Upon hearing this, Jiang Yu's eyes darkened slightly, but she quickly perked up and smiled, "Alright, Grandma, I'm fine, aren't I? Besides, I went to Weiyang University to get into a good university, so I can find a good job and take care of you in your old age, right?"
"The better days are yet to come, Grandma."
Jiang Yu smiled sweetly, a stark contrast to her cold demeanor at school. She knew her grandmother loved hearing these things.
"Hmph... Fine, fine, you little brat, you just never give me a moment's peace."
Grandma was comforted and her lingering anger disappeared. She waved her hand and beckoned Jiang Yu to sit down: "You must be exhausted after studying all day, right? Come on, come on, sit down and eat."
"Okay, but Grandma, could you wait until I get home next time so I can cook? You're so old, and it's not good for you to use such a heavy pot to cook. It's easy for something to happen to you."
"Oh dear, cooking has become a burden? No way, I've been cooking for decades and nothing's ever happened."
"How can you compare them? Older people shouldn't engage in strenuous exercise!"
"You young people are just too dramatic..."
"grandmother!"
"Okay, okay... I understand, I understand. I'll let you do it next time, okay?"
Grandma couldn't argue with Jiang Yu, so she had no choice but to give in. She then asked, "Where's the classmate who brought you back? Why didn't you invite him to have a meal with you? It's not exactly close to Weiyang from here, you should thank him properly."
"He...he had something to do and left first."
Seeing her grandmother bring this up, Jiang Yu avoided eye contact, picked up her small bowl, and buried her head in her food, saying, "It'll get cold if I don't eat it soon!"
...
The moon was bright and the stars were few; it was getting late at night.
Jiang Yu changed into her pajamas and lay on the bed, resting her head on her arm, her eyes, like a work of art, staring intently at the ceiling.
She couldn't fall asleep on either side.
My mind is in complete chaos.
The words Grandma had said to me at the dinner table were now like fragments, piecing together in my mind and flooding my heart.
As the fragments accumulated, past experiences and other people's comments were mixed together, making Jiang Yu's mind even more chaotic.
"Oh dear, your daughter is disabled, why is she still going to high school? Your family is already struggling. Even if the school doesn't charge tuition, there are still fees and living expenses, right? How can an old woman like you, who collects garbage and does odd jobs, possibly afford it? If you ask me, you should let your daughter drop out of school as soon as possible and do some manual labor to help support the family. She's disabled anyway, what's the use of a diploma? Even if she gets into university, which school will want her? And even if they do, she'll still have to stay at home and do those manual jobs. Wake up!"
This is what the neighbor said to Grandma, who couldn't bear to see her working so hard every day, leaving early and returning late despite her advanced age. The neighbor came to their house specifically to talk to Grandma in front of them.
Jiang Yu couldn't remember what day it was, only that it was raining. She couldn't get a word in edgewise and could only sit and read a book. But after reading all afternoon, she couldn't remember anything about the book, only what her neighbor had said.
Looking back now, I wonder if I was just running away back then?
The neighbor was only trying to help Grandma. What she said was a bit harsh, but it was very reasonable. Perhaps it was because I didn't want to give up my studies, so I pretended not to hear it?
Maybe Grandma thought the same way. Did she also feel that there was no point in continuing her studies? It's just that she loves herself, so she's willing to support her to continue her studies.
Grandma didn't get a reply then, and her eyes looked very disappointed...
“It’s harder to collect recyclables this year. A new recycling station opened in the east of the city and they’ve taken a lot of recyclables. Sigh… Grandma’s getting old and useless. She can’t make money by collecting recyclables anymore. But Xiaoyu, don’t worry. Just focus on your studies. I’ll figure out how to make money. Don’t let Grandma’s appearance fool you. She was very good at embroidery when she was young. Back then, there was a whole street of people who wanted to have Grandma do their embroidery.”
Jiang Yu remembers clearly that when her grandmother said those words to her, she had just returned from collecting recyclables all day, carrying a plastic bag that wasn't quite full. The cardboard boxes and beverage bottles inside were her harvest from a whole day's work.
Grandma was smiling, but Jiang Yu couldn't understand why she could smile. She only remembered that she cried at the time, wanting to comfort her grandma and not wanting her to suffer so much, but the words just wouldn't come out.
I was selfish again...
"Xiaoyu, how about you consider going to a school for the disabled? Grandma heard that you can get a subsidy if you enroll, and everyone there will be your age, so it will be easy for you to make friends. Don't you often complain to me that you can't make any friends? Why don't you... think about it?"
This was the first time Jiang Yu had ever gotten angry with her grandmother, because her grandmother had been wanting her to attend a school for the disabled, and the more she mentioned it, the angrier Jiang Yu became.
I can't remember why I was so angry, but the specific details of when I got angry, which I thought I had forgotten, are now appearing in my mind like a clear and smooth video, frame by frame.
Grandma must have been very sad at that time.
At such an advanced age, he had to bow his head in front of me, like a child who had done something wrong.
I was the one who did something wrong...
He was clearly doing it for his own good...
"Perhaps Grandma is right. My personality and circumstances aren't enough for me to find a so-called friend..."
Jiang Yu suddenly felt that there were some dazzling flashes in the place where she had been staring at the ceiling. They were so blurry that she couldn't see them clearly. She raised her hand to rub the corner of her eye and found that it was a little wet.
"I can't keep being willful like this. Friends... might be a burden for Xia Che, right?"
For no apparent reason, Jiang Yu suddenly recalled that when Xia Che carried her back tonight, although he looked relaxed, the beads of sweat on his forehead and the dampness on his back could not be hidden from her, who had been leaning on Xia Che's shoulder the whole time.
Because of his willfulness, many people have already lost faith in him.
Neighbors, Grandma...
Let's stop here.
There shouldn't be one more.
I am a burden; living in this world, I have already burdened so many people.
"I've never had friendship before, but this feeling is so captivating. I can't let it continue like this. Even just one day is enough to fulfill my dream, so..."
Jiang Yu rubbed her eyes, looked down at her limp legs, pursed her lips, and murmured:
Let's stop here.
...
Xia Che arrived very early, at the city village as soon as it was light.
Just as he had agreed with Jiang Yu before, Xia Che called Ning Zheyuan after they parted ways and asked him to go to Class 7 of the senior year at Weiyang High School to take the wheelchair out for repairs.
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