A few days after the banquet, Old Yan called to scold Yan Xi.
It seemed the Zhang family had embellished their complaint, saying that Yan Xi and the Wen family had made a mountain out of a molehill. Hitting Wen Heng wasn’t intentional – who could have predicted that slap would land on her face? It was purely accidental. They also assured their burning loyalty, claiming there was no private dealing between the Zhang and Lu families.
Old Yan said, “You were too impulsive, giving others something to hold against you, not even leaving yourself a way out. If you continue acting like this, after I die, who will you have to rely on!”
Yan Xi just smiled: “Grandfather, who can remain a playboy forever?”
Old Yan was pleased: “Good that you understand. The Yan family’s bright future is waiting for you…”
But Yan Xi spoke softly: “Grandfather, if I disappoint you in the future, just pretend you never had this grandson.”
Old Yan shook his head, laughing and scolding: “Silly boy, speaking such nonsense. In my entire life, you’re the only one I’ve truly raised. If you do something wrong, as your grandfather, I can beat you and scold you, but I could never throw you away. How could you say such things? Later, when you marry A-Heng, while I’m still healthy, give me a great-grandson. Don’t you believe your grandfather can still raise him?”
Yan Xi’s fingers tightened slightly. After a moment of silence, he smiled and said, “Alright.”
After hanging up, Yan Xi twirled a card between his long fingers. It had scribbles in ballpoint pen and extremely messy handwriting.
He dialed the number on it. The person who answered was constantly yawning, with a clear, leisurely voice that spoke simply and directly: “If it’s my mom, thirty seconds to speak; my dad, twenty seconds; surname Yun and family, ten seconds; anyone else, automatic hang-up.”
Yan Xi sneered, raising an eyebrow: “Did you receive the money I sent?”
The person, with skin so fair and translucent you could see his blood vessels, still had traces of drool from just waking up at the corner of his mouth, opened one eye slightly: “Got it. It’s just enrolling in Z University, right? The admission notice is somewhere between my cushion and my buttocks.”
Yan Xi looked skyward: “You’re still pretending to be a monk and swindling people?”
The person smiled with an ethereal air, his fair fingers forming a lotus gesture, glancing at passing female devotees with curved eyes, sighing into the phone: “Benefactor, these days, making money isn’t easy.”
Yan Xi twitched: “Isn’t the three hundred thousand I gave you enough to squander for several years?”
The person said: “As they say, heaven’s plans are unpredictable, and man’s fortunes can change in an instant. This humble monk must keep some money for survival.”
Yan Xi gave a noncommittal smile: “Don’t forget to grow your hair back before school starts, and clean yourself up a bit. Aren’t you good at playing the good boy?”
The person was lazy, sitting cross-legged in monk’s pants, propping his chin: “Who am I putting on an act for?”
Yan Xi said: “I thought you missed her.”
The person’s left hand played with round prayer beads, wrapping them around his fingers. Suddenly he smiled, like a tree of spring flowers in full bloom, but his eyes were crystal clear, showing no emotion: “Miss? That’s too strong a word. After all these years, there’s just a bit of sentiment, that’s all.”
A-Heng looked at the empty flower bed, planning to plant some flowers and grass, but the timing wasn’t right – it would have to wait until next spring.
Mother Wen said school would start soon, and A-Heng should come home for a few days. So A-Heng packed some simple luggage, with Si Wan waiting downstairs to pick her up.
As she ran downstairs thumping, Yan Xi, who had been sitting on the sofa flipping through magazines, called out to her. He brought a cactus from the balcony and handed her a dog basket, asking her to take them home to care for.
A-Heng said: “Hey, you’re too lazy!”
Yan Xi shrugged: “If they’re not cared for well, you’ll come after me later, and I’ll be at a disadvantage.”
A-Heng said irritably: “Give me Lu Rou Fan too then.”
Yan Xi smiled: “It’s gotten so fat lately it can barely fly, it should stay home and lose some weight.”
Hearing these words, A-Heng felt somewhat empty inside, as if… yours and mine were being divided so clearly.
Si Wan laughed beside them: “It’s just a few steps away, you two, it doesn’t matter who takes care of them.” After speaking, she took A-Heng’s luggage, said a few words to Yan Xi, and left with A-Heng.
He watched her departing figure, smiled, threw the magazine onto the coffee table, and turned to go upstairs. After a few steps, he stopped, looking back at that tightly closed door.
He didn’t know what to say or what act to put on for himself.
Because this departure was nothing out of the ordinary.
But from that day on, A-Heng wouldn’t step foot in this place again for many years.
How much dust had settled on this white house, layer upon heavy layer? If he didn’t speak of it, and she didn’t mention it, who would know that this place was once their home?
Yes, home.
After drifting, they couldn’t see or return to that home anymore.
After moving back, A-Heng felt her family had become very strange. They were making every effort to help her adapt to life in the Wen family.
Her mother no longer deliberately distanced herself or treated her cautiously, treating her the same as Si Er – loving and doting, but not spoiling.
Si Wan often took her to the library by bicycle. The two would debate various issues, but he had learned to listen seriously to all her thoughts, then with sparkling eyes, proudly tell his elite classmates, “This is my sister.”
Si Er still didn’t pay much attention to her, but when buying girly things like nail polish or perfume, she would always teach A-Heng how to use them while calling her stupid. A-Heng would smile and occasionally squeeze onto the same bed with her to share secrets.
As for Grandfather, he was semi-retired these past two years, spending his days lovingly calling his little thrush “baby,” treating everyone the same way, not interfering with anything. Si Wan would often go to his study for instruction, coming out with dimples sagging – Grandfather had become increasingly long-winded.
A-Heng lived happily each day, often pushing Yan Xi to the back of her mind, only calling him when she couldn’t sleep at night. Hearing his nasal voice answer the phone, before he could scold her, she would quickly speak with closed eyes: Yan Xi I ate such and such today played such and such how are you today hehe you don’t need to say I know you’re fine, then, um, good night.
Quickly hanging up the phone.
Good night.
Wanan.
The abbreviation of “I love you I love you.”
Then she would fall into a deep sleep, having meaningless dreams without worry for the first time in her life, dreams with many many people, one two three four five, not missing anyone who should be there.
It was somewhat regrettable that he never appeared in her dreams.
She didn’t see him often, just occasionally when he came to the Wen house for a meal, sitting several seats away, not saying much, but smiling earnestly as he watched her speak.
Little Xia often came to play with her, telling her about which girl next door had a crush on him, which high school classmate wrote him a love letter, which girls on the street gave him flirtatious looks, his little chest puffed up with pride.
A-Heng smiled, teasing him: “What kind of girlfriend do you want in the future?”
Little Xia pointed out: “Someone like Sister, who can cook well, speaks gently, and never scolds people.”
Si Er passed by, floating a comment: “You haven’t seen how your Brother Yan Xi gets scolded, tsk tsk.”
A-Heng blushed: “Ahem, finding someone like Sister won’t work, I’m two years older than you.”
Little Xia grinned: “Sister-brother relationships are trending now, look at Faye Wong and Nicholas Tse.”
A-Heng straightened his hat: “Didn’t they break up too?”
Little Xia looked at A-Heng, suddenly asking: “Sister, what’s homosexuality?”
A-Heng’s hand froze, quietly looking at him: “Why are you asking about this?”
Little Xia scratched his head: “Yesterday at the bathhouse, there was a man who kept looking at me. My buddy said people like that are homosexuals. Homosexuals are so disgusting!”
A-Heng frowned: “Your buddy is talking nonsense. People like that aren’t homosexuals, they’re perverts!”
Little Xia blinked his watery eyes: “Then what are homosexuals?”
A-Heng thought for a moment, her tone somewhat serious: “You’re just a kid, you don’t need to know these things. Next time you see someone acting like a pervert, just hit them!”
Little Xia said “Oh,” seeming half-understanding, looking at A-Heng, who showed anger he had never seen before.
Z University traditionally started in early September. A-Heng was entering her junior year with a heavy course load, so she decided to return to school in late August.
Si Wan drove, with Mother Wen accompanying, to send A-Heng to school.
Yan Xi, studying law, had mock court rehearsals as the plaintiff’s counsel when school started. Unable to go to H City, he only met briefly with A-Heng before returning to school.
That was their fifth year together.
In ten years, it took up half. Counting it that way, it seemed very, very long. But when she didn’t know the endpoint, she always felt that these remaining five years were so distant they could compete with a lifetime in length.
In her later years, she often reminisced that those were his ten years, not hers.
She had only used five years to fall in love with someone, then used two years to forget that person.
Her grandson asked with a smile: “You loved for so long, yet forgot in two years. Was it because you didn’t love deeply enough?”
She thought for a moment, gently holding the hand of the age-spotted man sleeping by the fireplace, and smiled: “Maybe.”
In youth, there were often fated encounters. If there was a better definition, she wouldn’t even want to call this period love.
When they started school, new students were in military training. Second-year underclassmen often went to the training ground to check out handsome guys when they had nothing to do, coming back pounding tables and drooling, finally voting for the new campus heartthrob.
Even Little Three and Little Five went with the underclassmen to look several times, coming back with red eyes and faces the color of roasted suckling pig, finally collapsing on the bed, giving A-Heng, Wu Ying, and Little Four a big scare – only then did they realize the two had heat exhaustion.
Wu Ying spat: “People would think you were doing something serious!”
Little Three downed a whole thermos of water before recovering, wiping her mouth, saying: “Big sis, you don’t know, this year’s quality is something else…”
Little Five jumped up excitedly, finishing the sentence: “It’s not just ordinary good! Your sister has waited so many years, and finally found her destined one.”
A-Heng helped her drink water, amused: “Talk less. Aren’t you embarrassed as a young lady, standing at the training ground all afternoon? The one’s training didn’t faint, but you did.”
Little Five waved her gold Sony camera: “Let’s not say anything, just look for yourselves. This face, this figure, almost matches up to Yan Xi.”
Little Four took the camera and flipped through it, clicking her tongue – the images were too blurry, who could tell if he was handsome or ugly?
A-Heng glanced at it – it was quite blurry, only showing a figure in camouflage wearing a cap, tall and thin, somewhat hunched, and somehow… familiar?
A-Heng rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was seeing things. She seemed to have seen this person somewhere before.
Little Three hung her head dejectedly: “It’s all Little Five’s fault. Let her take photos, but her hands were shaking like she was on drugs.”
Little Five fanned herself: “Like you weren’t shaking, following behind me almost pulling my pants down. For a stealth photo, this result isn’t bad!”
Wu Ying asked: “Which department?”
Little Three took another big gulp of water from A-Heng’s hand: “Computer Science. Our department is hopeless this year, better keep looking up to Brother Fei Bai for eye candy.”
A-Heng narrowed her eyes, asking his name.
Little Three and Little Five shook their heads in unison: “Haven’t found out yet, but heard his grades are excellent, first in the entrance scores. He’ll speak at the opening ceremony the day after tomorrow, then we’ll know.”
A-Heng fell silent, holding a thermos, standing quietly in the dorm looking at the camera, her thoughts drifting far, far away.
She still remembered those rainy season days, when someone always liked to ask: “Sister, if I die, will you cry?”
That person lamented: “Sister, I’ve never seen you cry in front of me.”
A-Heng would always say sternly: “Don’t talk nonsense!”
He remained good-natured, smiling: “Sister, let’s make plum blossom cakes together this winter.”
That voice was distant and clear.
But by winter she was already at the Wen house, separated from him and his cherished plum blossom cakes by mountains and waters.
In the evening, she called Yan Xi, saying: “I think I saw Zai Zai.”
He held the phone, his eardrum vibrating with her voice, her happiness and joy pulsing clearly, very clearly at his ear. A gentle smile formed on his lips as he asked: “Baby, is it true? Did you see correctly?”
She nodded, nodding continuously, saying: “I’m certain, he’s the Zai Zai I raised, not someone else.”
How could she not recognize him?
Yan Xi said: “If it is Yun Zai, treat him with sincerity, don’t avoid him. I’ll handle things with the Wen family.”
His every word was flawless, setting up a beautiful trap, waiting for the net to tighten.
Opening ceremony.
On stage, the black-haired youth in a linen sweater was dozing off when the person beside him pushed him awake: “Yun Zai, it’s your turn to speak.”
He said “Oh,” rubbed his eyes, stood in the middle of the stage, and began reading from his script.
The handwriting was so messy it looked like ghost scribbles, only he could understand it; his voice had only one tone, like chanting the Diamond Sutra, as bland as plain water.
Those on stage were falling asleep, but the female students below were screaming endlessly.
Finally, after saying thank you, when the audience applauded, he remained standing calmly at the podium, refusing to leave.
The principal coughed: “Student Yun Zai.”
Yun Zai spoke slowly: “There’s one last thing.” Then, he slowly looked at the Medical School seats below, counted, and smiled: “Wen Heng, third row, seat eighteen, please stand up. I like you.”