Chapter 19 Bitter Summer (First Update) The Only Way to Contact...
August 7th is the beginning of autumn. According to Grandpa Shen's rules, Shen Qingli has to go home for a while.
Before Shen's parents arrived home, she got up early, took the cookies she had learned to make with her grandmother the night before from the kitchen, and made a special trip to Xia Qing's house.
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She knocked on his door, and after a while, Xia Qing came downstairs, opened the door sleepily, and was somewhat surprised to see her.
A slight look of surprise crossed his face, then he quickly glanced down at his clothes, subconsciously tidied his messy hair, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Why are you here? Didn't your grandma say yesterday that you were going back to the city to stay today?"
"Oh right, but they haven't arrived yet. Here, these are cookies I baked myself. Give them to you and Aunt Xia to try." Seeing his expression, she subconsciously followed his movements, glanced at her own clothes, and only after seeing that there was nothing wrong did she raise her head and smile gently. Then, while handing him the things in her hand, she said, "Oh, and your workbook too. I took it back yesterday, so I'm returning it to you today."
"Okay." He took the things with both hands, looking at the deformed cookies. If he hadn't seen Shen Qingli bring them over before, he probably wouldn't have recognized their shape.
Thinking of this, a smile appeared in Xia Qing's eyes. She glanced at the notebook in her hand, then asked as if she had just remembered something, "By the way, didn't you say yesterday that you still didn't quite understand the solutions to a few questions? Do you understand them now?"
When she heard this, she didn't expect the other person to remember, and her tone became a little hesitant: "Oh... actually not yet, but I probably won't be back for several more days, so I thought I'd give you the workbook first, so you won't have trouble finding it when you need it."
"No need. I have another workbook with similar problems. Since you haven't figured them out yet, you can take it back and review it during this break."
He handed the workbook back to her and continued, "You can return it to me next time you come back."
Hearing him say that, Shen Qingli stopped refusing. She nodded and gratefully accepted it, saying, "Okay, thank you then."
"It's nothing." He shook his head, but didn't dare to look at her. Instead, he kept staring at the misshapen bear-shaped cookies on the plate in his hand, as if he was struggling with something.
Shen Qingli found him a little strange, but didn't think much of it. She finished her work, said goodbye to Xia Qing, and was about to leave.
When she turned to leave, the person who had been hesitating earlier no longer had time to think about it.
He forced himself to call out to her, afraid she would really leave: "Oh, right... and that..."
"What's wrong?" She stopped and looked at him, puzzled.
"Oh, well... it's nothing, it's just that... if you have any questions about the problems while you're back, you can call this number to ask me."
After saying that, he steadily held the plate of cookies in one hand, and with his other hand, he took out a piece of paper with a phone number written on it from his pajama pocket and handed it to her somewhat embarrassedly.
Shen Qingli looked at his actions with some surprise and said, "Why do you still keep your phone number in your pocket?"
"Um... I was afraid I'd forget to write it down and take it out... I just remembered it today." As he spoke, his tone became slightly stammering, which was quite unlike his usual self: "Didn't you ask me before if I had a phone number? This, this is it."
"Okay." She looked at his awkward expression and couldn't help but chuckle softly. But she didn't intend to tease him at this moment, so she took the note and said solemnly, "Then... if I have any questions I don't know how to answer, I'll call you. If I call, you must answer."
"Okay. I'll wait for you." He nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips, looking like he was in a good mood.
...
After saying goodbye to Xia Qing, she left with light steps. The passing wind gently lifted the hem of her skirt, and the wind whistled in her ears. She clutched the note tightly in her hand, feeling a secret joy in her heart.
In the summer breeze, she could clearly hear the rapid beating of her own heart.
-
Her skirt had no pockets, so she carefully tucked the note into the exercise book in front of her, then clutched it tightly to her chest, as if afraid of losing it.
Unlike Xia Qing, she didn't have her own cell phone, so she could only borrow the phone from her family home in the city. However, in that home, her every move was closely observed by Shen's mother, so even when making a phone call at home, she had to get Shen's mother's permission in advance unless it was absolutely necessary.
Even so, she was still very happy to get Xia Qing's phone number.
Back in elementary school, she watched her female classmate and her best friend exchange home landline numbers, pretending to be perfectly in cahoots as they plotted what to do if their parents answered the phone, and how they would secretly call each other.
Back then, Shen Qingli looked at them with a sense of wonder and envy. Now, she thinks she feels the same way they did back then. She has it too, only the joy came a little later.
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However, as she stepped into her home with this joy, she saw her parents' car right at the door.
As she entered the living room, she saw her parents and grandparents sitting there, their faces grave. Her smile vanished abruptly.
Shen Qingli went over and called out to her grandmother, then quietly asked what had happened. After listening to her grandmother's words, she learned that Shen Qingyun's follow-up examination results had come out, but the doctor said it might not be good.
From childhood to adulthood, whenever Shen Qingyun fell ill, it was a major event for the family. Beneath the surface, the anxiety and unease of Shen's parents permeated the old house, making the already quiet atmosphere even more somber.
Upon hearing this sudden bad news, her initial joy vanished as if doused with cold water.
Although she and Shen Qingyun weren't particularly close, she still considered her her own older sister. Thinking of Shen Qingyun's usually weak complexion, she also looked nervous and uneasy.
After several discussions among the adults, Grandpa Shen and Grandma Shen decided to go back to the city with them. Because they did not know the specific situation and needed to conduct further investigations, they were afraid that Shen Qingyun might suddenly fall ill like she did more than ten years ago. Going together would be more helpful if there were more people.
In a flurry of activity, she hurriedly followed them back to her home in the city, and then immediately went to the hospital.
The whole family was anxious about Shen Qingyun's health, and there was nothing she could do but stay in the ward to keep her company. Her family was also worried about leaving her alone at home, so she spent more time in the hospital than at home these days.
They queued up to get a number and saw a specialist, and underwent all sorts of full-body examinations again. They were busy for several weeks, but fortunately, it turned out to be a false alarm, and no problems arose that they had worried about.
On the day Shen Qingyun was discharged from the hospital, a cold wind blew outside the door, stirring up the fallen leaves on the ground. Shen Qingli looked at the clear blue sky and realized that the days she had spent working hard with her family had passed by quickly.
Before she knew it, her summer vacation was about to come to a quiet end amidst this unexpected event.
After Shen Qingyun was alright, Grandpa Shen and Grandma Shen planned to return to the countryside immediately. Shen Qingli spoke up, wanting to go back with them because she had promised Xia Qing something.
Upon hearing this, Grandma Shen suddenly exclaimed in surprise, as she remembered something she had forgotten a while ago.
After Shen Qingyun's re-examination results came back and there might be problems, her whole family was extremely anxious. Shen Qingli had originally told them to call Xia Lin to tell her about their situation, and she had agreed, but she got busy and completely forgot.
Knowing that her grandmother hadn't called Xia Lin, she became worried and eager to go back with them as soon as possible.
At this moment, Shen's mother stood to the side, supporting Shen Qingyun and disapprovingly interjecting, "School is about to start, what's the point of going back? You're always thinking about going to other people's houses. You should stay home and keep your sister company these next few days."
Her words silently accused Shen Qingli of being immature, and at this moment, Shen's father chimed in, "Yes, just have your grandparents go back and talk to them about the tutoring."
“Yes, Xiaoli, school starts in a few days, so you don’t need to come back and forth with us anymore.” Grandpa Shen nodded in agreement with his parents’ suggestion.
"But……"
Shen Qingli wanted to argue, but found that no one was listening to her anymore. The adults had once again made the final decision and arranged everything.
She was forced to stay in the city with Shen Qingyun.
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After seeing her grandparents off and returning home, she finally felt exhausted. It seemed like this had always been the case since she was a child. All the trajectories of her life had changed repeatedly because of Shen Qingyun. Because of her illness, the promise that her mother had made to leave her at her grandparents' house for a few days had suddenly turned into a permanent stay. They had promised to come back for her, but they hadn't. And just when she had finally gotten used to life in the countryside, she was forced to go to another high school because her sister was at Suzhou No. 1 High School.
Now, she's about to become the one taking care of her older sister at school.
She knew she shouldn't blame Shen Qingyun, after all, this wasn't what she wanted, but she really couldn't help but start to hate this kind of life.
After returning home, she looked unwell. She opened her bedroom door and sat down. Not long after, Shen Qingyun came over, knocked on the half-open door, and softly called her, "Ali."
Hearing the voice, she wearily raised her head and asked what was wrong.
Shen Qingyun noticed her unusual mood, walked over, and apologized as she stood beside her: "I'm sorry, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been delayed from going back to your hometown."
During these days, she could sense that Shen Qingli was only truly happy in the days leading up to her return to her grandparents' house. In this home, she was always melancholy and reserved in everything she did.
She was sometimes frustrated because, as the older sister, she couldn't get closer to her. At home, although she seemed to be the apple of her parents' eye, she still had no say in many things.
"I'm sorry, Ali. I'm the older sister, but you always have to accommodate me. I'm really sorry."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but lower her head. Because of a slight discrepancy in her test results, her whole family had been running around for her, and even her elderly grandparents were still worrying about her. Thinking of this, Shen Qingyun's eyes stung, and her voice was clearly choked with emotion: "So, I want to apologize to you. If you're angry, you can take it out on me, but please don't hold it in and not say anything, okay?"
"..."
Hearing her words, Shen Qingli looked down at the pale-faced woman in front of her and was momentarily speechless.
She couldn't bring herself to say anything blaming, nor could she truly say that she had no temper at all. Regardless of her emotions, she felt that she had gone too far and was too hypocritical.
Thinking about it, she sighed and could only silently look away from Shen Qingyun, not knowing what to say for a moment.
But when her gaze landed on a certain spot on the desk, she suddenly stood up.
She walked quickly to the desk and found that the exercise book that she had previously hidden at the bottom of her schoolbag had been found out and was now being displayed prominently in front of her.
Upon seeing the name on the cover, her pupils constricted sharply, and a sense of unease surged into her heart. At that moment, she couldn't care less about anything else. Her hands moved quickly as she searched for the note that had been tucked inside. But page after page, until she reached the last page of the workbook, she still couldn't find what she was looking for.
She seemed to realize something quickly, and closed her eyes in despair.
Shen Qingyun sat to the side, watching her hurried movements, and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
But Shen Qingli didn't have time to answer her. She put down what she was holding, rushed out of the room, found her mother sitting in the living room, and asked, her voice unconsciously getting louder: "Mom, did you touch the things in my schoolbag?"
This statement appears to be a question, but it is actually a statement of fact.
As expected, Chen's mother nodded nonchalantly, not even lifting her eyelids when she heard her question: "Yes, I saw that your schoolbag was dirty, so I took everything out of it and washed it for you. What's wrong?"
What's wrong...? Hearing her matter-of-fact words, and not feeling that there was anything wrong with her rummaging through her things without permission, Shen Qingli felt a lump in her throat for the first time, and couldn't utter a word of anger.
She looked at her mother, who was still intently watching the TV in front of her. After a long while, she lowered her eyes, said dejectedly and helplessly, "It's nothing," and went back to the bedroom.
Shen Qingyun followed behind her, seeing her dejected appearance. Although she didn't understand what was wrong, she still cared about her with concern.
Shen Qingli took a deep breath, trying her best to appear calm. After hastily saying that she was fine, she sadly closed her bedroom door.
Now she was all alone in the room. She started searching everywhere, looking in every corner of the bedroom, but still found nothing.
She knew the item was definitely lost. If she was lucky, it might have fallen into some corner of the house; if she wasn't, the note might have been soaked and washed away by the water.
It's gone forever. This thought welled up in Shen Qingli's mind.
She began to feel remorse and blame herself.
We shouldn't have taken any chances; we should have locked everything in the hidden compartment.
She originally planned to call Xia Qing when she and Shen Qingyun were alone at home, which is why she didn't hide the things in the closet.
But upon returning to the city, a sudden barrage of problems and busyness left her with no time to spare. Her feelings for Shen Qingyun were also complicated, but as her closest sister, she couldn't help but care without any expression. She was also worried about her, and seeing her thin face made her heart ache.
Now that everything has settled down, she can finally breathe a sigh of relief like everyone else, only to find that she seems to have made a mistake again.
Xia Qing didn't know why he wasn't going back. In her overwhelming joy, she lost the only way he had ever given her to contact him.
She sat on her bed, feeling lost. She had been searching for so long that her back was covered in sweat, making her feel even worse.
She couldn't help but wonder if, in Xia Qing's eyes, she had become someone who broke her promise.
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Author's Note: The angst is about to start! TvT
There will be three updates today, with extra updates at 18:00 and 21:00 respectively.
Unexpectedly, this is a busy time of year. Some things at home have been giving me a real headache lately. Goodbye to bad moods! [waving]
I've been revising these chapters non-stop, and I'm still not quite satisfied. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, and if I feel something's not quite right, I keep revising it, so I had to stop for a few days (please!). Sorry I'm late, everyone please wait for me!!!
I'll add more later if I have the chance.
This is my second novel to go VIP chapter. Thank you all for your understanding and support. I will try my best to update more often!
By the way, I'd like to check out my next post, "Spring Days Don't Reply," a sad love story (ex-boyfriend/girlfriend relationship) that I'm currently writing for my column. TvT [fireworks]
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