Chapter 2-1
Chapter Two: Mountain City: Secret Meeting
1
From an administrative division perspective, Mashi City is a county-level city, somewhat famous for its mountainous and riverine landscape. It's not large, with a total population of only about 400,000. It doesn't have an airport; the nearest one is in the provincial capital, Hanning City. Whenever Qiao Ruo goes home, if she's flying, she first goes to Hanning City and then takes a long-distance bus back to Mashi City.
Because He Yajun was also there, this journey wasn't as difficult, but it was still quite tiring.
When they arrived at the long-distance bus station in Mashi City, it was already 8:30 p.m. As soon as she got off the bus, Qiao Ruo rubbed her stiff and sore shoulders, and it took her a long time to recover.
He Yajun also looked tired. He raised his arms and shoulders, stretched his body slightly, and then pushed the two people's luggage to the roadside.
It was much colder outside than inside the car, and Qiao Ruo couldn't help but hug herself tighter. Seeing this, He Yajun quickly hugged her with one hand, then hailed a taxi, put her suitcase in the trunk, and went back to the back door. He bent down and told her, who was already sitting in the car, "Let me know when you get home."
She briefly shook his hand, which was resting on the car window, and nodded with a smile.
He stood there until her car drove out of his sight before taking a taxi home.
After getting off the car and entering the residential area, he didn't rush upstairs when he reached his building. He first replied to Qiao Ruo's WeChat message, saying she had arrived home safely. Then he lit a cigarette and took several deep drags. He wasn't a heavy smoker and rarely smoked, only when he was extremely agitated would he crave one.
After he finished his last puff of cigarette, he received a WeChat message from Qiao Ruo: Goodnight, Ya Jun.
The screen light was a bit dazzling, so he squinted, threw the cigarette butt into the trash can two meters away, and then replied to her: Get some rest, goodnight.
He put away his phone, picked up his suitcase, and started climbing the stairs.
His home is in an old-style residential complex that is nearly 20 years old. The highest building is no more than six stories, and there is no elevator. He lives on the fifth floor. Before graduating from high school, he would go up and down the stairs several times a day without feeling tired. But now he only goes home occasionally, and with his luggage, he gets a little out of breath and sweats profusely when he walks up and down these stairs.
His mother, Qin Hui, had been hoping for his return ever since she received his call during the day. Upon hearing the noise at the door, she immediately ran over to open it.
"Mom, aren't you tired of climbing these stairs every day? I think you should move to another place." He said as he entered the room and changed into his slippers.
"I'm not tired. I'm used to living here. Climbing the stairs every day is good exercise for me." Qin Hui took his suitcase and looked at him happily. "Besides, your Aunt Xu and Uncle Bai's family haven't moved either, have they? We've been neighbors for decades. We're used to being able to see each other's doors as soon as we open our doors."
The Aunt Xu and Uncle Bai she mentioned were the parents of Bai Qing, his childhood friend. He was born a few months earlier than Bai Qing, and as far back as he could remember, their families had been neighbors. Initially, they lived in the same building, one floor above the other, but after starting high school, they moved directly across the hall from each other. The two families had always maintained a very close relationship. It could be said that Bai Qing's family held a very important place in his life, and Bai Qing, though not a biological sister, was more than a sister to him.
Even now, he's not entirely sure whether his feelings for Bai Qing were romantic love or familial affection. When he realized she had someone she liked in their youth, he felt a pang of sadness. However, when she finally got together with the person she'd secretly loved for years, he didn't feel particularly heartbroken. Aside from worrying about her getting hurt, he had no other feelings. Contacting or meeting her again didn't feel awkward. From any perspective, he couldn't really say he'd experienced heartbreak. He thought they were already used to each other's roles in their lives, and they got along very well. Clearly, they would continue to get along happily in the future. There was no need, and no point, in trying to figure out the nature of their relationship.
"Are Aunt Xu and the others alright?"
“Everything’s fine. I told your Aunt Xu tonight that you were coming back, and she was so happy. She immediately called Bai Qing and asked Bai Qing and Jiang Ming to bring her precious granddaughter back this weekend as well.”
"Um."
Jiang Ming is Bai Qing's husband, and the person she's had a crush on since high school. That crush lasted for many years. He Yajun had seen Bai Qing heartbroken and crying over Jiang Ming more than once, and naturally didn't approve of her relationship. But in the end, she succeeded. As her friend of many years, no matter how much he questioned Jiang Ming's sincerity, he could only accept the outcome. Fortunately, Jiang Ming has always been very attentive to Bai Qing. Seeing her happy, He Yajun's attitude towards Jiang Ming gradually softened. After spending more time with him, he had to admit that Bai Qing had good judgment in people; Jiang Ming was not only a good husband and father, but also a friend worth having.
He Yajun tossed his luggage into the room, and when he came out again, Qin Hui brought him a glass of water and told him to drink it: "You must be exhausted after taking a plane and a bus. Haven't had dinner yet? I'll make you a bowl of dumplings. Go take a shower and come out to eat in a bit."
"Thank you, Mom."
Qin Hui rolled her eyes at him: "You child, why are you thanking your mother? Go take a shower."
After washing his hair and taking a shower, He Yajun felt even more exhausted and just wanted to go back to his room to sleep. However, the dumplings Qin Hui brought him smelled incredibly tempting, and not wanting to ignore her concern, he sat down and ate them slowly.
Qin Hui sat down opposite him, smiling gently: "Business was really good at the store today, we sold a lot of clothes. It must be because you're coming back, bringing good luck. We hardly ever see anyone here usually."
After He Yajun went abroad to study and divorced his father He Qingyang, Qin Hui left behind the life of being a housewife and wife and mother and opened a clothing store. Although the business was lukewarm most of the time, she was always busy. However, she did not aim to make a lot of money. She only wanted to have a goal to enrich her life. Unexpectedly, she opened the store for almost ten years.
He Yajun laughed and said, "I'm going to stay home for several more days. Does that mean I have to go to the store every day to help you sell clothes?"
"No need for that. You rarely come home, so you should definitely get some rest and relax. We'll go visit your grandma together in a couple of days; she keeps talking about you."
"good."
"By the way," Qin Hui said, seeing that he had almost finished eating, she hesitated for a moment and changed the subject, "Your father called me yesterday."
He frowned: "Why did he call you?"
Qin Hui pursed her lips, looking like she really didn't want to talk about it, but she still said, "He said he has a friend's daughter who is a good match for you in terms of age and appearance, and he told me to persuade you to take some time to meet that girl when you come back this time."
"He certainly has the leisure for this. I've never seen him so eager to contact me before. Now, for the sake of his company, he's acting like a father, trying to control me." He Yajun said dismissively, "I told him long ago that I won't go on blind dates, and I don't need him to interfere in my affairs. If he wants to expand his business, he can do it on his own. I can't help him with anything. Besides, I'm going to America soon. Wouldn't it be disrespectful to go on blind dates at this time?"
“I told him the same thing,” Qin Hui said, clearly disagreeing with her ex-husband’s actions. “Your dad is indeed unreliable, and I ignored him, but he actually let you meet that girl. However, he was right about one thing: you are indeed at the age to get married. If you meet the right person, you must cherish them and not miss the opportunity.”
He Yajun wiped her mouth with a tissue and smiled, "Why have you joined the marriage-urging army? I told you long ago, I have no plans to get married in this lifetime."
Qin Hui's smile faded, and she sighed wistfully: "Ya Jun, tell your mother the truth, is it because of my divorce from your father that you're so averse to marriage?"
"You're overthinking it. It has nothing to do with you. Many people are against marriage these days, which is perfectly normal."
"Mom isn't forcing you to get married, but I hope you can truly be happy and joyful, and not lose faith in marriage because of your parents' shortcomings. I don't deny that many relationships break down and people get divorced, but most couples can stay together for life. Look at your Aunt Xu and Uncle Bai, how good their relationship is and how loving they are."
He Yajun couldn't deny that a large part of his lack of interest in marriage stemmed from the shock of his father's infidelity and his parents' divorce. However, after the divorce, they no longer argued heatedly or were always at odds. His father had remarried and had a new child with the woman he loved, and his mother's life was peaceful and tranquil—it wasn't a terrible ending. He never considered his parents' divorce a mistake and had long since accepted reality. What disgusted him was their undisguised aversion and hatred towards each other as their marriage neared its end. Even though his mother had suffered betrayal from her husband and had every reason to be angry with him, he still couldn't calmly accept her outburst.
“I’m doing well at work and in life right now, so you don’t need to worry about me.”
Qin Hui said nothing more, but she still couldn't let go of the resentment in her heart. She remembered that when He Yajun went abroad to study, he said he would stay in the United States for a while after graduation to enrich his professional resume before returning to China. But later, he told her that he planned to stay there long-term. When asked about his love life, he confessed that he had never considered marriage. At first, she thought he liked Bai Qing, and that he was heartbroken and unable to face the fact that Bai Qing had fallen in love and married someone else, which led to his decisions. However, based on her later probing and observation, she found that he didn't show any unusual behavior when he met Bai Qing, which didn't seem like he was heartbroken. After thinking it over, she could only conclude that her failed marriage with He Qingyang had affected him.
She had always known that her son was more thoughtful than most children. Whether happy or sad, he always held back and rarely lost control. From studies to work, he always handled everything with ease, never causing her any worry. She used to think that having such a sensible child was her good fortune, but as he spent more and more time away from home, she realized that she understood him less and less. This estrangement left her feeling lost, yet helpless.
She watched him washing dishes in the kitchen, sighing inwardly. She had already experienced the pain of marriage and spent a long time recovering; she absolutely didn't want him to go through that process. Even with examples of happy marriages around her, there was no guarantee his marriage wouldn't end in divorce. Since he was content with his current situation, she would let him be.
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