A Painful Farewell and Hopeful Reunion

The young girl sat beside the pine and cypress trees in the church courtyard, wiping away her tears. The mere thought of him leaving made the tears she had just managed to wipe away flow anew, uncontrollably.

The usually strong-willed little queen now had eyes red from weeping. Though she was usually the fiercest in her taunts and sarcasm towards Tang Wenxu, she was also the one who would miss him the most.

Seeing the young girl run out of the church’s dining hall in tears, the other children followed suit. While she might have a sharp tongue, she was still their companion, and seeing her upset made everyone feel ill at ease.

“Hey,” Myles said, tapping her shoulder, “Stop crying. You look truly awful when you cry.”

Clearly, Myles was still just a child who had no idea how to comfort a girl.

“Don’t touch me!” The young girl flung his hand off her shoulder, her voice hoarse with sobs. “I’ll cry if I want to! It’s my freedom, and it’s none of your business!”

Her large, tear-reddened eyes glared at the children who had come to comfort her. Yet, as she looked at them, the anger she intended to unleash simply vanished.

She saw that every child, including the stoic Myles, had reddened eyes, as if they might burst into tears themselves at any moment. They were all suppressing their feelings for Tang Wenxu.

Myles sighed. “Alright, cry then. It’ll make you feel better. Just don’t cry tomorrow when that guy leaves.”

The young girl nodded unconsciously, her vision blurred by tears. A few other children couldn’t hold back and began to cry as well.

She understood that leaving now was the best option for Tang Wenxu. The Silver Bud family was a prominent lineage in Komi City; aligning with such a powerful entity was a hundred times better than spending a lifetime as their caretaker in this dilapidated church.

That was why, upon learning Tang Wenxu was leaving the Zelin Kingdom for the distant Liegnitz Kingdom, she had run out. She didn’t want him to see her sadness and become hesitant about his new work.

She had intended to hold back her tears and, contrary to her usual demeanor, offer him a blessing. But her tears had betrayed her, flowing uncontrollably and letting him witness her sorrow.

It couldn’t be helped. Even though he was a freeloader, the young girl had long since grown fond of him.

He was a coward, too weak for words, yet he’d bravely stood up to punks to protect them. He was penniless, yet he used his last bit of money to bake cookies for everyone. He was a big fool who repaid their constant sarcasm with kindness.

Who wouldn’t grow to like such a person?

Each memory of their time together made the young girl’s chest ache.

After a long while, their tears seemed to have dried. The children sat together, gazing wistfully at the starry sky. The joy from their meal earlier had long vanished, replaced by an atmosphere of profound sorrow.

“We’ve agreed, okay?” Myles said, his voice unusually gentle and tinged with a slight tremor, addressing the children gathered in a circle. “Tomorrow, we’ll see him off happily. No one is allowed to cry, alright?”

The children nodded silently, offering a quiet prayer under the stars for their older brother who had eaten their food for free.

Tang Wenxu watched the children through the crack in the door the entire time. He couldn’t go to comfort them, for he was the very source of their sadness.

Seeing their sorrowful faces, he still found himself unable to make the decision to leave.

Observing Tang Wenxu’s hesitation, Father Kant stood up and grasped his shoulder, his expression somewhat displeased. “Those children have already come to terms with the farewell. Why are you still being so indecisive?”

“But I…” Tang Wenxu stammered for a long moment before finally saying, “I don’t want the children to experience the pain of separation.”

“They will indeed suffer if you leave,” Father Kant declared loudly. “But have you considered, if you don’t leave, will they not suffer? No! They will suffer even more! They will believe they were a burden to you, and they will carry that guilt towards you for the rest of their lives. Do you think staying is a sacrifice? Quite the opposite. Staying would only prove you are selfish, and in the end, only you would find salvation while everyone else would live in sin.”

“I…” Tang Wenxu was speechless in the face of Father Kant’s stern questioning.

“Don’t live like a coward. You should make a choice like a man. Think it over carefully.” With that, Father Kant slammed the door shut and left.

Tang Wenxu clutched his head, looking utterly distressed. Just then, a delicate hand gently patted his shoulder.

“Mia, should I leave?” Tang Wenxu turned to look at the kind young woman, his face etched with worry.

Mia smiled at him, then pulled his sleeve, leading him to the church hall. She sat down gracefully and began to play the piano with focused concentration, clearly intending to convey her answer through the music.

In the first movement, the melody was imbued with feelings of sorrow and parting. In Tang Wenxu’s mind, a carriage galloped along a journey, the piece suffused with an atmosphere of farewell. This was clearly Mia’s answer, though the melancholic mood of separation made Tang Wenxu feel uneasy.

The second movement saw Mia pour even more emotion into the piece, an unsettling atmosphere emerging. The music’s foundation was loneliness and nostalgia, evoking a profound sense of isolation. Tang Wenxu finally broke down, weeping. In that moment, the thought of staying gained the upper hand.

In the third movement, after a tranquil transition, the style of the music suddenly shifted dramatically. This movement exuded a lively and dynamic energy. In his mind, he envisioned himself earning a fortune, then returning to the church to reunite with everyone. The children were no longer crestfallen at only being able to eat potato and sweet potato dishes; instead, they joyfully ate the delicious meals Tang Wenxu had prepared for them, surrounded by an atmosphere of happiness and peace.

Clearly, this was Mia’s message to him.

Separation exists for a more beautiful reunion.

‘That’s right,’ he thought. ‘No one said this was a permanent farewell. I’m just going to work; it’s not like I’m not coming back.’

Tang Wenxu’s tears turned into a smile, and he looked at Mia with gratitude. Mia returned his gaze with a smile of her own, a faint trace of unspoken wistfulness hidden within her gentle expression.

‘We part today, only to meet again on a beautiful tomorrow…’