His fingertip made a small dent in the baby’s cheek, and the steward laughed happily. His laughter grew softer and soon stopped. Yue Linze, watching the baby, froze for a moment, then bit his lip hard, his face turning purple as he held back tears.
They never told Niannian about the steward’s passing. After her confinement, she found out and wept bitterly at the steward’s grave, but life had to go on. The immense sadness could only be lessened with time.
But time doesn’t always heal; one morning, Yue Linze saw a strand of white hair at his temple in the bronze mirror and suddenly felt that the wish to grow old together wasn’t so good after all.
Tao Yu was also worried. Niannian had grown up, and Niannian’s child would grow up too, but she still looked the same, standing out in the crowd. If others saw her as a monster, it would surely cause trouble.
For this reason, Yue Linze decided they should move away.
After a long time, Tao Yu said: “I seem… unable to grow old with you.”
Yue Linze’s smile suddenly froze: “What do you mean by that?”
“…I just, just remembered today that I won’t age,” Tao Yu said more smoothly after this sentence, “Do you understand? I’m not bound by time, I won’t age, I won’t grow white hair like normal people, so I can’t grow old together…”
She stopped halfway through her sentence, staring blankly at Yue Linze. After a long silence, Yue Linze suddenly laughed: “So you mean, my wife will always stay young and beautiful, always so vibrant by my side?”
“…I guess so.” Tao Yu was somewhat uneasy, unsure if he could accept this.
Yue Linze couldn’t help but hug her waist, pulling her into his arms: “How wonderful, how wonderful, you won’t age, won’t have to suffer the decline, I’m so grateful… But you won’t despise me, right? If one day I grow old and ugly, will you leave me?”
“Of course not,” Tao Yu broke free from his embrace, declaring firmly, “I love you, willing to love you for a lifetime, whether you’re ugly or old, you’re still you, and I will love you together.”
