Meanwhile, in Qinyang Park,
An elderly man and woman strolled side by side along the winding path by the river, the sparse shadows of the trees swaying on them like fragments of time.
Old Chen gazed at Zhang Ruoshui beside him. The fine lines etched on her face by time appeared exceptionally gentle in the sunlight.
An indescribable feeling welled up in my heart.
"Ruoshui, decades have passed in the blink of an eye, and we have both grown old."
In tone,
It is filled with a sense of helplessness at the fleeting nature of time, but also with the comfort of being with old friends.
Zhang Ruoshui nodded slightly, her heart also stirred with emotion.
Those bygone years flashed through my mind like an old movie.
She sighed softly, "Yes, after so many years, there are not many old classmates I still keep in touch with. Several classmates, like my husband Lao Lu, have passed away."
His words were filled with nostalgia for past friendships and a deep appreciation for the few remaining old friends he had.
As Old Chen gazed at Zhang Ruoshui's profile, he vaguely saw the girl with the ponytail from his university days.
His throat tightened slightly, but he chuckled and joked, "Ruoshui, do you remember the freshman welcome party in your sophomore year? You were reciting poetry in a white dress, and I was so nervous backstage that I dropped all the props."
Recalling his embarrassment back then, deep wrinkles appeared at the corners of Chen's eyes as he smiled, but a bittersweet feeling welled up in his heart—back then, he didn't even have the courage to confess his feelings, and now he's almost sixty.
Zhang Ruoshui paused, her memory instantly awakened.
She looked at the young people playing in the park, a gentle smile curving her lips: "How could I not remember? The blue and white porcelain vase you broke, I went to a small shop outside the school overnight to buy a replacement."
Before the words were finished,
Old Chen chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes. Later, the instructor praised the props for being exquisite, and I shamelessly said that I picked them out myself. You even blocked me in the corridor and 'threatened' me to treat you to a big meal, hahaha."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
Old Chen's gaze unconsciously fell on Zhang Ruoshui's hair, and he said softly, "Actually, back then, I always deliberately wrote my lab reports in a mess, hoping that you would come and help me correct them. Every time you knocked on my desk and said, 'Can you be more serious, Chen?' I was as happy as if I had gotten a perfect score."
Zhang Ruoshui's ears burned slightly as she recalled those actions she had taken as jokes back then, which now sounded like a distant memory.
She chuckled softly, looking down: "No wonder you always barely pass the exams. I thought you were such a blockhead!"
Old Chen suddenly stopped, staring at the shimmering lake, his voice low and deep: "Do you know? The night before graduation, I stood downstairs in your dormitory for three hours, my palms sweating as I clutched the love letter. In the end, I only dared to shout 'Take care on your way home.'"
He paused, then laughed self-deprecatingly, "Looking back now, if I had been braver back then, I wouldn't have let that short-lived Lu Tianhua get there first..."
"Old Chen."
Zhang Ruoshui interrupted him, rolling her eyes at him. "Why bring up old stories? It's because of those unspoken words that our youth is complete."
Isn't it nice that we can chat about the past like old friends now?
Old Chen took a deep breath, and the knot in his heart gradually dissipated.
He pointed to a bench in the distance and regained his relaxed tone: "Let's go, talking about this has made me hungry. After we finish chatting, I'll treat you to the popsicles from that shop near the school gate. They're still the same old taste."
Zhang Ruoshui responded.
The two then walked towards a lounge chair about twenty meters ahead.
As Zhang Ruoshui approached the chair and was about to sit down, Old Man Chen hurriedly reached out and pulled her back, his movements both urgent and natural. "Wait a minute, let me wipe it first."
As he spoke, he pulled out a tissue and carefully wiped the dust off the chair. Every movement revealed a habit he had developed over many years.
After wiping, he said to Zhang Ruoshui, "Come, have a seat."
Zhang Ruoshui looked at his actions and couldn't help but shake her head and chuckle: "You're still so particular, you haven't changed at all."
This familiar scene made her feel as if she had returned to her youth.
Old Chen scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, his smile tinged with shyness: "It's rare that you still remember this habit of mine after all these years."
The two leaned back to each other in their seats. Zhang Ruoshui gazed at the calm lake in the distance, her thoughts drifting with the ripples.
"Old Chen, you've suffered a lot raising Xiaoxi all these years on your own!"
Upon hearing this, a hint of melancholy flashed across Old Chen's face, and the bitterness in his heart was hard to describe. But he quickly regained his composure: "What is there for parents to suffer? As long as their children grow up healthy, everything is worth it."
“In the past few years, since Lu Tianhua’s accident, you and that kid Qingzhou have disappeared without a trace. You have suffered a lot over the years.”
Old Chen looked at Zhang Ruoshui with concern in his eyes.
Zhang Ruoshui smiled faintly, but her smile concealed a deep sense of helplessness and sadness.
She sighed softly, "It's all fate."
The two fell silent instantly.
After a long while!
Zhang Ruoshui then broke the silence and changed the subject: "I remember Xiaoxi and my Xiaolu went to the same school, right? Is that girl married?"
Old Chen gave a bitter smile, his heart filled with helplessness: "No, that girl is so stubborn, she doesn't have a boyfriend yet."
Thinking of his daughter's stubbornness, he felt both heartache and anxiety, but mostly helplessness.
Zhang Ruoshui smiled, already understanding the situation, and said with a hint of teasing, "What? That girl still has her eye on my boy, hehehe."
Old Chen shook his head helplessly: "That's right, every time your son comes over, this girl is happy for days."
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