Chapter 59 My Playground is Back

Jiang Meng frowned, looking somewhat worried. She lowered her eyes slightly and murmured, "Really?"

Wang Jingbo was now uncertain, mainly because he wasn't sure of her intentions. "Do you hope it is, or do you hope it isn't?"

She said, "I don't have any hope or dislike, I just want to confirm."

Wang Jingbo said "Oh," and since it was windy in the courtyard, he said, "I'll take the things back."

Jiang Meng: "Can I go in and take a look?"

"Come here."

The house was still the same house, but because of some water seepage during the rainy season, the walls had been renovated. The old man lived there fairly neatly, and the house was kept clean. When Jiang Meng went in, he felt that nothing had changed, but upon closer inspection, he noticed some minor changes. For example, the basketball with the star's signature that used to hang on the wall was gone, leaving only a nail that couldn't be removed; the drum set he used to practice with in junior high school was also gone, with the drumsticks still propped up on the security window to hang small items; the extracurricular books he used to read and the figurines he bought in the built-in display case in the living room were no longer there, replaced by some antiques collected by the old man.

He no longer lives here, but traces of his vibrant energy remain everywhere.

"Does he still have his old study materials?" Jiang Meng asked, standing in the living room, without following Wang Jingbo into his study.

Wang Jingbo brewed her a pot of tea. "He threw away the old books a long time ago. He said they were an eyesore and would take up space even if left for another day."

Jiang Meng asked, "What about those classic works and such?"

“I don’t have many books with me.” Wang Jingbo thought for a moment and then said, “I brought back a few when I went back to China before, and I’ve been asking him to take them, but I always forget.”

Jiang Meng said she wanted to see.

"It's in the bookshelf right next to you."

She glanced to the side and saw several books embedded in the living room cabinet.

Wang Jingbo: "Some of the books are mine, and the English books are his."

Jiang Meng didn't need to distinguish which books belonged to her maternal grandfather and which belonged to Chen Jizhou. She immediately spotted the romance novel she had given him years ago, "Missing at Seventeen".

The book looked quite new overall, but there were signs that it had been read. Jiang Meng casually flipped through it a few times, the pages turning and the illustrations falling away, as if the years of her seventeenth year were rushing by through her fingertips.

The photos of Jiang Meng as a book model were taken secretly by her parents, who still don't know. That day in the ancient town, a pampered young master acted as her personal bodyguard and spent a long time basking in the sun with her.

If it's not because of their deep friendship, is it because they like each other?

Jiang Meng thought Chen Jizhou probably wouldn't read this book. He always read novels very casually, only liking to read the beginning and the end. In his words, that was enough to know what was going on. He could fill in the details in the middle, and if he was really curious, he would search for the plot online.

Jiang Meng glanced through it and confirmed that he hadn't read it carefully.

Apart from being slightly yellowed, there was no other indication that he had studied the text.

Moreover, this book has no ending.

He won't look at it.

At night, Jiang Meng knocked on her mother's bedroom door.

When she stood at the door, Ye Zhaoxu was already sitting on the headboard, leisurely playing on his phone. Jiang Meng smiled and thought that the harm of electronic products had already affected the middle-aged and elderly. At this time before, her mother would sit on the bed and read work materials.

Can I sleep with you?

Ye Zhaoxu didn't even look up, his expression blank: "Can't, you don't have a bed yourself?"

“…Mom, can you please not be so cold and heartless?” Jiang Meng walked over.

"What do you want?" She still maintained the authority of a teacher.

"I want to ask you about Chen Jizhou."

Ye Zhaoxu scrolled through videos for a while, then looked up at her: "You're asking me about his affairs? I definitely don't know as much as you do."

Jiang Meng laughed and said, "Then you must know some things that I don't."

"I only remember that he was the head of the student council for three days in elementary school, but he was expelled because he was too naughty."

Hahahaha.

Jiang Meng was overjoyed. She threw off the blanket and nimbly slipped inside: "Is it possible that he doesn't want to be a cadre and is deliberately causing trouble to take the opportunity to resign?"

"That's what I suspect too."

Ye Zhaoxu put down his phone and looked at Jiang Meng, who was still lingering, asking, "Are you happy being in a relationship?"

"I'm so happy! My boyfriend teaches me to play badminton every day, and I'm improving by leaps and bounds. In time, I'll be able to fly up and smash the ball—it'll be so cool!"

Ye Zhaoxu smiled lightly: "Oh, so you just wanted to get a free coach."

"No, that's not it. I really like him, okay?"

Jiang Meng rolled up her sleeves, her expression imposing and proud: "Look at my muscles."

Ye Zhaoxu pinched her biceps twice and smiled, "Great."

Jiang Meng put the clothes down, smiled slightly, and her expression softened considerably: "You never used to praise me."

Ye Zhaoxu raised an eyebrow: "Really?"

"Yes. Neither you nor Dad praise me. I have a negative personality, so I have to be more determined after each setback and fight back to prove myself."

Ye Zhaoxu smiled, stroked Jiang Meng's hair, and said self-deprecatingly, "Yes, now that I'm older, I know I have to please the children. When I can't walk anymore, I can at least have someone to help me in my wheelchair."

Jiang Meng stopped caring and smiled with relief, saying, "But Chen Jizhou is great. He always thinks I'm great, no matter what. He's very tolerant of me, he takes me out to play, and he can handle things. If you scold me, he'll praise me. If you hit me, he'll soothe me."

Ye Zhaoxu was surprised: "When did I hit you?"

Jiang Meng ignored her and continued, "Luckily, he was there."

Ye Zhaoxu thought Jiang Meng had come to dredge up old grievances, but Jiang Meng didn't show any signs of being wronged. She put all the disappointment and bitterness she had experienced behind her back, lowered her head, and hugged her mother: "Mom, do you think Chen Jizhou is reliable?"

Do you think my judgment of men is reliable?

Jiang Meng couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"I always thought of him as a very good friend. But maybe I was a little bit attracted to him too."

"Because one day I suddenly realized that if he weren't here, no matter how much happiness I have in the future, it will never be perfect."

Even in a strange city where they had no shared memories, she would feel sad and depressed when she looked at the unpleasant carrot in her bowl, unsure of where to put it.

She always misses him terribly.

A gust of wind, a shower of rain, a flower, or even a piece of carrot can evoke tears of regret.

Until he returned the piece of her soul that he had taken away to her body.

She will never again feel at ease like she did during those weightless years, no matter what she does.

She gradually settled down.

Ye Zhaoxu interrupted her monologue, her main concern still focused on her daughter's important life event: "Are you planning to get married?"

Jiang Meng said, "We haven't talked about this yet."

"So, what should we talk about?"

Jiang Meng leisurely imagined, "He said he would take me hiking next spring, and in the summer we could go diving and surfing together. In the fall we would go on a road trip in the Northwest, and in the winter we would go skiing. Oh, and he also wanted to invite Su Yu and Xie Zhuo along. He said Xie Zhuo was better at skiing than him. To be honest, he wouldn't compete for that spotlight."

As she spoke, a gentle smile appeared in her eyes: "My boyfriend told me that people live to be happy, not to follow a set routine. So now, I look forward to tomorrow every day. I'm not afraid of wind or rain, not because someone brings me an umbrella, but because I can enjoy whatever the weather is like. If it's windy, I'll feel the wind; if it's raining, I'll get wet. Anyway, I have someone with me."

She blinked and said, "Mommy, my playground is back."

Ye Zhaoxu: "Sigh."

Jiang Meng stared at her: "Why are you sighing?"

Ye Zhaoxu picked up his phone again: "I did the math, and we probably have that many relatives. Old Chen's family might need to set up about fifty tables, I don't know if that'll be enough. We'll probably need to invite another group for the homecoming reception."

Jiang Meng looked at her incredulously: "?"

Ye Zhaoxu pondered for a moment, then noticed Jiang Meng's slightly angry gaze. He patted her head and smiled soothingly, "Go ahead, go ahead."

"I want to ask you something," Jiang Meng paused before quietly asking, "Tell me the truth, did you always feel that he liked me?"

"To be honest, I was just guessing."

Ye Zhaoxu thought for a moment: "However, your father probably knows more than I do."

Jiang Meng looked at her with slight surprise.

-

As people were leaving get off work, a long line of cars formed in front of the Affiliated Hospital of S University.

Jiang Meng waited for less than five minutes at the entrance of the outpatient building when Jiang Su came out, talking to someone. Upon seeing Jiang Meng, he greeted his colleague next to him, then went up to her and asked casually, "Have you eaten? Let's find a place to sit for a while."

Jiang Meng shook her head: "I just came to ask you some questions."

"In a hurry to leave?"

She didn't say anything; she couldn't very well tell him directly, "I just don't want to spend too much time with you."

But Jiang Su understood what she meant.

He asked her what she wanted to say.

Jiang Meng mentioned Chen Jizhou.

"That year I went to Ningcheng for the college entrance exam, you came to find me and apologized to me. Was it because of him?"

Jiang Su didn't need to rack his brains to recall that incident, because the current situation was too similar.

This is the very spot where the two of them are standing right now, at the entrance of the outpatient building. Eight years ago, on a sunny summer morning, Chen Jizhou stood here in the same place, stopped him, and said a few words.

However, Chen Jizhou back then seemed much more anxious than Jiang Meng is now.

It was the last morning of his summer vacation, and he had to catch a flight, so he rushed over.

Chen Jizhou didn't know where Jiang Su lived after leaving home, so he waited here until Dr. Jiang came to work.

"Uncle, could I have a few minutes of your time? I have a few words to say."

Jiang Su glanced at him. The boy was wearing a clean and crisp white short-sleeved shirt, a baseball cap, and a backpack. He was about the same height as Jiang Su, slender and tall.

He's acting like a man now.

On the hottest days, he carried his luggage and traveled to distant lands, embarking on a journey to a better future.

Jiang Su was about to say, "Let's talk after I get off work," but seeing his hurried demeanor, she quickly realized something: "You're going to Singapore? Leaving today?"

“Yes, the flight is at 10:30,” Chen Jizhou said, glancing down at the time. “I still have some things on my mind.”

Jiang Su stood there with him for a while: "Go on."

"You should have received the good news. Jiang Meng's college entrance examination results are outstanding. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, she will be admitted to a very good school."

"I know."

Chen Jizhou said, "Today I want to tell you some things you don't know. Over the years, we've gone to and from school together, and I know better than you how hard she studied. She got up early and stayed late. She lost a lot of hair in the winter of her senior year. During the coldest time, she stayed after school to memorize her lessons. There were hardly any students left in the classroom, and she stayed until very late before going home. The calluses on her hands got thicker and thicker. She did practice problems on the bus home every day. She used to read every issue of entertainment magazines without fail, but she didn't touch them for a year. Before the big exams, she didn't even have time to go to the cafeteria. Many times she just ate some snacks to fill her stomach, and she lost a lot of weight..."

He paused at this point, and Jiang Su could hear a slight sob in his voice.

When he looked up at him in astonishment, as Chen Jizhou lowered his head to let the brim of his hat cover his expression, he could only see the boy's trembling Adam's apple.

In Jiang Su's eyes, this boy was very strong. Strong children don't shed tears. Even if they fall and scrape their skin, they can endure the pain. They can grit their teeth and get through the injections at the hospital. They will hold their heads high and boast, "I am a man."

But at that moment, he caught a glimpse of his reddened eyes.

Is it because I feel sorry for you?

Jiang Su was taken aback.

He found it hard to imagine that a resilient person, a generous and composed person, would show vulnerability because he felt sorry for others.

Chen Jizhou continued, "Jiang Meng's essays have been published in the school newspaper several times, but I know you won't read them, so I brought them with me."

He pulled a copy of "Oasis," a magazine published by the school, from his bag. He quickly flipped to Jiang Meng's essay page. "Please take a look when you have time."

Her untold hardships were ignored by her irresponsible parents, but he saw them clearly.

Jiang Su took the magazine, glanced at it, and said with mixed feelings, "Okay, I'll read it."

Chen Jizhou said, "She is not a genius student, but she is surrounded by many geniuses, which makes her feel confused and uncomfortable. It is hard-won that she can persevere in such an environment, and her achievements are worthy of her efforts."

“I took her away abruptly on the Lantern Festival, but I know she had a lot of reluctance and regret in her heart. If you are still bothered by this, just blame me for any unhappiness. She deserved to be chosen firmly.”

"She will gradually move on and stop caring about it, but not yet. I can feel that she is still in pain because of it. So until the harm you caused her disappears, if she is still sad because of you and her emotions are controlled, I hope you can treat her kindly. She is very innocent, easy to coax, and easily satisfied. Just a word of praise is enough, but she has never received it. If she is still willing to call you 'Dad,' please tell her that she is your pride."

"She had been waiting for these words since she was a child."

He paused here, then pulled his hat down to cover the tears welling in his eyes: "She's such a good person, she shouldn't be treated like this."

Jiang Su remained silent for a long time. He looked at the things in his hand and sighed, "Was this worth the trip?"

Chen Jizhou said, "I need a promise made in person."

Jiang Su asked him again, "Are you two dating?"

When the brim of his hat was lifted again, only a trace of composure remained in his eyes, which had been covered. Chen Jizhou calmly replied, "No, she doesn't like me."

People and cars were coming and going all around me.

A boy stood before her, his eyes reddening, and he choked up several times before he could finish recounting her hardships.

Jiang Su has lived for so long without experiencing a healthy and fulfilling love. Undoubtedly, he doesn't understand love and doesn't know how to love others.

In the boy's unshed tears, he saw an incredibly tender heart, completely unguarded, clearly laid bare before him. He awoke as if from a dream to the weight of the word "emotion"—enough to shake a harsh winter, enough to build a boundary.

Jiang Su said, "Okay, I'll tell her. Take care."

Thank you, goodbye.