The Weight of Snowdreams

Father Kant had retired to his room early that evening. The children, however, remained in the church, listening to Mia play the piano. But her music, unlike usual, failed to quiet the boisterous children; they were restless and agitated.

“It’s so late. Why aren’t Sister Kuroki and that freeloader back yet?” The little girl, usually the most scathing with her sarcastic remarks towards Tang Wenxu, spoke with a hint of worry.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Myles said. “It at least means the freeloader found a job.”

The other children found his reasoning sound and nodded in agreement. Though they didn’t voice it, the thought of their freeloader big brother finding work visibly pleased them.

Yet, beneath their joy, a touch of melancholy lingered.

“It’s already eight o’clock,” a child remarked, glancing at the clock. “Even if they found work, this is too late.”

“Eight o’clock? Could something have happened?” The little girl seemed uneasy, pacing back and forth.

“You’re worried about that freeloader too?” Myles asked, surprised. “How unexpected.”

“Hmph!” The little girl’s face flushed. “Don’t get the wrong idea! Who cares if that freeloader lives or dies? I’m only worried about Sister Kuroki. Think about it, a beautiful girl like her, not back so late—what if something happens? As for you, I never specified who I was talking about, so how did you know I meant the freeloader?”

“Well…” Myles stammered, thinking quickly. He explained, “After all, he’s the man who defeated me. I won’t allow him to get into trouble so easily. The only one who can defeat him is me.”

The children chirped like a flock of larks, their voices a lively accompaniment to Mia’s piano.

Suddenly, Mia’s music ceased. A faint sound echoed from outside the door.

“The freeloader is back,” the little girl declared.

“How do you know?” Myles asked, puzzled.

“His footsteps, silly! Can’t you tell?” The little girl put her hands on her hips, brimming with confidence. “Want to bet?”

“You say you don’t care about him, yet you can even distinguish his footsteps,” Myles teased.

“Ah!” The little girl’s small face turned crimson. After a moment, she retorted, “I can only distinguish Sister Kuroki’s footsteps. I deduced it was the freeloader through elimination!”

“Right,” Myles said, his expression conveying an ‘I understand everything’ look without uttering a word. The other children shared a knowing smile.

‘Ugh…’ The little girl’s face was as red as a ripe apple. ‘I’ll definitely give that freeloader a good scolding later! Hmph!’

In truth, despite their constant sarcastic remarks, they didn’t truly dislike Tang Wenxu. As the saying goes, ‘to hit is to show affection, to scold is to show love, and if love isn’t enough, kick them.’

Indeed, it was Tang Wenxu who had returned.

He entered the church courtyard with his head bowed, his hands empty, and an air of defeat clinging to him.

He had initially planned to use his earnings to buy a giant plush bear for the children. However, that money had either been exchanged for bread or buried underground, resting with the old woman. Tang Wenxu was now penniless.

Moreover, the day’s events had left him utterly exhausted, feeling as though he might fall apart at any moment.

Upon seeing Tang Wenxu, the children immediately swarmed him, interrogating him. “Hey, Freeloader Big Brother, did you find a job?”

“No,” Tang Wenxu replied, forcing an awkward, pale smile.

“Then what are you doing back?”

“I knew it! How could a freeloader find a job?”

“Don’t even think about it. Who would want someone so clumsy?”

“Exactly, haha.”

“Sister Kuroki isn’t back, so what are you doing here? Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!”

The children chattered incessantly, sticking out their tongues at him.

“Shut up!” Tang Wenxu roared. “Get out!”

The children froze. It was the first time they had ever seen Tang Wenxu angry, and his shout was filled with such raw, heart-wrenching pain. Only then did they notice that his face was contorted to a disturbing degree.

The children, suddenly afraid, scattered and ran. Several of the younger girls even cried out, “We’re never talking to you again!”

Watching their retreating figures, Tang Wenxu stood rooted for a long time, feeling as though the world had abandoned him. He dropped to his knees, slamming his fists repeatedly against the ground.

“Damn it! What am I doing?! I’m taking my anger out on the children, when it has nothing to do with them!”

He knew the children meant no harm, but he simply couldn’t control his emotions.

Just then, he saw Mia emerge from the church.

“Are you here to blame me?” Tang Wenxu managed a desolate smile. His vision blurred, his face was pale, and he braced himself with his arms on the ground to keep from collapsing completely.

Mia shook her head, offering him a gentle smile, and extended her hand.

In that moment, he felt as though he had been saved.

“I’m sorry,” Tang Wenxu said, tears streaming down his face. “I’m truly sorry.”

He grasped Mia’s hand. It felt like a drowning man clutching a piece of driftwood in the vast ocean.

Mia smiled faintly, a smile that made Tang Wenxu believe that if a goddess truly existed in this world, she stood before him now. She cradled his face, gently lifting his bowed head until his gaze met her pale blue eyes. She brushed aside the fringe covering his forehead, revealing a wound. It was a cut from a stone thrown by the enraged villagers, and it was still bleeding.

‘In the end, only Mia noticed my wound?’ Tang Wenxu yearned to bury his face in the embrace of this kind girl. Though she could not speak, her actions constantly warmed the hearts of those around her.

She gently treated his wound with iodine and bandages, her movements as tender as a loving mother’s. She led him into the church, gestured for him to sit on a pew, and then began to play the piano.

Though she could not speak, she could convey her emotions through the piano; it was her language.

The melody was beautiful, ethereal, as pure as snow. It felt as though snowflakes were covering the defiled earth, transforming it into a fairyland. He would later learn the piece was called “Snowdreams.”

Closing his eyes, Tang Wenxu felt as if he were sitting by a warm hearth, sipping hot cocoa brewed by his mother, as snow drifted endlessly outside, forming beautiful patterns on the windowpane.

Just then, he felt someone embrace him from behind, as if whispering, ‘It’s all right now.’

He opened his eyes, startled to find that the gentle touch was not his mother’s, but Kuroki Nao’s.

“Master,” Kuroki Nao murmured, gently pulling his head into her soft embrace. She softly caressed the bandaged wound on his forehead. Instead of scolding Tang Wenxu for his carelessness, she simply said, “I’m home.”

“Welcome home.”

‘Yes, Nao is here too.’

Kuroki Nao quietly sat beside Tang Wenxu. He instinctively took her hand. She paused, her pretty face flushing slightly, then slowly rested her small head on his shoulder.

The two strangers in this world, immersed in the gentle “Snowdreams,” quietly listened to Mia’s piano.