the threshold and entered the house.

The room looked exactly the same as it had three months ago. One table, two stools, farming tools hanging on the wall, miscellaneous junk piled in the corner. That gourd still sat on the table—the same gourd as before.

Li Shimin’s gaze lingered on it for a moment before moving away.

Zhou Xiong remained by the doorway, not walking farther inside.

Li Shimin turned to look at him.

“Sit,” Zhou Xiong said.

Li Shimin sat down on one stool.

Zhou Xiong sat on the other.

The two men faced each other across the table.

Neither spoke.

The room was terribly quiet.

Birds chirped outside for a while before flying away again.

Li Shimin finally broke the silence.

“I’m emperor now.”

Zhou Xiong nodded.

Li Shimin waited a moment. Seeing that he had no intention of speaking, he continued,

“I’ve always remembered what happened that day.”

Zhou Xiong said nothing.

Li Shimin looked at him and suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

Before coming here, he had rehearsed countless things to say. He had thought about how to say them, what kind of reaction he might get in return. But now, sitting here and staring at that expressionless face, all those words suddenly refused to leave his mouth.

After a long silence, he tried another approach.

“I came today because there’s something I want to tell you.”

Zhou Xiong looked at him.

Li Shimin said, “Move into Chang’an.”

Zhou Xiong’s brow twitched slightly.

Just once.

Li Shimin continued, “I found a courtyard for you near the Western Market. It’s not large, but it’s enough for the two of you. It’s close to the market, so everything will be convenient. If you want to continue blacksmithing, there’s a shopfront there. If you don’t, I can arrange some other livelihood for you.”

Zhou Xiong remained silent.

After waiting a moment, Li Shimin added,

“You can drift through life in a daze if you want.”

Zhou Xiong’s gaze settled on his face.

Meeting that gaze directly, Li Shimin said slowly and clearly,

“But your son can’t.”

Silence filled the room once more.

So quiet they could hear the wind outside stirring the fallen leaves.

Zhou Xiong sat there motionless.

Li Shimin did not move either.

The two men simply sat facing each other.

After a very long time, Zhou Xiong suddenly turned his head.

He looked toward the doorway to the inner room.

Someone was standing there.

Zhou Yi had come out at some point. He stood there gripping the doorframe with both hands, only a small face peeking out as he stared over at them.

When he noticed his father looking at him, he froze for a moment and shrank back again.

Only half his head remained visible, his eyes still secretly peeking out.

Zhou Xiong looked at that face.

That face looked so much like hers.

He stared at it for a long time.

Then he turned back toward Li Shimin.

And nodded.

Just once.

Very lightly.

Without saying a single word.

Watching that nod, Li Shimin suddenly felt something inside him loosen slightly.

He stood up.

“Then I’ll go back and make the arrangements. In a couple of days, someone will come to bring you there.”

Zhou Xiong did not rise.

He simply sat there, watching Li Shimin.

Li Shimin walked to the door, then suddenly stopped.

Turning back, he looked at Zhou Xiong.

“What I owe you—I’ve never forgotten it.”

Zhou Xiong said nothing.

Li Shimin waited for a breath.

Still no reply.

Li Shimin nodded, pushed open the door, and walked out.

The door closed behind him.

The room fell silent once more.

Zhou Xiong sat there without moving.

After a long while, footsteps sounded behind him.

Zhou Yi walked over and stood beside him.

“Dad?”

Zhou Xiong did not answer.

Looking at his father’s profile, Zhou Yi asked softly,

“We’re moving away?”

Zhou Xiong nodded.

Zhou Yi froze for a moment.

Then suddenly he smiled.

Two little tiger teeth showed.

“Are there lots of people in the city?”

Zhou Xiong did not answer.

“Are there other kids there?”

Still no answer.

But Zhou Xiong lifted a hand and placed it on Zhou Yi’s head.

He ruffled his hair gently.

Zhou Yi tilted his face upward and looked at his father.

“Dad, you smiled.”

Zhou Xiong paused.

He did not think he had smiled.

But he said nothing.

He simply sat there, one hand resting on Zhou Yi’s head, staring at the closed door.

Outside, the wind blew the fallen leaves into a soft rustling chorus.

Suddenly, he thought of someone.

Thought of that face.

Thought of that smile.

Thought of a past that could never return again.

His hand stopped atop Zhou Yi’s head.

Motionless.

The room was very quiet.

Zhou Yi leaned against him and fell silent as well.

At last, Zhou Xiong stood up and walked to the door, pulling it open just a crack.

Outside, the sky was gray and dim.

Autumn was coming.

He looked at the forest, at the leaves beginning to yellow.

Looked for a very long time.

Then he closed the door.

Turned around.

And went inside to pack up the piles of junk that had accumulated over who knew how many years.