Qiao Qingyu’s wish came true when Li Fanghao was suddenly diagnosed with severe depression and hospitalized. This news prompted Qiao Lilong to abandon his plans to return to Huanzhou. Upon her return, Qiao Huan gathered Qiao Lilong’s clothes left at her place and delivered them to Building 39. She told Qiao Lushen that Qiao Lilong wanted these clothes discarded.
“We can keep the clothes, but we need to exorcise them,” Liu Yanfen shouted over the phone to Qiao Lushen. “Your home and shop need exorcism too…”
Before Qiao Lushen could respond, Qiao Qingyu snatched the phone. “Aunt, exorcism won’t help. Besides, our family matters don’t concern you.”
“I’m just saying, other families with daughters aren’t like yours…”
Qiao Qingyu interrupted, “Our family may have made many mistakes, but our only real fault is clashing with Nan Qiao Village.” Ignoring Qiao Lushen’s shock, she continued, “Don’t worry, we won’t come back and trouble you anymore.”
Under the watchful eyes of her father and brother, she hung up the phone. Taking a deep breath, she announced solemnly, “Mom and I have agreed that when she’s discharged, regardless of when I’ll take her away from Huanzhou and Shunyun. We’ll find a beautiful small city where no one knows her and help her start a new life.”
Father and son remained silent. After a while, Qiao Jinyu turned to Qiao Lushen, “Dad, I think sister’s idea is great. I support her.”
Qiao Lushen sighed.
“Let sister focus on university. I’ll stay with you both,” Qiao Jinyu said, glancing at Qiao Qingyu and then back to Qiao Lushen. “When Mom recovers, our family can start fresh somewhere new. Don’t worry.”
Qiao Lushen sighed again, gazing out the window. His graying temples made him look a decade older. Eventually, he turned back, looking both resigned and relieved. “We’ll need to find a place with similar housing prices to Shunyun. We’ll have to sell our house here. It’ll help pay for Qingqing’s university and Mom’s treatment, and we can buy a small house in the new place. Without a house, there’s no home.”
The siblings simultaneously agreed, exchanging smiles. Qiao Qingyu caught a glimpse of tears in Qiao Jinyu’s eyes and heard his barely audible “Sister, stay strong.”
“Stay strong” was also Qiao Qingyu’s mantra to herself. After Li Fanghao’s hospitalization, the family found peace, but Qiao Qingyu’s state began to fluctuate. Following the Qingming Festival, her mock exam results dropped her out of the top 100 in her grade. This was a stark contrast to Ming Sheng, who had received admission to a prestigious American university and ranked in the top ten.
Qiao Qingyu tried to rationalize that fluctuations were normal, attributing her performance to recent family distractions. She consoled herself, saying she no longer aimed for Peking University, and her current scores could still secure her a decent school for finance in Shanghai, closer to home. Deep down, however, she was profoundly disappointed in herself.
Beyond disappointment, she lost her motivation to study. She suddenly realized how ugly and monotonous her senior year had become. The formulas and letters on test papers seemed meaningless, merely consuming her youth. With less than sixty days until the college entrance exam, she feared this aversion to studying.
She urged herself to regain focus, determined not to falter just as her family life was improving. Simultaneously, she tried to maintain perspective, reminding herself that compared to the storms her family had weathered, how significant was the college entrance exam?
Or the regret-filled youth destined to separate her from Ming Sheng?
After the mock exam, the class underwent its final seating rearrangement. Qiao Qingyu moved to the window seat. Ming Sheng, who had guarded the back door for half a year, didn’t refuse the change this time. He followed her to the window area, with her on one side and him on the other.
When Qiao Qingyu looked out the window, she could catch glimpses of Ming Sheng in her peripheral vision. She noticed he was incredibly diligent, spending most of his time focused on solving problems, rarely standing up even during breaks. He was far more studious than she had imagined.
Inexplicably, the more focused he became, the more distracted she felt.
April brought beauty to the campus. Wisteria bloomed in clusters, late cherry blossoms, and crabapple flowers competed for attention in the garden, and the forsythia behind the library cascaded like a golden waterfall. Physical education remained the only elective course, with the latter half dedicated to free activities. Many students headed to the garden by the sports field. Guan Lan invited Qiao Qingyu to join her and Deng Meixi to view the flowers, but Qiao Qingyu declined.
Instead, she walked to the other side of the field, beneath the towering camphor trees.
She wanted to admire these trees openly, running her hand over each rough bark, but it felt too contrived. She couldn’t raise her hand—she wasn’t alone under the trees; Ming Sheng was right behind her.
Stopping at the last camphor tree, Qiao Qingyu turned around.
“Why are you following me?”
“I’m taking a walk.”
“You’re lying.”
Ming Sheng smiled, pressing his lips together. “Is it not okay to follow you?”
“No, it’s not.”
“Does the field belong to you?”
Leaning against the tree, Ming Sheng glanced at her sideways. “I happen to like camphor trees. What’s wrong with that?”
She couldn’t stand his playful attitude, feeling as if he was deliberately provoking and teasing her. She could already feel the heat rising to her ears—her face flushed easily. She wanted to escape.
“Qiao Qingyu,” Ming Sheng called out as she passed by him, “Why don’t you ask me which school I’m going to?”
She knew he had received offers from multiple prestigious schools but hadn’t heard which one he chose.
“Which school are you going to?”
Ming Sheng smiled, his eyes deep and bright as he asked in return, “Which school are you going to?”
“I won’t know until after the college entrance exam.”
“Then I won’t know until after the exam either.”
His expression didn’t seem to be joking. Qiao Qingyu stared at him, pondering his words several times before she grasped what he meant.
“You’re taking the college entrance exam,” she pondered. “Is it your father’s requirement?”
Ming Sheng shook his head. “No.”
She grew wary. “Then why?”
“If all goes well, you’ll likely go to Peking University’s Chinese Department, right?” Ming Sheng gazed at her, a smile playing on his lips. “I like Beijing too.”
“And then?”
“Then—” Ming Sheng looked up at the clear sky. “It’s a bigger place, with more people.”
The camphor leaves rustled overhead as Ming Sheng turned back to Qiao Qingyu. The anticipation in his eyes made him look incredibly handsome and charming. “Don’t you think?”
In her eighteen years of life, this was the only moment Qiao Qingyu wished time would stand still. She felt him seeping into her soul.
“Ming Sheng,” she whispered, “this is meaningless.”
“I’m not seeking meaning,” Ming Sheng said seriously. “I want to breathe the same air as you.”
“It will be painful for me,” Qiao Qingyu took a deep breath. “It will be painful for both of us… You’re adding to my burden.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Because I can’t be with you,” Qiao Qingyu looked at him suddenly. “Don’t change anything for me, don’t wait for me. Please, don’t wait for me.”
“Is it that you can’t, or you don’t want to?”
His clear, dark eyes stared at her, piercing her heart.
“I can’t.”
She saw Ming Sheng lower his head, his expression darkening. When he looked up again, his gaze was both distant and focused, like a lion eyeing its prey. Suddenly, she felt her waist soften as he pulled her close.
Qiao Qingyu. She heard him growl. Warm lips pressed against hers, his breath hot on her face.
Just as Qiao Qingyu felt she might suffocate, Ming Sheng released her.
She looked at him, flushed, and he stared back, his eyes as deep as the night sky. Then he turned and walked away, his retreating figure decisive and unrestrained.
That sudden kiss was like a definitive period, miraculously ending the emptiness that had plagued Qiao Qingyu for days. Two days later, in the second mock exam, she jumped back into the top 50 of her grade. Her study state, like her inner order, was set back on track by a powerful, mysterious force. She was happy, yet wistful—Ming Sheng had disappeared for a week, citing visa issues, and after returning, he frequently asked for leave, clearly no longer focused on the college entrance exam.
As she had wished, he hadn’t deviated from his original path.
Thank goodness.
Everyone has their path, Qiao Qingyu thought, clearly seeing her own: the college entrance exam, moving, studying finance in Shanghai, working after four years, finding a responsible and steady man, getting married, and spending the rest of her life.
It is strange, how the intense, drawn-out youth before the college entrance exam couldn’t claim a place in the common milestones of life—how unfair.
So, life must be very, very long—
During the two days of the college entrance exam, following Li Fanghao’s wishes, Qiao Jinyu took time off to escort Qiao Qingyu. After the last exam, as they neared the school gate, Qiao Qingyu noticed someone standing beside Qiao Jinyu—He Feihai.
She ran over joyfully. As He Feihai was rushing back to Lifang Village, the three didn’t go home but entered the milk tea shop opposite the school gate. During their conversation, Qiao Qingyu learned that He Feihai’s great-uncle had passed away, so he had rushed back from America for the funeral.
“I said my project was urgent, and he wasn’t my direct grandfather, so couldn’t I pay my respects when I came home later this year?” He Feihai said, shaking his head. “But my grandfather said no, that I represent the family’s face, and it wouldn’t be proper not to return.”
He looked at Qiao Qingyu and smiled helplessly. “Now I realize our family is very similar to yours, both typical in the village.”
“We’re letting go of that family,” Qiao Qingyu said frankly, feeling lighter. “We’ve sold the house in Shunyun. After my mom is discharged in July, we’re buying a small house in Sui Lake.”
“Oh?” He Feihai was a bit surprised. “Sui Lake?”
“The taste and climate are similar to Shunyun, and it’s not far from Huanzhou,” Qiao Qingyu explained, with Qiao Jinyu nodding beside her. “It’s a new city reborn on vast waters, spacious with few people and beautiful scenery. The cost of living and housing prices are both low.”
He Feihai smiled, full of regret. “Then I won’t be able to drop by and see you when I pass through Huanzhou in the future.”
“We’d be happy if you could visit my sister,” Qiao Jinyu said.
He Feihai nodded and asked Qiao Qingyu how she felt about the exam.
“It was okay.”
“My sister’s usual scores could get her into Peking University.”
“Hey—” Qiao Qingyu stopped Qiao Jinyu with a look. “I’m not planning to go to Beijing. I’m going to Shanghai.”
Remembering that He Feihai also studied finance, Qiao Qingyu asked him about university life.
“Many people think the college entrance exam is the end goal, but it’s not,” He Feihai said. “If you treat it as the end, it’s easy to fall apart in university… There was someone in our dorm, a provincial top scorer, who dropped out in his sophomore year…”
Qiao Qingyu nodded. “We can’t relax for a moment.”
“You need goals, the earlier the better,” He Feihai said. “For example, if you want to study abroad, you need to prepare many things in advance… Do you want to study abroad in the future?”
Qiao Qingyu shook her head without thinking, but Qiao Jinyu became anxious. “No, sis, Brother He got a scholarship, right? He doesn’t need to spend family money?”
“Even my university tuition is covered by financial aid. In high school, I never imagined I could study abroad,” He Feihai smiled. “Qingqing, you’ll understand when you enter university. The future is vast, and anything is possible.” He paused, then added, “The heights you reach depend on your efforts, not your family background.”
I understand the principle, Qiao Qingyu thought, somewhat indifferently, but her outlook brightened considerably. After saying goodbye to He Feihai, the siblings went directly to Huanzhou City Ninth People’s Hospital to visit Li Fanghao. Wearing blue and white hospital clothes, Li Fanghao seemed in good spirits. Seeing Qiao Qingyu, she smiled joyfully.
“Come,” she took Qiao Qingyu’s hand, her eyes full of affection as if she hadn’t seen her in a long time—though Qiao Qingyu had visited just three days ago. “Qingqing, you’ve finished the exam.”
“Mom, I think it went okay.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s good that you’ve finished,” Li Fanghao said, taking a box from the bedside table. “Here, Mom has a gift for you.”
Inside was a phone, without a keyboard, with a large smooth screen and “htc” printed in the upper left corner.
“From now on, call home more often when you’re away,” Li Fanghao smiled, stroking her head. “You’re an adult after the college entrance exam. You’ll have to walk your path.”
“I picked it out,” Qiao Jinyu jumped in to claim credit, pulling an outdated Nokia from his pocket. “Sis, you’ll still be home for the summer, let’s share it~”
Li Fanghao scolded Qiao Jinyu, but Qiao Qingyu readily agreed. After the laughter, the doctor came in for a routine check, affirming Li Fanghao’s recovery progress, and then walked out of the ward with the siblings.
“Can my mom be discharged in July?” Qiao Qingyu asked.
“She could be discharged now if she wants, or stay for two more months if you’re worried,” the doctor said. “The key is to avoid major stress after discharge. As family members, try to provide her with a stable environment. Show her love and communicate with her often.”
The doctor’s words gave Qiao Qingyu a clear idea.
Back home, Qiao Lushen followed her suggestion and decided to speed up the process of changing houses. They made two trips to Sui Lake and quickly found a well-maintained second-hand apartment they liked, paying for it in full. The house was in good condition, with shiny beige tiles, a clean and bright bathroom, and two rooms, each with large windows. With minimal effort—repainting the walls, replacing bathroom and kitchen fixtures, and adding new appliances and furniture—it would be ready to move in.
Under the scorching sun, Qiao Qingyu, Qiao Lushen, and Qiao Jinyu made several trips to furniture markets. By early July, they had finished setting up the house in Sui Lake. They showed photos to Li Fanghao, who was very satisfied, her smile full of anticipation for their new life.
Amidst the busy family matters, the college entrance exam results and application process seemed almost trivial to Qiao Qingyu. Her feeling wasn’t wrong—she ranked 26th in her grade and the top 100 in the province, so she confidently applied to Fudan University’s School of Economics. The admission notice arrived in late July, sent directly to their new home in Sui Lake as per Qiao Qingyu’s provided address.
It was their second day after moving to Sui Lake. After more than a month of house hunting, renovating, terminating leases for the noodle shop and Chaoyang New Village apartment, and moving, Qiao Lushen, Qiao Jinyu, and Qiao Qingyu were all a bit tired. Finally settled, they planned to spend the next two days organizing the house before bringing Li Fanghao over—she was eager to be discharged, not wanting to waste money.
In Sui Lake, she still shared a room with Qiao Jinyu, but this time the window was large, divided in half by a plywood board. Qiao Qingyu’s side was against the wall, creating a private little world when the door was closed. She positioned her desk facing the window, placing her Fudan admission notice and New Concept English First Prize certificate in the drawer. Looking at the dazzling Sui Lake not far away, so bright it brought tears to her eyes.
“Sis,” Qiao Jinyu pushed open the door, “We put the computer in Mom and Dad’s room. The internet cable is there too. When Mom comes, she can use it to watch TV dramas and stuff.”
“Okay,” Qiao Qingyu turned around. “Where’s Dad?”
“Gone to buy groceries,” Qiao Jinyu said as he entered the room, picking up the crystal ball Qiao Qingyu had placed on the windowsill. “Sis, are you sad?”
“No, I’m not sad,” Qiao Qingyu smiled. “Just a little melancholy.”
“Sis, can I ask you something?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Well,” Qiao Jinyu put the crystal ball back, “Did something happen between you and Ming Sheng?”
Qiao Qingyu paused, then asked with a dry laugh, “What do you mean, ‘something’?”
“A while ago, when the shop was about to close, he walked in one day. Scared me half to death,” Qiao Jinyu said. “You know what? He remembered me! Called me by name and said, ‘Qiao Jinyu, give me a bowl of the signature beef noodles.’ I asked if he wanted it spicy because most people in Huanzhou don’t eat spicy food, right? That’s why Mom and Dad rented a shop in Chaoyang New Village where there are more outsiders, right? But he said, ‘Just like how your sister usually has it.'”
Qiao Qingyu’s breathing unconsciously became heavier.
“I wasn’t sure how spicy you usually eat, so I asked again, ‘As spicy as my sister’s?’ He said, ‘Yes, the same.’ Then… you know what? When I brought the noodles, he stared at them for five or six seconds before picking up his chopsticks. I guess he was shocked… I suspect he can’t eat spicy food at all.”
“Did he eat it?”
“He finished it,” Qiao Jinyu said. “But he looked miserable. When he paid, I saw his eyes and nose were all red. The spiciness had made him tear up.”
“Did he say anything else?”
“Yeah,” Qiao Jinyu smiled mysteriously. “I asked if it was too spicy, and at first he just nodded, looking like he didn’t want to talk. But then he mumbled something. I didn’t hear it clearly, but it sounded like… ‘unforgettable’?”
Unforgettable. Qiao Qingyu looked at the crystal ball on the windowsill. In the sunlight, it shone brightly yet lonely, like a star fallen from the night sky.
“Sis?”
“Ming Sheng and I were classmates in high school,” she said, holding back the ache in her nose and looking steadily at Qiao Jinyu. “That’s all.”