Chapter 61 Thinking of Him
Chapter Sixty-One: Missing Him
The day before Zhou Yunqi left, Lin Su went home after finishing her afternoon classes.
When he returned, Lin Su was cooking in the kitchen. She turned around, greeted him, and continued with her own work.
Watching her stir-fry the vegetables in the pan, the man leaned against the doorframe and smiled faintly.
In his eyes, even though she wasn't short, she was still petite and slender, making him want to hug her tightly. However, he figured that hugging her would disrupt her rhythm, and might even cause an accident. He had been hugged from behind by her many times in front of the stove, so he knew all too well the potential dangers.
So Zhou Yunqi rolled up his sleeves: "I'll cook it."
Lin Su glanced at him and said, "Alright."
She handed him the spatula, washed her hands, shook off the water, and went outside.
He went to his uncle's house to say goodbye in the afternoon. Although he seemed normal when he came back—normal while cooking, normal while eating, and normal even when he went to bed at night—Lin Su sensed that he seemed to be hiding something.
They knew each other so well that they could sense even the slightest change in each other's eyes.
When the lights were turned off and they went to sleep, Lin Su nestled in his arms, facing him, and asked, "What's wrong? Did your uncle say something to you?"
He smiled and said, "How could that be? Of course, it's because I'm worried about you."
Is it just because you're worried about her? Lin Su comforted her, "It'll be soon. It's already the end of October. Although the Lunar New Year is in mid-February, you'll be back in about three months."
He hugged her tighter: "What did you do if you missed me these past three months? Did you call me?"
Lin Su said, "You might not be in the office if I call you. If I miss you, I'll write you a letter."
He said softly, "Okay."
Their foreheads touched, their breaths mingled, and Zhou Yunqi held her lips tightly, coaxing her to sleep.
But he couldn't fall asleep. Lin Su was half-asleep when he woke her up. The man chuckled softly and said he would only be at peace if she ate.
Early in the morning, Lin Su was woken up by him again. She twisted her body, but Zhou Yunqi's hand immediately tightened around her waist, preventing her from leaving.
It gave the impression that the two of them hadn't been apart all night.
Sigh, this man.
They probably really didn't want to part ways, even if it was only for a little over three months.
Lin Su had the last two classes in the morning, so Zhou Yunqi asked Mr. Li's driver to take him to the airport and drop her off at school first.
The two sat in the back seat of the car, Susu nestled in his arms, listening to his various instructions.
"Study hard at school, don't talk to strangers, and if anyone comes to bother you, ignore them and don't open the door..."
Lin Su said, "You mean Guan Chenxi?"
He said, "Anyone."
"I don't think she'll come looking for me again."
"Anyway, remember to protect yourself," he said, touching her face. "Don't get sick, and don't get hurt."
"Okay, take care of yourself too. But I'm relieved to have Xu Yaodong with you." Lin Su asked, "He should have arrived by train by now, right?"
"It should have arrived yesterday."
"What discount did your childhood friend get you on the discounted airfare?"
He said, "I don't know yet; I'll find out after I get the ticket."
"oh……"
After Zhou Yunqi returned to the Southwest, Lin Su spent most of her time at school, going home whenever she wanted to take a nice bath and cook herself a delicious home-cooked meal.
The days weren't as hard to get through as I'd imagined. Maybe it was because I still had to study and have things to do, so my inner world wasn't empty.
Her university life was very fulfilling. In addition to attending classes, studying, and participating in activities, she would take her camera and wander around the streets in her spare time to take pictures of the appearance of the streets and alleys of this era.
The scenery in Beijing in November is truly beautiful. The streets are filled with golden ginkgo leaves, which flutter down in the autumn wind.
Lin Su took several personal photos and sent them to Zhou Yunqi with each letter. She even joked with him in the letter, saying, "Shushu is watching the leaves fall."
His letters were even simpler than before, usually consisting of a few sentences about how busy he was, followed by a reminder to take care of herself.
He never even uttered sweet words to her, except once when he said something explicit: "I accidentally dirtied your photo last night."
Lin Su immediately understood what it meant to get dirty.
But she couldn't help but sigh.
If I had to pinpoint the time when I missed him the most, it would definitely be when I received a reply from him and learned that he was thinking of me.
As December progresses, the weather becomes increasingly cold, with occasional heavy snowfalls.
The school dormitories don't have heating yet, but Zhou Yunqi's dormitory is newly built and has heating, so she's been staying at home most of the time. Even if she has to get up at 8 a.m. the next day, she's happy to get up earlier.
Sometimes I can't help but want to call him and hear his voice, but I'm afraid that if I answer the phone, tears will fall before I can even say a word.
After thinking about it, I held back and obediently went to read and study.
What they were learning wasn't difficult, at least that's what Lin Su thought, especially since the major was newly established... However, Lin Su didn't dare to slack off.
Amidst this daily hustle and bustle, the New Year's Day of 1980 arrived.
Lin Su had already arranged with her roommates to go shopping at the department store with them. When they met at the department store that day, they saw that it was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and the shoppers were all smiles. Lin Su sighed and said, "Unconsciously, we have already entered the 1980s."
Roommate: "What's wrong with the 80s?"
Lin Su smiled and said, "I have a feeling that things will be different, after all, we are entering a new era."
Many things, whether policies or material development, are different from those in the 1970s.
But life goes on as usual, and final exams still have to be taken.
After the winter vacation started in late January, Lin Su relaxed, but things were still very busy in the southwest. Zhou Yunqi said in a letter that he probably wouldn't be back in Beijing until the day before New Year's Eve.
It's quick to calculate.
One day, Lin Su was taking photos on the street when she got off a bus as it passed the factory's residential compound.
It had been almost half a year since she last visited, but the residential compound was still bustling with activity. A neighbor auntie pulled Lin Su aside to chat, talking about her stepmother's family.
My stepbrother and his girlfriend got married simply, but his wife often told him to come over for meals and take some things with him, which inevitably made my stepmother, Deng Jinfeng, resentful.
Meanwhile, her stepsister, Gu Xinjuan, found a man whom her stepmother disapproved of. He was several years older than her, and they were already living together outside the home. Her stepmother couldn't interfere; she simply said she didn't want this daughter anymore.
The aunt said, "Also, she was seriously ill a while ago and was even hospitalized. It was said that she developed a heart condition from the stress."
Lin Su's reaction was indifferent: "Oh."
She felt neither pleasure nor sympathy.
While many transmigrators seek revenge and vengeance, it seems that the saying "the wicked will get their just desserts" is indeed true. Perhaps influenced by Zhou Yunqi, I feel that arguing with them is pointless and beneath me, especially since my stepmother also has to take care of my younger brother.
To be fair, my younger brother lost his father at a young age and does need his mother's care.
Lin Su found Lin Xin, who was out having fun, and asked him how he was doing.
Lin Xin said, "After Sister Juanjuan left, I finally had my own room, and I got over 90 points in both of my final exams."
Lin Su gave him two yuan as usual, patted his head and said, "Now that you have your own desk, you must study hard."
He happily accepted the money: "I will."
Lin Su said, "My sister has something to do, so she'll be leaving now."
The boy looked at her, as if he remembered something, and asked, "Aren't you going home to see your mother? Last time, my mother told me that if you come back, she wants me to invite you home for a meal."
Lin Su smiled and said, "I'm not eating. I have something to do. I'll come back for the New Year."
"All right."
Lin Su turned to leave when the boy called out again, "Sister."
"What's wrong?"
“I just remembered, my mom also asked me to ask you when you’re getting married.”
Lin Su was both amused and exasperated: "I'm still in university, I don't plan to get married so soon."
"Okay, then I'll tell her this."
"Oh, right, let me take a picture of you." Lin Su took out her camera.
As soon as he took out his camera, his friends swarmed around him, asking Lin Su to take pictures with them.
The family compound was also a characteristic product of this era, with red brick houses, Soviet-style single-story buildings, bare trees downstairs, countless children running and playing, and many aunties gathering together to sunbathe, knitting sweaters and gossiping... Lin Su took a lot of photos and used up the entire roll of film.
...
As she took the bus home, Zhou Yunqi's cousin, Song Xiaoying, was waiting for her at the entrance of her residential compound.
At first, Lin Su didn't recognize her until she called out, "Sister Su Su."
Lin Su scrutinized the girl who was going through puberty and finally realized what was going on.
Although somewhat surprised and embarrassed, Lin Su still said, "It's you! What brings you here?"
“I happened to be passing by and went to your place, but you weren’t there,” she said.
Song Xiaoying's mother knew which building Lin Su lived in, so Lin Su could only smile and ask, "Did you need something from me?"
"Nothing much, just came to check in."
Lin Su remembered Zhou Yunqi's instructions and said, "But your brother won't let me see you."
Her expression was somewhat arrogant: "You're a college student now, you just listen to whatever my brother says, don't you have any opinions of your own?"
Lin Su maintained her smile: "I think it's better to listen to him."
Song Xiaoying couldn't stand it: "So you're willing to let me stand at the entrance of the community and chat with you, but you won't invite me up for a seat?"
Lin Su really didn't want to invite her up to sit, and said, "Why don't you wait until your brother comes back before you go in? It's getting dark, you should hurry home."
Song Xiaoying rolled her eyes and said impatiently, "Alright, alright, I don't want to waste my breath on you. Anyway, I think there are some things you need to know."
"Know what?"
“I want to tell you,” she paused, “that if it weren’t for you, my older brother could have been promoted smoothly. It’s all because of you that our family offended the Guan family, and Uncle Guan holds the power to promote my brother.”
Lin Su paused.
"Before Brother Yunqi set off for the Southwest, my dad asked him to visit the Guan family, but he didn't agree. Uncle Guan was probably even angrier. You're saying this has nothing to do with you?"
Sure enough, nothing good ever came from her arrival.
Lin Su suppressed her anger and replied, "I know you want to pin all of this on me, but you're still young, in high school. Adults don't always think that way."
Song Xiaoying remained arrogant: "Anyway, you won't feel guilty. Don't you know you're a menace?"
Lin Su: "I'm not a menace, but you're full of malice towards me."
"You!" Song Xiaoying was not expected to retort like this, and said angrily, "I don't like you. You have nothing, so why are you with my brother? Do you even deserve my brother?"
Lin Su replied calmly and confidently, "Whether I am worthy or not is not for you to decide."
Song Xiaoying retorted without backing down: "You're like a parasite, completely dependent on my brother. How can you be so shameless? If I were you, I would have died of embarrassment long ago."
Looking at the young girl, Lin Su was truly surprised that the girl could be so harsh. She couldn't help but sigh: "You and I are both in school, relying on our families for support. Aren't we all parasites?"
She interrupted, coldly scoffing, "I'm not like you, I'm a member of the Song family."
Seeing this, Lin Su had no choice but to say helplessly, "Your brother has already proposed to me. I am your brother's fiancée. It's just a matter of me nodding my head to get our marriage certificate and become a family."
Song Xiaoying was taken aback by how things had progressed to this point and froze for a moment.
"It's getting late, you should go home as soon as possible, be careful on the road." Lin Su said, then ignored the high school girl and turned to enter the residential area.
However, as dusk approached, Lin Su couldn't help but let out a deep breath.
She knew that he had something on his mind the night before he left.
...
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