Chapter 116 Ideological Disagreement
"Huh?" Xu Songning couldn't help but smile, her eyes narrowing. Hearing his words, she felt reassured. "Brother Yun, how long have you known me? Why do you trust me so much?"
"Do you need his help?" Xiang Yun asked. He didn't need Xu Songning's answer and continued, "Commanding an aircraft relies on personal ability. Your mentor's help is very important, but ultimately, getting a permanent position depends on your own professional ability, right? Even if your mentor is the director of the air traffic control bureau, he can't give you preferential treatment."
Xu Songning never wanted to dwell on this matter because she felt she couldn't reason with outsiders. She could say whatever she wanted about her, but she was too lazy to explain herself in this particular case.
Faced with Xiang Yun's unconditional trust, she couldn't help but say one more thing.
"Actually, if it weren't for what happened back then, I would still respect my master very much. But some things just happened, and I can't continue to maintain this hypocritical relationship. I'd rather be called an ingrate by my colleagues than deal with him anymore."
Xiang Yun didn't press her to find out what it was about. Since Xu Songning was unwilling to talk about it, he wouldn't pry and left her some room to maneuver.
But he couldn't help but wonder what exactly happened back then that could have caused the relationship between the master and disciple to fall apart.
Is it something serious?
He added, "If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to."
Xu Songning didn't know how to define whether it was a serious matter or not; she could only say that those things were very important to her, they were her firm beliefs, and they were what she had always insisted on.
"Is a difference in ideology considered serious?"
If someone else had heard her say that, they might have retorted, "What does it matter if you disagree? He's your mentor. A teacher for a day is a father for life. Young people should listen to the advice of their elders."
But Xiang Yun wasn't that kind of person, which is why Xu Songning dared to tell him these words.
Xiang Yun looked at her focused profile. "It's serious."
"Is...is that so?" Xu Songning stammered a little, feeling rather embarrassed at the sudden recognition.
"No matter what kind of relationship it is, if you don't share the same ideas and can't reach a consensus, it means that the clashes will intensify, the conflicts will escalate, and it's normal to not be able to get along or work together. You don't need to feel guilty."
Xiang Yun's words struck a chord with her.
Guilt, yes, she felt a pang of guilt towards her master.
But she never dared to admit it, as if admitting this slight guilt would mean that her colleagues were right to call her an ingrate, and that she was wrong to stick to her beliefs.
But Xiang Yun said she didn't need to feel guilty, saying it was all normal.
The knot in her heart that had been tangled for nearly a year seemed to have been untied a little; she had found the end of the yarn and could gently tug at it, pulling out a piece of yarn.
"Thank you, Brother Yun."
Xu Songning was sincerely grateful for his words of comfort.
After the two said goodbye, Xu Songning sat on the balcony, lit a cigarette, but didn't smoke it. She just held it between her fingers and flipped through the photo album with her head down.
In the photo album, three people are standing in front of the airport's floor-to-ceiling window, smiling happily at the camera, with a plane taxiing behind them.
Xu Songning stood to the left of his master in his uniform, while a tall man stood to the right of his master. The man was wearing a short-sleeved uniform with gleaming three-stripe epaulets.
The photo only captures the man's profile. Through the lens, you can see that the man's gaze is focused on Xu Songning, and she is aware of this gaze, smiling slightly as she looks at the camera.
The only serious person was her master, with his hands behind his back, a cold expression, and sharp eyes staring intently at the camera.
This is the only group photo she has, and she couldn't bear to throw it away, so she kept it in the album.
She had no idea where this photo album was, but when her mother came back, she went through all the old things and found it.
The photos were put back into the album. Xu Songning stood barefoot on the stool, pushed the album back into the high storage cabinet, and closed the cabinet door.
The past cannot be retrieved, and real life always moves forward at a breakneck pace.
When she finished her busy shift and had a break, Ms. Xu took her to do square dancing.
After finishing the meal, Xu Songning washed the dishes and tidied the table before going out with her mother.
There is an open park near the community, and there is an open space in the park that has been put to use for square dancing.
Middle-aged women took the initiative to form a group, with a leader taking the lead in dancing. They would bring a small speaker over every day and dance promptly at eight o'clock.
Ms. Xu was an avid square dancer before going abroad. She danced with them. Although people came and went in this small group, there were always a few veterans who knew each other.
When they saw Ms. Xu coming over, they greeted her warmly, "You're here? We saved you a seat, hurry up."
The sharp-eyed woman in red immediately spotted Xu Songning hiding behind Ms. Xu. "Oh my, Enxia's beautiful daughter is here!"
Xu Songning couldn't dodge in time and was pulled out by Ms. Xu to show off. Ms. Xu laughed so hard that her eyebrows flew up, "Isn't that right? My daughter looks just like me when I was young."
"I'm already 28 years old and still don't have a boyfriend."
"Oh, do you have any suitable blind date candidates in your family? You can introduce them to your children. It's good to have more friends and more options."
Ms. Xu smiled and dealt with her dance partners, while Xu Songning wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground. Every time the aunties caught her, she couldn't escape their questioning.
"Oh dear, what does Xiao Xu do for a living again? I've forgotten again," the aunt in the red dress asked kindly.
Xu Songning maintained his smile, "Air traffic controller, the one who directs the aircraft."
The woman in the red dress laughed heartily, "Yes, yes, just like Enxia. I forgot again. As people get older, their memory doesn't get as good."
"It's alright if you can't remember everything, it's good enough if you can at least remember the dance steps. How was the dance you learned last time? Can you still dance it?" Ms. Xu said with a smile.
Xu Songning took a closer look at the woman in the red dress. She looked a few years older than her mother, but her mental state was not as good as other middle-aged and elderly people. Her hair was white, and even though it was combed neatly, some white hairs were still showing.
Looking at Ms. Xu again, she was well-maintained, with a constant smile on her face, though her nasolabial folds were somewhat deep. Her hair was thick and black, but upon closer inspection, a few gray hairs were visible at the ends.
Time has flowed through my mother's hair, leaving behind its unforgiving marks.
"I remember that very well. I practiced dancing at home every day, and my daughter-in-law even bought me a monitor to show the videos," the woman in the red dress said proudly.
She was then pushed into the center of the crowd by others, and the aunties scattered around the square formed a queue.
Ms. Xu looked back at her daughter and sighed softly, "This aunt has Alzheimer's disease. She often forgets things, and sometimes she even forgets her own name."
"Then she should come out and dance..."
“Look, someone’s with me.” Ms. Xu gestured with her lips.
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