"Good night, sir! You've come again?"
A housekeeper greeted. Feeling familiar with the young man he met a week ago.
Adair's face looked stiff. He was not used to greeting someone. "Yes sir... "Is there a flute sound?" His hands were clenched on both sides, wherever his footsteps treaded, a cold aura always followed.
"Sir comes to this compound every night just to look for the sound of the flute, what is it for?" Wallace didn't want to interfere too much in other people's business, it was just that he was curious, and the cure for curiosity was to ask.
Adair just smiled faintly, looked at the guard of the house with authority, then said, "There is," in a rather stiff voice.
The guard smiled and shook his head, "Sir, let me tell you something." Wallace slowly sipped his black coffee. It was still steaming, probably freshly brewed.
Adair stood tall in front of Wallace. Patiently waiting for his next words.
"Actually, Sir is late in coming. The first time you came here and shouted, that was the last day I heard the same flute." Then Wallace explained.
Adair remembered a few weeks ago. He had shouted Elera's name at the top of his lungs. He even remembered being reprimanded by the dog for shouting too loudly!
He became a little embarrassed, bowing his head slightly.
"What do you mean?"
The housekeeper took another sip of his black coffee, then he thrust the cup of coffee in front of Adair, with the intention of offering.
Adair shook his head slowly, his face remaining cold. What he needed was the information, not the black coffee that seemed too hot to drink right away.
"You see, in the past before Tuan came, almost every day there was a young man who entered these houses. Many times before starting the action, the young man would play his flute in the darkest... "The darkest place, "Wallace said while pointing his index finger, pointing to the yard of an empty house that had not been occupied for a long time. It was indeed the darkest place in the entire compound.
Adair looked where Wallace's index finger was pointing. And if he remembered correctly, that was when he heard the flute coming from that direction as well.
"Sometimes that young man gets caught entering one of these houses, and as a reward, he gets mobbed. But strangely enough, even though he clearly entered the house, nothing was ever lost." Wallace scratched his forehead lightly, as if he was genuinely wondering about the young man he was referring to.
The housekeeper continued, "I was in his company once too, and strangely enough, it seems he's not a man, but a girl!"
Hearing that, Adair thought to himself, if indeed that girl was Elera, then clearly what she was looking for was not a thing, but a place.
Adair nodded in understanding.
"The point is, a few weeks ago, when you were interested in this place and shouting, you never heard the flute again... "
Wallace took two steps forward. Trying to get closer to Adair, who was just standing there. And strangely enough, the flute melody played by the young man or girl never changes, it's always the same. Our house guards became suspicious, maybe the sound of the flute was made into a kind of code ... But the melody is good too, nice to hear hehehe."
Adair smiled slightly, it wasn't a code or anything...
Feeling clear with all the explanations from Wallace, Adair waved goodbye, "Me, home..." And he remembered that Elera always said 'thank you' whenever she received a favor, and today, she also said, "thank you.." to the housekeeper sincerely.
Wallace nodded his head in acceptance, but his forehead wrinkled in surprise. The mute young man had just arrived but had already said goodbye, which was unusual.
He usually came early and left late. In fact, if Wallace remembers correctly, the mute young man once came and didn't leave until dawn.
Wallace looked at the clock around his wrist. It was only eleven o'clock at night.
"How strange!" he thought.
Adair put his hands in his pockets. Let him go home early tonight. At least he knew from Wallace's statement that the person in question was indeed Elera, his confidante.
And she was a girl, not a boy!
Seeing Adair walking farther and farther away, Wallace's head suddenly remembered something, and he shouted, "Sir!" and started chasing after Adair.
Adair stopped his steps, turned around, and silently told Wallace to say what he wanted to say.
With his beer belly, Wallace gasped when he had only run five meters. "There's another one, I seem to have heard that melody somewhere else too!"
Adair's eyes stared wide at Wallace, looking impatient to know, but his mouth remained tight.
Since Wallace had pretty much memorized Adair's not-so-talkative nature, he continued, "Deep in the eastern suburbs of the city, there's a village that's far from crowded. I've been there twice, and coincidentally, both times I heard the same flute."
Adair's mouth twitched slightly, before finally asking, "Where?"
Although the look on Adair's face didn't seem to change, at least Wallace knew that Adair was very interested in his information. It's so far from here, it's hard for me to explain it to you. But I can accompany you on the weekends. How about it?"
Adair looked at Wallace appreciatively, and he sincerely said, "Thank you."
Wallace, "no need to be shy!"
The night wind was getting colder, and Adair's body shivered slightly.
Adair thought to himself, "What fun! Knowing that Elera has not forgotten the simple melody was created unintentionally. We will definitely meet!"
Feeling his hands in his pockets getting colder, Adair took out both hands and blew lightly.
Clouds are still scattered across the sky! The mountains and rivers are still the same. We will surely meet and regain control of our destinies without fear of getting hurt.
All we need is to look at all events generously!
Meanwhile, on a sunny morning, at the place Wallace was referring to, no fewer than fifty farm laborers arrived, flocking to pick the sunflowers of the village's most successful sunflower farmer, collecting and removing the seeds.
Anya Stamp smiled on the rooftop of her house, gazing at the bustle of her sunflower garden while playing a silver-white flute, her favorite melody.
Speaking of flutes, there was one melody that she often played. It had been playing in her head ever since she could first remember something.
The smile on Anya's face grew wider, it was okay, she loved that melody anyway, no matter how often she played it, and no matter where it came from, she loved it. It was beautiful, as if it was created especially for her.
What a ridiculous thought. How could anyone take the time to compose a melody for her?
"Anya!" a voice from below called out to her.
She saw her older brother down there. Looking up, trying to look at her with both hands over his eyes, to block out the sunlight that was shining brightly this morning.
"Yes, Brother?"
Anya looked down, tucked her flute under her sleeve, then casually jumped off the roof.
Seeing that, Raiden Stamp anxiously pinched her left arm. "I told you not to just jump. What if you sprained your leg?"
Anya lightly scratched the back of her head that wasn't itchy, chuckling with a row of white teeth.
Raiden Stamp reached out his hand, rubbing the scar on his sister's face that had turned blue. "Does it still hurt?"
Anya shook her head, "I have a brother with more healing ability than the professor, a wound this small is not a problem."
Ten years ago, Raiden found Anya's helpless body near a big house in the alley where he and his father used to sell night coffee by bicycle. Thirteen-year-old Raiden was so shocked and frightened by Anya's condition, he ran to call his father, and took the unconscious Anya home on his father's bicycle.
"Dad... Could he be a thief?" Raiden, who at that time was still unable to think far, doubted Anya's condition.
"Whether he's a thief or not, it's our duty as fellow humans to help each other!" said Mr. Stamp, who was Raiden's father.
"But what if he wakes up and makes a scene in our house?" Raiden frowned as he looked at the girl's body up and down, then down and up again.
Raiden's eyebrows drew together, something was strange. The girl was wearing different clothes. A long black robe with several red stripes, waist-length hair tied with a long red cloth as well. Underneath the girl's belt, there was a silver-white flute with bright blue tassels.
This girl was more like a colossal action actress who had been injured on set, rather than a thief who had just been ganged up on by the citizens.
"Looking at her face, she seems like a good person," Mr. Stamp wiped his sweat before he sent Raiden out, so he could change the girl's dirty clothes into something more appropriate.
From then on, Anya stayed at Mr. Stamp's house. Because three days later, when Anya opened her eyes for the first time in that house, she really couldn't remember anything. Mr. Stamp, who came from a poor family, took Anya to the hospital to get her condition checked.
So, since no one knew her real name, Mr. Stamp named her Anya Stamp.
It was a good name. Anya liked it.
"Never mind! There's no need to push yourself anymore!" Raiden pulled Anya by one arm toward the front of the house. He sat Anya down on a chair by the door and began to clean her wounds, which were not completely dry.
Anya winced in pain, but didn't dare protest.
"Tomorrow is the anniversary of your father's death. "You want to come to his grave with a face like this hm?" Both hands deftly rubbed the cotton swab with red medicine on the wound. "What would father say if his son had to come in this state?"
"Eh? Hehehe, you take it easy, tomorrow it will heal too!" Anya replied while grinning as wide as possible, holding back the pain in her lips.
"Every time you come home in this condition, you always say that, as if your body is made of steel!" Attentively, dripping wound medicine as she blew softly. "You're a girl, your face is your main asset!"
Anya raised her long eyelashes, staring at Raiden's face, who always loved her unconditionally, "You're even more handsome when you're angry,"
"You idiot! Who could be mad at you?" Raiden wanted to pinch Anya's bubble cheeks, but he decided against it for fear of hurting his sister.
"Forgive Anya for making you worry so much. Actually, Anya also wants to end all this. Anya is tired.... But you know how much Anya feels the need to solve this ridiculous puzzle, and find out who Anya really is."
Raiden gently rubbed Anya's cheek. He certainly knew the anxiety of his sister's heart. Especially in the past five years, Anya often had strange dreams. It was as if those dreams were a part of her life that she had forgotten. Raiden even saw Anya trying hard to remember her past, to the point of pulling her own hair.
Raiden knew all too well how Anya had been feeling.
"You are Anya Stamp, my favorite sister, my only family member." Raiden's voice was light, but it contained deep meaning, and he truly loved Anya.
Anya hugged Raiden's body tenderly, "Anya promises, next time I'll be more careful."
Raiden nodded his head, however, he would always support his sister's decision. Both hands moved to smooth Anya's hair, which was always long.
"Anya loves my brother."
"I love you too." Raiden replied as he gently stroked Anya's hair, "Your hair is a mess, I'll get a comb,"
Anya nodded slowly, lifting her head from Raiden's body. Letting her brother take the comb.
Anya sighed softly, one hand-picking up the palm leaf she always carried with her wherever she went. It had been ten years, and she still couldn't solve the ridiculous riddle written on the palm leaf.
There were not many words written on the leaf. It only contained a few short sentences that had ravaged his life for the past ten years. For him, if he wanted to know who he really was, then he had to solve the riddle written on the leaf, which Mr. Stamp said it was in his flute when he found it.
So, isn't the palm leaf connected to his past?
For some people, knowing their identity is important!
Slowly, Anya went back to spelling out the words written on it. 'Look for it!!! In a big house with wooden star tiles. Among the five-star points, one is the brightest. There we wait.'
Didn't the riddle seem so easy? He just needed to find a big house with star-shaped wooden tiles. The problem is, isn't there only one mansion in the world?
"Still bothering with those palm leaves again?"
Suddenly, Raiden came in to break her reverie. Raiden's right hand was already carrying a light blue comb, and his left hand was carrying a plate of peeled shrimp.
"Wow, you always know my favorites."
With her eyes sparkling, Anya welcomed the plate of chips from Raiden's hand.
Seven years ago, when Mr. Stamp found out Anya loved sunflower seeds so much, he took the initiative to plant some sunflowers, so that Anya would have something to do by taking care of the flowers. Mr. Stamp really hoped that Anya would be cured of her turmoil.
And it's true what Mr. Stamp did. Anya loved the sunflower tree he gave her. In fact, the tree is now growing a thousandfold and more lush.
Well, Raiden and Anya are successful sunflower farmers.
Raiden smiled, happy to see Anya devouring the quail, his hands now moving to comb his favorite sister's hair.
"So you've been all over the area's mansions?" Raiden asked.
Anya nodded, her right hand moving back to shovel the dumplings into her mouth. "No stone unturned."
Raiden picked up a black pigtail from the table, and tied it into Anya's hair. "Why don't you try exploring the elite housing estate where I found you first?"
"Don't you know? Anya has walked through that neighborhood several times, and who knows if Anya didn't actually emerge from there. Who knows if Anya emerged from another elite neighborhood and flew into the wind to get there?"
Raiden chuckled. How could anyone fly into the wind? "What I'm saying is, maybe you missed something, or maybe you misinterpreted the writing on the palm leaves?"
Anya rested her right cheek on Raiden's lap. Her hair was done.
"You really are an unpredictable person. You often encourage me with these silly riddles, but you often scold me for them too."
Raiden gazed intently at Anya's face, some of her hair flying in the morning breeze, rubbing her snow-white face which, for a girl like her, looked very stern, "I'm just too worried about you."
The morning air was cold. Anya wanted to close herself on Raiden's lap when she felt his body about to stand up, "I have to go to the market now. "You wait at home and tell Auntie everything we're going to cook for today's big harvest."
With a frown on her face, Anya said, "Can't you just come to the market?"
Raiden laughed, always amused by his sister, "You should stay home and take good care of your flute!" Because yesterday it was lost and Anya looked so upset.
Anya laughed widely, and held her right thumb up.
You know, the distance between Anya's house and the market is so far, no less than two hours if you have to walk, because her house is located in a remote and beautiful village. Luckily Raiden has a bicycle, so it doesn't take him two hours to get to the market. And you should also know, Raiden's bicycle is an elite item in his village.
The average livelihood of the people in his village is farming, just like him and Anya. The difference is, if people in the village grow corn, chilies, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, and others, he and Anya only focus on growing sunflowers. And because they plant a lot, no less than three hectares, they have about twenty farm laborers on weekdays and fifty during harvest, almost all of whom are their neighbors to help.
When Raiden had only taken five steps forward, Anya smiled jovially and flicked her hand twice, and then, as if someone was dragging him from behind, Raiden stepped back two steps.
Without looking back, Raiden knew who the culprit was. "Don't use it carelessly!"
Anya laughed, "Only for you!" In the past two years, Anya had found out that she had some sort of magic power. Not much, but enough to be able to move things she wanted.
Now Raiden was on the road, but only a third of the way there. Raiden was surprised by a car that lost control and then rolled to the bottom of the ravine. Raiden immediately got off his bike to help the person in the car.
The car was in terrible condition, rattling here and there, whether the person inside could survive or not.
"Uhuk uhuk...." Raiden heard someone cough, and immediately went over to the passenger seat.
"Come on out," Raiden said, extending his hand through the broken glass of the car door. Just now he had tried to open the door but couldn't.
The man looked weak, the corners of his lips and head were bleeding. It looked like he'd been hit.
"Go away! "This car is going to explode soon," the person said weakly. From the looks of it, the man looked about Anya's age, and he looked handsome too if he wasn't covered in blood.
However, of course, Raiden didn't want to leave. "You have to come out with me, later if you survive, I promise to introduce you to my beautiful sister. "
The young man looked at Raiden's face, squinted his eyes slightly, then accepted a helping hand from Raiden, "My right leg is stuck."
"Alright, how do I open this door?" Raiden swallowed his saliva. Smoke was rising, cover almost the entire car.
The driver looked like he was no longer breathing with a face full of blood. The young man nodded his head. Then he painstakingly pressed something to unlock the car door.
Raiden quickly put half his body into the car and tried to free the young man's right leg that was stuck.
The smoke was getting thicker, now Raiden was coughing along with the men.
"You just leave me alone, seriously! "This car is going to explode soon." The young man's voice sounded even more hoarse.
"I can't! I told you I'd introduce you to my beautiful sister, didn't I?" Raiden had always been true to Mr. Stamp's words: 'It's our duty as human beings to help each other!'
More and more smoke was coming out, more and more claustrophobic, and just before the car actually exploded, Raiden had managed to get the young man to jump out. Unfortunately, he was the one trapped inside the car and couldn't escape.
"Nooo!"