Chapter 33 Rainbow in a Bottle

Rest day.

Ever since Xu Yiqing brought up the old things again, the atmosphere at home has become very depressing and dull.

After breakfast, Yan Nian went back to the bedroom to pack the clothes he would wear for the next two days, preparing to stay at Huajiayuan for two days.

Just simple underwear and pajamas, a backpack is enough to hold them.

Today, she no longer needed to listen to Xu Yiqing's advice on what to wear. She just wore a figure-hugging grey polo skirt with white sneakers. Her thick long hair was casually tied into a youthful and gorgeous high ponytail. The loose hair on her forehead was not wasted at all, making her whole face look small and delicate.

Yan Qilin came out of the bedroom and saw her changing shoes at the entrance. He followed her and said, "Dad will take you there."

Yan Nian knew that he had an open class this afternoon and shook his head: "I can just take the subway there by myself and get familiar with the environment."

Yan Qilin raised his wrist to check the time: "Okay, go and spend some time with grandma. When you come back, send me a message and I'll pick you up."

Yan Nian was in a good mood: "Okay."

It takes two subway transfers to get from the city center to Huajiayuan in the west. There are a lot of people on Saturdays and Sundays, but it is not as crowded as during the morning rush hour.

Yan Nian got off the subway, the sun was shining brightly.

When I walked to the gate of Huajiayuan Community, I subconsciously glanced at Qingxiyuan Community opposite.

There is a strong atmosphere of life here. There are young people sitting in front of the mahjong hall playing cards, old men sitting under the shade of trees playing chess, and children running around chattering.

Just across the street.

It was as if a young man was waving at her from the opposite side. When she moved and looked carefully, all she saw was the noisy background of people and cars coming and going.

Yan Nian withdrew his gaze and looked at the supermarket in front of him.

A new door has been installed and the walls inside are also brand new, but the colors of the freezers and shelves look a bit old.

Yan Nian stepped in involuntarily and took a bottle of plain yogurt from the freezer.

When she was paying the bill, the lady boss recognized her immediately and said, "You're back."

Yan Nian looked at the woman in front of him in surprise. He didn't expect that she still remembered her.

The proprietress has changed a lot, but a person’s voice never changes.

Yan Nian responded affectionately, "Yeah, I'm back."

Looking at the little boy drawing on a small stool next to her, I realized why she had changed so much. She had become a mother.

The boss lady, as usual, picked up a bottle of Rainbow Candy from the shelf at the checkout counter and handed it to her: "I haven't seen you for a long time, so I'll give you a bottle."

Yan Nian took it and looked at the colorful rainbow candies in the transparent bottle. A warm current spread from his chest and his nose felt a little sour. "Thank you!"

The boss lady said: "Why are you so polite? You guys often took care of my business back then."

As she spoke, she glanced outside and said, "Didn't the boy named Zhou come with you?"

Yan Nian's eyes were watery, she lowered her thick eyelashes, forced a faint smile, and shook her head: "No."

After expressing his gratitude, Yan Nian walked back to the community, holding the rainbow candy in his hand, his mind wandering.

After the college entrance examination that year, she immediately fled from Lingyun back to Lindu.

When the results came out, she applied for the English major at Lingyun University, thousands of miles away, without telling Xu Yiqing, instead of the Finance and Economics University that her family had expected. It was the first major decision she had made for herself since she was a child.

When the admission letter arrived at home, Xu Yiqing was furious.

That day, Xu Yiqing called her and asked her to go back immediately, and she had an argument with her grandmother.

The conflict between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law widened sharply because of her.

Afterwards, Xu Yiqing called her and talked to her for a full hour, trying everything from gentle persuasion to extreme and harsh language.

Insist on not repeating.

In fact, she didn't have any particular major she wanted to apply for, nor did she have any lofty ideals.

She just didn't want to be controlled by Xu Yiqing without any bottom line anymore. That was her first attempt at resistance.

But she never felt good about it and was very scared.

She was afraid that Xu Yiqing would lose control of his emotions because of her.

During that time, I was particularly afraid of hearing Xu Yiqing's voice.

Zhou Ran asked her out several times, but she always said she had something to do and turned it down. She was afraid that she would not be able to control herself and tell Zhou Ran about such a bad thing.

One day when Zhou Ran was taking a break, he sent her a message saying that he hadn't seen her for a long time and asked her to come down and report that she was safe.

When she left, Zhou Ran saw her running towards him like a cluster of light: "What's going on? You haven't replied to WeChat messages these past few days. I received the admission letter and wanted to share it with you."

"Congratulations!"

Seeing that she was not in the mood, Zhou Ran stopped smiling and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

She shook her head: "It's okay, I also received my acceptance letter."

Zhou Ran said: "That's good, why do you seem unhappy?"

She only mentioned it briefly: "My family doesn't want me to choose this major."

They had discussed this issue before and knew each other's preferences.

Perhaps Zhou Ran was born in a happy family, without the double pressure from his parents, and can freely control his adult life, so he feels that there is nothing that he cannot let go of.

She envied Zhou Ran's living environment, and also envied his ability to deal with things calmly and fearlessly.

Zhou Ran's attempts to comfort her didn't work, but instead made her feel pessimistic.

Then, they parted ways and went home dejectedly.

That night the sky seemed to be leaking and it didn't stop until morning.

She had insomnia and fell asleep as the sound of rain gradually died down.

Zhou Ran sent her a message, but she didn't see it.

After waking up, I picked up my phone to check the time.

He had sent her several messages early in the morning.

Zhou Ran: [Yan Nian, come out and see the rainbow.]

Zhou Ran: [Are you feeling better?]

She missed it because she was catching up on her sleep and didn't see any rainbow.

She replied: [Sorry, I just woke up.]

This time, Zhou Ran sent a voice message.

She clicked it open and listened. Zhou Ran's voice trailed off lazily: "It's okay. I've already caught it for you. If you have time, I'll give you the rainbow."

At that moment, she felt inexplicably moved and wanted to see him immediately.

I made an appointment with Zhou Ran to meet at the gate of the community. After quickly washing up and going downstairs, he had been pacing back and forth at the gate for a long time.

When he saw her, he walked over with his hands behind his back, looking silly. He stretched out his hands in front of her like a child and spread out his palms like magic: "Dangdangdang, does it look good?"

It's a bottle of colorful rainbow candy.

She was stunned, wanting to say something but feeling stuck in her throat. She muffled her smile for the first time in a week and said two words, suppressing all grievances: "Thank you!"

Zhou Ran touched his nose and said, "I hope your mood is colorful every day."

Zhou Ran picked up her hand and placed the rainbow in her palm: "As long as you are happy."

All the grievances and depression disappeared when Zhou Ran personally put the candy in her palm.

There was only the warmth and happiness that she dared not reveal in her eyes, and the uncontrollable urge to hug him.

Whenever Zhou Ran asked her out for dinner, they would go to the supermarket together and buy her a bottle of incredibly sweet rainbow candy.

Afterwards, Zhou Ran shared the admission letter with her. The school was in the coastal area, and he chose international economics and trade, the same major as his childhood friend.

At the same time, after being persuaded by her grandmother and father, Xu Yiqing gave up the idea of ​​letting her repeat the year.

The holiday ended early, and she left Lindu in mid-August. Before she could even say goodbye to Zhou Ran, Xu Yiqing took her back to Lingyun and sold her car to a used car dealership.

As a result, Grandma and Xu Yiqing were in a cold war for more than a year.

......

Before she knew it, she had arrived at the door of Room 1602 on the 16th floor. Yan Nian put the rainbow candy back into her bag and raised her hand to knock on the door: "Grandma, I'm here."

I noticed the neighbor's door was open and I could hear some noises coming from inside, like they were packing something. Every time I came, the door was always closed, so I never had a chance to say thank you.

She wanted to go over and see this mysterious neighbor, but Yao Lijun opened the door from the inside, and with flour on her hands, she said with a smile: "Baby, you're here, but I haven't finished making dumplings yet. Find a pair of slippers for yourself. We'll have dumplings for lunch later."

"Okay." Yan Nian changed his shoes and went in.

Yao Lijun was busy in the kitchen, which was filled with the smell of life. Yan Nian didn't want to leave every time he came.

Yan Nian walked into the kitchen: "Grandma, let me help you."

Yao Lijun looked at her granddaughter, who had grown into a graceful young lady with slender fingers. She was afraid that her granddaughter would get her hands dirty, so she pushed her out: "No need. Shuai Shuai from next door is back. Go and tell grandma to stay for lunch."

"Okay." Yan Nian responded and went out.

The door of room 1601 next door was open, so she walked over and knocked on the door frame.

The interior decoration is more modern Nordic style, and the smell of detergent mixed with dust hits you in the face, as if no one has lived there for a long time and the place is being cleaned.

An auntie wearing XX housekeeping uniform came over with a mop and asked, "Hello, who are you looking for?"

Thinking of the "Zhou Shuai Shuai" saved in grandma's phone, Yan Nian politely said: "I'm the neighbor next door, come to look for Zhou Shuai Shuai."

The housekeeper was startled and said, "Oh, Mr. Zhou just left. See if he's still at the elevator."