Mo Yan's longing for Yu Sui
Just then, Bai Long returned at incredible speed,
and the heavy door shut behind him.
Bai Long (softly, with regret):
"Master… forgive me once again.
I still could not find Master Yu Sui."
With that,
he quietly vanished into the shadows once more.
---
Mo Yan's eyes welled up
a single tear escaped and rolled down his cheek.
But his expression remained as still and stoic
as a sculpture carved from stone.
His heart, however,
was not so still.
His thoughts drifted back
to a time when everything was simple
---
Flashback:
They were only seven years old.
---
Yu Sui (storming in):
"Hey! Mo Yan!
You're eating guavas from our clan's tree!"
"You've got some nerve!"
---
Mo Yan (calmly munching):
"So what?
It's just one guava, not the whole tree."
---
Yu Sui (furious):
"No!
Get out of here, or I'll call the guards!"
---
A tiny, harmless scuffle followed.
They wrestled for a moment
until Yu Sui managed to shove Mo Yan
into a heap of dry leaves.
And then…
Yu Sui (grinning and clapping):
"Look! Look!"
"Among the dry leaves… one more dry leaf!"
"From now on, your name is… Dry Leaf!"
"Yes! Mo Yan, the Dry Leaf!"
---
And that moment
that silly nickname,
etched deeper in Mo Yan's soul
than even his own name…