Chapter Forty-Six
You Congxi bit the end of his pen and stared at the composition paper in front of him, deep in thought.
Including the autumn outing, we had a three-day holiday this weekend. The test papers they handed out were as high as a small mountain; if they were stacked together, they could crush her.
She struggled for a while under the mountain of exam papers, but finally decided to finish the two heaviest ones first.
...As a result, I only wrote three lines in half an hour.
The weather was nice today. The sunlight outside the window lazily lingered on the desk, and You Congxi stared blankly at the shadow that fell obliquely on the desk.
It's so warm... I want to sleep...
She yawned.
Buzz.
The phone on the corner of the table vibrated.
While swimming in the stream, You Congxi suddenly felt a jolt, as if he had just remembered something, and the hairs on his arms stood up instantly.
Yeah, I like it, yeah, I like it, yeah, I like it...
It's like the headband that binds Sun Wukong.
You Congxi pinched the bridge of her nose, sighed deeply, and slammed her head on the composition paper on the table.
Sunlight shone on the neat handwriting, and among the overused opening phrases of every essay, three incongruous words were interspersed.
Her forehead was pressed against the rough paper, just enough to block out the three words that left her helpless.
...What a terrible thing!
She lay on the table, lost in her own world. Whether it was the warm sunlight or the excessive crying last night that had dehydrated her body and made her unable to metabolize oxygen, she slept soundly until sunset while lying on those three lines of text.
You Congxi sat up with a grimacing expression, his bones cracking all over, and his neck so stiff he could chop right through the century-old tree downstairs.
Her temples were throbbing with pain. She had slept terribly, having a bunch of bizarre dreams, like Shen Yue riding on a giant carrot and flying around her, constantly muttering something like "Mmm, I like it, mmm, I like it..."
Snap!
You Congxi slapped his forehead, trying to knock Chen Yue, who was riding a carrot, away.
Late autumn is getting shorter. The streetlights outside the window have already come on, and the sky has darkened to a deep blue. Many residents on the opposite building have turned on their lights. I don't know who fried meatballs, but the aroma of oily meat wafts into my nose.
She rubbed her face. The room was pitch black except for a few streetlights shining through the window. She stretched out her arm to reach her phone on the corner of the table, glanced at the time: 6:13.
...How long did you sleep?
You Congxi stood up and turned on the main light in the room. Her eyes were a little uncomfortable at first, so she squinted. Once it wasn't so glaring anymore, she turned around and went into the bathroom. She washed her face haphazardly and finally woke up.
She looked at the girl in the mirror, her eyelids red and swollen and her hair disheveled. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was a beggar who had crawled up from the sewer to steal something.
......Depend on.
You Congxi couldn't bear to look at it and looked away. Feeling uncomfortable all over, he decided to take a hot bath.
She came out drying her hair, feeling much lighter; at least her bones wouldn't crack when she moved.
The aunt who cooks for us went back to her hometown to take care of her son's child this weekend, so she has to figure out how to cook for herself.
I picked up my phone with one hand and opened the food delivery app. A few drops of water dripped from my still-damp hair onto the screen. I scrolled around but couldn't find anything I wanted to eat. It was either spicy hot pot or small dishes, nothing that looked good.
Having encountered too many upsetting things these past two days, You Congxi threw down her phone and decided to go out for a good meal.
The store was very close to the apartment complex, only a ten-minute walk away. She put on a coat, grabbed her phone and keys, and walked straight into the elevator without looking at Shen Yue's door.
The Chinese language group chat had 99+ messages again. You Congxi opened it, glanced at it casually, and breathed a sigh of relief.
We've finally turned the page on the topic.
[Feeling sleepy? Drink Jia Duo Bao: It's settled then, see you at the usual place tomorrow morning at 10 AM]
[Rat Poison Cookies: @IamAFish @DaiY, you two don't forget!]
【Dai Y: What?】
[Drink Jia Duo Bao when you're sleepy: Group assignment, group leader.]
【. :hehe】
[Dai Y: ...Okay, I just woke up.]
[Drink Jia Duo Bao when you're sleepy: Thumbs up for your hard work, kid!]
[Rat Poison Cookies: Thumbs up!]
[Thumbs up!]
Quoting reply to 【Rat Poison Cookies: @IamAFish @DaiY, don't forget, you two】
【I am a fish: Hmm.】
[Biscuit: Oh my, who is this? What a rare guest!]
[JDB: Tourists who don't reply to messages during their trip to Congxi are kicked out of the group chat]
[Biscuit: Kicking out of group chat for not replying to messages while swimming in Congxi]
【。：Not replying to messages.】
[Fish: I was sleeping just now, I just saw the message]
The group was silent for a few seconds, then everyone started spamming question marks.
[Biscuit: ...Why don't you take a look at what Daiyu said above?]
[JDB: Wow!]
【. :well. 】
You Congxi looked completely bewildered.
Is there anything wrong with what she said? What Daiyu...?
You Congxi's hand, which was gliding upwards, froze in mid-air.
......Depend on!
[Fish: I sleep at my house, he sleeps at his house, what's the problem??]
[Cookie: What's the problem? We didn't say there was a problem, what are you thinking?]
[JDB: Yes, it's just a door separating you and him. You sleep in your house, and he sleeps across the street from you.]
[Cookie: Hehe]
[JDB: Hehe]
【. :well. 】
[Dai: Mm.]
You Congxi was so angry that he almost banged his head against the glass door.
What does "嗯" mean?!
She took a deep breath, feeling that the more she explained, the worse it got. There was also someone next to her who seemed ready to throw ink at her, so she simply turned off her phone screen and stuffed it into her pocket, out of sight, out of mind.
She pushed open the door and went in; the strong smell of fries immediately hit her.
Clutching her rumbling stomach, she found a seat and took her phone out of her pocket. When she unlocked it, the screen was still on the annoying group chat. Shen Yue had sent a message saying, "I'm not talking anymore, time to eat." You Congxi didn't look at it closely, exited the chat, and scanned the QR code to order.
She ordered a set meal for two plus an ice cream. She went to the counter to get the ice cream first, and the set meal was ready just as she finished eating the ice cream.
As she walked back with her tray, a childish voice reached her ears, causing her to pause and instinctively look over.
"Mom, eat!" The little girl pinched a French fry and shoved it into the woman's mouth.
"Thank you, darling." The woman smiled and opened her mouth to accept it.
"Where's Dad?" the man next to him asked, feigning jealousy.
"Dad, eat too!" The little girl pinched another French fry and fed it to him.
"Our baby is so well-behaved!" the man praised. "She behaved exceptionally well at kindergarten today too. She's truly my daughter!"
You Congxi indifferently withdrew his gaze, simply turning his feet to find a seat further away from the family of three.
She placed the plate on the table, and the sweet aroma wafted into her nose. She stared at the plate of food for two seconds before picking up a French fry and stuffing it into her mouth.
It tastes just like before.
But he didn't eat another bite of fries until the very end of his swim in the Congxi River.
She put on her coat, got up, and walked outside.
The double-layered glass doors blocked out most of the cold air. When she came out, she found that the wind had picked up. She tightened her collar and pulled her hat up.
This area is a fairly large commercial district. At this time, most residents in the vicinity will come to the mall after dinner to stroll around and digest their food, and also browse the supermarket on the basement level. Couples might come to see a movie, shop for clothes, or go on a date, so it's quite lively.
You Congxi put his hands in his pockets, feeling somewhat out of place in this colorful environment filled with red flags and the promise of a peaceful and prosperous nation.
With so many people and so many cars, she often felt like she was all alone on this vast land.
"Hey, did you drop this?" a voice called faintly from behind.
You Congxi stopped and looked back.
The large hat blocked her vision, so she raised her hand to take it off, just as the person opposite her walked right up to her.
She looked up, and froze when she saw his face clearly.
The boy smiled lazily at her, raised his hand, and showed You Congxi the two bags he was carrying.
"Student, did you drop the golden gourd or the silver gourd?"
You Congxi glanced over instinctively and saw two candied hawthorns, one made of strawberry and the other of cherry tomato.
She looked at Shen Yue without saying anything.
His appearance was unexpected, and his appearance at this time was even more unexpected.
After I met him, it seems that whenever I feel like I'm in the worst possible mood, he'll appear, like the poisoned apple in Snow White's stepmother's hand in the fairy tale I read when I was a child, or the matchbox in The Little Match Girl. No matter whether the protagonist is good or bad, he always appears by the protagonist's side when the protagonist needs him the most.
Perhaps it was because this place was too lively that I felt a little lonely while exploring Congxi.
Perhaps because she had already lost all face yesterday, when she saw Chen Yue again in her disheveled state, her lonely heart was somewhat filled.
The matches will run out, but the matchbox will not; it will always stay with the little girl.
But You Congxi said, "None of these are mine. I only eat hawthorn berries."
A golden gourd or a silver gourd, if it's not suitable for you, it will never truly belong to you.
Shen Yue paused for a moment, then put the bag away.
You Congxi put his hat back on, intending to say hello before turning to leave.
The next second, my wrist was grabbed and a bag was handed to me.
“Here you go,” Shen Yue laughed happily, “Luckily I bought all kinds. I didn’t know what you liked to eat, so I just bought them all. You can pick whatever you like.”
"Quite traditional, refusing all these delicious options and only liking the basics," Shen Yue muttered to himself.
You Congxi stared at him with wide eyes.
"Are you stupid?" Shen Yue laughed again, and stuffed the bag into her hand.
You Congxi paused for a few seconds, took the candied hawthorn, and took a bite.
It tastes sweet and sour, just like the flavor I remember.
Before You Yuanming and Jing Ling divorced when they were children, every late autumn, when the three of them went out for a walk in the evening, they would buy two candied hawthorns from a roadside stall, one hawthorn and one yam. You Congxi would always eat half of each, while You Yuanming and Jing Ling would eat the rest.
She suppressed the strange emotions in her heart and said softly, "Thank you."
"Don't mention it," Shen Yue said.
“Hawthorn is always the most classic,” You Congxi said, “It’s so rustic.”
"Heh." Shen Yue chuckled in exasperation.
He was about to say something more when he suddenly heard a voice behind him: "Xiaoxi?"
You Congxi had obviously heard it too. She stared at it for a few seconds and replied, "Aunt Yu."
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