As Qiao Qingyu had hoped, upon hearing that Li Fanghao was suddenly diagnosed with severe depression and hospitalized, Qiao Lilong voluntarily abandoned the idea of returning to Huanzhou. When Qiao Huan returned to Huanzhou, she gathered Qiao Lilong’s clothes that were left at her place and delivered them to Building 39, telling Qiao Lushen that Qiao Lilong wanted these clothes thrown away.
“Those clothes can stay, but we need to ward off evil spirits,” Liu Yanfen yelled over the phone to Qiao Lushen. “Your home and shop need cleansing too…”
Before he could respond, Qiao Qingyu snatched her father’s phone: “Aunt, warding off evil spirits won’t help, and besides, our family matters don’t need your concern.”
“I’m just saying, which family with daughters is like yours…”
“Our family may have made countless mistakes, but our only real mistake was clashing with Nan Qiao Village,” Qiao Qingyu interrupted Liu Yanfen, continuing despite Qiao Lushen’s shock, “Don’t worry, we won’t come back anymore, we won’t plague you any more.”
Under the watchful eyes of Qiao Lushen and Qiao Jinyu, she hung up the phone and took a deep breath before solemnly announcing to her father and brother: “I’ve agreed with Mom that when she’s discharged, regardless of when that is, I’ll take her away from Huanzhou, away from Shun Yun, to find a beautiful small city where nobody knows her, and help her start a new life.”
Neither father nor son spoke. After a while, Qiao Jinyu turned to Qiao Lushen: “Dad, Sister’s idea is good. I support her.”
Qiao Lushen sighed.
“Let Sister focus on university. I’ll come with you,” Qiao Jinyu looked at Qiao Qingyu, then back at Qiao Lushen. “When Mom gets better, our family can start fresh somewhere else. Don’t worry.”
Qiao Lushen sighed again, gazing out the window, his graying temples making him look ten years older than usual. After a long while, he turned back, looking both helpless and gratified: “We’ll need to find a place with housing prices similar to Shun Yun… We’ll have to sell our house here, partly to fund Qingqing’s university education and Mom’s treatment, and partly to buy a small house in the new place. Without a house, there’s no home.”
The siblings both said “yes” in unison, and when they exchanged smiles, Qiao Qingyu caught the glimmer of tears in Qiao Jinyu’s eyes, and his barely audible “Sister, keep going.”
“Keep going” was also what Qiao Qingyu told herself. After Li Fanghao’s hospitalization, the family had found some peace, and the house was unusually quiet, but her state began to waver. After the Qingming Festival came the first mock exam, where she dropped beyond the top hundred in her grade. Compared to Ming Sheng, who had received admission notices from prestigious American universities and risen to the top ten in their grade, they were worlds apart.
Qiao Qingyu told herself that fluctuations were normal and that she had been too distracted by family matters lately. She consoled herself that since she wasn’t aiming for Peking University anymore, with these grades she could still enter a decent school studying finance in Shanghai, closer to home. But deep down, she was incredibly disappointed in herself.
Not just disappointed – she had lost her motivation to study. She seemed to suddenly realize how ugly the repetitive, monotonous life of a third-year high school student was. The formulas and letters on test papers seemed meaningless, merely consuming her youth. With less than sixty days until the college entrance exam, developing this aversion to studying terrified her.
He looked at Qiao Qingyu and smiled helplessly: “I just realized our families are very similar, both typical of village families.”
“We’re letting go of that home,” Qiao Qingyu said frankly, feeling unburdened. “We’re selling the house in Shun Yun, and after my mother is discharged in July, our family will buy a small house in Sui Lake.”
“Oh?” He Feihai was a bit surprised. “Sui Lake?”
“The taste and climate are similar to Shun Yun, and it’s not far from Huanzhou,” Qiao Qingyu explained while Qiao Jinyu nodded beside her. “It’s a new city born from vast waters, spacious with few people, beautiful scenery, and both living costs and housing prices are reasonable.”
He Feihai smiled, full of regret: “Then I won’t be able to visit you when I pass through Huanzhou anymore.”
“We’d be happy enough if you could visit Sister.”
He Feihai nodded, asking Qiao Qingyu how her exams went.
“It was okay.”
“My sister’s usual grades are good enough for Peking University.”
“Hey—” Qiao Qingyu stopped Qiao Jinyu with a look. “I’m not planning to go to Beijing, I’m going to Shanghai.”
Knowing that He Feihai also studied finance, Qiao Qingyu asked him about university life.
“Many people think the college entrance exam is the endpoint, but it’s not,” He Feihai said. “If you treat it as the endpoint, you might break down 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, Sister, Brother He got a scholarship, right? It doesn’t cost family money?”
“Even my university tuition is from financial aid. In high school, I never thought I could study abroad,” He Feihai smiled. “Qingqing, once you enter university, you’ll understand that the future is vast, anything is possible,” he paused, then added, “What heights you reach depends on your effort, not your family background.”
I understand the principle, Qiao Qingyu thought, somewhat indifferently, though her mood brightened considerably. After saying goodbye to He Feihai, the siblings went directly to Huanzhou Ninth People’s Hospital to visit Li Fanghao. Wearing blue and white hospital clothes, Li Fanghao was in good spirits, and when she saw Qiao Qingyu, she broke into a delighted smile.
“Come here,” she took Qiao Qingyu’s hand, her eyes full of tender love as if she hadn’t seen her in ages – though in fact, Qiao Qingyu had visited just three days ago. “Qingqing, you’re done with the exams.”
“Mom, I think it went okay.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine, just good that it’s over,” Li Fanghao said, taking out a box from her bedside cabinet. “Here, Mom has a gift for you.”
Opening it, it was a phone, without a keyboard, with a large smooth screen and “HTC” printed in the upper left corner.
“When you’re away, call home more often,” Li Fanghao smiled, stroking her head. “After the college entrance exam, you’re an adult, you’ll have to walk your path.”
“I picked it!” Qiao Jinyu jumped over to claim credit, pulling an outdated Nokia from his pocket. “Sister, you’ll be home for summer vacation, let’s share it~”
Li Fanghao scolded Qiao Jinyu, but Qiao Qingyu happily agreed. After their laughter, the doctor came in for a routine check, confirmed Li Fanghao’s recovery progress, and then walked out of the ward with the siblings.
“Can my mother be discharged in July?” Qiao Qingyu asked.
“She could be discharged now if she wanted, or stay another two months if you’re worried,” the doctor said. “The key is to avoid any 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 direction.
Back home, Qiao Lushen followed her suggestion and decided to speed up the house change. They made two trips to Sui Lake and quickly found a well-ventilated second-hand apartment, paying the full amount at once. The house was well-maintained, with beige floor tiles gleaming like new, clean, and bright bathrooms, and two rooms, each with large windows. It didn’t need major renovations – just wall painting, replacing bathroom and kitchen utilities, and adding household appliances and furniture before moving in.
Under the sun, Qiao Qingyu, Qiao Lushen, and Qiao Jinyu made several trips to furniture markets, and by early July, they had the Sui Lakehouse ready. When they showed photos to Li Fanghao, she was very satisfied, her smile full of anticipation for their new life.
Amidst the busy family matters, the college entrance exam results and university applications seemed almost trivial to Qiao Qingyu – and her feeling wasn’t wrong. She ranked twenty-sixth in her grade and within the top hundred 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 according to the address Qiao Qingyu provided.
That was their second day after moving to Sui Lake. After more than a month of house hunting, renovating, terminating leases at the noodle shop and Chaoyang New Village, and moving, Qiao Lushen, Qiao Jinyu, and Qiao Qingyu were all somewhat tired. Finally settled, they would arrange the house over the next two days, and then bring Li Fanghao over – she had been eager to leave the hospital, 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 plywood, and Qiao Qingyu’s side was against the wall, creating a private sanctuary when the door was closed. She positioned her desk facing the window, put her Fudan admission notice and New Concept First Prize certificate in the drawer, and gazed at the nearby Sui Lake, dazzling under the bright sun – so bright it brought tears to her eyes.
“Sister,” Qiao Jinyu pushed open the door, “the computer’s in Mom and Dad’s room, with the internet cable, so when Mom comes, she can watch dramas and such.”
“Okay,” Qiao Qingyu turned around, “where’s Dad?”
“Gone shopping for groceries,” Qiao Jinyu said as he walked into the room, picking up the crystal ball Qiao Qingyu had placed on the windowsill. “Sister, are you sad?”
“No, I’m not,” Qiao Qingyu smiled, “just a little melancholic.”
“Sister, let me ask you something.”
“Mm.”
“Well,” Qiao Jinyu put the crystal ball back in its place, “was there something between you and Ming Sheng?”
Qiao Qingyu paused, then asked with a dry laugh: “Something like what?”
“A while ago, when the shop was about to close, he came in one day, and startled me,” Qiao Jinyu said. “You know what? He remembered me! Called me by name directly, and said, ‘Qiao Jinyu, give me a bowl of signature beef noodles.’ I asked if he wanted it spicy because usually, Huanzhou people don’t eat spicy food, right? Why else would Mom and Dad rent a shop in Chaoyang New Village where there are more out-of-towners? But he said, ‘Just like how your sister usually has it.'”
Qiao Qingyu’s breathing unconsciously became heavier.
“How spicy do you usually eat? I wasn’t sure, so I asked again, ‘As spicy as my sister?’ Qiao Jinyu suddenly smiled, “He said, ‘Yes, the same.’ Then… you know what? When the noodles were served, he stared at them for five or six seconds before picking up his chopsticks, probably shocked… I suspect he can’t handle spicy food at all.”
“Did he eat it?”
“Finished it all,” Qiao Jinyu said. “But he was in quite a state – when he paid, I saw his eyes and nose were red, the spiciness had brought tears to his eyes.”
“Did he say anything else?”
“Yes,” Qiao Jinyu smiled mysteriously, “I asked if it was too spicy, and he nodded at first, looking like he didn’t want to talk, but then he mumbled something. I couldn’t hear clearly, but it sounded like ‘unforgettable’ or something like that?”
Unforgettable. Qiao Qingyu looked at the crystal ball on the windowsill, shining and lonely in the sunlight, like a star fallen from the night sky.
“Sister?”
“Ming Sheng and I were classmates in high school,” she held back the ache in her nose and looked steadily at Qiao Jinyu, “That’s all.”