Chapter 117: Chestnuts
The weather was getting colder. The old dormitory door couldn’t block the cold wind, which blew in with a whoosh. Wrapping oneself tightly in a blanket was useless. The wind in Qingchuan was damp, and no amount of thick clothing could block the needle-like chill, which pierced to the bone, making one’s hands and feet feel as if they had no sensation.
The dormitory was pitch black. Su Yu fumbled to get dressed and got out of bed. He tried to be as quiet as possible, but he still woke up Gu Chuan on the opposite bed.
“Hey, it’s the weekend, right? Why are you up so early?” he asked, craning his neck, his eyes barely open from sleep. “Even Chu Feng isn’t up yet. Why are you?”
“I have something to do. I’m taking someone to the hospital.”
“Xia Qian Ge?” Gu Chuan knew about their trip to the amusement park and Xia Qian Ge’s sprained ankle. There was a hint of disappointment in his voice. “Don’t you not like her? Why are you still hanging around her all the time? Doesn’t she have roommates? And isn’t she good friends with An Zhi? Who can’t take her? Why does it have to be you?”
“Her roommates asked me to help. They have practical training on the weekends and can’t go with her. As for An Zhi…” Su Yu shook his head. She didn’t seem like the type to be able to take care of someone.
Gu Chuan sat up in bed, the sleepiness gone from his face. The dorm was unlit, and Su Yu couldn’t see his expression clearly, but he felt that Gu Chuan’s tone was inexplicably anxious.
“Hey… I’m just wondering, do you feel sorry for her or something? Because her parents are divorced, because her family is poor and she has to work part-time every day?”
“You… how do you know her family is divorced? And that she often works part-time?” Su Yu frowned and asked in confusion. “Did I tell you this?”
“I… didn’t you say it when you were drunk at the party last time?” Gu Chuan paused for a moment and then said with certainty, “You were drunk and told me all your sob stories.”
“Is that so… I don’t remember at all.”
Su Yu shrugged and slung his bag over his shoulder. “I promised her this time. You go back to sleep. The hospital will probably be crowded on the weekend. I’ll probably be back in the evening.”
“Then, on the way…”
Gu Chuan watched as the door was slowly closed. He struggled with his expression, not knowing what to say.
“Be careful.”
The lock clicked shut, and the dorm was once again dark.
…
The morning fog of winter dissipated slowly. Even with his body wrapped up tightly, his hands and feet were still cold after standing outside for a while. Su Yu paced back and forth at the entrance of the girls’ dormitory, blowing on his hands to warm them. Suddenly, he stopped and saw a girl walking out of the lingering morning fog.
The girl’s walk was still a little unsteady. She walked slowly to Su Yu and smiled at him gently. Her slender body was wrapped in a light pink down jacket. The bright colors of her outfit dissipated a lot of the sickly air that always lingered in her eyes.
“Why aren’t you speaking?”
Xia Qian Ge tilted her head and looked at him. Her nose was a little red from the cold, her dark eyes looking watery, a thin layer of frost on her eyelashes.
“You… I’ve never seen you wear such a bright color. I almost didn’t recognize you at first glance.”
Su Yu spoke his mind. Perhaps it was because of work, but Xia Qian Ge rarely wore such warm colors. She always hid the girlish innocence that she should have.
“Is that so?” Xia Qian Ge smiled noncommittally. She pointed to herself and looked at him with anticipation. “Then… do I look good?”
“Yeah, you look good.”
Su Yu subconsciously touched his neck, but then he suddenly remembered the steamed buns in his pocket. He took them out and felt them. They were still warm. He handed them to Xia Qian Ge. “You haven’t had breakfast, right? I brought some for you.”
“Thank you.”
Xia Qian Ge said thank you softly. She was wearing pink flannel gloves with a small bear sewn on them. Su Yu watched as the girl held the steamed buns in her palm and took small bites, occasionally looking up and meeting his gaze, smiling shyly, a little silly, a little cute.
Su Yu suppressed the throbbing in his heart and looked away. The girl’s personality seemed to have changed a lot. At least… at least she seemed much more cheerful. This was a good trend. Perhaps it wasn’t a bad thing that the girl had come to Qingchuan by mistake because of his fever during the gaokao.
“Is your wound better?”
“Much better. See… I can walk now.”
Xia Qian Ge bounced forward a few steps, but she lost her balance and almost fell. Fortunately, Su Yu grabbed her wrist and she was able to stand firm.
Many students who were up early for exercise passed by on the main campus road, glancing at them more or less. The girl was wearing a pink outfit, and when her slender wrist was suddenly grabbed, her delicate skin became particularly sensitive. She blushed and shyly pulled her hand back, feeling a little out of place under the gazes of the people around her.
“S-Sorry. Am I very clumsy?”
She apologized, her soft and gentle whimper scattered in the exhaled water vapor. She looked cautious, but it seemed to press on Su Yu’s heart, making it tremble.
“Huh?”
Xia Qian Ge thought Su Yu hadn’t heard her. She lifted her head, her long, curled eyelashes raised as she looked at him. Her clear, black and white pupils were filled with an innocent expression. She blushed and shouted loudly again, “I said… I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, I… I know.”
Su Yu looked away at the thick, rolling fog in the distance, but the girl’s soft and innocent appearance seemed to be deeply etched in his mind, and he couldn’t shake it off. He was inexplicably flustered. The girl was getting better and better, but he seemed to be… the barriers he had built in his heart were starting to crumble.
“Let’s go to the hospital for a checkup. It’s quite crowded on the weekends.”
“Oh, okay.”
Xia Qian Ge bit her lip and nodded obediently. Her pure black pupils were pure and unadulterated. Combined with the clean whites of her eyes, she looked a bit more innocent. She watched as the boy’s pace gradually quickened, a slight curve on her pink lips. She swung her bright high ponytail and gracefully followed.
…
Su Yu wiped the fine sweat from his forehead. He looked at the results of the checkup and sighed in relief. He smiled and sat down next to Xia Qian Ge. “It’s all done. The wound is recovering very well. But the doctor suggested that you should try to walk outside more, which will be more conducive to the recovery of the wound.”
“Then… should I go for a walk later?”
Xia Qian Ge smiled and asked Su Yu. She saw the hesitation in his eyes and added, “If you have something else to do, forget it. I can just go back by myself later.”
“Where to?”
“There’s a very beautiful park nearby…” Xia Qian Ge’s eyes were filled with a surprised light. “I’ve actually wanted to go and see it for a long time.”
“Alright then. It’s still early.” Su Yu nodded, his long eyelashes casting a shadow. He paused for a long time before he looked up and smiled. “Let’s go and see it before it gets dark.”
The park was not far from the hospital. After crossing the road and turning into a straight path, they arrived. The grass and trees in the park were neatly trimmed, and there were almost no fallen leaves on the wooden path. A chrysanthemum exhibition was being held in the central square. It seemed that the exhibition was nearing its end. Many of the gorgeous chrysanthemums looked a little withered, and many had even shed their petals and fallen to the ground. There were not many people watching.
Xia Qian Ge followed beside him, a happy smile on her face. Her gaze wandered around the park. The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the pine forest above, casting mottled shadows, which rippled with a gentle color in her eyes.
“Su Yu, look at the bamboo pavilion over there. Doesn’t it look like the one in the old park at home?”
Xia Qian Ge pointed to a bamboo pavilion not far away. Su Yu followed the stone path in the mud and looked over. He smiled and asked, “Then… do you want to go and see it?”
“Forget it.” Xia Qian Ge shook her head. There was somewhere else she wanted to see more. “Let’s go to the lotus lake in front.”
They walked to the end of the path. The wooden path was a little bumpy. Xia Qian Ge let go of the hand that had been clinging to Su Yu’s arm and walked towards the lotus lake, whose outline was now visible.
Without the cover of the leaves, the afterglow of the setting sun was completely integrated into the lake. The orange sunset fell on the swinging swing. The rippling lake sparkled under the sunset. Soft clouds were stacked together and drifted away along the horizon. Xia Qian Ge stared blankly, a little dazed.
“Have you been here before? I didn’t know there was a lake park here.”
“No, I haven’t.” Xia Qian Ge shook her head. She pursed her lips into a smile and said, “I’ve passed by here a few times after work, but it was always very late, so I never had a chance to come in and see.”
Xia Qian Ge opened her arms and took a deep breath of the fresh and moist air by the lake. She frowned and twitched her nose. “It smells so good. It’s sugar-fried chestnuts.”
“It seems to be over there…”
Su Yu looked around and saw a few people carrying brown paper bags coming from a certain direction. He looked at the girl’s shining eyes. “Do you want some?”
“Mm-hmm, I want some!”
Xia Qian Ge nodded vigorously, her face full of anticipation.
“Then wait for me. I’ll go buy some.”
Su Yu threw down this sentence and hurried in the direction where the passersby had come from, worried that the vendor would have gone home early because of the cold night.
Xia Qian Ge stood there and watched the boy’s retreating figure. She couldn’t help but smile. It was as if the entire sunset was inlaid on the outline of his back, falling into her eyes and becoming a gentle gaze.
She turned around and found a bench to sit down. She politely smiled at the pregnant woman at the other end of the bench and said good evening.
“Is that boy your boyfriend?”
The pregnant woman pointed to Su Yu’s retreating figure and asked, her tone a little curious.
Xia Qian Ge’s lips curved into a very gentle smile. She nodded and replied sweetly, “Yes, he’s my boyfriend.”
“Oh, you look like you’re just in college. You’re so young. I can tell the boy likes you very much.”
The pregnant woman’s tone was a little wistful, with a hint of envy and helplessness, as if she had a view that young love wouldn’t last long.
“We’ll be together forever.” Xia Qian Ge said softly, but her tone was firm.
“I know, I know. I wish you two all the best, for a long and happy life, and then you can have a big fat baby like me.”
“Then thank you, auntie.”
Xia Qian Ge turned her head, smelling the sweet scent of sugar-fried chestnuts at the tip of her nose, and repeated the words in her heart, as if she had made a solemn vow.
