Chapter 66: The Lecture

She lay there for two or three minutes, worried about crushing Yan Ningxi, before Ming You rolled over to the side.

The blanket carried the fresh scent of jasmine fragrance beads, as well as the familiar smell of Yan Ningxi. She stared at Yan Ningxi, who smiled like a blooming peach blossom. She knew Yan Ningxi had swapped all these out.

After lying quietly for a bit, Ming You jumped off the bed and went to the cabinet by the entryway. She pulled a red-and-green gift bag out of her purse and hugged it as she came back in. “Sister Yan, a Christmas present.”

Yan Ningxi had already sat up, fixing the hair and clothes Ming You had messed up. “Christmas isn’t until next week.”

As she spoke, Yan Ningxi’s eyes darkened. After Christmas came New Year’s. She had to go home to keep her father company, while Ming You had to go participate in the rural outreach activity. Their first New Year together was destined not to be spent crossing into the new year side by side.

The girl hugged the paper gift bag with a face full of delight, putting on a mysterious act. “Guess what I bought?”

Yan Ningxi humored her. “No idea. What did you get?”

The girl proudly shook the contents of the bag onto the bed and arranged the five boxes neatly one by one. “Ta-da! I bought five blind boxes. I haven’t opened any yet. This Tom and Jerry New Year series has five different figurines: four regular ones and one hidden variant with fireworks. Let’s see if we can get lucky and pull the hidden one.”

Blind boxes?

They were all the rage these days, and the students loved them too. But at sixty or seventy bucks apiece, five came to three or four hundred.

Looking at the Tom and Jerry designs on the boxes, Yan Ningxi felt a mix of emotions. “Thanks. Let’s open them together.”

“Sure!”

They each opened two, pulling three different regular ones and one duplicate.

Each box contained a pair: one cat and one mouse.

Ming You handed the unopened blind box to Yan Ningxi. “The last one—you open it, Sister Yan. I’m the lucky one, but you’re the one with all the luck.”

She had originally wanted to say that all the luck and fortune belonged to her. Yan Ningxi was her luck, and even more her good fortune. But she couldn’t very well claim all the luck and fortune for herself.

She had to admit, Yan. Luck. Xi was truly a goddess.

Yan Ningxi laid the newly opened figurine flat in her palm. “This one… is different from the others.”

Jerry stood in Tom’s paw, the cat and mouse each holding a string of fireworks. Those bright red fireworks—weren’t they exactly the hidden variant?!

“Sister Yan, you’re a lucky goddess!” Ming You beamed and hugged Yan Ningxi, planting an excited kiss on her cheek.

The joy of pulling a hidden variant from a blind box was just ordinary happiness. But the girl’s happiness was Yan Ningxi’s ultimate joy. Her luck wasn’t something she was born with—it was something the girl gave her.

Yan Ningxi examined the figurine. The coloring was even, the surface smooth, and the craftsmanship decent enough.

Ming You picked up the other four. “Sister Yan, where should we put them?”

“On the bookshelf.” Yan Ningxi placed the hidden variant in Ming You’s hand too. The bookcase was on the left as you entered the door, right across from the head of the bed, so she could see the things on it before sleep and upon waking.

The five figurines were arranged with the hidden one in the center, and the two duplicates on the outer sides.

“Why do you like this cartoon so much?”

“It’s lively, but not noisy.”

“…” Ming You thought about the cartoons she’d seen on TV as a kid—most were loud and chaotic. None were as quiet as Tom and Jerry, with almost no sound at all.

Once she had them arranged, Yan Ningxi spoke up. “Come here. I have something to tell you.”

Ming You sat down beside Yan Ningxi with some trepidation, vaguely guessing it had to do with Teacher He from last night. “What is it?”

“Teacher He’s mother passed away from illness last week—lymphoma. She made it through chemo in September, when her condition improved some. She even attended Teacher He’s wedding in a wheelchair over National Day, though she didn’t go up on stage. In November, an infection worsened things, and she passed in December. She’s already been laid to rest.”

Last weekend, He Huan had been deep in grief over losing her closest kin, while she and the girl had gone off to a wonderful dreamland.

This was Yan Ningxi’s one and only guilt toward He Huan so far, and also the trigger for her decision to tell Ming You some things. Unless the misunderstandings and knots were untied, neither He Huan nor Ming You would ever let it go.

“Teacher Li and the others all say Teacher He is the one who put the most effort into you. You’ve said it yourself too—how grateful you are for her patient guidance and dedication back then. But Ming You…”

Yan Ningxi sighed softly, her fingertip brushing the corner of the girl’s eye. “I don’t see your gratitude. I don’t see the respect you owe Teacher He. Is it because of me?”

“No, it’s not because of you.”

Ming You hurriedly defended herself. “I don’t disrespect Teacher He. I…”

What was she?

Saying she didn’t disrespect her was just making excuses.

From the day of the wedding, she hadn’t treated He Huan like a teacher at all. She’d talked back to her, mocked her, gotten revenge on her—even humiliated her.

If you don’t want people to know, don’t do it. Especially since Yan Ningxi was right in the middle of her scripted plot. Ming You was speechless.

Yan Ningxi rubbed her head and continued. “Teacher He was born into a traditional family with one brother and herself. Her parents both worked at state-owned enterprises. Her brother became a civil servant, and her sister-in-law works in the system too. As the cherished little daughter of the family, she was the worry-free apple of everyone’s eye until her mother was diagnosed with cancer. During the years you were in high school and receiving her extra attention, care, and support, did you ever think about the hardships she faced outside the classroom? At home, she worried day and night about her mother’s illness and had to fulfill her filial duties. At work, she was responsible for the futures of over a hundred students in two classes and had to carry out her duties faithfully.”

At this point, the similar experience of her own mother’s illness made Yan Ningxi’s heart ache and her voice choke up. “You went to Teacher He’s wedding and saw the tall and upright—if not strikingly handsome—groom, Jiang Bin. With Teacher He’s qualifications, why would she worry about finding someone better? Did she want to find someone? Did she even have time? In front of her family hoping she’d marry by thirty, in front of her dying mother, even getting married was a race against time.”

He Huan and Jiang Bin had met through an introduction and gone from blind date to marriage in just five months.

Yan Ningxi hadn’t known about Ming You’s existence back then.

She had only thought He Huan was of marriageable age, had her reasons, and had prioritized material needs over emotional ones—also to bring her mother some joy and avoid leaving her with regrets—so she’d hastily settled for just anyone.

Now, putting herself in those shoes, if her own mother had been on her deathbed that year with her final wish to see her daughter wed, what choice would she have made?

Yan Ningxi could only be grateful that she had still been in school then. Even if her mother worried endlessly about her marriage prospects, she couldn’t very well demand that she just grab any guy and marry him right after grad school.

She understood He Huan, but Ming You didn’t.

The “passive-aggressive” attitude Ming You had shown toward He Huan lately was probably mostly “love turned to hate” from unrequited feelings.

Helping clear the rift between Ming You and He Huan would be good for all three of them.

“Sister Yan.” Ming You leaned in and hugged the person whose eyes were brimming with tears. “I was wrong. I already know I was wrong.”

“I shouldn’t have thrown tantrums at Teacher He. I shouldn’t have ignored all the good she did for me just because I like you and only wanted to be good to you. I was ungrateful and made her heartbroken. From now on, I’ll respect my teachers, turn over a new leaf immediately, and not let you down—or Teacher He. Do you believe me?”

Ever since Teacher Li had pointedly reminded her in the office last time, she had reflected on it.

Last night in the hotel, she had thought about a lot too. About her childish, laughable, and spotty record of “revenge” against Teacher He. About her feelings toward Teacher He—the past ones and the current ones.

So He Huan had hidden so much from her. While she was basking in He Huan’s gentleness, He Huan had been enduring unimaginable hardships. Turns out, some people got married not out of great love or happiness, but just to get married.

Yan Ningxi held her shoulders and pulled back a bit, looking seriously into her eyes. “Ming You, people have many sides. Hearts are hard to read, and what you see isn’t always the truth.”

“You’re right to criticize and educate me. I’ll fix my shortcomings and learn to be more understanding of others.” In Yan Ningxi’s eyes, Ming You also saw sorrow and pain. “What about you, Sister Yan? Your family, the hardships you’ve faced—can you tell me?”

She always felt like Yan Ningxi had no fewer secrets behind her. She had thought not asking was a sign of respect, but how could she understand without asking?

“Telling you all this about Teacher He today is because I don’t want to see you fixated on your own perspective, unable to see the forest for the trees.” Yan Ningxi stood up. “As for my family matters, what I can tell you is that my mother passed away a few years ago.”

Yan Ningxi went to the bathroom, leaving Ming You sitting alone on the edge of the bed. Should she sigh at the coincidence? None of their families were “complete”—missing a dad here, a mom there.

But the pain and grief of “losing” their mothers was something she couldn’t comprehend.

Yan Ningxi’s “lecture” this time wasn’t just a one-sided blame for her disrespecting Teacher He.

Two or three minutes later, Yan Ningxi returned to the bedroom doorway. “I didn’t know you were coming over, so I didn’t buy any groceries yesterday. When are you heading home?”

“No need to trouble yourself.” Thinking Yan Ningxi was indirectly urging her to go home, Ming You opened the closet and grabbed her car keys. “You’ve taught a full week of classes. It’s rare for you to have the weekend off—do whatever’s comfortable. I already told Mom I’d go back to keep her… and Grandma company. I’m heading out now.”

Ming You grabbed her keys and brushed past Yan Ningxi by the door. Wasn’t she humble enough already? Humble enough that she didn’t even recognize herself anymore.

Skipping lunch was fine.

She changed her shoes, slung on her bag, and said without looking back, “See you, Sister Yan.”

Yan Ningxi leaned against the wall, her throat tight and her heart aching. She wasn’t trying to “chase” her away. She had wanted to ask if she wanted to go out and buy groceries together, then have a nice lunch.

This parting wasn’t a weekend reunion or a New Year’s one. It was see you next year.

…

Ming You didn’t actually want to go home so early. Stomach growling, she drove to the riverbank by the grand theater and sat there all afternoon, downing three cups of coffee.

She spotted Faraway Rendezvous in the program ads for early January. A quick search showed tickets sold out. She switched platforms and found some scalped tickets for sale. She was about to message the seller when her hand paused.

Did she even want to see it? Why? Who did she want to see it with?

She had once embraced fantasies of faraway rendezvous, only to greet endless despair. He Huan was blameless. Yan Ningxi was blameless. Seemed like she was the only one at fault.

Because she was wrong, they could always “educate” her anytime, anywhere in their roles as elders.

In He Huan’s eyes, in Yan Ningxi’s eyes, she would probably forever be a kid who hadn’t grown up—no matter how hard she tried, she could never turn the tables.

【Ms. Yang: Roughly what time will you be back? Veggies are all prepped—ready to cook anytime.】

【Ming You: Before six.】

Yeah, she still had a home. A home with a mother who wouldn’t lecture her.

Back home that evening, Yang Guishu and the auntie were busy in the kitchen. Ming You forced herself to chat with Grandma in the living room for a bit.

Old folks had declining vision and hearing, and the usual forgetfulness that came with age. But Grandma focused intently when Ming You spoke, staring right at her.

Last time she’d come home, Grandma had seemed hale and hearty, full of energy. Today, her condition was much worse. Was she really sick?

Once the kitchen work was done, Yang Guishu came out to sit too.

Ming You pulled a plush hat from her bag. “A birthday present for Grandma. See if it fits.”

Yang Guishu turned the hat over and over in her hands, delighted beyond words. She grinned from ear to ear, practically ready to plop it on her own head.

“Mom, look at this.” She held the hat up to the old woman’s eyes. “Yu Yu bought this birthday present for you. It’s pretty and warm. Let’s swap it for a new hat to wear.”

“Yu Yu bought it?” Maternal Grandma’s voice was a bit loud, but her speech wasn’t fast.

“Yeah, Mom, Yu Yu bought it.”

“Good, good, I’ll wear it, put it on.” Maternal Grandma hurriedly raised her hand to take the hat off her head, her increasingly sparse silver hair lying flat against her scalp.

Ming You remembered that when Maternal Grandma first came to the house, her hair had been thicker than now and not so white. She stood up from the sofa. “Mom, let me put it on for Maternal Grandma.”

Yang Guishu handed the hat back to Ming You. “Okay, you do it.”

Ming You carefully smoothed down the silver hair, exposed the ears, and adjusted the brim. She whispered to Yang Guishu, “Sister Yan picked out the hat with me. She’s better at choosing gifts than I am.”

Though grievance and resentment lingered in her heart, she still couldn’t help praising and showing off her Sister Yan to the family.

“It’s Sister Yan this and Sister Yan that. Are you planning to join her family?” Yang Guishu grew jealous again. “Then why didn’t you invite your Sister Yan over for dinner tonight?”

“She had something to do.” Ming You had her own bitterness she couldn’t voice. “You guys said the teacher would educate me, right? Isn’t that a relief for you?”

“Yes, yes, very relieving.” Yang Guishu truly felt gratified. “Hurry up and schedule that thank-you banquet. I want to thank your Sister Yan in person for taking you in and helping you pick out gifts.”

“Mm, I’ll arrange it.” Ming You pulled out her phone. “Mom, let’s take a photo with Maternal Grandma.”

“Sure, let’s take a photo.”

Yang Guishu tucked her loose hair behind her ear, straightened her collar, and beamed with visible delight. “Hey, give me a minute. I need to go inside and touch up my lipstick.”

Forgot Mom once she had a big sister. But this big sister was a good one.

Her daughter had been “taught” into such a well-behaved, filial girl! She didn’t even have a single decent photo with her daughter on her phone. The ones from when Ming You was little had been lost or turned into blurry mosaics after years of phone changes—they were completely unwatchable.

After setting her phone to an indoor filter, Ming You asked the auntie to take a few photos for them.

“Send them to me quick.” Right after the shots, Yang Guishu eagerly grabbed the photos and posted them to Moments at top speed: 【Three generations under one roof, mother loving and daughter filial. My daughter is the fairest! Just like me!】

Ming You posted to Moments too, with the caption: 【Family.】

In the photo, the three generations sat on the dark gray leather sofa. Maternal Grandma wore her new hat in the center, Yang Guishu with her arm linked through Maternal Grandma’s on the right side, and Ming You with her hands on her knees to the left.

Yan Ningxi saved that photo to her album. For the first time, she left a comment on Ming You’s post: 【Happy birthday, Maternal Grandma. [Cake]】