The Masterpiece of Leaving：Prepared A Perfect Stand-In For Him novel Chapter 66

Frightened, Iris clung tightly to my embrace.

I lifted her up and glanced at the woman in front of us.

The woman returned the gaze, asking, "Who are you, and what do you want here?"

Her expression had softened a little compared to earlier.

I pushed my messy hair back and revealed my entire face. "Aunt Violet?" I called out.

Upon hearing the beautiful young girl in front of her address her, Aunt Violet took a closer look. "Oh, it's you, Navier. It's been a few years, and you've grown even more beautiful. I almost didn't recognize you. Thought you were some big star coming in," Aunt Violet exclaimed.

I smiled shyly in response.

Aunt Violet continued, "Sorry, I thought it was my useless son who came back, so I threw the basin. Are you two okay?"

"We're fine." My mind wasn't focused on this; I looked towards the courtyard behind Aunt Violet. "Where's my dad? Doesn't he live here anymore? Or..."

A surge of extreme fear suddenly overwhelmed me, causing my voice to tremble.

"Your dad is doing well," Aunt Violet quickly assured me, seeing how pale my face had become. "He felt this house was too big for one person, so he moved to a small house at the end of the alley. Since our family has many people, I asked him if he'd rent it to us, and he agreed."

Aunt Violet chuckled, her face betraying a hint of guilt.

Although she said it was a rental, she hadn't paid any rent to him until now. My father didn't press her, and she pretended nothing happened.

I didn't have the energy to dwell on this. I pleaded, "Can you take me to see my dad?"

"Of course I can." Since they were living in someone else's house, helping out was only natural.

Aunt Violet led me to the end of the village.

There, a small shop facing the street stood.

It was dilapidated and simple, without even a signboard.

"Your dad is inside." Aunt Violet pointed to the shop.

I looked at the shop.

Not only was it run-down, but it was also pitifully small in size.

The backyard was cluttered with various odds and ends, most of which were toys I had played with during my childhood.

Small bicycles, skateboards, rollerblades...

Looking at these nostalgic little things, tears welled up in my eyes and streamed down my cheeks.

Aunt Violet was about to call my father out, but I stopped her. "I'll go by myself."

Holding Iris's hand, I walked step by step into the shop.

Passing through the dark and old alley, I finally reached the inner room.

The inner room wasn't any more spacious than the outer one; it was filled with shoe samples.

Various types of shoes were exquisite and beautiful.

Iris stopped to look at the colorful and novel shoe designs, reaching out to touch them.

Not finding my father, I looked further inside.

In the backyard, there was a person with his back to me, sitting in front of an ancient shoemaking machine. He hunched over, using both hands and feet to operate the machine.

His movements were slow.

His hair was all white.

I stared at him in a daze.

I recognized at a glance that the person in front of me was my father, Arthur.

But I also hesitated to confirm it.

In my memory, my father's hair wasn't this white. When I got married, it was still black, with just a few strands of white hair occasionally.

His back wasn't so hunched; he was a fully middle-aged man with broad shoulders and a sturdy figure.

His movements weren't this slow...

"Dad..." unable to contain my sadness, I called out softly.

The laboring person noticeably paused for a moment.

Then he slowly turned around, revealing a weathered face filled with wrinkles. Engaged in delicate craftsmanship for years, his features appeared calm and gentle. A pair of large black-framed reading glasses covered his face, exuding an air of studiousness.

He slowly took off the glasses and finally recognized me. "Sa...lly."

"It's me, Dad, it's me." I walked a few steps to stand in front of Arthur, my eyes brimming with tears. I was eager to embrace him but couldn't move my feet, still sobbing.