The stifling summer felt like a beast trapped in a cage. Though a thunderstorm had just passed and the ground remained wet, irritating stuffiness had already begun rising in the air again.
Zhou Wan walked to the hospital entrance to get some fresh air.
She wore a comfortable, clean cotton dress with her hair tied up casually. A few loose strands fell around her fair neck, and her clear, pure eyes were downcast.
She hadn’t had time for lunch, and her stomach was uncomfortable.
Zhou Wan slowly crouched down by the roadside, hugging her knees.
It was then that Zhou Wan saw Lu Xixiao across the street.
The young man was tall with long legs, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and jeans. Though casual attire, on him it emphasized his youthful vigor all the more.
He leaned lazily against the internet café’s wall, his hair neat, his eyes deep yet frivolous. A cigarette dangled from his fingertips, his expression blank, his whole being radiating an air of indulgence and playful detachment from the world.
Then, a girl with a slim waist and long legs emerged from the internet café.
She wore a camisole with two thin wine-red straps across her snow-white shoulders. She walked to Lu Xixiao’s side, leaned against him, and stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear.
Lu Xixiao obligingly bent down to listen.
How considerate of him.
The girl whispered something in his ear, and he smiled, ripples appearing in his normally calm and indifferent eyes.
He also leaned in, half-resting against the girl, getting extremely close, almost touching her ear as he whispered something back.
His smile was somewhat mischievous.
Sure enough, the girl blushed and playfully punched his chest.
Zhou Wan watched this scene, slowly blinking once.
Of course, she knew Lu Xixiao – everyone at Yangming High School knew him.
He had good looks and a free-spirited, unrestrained personality that particularly caught the attention of sixteen and seventeen-year-olds, attracting plenty of admirers and affection.
He’d had many girlfriends, appearing fickle and romantic, but was actually cold and emotionless, never truly caring much for anyone.
Come to think of it, Zhou Wan had had one interaction with him before—
It was early autumn of freshman year when she encountered Lu Xixiao and his friends at a breakfast shop.
The group of boys were talking carelessly, discussing his previous girlfriend who was from another school and had a great figure, all of them chiming in with crude remarks.
Zhou Wan was sitting nearby and caught some of their words, feeling uncomfortable.
She unconsciously looked at the subject of their conversation.
The subject remained composed and unmoved, head lowered as he ate his porridge.
The breakfast shop’s table was very low, and he was too tall, making him sit somewhat awkwardly. His skin was very fair, his hair still half-wet, with loose strands hanging over his forehead. His elbow rested on his knee as he looked down.
“Boss Xiao, come on, tell us,” the boy beside him asked with a grin. “How was it?”
He looked up, his gaze carrying a very faint smile, casual and nonchalant: “How was what?”
“Stop pretending, you know what we’re asking about?”
He smiled, deflecting playfully: “Really don’t know.”
His friend didn’t waste words with him, winking: “How did it feel?”
Hearing this, Zhou Wan frowned.
Lu Xixiao finished his breakfast, slowly and methodically wiped his mouth with a napkin, then leaned back in the plastic chair with his arms crossed.
It was then that Lu Xixiao noticed Zhou Wan frowning at the table behind them.
The young girl had delicate features – a small nose, small mouth, and large eyes like a deer’s, so clear you could see right through them, the kind of eyes that made people think of innocence and purity at first glance.
They made eye contact for several seconds, ending when Zhou Wan looked away first.
Lu Xixiao let out a laugh from deep in his throat, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, looking lackadaisical: “Alright, there’s a young lady present.”
…
At that time, she didn’t even know his name, only learning it later when companions mentioned it.
Lu Xixiao.
Sure enough, after that, she often saw various girls standing by his side.
However, someone like Lu Xixiao naturally wouldn’t remember her from those three seconds of eye contact.
*
Across the street, after the girl clung to Lu Xixiao’s arm and acted coy for a while, she half-pulled and half-dragged him back into the internet café.
Zhou Wan’s stomach pain had eased somewhat, and just as she was getting up to buy something to eat, her phone rang.
“Hello?” she answered, “Dr. Chen.”
Dr. Chen: “Wan Wan, your grandmother’s test results are out. Can you come by when you have time? Also, pick up the medication for the next two weeks.”
“Okay, I’m actually at the hospital entrance now, I’ll come right in.”
Zhou Wan’s grandmother had uremia with kidney failure. She’d had it for several years now, surviving on weekly dialysis.
In the doctor’s office, Dr. Chen laid out the examination and lab reports in front of Zhou Wan.
Zhou Wan often accompanied her grandmother to the hospital, and all the doctors and nurses in the department knew her. They privately pitied her – she was obedient and delicate-looking, so when they saw her, they would usually exchange a few extra caring words.
“You can see the current situation. I recommend increasing dialysis frequency to at least twice a week from now on,” Dr. Chen said.
Zhou Wan carefully studied the up and down arrows on the lab report, nodding: “Okay.”
The doctor knew about her family’s difficulties: “You should also prepare for the costs in advance.”
After a pause, he added, “If you need any help, you can come to me.”
Dr. Chen had worked at the hospital for over ten years and had seen plenty of life and death, including many who gave up on treating their elderly relatives.
As the old saying goes, there are no filial children by a long sickbed.
Since it’s an old saying, it naturally has its reasons.
But Zhou Wan’s grandmother had been sick for so many years, and whenever this granddaughter could get leave from school, she would accompany her.
Though only sixteen or seventeen herself, facing all this, she never complained, remaining gentle and calm, making others feel sorry for her.
Zhou Wan gave a faint smile and thanked him, but didn’t want to trouble him: “I’ll think of something.”
…
Leaving the hospital with the lab reports.
The sun hung high overhead, the air so stuffy that each breath felt like inhaling a dry ball of cotton.
Fine beads of sweat formed on Zhou Wan’s temples as she stood at the bus stop, one hand holding a bag of medicine, her arm clutching a stack of lab reports, while her other hand dialed her mother.
After just one ring, it was hung up.
The bus arrived.
Zhou Wan was pushed onto the bus by the crowd.
The bus interior was filled with women’s sharp scolding and the unpleasant smell of cigarettes and alcohol from men.
Zhou Wan was squeezed into a corner, gripping the handrail as her phone vibrated.
Her mother had sent a text back.
[Mom: Wan Wan, I’m busy right now and can’t talk, what is it?]
Zhou Wan’s fingers hesitated on the screen before replying.
[Zhou Wan: Let’s talk in person.]
[Mom: Then tonight, I’ll find you later.]
[Zhou Wan: Okay.]
It was still an era when pickpockets were common on buses, so Zhou Wan didn’t dare put her phone in her pocket, clutching it tightly in her hand instead.
She watched the scenery pass by outside the window.
The bus jolted along.
She knew very well what kind of person her mother was.
She was different from those mothers in Chinese literature essays who carried their feverish children to the hospital at night or fanned their children during powerless summer heat. Less than a month after Zhou Wan’s father passed away, she left home.
Later, she heard her mother was with some small business owner in town.
After that, Guo Xiangling’s love life wasn’t smooth either, as she dated quite a few men on and off.
She was truly beautiful, but unlike Zhou Wan, hers was a striking beauty. Having worked as a sales clerk at a luxury store before, she could pull off quite a socialite look by imitating what she’d seen.
They say she’s recently gotten together with a really powerful man.
There are all kinds of mothers in this world.
Some selfless, some gentle, some impatient, some stubborn – you could see all sorts of women in the vegetable market of Pingchuan City.
Zhou Wan just had bad luck, ending up with a selfish, self-serving mother.
She understood that if she asked Guo Xiangling for money through text messages, she would refuse.
So she had to see her in person.
*
After dinner, Zhou Wan arrived at a café according to the address Guo Xiangling gave.
Guo Xiangling hadn’t arrived yet, so she found a corner seat and took out a physics competition paper from her backpack.
By the time she finished one test paper, an hour and a half had passed, and Guo Xiangling finally arrived.
“Wan Wan.” Guo Xiangling hurried over in her kid leather high heels, “Have you been waiting long?”
She put away her test paper: “Not too long.”
Guo Xiangling smiled and pinched her cheek, calling over a waiter to order a coffee for herself and hot milk for Zhou Wan: “You still have school tomorrow, drink milk instead, or you won’t be able to sleep.”
Strangely enough, the same person who had abandoned ten-year-old Zhou Wan alone at home was now acting tender and intimate.
Guo Xiangling made small talk for a while, first saying Zhou Wan had gotten thinner, then asking how school was going.
“I ranked second last time.”
“Second in class?”
“Mm.” She took a sip of hot milk, letting the faint sweetness spread in her mouth, and licked her lips, “Second in the grade too.”
Guo Xiangling smiled brightly, ruffling her hair: “My Wan Wan is so impressive.”
“Mom.” Zhou Wan said, “I’m looking for you today because I have something to discuss.”
“Oh, I almost forgot, what is it?”
“Grandmother’s lab results came back today, and there will be many expenses for her treatment ahead. The money in grandmother’s medical insurance is almost used up, and what I earn from my part-time job is too slow, so—” She paused, watching Guo Xiangling’s expression.
She was still smiling, though now somewhat apologetically.
“Wan Wan, I know you’re close to your grandmother, but mom is on her own now and really can’t spare much money.”
“Mm, I know, I’m not asking for your money.” Zhou Wan lowered her head, watching the ripples in the milk, “But didn’t Dad have some savings before? I want to use that money first for grandmother’s treatment.”
Guo Xiangling’s expression froze for a moment, and she sighed: “Wan Wan, you should know that your grandmother’s condition can’t be cured just with dialysis.”
Zhou Wan looked up.
The young girl’s eyes were large, slightly red underneath.
Guo Xiangling sighed again as if compromising: “How much did the doctor say it would cost?”
“She needs one more dialysis session per week, about four hundred yuan each time.”
“That’s highway robbery!” Guo Xiangling’s eyes widened, “Wasn’t grandmother’s condition stable? Why suddenly need to spend more money? Wan Wan, you’re young and look easy to trick, be careful not to get scammed!”
Zhou Wan frowned.
“Alright, alright.” Guo Xiangling waved her hand, “But I can’t afford such a long-term expense either. How about this – I’ll give you 500 yuan first, and we’ll discuss the rest later.”
Guo Xiangling pulled out five bills from her wallet.
She accidentally pulled out one extra bill, tucked it back in, and held the money out to Zhou Wan.
The moment Zhou Wan took the money, she felt her self-respect being trampled into the ground.
But she had no choice, could only take it and say thank you.
Guo Xiangling’s phone rang, and she immediately broke into a happy smile, saying repeatedly: “I’m coming, I’m coming, why are you rushing!”
After hanging up, she quickly grabbed her bag and stood: “Wan Wan, mom has something to do and needs to leave now. Finish your milk before going home.”
“Mm.”
Guo Xiangling left quickly.
Zhou Wan put the five hundred yuan in the inner compartment of her backpack, zipped it up, picked up her cup, and drank all the milk in one go, then stood up too.
When she walked outside, she happened to see Guo Xiangling getting into a car.
A shiny black sedan.
She sat in the back seat, with a driver in front.
It seemed the neighbors’ gossip wasn’t wrong – this time her mother had found a wealthy man.
The car hadn’t gone far when it suddenly slowed down and pulled over to the curb, the window rolling down.
Guo Xiangling’s voice carried clearly—
“Xiao, get in, let’s go back together.”
Zhou Wan’s gaze paused, her dark eyelashes pressing down.
Lu Xixiao.
He stood by the roadside, dark eyes drooping at the corners, looking extremely cold and impatient.
He didn’t respond.
Just then, the summer thunderstorm came suddenly, pouring down.
Zhou Wan didn’t have time to react, covering her head with both hands as she ran through puddles toward the bus stop sign.
Her clothes were completely soaked, clinging to her body, and her hair was wet too, with water droplets running down the strands, blurring her vision.
Zhou Wan shook the water off her arms and moved her backpack to her chest to cover her now-visible white underwear.
She looked toward the sedan again.
Lu Xixiao seemed to click his tongue, his expression distant and cold as he opened the front passenger door and got in.
He didn’t close the window, leaving it half-open, letting the slanting rain fall on him.
He lit a cigarette, held it between his lips, and rested his elbow on the window frame, the smoke dispersed by raindrops.
Lu Xixiao was someone whose bone structure was naturally sharp and clean-cut, the kind of features that easily left a deep impression. At this moment, he looked very different from how he had appeared outside the internet café earlier.
Zhou Wan stared steadily.
Her thoughts were as tangled as a knotted ball of yarn.
She suddenly remembered what the neighbors had gossiped about – that Guo Xiangling was something, managing to hook up with that big boss surnamed Lu this time.
—Surnamed Lu.
In the downpour, the sedan sped away, splashing waves from the roadside puddles.
Zhou Wan stood alone at the sign, waiting endlessly for the rain to stop.
Grandmother was still waiting for her medicine.
She put the prescription medicine in her backpack too, held it tightly to her chest, and ran into the curtain of rain.
The girl running through the rain, and the boy smoking in the car.
Going opposite ways.
Yet in this moment, pulled by an invisible thread, becoming inextricably entangled.