Chapter 78. Fang Minzhou's reaction surprised Xu Ran...
Fang Minzhou's reaction made Xu Ran realize that there were many things about her uncle that she might not know.
Yes, she said that they haven't been in contact since the breakup.
The white walls, white sheets, and white faces she saw during her visit to the hospital that day resurfaced in Xu Ran's mind.
It seemed to have happened during her summer vacation after her junior year of high school. It was the middle of summer, but the hospital room was ice-cold. She pieced together the reason from the adults' discussions: she drank too much, all for social obligations, but that wasn't entirely true.
"...I heard that you can't sleep at night."
"Sigh, the pressure is still too much."
The adults' voices were low, like a gurgling liquid rapidly flowing down a pool drain.
The word "alcoholism" was in her Chinese vocabulary list, but when the printed words on the paper turned into a living person lying down, everything filled Xu Ran's heart with panic and confusion at that time.
Throughout the entire evening, or more precisely, from the very first second of yesterday's interview, Minzhou's attitude was always very open and aboveboard. Therefore, at this moment, the fleeting look of surprise on her face was like a lightning bolt, illuminating the chaos hidden in the shadows.
Seeing that she was still trying to hide it, Xu Ran felt a great sadness rise in her heart for some reason.
Xu Ran glanced at Min Zhou's expression and spoke softer and softer, unsure whether what she was saying was right or wrong.
After a long pause, she was asked, "How is your grandfather doing now?"
Xu Ran nodded quickly: "It's nothing, everything is fine now."
Fang Minzhou lowered her head and nodded. Her expressionless face revealed a sense of bewilderment, which made Xu Ran feel nervous.
As they spoke, they had already arrived at the entrance of Jiangcheng University.
Xu Ran was about to say something when someone called her name. She looked in the direction of the voice and saw her friend, who had just returned and stopped beside them on her electric scooter.
One was her older sister, and the other was her friend. After Xu Ran introduced them briefly, Min Zhou's older sister had already put on a smile again: "Go back first, and send me a message when you get home."
Xu Ran hesitated before agreeing.
Seeing the bag in the bicycle basket, I discussed it briefly with my friend and then went back to force it on her, saying, "I think it's pretty delicious. It's been a shop that's been around our school for many years."
After saying that, she quickly ran back to the back seat of the car, waved, and said, "Sister, send me a message when you get to the hotel."
"Okay, be careful on the road," she said. "Ranran, thank you."
Xu Ran subconsciously replied "No need," but after her friend's electric scooter had driven a few meters away, she wondered why Min Zhou was thanking her so earnestly. She couldn't possibly be doing this just for a bag of desserts.
She turned around, and at the end of the rapidly passing street scene, Min-joo was still standing at the gate of her school.
She didn't mess things up, did she?
Before she could figure it out, her friend asked her, "Was that your older sister? Your cousin?"
Xu Ran thought for a moment, "If nothing unexpected happens..."
"What?"
"She is my future aunt."
"ah?"
"And my future boss."
"What's going on?"
A summer night breeze blew in her face, and Xu Ran's mood brightened. "We'll talk about it when we get back."
Upon hearing this, my friend tightened the handlebars and sped up to top speed, then worriedly asked, "Won't we get pulled over by the traffic police?"
Xu Ran: "..."
"Probably not, it's so late," my friend said to himself.
The small electric car drove into the residential area.
Fang Minzhou looked away.
It was getting late, and there were few pedestrians at Jiangcheng University. She stood to the side, and even though she was already quite full, she still took out a dessert from her bag.
I took the most ordinary red bean paste cake, and it still tasted familiar.
I ate there many times during my university years, and it was indeed very delicious; it had been open for many years.
She remembered that it was when Wang Kan came to Beicheng to visit her that he brought it along. He couldn't tell the difference between good and bad desserts; he just listened to a friend's recommendation. But she took a bite and was amazed. After that, he would bring her some every time. When she came to Jiangcheng, she even dragged him to wait for a plate of freshly made red bean paste cakes.
The creamy and sweet red bean paste brought tears to Fang Minzhou's eyes as she ate it. She couldn't help but squat down and cry for a while.
Why didn't he say so?
When Fang Minzhou returned to the hotel, only her luggage remained; Jin Ying, whose flight was that evening, had already left.
She forced her eyes open, turned on her computer, went through this week's work and next week's tasks, then brushed her teeth, took a shower, and went to bed, but couldn't fall asleep.
Insomnia is a strange experience; the mind is clear but unable to focus, as if a pen is scribbling randomly, but leaves no trace on a blank sheet of paper.
She simply got up, turned on the light, and watched a variety show filled with canned laughter. As dawn approached, she checked out and went to the train station.
She had originally planned to return to Shuangxi today, and wanted to go back earlier last night, but there were no more buses available, so she had to change to today's early shift.
During those few minutes waiting for the train to depart, she had a fleeting urge to jump off, fueled by guilt and fear. But she held on until the doors closed. The train moved forward, propelling her forward as well, like an arrow being drawn from a bow.
The bus wasn't crowded, with about half the seats empty. A three- or four-year-old child was running mischievously in the aisle, fell down, and cried loudly. The parents comforted the child and apologized. An elderly person offered a few words of concern. Others were either playing games or watching shows with headphones on, or scrolling through videos on their phones with the speakers on. The volume wasn't too loud, with only a few sharp laughs occasionally breaking the silence.
The scenery outside the window rushed by, completely different from what she saw in the taxi last night, yet she was caught in the same mood, or rather, she had been stuck in the same quagmire ever since Xu Ran's words.
Lost in thought, she inexplicably felt like laughing. Just then, the train entered a tunnel, and her expression was clearly reflected in the dark, shiny glass window. Fang Minzhou realized that she was indeed laughing, but the laugh was more painful than crying.
How many times did Wang Kan come to Shuangxi to see her? What were his thoughts each time? Anxiety, restlessness, anger, and what else?
Why hasn't he said it yet?
The train stopped at one station after another, with people getting on and off. The familiar Zhangcheng dialect appeared, indicating that the destination was about to be reached. Her heart was filled with anticipation as she went through the process.
I wish the car would go faster, even faster. The last time I felt this anxious was five years ago when I flew from Beicheng to Jiangcheng.
That day, she booked the earliest flight possible, but it still wouldn't arrive until the afternoon.
Before boarding the plane, Wang Kan didn't reply to her messages. Then, during the two hours at 10,000 feet, her stomach started cramping again. She took a painkiller, but perhaps due to psychological reasons, the medication didn't work for a long time. She hunched over the entire flight, covered in sweat.
After the plane landed, I calmed down a bit and immediately took a taxi to Jiangcheng University.
Fang Minzhou later wondered why she was so afraid that day. It was as if she knew in advance that she was going to lose Wang Kan, and she tried her best to win something back. But when Wang Kan finally appeared, his indifference made her fall silent.
She knew Wang Kan was waiting for her explanation. She should have apologized too; she had promised to come and celebrate with him but stood him up. Even so, she thought Wang Kan would at least be a little happy to see her, rather than seeing her as less than a stranger. At least he wouldn't frown at a stranger.
On a warm spring afternoon, the sunlight was as bright as golden honey, making Fang Minzhou's vision blur. Her hands and feet were ice-cold, and she stood there silently for as long as she was punished, standing at the bustling street corner, a humiliating public display for her.
She felt wronged and angry at Wang Kan's attitude. Because of the emotions that had accumulated over this period of time, and because Wang Kan had always been very good to her, she tragically had a willful thought: she wanted to know what Wang Kan would do if she really missed the meeting without any reason. Would he really not forgive her? Was this his bottom line?
Fang Minzhou smiled in greeting, but her heart sank.
She had met some of Wang Kan's friends before and knew that this girl was Wang Kan's classmate.
"Why didn't you come yesterday?" the girl asked.
Fang Minzhou could no longer smile, and Wang Kan remained silent.
The girl glanced at them, probably realizing she had misspoke, but still smiled politely and reminded Wang Kan not to be late for the dinner party. She said she would go first, adding, "You can bring your family."
Going against the current, there are obstacles everywhere. A few words that would be perfectly normal in ordinary times made Fang Minzhou extremely resentful at the time.
She shouldn't, and can't, be jealous.
She called out to him, wanting to explain and apologize: "Wang Kan..."
"Fang Minzhou," Wang Kan said, "let's break up."
She was stunned for a moment. The sun was bright, and she knew she wasn't dreaming, but the sunlight that day really had no warmth at all, or perhaps it was because it was already afternoon and the sun was about to set.
My stomach cramped, and I instinctively felt like vomiting, so I immediately turned around and walked away.
At that time, she actually thought Wang Kan would catch up with her, but he went so far away that she couldn't even see the gate of Jiangcheng University when she looked back, and she couldn't find Wang Kan anymore.
Having just arrived in Jiangcheng, she booked the earliest flight back to Beicheng, but it wouldn't be until 10 p.m., so she went to a barbecue restaurant for dinner.
Her stomach was still very upset. She should have been restrained, but she ate as much food as possible, thinking that she was venting her frustration. However, as the songs in the restaurant played one after another, tears still fell one by one.
Fearing she would be discovered, she quickly wiped it away and continued stuffing food into her mouth. When she could eat no more, she went to the bathroom to vomit and then returned to pay the bill.
The climate in Jiangcheng is similar to that in Zhangcheng; the spring nights before the rainy season are like a gentle fawn.
The shade of the roadside trees stretched out like a black cloth, riddled with small holes from insects and ants, and slightly translucent from the wind and rain, yet still able to block out the sky and the moon, obscuring her. No one passed by, and even if they did, no one could see her clearly. She walked and cried, the dark shadows of the trees on the ground overlapping and swaying. When she was tired from crying and walking, she hailed a taxi.
After that, Fang Minzhou didn't come back to this city she once longed for and later missed for a long time. But things are unpredictable, and she will start a new career and a new life here.
An announcement came over the loudspeaker: "The train ahead is about to arrive in Shuangxi Town."
At this moment, she returned to Shuangxi Town.
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