Money First MoneyTalks

The light spilling from the crack told him that the night was over.The old butler knocked on his door patiently and persistently.

Loki got up and opened the door. Old Jerry stood in front of the door, "Master is awake and wants to see you."

He washed in a hurry, put on his coat and rushed out of Lau Fei's room. The family doctor had just come out, glanced at Rocky, then at the housekeeper, without saying a word.But everyone understands.

Loki walked in, and Lauphy was lying on the bed, turning his head to look at a hawthorn tree outside the window, on which a sparrow was jumping back and forth in the drizzle.His face was rosy and he was hale and hearty. Except that he was a little thin and occasionally coughed a few times, he looked extremely healthy.He heard the door open and looked back at Loki with a gentle smile.

"Loki," he called out, "you're here—"

Loki nodded, and sat down on the chair beside the bed, while old Jerry by the door closed the door for them. "I heard," Loki said carefully, "old Jerry asked me to come and see you. How do you feel?"

"I feel great." Laufey said briskly.

Loki didn't know how to answer him, so he could only look at Lau Fei's haggard hands on the quilt.

"Loki," he said, "you've changed a lot."

Loki shook his head.

Lau Fei suddenly put on a straight face, "Why are you still sitting here? Have you finished your homework? The pianist will sit in our living room on time at 03:30."

"You forget," Rocky took a deep breath, "I'm working in New York now, running a design studio for, you know, rich people." He paused for a moment, then continued, "And, I'm going I'm married, and the other person is nice." He concealed the name and gender of his marriage partner, he didn't want to cause more trouble at this time.

"You seem to be doing well." Laufey liked to comment on him as always, "Is boarding school still a habit?"

"It's the best boarding school in all of England," said Rocky.He had to admit it.But at the same time, this also brings a clear class gap to Rocky.Everyone has their own class, and each class is hostile and exclusive to each other. Children don't know how to hide it, especially the performance.Loki didn't want to mention this. "I also got into the best design school in the UK. Their tuition fees are very expensive. The art history professor is a very grumpy old man who always walks with his legs sprawled. We call him Donald Duck—"

"Have you found him, Jerry?" Laufey closed his eyes and said slowly, "Look again, we will find it..."

His voice gradually deepened, and finally disappeared in his throat.Lau Fei opened his mouth, as if holding something unfinished.Loki thought he was falling asleep, or something worse.But in the next second, Lau Fei suddenly woke up again.

Loki recognized in his eyes that he was truly awake.Laufey stared at Loki intently, just like he did many years ago. "You're still the same, you haven't changed at all," he said.Loki didn't shake his head this time. "You see, we both have black hair, green eyes, sharp outlines, and tall, thin builds. Old Jerry said that we are exactly the same when we get angry." Laufey smiled and looked at Loki, and said with a sigh, "We Too much alike."

Loki turned his head, the pressure pump in the ventilator went up and down, the electrocardiogram was beating, the machine was cold, and his chest became hot.The certificate of appraisal was in the inner pocket close to his chest, but Loki didn't have the courage to take it out.Laufey stretched out his hands tremblingly. Those hands were fat-free, with wrinkled skin covering the bones, terrifying and ugly.Loki hesitated for a long time, but finally shook it.As if inspired by something, Lau Fei's eyes sparkled.

"I'm sorry, my child," Laufey called him, he held Loki's hand tightly, even pinched him, Laufey's throat rolled silently for a few seconds, and then the syllable broke through, Slowly put together a sentence, "I wish you a happy wedding..."

The EKG flattens and then emits a long beep.Loki sat on the chair covered in sweat, his hands were still tightly clenched by Lau Fei.His heart was beating violently, and he witnessed Lau Fei's eyes lose their luster bit by bit, his figure became dry and dehydrated, and there seemed to be nothing under the thin blanket.

Laufey is dead.

The countless curses he had promised were finally fulfilled.God heard his prayer, and his wish has come true.Laufey's heart stopped beating and his brain stopped functioning.His body will be corroded by the mud, his flesh and blood will return with all things, he will be bitten, trampled, and forgotten, just like Loki expected countless times.The certificate of appraisal was still hot there, but his chest was cold no matter what.He was in a daze, and even forgot to breathe. It took a long time before he opened his mouth and took a sharp breath.

He found him crying.

Loki never imagined that he would cry for Laufey at his bedside.Lau Fei died, but he didn't know that in front of him, the Loki whom he abandoned was the real son he was looking for so hard.He has lived his life in lies, deceit and calculations.He died with his wish unfulfilled and full of regret.He died, as Loki had so viciously hoped, but Loki sat beside his bed, weeping silently.

That night, Loki had another dream.The dream was a rainy night that he was all too familiar with, but this time he was no longer 14 years old, he was eager to take out the appraisal application from his arms, but his hands seemed to have had their bones taken out, no matter what He couldn't get the paper out; he wanted to tell Laufey the truth aloud, but he found that he couldn't open his mouth at all, his hands touched his lips, and then he realized with despair that his mouth had been brutally and relentlessly Sewn up at intervals——

There was a loud bang from the door.

Laufey's funeral proceeded in an orderly manner.

London was flooded with rain, and the cemetery was filled with the humidity of earth and turf.Everyone was holding black umbrellas. Old Jerry stood beside the coffin with his hands down. Several soldiers in formal attire covered the coffin with the national flag and slowly lifted it into the ground. Then, the first handful of soil was sprinkled with a shovel.

The spotlight flickered wildly.The news media reported the demise of this great family with both grief and eagerness.The funeral was filled with journalists, officials, soldiers and citizens.The dirge was played, and the people gathered in a weeping mourning for their Baron Laufey, without anyone noticing that the horn was blown out of key.

Loki was so far away that no one noticed him.

He may be the one who cares the least about Lau Fei among those present, or he may be the one who cares the most among them.The funeral ended soon, the crowd dispersed in twos and threes, and the cemetery soon ushered in the long-awaited tranquility.But Loki didn't move, he was holding the handle of the umbrella, the raindrops drifting in the wind wet the ends of his hair, and the wet wind froze his fingers.

A pair of dry, tender hands grasped him, and the umbrella handle was pulled away.

Loki turned around abruptly, Thor smiled at him indifferently.

"Why are you here?"

Thor was wearing a black hoodie, a dark denim jacket and black leather boots, which looked like a makeshift outfit. His umbrella was folded up, and the tip of the umbrella was propped on the ground. He was holding Loki's umbrella in his hand. Lean toward Loki.

"My husband is here, why can't I come?" Saul asked rhetorically.

"Where are you from?"

"Greece," Saul said, "it's much warmer than England, and we're basking in the sun in our underpants—"

Loki pouted.

"I actually saw this news on TV." Sol pinched Loki's chin in dissatisfaction, "I'm so untrustworthy in your heart?"

Loki's silver tongue didn't work, he just looked at Thor fixedly, and finally lowered his head, "Sorry..."

"You don't need to be sorry." Thor sighed and hugged Loki into his arms.Sol's embrace was extremely warm, and Loki trembled slightly unconsciously in his embrace. "It's because I failed to accompany you at the first time."

They stood where they were.Until Loki sneezes.

"Let's go back first, shall we?" Sol lowered his head and asked, "Go and say goodbye to your old man, and then we'll go back, shall we?"

Loki glanced at Sol again, then he nodded, opened his umbrella, and walked to Laufey's tombstone alone.Water and grass clippings splashed and stained his trousers.He looked at the stone tablet, and Lao Fei's life was engraved briefly and abruptly on it. Spring and autumn came, and the vegetation grew and withered. Except for this stone, no one would remember his story.

He pulled out a dogwood from his chest, bent down, and placed it beside the stone tablet.

The rain quickly wetted the petals, separated them, and scattered them, and the yellow stamens were scattered all over the ground.Loki didn't look any further, he knew that this flower would eventually remain on this land forever, just like Laufey, his memory and his past.

He and Sol returned to Laufey's old house.Old Jerry looked at the intruder with surprise.

"Saul Odinson," Loki introduced, "my...husband."

Thor and Odin look alike, everyone knows that.The old butler lowered his head and shook hands with Sol, and then left quickly on the pretext of preparing black tea and cookies for them.

They went to bed early.They're in Rocky's teenage cot, which isn't too crowded (they've even slept together in the single bed in Rocky's apartment, after all), but not too spacious.Rocky finally didn't feel strange and anxious. He smelled the aftershave from Thor's chin, as if he smelled the sea breeze and sunset in Scandinavia.The gentle sea breeze sent him to sleep.He went back to that rainy night again, he was 28 years old, wearing a nightgown, the certificate of identification was missing, he tugged at his stitched lips chaotically, anxiously