Ying Yun’s expression stiffened slightly, her knuckles instinctively wanting to curl inward.
But in the next second, the man’s hand rested against her palm. It lasted only a few seconds; he merely borrowed her strength to steady himself.
When she lifted her eyes again, the man had already ascended the steps.
This man…
Ying Yun bit her lower lip lightly and said to his retreating back, “Goodbye, sir.”
It was almost funny. After circling around like this, the two of them had never even told each other their names.
Ye Jiahuai’s steps paused. He did not turn back, only said, “Goodbye, Ying Yun. Thank you for your umbrella.”
When Ying Yun heard him address her by name, her eyelid twitched for no reason. He had probably heard her grandfather mention it in passing.
But it was only a name, nothing more. They would never have any further intersection.
The dark plaid umbrella returned to her hand. That brief encounter just now seemed more like a dream woven by Jiangnan’s misty rain.
When Ying Yun got home, Grandpa and Grandma were leaning against the headboard watching television. The dim lamplight carried the memories of her childhood.
Grandma asked, “Why are you back so late?”
Ying Yun washed the lunchbox as she answered, “I went next door to help Granny Li’s granddaughter with her homework.”
She turned off the faucet, shook the remaining water droplets from the lunchbox, set it aside to dry, and prepared to return to her room to read.
From across the room, Grandma called, “Sleep early. Don’t stay up late.”
“I know.”
The brief moments of today were not enough to enter her dreams.
——
In the silent private room, everyone was waiting for Ye Jiahuai to give the answer to that question.
Only after someone began laughing and smoothing things over did that cool, soft voice finally speak. “The little girl had a rather pleasant voice. Quite the temper, too.”
The person in his arms was sleeping drowsily against his shoulder.
Ye Jiahuai pinched her cheek. The young woman mumbled something, yet her expression remained obedient.
There was one thing he did not say. Back then, she had been like a fox who had yet to understand the ways of the world.
And yet those eyes had been terribly pure, scratching at one’s heart until it itched.
*
The two elderly people at home were both getting on in years. Recently, as summer vacation drew to an end, many people had chosen this time to travel, bringing about the peak tourist season.
Ying Yun figured she should help as much as she could, so she kept putting off booking her ticket back. It was not until two days before school started that she finally began leisurely packing her luggage.
Oh, before that, she had also arranged for someone to come install two security cameras at home, ones that tracked movement—one in the entrance hall and one in the bedroom.
As long as she opened the app on her phone, she could see every corner of the house clearly.
The two elders scolded her for wasting money, curling their fingers and tapping her lightly on the forehead. Ying Yun merely looked cheerfully at the clear images on her phone and did not refute them at all.
Even so, she was still not satisfied. She wished she could immediately invent a portable surveillance device, so that whenever she opened it, she would know whether they were doing well, whether they had eaten, and how they had slept.
Before returning to school, Ying Yun began exhorting them again and again. “Grandpa, if the weather is bad, go out rowing less. If you fall, it really won’t be worth it.”
Su Buqing nodded in agreement. “All right, I know.”
He was an obedient little old man.
Ying Yun switched targets and continued nagging. “Grandma, you should also go out less to set up your stall. If you feel unwell, you must call me right away. Don’t just endure it on your own. Take your medicine on time every day, and if you run out, call me.”
Xia Yun shooed her toward the door. “You’re just a young girl. How are you even more long-winded than an old woman like me?”
Ying Yun sighed silently in her heart. How could she possibly feel at ease? They lived far apart, and when old people fell ill, they were always unwilling to say anything. They would simply buy some medicine, take it, and consider the matter over.
The last time, she had only found out after returning home that Grandma had once fainted because of high blood pressure while she had been away. If Grandpa had not happened to stay home from rowing the boat that day…
She did not even dare think any further.
Ying Yun had brought the two elders to the hospital for a full physical examination after coming back this time. Overall, they were both all right; it was just that Xia Yun’s blood pressure was on the high side and needed constant attention.
When she truly reached the doorway and saw the car that had long since stopped outside, their roles reversed once more. Ying Yun seemed to become again that little girl from childhood with two tiny braided pigtails.
Since she was young, Ying Yun had never been good at handling farewells. Every time she said goodbye, she actually wanted to cry. But she did not want to make the two elders wipe away tears, so a sweet smile remained on her lips the entire time. As she lifted her luggage into the car, she said, “Grandma, you two should go inside. No need to see me off.”
Xia Yun held her hand, her aged palm wrapping around Ying Yun’s as she reminded her, “Ah Yun, take good care of yourself out there.”
“I will. Grandma, wait for me to come back and make wontons for me, okay?”
“All right.” Xia Yun paused, struggled inwardly for a while, but still spoke. “Ah Yun, if you have time, go see your mother. She…”
Ying Yun knew what Grandma was about to say. She did not want to keep listening, yet she was also afraid of making the old woman sad, so she interrupted the topic with, “I know.”
She opened the car door. The first thing she did after getting in was roll down the window. Ying Yun stuck her head out, waving her hand. The sound of the wind tugged at her hair, like a kind of attempt to make her stay.
The wheels rolled over the brick pavement. Because of a few uneven bricks, the body of the car inevitably jolted. Her voice trembled slightly, but just enough to cover the sob in it. “Grandma, Grandpa, I’m leaving! Goodbye!”
The moment she closed the window and lowered her head, tears fell from her eyes.
The driver in the front seat glanced at the rearview mirror and smiled as he comforted her. “Girl, you just started your freshman year, right? Hard to leave home when you’re going so far away, isn’t it?”
Ying Yun was too embarrassed to say she was already a senior, so she answered vaguely.
It seemed that once people reached a certain age, they had to become strong and independent. Even during farewells, they should no longer cry.
Ying Yun felt that she had already reached that stage. When she was outside on her own, she could also handle things independently. But at this moment, she was crying like a child.
She thought that perhaps she would never learn the lesson of parting with strength.
The driver was very familiar and chatty. “Where are you going to school? What university?”
“Beicheng, Beiyu University.”
The driver looked at her with a bit more admiration and sighed. “A top student!”
“My daughter studies design. She goes to school in Nancheng…” The driver began chattering on.
The journey away from home grew longer. Under the influence of that authentic hometown accent, the sorrow of parting gradually faded as well.
Finally, in early September, Ying Yun returned to this city that was completely different from her hometown.
When Ying Yun arrived at the dormitory, someone was already there. She pushed open the door, and before she could even stand steady, a figure pounced on her. “My darling Yun Yun, I missed you to death!”
The enthusiasm was like steam from boiling water pushing up the lid. It made Ying Yun involuntarily retreat two steps. If she had not been holding onto her suitcase, she might very well have reported to the hospital on the first day back at school.
Shu Luoyi was a typical bright and gorgeous beauty. The friendship between the two of them had begun very simply: roommates, attending class together, eating together. Four years had passed, and their bond had grown naturally just like that.
To be honest, Ying Yun felt she was quite lucky. In four years of university, all the roommates she had met were very good people.
She had a rather mild temperament. Perhaps in the eyes of outsiders, she was the typical good girl, even seeming a little dull and quiet.
But in truth, she was only a little slow to warm up.
After they became close, Shu Luoyi’s favorite thing to do was probably to pinch her cheeks and sigh, “Baby, how are you this cute?”
“Baby, so you have this side to you too!”
…
Ying Yun still remembered the first time she arrived at the dormitory. Beicheng’s weather in September was still hot and dry. She had carried her luggage upstairs alone, a thin layer of sweat dampening the collar of her shirt, cutting quite a sorry figure.
The moment she opened the door, before she even had time to meet her roommates’ eyes, Shu Luoyi had already taken her luggage for her and warmly pulled her along to introduce herself.
At the moment when Ying Yun felt most unfamiliar with this city, Shu Luoyi had arrived with a heart full of enthusiasm, stirring up a storm called friendship that swept toward her, opening a broad and bright road for the four years of beautiful camaraderie in the entire dormitory.
At this moment, however, Ying Yun felt only helplessness. Her life was currently under serious threat because of this woman.
She was about to lose her breath!
“Yiyi, I can’t… breathe.” Ying Yun, buried against Shu Luoyi’s chest, patted her back and spoke in a muffled voice.