Strangely enough, though the household had only gained one extra person, the atmosphere grew as lively as during a festival. Zhou Sao happily went into the kitchen to reheat the dishes, while Wen Tingli dashed off like a whirlwind to wash the crystal glasses. As for the new addition to the dinner table, Xiao Taozi seemed a bit unused to it at first — children forget so easily, and it had been so long since Lu Shicheng had come to the house that she’d already lost track of everything that had happened before.
But there was a kind of magic to Lu Shicheng — back when he had his speech impediment, he’d naturally been silent, and now that he’d recovered, he still wasn’t much of a talker. And yet, even when he barely spoke, he made everyone around him feel relaxed and at ease. Wen Tingli had once specifically analyzed this and concluded: Lu Shicheng never found fault with or criticized others — he only demanded things of himself.
Being around someone like that made anyone feel as though they were basking in a spring breeze. Xiao Taozi, though young, could sharply pick up on the different temperaments of adults. Sitting at the table, she secretly observed Lu Shicheng and discovered that no matter whether she made faces at him or snatched fruit from his hand, this Mr. Lu remained just as steady and calm.
Gradually, Xiao Taozi let down her childish guard. When Zhou Sao and Wen Tingli brought out the dishes, she volunteered to set a pair of chopsticks in front of Lu Shicheng, waving her little hands as she said: “Mr. Lu came, big sister is happy, she wanted to cook, but her hair got all singed.”
Lu Shicheng was startled, and lifted his eyes to examine Wen Tingli’s hair. Wen Tingli was thoroughly mortified.
“I did want to cook a few dishes myself, but unfortunately I failed. I’ll never set foot in the kitchen again. But I bet these dishes here will suit your taste — try this one first.”
She scooped a spoonful of stir-fried crab meat and egg into his bowl.
Lu Shicheng’s gaze was still searching the table when Xiao Taozi said: “Where’s the dish big sister made? I want to eat what big sister made.”
Zhou Sao was startled: “Oh my, your sister’s cooking is not fit to eat!”
“I want it, I want it.”
Wen Tingli, with an awkward smile, went to the kitchen and brought out a plate. “Here — this is my braised pork ribs. If you’re not afraid of how bad it tastes, go ahead and try it.”
Everyone at the table froze in alarm, because that dish, in both color and shape, could only be described as horrifying.
Even so, Lu Shicheng curiously picked up a piece and tried it. He’d already braced himself mentally, but he still nearly failed to control his expression. What on earth was this flavor? Why did it taste like shoe leather? He practically had to force himself to swallow that “thing” while keeping a straight face.
Wen Tingli was mortified beyond words, hurriedly pouring him a glass of water and snatching the chopsticks from his hand. “I told you it’s not edible — you just had to try a bite! What if you’d choked to death, I wouldn’t be responsible! Here, just eat the other dishes.”
Zhou Sao watched the two of them with quiet joy in her heart. After dinner, Wen Tingli dragged Lu Shicheng off to see the piano she’d bought for Xiao Taozi, and Lu Shicheng simply helped them tune it.
Watching the two of them murmuring together over there, Zhou Sao picked Xiao Taozi up. “Mr. Lu, please make yourself comfortable.”
Xiao Taozi refused to leave: “I want to play with big sister and him a little longer.”
Zhou Sao carried Xiao Taozi off without further argument.
Wen Tingli looked at Lu Shicheng; Lu Shicheng lowered his eyes to look at the sheet music on the piano stand. The living room was clearly much quieter than before, yet both of them felt an inexplicable noise ringing in their ears.
This kind of inaudible noise left both their hearts somewhat unsettled.
After a moment of stillness, Lu Shicheng stepped away from the piano and sat down on the sofa to drink tea. Wen Tingli could see that he, like her, was distracted. She didn’t rush to speak, but instead picked the roundest orange from the fruit bowl and began peeling it unhurriedly.
As she peeled, she recalled the time she’d been hospitalized after her injury, and how Lu Shicheng had peeled apples for her — back then he’d been utterly devoted to her every whim, so unlike now, when the two of them always seemed to keep each other at arm’s length.
She sighed with feeling and was the first to break the silence: “What are you thinking about?”
He had been gazing thoughtfully at her peeling the orange; hearing her question, he seemed about to say something — but just then, the Western grandfather clock in the living room began to chime, “dong~dong~dong~.” Both of them turned to look at it at the same moment.
The clock chimed ten times in a row; Wen Tingli quietly marveled at how quickly time had passed.
Lu Shicheng withdrew his gaze and turned to look at her: “I was thinking, it’s ten o’clock — I should take my leave.”
He rose, lifting his coat from the back of the chair. He had a feeling that if he stayed any longer, he wouldn’t be able to control his longing for her — he’d pull her into his arms, he’d lower his head to find her lips, he would—
Wen Tingli said nothing, only set the half-peeled orange down on the coffee table and stood there watching him leave.
Lu Shicheng left her house almost as if fleeing. The night was deep, few pedestrians on the streets. He drove aimlessly along the road, loosening his tie, but still felt as though his whole body were burning.
She still refused to tell him anything, yet he kept obstinately rushing toward her anyway. His reason had utterly collapsed; step by step he’d walked himself to the very edge of losing himself completely. Ahead of him — was it a paradise-like garden of beauty, or a hellfire that would consume him? Who could tell him the answer?
He pulled the car over to the side of the road, both hands resting on the steering wheel. Before long, he began driving aimlessly through the streets again. Passing by the riverside docks, a cool breeze blew in off the river’s surface, like some kind of divine revelation, instantly soothing the restless heat in his chest.
As if possessed, he stopped the car, and eventually simply got out and walked toward the riverside. A few dock workers doing night shifts sat scattered about the pier; hearing footsteps behind them, they all turned their heads at once.
Lu Shicheng walked straight to the water’s edge and stood still. Suddenly he saw a glowing light box drifting slowly along the dark river surface. Looking closely, he saw it was a luxurious large ship, with a line of words lit up by light bulbs along the mast: “Mandarin Duck Brand Bicycle.”
Below this line of text stood a giant advertising light box, on which a spirited young woman was riding a bicycle, the neon lights flickering, casting her face like a water lily quietly blooming on a lake’s surface.
He could never forget that face even in his dreams. He hadn’t expected that even fleeing here, he’d still see Wen Tingli.
The advertisement read:
[Renowned film star Miss Wen Tingli also loves riding “Mandarin Duck” brand bicycles.]
“Beautiful, isn’t she?” A hoarse old voice suddenly emerged from the shadows behind him. “Heh heh, back in my day, my sweetheart was even more striking than this little lass.”
Lu Shicheng didn’t respond. He could see this man was a vagrant, dressed in ragged clothes, his whole manner giving off a sour stench, smacking his lips as he spoke.
He casually pulled a few silver dollars from his trouser pocket and bent down to place them in the old man’s bowl.
The old man didn’t care in the least how much money had landed in his bowl, but instead looked up at Lu Shicheng with curious eyes. “Oho, quite a handsome young master. Why aren’t you home in the middle of the night?”
Lu Shicheng walked far off to sit down on an empty patch of ground. The old man immediately followed and shifted position too, then abruptly stopped and sniffed. “Mmm, smells nice. Heh heh, were you just with a young lady? You’ve got the scent of powder on you.”
Lu Shicheng’s heart pounded rapidly, his face flushing slightly warm. He couldn’t recall any intimate gesture between them that evening — perhaps it was from when they’d stood side by side at the piano, catching the scent from her hair, or perhaps from when she’d pulled him by the hand touring the house, brushing her fragrance onto his fingers from hers.
Thinking back now, every moment of tonight felt like a seductive dream laced with fragrance, leaving him utterly distracted even now.
He frowned and picked up a pebble to toss toward the river.
“Definitely had a fight,” the old man said with certainty. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be out here sulking in the middle of the night. What young couple doesn’t fight now and then? Hurry back home.”
“I have no home,” Lu Shicheng said coldly.
“No home? How can a person have no home? What about your parents?”
The old man looked startled and studied Lu Shicheng again more closely. After a moment, he sighed sorrowfully and plopped himself down beside Lu Shicheng. “No wonder. Children without parents always have hard lives — no one to rely on, having to figure everything out for themselves. When other households are bustling during festivals, your heart just grows more forlorn. But you should understand one thing: everyone eventually finds a home. Wherever your heart is at peace, that’s where home is. Understand?”
Lu Shicheng glanced deeply at him — this old man might seem half-mad, but there was a certain logic to his words.
Just then, a butterfly fluttered in over the river and, by some coincidence, landed on Lu Shicheng’s shoulder. The old man’s eyes lit up, and he reached out childishly to catch it, but the butterfly flitted away.
The old man slumped down in disappointment, muttering to himself, picking a louse off his own chest and chewing on it absently, bored. He caught another and offered it to Lu Shicheng, and seeing Lu Shicheng showed no intention of recoiling, he grinned broadly. “You’re probably thinking: if you flinched away in disgust, this old man would feel embarrassed, so you’re holding still on purpose. You’re a good-hearted lad.”
Lu Shicheng said self-mockingly: “I’m just a little tired. Too lazy to move.”
“Now that’s underestimating this old man’s eye for people,” the old man said with a grin, tapping his own nose. “Don’t look at me now, carefree as I am — I used to be a big boss myself, once upon a time. I figured out long ago: good people, bad people, eating porridge or eating meat — life’s nothing but a dream. These days I don’t care for dealing with people, but back then, what kind of person hadn’t I seen? I can tell at a glance you’re not a bad sort. Here’s some good advice: if it’s a woman weighing on your mind, go find her quickly, or you’ll regret it one day.”
Lu Shicheng gazed at the light box ahead and suddenly asked: “What happened to your sweetheart, back then?”
The old man froze for a moment, then turned to look at the “Wen Tingli” on the boat too.
“Did she ever deceive you?” Lu Shicheng asked absently — the question didn’t sound like it was meant for the old man, but for himself.
The old man began wailing without warning. “She never deceived me. I deceived her. And then she flew away — just like that butterfly just now, gone in a flash.”
He truly was mad.
Crying and crying, the old man wiped his nose with his hand, then leaned in to study Lu Shicheng’s expression closely. “You’re surely thinking, it’s just a butterfly, worst case you find another one! Bah, wrong, all wrong! Let me tell you — there are no two butterflies alike in this whole world. However many more butterflies you meet from now on, none will ever be that same one. You can’t fool yourself.”
Lu Shicheng stared at the vagrant before him in astonishment.
“You’re only happy with that butterfly! But you’re still gambling! Once you gamble, heh, your whole life’s finished — you’ll chase and never catch up, and even if you trap it in a net it won’t pay you any mind, and later, she’ll die in this river by some twist of fate.” He shouted toward the river as if his heart were breaking, “Come back, come back quickly!”
He grew more and more incoherent as he spoke, crying harder and harder, until he suddenly collapsed flat onto the ground, muttering something under his breath.
Lu Shicheng abruptly rose to his feet.
The old man lay on the ground, tilting his head up to look at him. Lu Shicheng dug a few silver dollars out of his pocket, but this time he didn’t toss them into the bowl — instead he tucked them into the old man’s filthy, ragged jacket and refastened it for him.
“You’re leaving?” the old man couldn’t help asking.
Lu Shicheng gave a soft affirmative sound.
“Where are you going?”
“To find my butterfly.” Lu Shicheng walked toward the shore without looking back.
The night had grown very deep, but Wen Tingli couldn’t sleep. The moment she closed her eyes, she could see Lu Shicheng’s face.
What was he doing right now — was he also mulling over the two of them? Even though tonight they hadn’t fully spoken their minds to each other, she had seen every bit of his struggle and pain.
She was not going to compromise. However much she liked him, on this particular matter she could not give ground. To reconcile, he’d have to bow his head first. That wasn’t an easy thing — at this moment, his heart must be even more troubled than hers.
Lost in thought, she restlessly turned over, when suddenly a piercing ring sounded by her pillow.
Wen Tingli sat up in astonishment. When she’d moved into the new house, she’d specially had an extension line installed in her own room, but she couldn’t imagine who would be calling her so late.
Careful not to wake Zhou Sao downstairs, she slowly picked up the receiver: “Hello.”
“Were you asleep? Sorry to disturb you so late.” That low, magnetic voice seemed not to come through the receiver at all, but to sound right beside her ear.
Wen Tingli was startled.
This was the first time Lu Shicheng had ever called her in the dead of night.
How presumptuous! And yet she liked it more than anything.
“How did you—” her heart pounded wildly.
Lu Shicheng gripped the receiver tightly. He’d originally wanted to drive straight to her house to find her, but that would have been utterly reckless!