Chapter 9 Jiu

Living alone with a child is a little difficult.

Renyi is often too busy to keep up.

"I heated up some milk for Mom." Late at night, Ren Yunyou saw the light was still on in the study and heated up a cup of her favorite sweet milk in the microwave.

"Thank you, Yunyun. Did Mom wake you up?" Renyi picked her up and put her on his lap, gently coaxing her.

The little girl rubbed her eyes.

"Mom didn't wake me up; I just needed to go to the bathroom."

She turned off the main lights, leaving only a desk lamp next to the computer. The little girl slept in her arms and drifted off to sleep again.

As long as Yunyun is happy, that's all that matters.

After leaving home for a while, Ruan Mianmian began to re-examine herself.

Being a mother is so boring, isn't it?

Hearing her classmates discussing where they wanted to travel during the summer vacation, she began to plan a trip with Ren Yunyou.

There are all sorts of entertainment options among elementary school students, and Renyi tries to learn about them one by one, even though she is someone who likes to stay at home and has little athletic ability.

She didn't feel tired.

Such a busy life can sometimes make Ren Yi feel flustered, but whenever he sees Ren Yunyou's carefree smile, all his fatigue disappears.

She was propelled forward by this busyness.

See? Even without Ruan Mianmian, Ren Yi can do a great job.

The world progresses by one day every 24 hours, and the Earth will continue to rotate as usual, no matter who is gone.

She is just herself; who can she control her own thoughts?

Looking at the family portrait drawn by Yunyun, Renyi gently traced her face with his fingertips.

I really miss you.

Have you achieved the life you wanted?

No.

Ruan Mianmian made a promise with Ren Yunyou that she would visit him every Wednesday. The little girl looked a little sad, but she still agreed.

She moved into a new rental apartment.

The family was quiet for a while, but then they started harassing her at her place again from time to time.

She's used to these minor squabbles; she can just move out.

Let's see who can outlast whom.

Compared to allergies, this is even more dangerous. Perhaps it's because most of these rental properties are old houses in the bustling city center, which are particularly humid this season, making them prone to mold and dust mites.

Even a thorough cleaning didn't help; sometimes she would sneeze herself awake in the middle of the night, so Ruan Mianmian had no choice but to seek help from professionals.

She chose a weekday morning to register, and the consultation, examination, and prescription all went smoothly.

Just when she thought she could finally get a good night's sleep, she spotted a familiar figure in the crowd.

not good.

Ruan Mianmian withdrew her gaze and hurried away.

But the man saw her first.

"Xiao Ruan!" Mother Ren raised her arm and waved to her.

"Aunt Ren." Ruan Mianmian, who had failed to escape, was a little embarrassed, but still greeted her politely.

"Back from your business trip?" Mrs. Ren asked, carrying a large bag of traditional Chinese medicine. "Come over for dinner with Xiaoyi tonight. I'll go buy some fresh minced meat in a bit. I'll make you tomato and meatball soup!"

After that, Ren's mother's friend came over, and the two of them prepared to go shopping at the newly opened supermarket.

It seems that Renyi hasn't told her parents about their breakup yet.

Should I go or not...?

Ruan Mianmian simply went back to her rented room to sleep, so that she would have an excuse not to go there.

Half an hour before mealtime, her phone rang and woke her up.

"Are you here yet? Mom wants you to come home for dinner." The voice on the other end of the phone was soft, but devoid of any emotion.

"I……"

"Mommy—Grandma made your favorite soup. If you don't come soon, Yunyun will drink it all by herself."

"You're so amazing!" she said, feigning admiration.

"Hmph! Mommy, come quick!" Ren Yunyou shouted into his phone, hands on his hips.

Perhaps her body had its own ideas; while Ruan Mianmian was still debating whether to go, she came to her senses and saw in the mirror that she had already changed her clothes.

Oh, look at you!

She carefully put on her mask and hat, then took a taxi to get there.

The orange-yellow sunset shone on the river, and a popular song from the end of the last century was playing on the car radio. The breeze blowing in through the small crack in the car window was neither too hot nor too cold.

It seems like back in her school days, she and Renyi had a fight and were sulking, ignoring each other. But when Ren's mother called them home for dinner, they would obediently go home, and once their stomachs were full, their anger would have subsided.

In a daze, I returned to that front door, and the aroma of food filled the hallway.

Ren Yunyou heard the knocking and happily ran to open the door.

"Mommy!"

Ren's mother poked her head out of the kitchen to greet her, telling her to watch TV for a while and that dinner would be ready soon.

Renyi, sitting on the sofa, turned to look at her and gave her a slightly awkward smile.

Dinner was plentiful. While eating, Yunyun talked about the funny things that happened when she was in school, and also reported to her mother about her life with her mother over the past few months.

“My mom went with me to rock climbing, but she was too scared to go any further after climbing halfway up and kept telling the instructor that she wanted to go down.”

"And another thing, my mom accompanies me for a run in the morning, but halfway through the run she makes an excuse to go buy breakfast. I feel like my mom is slacking off!"

Ren's parents laughed so hard their eyes were almost closed, and they pinched Ren Yunyou's face at will.

"So many dishes can't shut you up, you little rascal."

Ruan Mianmian also pursed her lips.

Without realizing it, she had grown so far away from them.

After dinner, Ren's mother lay down on the sofa to rest and asked Ren Yi if he wanted to stay there tonight.

"No need, Mom. Yunyun wants to go to the amusement park tomorrow, and it's closer from home." Renyi then looked at Ruan Mianmian, "It should be closer, right?"

“...Yes, it’s more convenient to go from home.” Ruan Mianmian nodded.

"Then come and stay for a couple of days next time you have time, Yunyun. Are you going out for a walk with Grandpa now?"

"Okay~" Ren Yunyou looked at his mother, then at his mommy, then at his grandma. "I want grandma to come with us."

"Okay, Grandma will go change her clothes and then go out."

The old door creaked open, and only the two of them remained in the large living room.

"Are you going to leave now?" Ren Yi asked casually as he looked down at his work messages.

"Okay, I'll be leaving in a bit."

But she wanted to stay by her side a little longer.

It will be ready in ten minutes.

Ruan Mianmian glanced at the clock.

She had no idea what was playing on TV; her gaze was entirely fixed on Ren Yi.

She loosely tied her long, smooth black hair behind her head, with slightly shorter strands falling beside her cheeks. The tassels of her earrings were faintly visible among them. The dappled sunlight from the setting sun shone on her, outlining the contours of her profile.

He must have been looking at his phone for too long, because he casually took off his glasses and rubbed the corners of his eyes.

Has she lost weight?

Ruan Mianmian propped her chin up, watching intently.

"Shouldn't you be leaving?" Ren Yi suddenly asked, and Ruan Mianmian didn't have time to look away, still staring at her.

"No rush, there's still a while." She remained in that position, seemingly resigned to her fate.

I picked up a peach from the table and peeled off a pretty ring of skin.

She carefully cut the fruit into small pieces, placed them in the fruit plate, added a few toothpicks, and handed it to Ruan Mianmian.

The refreshing fruity acidity burst in her mouth, and Ruan Mianmian suddenly felt like crying.

"Mianmian?"

"Hmm?" She quickly composed herself.

"Have you found the life you want?" Renyi was about to peel a peach for herself, but no matter how she looked, none of them were as sweet as the peach she had just picked out.

"...Found it."

"That's good." Renyi picked up an orange from the side. "I'm happy for you too."

"If breaking up is for the sake of both of us to become better and happier, then I am willing to respect your choice."

"You don't need to hide from me to see Yunyun anymore. I won't force you to go home anymore."

A note from the author:

Thank you to the reader who pointed out that I posted the same thing twice! orz