Old Mi forced the card into my pocket, then squinted and took another drag of his cigarette. I felt inexplicably sad because I noticed he had even more gray hair on his head.
After finishing his cigarette, Old Mi spoke to me again, "Since you're leaving, I'll tell you something from the bottom of my heart... Xiao Ye is indeed a good person, but when it comes to marriage, a girl like Lu Jia is more suitable for you..."
Old Mi hesitated, but my heart skipped a beat. After a brief pause, I finally asked, "Why are you bringing up Lu Jia again?"
"It's not appropriate to bring her up... Let me ask you from another angle: when you were with Xiaoye, did you two have a goal in mind?"
I remained silent because there were many things between Ye Zhi and me that I dared not plan... At least, we had never had a heart-to-heart talk about marriage. But when I was with Lu Jia, it was clear that as long as the material conditions were right, we could get married anytime and then live the life that most people are experiencing.
I took a deep drag on my cigarette, and Lao Mi said to me again, "Actually, you understand many things better than anyone else... Dating a girl like Xiao Ye is exhausting for you, and she suffers... We see it all, and it really makes us feel bad too!"
“I know that the atmosphere in our whole family has changed since she came... All these distant relatives are enough to make things difficult for her!”
"That's why we've always valued marriage between people of similar social standing."
"If we're talking about being a good match, Lu Jia and I don't really fit the bill... As a native Shanghai girl, she's bound to have high standards."
"The difference between you and Lu Jia is small, but if you put your mind to it, you can make up for it."
I looked at Old Mi and asked, "Dad, something feels off about your tone...?"
Old Mi shifted his gaze from me, then swallowed back the words that were about to come out.
"Has Lu Jia contacted you?"
Old Mi lit another cigarette; it was clear he was conflicted.
After a heavy sigh, he said to me, "She's in Chengdu right now..."
"In Chengdu?... I saw her go to the airport. Didn't she already go abroad?"
“She only told us that she was in Chengdu…we don’t know whether she went abroad or not.”
I tried to calm myself down and replied, "When did she contact you?"
Before mealtime.
I recalled that I was driving back from that Hope Primary School at that time. If the contact was indeed made at that time, then I was definitely not present.
I asked again, "What did you all say?"
Old Mi was reluctant to speak, and just then, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I took it out and saw it was a text message.
"I'm Lu Jia, surprised, right?... I'm surprised too, because I never expected to have the opportunity to come to Chengdu... But this trip to Chengdu doesn't involve the two of us... This month, there's an international fashion festival in Chengdu, and our school had a spot to participate. The team needed someone who could speak Chinese, so I luckily got a spot... I heard from your aunt and uncle that Ye Zhi went back to your hometown with you... I'm really happy for you, after all, you two have taken a big step forward... But I'm also worried about you... Believe it or not, when I first met her, I didn't believe she was your girlfriend at all... Even though you two are..." Even if you're a real couple, I don't have high hopes for you two... because I've seen too many similar examples around me... whether it's a strong man and a weak woman, or vice versa, very few of them actually end up together... I imagine you're feeling the pressure now... I don't mean any harm, I just want to be an observer and see how far you two can go... Also, I am indeed in Chengdu right now. If you'd like, or are interested in this fashion festival, I have tickets, and my work is also on display... Shall we come? ...I'll be waiting for you if you do. (To chat with more like-minded people about "My Tenant Miss," follow "or" on WeChat to discuss your favorite books with other book lovers.)
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