Chapter 98: Happiness
A handful of green vegetables, after the rotten stems were removed, were rinsed under clean water. The leaves, after being soaked in water, were washed of the white frost that was on them. The color looked green and appetizing, and the appearance was not as bad as when it was first taken out. At least… a dish that was enough to be served on the dining table could be stir-fried.
The heart that was hanging in mid-air gradually fell to the ground, and it was much more peaceful in his chest. He had searched the huge refrigerator over and over again and had only found a little bit of ingredients. He wondered why he hadn’t learned more cooking skills, or if he had been more frugal a few days ago. Now he had to rack his brains, and he could only make two meager dishes.
The muffled voices from the TV in the living room were heard. The cold wind was howling outside the closed window. The darkness enveloped this remote and strange city, and the lights of thousands of homes were swaying.
This monotonous day, which made him annoyed and afraid, seemed to have become different from a certain day. The doors and windows had really blocked the cold. He was no longer cold in the house. His heart was beating with vitality in his chest, and it was sending warm blood to his limbs. He finally felt warm.
On every night when someone could share dinner with him.
Gu Chuan’s matter had completely shattered Su Yu’s delusion. He was remorseful for having implicated Xia Qiange. How could he have personally destroyed the only thing he could hold on to now? This was pushing himself to the edge of a cliff.
He had almost killed himself!
After he had suddenly woken up, a layer of sticky cold sweat had broken out on his back.
The lid of the pot in front of him was puffing with hot air. He only reacted when his back was burned. He hurriedly lifted the lid, and the white water vapor was even more powerful. It was just puffing on his face. He was in a daze for a moment. He hurriedly turned on the exhaust fan, and the water mist that was filling the kitchen was instantly swept away.
The soup in the pot was about to boil, and it was bubbling. Seeing that the green vegetables in the pot were stewed until they were soft and mushy, he flipped the green vegetables and beat an egg into it.
Su Yu tasted it and savored it for a long time… he always felt that it was a little salty. He knew that Xia Qiange’s taste was on the light side, so he was going to add half a bowl of water to dilute the soup.
“Do you want… to drink?”
A voice that he was worried about suddenly came from behind him. The palm of his hand, which was holding the bowl, suddenly trembled, and half a bowl of cold water was spilled into the pot. A sizzling sound was made, and a few drops of hot water splashed, and a few scattered drops fell on his eyelids and almost hurt his eyes.
“Are you okay?”
The voice behind him suddenly became anxious, and the sound of rushed footsteps came. He did not retreat because of his instinct. The faint gardenia fragrance made him feel at ease, and he subconsciously equated happiness with this taste.
When Su Yu came back to his senses, the light blue flame on the gas stove had already been extinguished. The soup in the pot was still bubbling with a few scattered bubbles. He blamed himself for not even being able to do this little thing.
Su Yu turned his head in embarrassment, and the woman’s face, which had been without makeup, immediately came into view.
Xia Qiange was frowning, her gaze anxious. It was as if she had only sighed in relief after she had seen that he was fine. Her fingertips gently caressed his gentle and slow eyebrows. Their gazes met, and she saw the boy’s dark and round pupils rolling a few times in a panic under his eyelids.
She stood on her tiptoes and shortened the distance between them. Their breaths were clearly audible at this moment. She stared at the thin, red and pale lips, and her heart suddenly softened. Her pursed lips slowly parted, and she used her fingers to wipe the water marks under his eyes.
She almost couldn’t help but kiss him.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
Her clear black and white eyes were shining with an almost imperceptible, weak and watery light. Her voice was so light that it seemed to have no weight. Vaguely, it seemed to have a hint of a cry. The distance that they had always deliberately maintained was suddenly shortened, and her voice clearly fell on his ear.
Was she… worried about him?
“Be careful.”
Su Yu was as if he had been hit by some irresistible magic. His gaze was tightly fixed on her. The light in the other party’s eyes was like a meteor that had pierced the night. It was reflected in the depths of his dark pupils. A pile of dark charcoal in the night was suddenly lifted, and a cluster of unquenchable sparks was lit.
Su Yu reached out and gently held the girl’s slender and fair wrist, and his grainy and hoarse voice echoed.
“Yeah, okay.”
…
A bowl of steamed eggs, a plate of green vegetables, and a pot of green vegetable and egg drop soup. A few almost-invisible small shrimps were sprinkled on top, symbolizing his self-esteem, which was almost about to be crushed to ashes.
Su Yu stood in the kitchen and hesitated for a long time before he embarrassedly brought the dishes to the dining table.
The happiness that had just filled his entire heart was ruthlessly pulled out of his body by a hand, and then he was thrown aside alone, as if that was something he did not deserve.
He sat across the dining table with apprehension, watching as Xia Qiange took her chopsticks and tasted the green vegetables. His heart was hanging high and could not fall. An idea that even he himself was afraid of arose for no reason. What if the other party was not willing to come again because of this? He should think about what else he could use to keep her.
He had no life, no money, no relatives and friends… his pockets were empty. What could he take out? It was time for him to consider the reality of his empty and ridiculous fantasies.
“Yeah, the green vegetables are better than mine. They’re quite sweet.”
Xia Qiange chewed silently for a while and suddenly put down her chopsticks and smiled at him. She then scooped a spoonful of soup and tasted it. The smile on her lips did not disappear, and she nodded with great satisfaction.
“Do you want to have a drink?”, she put down her bowl and chopsticks and suggested, “Are there any extra cups?”
“Oh, oh, yes… yes.”
Su Yu ran back to the kitchen and got two disposable paper cups. He rinsed them in the sink and brought them over.
Xia Qiange took the paper cups and poured the red wine, which had long since been decanted, into the cheap paper cups. She held one of them and took a small sip. She let out a light and inaudible sigh, and her pupils were dim. “I only heard about Gu Chuan’s matter today from the lawyer who came to Lin’an with me. His father was arrested for suspicion of privately transferring company assets. Gu Chuan himself seems to have gone abroad to hide from the limelight. He should be fine…”
“Yeah, we can’t help him by worrying. Everything will be fine.”
Xia Qiange didn’t seem to like to talk much when she was eating. She held her bowl and ate very seriously in silence. He licked his dry lips and couldn’t speak. The two of them once again ended this meal in silence.
“I’ll wash the dishes. It’s so embarrassing to always come to your house for a free meal.”
After Xia Qiange had finished eating, she put down her bowl and chopsticks and took the unfinished red wine and opened the refrigerator door. Su Yu opened his mouth but was interrupted before he could speak.
“The food is all gone. Then tomorrow… let’s go to the wet market together.”
“Huh?”, Su Yu’s hand, which was in mid-air, fell without a place to put it. He clenched his fist under the table.
“What’s wrong? Or… do you have something to do?”
“No… nothing. Then let’s go together.”
Su Yu shook his head. How could he say it? Tell Xia Qiange… that he wanted to work part-time at the supermarket downstairs tomorrow, so that the dishes on the dining table would not be so meager. It seemed that only in this way could he keep her.
He didn’t know what was wrong with him. He knew that there would be no end to this. It was as if he had returned to the bitter days of his unrequited love. But how could he refuse a woman who could easily take away all his loneliness and solitude?
He had been at home alone all day, just afraid that no one would open the door when she came to find him. He, who had never watched the news, had also started to watch the news on time. What he was looking forward to was the moment the doorbell would ring after another half an hour.
Because the moment he had unlocked the door, he had embraced happiness.
