In the ward, Lao Mi was watching TV. When he saw Lu Jia and me, he seemed to be in a good mood, especially when he saw Lu Jia. He immediately asked my mother to give Lu Jia the only chair in the ward. I knew how he felt... They say that the ward is the place where you can see people's true feelings, and Lu Jia's unwavering companionship had deeply moved Lao Mi... Yes, for a woman to do this is not easy.

Lu Jia wouldn't let my mom give up her seat. She placed the insulated food container on the cabinet next to the hospital bed and then said to Old Mi, "Uncle, the doctor suggested you eat more liquid food these days. My mom made you some pork liver porridge to replenish your qi and blood. Rest for a while and eat it while it's hot... The ingredients are all the freshest ones bought from the market, very nutritious!"

"Shanghainese people are known for their discerning palates when it comes to food, so this pork liver congee is sure to be delicious!"

As Old Mi spoke, he gestured for me to fill a bowl for him.

Lu Jia took care of everything and didn't ask me to do anything. She filled a bowl for Lao Mi herself, then opened the small dining table that was specially set up for him on the hospital bed. She smiled and said to Lao Mi, "Uncle, let me do these small chores. Mi Gao has been working all day and he must be tired!"

Old Mi smiled, looking even happier... If the doctor hadn't said those words to us, at this moment, who would believe that he had a hidden illness?

Lu Jia is such a thoughtful woman. Knowing that my mother would be uncomfortable sleeping on the chair while she was taking care of her, she went to the furniture store this afternoon and bought a simple folding sofa, which she brought with her.

I'm not a stone; I know this is what the most considerate companionship is all about.

...

After staying at the hospital until 9:30 p.m., Lu Jia and I returned to the ancient city from Xiaguan. At the entrance of the inn, we faced each other, but remained silent for a long time.

I lit a cigarette in the deep night. The neon lights shone on Lu Jia's face, and in the distance came the sounds of drunken revelry. Everything felt both real and unreal... I finally spoke to Lu Jia and said, "Thank you for today."

"It's nothing much, why thank me... You should go back and rest early. Only when you're well-rested can you shoulder your responsibilities... Although you've done a great job, life's troubles never stop, so you must maintain a good attitude. Everyone encounters these kinds of things sooner or later."

"I see."

"Then hurry back and rest."

"Um."

I threw away the cigarette butt in my hand, then glanced at Lu Jia again. I wanted to say something, but in the end, I couldn't utter a word... Finally, I got into the car with a heavy heart, and drove away with a heavy heart... The lights were reflected on the car window, constantly changing as the wheels turned, and my indifferent face gradually merged with them... In the end, a world of unease and chaos formed in my heart... What will tomorrow be like?

...

Back in my secluded mountain retreat, I didn't want to face the cold, impersonal walls, so I sat alone on the basketball court... I lit a cigarette and tried to see the world with my own eyes. The song "Goodbye 20th Century" came to mind again...

"God said that life is about redemption and repentance."

I keep thinking about it, but who really needs redemption, and who needs repentance?

Is it someone like Lao Mi, or Ye Zhi, or Wang Lei? ...They are not bad people, so why use such an extreme method to make them achieve redemption?

A cold wind blew by, and I tucked my coat in tighter. Then, with a touch of despair, I looked up at the distant Cangshan Mountain. Why can't we, with our flesh and blood, be immortal like it? And what is the meaning of life? Is it merely birth and death?

The more I thought about it, the deeper it became, and the more philosophical it became. Then countless paradoxes twisted into a knot in my mind, beyond my comprehension. I was in great pain because I couldn't see through them.

It wasn't until I heard the sound of a basketball being dribbled that I was finally pulled out of that state...

A moment later, Nie Dangdang appeared in front of me, his fat body jiggling as he grinned sheepishly at me: "Coach..."

"Is something the matter?"

"I've learned your crossover dribble... Look what this is!"

He raised his wrist for me to see.

"What?"

"This is the Jordan series wristband that Yang Ruhua lost to me with... She's no match for me anymore!"

"Um."

Still basking in her victory, Nie Dangdang said to me, "You deserve half the credit. Want one of them?"

"Do you know what it means to be different between men and women? ... You, a man, challenged a woman; that's an unfair victory."

Nie Dangdang argued logically: "I am a man, that's true, but I am also a minor... When I confronted Yang Ruhua, neither of us gained the upper hand."

"I only look at gender, not age..."

"Coach...you're biased...you definitely like Yang Ruhua!"

I glanced at him, ignored him, and then lit another cigarette. Nie Dangdang got bored and gave up on communicating with me. He then picked up the basketball and started practicing in front of the hoop by himself.

Seeing the vitality and resilience that Nie Dangdang displayed, I couldn't help but feel that life is beautiful... But it is precisely because it is beautiful that I am even more reluctant to give up!

...

That night, I slept very poorly. I dreamt that I was in the cold sea, the wind whipping up the water into giant waves that kept crashing against me; I was submerged countless times, yet I struggled on the surface with an overwhelming will to survive... I was terrified of the underwater world; I didn't want to die there in darkness.

I felt colder and colder, and my throat was stinging... and then came the terrible feeling of being on the verge of death.

In the dream, it was another death struggle; in reality, I suddenly woke up.

As I gasped for breath, I was also grateful to be alive... Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew in, and when I looked up, I realized I had forgotten to close the window. It turned out that the cold sensations in my dream were from that wind.

The wind in Dali truly lives up to its reputation; the howling wind is like a madwoman, wailing and howling as she tries to tear everything around her apart.

I quickly closed the window and then lit a cigarette to calm myself down... In the dissipating smoke, I thought of Ye Zhi.

The dream I just had is what she experienced in reality; you can imagine how terrified and helpless she must have felt at that moment... and I wasn't by her side.

At this very moment, I also desperately need her by my side... because after dawn, my world will be just as turbulent, and I need a pair of hands to warm me. I'm already starting to panic.

...

I got up at six in the morning. The reason I got up early was to go to the porridge shop outside the community to buy some porridge for Lao Mi and my mother. I had already had such a hard time last night, and I don’t know how my mother, who is with Lao Mi every day, managed to get through it.

I'm eager to see her. I want to chat with more like-minded people about "My Tenant Miss." Follow "Youdu Literature" on WeChat to read the novel, discuss life, and find kindred spirits!