Chapter 57 People are lively, lonely...

Tao Siyun lay on the bed, playing the game Plants vs. Zombies on his iPad, a game he never gets tired of, with his phone placed next to his pillow.

The night light at the bedside emits orange-yellow light in the dark, which is cozy and warm.

"I went shopping with my colleagues today. The sales season doesn't start for a few more days, so we only have two days left in Paris. Plus, I haven't had time to visit several of the restaurants and vintage shops you recommended!"

Tao Siyun could sense Bian Chengzi's despair from halfway across the world. While absentmindedly planting sunflowers, she softly comforted her bestie, "Let's go next time. If your suitcase really feels too empty, then... just browse around in the airport duty-free shop."

"We agreed on a half-month trip to France, but I didn't expect you to change your mind halfway through." Bian Chengzi expressed strong dissatisfaction with the boss's practice of shortening the trip without permission.

"What kind of person is this! Not only did he buy us discounted tickets and make us change planes twice, but now he's doing this again! You have no idea. I'm telling you, my luck is so bad when I go out with him. I've never been this unlucky! The flat tire on the highway scared me to death last time, but this time, I don't know what random online group he joined, and the black car he rented almost lost all our luggage. It really makes us feel insecure! But that's not a reason for him to let us return home early! Also, have you ever seen a bunch of people dressed like it's Chinese New Year shooting a promotional video under the Eiffel Tower, making heart shapes and posing like the classic square dance aunties? What a crappy idea! He thinks he's so cool. It's so embarrassing, I want to die. He's really sick!"

Tao Siyun listened to her complaints for a long time before finally saying, "Isn't your boss a post-90s generation? How come there's such a generation gap between him and young people?"

"You're right, there really is a generation gap between him and us..." Bian Chengzi sighed, feeling helpless. "It's already past eleven in China, right? Are you sleepy?"

"No……"

"oh……"

Recently, Bian Chengzi went to France for a trip. Her daily schedule was very full and I didn’t have much time to chat with her.

Tao Siyun touched the envelope under the pillow, thought about it, and decided to wait until Bian Chengzi came back before telling her.

Before going to bed, Zhou Yu sent a photo. Tao Siyun clicked it and dozed off immediately.

The effect of the Polaroid shot is very atmospheric, and only her profile is captured.

When Tao Siyun saw the Fair Isle sweater on his body, he immediately remembered it.

It was her first year in France, the day Zhao Yiran and Zhou Yu invited her to their shared apartment for New Year's Eve dinner.

She wore red on purpose during the Chinese New Year.

Strictly speaking, this is a "candid photo".

Because this photo was taken without her knowledge at all, before today, she had never known that this photo existed.

She was making dumplings seriously at the time, and Zhao Yiran suddenly played a trick on her by touching her face with his flour-covered hands. Tao Siyun didn't react at all, and her nose tip and chin were covered with white flour. She looked like a little cat, holding a freshly wrapped dumpling in her hand with a confused expression on her face.

Zhao Yiran gave the camera a sly smile and secretly made a "yeah" gesture.

The memories gradually became clear in my mind...

At that time, due to the time difference, they moved the New Year's Eve dinner to noon, and everything was based on domestic time.

She no longer remembers why the school was closed during those days, but she is sure it was not because of the Chinese New Year.

Tao Siyun was actually very lonely when she first entered university because she was the only Chinese person in her class.

Foreigners also like to hang out in groups, especially when they are not familiar with each other, and everyone keeps a polite distance.

Fortunately, Tao Siyun spoke fluent English, which helped her initially overcome her language barriers, even though her French was still limited. After one or two group projects, Tao Siyun's dedication became apparent. Her dedication and exceptional skills impressed the other group members, who then naturally integrated into the group.

Although her classmates and teachers were friendly to her, cultural differences always existed.

The day before Chinese New Year, Tao Siyun received many "Happy Chinese New Year" wishes at school.

But even the best English speakers can't avoid translating the poem "Every festive season brings even greater longing for my loved ones" into something as plain as "Today, I suddenly miss my parents and my brother so much."

The role of translation is to gradually reduce the level of feeling, letting others know that she misses home, but she doesn't just miss home.

There is no other language in the world that can accurately express the artistic conception of ancient Chinese poetry and her mood at that moment.

The emotions that can be expressed in foreign languages ​​are so scarce and poor. At that moment, no one could understand her.

The real loneliness is that everyone makes you the center of discussion, making you the focus of the crowd, but no one can empathize with you.

People are lively, but the heart is lonely.

With only four days of vacation, returning home wasn't enough to deal with the jet lag, but I also had to experience the joys and sorrows of reunion and separation all in a short period of time. I was left alone when my family was reunited...

It makes me sad just thinking about it.

Tao Siyun felt that he was not a person who could adjust his own state well, so he decided to return home during the summer vacation.

After waiting for a long time for the get out of class to end, Zhao Yiran suddenly came to find her.

Tao Siyun had just finished assigning group assignments to his teammates and was saying goodbye. When he saw her, his eyes lit up and he called her "senior" sweetly.

"Don't you have classes today? Why are you here?"

"Dear, let's celebrate the New Year together!"

The expression on Tao Siyun's face instantly changed from surprise to joy, and he even felt like crying. All the emotions in his heart turned into an unspeakable bitterness.

At noon, Zhao Yiran took her to Chinatown.

Tao Siyun seldom comes here because it has everything similar to what he has in China, which makes people miss home very much.

Ever since she entered the Chinese supermarket, her eyes have never left the Chinese characters. She stares here and looks there, and all her homesickness is expressed in her eyes.

"My dear, do you know how greedy your gaze is right now?" Zhao Yiran held a bottle of oyster sauce in his hand, his body shaking exaggeratedly. "It's like he's trying to swallow all the Chinese characters. Do you feel the words 'Zhao Yiran' trembling?"

Tao Siyun felt embarrassed by her words: "Since coming to France, this is the place that I feel most at home in."

Zhao Yiran patted her shoulder and said to her with the tone of a veteran, "You'll get used to it after a few years. I was like this when I first came here, I wanted to call my mom eight hundred times a day, but it will get better over time. Hey, we're making dumplings tomorrow. What kind of filling do you like?"

"Beef and mushrooms."

"OK," Zhao Yiran wrote down the ingredients in his phone's memo. "Beef and mushroom, three-fresh vegetarian, and celery and meat. This year, we're making dumplings with these three fillings."

Tao Siyun thought that the senior was deliberately trying to accommodate her taste, so she immediately said, "Don't bother. I'm not picky. I can eat anything."

"It's okay, it's not a big deal. Zhou Yu and I make dumplings with two different fillings every year. I like celery and meat, and he likes vegetarian dumplings."

"Oh, all right then."

In the past few months since they met, she and Zhou Yu had not had much contact.

Basically, they are all related to Zhao Yiran.

Zhao Yiran's undergraduate professor was a particularly difficult person, and she happened to be teaching Tao Siyun. Because the pass rate for that course was particularly low, Tao Siyun would sometimes ask her for help with homework.

Zhou Yu was rarely at home, at least Tao Siyun never saw him when he went to the apartment to see Zhao Yiran every Saturday.

There were two occasions when she left late and they met at the door. They greeted each other briefly, and that was all.

On Chinese New Year's Day, three people, each holding a plate of dumplings, sat in a row like birds on a wire, all staring at the laptop screen intently, watching the Spring Festival Gala with relish while eating.

One program after another has become a trending topic, with some netizens slamming it as unoriginal and boring. But for international students, it's the only way they can experience the festive atmosphere of the New Year in a foreign country.

…

Later, Zhao Yiran accidentally learned that Tao Siyun's sub-landlord roommate often brought some men and women home at night to party all night, so he asked her to move into the apartment and share the rent with them.

"I rented this apartment. Before, it was just me, Zhou Yu, and another girl living here. That girl graduated and returned home last year. Well, how should I put it? Some of our previous roommate's behavior was really weird, you know." Zhao Yiran shrugged helplessly. "Zhou Yu and I were both left with an indelible scar, so we're afraid of running into someone like her again, so we've been too lazy to find a new roommate. But I like you and would love for you to move in."

Tao Siyun hesitated for a moment, "Then...does your roommate agree?"

Wouldn’t it be inconvenient...

"Why wouldn't you agree?" Zhao Yiran said nonchalantly, "If Zhou Yu doesn't agree, just let him move out."

“…Huh? Oh.”

Seeing her like this, Zhao Yiran suddenly reacted, "Hey, dear, you don't think he and I are a couple, do you?"

Tao Siyun said a little embarrassedly: "Well... I thought so at first."

Zhao Yiran held his forehead with his hand, looking embarrassed at being misunderstood. "Please, he and I don't have any CP feeling at all, okay? Besides, he is not my type at all."

"Yeah, I understand."

…

Later, Zhao Yiran went to Milan, and Tao Siyun stayed there until she graduated from graduate school. She and Zhou Yu were roommates for almost five years, and the two spent three New Years together after Zhao Yiran left.

The three of them had a WeChat group. After Zhao Yiran left Paris, they rarely chatted in the group. Tao Siyun wanted to forward this photo to the group, but after thinking about it carefully, it seemed unnecessary. Maybe Zhou Yu had already sent it to Zhao Yiran, and sending it again would seem unnecessary.

Tao Siyun saved the Polaroid photo, hesitated for a few seconds, and replied: [Happy New Year]

Afterwards, Zhou Yu sent two words: [Good night.]