Chapter 78
Jian Qingyao's voice was low and hoarse, coming from his throat like the creaking of rusty parts, each word squeezed out from between the lines, indistinct and intertwined.
She sat in the chair, her expression somewhat numb, but tears welled up in her eyes like the incessant rain that had been falling for the past few days.
After a while, she raised the back of her hand and rubbed her cheek haphazardly, then rubbed it again, but couldn't wipe it off, so she left it alone and slowly walked in front of Jian Qingyao.
Jian Sheng stared at the white hairs sprouting from Jian Qingyao's head, her slender white knuckles trembling in the air.
Finally, amidst his suppressed pain, she gently put her arm around his shoulder.
Ye Hua's death was a huge blow to both of them, but Jian Qingyao seemed to be able to accept this sudden fact better than her. He took three extra days off, and from the fifth day until three days after the seventh day after her death, he picked up and dropped off Jian Sheng from school every day, ate with her, and helped her with her studies.
Jian Sheng tried her best to cooperate with him, but she couldn't help but shed tears every time she saw his busy figure.
Before leaving, Jian Qingyao told her to make sure she ate, that he would come back often, and that she shouldn't worry too much and should focus on her college entrance exam.
She agreed to everything, wanting to fulfill his wishes, but her body was out of control.
Her numb heart had long been opened by these people, but they all left her side.
She could have just let it go; she could have continued on without a care in the world.
But why is it that just when life seems to be getting a little better, those heart-wrenching things keep happening again?
It was as if God couldn't bear to see her doing well.
Ye Hua's death triggered a series of chain reactions, causing her to think back on everything that had happened in Jeju.
She also dreamed of Jian Zihua repeatedly, as well as Zhou Yilian, who occupied a small part of her life.
The stressful past, the fleeting memories, and in the gaps, the concern Ye Hua had hidden in the smallest details popped into her mind.
Chen Zhoujing was also among those who showed concern.
He's right, she's too easily trapped in her own self-made schemes.
But the things that led to these traps did actually happen, and they robbed her of her last remaining hope.
She could no longer turn a blind eye, no longer ignore it, no longer stand by and watch indifferently.
Once the floodgates of emotion are opened, it seems impossible to stop them, but fortunately, Jian Qingyao's meticulous care helped her calm down for a few days.
After Jian Qingyao left, she felt like a deflated balloon, lacking any motivation to do anything.
In the morning, she would first go to Ye Hua's room for a stroll, touching her clean and tidy bedding, sitting for a while to feel the faint warmth, as if Ye Hua were still beside her.
She observed every corner of the room, her gaze finally settling on the bedside table.
The list she brought back on the day Ye Hua died was still neatly placed on top of it. She had smoothed out the wrinkles on it again and again, but traces of them were still left.
She stared at the list and wept uncontrollably, but no one would ever stand beside her with their hands behind their backs, a stern face, and say, "Why are you crying? What's the use of crying?"
With Ye Hua gone, she didn't even have the energy to cook herself two eggs.
Jian Sheng stood at the kitchen doorway, gazing at Mai Tian, who was sitting in a recliner by the French windows.
Wheatfield whimpered a few times, rubbed against the ground for a while, then ran to her feet, waiting for her to tie it with a leash.
She crouched down and stroked its soft fur with both hands. Wheatfield whimpered softly a few times and snuggled into Jian Sheng's arms.
"Are you feeling bad too?" she said, her voice choked with emotion.
"Hmm?" Jian Sheng led it to the entrance, picked up the dog leash from the woven box Ye Hua had put away in the second compartment, squatted down and put it around its neck. "It's Saturday today, how about I take you for a few more walks?"
As she spoke, she wrapped the rope around her hand an extra time: "Usually when I take you for a walk with Grandma in the morning, you always run around her, and the rope can't hold you back. Be good today, okay?"
When she got downstairs, the sunlight streamed in through the glass doors, and a warm breeze greeted her. She took a breath, stood there for a moment, and then led Maitian around the neighborhood.
Her thoughts were so absorbed that it wasn't until Maitian struggled a few times that she came to her senses.
A car happened to be passing by, so Jian Sheng pulled Mai Tian to stand a little further inside the road. She glanced at Mai Tian, who was looking at her, and gave a slight smile.
"You said... when I first came here, she clearly didn't like me... she actually didn't like me, right? Was she only nice to me because of Jian Qingyao?"
“I remember when she was little, she and her grandfather went back to Jeju for the Lunar New Year, but they only stayed for one day before going back. We didn’t even get to talk to each other.”
“They come back very rarely, I think I’ve only seen them two or three times.”
"Oh, I remember now, it seems like we talked once, when they came back and discussed my junior high school enrollment with Jian Zihua..."
She remained silent for a while.
"Grandpa said that the little girl doesn't need to study a lot. It's enough to finish elementary and junior high school. Then she can just find a good family to marry into."
"Do you know what Jian Zihua said?" Jian Sheng chuckled. "I remember it clearly to this day. He said Zhou Yilian should have another boy. Jian Sheng didn't care; she's still young. In a couple of years, when she grows up, they can just find someone from the next village to hold a banquet. It's close by, and it'll be convenient for them to go back and take care of her when they get old. Unlike Jian Qingyao, who wants to buy a house, a car, and all sorts of jewelry. It's a waste for a girl to study so much; her future in-laws will provide all that."
"I hid in the kitchen next door, quietly listening to their conversation, watching my grandmother and...my mother busy in the kitchen."
"When Grandma was about to leave after dinner, she pulled me into her room and said something to me. She said..." Jian Sheng's lips trembled, and she couldn't say it for a long time.
The wheat field in her hand let out a soft cry, and she sniffed, holding back the tears welling up in her red and moist eyes.
“She said… that education is not gender-specific. She said some things that were not good for you, but just listen to them. You only have one path now: study and get out of school. They won’t let you study, but I will.”
“Read it aloud, and you will understand the meaning of reading.”
“Read it aloud, and some ambiguous things will suddenly become clear at some point.”
“I didn’t understand back then. After they left, the temporary peace in the house returned to its usual chaos, and the scene of the two arguing and fighting every day returned. To be precise, it was Jian Zihua who was unilaterally abusing the family. The topic seemed to always revolve around me… But I remembered what Grandma said…” Jian Sheng paused for a moment, “She was right… Some ambiguous things will suddenly become clear in a certain moment.”
"Not long after that, Zhou Yilian passed away..." she suddenly said after a long pause.
“She said she wanted to bring me over, but Jian Zihua disagreed…” Jian Sheng stopped speaking and glanced at Maitian. “You were quite well-behaved today.”
Wheatfield twisted its body and circled around her a few times. Jian Sheng stopped and watched it circle her, saying, "Sorry, I've forced you to be my emotional dumping ground."
The wheat field continued to circle around her without stopping until it could no longer circle her, at which point it sat down and looked at her.
Jian Sheng blinked her sore eyes: "What's wrong? Are you hungry? I'll get you something to eat when we get back..."
Before she could finish speaking, Wheatfield suddenly barked twice. Jian Sheng frowned and turned around in the direction it was barking.
Zhong Mei, carrying a carton of milk and a large bag of other items, stood not far from her, smiling gently at her.
A hint of surprise flashed across Jian Sheng's pupils. She quickly stepped off the rope that was circling the wheat field, wrapped the rope around her hand several times, and then walked up to Zhong Mei: "Teacher Zhong, what brings you here?"
Zhong Mei took a breath, her shoulders heaving slightly, and the fine lines at the corners of her eyes held an indescribable complexity: "I came to see you."
“At school, I can’t say anything, but after school, I’m just the daughter of your grandma’s friend, and I’ll call your grandma ‘Auntie’.”
She raised her hand and patted Jian Sheng on the shoulder: "I told you I'd give you two days off, but you insisted it was fine."
"I noticed you haven't been doing well these past few days, so I came to check on you."
Jian Sheng lowered her eyes, blinked hard, and then looked up: "Thank you, Teacher Zhong. Please come up and have a seat."
She took the milk and bag from Zhong Mei's hand: "Why did you bring anything with you?"
"The reward for getting first place in the class, I said I would prepare something for you last time, but I was too busy with work and it got delayed."
Jian Sheng led her into the house. On the sofa, Zhong Mei looked at Ye Hua's portrait on the table.
Her eyes gradually welled up with tears. She turned her head away and wiped her eyes with her hand: "Your grandma was a good person."
Jian Sheng had heard this phrase from countless people, and she nodded.
She is indeed a good person.
Zhong Mei sighed: "It's all in the past now, please accept my condolences."
Jian Sheng hummed in agreement and leaned back. Just as she was about to turn her head to one side, she heard Zhong Mei say, "A few days before she left, she was telling me to take good care of you at school. She said that you study until late at night every day at home, and at home she can make sure you eat more. At school, she's afraid that you'll forget to eat when you're studying."
Zhong Mei's voice trembled slightly, her tone filled with regret: "I never expected it to happen so suddenly."
Jian Sheng pursed her lips, trying her best to make her sniffle sound natural, and stood up: "I'll go get you a glass of water."
After saying that, she walked towards the kitchen. She listened to the bubbling sound of the kettle boiling hot, and her pupils gradually dilated as she looked through the light-brightened glass window.
If Zhong Mei hadn't come over in time and pressed the power button, the water would have splashed onto her hands.
"What happened? Let me see." She took her hand and gently blew on the back of it a few times. "Are you alright?"
Jian Sheng looked at her worried eyes, and the gentle touch on her hand made his nose sting and tears welled up in his eyes.
The emotions that had been building up over the past few days suddenly surged up at this moment. Zhong Mei pulled her close with heartache and hugged her.
It took quite a while for Jian Sheng's crying to stop.
Once she calmed down, Zhong Mei pulled her to sit down in the living room: "Teacher knows you've been feeling down lately."
"Because of that brat's affair, and also because your grandmother passed away."
“I won’t talk about him, but your grandmother’s passing was a huge blow.” She paused. “Looking ahead, your grandmother must also want her eldest granddaughter to have a better life.”
Zhong Mei stayed with her for a while, then drove her to the art studio. When Jian Sheng came out, she found her waiting for her on the sofa by the door. Zhong Mei personally took her back and cooked her a meal before going home.
She spent the entire weekend holed up in her small room, quietly waiting for time to pass, each minute and second seeming like torture.
I wanted to pick up a pen, but I had no strength left; the fierce motivation I had been having to move towards my goal vanished instantly.
It's the same in class, and I don't want to participate in extracurricular activities either.
Lin You knew something was wrong with her, so he didn't say anything in her ear, but just stayed quietly beside her.
But her condition was really bad, so bad that almost everyone in the class could see it.
Lin You looked away, took a bottle of milk from her pocket, and prepared to get up.
On one side, Zheng Nian tugged at her sleeve, and she glanced sideways.
"Because of her grandmother's matter?" Zheng Nian took her hand out of her pocket, opened her clenched fist in front of her, "This is for her."
Lin You smiled and asked, "Want to go together?"
She withdrew her hand: "Ah... I'm sorry."
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. She’s not that aloof.” Lin You took her arm and led her to Jian Sheng’s side.
Jian Sheng had just finished writing a problem when she noticed two people standing in front of her. She looked up.
Lin You placed the milk on her desk: "Want to take a break during activity class?"
She nudged Zheng Nian's shoulder, and Zheng Nian, realizing what she was doing, quickly placed the candy in her hand on her desk: "Eating something sweet will make you happier."
Jian Sheng twitched his eyebrows a few times, then ran his index finger across his cheek: "Thank you."
"It's alright, it's alright." Zheng Nian pinched the hem of her clothes and hesitated before saying, "Please accept my condolences."
Just as she finished speaking, two people entered from the back of the classroom.
Xu Xiaxia, holding the cup in her hand, was the first to walk over: "What are you doing?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
