044
The snow stopped at noon. Salt was being spread across the streets to clear the snow. Xu Yu and Zhu Wenxu went to the supermarket to buy food for the evening and the next morning. They also grabbed a few boxes of fried pastries and pasta from the freezer for a late-night snack.
Zhu Wenxu took a bag of beef jerky and said, "You can read it while watching TV."
"Are there any good movies?"
Zhu Wenxu wasn't sure either: "Go home and look through the recommended list. I'll pick the one with a good introduction."
With the previous experience as a lesson, Xu Yu said seriously, "We have to pay attention to the label."
"Haven't you already experienced it? Why are you still shy?" Zhu Wenxu smiled playfully for the first time. "I want to see."
"Then see for yourself."
"I haven't finished watching the last one yet. Why don't we go back and continue watching it?"
Xu Yu ignored him and went to another area. The interior of the house they lived in was very simple. The previous landlord had originally kept it simple for the convenience of renting it out. Zhu Wenxu had bought it so long ago that he had called a few days ago to inquire about it and wished them a happy marriage.
Since it was his home, Xu Yu wanted to decorate it. He took two pots of green plants, a KT board, and bought some thin hemp rope and small clips specifically for hanging spider plants.
Zhu Wenxu pushed the cart over and asked, "Are these winters easy to keep alive?"
"Pothos only drinks water, not seasonally," Xu Yu said. "Other flowers can be bought in spring."
Zhu Wenxu followed his meaning: "As you say."
After returning home, Xu Yu began to dress up, and Zhu Wenxu helped from behind. Seeing Xu Yu hanging up the Polaroid photo of Ke Yu Xiaomeng, he was not very happy. After all, they had never printed out a single photo since they started dating.
Seeing what he was thinking, Xu Yu leaned over and kissed Zhu Wenxu's face: "When we go traveling, we'll hang it all over the wall."
Zhu Wenxu was immediately coaxed into submission.
"I'm going to buy 5,000 sheets of photo paper online right now. No, 10,000 sheets."
Xu Yu stopped him: "There are too many. It will be difficult to take them away later."
Zhu Wenxu changed the number: "Five thousand then."
It was called a trip, but in reality, no one knew where to go first, and they all agreed that it would be inconvenient to go out in winter, so they put it on hold for the time being. After Xu Yu packed up his things and packed up the trash, he asked, "Aren't you going to help your sister today?"
Zhu Wenxu shook his head: "I'm not going today. Today is the shareholders' meeting and the staff meeting. It will probably last all day. Important internal management needs to be attended. It's not convenient for me to go."
Xu Yu let out an "oh".
"What are you going to do next?"
Zhu Wenxu asked back, "What do you want to do?"
According to his previous plan, he would settle his life among ordinary office workers, but if he worked overtime, he would be separated from Zhu Wenxu, and they might become so busy that they could not meet.
He didn't have any special skills to open a shop, and doing anything else didn't seem suitable. After thinking about it, an idea came to his mind: "Wang Li suggested I get a paparazzi license before."
Zhu Wenxu thought for a moment and said, "This will be very tiring. Sometimes we may not see each other for a month."
"I know, but I want to try to learn while studying." Xu Yu hesitated and asked the question, "I haven't been to college."
Zhu Wenxu thought for a moment: "The adult college entrance examination?"
Xu Yu nodded: "I have learned about it before, and I have also found a major that I can accept, but I have never had the time. I want to give it a try. If possible, I want to go to school first."
"Okay, let's look up the school online."
Zhu Wenxu was experienced. He opened his computer and typed in the official website to choose two schools he thought were good. However, the score line was not low. Xu Yu was not sure and did not want to give up before the exam, so he directly chose all three schools as his choices.
After looking at the majors and the 3D environment of the school, plus eating and washing dishes, the day passed in a blur. The next day, there was no snow. Zhu Wenxu sent him a WeChat message saying he was going out to meet Zhu Fuge. Xu Yu got up, ate the breakfast he had left, and sat on the windowsill to start online shopping for books he needed to study.
I had nothing to do at noon, so I went out for a walk, bought some fruit, and visited the courtyard. Uncle Liang and Aunt Mu had the heater on and were sitting in the backyard drinking tea. It was so cold in the winter, so they rarely went out. Aunt Mu had already gone to bed when I arrived. Xu Yu put down his things and prepared to leave. Uncle Liang took him to the front hall and sat on the old bench and lit a cigarette. "New Year's Day is over a month away. I was just about to ask Shu Wei to contact you to celebrate together. Since you came today, I wanted to invite you."
Xu Yu smiled and said, "Okay."
"I've troubled you a lot this year and received a lot of help from you. I know it may be too abrupt to say it out loud, but I met reporter Wang a while ago. Although I don't know why you pretended to be me, I'm very grateful to you. Can I know your name?" Uncle Liang puffed out his cigarette.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it." Xu Yu said directly, "My name is Xu Yu."
"I don't mind. Reporter Wang kept apologizing for you, so I knew you must be a really good kid. And then I suddenly remembered, the first time you came to our place, you were looking for paintings, right?" Uncle Liang said, "After my wife and I found out, we wanted to give you the two paintings you saw."
"How can this be possible?"
"Of course." Uncle Liang said with a smile, "We are no longer strangers. I feel relieved to leave these two paintings to you. I hope you can come here often."
Xu Yu's eyes were sore: "I will come often."
"This is the painting of your Aunt Mu's favorite student." Uncle Liang said as he found a rope to tie it up. "It's a little heavy, though."
"It's okay, I can take it with me."
Xu Yu helped and noticed the traces of smearing in the lower right corner. He touched the very thick correction fluid with his finger and saw two words marked on it.
Two words?
Isn’t Zhu Wen Xu three words?
Xu Yu was just curious, and Uncle Liang had already packed it, so it was light and not easy to fall off.
The two said goodbye at the door, and Xu Yu took a taxi home. On the way, he sent a message to Wang Li, but Wang Li didn't reply. When he got home, the message rang, but it was Luo Miao.
Luo Miao asked him how he was doing now.
Xu Yu sent a voice message directly: "I have contacted the person who knows about this matter. We will meet in two days and I will know everything."
Luo Miao also sent a voice message: "I was free and used Tarot to tell your fortune. There are both good and bad things. You may feel devastated by the truth of the matter, so if you are emotionally shocked, please contact me immediately."
Xu Yu said hello.
Back home, Xu Yu placed the paintings in the living room, carefully packed. Even after unpacking them, they still smelled of ink. He squatted on the floor admiring Zhu Wenxu's paintings. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to confess to him about meeting Aunt Mu and Uncle Liang. If he was willing, they could go together to pay New Year's greetings.
Zhu Wenxu returned a little before six in the afternoon. He took off his towel and immediately noticed the paintings on display. His fingers froze, his body froze, and then he slowly regained his composure, moving to squat in front of the paintings.
The brushstrokes of youth are often bold, and the style of painting is like the fantasy in the mind. He could not forget the feeling when he created this painting at the age of eighteen: the desire to climb, to escape, to struggle against the thorns that rolled around, and to embrace freedom.
Didn't dare touch it.
He believes that he is no longer the same as he was in the past and that he cannot paint anymore if he picks up a paintbrush.
The bathroom door opened. Xu Yu, wearing thick cotton pajamas, strode to the kitchen to pour a cup of hot water. Noticing Zhu Wenxu's mood, she didn't intend to hide it.
"I have something to tell you."
Zhu Wenxu could guess, but he followed his lead and said, "You go ahead."
"I've secretly looked at Xi Jiang's phone before. I always thought there was some kind of misunderstanding between you two, and you could reconcile." Xu Yu said, "I've been trying to bring you together privately."
"I see."
"I used the identity of Wang Li to approach the bankrupt Children's Palace. I wanted to understand your past and find a solution. Therefore, I formed a bond with your teacher and your teacher's husband. But today, they discovered my identity and gave me your and Xi Jiang's paintings." Xu Yu said, "I want to keep your paintings."
Zhu Wenxu stood straight without reacting.
He was thinking, but also seemed distracted. Xu Yu held up the painting next to him and said, "Let's find a chance to send it to Xi Jiang."
After all, it's his stuff.
Zhu Wenxu looked over and said, "Find a courier when you have time."
Xu Yu hummed: "There is one more thing."
"Um?"
"Your name used to be Wen Xu, right?" Xu Yu swallowed hard. "When I picked up the painting, they told me that Aunt Mu's favorite student was called Wen Xu. Is that your name, right?"
Zhu Wenxu put down the painting and nodded. "Well, before I came to the Zhu family, I took my mother's surname, Wen."
Xu Yu acted as if nothing had happened: "I'm just asking casually."
Then he turned and went back to the kitchen to get some water. A long silence followed. No one said a word, no one looked at the other's face again, like a tiny crack appearing after poking a piece of paper.
Suddenly, the sweet feeling was empty, and Xu Yu was a little overwhelmed. He sat on the tatami and played computer games. He kept losing, which made him feel bad. He turned sideways to look at the door, but Zhu Wenxu in the living room still hadn't come in.
He began searching online for tips on how to reconcile with his partner. But most of them were unisex, suggesting giving limited-edition bags, lipsticks, or shoes to ease the relationship; for men, they offered special perfumes, new fashionable shoes, or their favorite luxury accessories.
Zhu Wenxu has the financial resources to buy it himself.
Someone else suggested sleeping together. But Xu Yu stared at the screen and fell silent again. They did it quite often every night, and if he didn't say anything about it for most of the day, he might not be able to let go.
While thinking, I clicked on other web pages, and then entered a blue wave interface. The English word "hearths" popped up and the login interface appeared.
I clicked here accidentally.
Since it's a relationship forum, is there anything there that can help him improve his relationship? He thought about it and switched to WeChat, asking Luo Miao and Fu Wa, and eventually borrowed their accounts.
He logged into Luo Miao's account. Because registration was not open, users were not allowed to change their profile pictures and profile information. The atmosphere of the times was overwhelming, with profile pictures with "Shamatte" and sad copywriting.
Hearths's board profile, with detailed categories and a flood of posts, has popularity and selections adjusted by the system. Xu Yu went to the emotional section and saw that the top three hot posts all came from the same ID.
Vomiting dreams.
Luo Miao saw the screenshots and thought it was normal: "Teacher Tu Meng is a big poster on hearths. He's good at writing these fragmented love diaries, and he's been doing this for ten years."
Xu Yu was slightly shocked: [You can write so well?]
Anyone who plays Hearths knows about Dreamcast. Ten years ago, the teacher met a kid. Oh, go see him! He was super cute. He couldn't get in touch with the kid during the show, and he kept trying to find her. My best friend cried every day after watching it.
[Could this be a lie? Who would be so devoted?]
Luo Miao: [Who knows? Even if it's fake, it's still interesting. It's much better than some clichéd stories. It's very tear-jerking.]
Xu Yu clicked on it: [Okay, let me see how tear-jerking it is.]
Tumeng's three most popular posts are all different. The first is a simple diary, where the content sent by the poster is selected. The earliest update was about ten years ago, and the latest was yesterday. The second is a yearly blessing, which is updated less frequently. The third is like a love letter, with content related to children between the lines.
There were so many messages in the building that Xu Yu's eyes hurt, so he chose the first simple diary.
Clicking on the original timeline, Xu Yu saw Tumeng's first post: [2013, May 7th, sunny. My most popular fate post on hearths - meeting another similar me in the world. I met a kid who looks exactly like me. His eyes bend when he smiles, and he types very slowly, but I always enjoy talking to him.]
May 15th, 2013, sunny. The child and I exchanged names and took photos of each other's vast mountain landscape. The child said that his grandmother's chickens always woke him up at five o'clock, and he must eat them first thing during the Chinese New Year.
[2013, June 8th, rain. A kid sent me a photo of him. Although we look alike, I was still a little shocked by the colorful hair on his head. I also understood the contrast between him and his dismissive personality in real life, but I like his simple voice.]
…….
August 21, 2014, rainy. I shared my feelings about heading to the city with my child. I told him I saw whales at the aquarium. He kept texting me about wanting to see them with me. I agreed, and he sang Jay Chou's "Sunny Day" for me. He was tune-deaf, but I was delighted.
January 7, 2014, light rain. My kid sent me a video of beautiful fireworks. He told me it was beautiful and that he wanted to join me in the future. He also said we must set off fireworks all night long. I agreed.
…
[2015, March 7th, cloudy. My child's phone broke, and we lost contact. On the train to another city, I missed my child and wanted to hug him, even in my dreams.]
August 19, 2015, sunny. The child contacted me on a friend's phone. We spoke for half an hour, complaining about what was happening at school. I didn't dare sleep all night and made the most straightforward decision of my life.
August 22, 2015, sunny. I boarded the train to my child's hometown, feeling both excited and uncertain. I wondered if my public presence would disturb him, so I decided to secretly watch him from a distance, not disturbing him. But as we entered the town, seeing the yellow mud houses and steep roads everywhere, I hesitated even more. It wasn't until I heard from someone nearby that the child's mother was buried that day. I slipped into the crowd and watched the back of the figure in mourning at the front. He was thin, very thin, his hair a normal color. His sobs were the familiar grievance and devastation. I didn't know when I stopped, but I squatted on the ground and cried until they completely disappeared around the corner.
August 23, 2015, light rain. I found the only place I could live, but I was unlucky and got scammed out of two hundred yuan. I pretended to be here to see family, and while wandering around, I secretly visited a child's home. His life was very different from what I had imagined. I saw his face, numbly blowing in the wind, his hair tangled in the air, his face ashen, like a walking corpse.
August 25, 2015, rain. I had to leave. As I packed my things, I asked someone to deliver the MP3 I wanted to give him to his house. It was a gift I wanted to give him, even if it got exposed. As I got on the bus, I heard someone calling my name. I turned around and saw that thin voice outside the town gate. I sent him a message, saying I missed him so much.
October 3, 2015, rain. My child sent me his report card. His grades were okay, but he said his dad didn't support his studies, so he wasn't going to pay for his education. I couldn't accept that and offered to support him, but he refused. After that, we rarely contacted each other.
[2015, New Year's Day, February. We video-called each other and sang many songs together. Snow was falling outside, and the wind was blowing fiercely, but our voices were clear and cool, and they touched each other's hearts. I don't know why, but I suddenly realized that my feelings for him seemed to have changed, from thinking of him as a twin brother without blood.]
…
February 19, 2016, cloudy. An eighteen-year-old boy called me. He'd gone out to chop firewood, carrying a basket on his back. We sang together again, and I asked him what he wanted for his birthday. For the first time, he was silent for over five minutes, then told me he wanted to see me. My emotions poured out at that moment, nearly revealing themselves. It wasn't until I lowered my voice and asked him, that he suddenly became nervous again, saying he was afraid he wouldn't see me. After all, the world here was different from the outside world, and whether he could get out was a different matter. But I encouraged him to be brave, and after we sang "Looking for Me," he told me he wanted to be with me.
May 2, 2016, sunny. We started dating online.
June 20, 2016, rain. He shared his family's farmland with me, and once again, I had a sinister thought. I took the train to his place and truly experienced the fields and fields. I told him I was coming, but he stayed home and didn't come out. I texted him goodbye as I was leaving. As I was packing my things, I saw him running towards me. He hugged me, speechless for a long time, until someone's voice came, and he let me go. He said he would come to see me next time. I believed it, and then I said goodbye to him.
August 8, 2016, rain. Our phone calls became less frequent, now limited to occasional texts. I felt uneasy, and insomniac nights, I searched through my history to calm myself. Unable to contain my pounding heart, I boldly confessed my love to him. From that day on, he also learned to say he loved me. I was happy, wasn't I?
[In 2016, I didn't hear from him for the entirety of September. The anxiety of my failed online relationship kept me awake at night. My longing for him couldn't be hidden anymore, and it would burst out endlessly in the middle of the night. I missed you so much. I missed you so much.]
[In November 2016, I went abroad. I kept trying to contact him, but to no avail.]
…
[2017, February 5th, snow. The child is indeed missing.]
…
Xu Yu didn't dare read any further. His tears fell as the words followed, and he could no longer discern the rest of the text. The short text was so immersive, it felt like he was the protagonist. He didn't consider himself an emotional person, but at this moment, the tears kept flowing.
Her throat was choked with sobs. Zhu Wenxu heard the noise and came into the living room. The moment they looked at each other, Zhu Wenxu's heart was in his throat. Xu Yu turned off the computer and stood up to find some paper to wipe her tears. When she passed by Zhu Wenxu, she was hugged in his arms.
No one said anything. One cried, the other wiped away tears, but realized they couldn't wipe them away. He hugged her and sat on the bed. "Are you feeling wronged? I don't think it's wrong to bring the painting back. I just can't get over the nostalgia for the past. Can you give me a little time? I like it very much. I didn't mean to ignore you. I'm sorry, okay?"
Xu Yu slapped his hand away and went to the bathroom to wash her face. Zhu Wenxu didn't chase after him. He stood up and lifted the computer. The page was in sleep mode, and the content he had just typed appeared completely.
Zhu Wenxu was stunned.
I didn’t expect Xu Yu to watch hearths.
Xu Yu came out with red and swollen eyes, and as they stared at each other, he snuggled into Zhu Wenxu's arms. Zhu Wenxu hugged him and said softly, "Don't cry. Read less sad posts like this. It's not good for your mood."
Xu Yu sniffed and nodded.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
