Chapter 8
Grandma's condition stabilized temporarily. After the specialist reviewed her, a more detailed examination was scheduled for the next day. Su Rui stayed by her bedside, awake all night, until dawn, when Grandma's breathing became steady and long. Only then did he dare to relax a little, fatigue and sleepiness washing over him.
Just when his eyelids were drooping and he was about to collapse, the screen of his mobile phone suddenly lit up, and it was a new message.
The content was just two concise words: "How?"
Su Rui's heart skipped a beat, and her sleepiness was instantly dispelled.
He held the phone, his fingertips slightly cold from nervousness, and replied carefully: "Grandma is temporarily stable. Thank you for your money and help. The specialist has seen her and said they will do a detailed examination today. Thank you very much."
He chose his words carefully, wanting to express gratitude but not seeming to be too long-winded and annoying.
After the message was sent, it fell into oblivion and there was no response.
This expected silence actually made Su Rui breathe a sigh of relief. He held the phone in his hand, but his thoughts involuntarily drifted back to an earlier time...
In fact, Ling Yao had noticed Su Rui long before the candy in the fire escape.
My first clear memory was during a gym class in my freshman year of high school. The sun was blazing, and the basketball court was a frenzy. Ling Yao had just completed a beautiful three-pointer, drawing cheers from the sidelines. He habitually raised his chin, sweat dripping down his jawline, revealing the youthful exuberance and arrogance that is so characteristic of youth.
Just then, he saw the cafeteria worker who always kept his head down and wore a worn school uniform, carrying a box of mineral water, moving slowly to the edge of the court against the light to deliver the water.
The sun was so strong that it cast a furry golden rim around the man. He squinted slightly, his hair damp with sweat, sticking to his fair forehead, and the tip of his nose tilted up in a subtle, soft arc.
It was like a little fox that had strayed into a human playground, a little confused and cautious, exactly like the little fox plush toy that Ling Yao always held in his arms to sleep when he was a child.
Ling Yao's heart skipped a beat without warning. Even when his teammates called on him to pass the ball, he was half a beat late.
Su Rui put down the water and didn't stay a moment longer. She immediately turned around and walked away quickly with her head lowered. As she passed Ling Yao, she brought with her a very light breeze, mixed with a very clean and light soapberry fragrance.
It was completely different from the sweat on the court and the perfume around me. It was like a bar of ordinary Safeguard soap, which, after being exposed to the sun, exuded a quiet and comfortable scent.
Ling Yao stood there, watching the thin figure disappear towards the cafeteria, and subconsciously took a deep breath. The clean scent of soapberry, mixed with the scorching air, inexplicably penetrated his heart, leaving a very faint mark.
From then on, he would subconsciously look for that figure in the crowd, watching him walk behind the cafeteria window with his head lowered, watching him staggering with a heavy basket, watching his quiet profile as he occasionally sat in the most secluded corner of the library reading.
He found it interesting, like discovering a quiet and fragile little thing that was completely different from everyone and everything around him.
So, that day in the fire escape, when he saw the "little fox" huddled in the corner, its shoulders twitching and making suppressed, animal-like whimpers, he inexplicably felt irritated.
It was so noisy. An eyesore. But after I walked past it, the clean scent of soapberry lingered in my nose again, mixed with the salty taste of tears.
He sighed, turned back in confusion, and threw away the wrapper and the candy as if possessed by a ghost.
Looking at him panicking and raising his tearful eyes, he really did look like a frightened little animal. A little... pitiful, and a little... indescribably cute.
Helping him was an almost instinctive impulse, a way to mark and comfort something that belonged to me, just like when you see a kitten caught in the rain on the side of the road, you will casually build it a simple nest.
But this kind of interest was definitely not enough to make him pay the price of "shame" for it. He, Ling Yao, could give a little warmth as he pleased, but he could never get entangled in such things and become a laughing stock among his friends.
Therefore, warnings are necessary. Boundaries are drawn.
Just like when his grandmother fell ill this time, he helped out out of an inexplicable possessiveness and a sense of reluctance—his little fox couldn't really be pushed into a desperate situation. But that didn't mean he would personally go there and get stained with the smell of disinfectant and the trouble.
It's most appropriate to let Sister Yang handle this. Any problem that can be solved with money and resources isn't a problem.
It can not only calm the inexplicable restlessness, but also remove oneself from it cleanly.
Ling Yao put down the screen and did not turn on his phone again. He lay on the bed and continued to sleep for a while, as if he had just dealt with a trivial matter.
He subconsciously sniffed the air.
I can still smell the clean and quiet scent of soapberries.
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