Chapter 498: The Change of a Good Friend

Jerusalem, beside a relatively less crowded street in Xicheng, in front of a roadside stall supported by a simple canopy.

The kind-hearted Feili, who had generously taken in Yuese's family in Bo Li Heng,

At this moment he stands on a flat stone used to raise the stall, tiptoeing, his gaze like a searchlight, carefully scanning back and forth through the endless flow of people.

The surging pilgrim crowd almost filled every inch of space, a mix of countless faces, clothing, and accents, making it far from easy to pick out a particular person.

Finally, his eyes fixed on a group of pilgrims who had just turned from the main road into this relatively narrow street, accurately catching several familiar faces.

A smile of relief instantly blossomed on his face; he immediately raised his arm, waved vigorously, and shouted at full volume:

"Yuese! Mary! This way! Look here—!"

His voice was loud, cutting through the street's clamor, and carried clearly over.

Yuese and Mary, who were trying to keep their bearings and look for familiar landmarks in the crowd, heard the voice and almost simultaneously turned their heads toward its source.

When they saw the figure waving energetically from the stone, both of their faces immediately broke into relaxed smiles.

"It's Brother Felix!" Yuese said to Mary, then hauled the donkey, protecting his wife and child, and forced his way through the slowly moving crowd toward Feili's stall.

"Brother Felix! Finally found you!"

Reaching him, Yuese loosened his grip on the reins, let out a long sigh, smiling broadly: "Sorry to keep you waiting! There are just too many people!"

Feili jumped down from the stone, laughed heartily, gave Yuese a firm pat on the shoulder: "What are you talking about waiting or not! We only arrived last night and haven't settled long."

"I thought you'd be arriving soon, so I came out to greet you. Come, come, the place is already rented, same old spot."

Yuese nodded: "Alright."

Seeing a trusted old friend in a foreign land eased most of the family's anxiety.

Thus, the group followed Feili, turned, and walked opposite the main street.

They passed through two quieter alleys lined with residences, and finally stopped in front of a fairly tidy two‑story guesthouse.

The guesthouse owner clearly also knew both Feili's and Yuese's families.

Seeing them, he immediately greeted them warmly, exchanged pleasantries, and called the shop's clerk to help unload Yuese's family's simple luggage from the donkey and bring it to the pre‑rented room on the second floor.

In fact, since their fathers' generation, whenever a major festival brings them to Jerusalem, they usually rent here, forming years of tacit understanding and friendship.

As they went upstairs, the owner and clerk couldn't help but linger a moment longer on Jesus.

The aura of this young man seemed, compared to last year, to have an indescribable change.

Last year he was a clever child still showing childish innocence; this year he seems to have settled, his gaze deeper and calmer, his demeanor bearing an age‑inappropriate composure, even… an inexplicable sense of distance?

They couldn't pinpoint what it was, merely attributing it to "smart kids often change quickly and become more thoughtful," without probing further.

On the second floor, the suite Feili rented consists of a small hall outside and a bedroom inside.

At this moment Feili's family is sitting on chairs in the small hall, resting.

Feili's wife Anna is a kind‑faced, deft woman; upon seeing Yuese and Mary, she immediately rose, smiling, to greet them.

Their two children are also present: son Feier, six years older than Jesus, a sturdy lad already showing a youthful outline, somewhat introverted, who, upon seeing Jesus's family, merely gave a restrained nod as a greeting;

Daughter Liliya, about the same age as Jesus, is a lively, cheerful girl with big eyes.

When Liliya saw Jesus enter, she immediately leapt from her chair, her face breaking into a radiant smile, and within a few steps ran to Jesus, speaking with unabashed familiarity:

"Jesus! You're here! So great!"

She chattered: "The story you told last year about the stars and the traveler isn't finished yet! You said there were even more amazing adventures later, I've kept that in mind! Now you're here, can you continue telling it to me? I…"

Her words abruptly stopped.

Because, when she looked up expectantly at Jesus, the eyes she met

Those eyes were clear, peaceful, even bearing a gentle friendliness.

But that friendliness… was an egalitarian, sun‑shining "kindness".

Not the intimate, special closeness that Liliya remembered from last year's farewell, the kind shared only between the two similarly aged friends who played together and shared secrets.

It was as if an invisible, transparent glass separated her and Jesus.

She could feel his "goodness," but could not grasp the former "closeness."

Is this… okay?

Though Liliya is young, her perception of emotions is keen.

She froze, her smile stuck, her big eyes filled with confusion and loss.

She didn't understand why, after just a year apart, her good friend's gaze at her seemed the same as when looking at a stranger… as if there was no essential difference.

After a moment of hesitation, she couldn't help but, with concern, ask softly:

"Jesus… you… what's wrong? Were you… too tired on the road? Or… unhappy?"

Jesus's gaze fell on Liliya's face; regarding the change she keenly sensed, he seemed unsurprised and offered no deliberate concealment or explanation.

He simply shook his head lightly, smiling as he replied:

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

He paused, his eyes sweeping to a relatively quiet, sun‑lit corner by a window in the room:

"Let's go there; I'll continue telling you last year's story."

After speaking, he was the first to walk toward the window.

Liliya watched his departing figure, then turned to glance at her parents and Uncle Yuese, Aunt Mary, her confusion deepening.

Seeing Jesus willing to continue the story, she suppressed the strange feeling, stepped forward to follow, though her pace was less sprightly than before.

In the small hall, the adults watched the brief interaction between the two children.

Feili slightly furrowed his brow; he naturally noticed the change in Jesus and his daughter Liliya's confusion.

He turned his head, lowered his voice, and asked the nearby Yuese:

"Yuese, what's up with this child Jesus…? He feels very different from last year."

"Before, though he was quiet and sensible, when playing with Liliya and the others his eyes had light, they were lively."

"Why does it feel now... hmm... a bit... too 'quiet'?"

Yuese and Mary exchanged a glance, each seeing a hint of understanding and helplessness in the other's eyes.

Had they ever not noticed their son's change?

Especially in recent years, as his knowledge grew, the emotions and expressions typical of an ordinary child in Jesus have been quietly fading at an unstoppable pace.

He remains kind, remains peaceful, remains obedient to them, even wiser, yet also more... detached from mundane emotional fluctuations and intimate relationships.

Only.

They cannot voice this speculation and worry to anyone, even to their longtime close friend Feili.

Yuese forced a smile and brushed it off with a common excuse:

"It might be... it might be that a few days ago he did something wrong, feeling a bit guilty, so his mood is off."

"It'll be fine after a while."

Mary quickly interjected, changing the subject: "Matters between children, let them make a fuss on their own."

"A little commotion, maybe it'll be fine soon."

"Brother Felix, look, it's getting late, shouldn't we go to the market to buy food for tonight's and tomorrow's festival? With so many people, if we go late the good stuff will be taken."

Feili still harbored doubts, but seeing the Yuese couple unwilling to discuss further, he simply set it aside, nodded, and said, "Right, right, the important matters come first."

"Let's go, Feier, bring the basket."

The adults' conversation quickly shifted to festival preparations, they began discussing the shopping list, and together they went downstairs, heading toward the bustling market.