Chapter 67p2: Party
He had a habit of not speaking to himself, so he probably couldn’t remember how long it had been since he had spoken. He would sit in the darkness and practice his pronunciation. He was clearly speaking standard Mandarin, but he always felt that his pronunciation was a little off. He couldn’t tell if it was mixed with his hometown accent, or if it had a bit of a Qingchuan accent.
It was a bit too naive and ridiculous to pin his hopes on this. He just simply wanted to see his compatriots who came from the same land as him. It would be good to just say a few words, to temporarily soothe some of the strong and unresolved emotions.
Su Yu stood up and walked out of the desolate and dark bedroom. He just happened to walk to the top of the stairs on the second floor and could smell the sweet scent of the jam that had melted downstairs. His gaze moved slightly, and he saw the bread on the dining table, which was for before the meal. The soft bread, which was covered with hazelnut chocolate sauce, was alluring under the light.
The sound of pots and bowls clashing in the kitchen was particularly crisp and bright in the gloomy and dark season of the North Country. The steaming water vapor plated his vision with a hazy and blurry filter. The tall woman, who was wearing a pink apron, was busy preparing the meal for today’s party.
Their eyes met the moment Gu Zhi turned around with the bowls and chopsticks. After a moment of intertwining, Su Yu lowered his eyelashes and buried his gaze in the steps downstairs, and he walked down step by step.
He was recalling the smile on the woman’s lips just now in his mind. He had given up the idea of trying to figure out the woman’s thoughts a long time ago. The other party’s anger or happiness was written on her face. But the sudden change was always so unexpected.
He had always felt that the gentle smile the woman showed was very fake, like a disguise that had been drawn with a brushstroke. He couldn’t see a single bit of sincerity. But the smile just now actually made him feel real, yet it was also particularly fragile, as if it would be shattered in the wind and snow outside the house in an instant.
“Are you hungry, Xiao Yu? There are still a few dishes to be made after everyone arrives. If you’re hungry, I’ll make you a bowl of noodles to fill your stomach first.”
Gu Zhi put the empty bowls and chopsticks on the table and smoothed the sweaty hair that was stuck to her skin on her forehead. A gentle smile was in the dark corners of her eyes.
Su Yu just shook his head, his gaze always on the closed door at the entryway, leaving the other party with a thin back with his black hair reaching his neck.
Gu Zhi was stunned for a moment, and the little bit of joy in her heart fell from a high altitude and was shattered. She had thought that the boy had suddenly come down, and it was a rare initiative. She had not expected that it had nothing to do with her.
“The Spring Festival is coming soon. If you like it lively, Xiao Yu, then you can go back with me this year. Last year, it was just the two of us here. It was a bit too deserted.”
Was it just because of those few guests from home? Then why was he not willing to say a few more words to her?
She endured the sourness in her nose and said something against her will. Perhaps it was because she had been used to being alone all these years. Actually, she didn’t like it lively very much, and she could also endure loneliness.
But only when she was by Su Yu’s side did she feel alive. There was a light in her eyes, and she could feel the colors, and her heart would also beat. At other times, her heart was always empty and she couldn’t touch anything. The cold wind was blowing in, and she couldn’t find any happiness or joy at all.
If letting go meant a lifetime of pain and loneliness, then she really should say sorry. But who was to blame for her being such a selfish person, so selfish that she was hopeless?
Su Yu’s hand, which was on his knee, suddenly clenched the corner of his clothes. He was in a daze for a few seconds, and then he just happened to realize that the Spring Festival was a grand festival for the whole family to reunite. His gaze softened for a moment and then suddenly dimmed. A small opening was broken in his heart, and the accumulated and suppressed emotions seeped out.
He looked up and stared at Gu Zhi. He smiled hoarsely, his tone sarcastic and indifferent. “Where can a dead person go to celebrate the Spring Festival?”
Su Yu had bluntly cleared up the love that had already rotted and spoiled under this harmony. It was not that he had never been angry. After he had been anesthetized and had fainted in Qingchuan, he had been in the vast expanse of white snow when he had opened his eyes again. The remote distance of tens of thousands of kilometers had crushed the little bit of hope in his heart.
He had been hysterical all day, shouting at the woman, and he had almost really become an irrational madman. But that was useless. His broken and hoarse throat could only make a low groan. In the end, it had become a silent silence, which was just a silent and futile resistance.
Gu Zhi suddenly stood up from the table. Su Yu subconsciously thought that she was going to get something to torture him again. But the woman did not. She slowly walked up to Su Yu and stared at him for a long time, as if she wanted to remember every small detail on his face. Her naturally cold and indifferent eyes did not show any emotion, and he did not know if she was happy or angry, which made him even more uneasy.
“Xiao Yu’s hair is really a little long. I’ll trim it for you before you go back. Although I like Xiao Yu in any way.”
She was as if she had not heard the other party’s malicious sarcasm and was talking to herself. She touched the boy’s dark and curled eyelashes, which were trembling with anger, and leaned over and gently placed a kiss on his eyes. The loose collar of her pajamas was drooping, hiding the heaving of her chest. She looked at him with great sincerity and said, “Be a little more obedient, okay? I’ve really tried my best.”
…
“Haha! Cheers!”
The pale yellow wine was in a transparent glass and was hit hard. The ice cubes were shaken and scattered, and they wet the fragrant roasted chicken and pizza on the table. The air was filled with an intoxicating smell of wine.
Su Yu was sitting on the side and watching them. They were talking in a language he couldn’t understand at all, and they were laughing and dividing the pizza. From time to time, a few harsh and excited screams came from the kitchen. A few fresh lobsters had accidentally fallen out of the pot, and a puddle of water had splashed.
He seemed to be in a different world from everything around him. The suddenly lively atmosphere made him a little at a loss. Since when… he seemed to have become unable to adapt to a crowded environment.
Finally, someone’s gaze fell on him. It was a fair-skinned northern girl with a head of dazzling golden hair. Her personality was also bold and open. She directly and playfully winked at Su Yu and asked with some curiosity, “Who is he?”
“He’s my boyfriend. He doesn’t understand what you’re saying, and his English is not very good. So don’t tease him.”
Gu Zhi put down her wine glass and held Su Yu’s hand tightly, their fingers intertwined. She smiled and shook it in front of everyone.
Su Yu couldn’t understand their conversation, but he could roughly see something from their gradually ambiguous gazes. He opened his mouth but didn’t make a sound. He forcefully pulled his hand away from Gu Zhi’s grip under the table.
“Oh… no wonder you’re always not at school, Gu Zhi, and you don’t come to parties with us. We almost thought you liked the same sex. It turns out you already have a boyfriend. That’s great. You two… are very in love.”
The northern girl with golden hair shrugged with some regret and soon moved her gaze away from Su Yu.
“Hello, Ye Wen. I’m from the capital. If you don’t understand, you can ask me.”
He had attracted a lot of attention just like that. The girl next to him also held a wine glass and shook it in front of Su Yu, speaking in a fluent and familiar Chinese.
Su Yu turned his head and looked at the girl. He looked at the other party’s features for a while. She didn’t have the sharp and defined facial contours and overly pale skin of a northern person. The girl curved her eyebrows and smiled at him. Her gentle and soothing features made him feel particularly natural and friendly.
He held the wine glass in front of the table with a trembling hand and clinked glasses with the girl. The smile on his lips was a little unnatural, and he looked as if he were too nervous. He cleared his throat, and his trembling and unclear voice was slowed down by him with great effort. But just a few words, he said with great difficulty.
“Hello, my name is… Su Yu.”
