Chapter 34: Thirty-Four p1
After giving her instructions, Yu Mianying put down the ointment.
“Your Auntie Zhao is short one for mahjong and asked me to go help out. Your dad is washing dishes in the kitchen and will be going out later too. Will you be okay at home by yourself?”
She looked at Yu Jiang, who was wearing a cartoon-print sweater, and, thinking of something, changed her tune. “Otherwise, you can come with me. It just so happens that your Auntie Zhao’s daughter is also home today. She’s actually your junior from high school. You two can watch a movie or something in her room. I’ll bring you back when I’m done.”
Yu Jiang’s expression was innocent, her eyes helpless. “Dear Ms. Yu, your daughter is already an adult, not a three-year-old child. She won’t get lost watching the house by herself.”
Usually at times like these, doting parents would say something heartwarming like, “In our eyes, you’ll always be a child.”
Yu Mianying naturally loved Yu Jiang very much, but she couldn’t say such things.
Hearing this, she reached out and pinched her own daughter’s cheek, which was as soft and bouncy as jelly, and let out a long sigh. “You inherited your looks from me and your dad, but why didn’t you inherit our height? Baby, you’re not even 1.6 meters tall. I’m worried that one day when you go out by yourself, you’ll be mistaken for an elementary school student by a passerby.”
Yu Mianying was 165 cm, Jiang Chengzhi was 180 cm, and Yu Jiang’s height was a combination of their two heights—1.586 meters.
Yu Jiang, after hearing her speech: …
For a moment, I don’t know if you’re insulting me or elementary school students.
It wasn’t that Yu Mianying wanted to discourage her.
Previously, when an outsider had said Yu Jiang was short, before Yu Jiang herself could even decide whether to laugh awkwardly or good-naturedly accept the other’s teasing, which she couldn’t tell was well-intentioned or not, Yu Mianying had already retorted for her.
Now, it was just the two of them in the room, so Yu Mianying was just a little more “unforgiving” with her words.
Combined with Yu Jiang’s usual habit of speaking without thinking, one could guess who she took after more.
After Yu Mianying finished speaking, her phone rang. It was someone urging her to go help out.
She gave a simple reply and, for confirmation, asked Yu Jiang one last time, “Are you really not coming with me? Don’t cry when you’re home alone later.”
Yu Jiang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at her words, which were like coaxing a child. “Oh, I’m really fine. Just go and help out. I’ve been in a car for most of the day and I’m a little tired. I’ll go to bed right after I shower.”
“Alright then. Going to bed so early? I was originally thinking of bringing you some late-night snacks. Then I’ll take you out to eat tomorrow night. I’m leaving. Be careful at home by yourself.”
Yu Jiang saw Yu Mianying out the door, sighed, and turned to get her clothes from the wardrobe to prepare for a shower.
Just as she had finished tidying up, there was another knock on the door.
This time, it was Jiang Chengzhi.
“Little Yu, can Daddy come in now?”
Yu Jiang let him in.
After seeing her, Jiang Chengzhi said something similar to what Yu Mianying had said.
“Daddy has plans to play chess with Uncle Wang tonight. Mommy has already gone out. Will you be scared at home by yourself, Little Yu? Do you want to go with Daddy? Their little daughter just started high school this year. You two are about the same age. You can play with her on the side. I’ll bring you back when Daddy is done.”
Yu Jiang: “…”
She was really older than eighteen!
Not two years old after dropping a zero from her age!
Yu Jiang sent the man away with the same method. She couldn’t help but send a message to Chi Jing.
【Do your parents still have to tell you specifically when they go out now?】
【Do I look like an elementary school student? Why do my parents want to take me out with them when they go out?】
Chi Jing’s class didn’t end until around two in the afternoon.
It took about five hours to drive from A City back to B City.
At this time, she should be getting off the highway soon.
Yu Jiang wasn’t sure when she would reply and prepared to take a shower first.
If she replied after she was done, then they would chat for a while before she went to bed. If not, then she would wait for Chu Qingzi’s call before she went to bed.
Just as Chu Qingzi’s name appeared in her mind, a video call request from the person herself came in.
The video connected. Before the picture had even finished loading, Yu Jiang had already spoken.
“Are you at the service area?”
“Yes, I just arrived. I was just about to go buy something to eat when I saw your WeChat, so I called you first. What’s wrong, baby?”
In the rectangular video chat box, Chu Qingzi’s delicate face was reflected.
The dim yellow light in the car was a bit hazy. It fell on her head, making the gentle color on her face even more attractive.
After seeing her clearly, Yu Jiang’s nose soured.
This was not the first time they would be separated for seven days.
In the past winter and summer vacations, the number of times the two of them had video chatted through their phone screens could not be counted on two hands.
Chu Qingzi had thought of flying directly from C City to find her, but Yu Jiang had always used various reasons to put her off.
Chu Qingzi was not stupid. After being politely rejected so many times, she understood that Yu Jiang did not want her to come and disturb her.
She had once said this in a joking manner, saying that she was like a modern version of “hiding a beauty in a golden house.”
Yu Jiang had forgotten how she had replied at that time, only knowing that she must have lied again.
Because the real reason she was not willing to let Chu Qingzi come to her home would never be known by her in this lifetime.
In the past, when she called Chu Qingzi from such a long distance, whether it was during the day or late at night, Yu Jiang’s emotions were always within a controllable range when she faced her.
Of course she would miss her, but not particularly.
It was not like now, where just seeing her face and hearing her voice made her nose feel as if it were constantly inhaling lemon-flavored air, so sour it made one want to cry.
Yu Jiang felt that her reaction was too exaggerated. At this moment, it had only been less than an hour since they had said goodbye at her front door.
She quickly analyzed the reason for her sudden loss of emotional control.
In the past holidays, she and Chu Qingzi would say goodbye at the complex entrance.
Yu Jiang would take a taxi to C University to get a ride from Chi Jing, and Chu Qingzi would also take a taxi, her destination being the airport.
On the way to C University alone in a taxi, Yu Jiang would also think of Chu Qingzi.
This feeling of longing would soon be replaced by other, relatively happier emotions after seeing Chi Jing.
After returning home, the familiar and warm environment was a cradle for the steady growth of beautiful emotions. Those negative emotions that would make her unhappy, which stemmed from missing someone, would naturally fade.
Tonight was a bit different.
Chu Qingzi had not said goodbye to her at the complex entrance, but had personally taken her to her front door.
After dinner, the family of three should have stayed in the living room to watch TV, but now, because she was the only one left at home, it had become exceptionally deserted.
Chi Jing, who could mobilize all her happy emotions after leaving Chu Qingzi, was also unable to reply because she was driving.
All sorts of factors that could make one fall into a lonely predicament had tacitly appeared on this not-so-ordinary night.
Chu Qingzi’s call became the fuse that set everything off.
Just now, Yu Jiang had been helpless that Ms. Yu and the others were treating her too much like a child. Now, she was only full of regret.
If only I had gone out with them.
For a moment, her mind was in a turmoil. Every wave that crashed on the shore of her heart was wrapped in a sour and astringent taste.
She knew that Chu Qingzi was looking at her.
Although there was a screen between them, according to Chu Qingzi’s understanding of her, if her performance was even a little bit off, she would definitely be able to guess that her emotions were not right.
Yu Jiang didn’t want to worry her and didn’t dare to let her emotions show.
She feigned composure and pouted.
“You forgot to give me back my panties.”
Chu Qingzi didn’t speak.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, a gesture of appraisal.
The warm, dim light overhead, at this moment, turned into a sharp blade of light, cutting the expression on her face into two parts, one light and one dark.
One side was the familiar gentleness, and the other was an inscrutable darkness.
Yu Jiang was a little flustered by her gaze.
Has she already discovered something?
“I’m sorry, baby. I only realized I had accidentally brought them with me when I was on the highway just now. I’ll take them home and wash them, and give them back to you after the holiday is over.”
Chu Qingzi hadn’t discovered anything.
Realizing this, Yu Jiang’s quietly clenched heart loosened.
“No need. I asked you to call me because I wanted you to find a trash can later and just throw them away.”
After Chu Qingzi got home, she didn’t need to wash her own clothes. A housekeeper would help clean them.
What Yu Jiang was worried about was not something else, but that if Chu Qingzi forgot to empty her pockets after her shower, the housekeeper would naturally see them when she was washing her clothes.
The panties that Chu Qingzi herself wore were not cartoon-style. The housekeeper had worked at her house for a long time. Once she took the things out of her pants pocket…
Yu Jiang didn’t dare to think about what would happen next.
Chu Qingzi readily accepted, “Okay, whatever you say, baby. Since you don’t want them, then I’ll dispose of them for you.”
Yu Jiang had finished what she wanted to tell her.
She had no other topics she wanted to chat with her about for the time being, and she didn’t dare to continue chatting with her.
She was always worried that if she looked at her gentle eyes, which seemed to be able to tolerate everything in the world, for a few more minutes, she would be unable to control herself and fall deeply into them, and then completely lose control and cry in front of her.
She thought that would be far too sentimental, far too childish.
If she really cried, Chu Qingzi would probably think she was sick.
In another two years, she would be a working person, but she would still cry aggrievedly because she was separated from her good friend.
So, Yu Jiang said goodbye to her verbally.
“Then you go eat. I’m also going to take a shower and prepare for bed.”
Yu Jiang had asked Chu Qingzi at that time if she could handle driving for so long. Only after receiving her repeated assurances was she at ease.
As such, she did not continue to be concerned about this matter.
Chu Qingzi didn’t say goodbye. She seemed to have seen through Yu Jiang’s disguise and asked in a coaxing manner, “Is there nothing else you want to say to me?”
Yu Jiang shook her head. “No.”
Chu Qingzi: “But I do.”
Yu Jiang’s heart skipped a beat.
Chu Qingzi: “I miss you, baby. Do you miss me?”
Yu Jiang directly hung up the phone with a slap.
Almost instantly, tears rolled down from her eyes.
She didn’t make a single sound of crying. Her silent tears were even more heartbreaking.
After a minute, she sent a WeChat message to Chu Qingzi with teary eyes.
【My phone just ran out of battery and turned off. I’m going to take a shower. Be safe on the road.】
As for the latter half of Chu Qingzi’s question, Yu Jiang chose to ignore it.
Chu Qingzi didn’t reply again, perhaps she had gotten out of the car to buy something.
Yu Jiang wiped away the hot tears with her hand, picked up the clean clothes that had been placed at the foot of the bed, and got up to take a shower.
After she came out from blow-drying her hair, her emotions had also calmed down.
Just as she had climbed into bed, another video call came.
The person who called her was still Chu Qingzi.
Yu Jiang could now face her normally. After connecting, she asked her in a soft voice, “What’s wrong? You haven’t left the service area yet?”
“I want to chat with you a little longer. Otherwise, the next few hours will be a bit hard to get through.”
Yu Jiang’s just-tidied emotions were easily shattered by her one sentence.
She hung up the phone directly again. This time, she still waited for nearly a minute before lying again.
【My phone seems to be broken. The battery was clearly charged to sixty, but it just turned off again.】
【I’m a little sleepy. Can I video call you after you get home tomorrow?】
Tomorrow, her parents would both be at home, and it would be daytime. If that wasn’t enough, she could even ask Chi Jing to come over and play with her.
In a situation completely opposite to tonight, she would definitely not be so easily broken.
【Okay.】
Chu Qingzi seemed to have been angered by her repeated hang-ups and, for the first time, did not say goodnight to her.
In the end, Yu Jiang almost cried herself to sleep.
The second before she really fell asleep, what appeared in her mind was still Chu Qingzi’s face reflected on the phone screen.
She didn’t know how long she had been sleeping in a daze. Yu Jiang, who was sound asleep, had a very beautiful dream in her opinion.
Yu Jiang became a pair of eyes in the dream. It saw Chu Qingzi drive back from the service area again.
Her memory was very good. She had only been here once, but the second time she entered the complex, she was already able to skillfully drive the car into the second parking space of Yu Jiang’s home.
After getting out of the car, she took a bag and got into the elevator.
From the gap in the bag, one could tell that it was the change of clothes she had prepared for herself.
After going upstairs, Chu Qingzi happened to run into Yu Mianying, who was coming back from playing mahjong, at Yu Jiang’s front door.
When she knew that the beautiful girl in front of her was her own daughter’s living Bodhisattva roommate, Ms. Yu very enthusiastically welcomed her in.
The picture went dark here. The eyes in the dream could not see what Chu Qingzi and Yu Mianying did after they entered the door.
When the picture lit up again, the surrounding environment had already changed from the living room to Yu Jiang’s bedroom.
The door was opened by someone. A beam of light climbed in from the hallway, illuminating the cold floor.
Chu Qingzi quietly closed the door, and the room quickly fell into darkness again.
She didn’t hesitate at all. Her steps were as fast as if she were walking in broad daylight.
After a short while, she safely arrived at the side of the bed.
She leaned over slightly and came close to the peacefully sleeping Yu Jiang.
Then she reached out her hand and gently ruffled her messy long hair.
After the simple action, Chu Qingzi went out and left.
Yu Jiang, who was watching all this, her heart soured again. Before the uncomfortable taste could ferment, the door was pushed open again.
The one who came in was still Chu Qingzi.
Compared to coming empty-handed just now, she now had a washcloth soaked in warm water in her hand.
The residual tear tracks on Yu Jiang’s face were wiped clean by that well-defined hand, bit by bit.
After doing all this, Chu Qingzi quietly left again.
More than ten minutes later, Chu Qingzi, who had changed into her pajamas, climbed onto the bed from the other side.
The sleeping Yu Jiang was pulled into her arms. The moment she sensed this familiar scent, her slightly furrowed brows loosened.
The familiar good night kiss gently landed on her forehead.
Before the picture went dark again, Chu Qingzi personally said to her the goodnight she hadn’t said just now.
“Good night, baby.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Yu Jiang woke up with a start.
For a moment, she couldn’t tell if those were dreams or reality. She stared blankly at the ceiling above her, not moving for a long time.
Yu Mianying, who had originally come in to call her for a meal, stood by the bed and waited for nearly a minute. Seeing her frozen and not speaking, as if she were possessed, she had no choice but to call her.
“Yu Xiaojiang, are you awake? Is it that little Chu’s rented apartment’s bed is too hard, or did sitting in a car for five hours yesterday take half your life away? How could you sleep until this time?”
Yu Mianying still didn’t know that the landlord of the apartment the two of them lived in was Chu Qingzi herself.
Catching the keyword in her words, Yu Jiang suddenly woke up.
She turned to look at Yu Mianying and asked anxiously, “Did she really drive back last night?”
“Who are you talking about? Little Chu? She did indeed come to our house. You—”
Yu Mianying silently swallowed the latter half of her sentence. Looking at Yu Jiang, who didn’t even bother to put on her slippers and rushed out the door, a hint of interest appeared in her eyes.
She didn’t chase after her, because she could guess what would happen next even with her toes.
In less than three minutes, Yu Jiang came back with a dejected face.
She converted her sadness at not finding the person into an aggrieved complaint, “Mom, didn’t you—”
Yu Mianying interrupted her, “Put on your slippers before you talk to me.”
Yu Jiang obediently put on her slippers and continued to ask with a listless look.
“Has she already left?”
Yu Mianying went to close the door, went back to the wardrobe, and while picking out clothes for her to wear today, she explained, “She just left half an hour ago. I didn’t expect you to be able to sleep so much. I was originally thinking of having you see her off to the complex entrance, but after waiting for a long time, I didn’t see you wake up. Little Chu wouldn’t let me call you, so in the end, I saw her off for you.”
She threw the clothes next to Yu Jiang and told her to put them on.
“When did she come last night?”
Yu Mianying couldn’t stand the trouble she was having with just one button and came over and directly stripped her clothes off in a few moves.
She replied, “A little after nine, I think. I ran into her at the door. When she turned and smiled at me at that time, she almost scared me. I thought some big star had gone to the wrong door.”
This scene that Yu Mianying described corresponded to the scene in the dream.
Yu Jiang started to put on her top. “Did she tell you why she came back so late?”
“She said her car broke down at the service area, and she’s not used to staying in hotels. She was originally going to call you to open the door, but you were already asleep then, so she was just going to see if your dad and I were home. It turned out to be quite a coincidence, she ran right into me.”
From Yu Mianying’s tone when she described this, one could tell that her first impression of Chu Qingzi was very high.
After speaking, she let out an “eh.” “Wait, you don’t know about this? You weren’t awake last night? Then how did you know she came over?”
The three consecutive questions made Yu Jiang sweat a little.
She couldn’t possibly tell Ms. Yu that she had seen all this in a dream.
“I was half-asleep. I felt like I saw her, but I was also worried it was a dream, so I asked you.”
Yu Mianying teased with an unclear meaning, “You two are really close. You can even dream about little Chu?”
Yu Jiang’s back stiffened. She had a gut feeling that she must have misunderstood something.
On second thought, taking the initiative to clarify would be like admitting guilt. Since Ms. Yu didn’t mention it, she would just pretend she didn’t know.
With that thought, Yu Jiang’s body relaxed again.
Yu Mianying didn’t seem to plan on pressing her. “Alright, then come out and eat after you’ve washed your face.”
Yu Jiang’s gaze followed her back until she had closed the door and left, only then did she feel a sense of surprise.
Is this “honest and quiet” Ms. Yu today really the same person as the “dining table scammer” Ms. Yu from yesterday?
In the bathroom.
Yu Jiang filled the basin with water and began to brush her teeth.
This was a task that could be completed with just one hand.
In the mirror, the person was holding an electric toothbrush in her right hand and a phone in her left, multitasking.
The first thing Yu Jiang dealt with was Chi Jing’s message.
The message was sent last night. After a quick calculation, it should have been not long after she had fallen asleep.
【Chi Xiaojing: Where are there still elementary school students who are less than 1.6 meters tall? Doesn’t my aunt have a little daughter? She’s only in the fifth grade this year, and she’s already taller than you.】
Yu Jiang: “…”
Thank you, I’ve been hurt.
It wasn’t over. There was another sentence after that.
【Chi Xiaojing: Don’t bring elementary school students into everything. Elementary school students are very capable now, you know? The less-than-1.6-meter-tall Yu Xiaojiang~】
Yu Jiang: “…”
Seeing such a hateful message first thing in the morning, how unlucky!
Yu Jiang puffed up her cheeks and heavily tapped the screen three times.
Three dynamic stickers of a cat furiously beating up a small shark pillow appeared in the chat box.
Seeing them, Yu Jiang’s anger immediately subsided.
【Are you coming over to play today?】
Chi Jing had just replied with a static sticker of a cat lying like a corpse.
Seeing her ask, she typed a reply.
【Chi Xiaojing: You’re only waking up now? Is Chu Qingzi’s driving that bad? It made you this tired?】
【Chi Xiaojing: I’m having lunch. I’ll come over after I’m done. I’m not making plans with you tomorrow. I’m going for a barbecue in the wild with Zhang Xiaoming and the others. Do you want to come?】
【You go ahead. I’ll pass.】
Zhang Xiaoming was their high school roommate.
