After a few people ate dinner at the mall, they got on the bus home in various combinations. On the ride back, there were only Ruan Mian, Meng Xinglan, Liang Yiran and Chen Yi – four people on the bus.
The remaining Jiang Rang and Shen Yu took a different bus route home.
Meng Xinglan and Liang Yiran lived near each other, and their stops were two earlier than Ruan Mian and Chen Yi’s. So when they got on the bus, Meng Xinglan subconsciously sat with Liang Yiran.
The remaining Ruan Mian and Chen Yi sat behind them.
Outside the bus, the night was ink-black. On both sides of the downtown streets were towering high-rise buildings, the lights shimmering like a galaxy of stars.
Ruan Mian sat in the window seat. Her whole person was extremely tense, however she placed her hands and feet felt strange, as if she wasn’t supposed to be sitting here.
In contrast, as soon as Chen Yi got on the bus, he pulled his hat over his head and went to sleep, legs spread open a little, fingers interlaced over his abdomen, dead to the world.
The ride back was clearly much longer than the ride there. With the noisy commotion gone from the carriage, as the scenery flashed by outside the window, Ruan Mian gradually heard the boy’s steady breathing.
She also slowly relaxed, turned to look out the window. The glass like a mirror reflected her shallow smile.
Chen Yi slept until Liang Yiran and Meng Xinglan got off before waking up. The bus started up again, he flipped off his hat, stretched out his long legs, and rubbed his eyes.
Only two more stops left, a matter of minutes.
Ruan Mian followed behind the boy getting off the bus. The winter night wind was biting and bone-chilling. She had just gotten out of the heated bus, and being hit by the wind head-on, couldn’t help lowering her head and sneezing.
Chen Yi looked back at her. Without saying anything, he only slowed his pace.
Ruan Mian rubbed her nose and zipped her coat all the way up to her chin, seeing him head towards the alley. She couldn’t help asking, “Aren’t you going home?”
“Mm, going to Li Zhi’s place.”
Ruan Mian set off fireworks in her heart, glad to be able to walk a stretch together, even her steps became much lighter.
From the alley to Li Zhi’s supermarket, there was a short section where some of the streetlights were broken. It was early winter so the days were dark, and the weather was cold too. The households in the alley had mostly turned off their lights early, or had their doors shut and lights on inside.
A point of light shone out from a window.
The snow in the alley hadn’t been cleaned up cleanly, narrow piles of it remaining on both sides of the path. Stepping on it made muffled sounds.
They walked in silence for a stretch.
Ruan Mian racked her brains for any conversational topic. “Um…”
“What?”
Chen Yi asked.
“About tutoring me in essay writing.”
Ruan Mian bit her lip. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
And they were out of words again.
Ruan Mian frowned and reached up to scratch the back of her ear where the down feathers of her coat made a sound from the movement.
She thought about it again and again, but before she could think of anything to say, Li Zhi’s supermarket was right in front of her eyes. The lights inside the store lit up a large area at the entrance.
They had arrived at another world.
This was considered the busy area in the alley, with all kinds of shops, people coming and going, and children running around freely.
Chen Yi stood on the steps, turned back to look at Ruan Mian who was two steps behind, and thought about her close relationship with Li Zhi. He politely said, “Do you want to come in and sit for a while?”
Ruan Mian shook her head, “No, it’s getting late, I have to go back.”
“Okay then, see you next year.”
He spoke casually, as if saying see you next year was like saying see you tomorrow.
“…See you next year.”
Chen Yi waited for her to walk away before going into the store. Li Zhi was standing by the shelves taking stock. Seeing him come in, he pointed to the corner, “That’s the wine my dad prepared for Grandpa Chen this year, take it back with you.”
Grandpa Chen and Li Zhi’s dad were childhood friends who grew up wearing split-crotch pants together, their relationship was deep.
After the Li family’s decline, Grandpa Chen had never looked down on Li Zhi’s dad, and still treated him like a brother. The Li family didn’t have many valuables to give, but Li Zhi’s father happened to be good at brewing wine, while Grandpa Chen was a scholar who liked this kind of taste. So every year he relied on this old skill to bring Grandpa Chen a little gift.
Before Chen Yi had even walked over, he could already smell the light aroma of wine and laughed, “Let me thank Uncle Li for my grandfather first.”
“You’re welcome.”
Chen Yi leaned against the shelves next to him, “Are you guys staying here or going back to Xi Ping for the new year this year?”
“Going back to Xi Ping.”
Li Zhi closed his notebook, “Going back the day after tomorrow.”
“Okay, I’ll take you guys back then.”
Chen Yi looked at him and added the second half of the sentence, “I’m also going to visit Grandma on the way.”
Li Zhi’s grandfather was diagnosed with dementia two years ago and had been staying in Pingcheng for treatment ever since, while Li Zhi’s grandmother had leg problems and was being taken care of by Li Zhi’s second uncle’s family in the countryside.
When Chen Yi was little, he had spent a summer vacation with Li Zhi in the countryside and eaten many meals cooked by Li Zhi’s grandmother, so it was normal for him to say he was going to visit.
But Li Zhi knew that Chen Yi was more looking for an excuse to have his family driver take them back, not wanting their whole family to go squeeze on the bus in the middle of winter.
Li Zhi nodded, “Okay then, I’ll let my dad know.”
“Good, what time are we leaving the day after tomorrow?”
“Eight o’clock, can’t be too late either, or we’ll hit traffic on the road.”
Li Zhi went back behind the counter, “Who were you talking to at the door just now?”
Chen Yi walked over, “Ruan Mian.”
Li Zhi raised his eyebrows, “Did you meet by chance or were you together?”
“Together, this afternoon a group of classmates went out to play and we were on the way back.”
Chen Yi took a bubble gum from the counter, “I’m leaving now, see you later.”
“Okay, don’t forget the wine.”
“I didn’t forget.”
Chen Yi went to pick up the wine, “See you the day after tomorrow.”
“See you then.”
When Ruan Mian got home, she found out that Zhao Shutang had accidentally hurt his leg on the way back and was now in the hospital. Fang Ruqing and Zhao Yingwei had just gotten off work and come back after receiving the call and were about to go to the hospital.
The two of them were in a hurry, and Duan Ying was also anxious. After Fang Ruqing and Zhao Yingwei left, she questioned Ruan Mian, “Why are you back so late!”
Ruan Mian was startled, “I went out with classmates.”
“Always running around outside, whether it’s one thing or another.”
Duan Ying chattered as she walked to the kitchen, making a clatter of noises inside.
Ruan Mian stood there for a while in silence before going upstairs.
Her luggage had been packed early this morning. The original plan was for Fang Ruqing to drive Ruan Mian back to her grandmother’s house in the countryside tomorrow morning.
No one expected this accident to happen.
Ruan Mian opened her suitcase and took out the letter left by Ruan Mingke before, for her sixteenth birthday.
She had opened and read it on the night of her birthday.
There was nothing much written in the letter, just some words of concern. It didn’t seem like much, but when Ruan Mian looked closely, she just felt sad.
If he and Fang Ruqing had not divorced, these words would not have made her so sad.
The sound of the door opening came from the entrance, and Zhao Shuyang, who had struggled to open the door for a long time, walked in with small steps.
Ruan Mian smiled, “What are you doing, Zhao Shuyang?”
The little boy didn’t call her either, but walked over and threw something in front of her.
Ruan Mian looked down, it was a White Rabbit milk candy.
She was stunned for a moment, and before the tears fell, she covered her eyes with her hand. When she spoke again, her voice was choked with tears, “This is for me?”
Zhao Shuyang nodded.
She smiled, “Thank you.”
Zhao Shuyang didn’t say anything else, turned around to find the Lego he had played with before, sat cross-legged on the carpet and started playing.
Ruan Mian looked at his little figure and sniffed, standing up from the floor.
That night, it was past midnight when Fang Ruqing and Zhao Yingwei came back. Ruan Mian was insomnia and heard their movements outside.
Not long after, the two went out again.
Before leaving, Fang Ruqing knocked on Ruan Mian’s door, just once and then stopped.
A few minutes later, Ruan Mian’s phone received a text message from Fang Ruqing.
Mom: Mianmian, your Uncle Zhao and I went to the hospital again. We’ll probably be a little late to take you to Grandma’s tomorrow, so get your things packed at home in the morning.
Ruan Mian didn’t reply to the message at this time. Lying in bed, she kept turning the screen on and off, repeating it a few times before putting down her phone and closing her eyes to empty her mind in the darkness.
A long night of sleeplessness.
The next morning, Ruan Mian woke up at the sound of the alarm clock, and there was no one at home.
After washing up, she went back to her room to get her suitcase and schoolbag, and hailed a taxi at the entrance of the alley to Pingcheng Bus Station.
It wasn’t the peak travel season yet, so the bus station wasn’t too crowded, but it wasn’t empty either. Ruan Mian bought a ticket at the window and boarded the bus to Xi Ping according to the instructions.
The buses left every half hour. The previous bus had left about twenty minutes ago when she got on as the bus started. During the two-hour ride, she gave Fang Ruqing a text back when the bus departed.
Ruan Mian: Okay, I know. I’m already on the bus back to Xi Ping.
Fang Ruqing’s call followed right after the message was sent.
Ruan Mian hesitated before answering, “Hello, Mom.”
“Why did you go back alone? Didn’t I tell you to wait for me?”
It was a little noisy on Fang Ruqing’s side, then it quieted down a lot after a while.
Ruan Mian held the protrusion on the back of the phone case and asked back instead of answering, “How is Zhao Shutang?”
Fang Ruqing was quiet for a few seconds before saying, “Tibia fracture, minor ulnar fracture in his left hand.”
“That serious, was it from falling?”
“Hit by a car.”
Fang Ruqing didn’t let her divert the topic and asked again, “Where are you now? Has the bus left? Do you have everything with you?”
“The bus has left already, and I have everything with me too.”
Ruan Mian looked out the window, “I’ll call you again when I get there.”
It was quiet on the receiver for a moment, and then Fang Ruqing sighed and said, “Okay then, be careful on the road, I’ll come get you when you’re back.”
“Okay, I know.”
From Pingcheng to Xi Ping was a two hour drive. This was the third time Ruan Mian had taken the bus back.
In the past, when Fang Ruqing and Ruan Mingke were not yet divorced, Ruan Mingke would bring Grandma Ruan to stay in Pingcheng for a period of time every winter and summer vacation.
Occasionally, Ruan Mian would spend a few summer vacations with Ruan Mingke in the countryside. She didn’t go out much on weekdays, just stayed in the yard to eat watermelon and watch the moon.
This trip was the first time Ruan Mian took the bus back alone.
The two hour ride went by quickly, Ruan Mian dozed off and woke up when the attendant made an announcement with a loudspeaker, “Xi Ping is almost here, passengers getting off please get your luggage ready in advance.”
The aunt sitting next to Ruan Mian had gotten off at the previous stop, so Ruan Mian had already taken her suitcase down. When the bus stopped, she got off directly with her schoolbag.
Xi Ping was a large town. A bridge in the middle of the creek connected the north and south parts of Xi Ping. The bus station was on the north side, while Grandma’s house was on the south side.
After getting off the bus, there were three-wheeled vehicles to pick people up.
Ruan Mian asked for the price and the driver sent her to the door of her home.
This was the old Ruan family house. Rural buildings were quite similar, with several single story houses and a yard. Grandma Ruan was originally a maid beside the eldest daughter of the Zhou family in Xi Ping. She took the Zhou surname and was named Xiujun. After marrying Old Master Ruan, she had lived here ever since without moving.
At this time, the old lady was chatting with the neighbor who came to visit while picking vegetables in the yard. Hearing the sound at the door, she stopped what she was doing and walked out.
“Oh!”
Seeing Ruan Mian, the old lady’s face was full of surprise.
Ruan Mian took the change back from the driver and smiled at the old woman, “Grandma.”
Zhou Xiujun walked up and took the luggage from her granddaughter’s hand, “How come it’s just you alone, where’s your mom? She said she was going to take you here.”
“Something came up for her this morning, she said she was going to take me in the afternoon, but I wanted to come early so I took the bus myself.”
Zhou Xiujun held her hand, “It must have been tiring for you to come all this way yourself. Come in and take a rest.”
The people sitting in the yard were all neighbors from nearby. Ruan Mian greeted them one by one, and they all praised her for being bright and sensible.
The old lady poured her a cup of hot water. The others didn’t stay long either, leaving the grandmother and granddaughter to sit in the yard.
Ruan Mian held the cup of water, sitting on a small stool, “Dad went to the northwest and won’t be coming back for the new year this time.”
“I know, your dad came back once before leaving and told me about it.”
Zhou Xiujun picked vegetables while asking, “Your mom is good, right?”
“Yeah, she’s fine.”
“How’s everyone else treating you at home?”
Ruan Mian drank some water, “Pretty good too.”
Zhou Xiujun glanced up at her, “You look much thinner than last time I saw you.”
“No I didn’t, my weight is still the same.”
“Lost weight.”
The old lady picked up the vegetables she had chosen and walked to the kitchen, “Your face got smaller.”
Ruan Mian touched her face and put down the cup to follow her, not continuing on that topic, “Grandma, what are you making for lunch?”
The old lady washed the vegetables with her head down, “Braised pork ribs, your favorite right?”
“Then I’m in for a treat.”
Ruan Mian’s eyes curved into a smile, “Then I’ll go call my mom first to let her know.”
“Go ahead.”
Ruan Mian walked out. Zhou Xiujun looked back and turned to lift her apron and wipe her eyes before continuing to work busily.
Standing in the yard making the call, Ruan Mian saw the old lady’s actions. Her eyes moistened and she averted her gaze, hanging up after just a few words with Fang Ruqing.
At lunch, Ruan Mian ate until she was stuffed, having eaten more than half of the plate of braised pork ribs herself.
After the meal, Zhou Xiujun took Ruan Mian to visit other families.
In an afternoon’s time, everyone in the neighborhood knew the Ruan family granddaughter was back. Dinner was at a cousin’s house next door, with a whole big family, lively and noisy.
No one mentioned anything about the city, pretending not to know.
Dinner was over by almost eight o’clock. Ruan Mian walked home arm in arm with her grandma. After washing up, she didn’t go to her own room but insisted on squeezing into one bed with her grandma.
“You’re so grown up now, still wanting to sleep with grandma, aren’t you afraid of being laughed at by others?”
Although she said that, Zhou Xiujun eyes were smiling.
“Who’s going to laugh at me?”
Ruan Mian put her pillow down and lay down, “Grandma, I want to eat your dumplings with mushroom and pork filling tomorrow.”
Grandma Ruan laughed, “Okay, I’ll buy anything you want to eat.”
“Then let’s go to the market together tomorrow morning to buy ingredients?”
“You don’t have to go, just sleep in a little longer in the morning, I can go buy them myself.”
“I want to go with you.”
Ruan Mian hugged her grandma’s arm, rubbing her cheek against her shoulder, “Grandma, I miss you so much.”
“Oh, you’re so grown up now.”
The grandmother and granddaughter chatted for a long time, mostly Ruan Mian talking, covering every detail of her life and studies. Zhou Xiujun listened attentively.
When it came to classmates, Ruan Mian thought of Chen Yi and fell silent for a while. She suddenly spoke up, “Grandma.”
“Hmm?”
Ruan Mian held her grandma’s arm, her eyes lowered, “I met a boy. After meeting him, sometimes I feel very happy, but sometimes I also feel very sad. Grandma, do you think meeting him is a good thing or a bad thing?”
Zhou Xiujun sighed with a smile, patting her granddaughter on the head, and said solemnly, “People used to say that meeting some people is a blessing, and not meeting them is also a blessing. So if you had a chance to do it again, would you still want to meet this boy?”
That night, Ruan Mian thought about it for a long time.
For the Ruan Mian at that time, no matter how many times she could do it again, she would still choose to walk down that dimly lit path on that summer night.
Then at the end of the road, she would meet the boy who made her like him to her heart’s content with just one glance.
Leave a Reply