A few moments later, the carriage stopped. The horseman jumped from the horse, opened the carriage's door, and bowed his head as Feng, Gold, and the mayor's trustee stepped out.
The mayor's house was huge, like a palace. There was a wide garden in front and fountains where doves perched. The house was painted in white.
Feng and Gold followed the woman inside the palace. They walked through the long hallway and stopped in front of the mayor's office.
The lady knocked at the polished brown-painted oak door. The mayor told them to come in. The lady pushed the door open and they stepped inside.
Feng was surprise to see that the girl he saved earlier was also there, sitting on the chair beside the mayor.
The mayor stood up and approached Feng. He bowed down his head in front of the lad and said, "Thank you so much for saving my daughter. Please don't be shy to tell me if you want something. I can give you anything in my power to pay you for saving my daughter."
Feng didn't know what to say or how to react. It shocked him that the mayor himself bowed down his head in front of him. Also, he had no idea that the girl he saved earlier was the mayor's daughter.
"T—thanks for your generosity, sir. But please, you don't have to bow to me," Feng said.
The man stood straight and said, "If there's anything you want, I can give it to you. I know words and material things aren't enough to show you my gratitude."
Feng didn't expect this to happen. He thought there was another reason why the mayor needed to meet him. "There's not really anything I want to ask," he said.
The mayor was surprised. He admired the lad even more. Only a few people would do something for others without expecting anything in return. Some people even abuse the kindness of others, but this lad, the mayor thought, is different and rare.
"Tell me, boy, what's your name? Just if I am worthy enough to know it," the mayor said.
"Feng, sir," Feng replied.
"Feng, my daughter's life is more important than anything, and it'd be so ungrateful of me if you won't ask for anything. For my daughter's life, I can give you anything in my reach. Just name it: money, position, a piece of land, beautiful ladies? Tell me, you can have them all," the mayor said.
Feng scratched the back of his head. Those were indeed tempting things to have, but none of those things could ever satisfy his free spirit. He knew that nothing in this world belongs to him, and he'd never let anything hold him back, not money or fame or a piece of land. The most important things for him weren't even tangible.
"Feng!" Gold shook Feng's arm. "It's okay if you don't need anything or if you feel uncomfortable. We can leave here."
"Please wait, sir!" The mayor said. "If you don't need anything, please, at least join us for dinner. This is the least we can do if none of those things would satisfy you."
Feng didn't want to have a bad impression on the mayor, but it seemed like he didn't get him right. Everything he offered was too big and enough; those things were what an ordinary boy like him would wish for, but he wasn't like those boys. He didn't not love them, not because they weren't enough, but because they were too good, too much for the simple and free life he wanted.
Feng knew there was nothing wrong with having dinner with the mayor unless the food was poisoned, but he wasn't that distrustful despite being back stabbed, laughed at, made fun of, and humiliated by other people. There was still a part of him that wanted to trust others. A part of him that remained soft despite the world that kept trying to make him hard.
"It's okay, Gold," Feng said. "I think it'd be rude to decline the mayor's request. Let's have dinner with him."
"Uh, okay," Gold replied.
"Thank you, Feng," the mayor said. "Please follow me."
Feng and Gold followed the mayor to the dining room. There was a table filled with delicious food and expensive drinks at the center of the room.
The mayor sat down on the dining chair at the end of the table. His daughter sat down on his right side. "Please take a seat," the mayor said.
Feng and Gold sat down next to each other. There was so much food on the table: food that they hadn't tasted before, food that couldn't be found in the streets, as only the rich could afford it.
"Please don't be shy," the mayor said.
Feng and Gold had dinner with the mayor and his daughter. Curious, Gold asked what happened to the mayor's wife. Feng told her that it was rude to ask such a thing of the man, but the mayor didn't mind it at all and told them what happened to his wife.
"It was a difficult decision I had to make, but my wife told me to choose our daughter. Only one of them could survive. She said that she had lived her life, so to honor her request, I chose to save our daughter. She died after giving birth to Maria," the mayor said.
There was a complete silence between them, but the mayor immediately broke it with laughter. "Please don't be sad. We should be thankful instead that we're still alive," he said.
Feng understood how it felt to lose a loved one. He has lost not only his parents but also his friends, so he could easily relate to the mayor's suffering, but he was right: people come and go like the waves of the ocean, but the ones who leave footprints in their hearts are the ones they'll always remember.
After dinner, Feng thanked the mayor for the food. The man told him that it was nothing compared to what he did: Feng didn't only save his daughter but also the whole town, which was supposed to be the mayor's responsibility.
"Please don't hesitate to approach me if you ever have a problem. I'm obliged to help you with anything. My house is always open for you, so don't be shy to come if you change your mind about my offer," the mayor said.
"Thank you, sir," Feng replied. "We're leaving now. Bye, Maria!"
"Bye, Feng!" Maria replied, waving her hand as Feng and Gold went away.
Feng and Gold headed to the inn to take a rest. A sigh left Feng's mouth as he lay down on his bed with his hands on the back of his head.
"Do you think it was the right choice not to accept the mayor's offer?" Feng asked.
Gold turned around to face her master. "I know you have a reason for doing that, Feng. I believe in you."
"I'm just worried that I've hurt his feelings. He might think that his daughter's life wasn't valuable for him, for he couldn't give me anything for saving the girl," Feng said.
"Stop worrying about it, Feng. It was your choice not to accept the offer, and he wouldn't offer you anything that big if he didn't love his daughter or value her," Gold replied. "Rest assured. You didn't do anything wrong, so you can have a peaceful rest."
"Thank you, Gold," Feng said. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.