“When he was little, he told me about a girl who lived next door to his family in Qunshan. She would follow him around every day, wanting to play together. I found it quite interesting at the time because Qiaoxi rarely shared such stories with me,” the cousin wrote in his letter to Lin Yingtao.
“Later, during a summer vacation in Hong Kong, he unexpectedly asked me what trendy gifts girls might want. He was only ten years old then. He bought a lipstick. He was always too mature for his age, but in reality, he was still just a child.”
“When he used to stay at Uncle’s house, he rarely smiled. Even on phone calls, it was mostly me talking and him listening. After moving to Qunshan, he became more talkative. He mentioned you gave him an imported watch…”
“If my first cousin were still alive, he would be 38 years old this year. His passing must have been devastating for Uncle’s family, but it’s especially unfair to Qiaoxi.”
“When he was very young, he often asked me why he was brought into this world. After meeting you, he stopped asking such questions.”
Lin Yingtao seldom attended Jiang Qiaoxi’s work dinners. That day, she went because the cousin and his wife were there. Reportedly, there was a boss from Beijing at the table, the cousin’s “benefactor” who had helped him in Hong Kong two years ago.
The cousin’s wife was the only other woman at the dinner, so Lin Yingtao went to keep her company.
The young boss from Beijing was quite talkative, with a charming round face and naturally curly hair. He had an amiable demeanor. Lin Yingtao occasionally looked up at him while eating. “He’s quite entertaining,” she whispered to Jiang Qiaoxi.
The young boss, surnamed Ai, was engrossed in conversation with the cousin. When excited, he would break into Cantonese with a slight Beijing accent, making even Jiang Qiaoxi laugh.
“Bugattis are quite rare now,” the cousin said, wiping his hands. “For cars in Central, you’d have to ask Qiaoxi these days. I think I used to see more Paganis before.”
Jiang Qiaoxi told Boss Ai that Paganis, Mercedes, and Alphard were more common on Hong Kong streets.
As they discussed sports cars, Lin Yingtao, uninterested, leaned toward Jiang Qiaoxi and said she needed to use the restroom.
Jiang Qiaoxi nodded, “We’re almost done. Come back quickly.”
Lin Yingtao left the private room and walked down the corridor. She didn’t particularly enjoy dining with many strangers. From the private rooms on both sides of the corridor came the sounds of people toasting and urging each other to drink. Just hearing it made Lin Yingtao feel tired.
She went downstairs, wanting some fresh air outside. Lin Yingtao remembered how her father would occasionally attend such dinners when she was young. At those gatherings, everyone had to maintain a smiling face, drinking until they were intoxicated and heartburn set in, yet still smiling. Since her father was naturally cheerful, Lin Yingtao never noticed anything unusual.
It wasn’t until she grew up – be it college club gatherings, work colleague meetups, or dinners with other parents – that Lin Yingtao gradually began to understand the difficulties adults faced.
She found it hard to imagine how Jiang Qiaoxi had managed such occasions over the past few years of work. Once you grow up, you can no longer act on impulse.
Downstairs, a commotion suddenly broke out.
In front of the payment counter in the hotel lobby, a television was on. Many guests and staff were gathered there, watching the news.
“…According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Fengchang District, Qunshan City, at 19:08 this evening. The epicenter was at a depth of 11km, with strong tremors felt across the Qunshan region…”
Lin Yingtao was stunned for a moment. After confirming she had heard “Qunshan,” she turned and hurried back upstairs. She walked through the corridor and pushed open the private room door. Inside, her cousin and the investors from Beijing were still laughing and talking. She tugged at Jiang Qiaoxi’s sleeve. He looked up at her, but she only pulled gently at his sleeve, momentarily unable to speak.
Jiang Qiaoxi was confused. He stood up and followed her out.
Downstairs, the news continued to broadcast.
“…As of now, aftershocks continue in the Qunshan epicenter area. Some mountain roads have experienced landslides. The Qunshan city government is organizing rescue teams to reach the affected areas and evacuate disaster victims…”
Jiang Qiaoxi listened to the news once. Belatedly, he took out his phone. He had muted it while dining with his cousin’s benefactor and now saw that Cai Fangyuan had called him several times.
Lin Yingtao stood on the stairs, staring blankly at the images on the TV screen in the distance.
Jiang Qiaoxi hurriedly dialed his phone, reassuring her, “I’ll call Feng Letian.”
The TV news began interviewing a local street-level cadre from Fengchang District, Qunshan City. He was assisting in checking the damage to nearby street buildings and comforting citizens wandering the streets, afraid to return home.
Lin Yingtao opened her mouth, then reached out to pull Jiang Qiaoxi, pointing at the TV.
“Feng… Feng Letian?” she said.
Feng Letian on the TV wasn’t wearing glasses. His eyes were slightly protruding. He looked unchanged from high school, with a short beard, dark skin, and a slight hunch.
“There are no specific casualty figures yet!” he said, his voice hoarse from exhaustion, speaking rapidly. The local news reporter kept pressing for answers, so he continued, “Qunshan City has over twenty years of experience in earthquake prevention and resistance. The landslide prevention project has been ongoing for more than a decade. Everyone, please don’t panic. There’s no need to panic!”
The restaurant owner came over and, noticing Lin Yingtao’s restless and absent-minded state, asked, “Young lady, is your hometown Qunshan?”
Lin Yingtao looked up, unsure how to answer.
“Do you have relatives in Qunshan?” the owner asked again.
Lin Yingtao shook her head.
Lin Yingtao had no relatives, elders, or friends left in Qunshan. That’s why, even after leaving for so many years, she had never found an opportunity or excuse to go back.
It always seemed like Qunshan would be there, forever waiting for her return.
Lin Yingtao said, “I grew up in Qunshan…” As she said the words “grew up,” tears suddenly fell. She raised her arm to cover her face. Jiang Qiaoxi put his arm around her shoulders, still listening to his phone, which only gave busy signals.
Feng Letian finally called Jiang Qiaoxi back close to midnight.
“There’s not much damage in the urban area. The buildings are quite sturdy. It’s mainly the village households in the mountains,” Feng Letian said tiredly. “Yes, Qunshan experienced a major earthquake before, so the earthquake resistance measures are quite good now. The main risk is still landslides—”
“No need, no need for you to come over for now,” Feng Letian said. “There are constant aftershocks. The army has come to help, but it’s still quite dangerous.”
The next morning, Lin Yingtao was at work, staring out the window lost in thought. A foreign teacher came to teach the children English songs. Lin Yingtao stood nearby, participating in these children’s childhoods while her own had long since passed. She took out her phone and looked at the chat history of the “Qunshan Small Dining Table Group.”
Du Shang said: “The construction site dormitories where we used to live have all been demolished. Is the Zhongneng Power Plant still there?”
Yu Qiao said: “The power plant must still be there. They spent so much effort building it, it should have an operational life of at least 50-60 years, right?”
Cai Fangyuan said: “It’s probably changed beyond recognition by now.”
Yu Qiao said: “We should have gone back to see it earlier when we had the chance.”
Du Shang said: “Yeah, why didn’t we think of going together to take a look during winter or summer breaks back then?”
Lin Yingtao chimed in: “Are you all going back? I want to go too!”
Unexpectedly, Yu Qiao immediately replied: “Go back for what? No work to do?”
Lin Yingtao said: “We can take time off!”
Du Shang said: “Let’s… let’s not. It’s not that easy to get time off.”
Cai Fangyuan said: “@Lin Yingtao, your wedding is in less than two weeks. You’ve been busy for half a year, why go to Qunshan now?”
Yu Qiao said: “There are still aftershocks. Better stay put at home.”
This happened in late September. Lin Yingtao called her father. They had also seen the news about the earthquake in Qunshan. Her father said, “The situation isn’t too serious, Yingtao. What are you worried about?”
Six days after the earthquake, Qunshan City released a government announcement stating that over 20,000 villagers had been evacuated from the affected mountain areas. Across the city, 29 people were injured, none life-threatening. Seismology experts also stated that the possibility of a larger earthquake was very small, and Qunshan would not experience a disaster like the one twenty years ago.
Lin Yingtao donated some money to the villagers in Qunshan through a donation channel shared on Weibo. She was drying her freshly washed hair when she clicked on a news short film shot by local media in Qunshan City, titled “24 Hours of the Qunshan 9.21 Earthquake – Qunshan’s Red Bridge of Life.”
Jiang Qiaoxi called from the living room: “Yingtao, do we have any fountain pen ink left?”
“Huh?” Lin Yingtao put down her hair towel and ran out. “I put it on the bookshelf—”
The short film continued playing on Lin Yingtao’s computer screen. In the footage, People’s Liberation Army troops were helping villagers cross a red suspension bridge spanning a mountain gorge amidst continuous aftershocks. A reporter standing by the bridge said, “Perhaps it’s fate that this beautiful red suspension bridge was only completed this July…”
Lin Yingtao woke up at 3 AM, listening to Jiang Qiaoxi’s steady breathing beside her. She looked towards the pothos plant by the window.
There were only five days left until her wedding.
But she couldn’t sleep. Lin Yingtao turned over to face Jiang Qiaoxi. She knew she was about to get married and shouldn’t be thinking too much about other things.
“Why aren’t you asleep yet?” a sleepy voice asked softly.
Lin Yingtao looked up and found that Jiang Qiaoxi wasn’t asleep either and was looking at her.
She hugged Jiang Qiaoxi’s waist and snuggled into his embrace.
The next day was a weekend, but according to this year’s National Day holiday adjustment, they still had to work. Lin Yingtao finished work around 5 PM and returned home preoccupied. She put rice in the cooker, then sat at the dining table, mindlessly refreshing news about Qunshan. Just then, Jiang Qiaoxi came home. Lin Yingtao glanced at him and saw him heading straight for the bedroom. She thought he was going to shower first.
A few minutes later, Jiang Qiaoxi came out. He hadn’t even taken off his jacket and was holding a folded towel and a travel toothbrush case.
Lin Yingtao asked, “Are you going on a business trip?”
Jiang Qiaoxi looked at her from the doorway: “Let’s go. We’re going back to Qunshan today to take a look. We’ll return tomorrow.”
When she was young, Lin Yingtao traveled alone from Qunshan City by long-distance bus, taking seven hours to reach the provincial capital. Now, she sat in her husband Jiang Qiaoxi’s car, driving on the new provincial highway. The navigation software showed it would only take four hours to reach Qunshan.
Just after 8 PM, they pulled into a highway service area.
Jiang Qiaoxi first filled up the car. He and Yingtao got out together, holding hands as they walked towards the service area restaurant.
As they got closer to Qunshan, the mountain scenery on both sides of the highway became more complex. Tall, dense trees lined the road, their canopies merging in the night. Looking up, they could see more stars in the sky.
At this moment, Jiang Qiaoxi received a call from his cousin.
“We’re… on the highway right now… Yes, going back to Qunshan for a look…” Jiang Qiaoxi said softly. He laughed helplessly, “If we didn’t go for a quick, secret look first, I think the bride wouldn’t be able to sleep at all.”
Lin Yingtao held his hand, looking down at her WeChat. She noticed the group had been quiet all day, with no one saying anything.
She secretly planned to take a photo when they reached the Qunshan toll station and post it to the group. It would surely give them all a big surprise!
After Jiang Qiaoxi finished his call, they entered the service area restaurant together. Lin Yingtao went to the supermarket to buy water, while Jiang Qiaoxi stood at the ordering counter, planning to order something simple for a quick meal.
The first item on the menu was beef noodles. Jiang Qiaoxi saw it and frowned, as it brought back some unpleasant memories.
Lin Yingtao looked around the supermarket shelves.
At 8 PM, the highway service area was filled with truck drivers resting and chatting loudly. Lin Yingtao grabbed two bottles of water and two cans of cold cola, realizing she still loved carbonated sweet drinks even as an adult—
“I’m returning to base tomorrow afternoon.”
Behind the cola shelf, Lin Yingtao suddenly heard a strangely familiar voice on the phone.
“Now? I’m at the highway service area now, almost at Qunshan—” As he turned around and saw Lin Yingtao, he suddenly exclaimed, “Ah!” He stepped back, clearly startled.
Lin Yingtao looked up at him, her eyebrows drooping. She opened her mouth, gasping.
“Yu Qiao!!” She jumped on the spot, shouting in disbelief while holding the cola.
Jiang Qiaoxi suddenly heard Yingtao’s voice from the supermarket. He didn’t know what was happening, but just then, the plastic curtain behind him at the restaurant entrance was pushed aside from the outside.
“Yu Qiao!” Du Shang walked in, carrying a large travel bag and panting. He struggled to adjust the bag strap. “Why are you taking so long to buy stuff?”
He turned his head and saw Jiang Qiaoxi. They both froze, staring at each other in astonishment.
Cai Fangyuan woke up in his 50,000-square-meter bed, holding his phone to his left ear while rubbing his sleepy eyes with his right hand. “Damn it!!” He got out of bed to put on his slippers and quickly changed clothes. “Neither of you two groups called me?”
Qin Yeyun was lying in a beauty salon, getting a facial treatment with a client. Her assistant reminded her that her phone had been ringing continuously. Qin Yeyun picked up her phone amidst the client’s curious chatter and saw a WeChat message from Lin Yingtao.
She suddenly laughed, seemingly unable to control herself. The client beside her had to remind her, “Ms. Qin, didn’t you say we shouldn’t laugh?”
In the service area restaurant, four people sat at a table, two on each side, with two steaming bowls of wonton and two bowls of noodles in front of them.
Yu Qiao tapped his knuckles on the table and asked Lin Yingtao, “Why aren’t you focusing on getting married? What are you doing here?”
Lin Yingtao tapped her knuckles on the table in response and asked Yu Qiao and Du Shang, “Why aren’t you focusing on your work?”
Du Shang, sitting nearby, slurped his noodles and asked Jiang Qiaoxi, “Do you want some vinegar? If not, I’ll get more.”