Chapter 24 The Key She had many belongings, but he kept this one alone. ...
He Sumei arrived suddenly, and she left suddenly as well.
The cold food on the table indicated that He Sumei had been gone for a long time.
Xie Shijin slammed the door and left. She had just chased after her downstairs when she received a call from her remarried husband, saying that their daughter was crying for her mother.
On one side is her son whom she hasn't contacted in ten years, and on the other side is her three-year-old daughter.
He Sumei turned and went upstairs, hastily leaving a note and placing it on the corner of the table. He Sumei didn't expect to reconcile with him; she only wanted to try her best to make amends.
Xie Shijin didn't read the note, crumpled it up and threw it into the trash can. Then she cleaned up the food on the table, lit incense for her grandmother again, and called a locksmith to change the lock.
"I'll charge you 80 yuan for this lock. It's a genuine Class A anti-theft lock cylinder, but there's only one original key." The locksmith explained the situation beforehand. "If you want to make a few more as spares, it'll cost 10 yuan each."
The foreman brought a toolbox with all the necessary tools, so we could make a replacement on the spot, saving him the trouble of making another trip later.
Cheng Shiyun had already woken up from her nap. She was squatting by the door with two small bamboo shoots in her pocket, tilting her head to look at them.
Xie Shijin gave a total of ninety: "Make another one."
After receiving the money, the locksmith hand-made the key on the spot, and in just two or three minutes, a brand new key was made.
The 3D printer has come to life! Cheng Shiyun meowed excitedly as she watched.
"Here, try it and see if you can open it."
Xie Shijin took the key, inserted it into the lock, and turned it—it was very smooth. "Thank you."
Once everything was confirmed to be in order, the locksmith picked up his toolbox and left.
Xie Shijin picked up the little tabby cat, went inside, closed the door, and took the spare key to the bedroom.
Cheng Shiyun thought he went to put away the spare key, so she didn't follow him; her nails were indeed a bit long.
Can kittens get manicures?
She originally planned to get her hair permed and manicured after the college entrance exam. No girl doesn't love beauty, and Kitty is no exception.
Manicures are definitely out of the question now, but filing your nails is still an option. Little Tabby scratches at the scratching post that Ni Jiaqi gave her.
After scratching the cat scratching post to her heart's content, Cheng Shiyun jumped onto the living room balcony, elegantly licking her little mangosteen while admiring the gardenia she had bumped into a few days earlier on a rainy night.
The gardenias are blooming beautifully; all the buds have opened, the branches and leaves are lush, and the petals are pure white. When the window is open, the whole room is filled with fragrance.
The flowers are beautiful, but the flowerpot is a bit ugly.
The brick-red terracotta flowerpot, the kind that costs five yuan each at the flower and bird market, has several cracks running through its entire body, as if it had been smashed and glued back together.
While thrift and frugality are traditional virtues, Xie Shijin probably didn't go to such lengths. It was just a flowerpot.
Cheng Shiyun flicked the little fur ball on her tail, circled the flowerpot twice, and saw that the sunny side of the flowerpot seemed to have been marked.
She leaned down for a closer look, and suddenly her little eyes widened in surprise.
"12813?!"
This flowerpot belongs to her.
She did indeed buy it for five yuan at the flower and bird market. At the time, she wasn't sure if she could keep the gardenia alive, so she bought the cheapest flowerpot.
Just like writing her name on newly issued textbooks, she wrote a string of numbers on the flowerpot with a marker to sign that the flowerpot belonged to her.
Two years have passed, and these numbers haven't faded at all.
That flower...
Cheng Shiyun concentrated intently and finally managed to vaguely make out a little bit.
This flower looks like... the one she grew on the rooftop.
Same flowerpot, same flower.
Her flowers.
Is Xie Shijin tending to her flowers?
Realizing this fact, Cheng Shiyun's heart suddenly began to pound wildly.
The subtle fragrance of gardenias seemed to transcend two years, grasping her tightly.
She's been living here for several days and still hasn't recognized this flower.
Because of this flower... Xie Shijin has taken much better care of it than she has. It is much more lush and vigorous, making one imagine what it would look like as a towering tree.
Two years after her death, everything had changed, but this flower alone bloomed brilliantly.
At that moment, Cheng Shiyun suddenly felt a strong sense that her life was being extended.
Although she died, her flowers are still being well cared for.
Growing flowers.
Take care of her.
Or perhaps someone... mistook this flower for her.
"Cheng Shiyun".
Xie Shijin came out of the bedroom.
"Meow."
The little tabby cat was extremely agile, leaping from the balcony to a chair, and then to the living room table.
Xie Shijin pulled out a chair and sat down in front of her, seemingly holding something in his hand, but Cheng Shiyun didn't notice at all.
Cheng Shiyun's mind was filled with the gardenia. Even though she already knew the answer, she still wanted to confirm: "Xie Shijin, is that the same gardenia on the balcony that was on the rooftop of Bowen Building before?"
Xie Shijin lifted his eyelids slightly, a warm light reflecting in his beautiful pupils. He nodded, "Mm."
"How come you... took care of my flowers?"
Cheng Shiyun did not ask the second half of the question.
That rooftop is a secret. She only took Xie Shijin there. Ni Jiaqi doesn't know about it. He's too noisy and has a big mouth. If you tell him, the rooftop will definitely be full of people in less than three days.
Only Xie Shijin knew that she kept a potted plant on the rooftop. Perhaps Xie Shijin went to see it after she died, otherwise the potted plant wouldn't be in his house now.
"Did this gardenia bloom later?" When she died, the plant had only sprouted a few buds.
Xie Shijin lowered his eyes and said, "It's open."
"Really?" Cheng Shiyun tilted her cat-like head and asked, "Did you take a picture?"
"No photos were taken."
"oh……"
Cheng Shiyun was somewhat disappointed.
She's not very good at taking care of plants; at most, she'll water them and fertilize them. Actually, most people are like that when it comes to growing flowers, but I don't know why, maybe she lacks the "wood spirit root" (a metaphor for a lack of natural growth), because she can kill even succulents and cacti.
Ni Jiaqi also joked that everything she raised since she was a child died.
Later, when Jelly died, she genuinely thought it was because she couldn't raise animals.
Finally, one flower escaped the curse. Although it wasn't entirely her doing, Cheng Shiyun was still somewhat relieved.
Xie Shijin lowered his head, closed his eyes very lightly, and blinked away the trace of lying in his eyes.
Gardenias love sunshine. In July 2016, Yichuan experienced intermittent rain for almost half a month. None of the gardenia buds on the tree opened, and the bottom of the flowerpot was severely waterlogged, causing the roots to rot and mold.
Xie Shijin felt that familiar suffocating feeling again—the suffocating sensation of watching a life vanish before his eyes. This time, he tried to save it.
However, the secret that the rooftop door of Bowen Building was practically useless was exposed shortly after the start of the new semester. A student was playing around on the rooftop and almost fell off. The incident caused a stir, and the academic affairs office found out and had the iron door repaired. They also cleaned up the trash left by the student on the rooftop.
That potted plant was not spared either.
He had considered telling Ni Jiaqi or Cheng Jinghua about the flower, but he selfishly wanted to keep it with him a little longer.
On the day he finally decided to take the flowers home, they were thrown into the trash can below Bowen Building.
The brick-red terracotta pot shattered into several pieces, and the branches that had finally taken root again were broken.
That day was also a monthly holiday, and students filed out of the teaching building.
He put down his schoolbag, picked up the broken flowerpot, scooped up a handful of soil, and stuffed it into his schoolbag.
She had many belongings, but he kept this one.
...
"What are you holding?" Cheng Shiyun noticed that Xie Shijin had been fiddling with something in his hand for a long time.
Upon closer inspection, she realized it was a red string.
"Do you mind?" Xie Shijin's Adam's apple bobbed. "I wore it when I was a child."
There was originally a safety buckle on it, which was a gift from a relative when he was a month old. Once he put it on, he couldn't take it off. His father cut the string with scissors, stole the safety buckle, and sold it, leaving only this red string.
Cheng Shiyun didn't understand what he was trying to do, but she still subconsciously replied, "I don't mind."
She obediently lay on the table, her eyes wide open, staring at him curiously.
Xie Shijin nodded, took one end of the red string, threaded it into the spare keyhole that had just been made, and then held it up to the little tabby's neck.
Even if Cheng Shiyun was slow on the uptake, she realized what was happening at this moment, and her heart skipped a beat: "Are you going to give me this key?"
"...Isn't this the one you prepared and kept at home as a backup?"
Xie Shijin tilted his head slightly, wrapped the red rope around the back of her neck, and tied a knot.
"That way, it won't get lost."
Why?
Cheng Shiyun lowered her head in disbelief.
Xie Shijin made a copy of his house key.
Give it to her?
"Wait a minute..." For a moment, Cheng Shiyun didn't know whether to hide or not, so she could only let the boy encircle her and asked in surprise, "I don't need the key, why are you giving it to me?"
Xie Shijin tied the knot, raised his head, and glanced at her. His gaze fell on her face, his dark eyes reflecting her flustered appearance, as deep as the sea.
The key dangled down, swaying back and forth.
Cheng Shiyun's heart seemed to sink as well.
She now has a key that she won't lose.
And a door that is always open for her.
The fragrance of gardenias wafted in through the window, mingling with the clean scent emanating from the boy.
Amidst her dizziness, she heard a familiar, clear, youthful voice above her.
"Because this is your home too."
...
Xie Shijin took sick leave and did not go to tutor.
Director Qian was very concerned about him and sent several WeChat messages to ask how his recovery was going, telling him to rest well for a couple of days and not to rush the tutoring job.
However, Xie Shijin still went to Lushan International the following afternoon.
Qian Juan and Guo Renyi were not home.
The Education Bureau stipulates that all first-year high school students in Yichuan must undergo a week-long military training to improve their physical fitness and willpower. However, the training mobilization and graduation process takes at least eight or nine days longer.
Therefore, this year, the school leaders held a meeting and set the military training time for Yichuan No. 7 Middle School in mid-August, starting half a month earlier. This both fulfilled the task assigned by the Education Bureau and did not interfere with class time.
Principal Guo and his wife were both busy with this matter.
Xie Shijin placed the tabby cat in the living room and took his book upstairs. Guo Xuan said, "Teacher Xie, the more I look at this cat, the more familiar it seems." He was certain he had seen it before, but he had seen too many cats to remember it for the moment.
"Really?" Xie Shijin glanced at him, then inadvertently noticed two bandages on the back of his hand. "What happened to your hand?"
Guo Xuan opened the door for him, his tone nonchalant: "He was captured by a beast."
"A cat?" Xie Shijin asked.
Guo Xuan narrowed his eyes: "How did you know?"
Xie Shijin entered the room, placed the textbooks on the desk, and said, "Didn't your cat get lost?"
Guo Xuan plopped down in the ergonomic chair, twirling a pen between his fingers: "Yeah, it's been missing for days. I don't know who picked it up. When I catch it, I'll definitely break its legs."
As he spoke, he observed Xie Shijin's reaction with great interest.
Xie Shijin did not react.
He opened Guo Xuan's notebook, pressed the cap of the pen, and asked calmly, "Have you finished the practice questions and checked the answers?"
Guo Xuan suddenly smiled.
He's quite good at pretending.
Yuan Shao told him everything.
—The cat was taken away by Xie Shijin.
To be honest, Guo Xuan really likes Xie Shijin.
Guo Renyi had found him many tutors, including experienced veterans and top students from prestigious schools. They were all good teachers, but he disliked them, feeling that it didn't matter who taught him. Xie Shijin, however, was different. He wouldn't complain to his parents or lecture him with a stern face. They were about the same age and shared common interests. More than a teacher and student, they were like friends.
With such a large villa, Xie Shijin could have stolen something else, but why steal a cat?
Guo Xuan couldn't understand it, so he told Qian Juan and Guo Renyi.
Unexpectedly, Guo Renyi retorted, "Words are no proof. What evidence does he have? Photos? Videos? Do he have any?"
Guo Xuan: "..." There really isn't one.
Yuan Shao simply said that he personally witnessed Xie Shijin hiding the cat in his satchel, taking it to the park, and letting it run away, which he described very convincingly.
"Xiao Xie has her own cat, and it's very cute. Why would she steal your cat?" Qian Juan also said, "If she'd stolen it, she wouldn't have taken it home. She would have just released the cat in the park. What for? To do good deeds by releasing it?"
Guo Xuan thought about it and realized it was a bit outrageous, but his parents were siding with others, which made him particularly unhappy.
Guo Renyi said, "Yuan Shao called your mother several times, saying he could take a pay cut or even extend her class hours."
Yuan Shao ranked in the 50s in the province and second in the whole school in the college entrance examination. He was very outstanding. As soon as the other party contacted them, Qian Juan decided to hire him. If Guo Xuan hadn't insisted on changing the candidate, they wouldn't have fired Yuan Shao.
However, after Yuan Shao was dismissed, he came to their home several times, so the couple naturally assumed that saying Xie Shijin stole the cat was also a means for Yuan Shao to get back the job.
Qian Juan frowned: "I used to think this child was quite sensible, but why does he keep pestering me even after I've explained things to him clearly?"
Guo Xuan was still unconvinced and retorted, "Then how did Yuan Shao know that his cat had run away?"
"Your mom posted it on WeChat Moments."
"..."
“It’s just a cat. Your mother is already planning to get another one.” Guo Renyi tapped him on the head with a newspaper. “You need to use your brain.”
Guo Xuan, who was not thinking straight, was unhappy all day and planned to confront Xie Shijin face to face the next day, but Xie Shijin still hadn't arrived by 2 p.m.
He thought Xie Shijin wouldn't dare to come, but it turned out he was sick.
It would have been better not to come at all.
While other students went abroad for travel and study tours during the summer vacation, he was confined to the home to study.
When under a lot of pressure, he wanted to do something to relieve stress, so on the recommendation of netizens, Guo Xuan joined a cat abuse group.
The places with the most stray cats are schools and old residential areas. So whenever he has free time, he will wander around the area and catch any stray cats he encounters.
His groupmates were right; the screams of small animals were indeed very stress-relieving.
It just so happened that Qian Juan had her birthday a while ago, and he didn't know what to give her, so he pulled out the cats' teeth and made them into a necklace for his mother. His mother had no idea what it was and loved it to bits.
He skipped class yesterday afternoon and went to the park Yuan Shao mentioned to wander around twice, hoping to find Qian Juan's big white cat.
They didn't find the white cat, but they caught a black cat.
He originally planned to kill the cat and record a video; he even pulled out the cat's teeth. But then his mom suddenly called him. Later, the cat ran away and scratched him twice.
He hasn't done anything satisfactory since yesterday. What to do? His hands are itching again.
But the cat at home is gone, so which cat should he play with now?
Guo Xuan was biting his pen, barely paying attention in class.
...
downstairs.
The little tabby cat was dozing on the sofa. The nanny, Sister Lin, tried to play with her using a cat toy, but Cheng Shiyun lost interest after a couple of tries.
There was no one who could understand her, which was quite boring.
Cheng Shiyun had seen a statement online that adopting a pet and not spending enough time with it is considered pet abuse.
When pet owners go to work, the furry kids are left all alone in the empty house, waiting for their owners to return.
Aside from eating and sleeping, they spend almost all their remaining time waiting.
Cheng Shiyun thought of Jelly again. The cat she used to secretly keep under the bed.
Ran Hongyin has asthma and her family has never kept any pets since she was a child. She longed to have a kitten, so she secretly kept Jelly in her bedroom and used her pocket money to buy cat food for it.
Jelly is very timid, tiny, and sick, but she is very well-behaved, never barking or making a fuss, and waits for her to come home every day.
Why didn't she notice that Jelly was sick? Because she spent too little time with Jelly, and Jelly was too well-behaved; she didn't cry even when she was in pain or hungry.
After Jelly died, Cheng Shiyun felt very guilty and never considered getting another cat.
But she turned into a cat. She looked exactly like Jelly, if not similar.
Cheng Shiyun couldn't help but wonder, "Jelly, did you save my sister?"
She lay lazily on the windowsill where the big white cat often sat, chewing on the freeze-dried food the nanny had fed it. Although Xie Shijin had told her not to eat things given to her by strangers, the freeze-dried food was really delicious.
Chew, chew, chew.
Cheng Shiyun was chewing the crunchy treats one after another, and as she was enjoying herself, she seemed to hear a cat meowing somewhere.
She pricked up her ears, trying to listen carefully, when she saw several stray cats sneaking over outside the window.
"?"
Not just a few, but many.
Cheng Shiyun roughly counted them; there were about ten. Each one bared its teeth and looked menacing.
What's going on? Are you going to fight?
The nanny also noticed the situation outside the window and exclaimed in surprise, "Why are there so many stray cats?"
This is an upscale villa area, so there are no garbage dumps for stray cats and dogs to rummage through.
The cats moved very fast, crossing the lawn outside the villa in the blink of an eye.
The family's big white cat had gone missing. Qian Juan told her not to close the windows, saying the cat might come back sometime after it had had its fill of wandering. No one knew when the big white cat would return, but a stray cat was about to come in, so the nanny immediately went to close the windows.
As soon as the window was closed, several stray cats rushed over, their sharp claws scratching at the glass, making a hissing sound that made your teeth ache.
These cats were fierce, all baring their teeth. If it had been a second later, they would have rushed into the villa. The nanny was still shaken and quickly called the property management.
The stray cats were still scratching at the window, and two of them even tried to squeeze in through a crack as narrow as a finger.
"Meow—!!!" The wild cat yelled at Cheng Shiyun.
Cheng Shiyun: "..." How rude.
Even though she likes cats, she doesn't just pet any cat; she doesn't like cats that are rude.
But why are there so many cats all of a sudden?
The lead black cat stared intently at Cheng Shiyun, its fierce gaze clearly indicating it was the leader of the cats.
Cheng Shiyun also meowed twice.
Why are you being so fierce? What happened?
She saw the black cat open its mouth, seemingly wanting to bite the glass.
But it doesn't have teeth...
...
Five o'clock.
The alarm clock rang.
A long, slender hand covered the phone, turning off the alarm.
"That's all for today's lesson. Now, do the corresponding practice questions, and I'll check them tomorrow." The last point was covered perfectly, not a point more, not a point less. Xie Shijin closed her book and began packing her bag.
Guo Xuan leaned back in his chair and glanced at him: "Teacher Xie, there's still one question I didn't understand. Could you explain it again?"
"Which question?" Xie Shijin asked.
"Find the domain of the function, question 3."
Xie Shijin took the materials from his hand, glanced at them, and began to explain the problem-solving method: "f(x) is a linear function, let its analytical expression be f(x) = kx + b —"
"Oh no..." Guo Xuan suddenly put down his pen, clutched his stomach, and said, "I need to go to the toilet first. Teacher Xie, please wait for me for a while."
He quickly got up and walked out of the bedroom, gave a cryptic smile, and then closed the door behind him.
Xie Shijin subconsciously frowned, put down the documents, packed her bag, and prepared to go downstairs.
However, when he pressed the doorknob, the lock did not budge.
The door won't open.
...
Guo Xuan went downstairs with one hand in his pocket.
The nanny was playing with the cat in the living room when she heard the sound and turned around: "Xiao Xuan, you're done with get out of class? Would you like some fruit? Auntie will go wash it for you." Seeing that only Guo Xuan came downstairs, the nanny looked upstairs again: "Where's Teacher Xie?"
Guo Xuan said, "Aunt Lin, I want to eat braised beef brisket tonight, can you go and buy it?"
"Beef brisket? It's already past five o'clock. The evening market is probably almost over. There might not be any left. Auntie will go check and if there is, I'll buy it for you."
No sooner had she finished speaking than a muffled thud came from the second floor, as if someone was banging on the door. The nanny asked, "What's that sound upstairs?"
Guo Xuan glanced upstairs. The bedroom door was made of solid wood and locked from the outside. There was no way Xie Shijin could break it open.
He looked away and said casually, "The window wasn't closed, the wind was blowing."
The nanny was about to leave with her grocery basket when she suddenly remembered something and reminded Guo Xuan, "Oh, right, Xiao Xuan, don't go out later. There are a lot of stray cats outside, it's too dangerous, they might scratch you."
The property management arrived right after she made the call and chased away the stray cats, but they might not have gone far.
The nanny has gone out.
Guo Xuan slowly approached the windowsill.
The little tabby cat, who had been lazily sunbathing, arched its back and stared at him warily: "Meow—!"
Where is Xie Shijin? Why didn't Xie Shijin come down?
"What are you looking at?" Guo Xuan asked, quite surprised to see her constantly looking towards the second floor. "Looking for your master?"
“Your master is upstairs. Come, I’ll take you to him.”
Guo Xuan extended his hand.
It was exactly the same way he tried to lure her with sausages at school.
Cheng Shiyun: "..."
No way, you little brat.
Did she really think her brain was mush? Little Tabby darted out from under his arm in a few quick movements, escaped the danger zone, and jumped onto the sofa.
Guo Xuan clicked his tongue and turned around. To his surprise, he saw a disdainful expression on a cat's face. Then he suddenly remembered that he had indeed seen this cat before, but it wasn't a real cat; it was a miniature version.
This cat looks a lot like a keychain he used to have.
He actually found the keychain in his dad's car, inside the center console of the driver's seat. It was the kind of keychain that only girls would use. At the time, he thought Guo Renyi was cheating on him.
Guo Renyi explained that he found it at school, probably dropped by a student. He thought it was cute, so he casually hung it on his phone, and then he couldn't remember where he threw it away.
This cat is practically a giant version of the cat pendant on that keychain.
Exactly the same.
What's this cat's name again?
Nowadays, eight out of ten pets are named DouDou or LeLe, but this cat seems to have a real name.
Guo Xuan pondered for a moment, then suddenly laughed and beckoned to the cat.
"Cheng Shiyun, come here."
-----------------------
The author writes: Back in my hometown in the countryside, there used to be a gardenia tree, as thick as a bowl, planted by the edge of the yard. When it bloomed in June and July, the tree was covered in white blossoms, and the fragrance could be smelled from twenty or thirty meters away on the road. Every morning, my mother would take a washbasin and pick some to give away. Two years ago, a heavy summer rain washed away the yard, and the gardenia tree was gone. Thinking about it now, it's such a pity.
I'm afraid of being criticized, so I'm making this statement: I really love animals and I don't abuse cats. The villain's cat-abusing behavior in the story was just for plot purposes (my survival instincts are kicking in).
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