Volume 15
Chapter 5: In the Midst of Fireworks (Part 2)
An Baili’s recent days had been a little boring. When Lu Li wasn’t at home, she would talk to Chu Jingyi, but today Jingyi had to go back to the Capital City to prepare for the start of school. She had lost her companion and didn’t want to disturb Hupo, so she squatted idly in the small courtyard of the villa, watching the white clouds change in the sky. It was better now than before. Before, there was no Jingyi, and her relationship with Hupo was also strained. At that time, when Lu Li went to work or on a business trip, she would hide at home and constantly change the channels on the TV, or go to the fridge to get fruit and make juice. She hoped that Lu Li could drink the ice-cold, delicious fruit juice as soon as he came home. But the juice would warm up after a while, so she would drink it herself, pour away what she couldn’t finish, and then make more juice, continuing to wait for Lu Li.
Later, Lu Li said she was being wasteful, so she stopped doing that and switched to sweeping and mopping the room, cleaning the room over and over again. Sometimes she missed him so much that she would type a long passage in the WeChat chat box, all her innermost thoughts, but she wouldn’t send it. After typing it, she would just delete it, as if that could alleviate the pain of longing. Occasionally, Lu Li would call her back, asking about her situation at home, and would also send her little gifts when he was on a business trip, which would make An Baili happy for a whole day.
This time, it didn’t seem to be any different. Lu Li was far away in the Capital City, and she had only had a fleeting glimpse of him. With more girls around Lu Li, the time he had for her was naturally also less. If it had been before, she would have been a little scared, a little uneasy, worried that Lu Li would leave. But now, although she still missed him, at least she knew in her heart that Lu Li would always come back.
An Baili remembered that Lu Li used to like to lie on the grass, so she also learned to lie on the grass like Lu Li, looking up at the azure sky. She began to count the birds in the sky. One, two, three… where was she? Forget it, let’s start from the beginning. One, two…
Suddenly, Lu Li’s face covered the sky. She thought she was hallucinating. It wasn’t until Lu Li pinched her little nose and said, “Your husband is home, and you’re not even going to welcome him?” that An Baili jumped up from the ground and threw herself into his arms with a “waah.” “I missed you so much!”
“It’s only been two or three days.”
“But you always stay for a day or two and then leave, a day or two and then leave again. I’ve been… mmm…” Afraid that Lu Li would think she was relapsing into her old habits, An Baili pouted aggrievedly and said no more.
Lu Li took her hand. After experiencing so much, he already knew Baili’s thoughts. “All the matters have been resolved this time. In the future, I basically won’t have to go anywhere.”
An Baili beamed with joy. She rubbed her head in Lu Li’s arms. “Whatever you want to play tonight, I’ll agree to it. I’ve bought a lot of clothes online. You’ll definitely like them.” Lu Li’s heart warmed. This crybaby really put him first. “Tonight, shall we go back to Chuanhai and set off fireworks on the Jinjiang Bridge?”
A light flashed in An Baili’s eyes. “Just the two of us?”
“Just the two of us.”
“Okay~” She didn’t ask why they were going back to Chuanhai. Just knowing that the two of them would be alone, Baili happily agreed.
“Silly girl, aren’t you going to ask why we’re suddenly going back to Chuanhai? Aren’t you afraid I’ll be like that person in the news and push my wife off the bridge?”
“Hehe, I’d be happy even if you pushed me.”
“Hmph, let’s see if I don’t push you hard tonight.”
An Baili stuck out her butt. “I’ll let you push.”
…
Lu Li had brought Zhu Qiao back with him. After greeting the other girls at home, he took Baili on a plane back to Chuanhai. Lu Li’s return to Chuanhai this time was done in secret, without alarming anyone. He didn’t want a crowd of aristocratic families to welcome him. Although it was a bit of an exaggeration, he did indeed have that level of influence now.
They first went back to the Low-Rent District and looked at the old house. That floor had been completely empty since Lu Li, Zou Yameng, and An Baili had moved out. Not just that floor; most of the residences in the Low-Rent District were empty. The new generation of the Low-Rent District had successively become adults. They had either gone to work in other cities or had gone to work in the city center. Basically, no one came back. The remaining unemployed people were all squeezed into the basements in the depths of the Low-Rent District. They didn’t even have the qualification to apply for housing in the Low-Rent District.
These two small, boxy rooms held the memories of his entire childhood. An Baili touched the mattress, her hand covered in dust. She was a little dejected. “If only, if only we could have met earlier. If we had known each other since we were little, everyone would have been much, much happier…”
“It’s not too late now…”
“Li, can you hug me?”
The two of them embraced without a word, quietly savoring this complex feeling of nostalgia.
“Li.”
“Mm?”
“Why don’t you come inside me now… I feel more at ease when you’re inside me.” Baili was still more suited to ruining the atmosphere.
Lu Li knocked her on the head. “It’s all dusty here. You’re a girl. You have to pay attention to hygiene!”
“Don’t knock anymore. The more you knock, the dumber I get.”
“Want to go and see your old house?” Lu Li suddenly asked.
An Baili was stunned for a moment, and only came back to her senses after a long while. “Isn’t it sealed off?”
“It was a foreclosure. I bought it.”
“What’s the point of buying that kind of house…” An Baili muttered in a small voice. “If you want to see it, I’ll go with you.”
An Baili was clearly much more timid. The shadow of her childhood still clung to her. Lu Li knew he would have to spend a lifetime healing her. They took a taxi to Baili’s old house. The inside had already been cleaned by the housekeeping staff Lu Li had hired, but the furniture hadn’t been moved. Lu Li still remembered that he had given An Gulai a punch by the sofa back then, hitting him until his head was bleeding and blood was all over the floor.
Baili timidly hugged Lu Li’s arm. “This house feels so oppressive…”
“If you’re uncomfortable, let’s go.” Lu Li just wanted to see what the little home Baili had grown up in was like.
“No need. Li, let me show you around.” This girl had become much stronger. She was starting to try and overcome the shadow of her past. “This is the first floor. On the left is the living room. There’s only a sofa and a TV in the living room. An Gulai would usually lie here, dead drunk. He never went upstairs. He even wanted me to deliver his meals to the door… On the right is the toilet, but the faucet in the toilet has been broken for a long time, so An Gulai never used it. Before, people in the neighborhood said that when he was drunk, he would just go and relieve himself on the grass outside the neighborhood. It seems someone had even reported him, but in the end, nothing came of it.”
Lu Li shook his head. “Let’s not talk about him. Let’s go upstairs. I want to know more about my Baili.”
The four words “my Baili” made An Baili’s mood much better. She smiled and led Lu Li upstairs. “I had a kind locksmith install a few more locks on my room. Before, after school, I would quickly hide in my room and wrap myself tightly in the blanket. That way, I wouldn’t hear An Gulai’s drunken rages on the first floor.”
Lu Li walked into Baili’s room. It was still as empty as before: a wooden table, a small bed, a windowsill. The thought of his little crybaby trembling and hiding in the blanket made Lu Li’s heart feel gloomy. He really wanted to have someone in the prison give An Gulai a few more hits.
“Ah, the diary is still here!” Baili opened a drawer and took out a dusty brown notebook. It had originally been pink. “The diary I started writing in the fourth grade of elementary school… That’s great. I thought it would have been lost when it was sealed off.”
Lu Li leaned over with curiosity. “Can I take a look?”
Baili’s face rarely turned red. The little village girl, who was usually so shameless, was actually blushing. “I can only flip through it for you. You’re not allowed to snatch it.”
“I promise you.”
