The Cornflower Witch

Chapter 69: Grandpa when he was young

The carriage creaked and groaned as it traveled along the road. Talier leaned against the window, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she gazed at the undulating hills and scenery outside.

Inside the carriage, Sylutia wore a practical dark grey coat, her silver-snow hair casually spilling over the hood behind her and onto her shoulders. She had also started by watching the scenery outside the window like Talier, but now, probably feeling sleepy, she leaned back against the seat for a short nap.

The slight jostling of the mountain road did not wake her. Once she grew accustomed to its rhythm, it instead became a hypnotic lullaby-like cadence.

Scattered snowflakes drifted in the sky. The carriage moved at a steady, unhurried pace. The vast, open wilderness showed no human figures, only the occasional bird flitting past, bringing with it a few chirps.

In her hazy, half-asleep state, Sylutia recalled her previous life, the times she would travel back to her hometown during holidays. That also required sitting in a vehicle for a long time.

The adults chatting and laughing, the rise and fall of the mountain road, and the refreshing mountain wind blowing into the vehicle—it was all so familiar and nostalgic.

Her hometown in winter and her hometown in summer had different scenery. Gone were the summer cicada songs and shimmering reflections on the water, replaced by the warmth before the firewood and the aroma of roasted sweet potatoes.

Time flowed leisurely. She and those childhood friends from her hometown back then slowly grew up until they each went their separate ways, heading to unfamiliar, distant places.

...

Evening approached, the sky gradually darkening. The carriage slowly climbed a high slope and then descended. On the flat land below, a village surrounded by fields appeared. Scattered orange-yellow lights in the village flickered faintly, guiding the carriage as it drew closer bit by bit.'Huff, huff——' The dun horse let out a long whinny, exhaling white steam, then casually clopped its hooves a few times on the stone pavement before the carriage came to a stop.

"Tia, we're here." Talier, wrapped in a small brown cloak, got out of the carriage and called to the girl behind her.

"Mhm." The girl softly acknowledged, then pulled up the hood at the back of her head and also stepped down.

The two now stood in the village square. Its appearance was the same as it had been months ago, with only a few subtle places still showing traces of the battle that had taken place—like residual charcoal ash in the cracks between stones, or a notch chopped into a certain railing.

"My home is at the back of the village. Follow me."

Talier waved to the coachman, then led the other girl onward. Villagers they met on the way also greeted Talier.

"You're back, Talier."

"Haven't seen you in months. You've grown much prettier."

"Hehe, thank you, uncle, auntie." Talier answered sweetly.

"I'm home!" She announced a bit louder, as if she wanted to shout it out a few times to vent her feelings.

As they walked, Talier's steps became bouncy and incredibly light.

Soon, they arrived in front of the village chief's house. The old chief had long since heard the commotion and was standing at the door waiting.

"You finally came back to see me, Talier." He stretched out his arms and hugged his granddaughter. The grandfather and granddaughter clung to each other, laughing happily.

After a good long while of catching up, the old village chief reluctantly let go of Talier and greeted Sylutia.

"Apologies, Miss Tia. Got a bit carried away for a moment, hehe." The old man had deep brown hair and a thick beard.

"It's quite alright. How has your health been recently?" Sylutia walked over and set down the two bottles of medicinal wine she was carrying.

"Drinking a bit of this in winter will make you feel much more comfortable." The medicinal wine contained a small amount of herbs with the 'Blazing Sun' Aspect, making it very warming for the stomach.

"Oh, you really shouldn't have spent so much." He ushered the two inside to sit, then went to arrange accommodations for the coachman and a place to unload the goods.

Night fell. The three gathered in the small house for a meal. On the table were baked bread, smoked sausage, and a steaming root vegetable soup. While not particularly luxurious, in the village, this was an exceptionally rich dinner.

The old man ate while asking the two about their recent situation in Scorchstone City. Upon hearing that Sylutia was studying under Scholar Hyde, he gave a thumbs-up.

"Excellent. That old gentleman is a formidable scholar. If I hadn't been poor back in the day, I probably would have gone to study under him too."

"Hey, Grandpa, when you were young, Scholar Hyde wasn't that old either, right?" Talier propped her head on her hand and teased.

"He wasn't old, but he already had some fame back then. Quite a few girls in Scorchstone City admired and liked him." The old man rubbed Talier's head as he answered.

"I was around twenty years old back then, working as an adventurer in Scorchstone City. Scholar Hyde was in his early thirties and had already become a 'Second Tier·Secret Word' scholar, helping the previous Viscount Xuefeng manage administrative affairs. He often led people to visit nearby villages to solve problems, so many people in this area knew him."

"Some villages still have the basic literacy primers he left behind back then. I heard he even paid for the printing himself."

"Although not many people were literate, at least those who wanted to learn had a way." The old man reminisced.

"I wasn't too focused on that back then. I was concentrating on doing adventurer missions to earn money, and that's when I met your grandmother."

"What did my grandmother look like? Was she pretty?" Talier was especially curious, shaking the old man's arm, demanding an answer.

"Your grandmother..." The old man stroked his beard.

"She wasn't the type who was stunningly beautiful or eye-catching at first glance. Back then, she came to Scorchstone City with a circus troupe. Her aunt worked in the troupe, apparently as a fortune-teller."

"I didn't have money to buy a ticket at the time, so I and a few companions climbed over the wall to watch the performance. That's when I ran into your grandmother, who had come out to dump some water."

"She was also around eighteen or nineteen, with fine, chestnut-colored hair, simply braided into pigtails on both sides. Her smile was especially sweet. I was utterly captivated by that dimple of hers."

"We didn't get to see the circus performance. My companions and I were chased out by your grandmother with a broom. It was surprising that a young girl like her wasn't afraid of several burly young men like us."

"But we were also planning to live in Scorchstone City long-term, so we didn't want to end up in the constable's office over something like this. We didn't dare hit her, just sheepishly dodged the broom and then ran off."

"Still, we got to know each other. During the rest of the circus troupe's stay in Scorchstone City, I always went to find her, and we gradually became familiar."

"She told me many stories about distant places, like fire-breathing lizards, crows and birds that could understand human speech, and black vines that rose up at night."

"All sorts of stories had me completely spellbound back then. Even though I'd seen quite a few novel things as an adventurer, I was still occasionally startled by her."

"She seemed to really enjoy seeing me get scared, feeling particularly proud. Just like that, we almost had endless things to talk about."

"But good times don't last. The circus troupe eventually had to leave, and we faced separation."

"She pleaded with her aunt, hoping to stay behind. I was by her side then, supporting her."

"That was the first time I saw your grandmother's aunt. I've long forgotten what she looked like, but that deep purple hood and the crystal ball in front of her have always appeared in my dreams."

"Her aunt didn't agree at first, saying your grandmother wouldn't find happiness staying here. Because she was a fortune-teller, and many people in the circus troupe believed her. So, the first plea ended in complete failure."

"Honestly, I also thought there wasn't much hope. I didn't have the courage to forcefully make her stay, because back then I wasn't exactly respectable or wealthy, just an ordinary adventurer living hand-to-mouth, not even officially stepped into the First Tier yet."

"Just like that, the last few days passed. When I had mentally prepared myself to go see your grandmother off, she seemed to have made some firm decision. She jumped down from the carriage and threw herself into my arms."

"I've never remembered the feeling of that day so clearly. When I held your grandmother's body, that warmth and softness became the source of my lifelong sweet dreams." The old man poured some wine, narrating slowly.

"Because of your grandmother's insistence, her aunt finally couldn't refuse. She sighed and told me to take good care of her, then gave a necklace to your grandmother, telling her to keep it safe."

"Happiness came so suddenly. Not long after, we returned to the village and held a wedding. Many friends and relatives came to offer their blessings back then, and the joyous celebration lasted for several days."

"After that, I lived a stable and warm life. The first thing I did every day upon returning home was to hug your grandmother and tell her about the things I encountered that day. Then we would eat together. Whenever I came across anything fresh and delicious back then, I would always bring it back for your grandmother. Just doing that made me happy."

"Just like that, we lived very happily, until later, when your father was born." The old man's story slowly entered its latter half.