Chapter 47
Chen Tingzhe and Lu Jiyu took a short rest at the service area and then drove back onto the highway.
Regarding this self-driving trip, Chen Wenshan mentioned it several times before her death. She wanted to take Lu Jiyu on a self-driving tour along the Qinghai-Gansu Ring Road when he became an adult.
Later, this wish became Chen Tingzhe's obsession.
"You were so hesitant on the phone before, I thought you were going to stand me up." Chen Tingzhe didn't ask Lu Jiyu about what happened just now. It was only natural for a guy like him to be sought after.
"Yeah." As the car passed through a Gobi desert, Lu Jiyu lowered the window, raised his camera, and took a few photos of the scenery. Chen Tingzhe saw this and slowed down the car appropriately.
Speaking of this, Lu Jiyu did think about postponing the trip because Zhou Zifang mentioned to him that Jiang Wan and the others were planning to go to Xinjiang by car.
Lu Jiyu was not very familiar with Xinjiang, but after all, he had lived there for a period of time, so he was familiar with it compared to others.
He had thought about freeing up time, but that was all he thought at the time.
Lu Jiyu changed the memory card, which only contained the photos Lu Jiyu had taken in Japan before.
"I had something to do at that time." He didn't intend to explain and just said it casually.
Chen Tingzhe didn't ask any further questions and changed the subject.
"Is that the painting in your suitcase your mother's?"
He didn't ask where it came from, but Lu Jiyu's heart was moved by the question. He raised his eyelids and looked at the magnificent yet repetitive scenery outside the window with some boredom.
Although the trip was planned, Lu Jiyu had booked the flight to the northwest on the spur of the moment. His luggage was simple, similar to his previous trips, with the only difference being the painting.
"Have you seen my suitcase?"
"You're wrapped up so tightly and you still blame me for being curious?"
"If you came here specifically to torture me, why don't we wait until we get to the next hotel and then go our separate ways." Lu Jiyu smiled carelessly.
"Don't worry, I'm not as free as the old lady." Chen Tingzhe lowered his voice: "Before school starts in September, see when you can find time to visit the capital."
Lu Jiyu's phone vibrated with a new message.
It's Shan Ming's.
Bird calls: What do you want from me? I'm at the airport, about to go abroad for training.
Lu Jiyu, still clutching a bottle of mineral water in one hand, typed with his head bowed. The exceptionally dry northwest sunlight shone through the glass, swaying and falling on the part of his neck exposed outside the collar of his jacket. The hair above his neck was faintly haloed.
Chen Tingzhe hadn't finished speaking yet.
Lu Jiyu was replying to messages while waiting.
gazer: How is the friend I introduced to you last time doing in her studies?
After clicking send, Lu Jiyu touched his sunburned neck with his backhand, tilted his head back, took a deep breath, and sent another message.
gazer: I'll treat you to dinner when I come back.
As soon as the second message was sent, Shan Ming suddenly sent a photo.
Lu Jiyu was not prepared and was caught off guard by the pair of distinct black and white eyes in the photo.
It was still the photo in her circle of friends of hers in a black snow suit, but without snow goggles. Her round eyes curved into crescents, and her calm and self-possessed demeanor added a bit of sincere smile.
Bird Calling: She learned it well, but she is a very interesting person.
gazer:
Shan Ming sent a "hahaha" emoticon.
Bird calls: If it weren’t for you, Mr. Lu, who took action first, many people would be eager to try their hand at her.
Lu Jiyu's heart moved.
gazer: Who told you that?
Birdsong: Who needs to be told this? In all the time we've known each other, when have we ever seen you so devoted to a girl? Congratulations.
Lu Jiyu had nothing else to say, so he could only send an OK gesture and hastily end the chat. Only then did he remember Chen Tingzhe, who had left him aside for a while.
"Why are you going back to the capital? Chen Xuyang's birthday isn't even here yet."
Chen Tingzhe said bluntly: "My family wants to hold a graduation banquet for you."
"Of course, that's not the point. The point is that the family wants to get together. You know your grandfather. The old man fell ill a few years ago, and his health is not as good as before."
The golden, scorching sun hung low over the desert, almost falling on the horizon. The vast earth took on a withered look in the gradually deepening night.
The car sped northwest, heading towards the setting sun.
Lu Jiyu was silent for a moment: "I understand."
On the last day of his trip to the northwest, Lu Jiyu had a terrible fever.
The worst part was, Chen Tingzhe was still giving him some encouraging comments: "I didn't expect you to make it to the last day. Your physical fitness isn't much worse than mine."
Just saying things that make people want to die.
Chen Tingzhe, who had just finished driving for seven hours, patted Lu Jiyu, who had just picked up medicine from the local health center, with great energy.
There were no other sightseeing plans that day. Chen Tingzhe sent Lu Jiyu back to the hotel to rest, and then met up with some local comrades.
Lu Jiyu returned to the hotel, took his medicine, and slept for two hours. He woke at noon. The curtains were tightly drawn, not letting in any light. He lay in bed, staring at the pale ceiling for a few seconds before regaining his sense of space and time.
I was sweating and felt sticky and a bit uncomfortable.
He wanted to take a shower, but then he remembered what Chen Tingzhe had told him before he left.
——Don’t take a shower, just bear with it.
Lu Jiyu rubbed his hair and lay back on the bed in despair.
He picked up his phone and habitually clicked on the few videos that Dan Ming had sent him before.
The girl, wearing the resort's uniform, moved with a somewhat choppy yet inexplicably determined manner, scrambling over and over again on the artificial snow track.
The three videos were released over three days.
Shan Ming’s evaluation of her was very pertinent: This girl is not very talented, but she works very hard.
But do you know why she skis?
Jason said she seemed to have made a bet with someone, saying that she had to learn how to change blades within a week.
To be honest, you're not the one on the other side of this bet, are you?
Lu Jiyu never replied to the message. He swallowed hard, his throat aching as if a branding iron had rolled over it, nearly smoking. He rubbed his ears, which were ringing with pain, and lay back on the bed, trying to clear his mind.
The soundproofing of the hotel room was not very good. A group of people passed by the door in a lively manner. Judging from the sound, they should be a middle-aged couple with two lively children.
Lu Jiyu thought of what Zhou Zifang had said before: if his mother were still alive, he would definitely be a mama's boy.
He is actually quite greedy. He not only wants to be a mama's boy, but also a dad's boy.
But this is just something to think about.
When people are sick, they are often overwhelmed by a whirlwind of emotions. Lu Jiyu dressed and got out of bed. The painting he had brought with him remained untouched in his suitcase. He hadn't had any other thoughts at the time; he had simply picked it up on impulse.
Lu Jiyu squatted down and took out the painting from his black suitcase.
The overly bright golden color is filled with an eternal, unyielding and grand vitality.
He had never really looked at the painting properly, and all sorts of emotions were condensed in it. Whenever Lu Jiyu thought of the painting, he would think of Jiang Wan, and he would be furious. No matter who had schemed or deceived him before, Lu Jiyu just treated it as a setback. After picking himself up swiftly, he smiled and thought it was a lesson learned, then turned around and rushed to the next step.
But when it comes to Jiang Wan, things seem to become complicated.
Jiang Wan is neither her nor him. Lu Jiyu always has a premonition that he will suffer a big loss because of her.
Lu Jiyu supported himself on the end of the bed and stood up with some difficulty. He picked up the painting and placed it on the coffee table by the window. Then he picked up the camera from the table, found the angle and light, and casually pressed the shutter button of the scenery outside the window, which was a kind of commemoration of his visit.
He looked down at the photo on the camera screen and suddenly said to himself, "Mom, what do you think of her?"
In the silence of the room, no one answered him.
Lu Jiyu wanted to ask again, but held back.
The return flight is at 3pm tomorrow.
Lu Jiyu's symptoms had eased a lot in the evening. When Chen Tingzhe came back from outside, exhausted, he was sitting at the table editing pictures.
"How are you? Is the fever gone? Does your throat still hurt?"
Lu Jiyu only lit the single lamp in front of his desk, half submerged in shadow. When Chen Tingzhe spoke to him, he simply uttered a nonchalant "hmm," his fingers never moving as he gripped the mouse.
"Why don't you turn on the lights?" Chen Tingzhe said as he found the switch and turned on all the lights in the room with one click.
"Environmental protection." He took off his rimless glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Didn't you claim to be an environmentalist when you were buying toiletries from the hotel? I'm trying to learn from you."
When Chen Tingzhe saw that he was chatting with others again, he knew that he was almost well.
"You haven't had dinner yet?"
"Put on your coat and I'll go downstairs and take you to have a barbecue."
Lu Jiyu didn't want to move at all: "You let someone who just recovered from a high fever eat barbecue with you? Chen Tingzhe, you are really something."
Although he said he didn't want to, Lu Jiyu still went with the others in the end. It was definitely not because he really wanted to eat barbecue, but he just felt a little bored after staying in the hotel for a whole day.
The barbecue restaurant was just two blocks away from the hotel, and it only took them five minutes to walk there.
The wind was a bit strong that night, and Lu Jiyu's head began to ache again. Chen Tingzhe walked in front, and the faint smell of alcohol on him was blown away. Lu Jiyu walked in the flickering light and took a look at the man in front of him. He had a face that looked more like his mother than he did.
"I went to meet some comrades today, and your Uncle Yu was there too." Chen Tingzhe suddenly stopped and turned to look at Lu Jiyu.
"Uncle Yu, do you remember? He was your father's subordinate. He held you in his arms when you were a child."
Lu Jiyu didn't respond this time, and he didn't even bother to give a perfunctory "hmm".
Chen Tingzhe gave him a knowing look and said, "Are you still blaming your father? I know he could have chosen not to go on that mission. The organization also tried to persuade him, but—"
But no one knows what Lu Mingyan was thinking at the time.
Lu Jiyu then spoke in a low voice: "There's nothing to be resentful about. It's just a personal choice."
There were some things Lu Jiyu didn't understand when he was young, but when he finally grew up and could decide and choose his own future, he understood that sometimes people have to give up some things in order to pursue their dreams, and these things naturally include the option of family.
The barbecue restaurant business is pretty good.
The two found an empty table outside and sat down.
Lu Jiyu listened to Chen Tingzhe taking his order with the waiter while he intermittently checked the WeChat messages on his phone. Shan Ming usually sent him a video at 4 p.m. every day, but now it was 7 p.m. and still no news.
He hesitated for a few seconds, but still sent a question mark.
No surprise, the person didn't come back.
Lu Jiyu knew that his training life was very stressful, so he didn't think much about it. He turned off his phone and listened to Chen Tingzhe talking to him.
"Mom came back this time and told us about your thoughts, so have you decided to study aerospace?" Chen Tingzhe mentioned this matter seemingly casually.
"I can't learn anything else." Lu Jiyu took a sip of the ice beer brought by the waiter. After feeling the cold, he grinned and sighed, looking at Chen Tingzhe sincerely: "Actually, I don't want to go down this path either."
Chen Tingzhe smiled and said, "You sound like someone is forcing you."
Lu Jiyu also followed suit, tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Why is there no one? Lu Mingyan asks me every few days in his dreams. When I was five, he took me to visit the launch center and forced me to do this job."
"If he were still alive and well, I would probably still fight him. But he's gone now, what else can I do?"
Although he said it helplessly, it sounded like he had the original intention.
Chen Tingzhe patted his shoulder and said solemnly, "This road is not easy to walk, but if you want to walk it, I know you will go far and well."
Finally, he added, "Everyone in the family respects your opinion, but as for your aunt, do you want to speak to her yourself, or should we do it?"
Lu Jiyu interrupted him: "Lu Lin, let me talk about this."
Chen Tingzhe stared at him intently, his eyes, which had been dark just now, finally showing some relief. "Why are you always looking at your phone? Are you waiting for a message from your girlfriend?"
Girlfriend, these three words come out——
Lu Jiyu's eyes flashed with that stubborn, yet nagging face. He rested his feet on a stool, looking up at the starry sky bathed in the night sky. A tingling tingle welled up in his heart, perhaps something akin to tenderness. "Thank you for your concern, but I don't have a girlfriend yet."
Chen Tingzhe finally couldn't help but say, "Your grandmother actually mentioned this to us when she came back this time."
Lu Jiyu knew that this old lady couldn't control her mouth.
"They say that the girl is pretty, sweet-spoken, and very smart."
"I heard we'll still be classmates in the future?"
Lu Jiyu didn't answer but asked, "What else did I say to you?"
"Your pursuit skills are not up to par, and it seems like there's no hope."
As the saying goes, old ginger is spiciest. When it comes to sharp tongues, he really can't compare to the old lady.
"You are gloating."
"Lu Jiyu, do you still remember what I told you at the beginning? To chase a girl, you have to--"
"You have to take your time when pursuing a girl--." Lu Jiyu glanced at Chen Tingzhe and naturally took over his words. The two smiled at each other, each raised the beer glass in front of them, and clinked the glasses in the air in a cool and neat manner.
Chen Tingzhe drank it all in one gulp, while Lu Jiyu, as a token of respect, took two sips and put it down. His bony hand touched the vapor hanging from the beer glass. The excitement and bustle around him chilled the alcohol in his heart. After the night breeze rolled over him, he felt a hollowness in his chest, as if something was missing.
At this moment, Lu Jiyu finally confirmed that this feeling was difficult to overcome.
He took out his phone resignedly and clicked on someone's smurf profile picture. After pondering for a moment, he just opened the 26-key keyboard and wanted to type -
The phone vibrated, and a new message came in.
Bird calls: Did you know that something happened to your friend?
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