Chapter 106 Many years later, Ye Yuying had already...
Years later, Ye Yuying had long forgotten many of the scenes, but she could always smell the damp, bitter scent of the earth in the courtyard that day whenever she recalled that past.
The night was dark and heavy, and the rain was like a giant spider web, covering everything and making her feel small and vulnerable with nowhere to hide.
She looked up and saw Cheng Mingdu's wet shoulder and a pair of unreal black eyes.
He picked up the long-handled umbrella from the doorway with his slender hand, opened it in the rain, walked up a few steps, glanced sideways, and said, "Follow me."
Ye Yuying was still shaken by Jiang Xinxue's words that had just exposed her weaknesses, and had already mentally prepared herself for the two of them to part ways, but...
He turned back through the rain.
This means... he doesn't believe those words, or that he doesn't mind.
I don't mind the feelings that sprouted in my teenage years.
“…Here I am.” She quickly replied, propping up her weak legs and following after him with her wet schoolbag in her arms.
As if annoyed by her slow pace, Cheng Mingdu suddenly turned around and held the black umbrella over her head.
She walked very carefully and cautiously, trying her best not to bump into his suit.
But a gust of wind blew by, and the black umbrella stopped in mid-air. Cheng Mingdu looked down and saw that her wet hair was covering her bright, innocent eyes. A hint of pity flashed across his brows. "Come in."
She shifted a few more inches to the side, but the next second, she felt a weight on her shoulder that pulled her completely under the umbrella.
Before I could even react, the weight on my shoulders vanished in an instant, leaving not even a trace of warmth in the cold, rainy night.
He led her straight to the attic. "We can buy new daily necessities, but we should mainly bring our study materials."
Ye Yuying was completely dazed and didn't think carefully about Cheng Mingdu's next plan.
As she was coming downstairs with her backpack, Cheng Mingdu happened to drive out and parked downstairs to wait for her.
As Ye Yuying sat in the passenger seat, looking at the completely dark night, she wiped the rain from her face and whispered in the car's heater, "Where are we going..."
“At least it’s a place without Jiang Xinxue.” Cheng Mingdu started the car, his tone calm but his voice resolute.
She didn't think about how Cheng Mingdu was different from his peers; looking at the streetlights outside the window, she thought of something with some regret.
"Have I dragged you into this...?"
She didn't belong there, but Cheng Mingdu was different; he couldn't be held back by Jiang Xinxue in the Cheng family.
She didn't want this incident to cause any rift between Cheng Mingdu and the Cheng family, since she was an outsider and could leave cleanly.
The closed car windows blocked out the sound of rain from the outside world, and the delicate, lingering noise sounded like an old vinyl record, with a unique retro feel.
"Don't overthink it. Focus on preparing for the college entrance exam first. Don't let these things bother you." Cheng Mingdu replied decisively, then, realizing something, his tone softened in the warm car.
She felt ashamed. "If it weren't for tonight's events, you wouldn't have gotten involved."
The red light at the intersection ahead was flashing, and the car moved slowly. Only when the car had completely slowed down did he let out a silent sigh.
"I didn't want to stay there in the first place."
Seeing Ye Yuying's puzzled look, he slowly raised his lips and added, "At my age, it's time for me to travel far away."
Ye Yuying was still somewhat confused about this. She could understand the literal meaning, but she didn't know if age could be associated with traveling far away.
However, there is a significant age difference between Cheng Mingdu and her. Although they are still peers, he meets all the conditions for unintentionally planting a seed in her during her innocent and ignorant period.
Only after these seeds took root and sprouted did she realize the significance of her journey.
The night road stretched on and on until the car entered the forest road in the lake area, at which point the rain gradually subsided.
The trees stood tall, and strings of water droplets fell from their branches and leaves, hitting the roof of the car with a dull yet crisp sound.
Through the car window, Ye Yuying could only see a faint shimmering light, which was not clear.
She rolled down the car window. At that moment, the wind and rain stopped, and the moon emerged from the dark clouds, casting a soft moonlight on the forest.
She caught the unique, open scent of the lakeside. As the car drew closer, she gradually saw ripples occasionally spreading across the water's surface, and the dim streetlights illuminated the misty lakeside in a hazy glow.
"We've arrived." Cheng Mingdu parked the car in front of a white-painted wooden villa.
The courtyard wall is low, the wrought iron gate is half-closed, and it is covered with ivy. In the night, it has a quietness that suggests it has been uninhabited for a long time, but it is not dilapidated. The small garden is very well maintained.
Ye Yuying followed behind him, stepping over the puddles on the stone steps. The moment she entered the house, she smelled the unique scent of the old wooden house, mixed with the damp air after the rain, which made her instinctively breathe a sigh of relief.
This was her first time setting foot here. At that time, the area around Qizhi Xiaozhu was not yet surrounded by resorts, and this place, as well as the amber-like lake in front of it, were all private property.
Cheng Mingdu opened the door to the lakeside room on the second floor for her: "This room is yours from now on."
The room is minimalistly furnished, with only a wooden bed, a desk, and an old bookcase, all made of solid wood. Solid wood always gives people a sense of stability that can be understood without needing to be knocked on.
Outside the window was a lake, the sounds of wind and water mingling in the night, carrying with them her confusion as she entered this unfamiliar place.
Ye Yuying placed her backpack on the desk, her fingers still gripping the strap, her heart tightening.
She wanted to ask something—about the origin of the house, about where she would go from here—but ultimately, she couldn't find the words.
Tonight is not a good time to answer any questions.
Cheng Mingdu glanced at her, seemingly sensing something, and said calmly, "Here, you just need to rest and study. Leave everything else to me."
"The buses around here are too far, so I'll drive you there. If I'm not available, I'll have the driver come."
After giving him all the instructions, he saw her nod obediently before turning around and going downstairs, his footsteps fading away on the wooden stairs.
The room suddenly fell silent.
Ye Yuying looked around the unfamiliar space, the insults from the tea room still lingering in her ears, as if they wanted to tear her to pieces. But soon, these thoughts were gradually diluted by the sound of the lake breeze blowing through the windowpanes.
She leaned against the edge of the bed, buried her hands in her wet hair, and after a long time, she slowly exhaled.
Even though this was an unfamiliar place, she felt much more relaxed.
For the first time, she felt that perhaps she could actually have a place in some corner of the world where she didn't have to be so careful.
Even if it is only a temporary place to stay.
After taking a hot shower, the night was deep, and the light on the lake was almost dazzling under the moonlight. Scattered withered leaves, carrying the remaining rainwater, drifted in the air, making her mistakenly believe that winter had quietly arrived.
Ye Yuying stared out the window for a long time until her eyelids became sore before slowly lying down. The wooden bed was harder than she had imagined, but that firmness was reassuring, just enough to support all her wavering thoughts.
Before falling asleep, she remembered something and habitually checked her phone to see if her aunt had sent her a goodnight message.
Until I saw that sentence: "[Aying, goodnight. The moonlight after the rain is beautiful tonight; it might be one of the few remaining beautiful nights of the year.]"
It was clearly a gentle and loving sentence, but Ye Yuying, lying on her side in bed, couldn't help but frown—she didn't like her aunt using words like "remaining."
Pshaw, pshaw, pshaw, that's bad luck.
After thinking for a while, she decided to delete the sarcastic remark and replace it with: "I'll study hard for the remaining six months. After I finish the college entrance exam, and your illness is cured, how about I take you to a southern island for a vacation, to one of those longevity villages where you can relax and recuperate for a whole summer? That way, your health will be even better."
Silly me, I couldn't help but chatter on and on to my aunt. Worried that reading too much text would strain her eyes, she sent the text in five short segments.
As expected, there was no reply, because my aunt had already gone to bed at this hour.
In the early morning, still half asleep, she heard faint noises downstairs, a kind of everyday sound, somewhat like the opening scene of a Miyazaki Hayao animation: the clinking of kettles, the rustling of pages turning, coming through the wooden floor, but with a restrained and less childlike quality.
She got up, drew back the curtains, and stretched.
Only then could the entire lake view be clearly seen. White mist rose from the lake again, and light streamed into the room, carrying a damp atmosphere.
When I came downstairs, Cheng Mingdu was already at the dining table, with a thick English original book and an empty cup of black coffee in front of him.
Seeing her come down, he merely raised his eyes and said casually, "Good morning. The porridge is in the pot, help yourself."
"I'll take you to class after you finish eating, so you won't be late."
Cheng Mingdu reopened the book. He wasn't wearing contact lenses today; the gold-rimmed glasses reflected a restrained light when he lowered his eyes, yet they were dazzlingly elegant and aloof.
It was as if nothing had happened.
Ye Yuying sat down with a porcelain bowl in her hand. Outside the window, the lake shimmered and birds sang sweetly. There were still scratch marks on her wrists, but they were almost gone.
This hasty departure was somewhat dramatic, and there was no way back.
From then on, she had no place in the Cheng family, and her new life began on the shore of this lake.
In the days that followed, Ye Yuying's life was enveloped by an unprecedented sense of routine.
She was surprised by the sense of order and stability she felt living under the same roof as Cheng Mingdu. Later, she hired a live-in housekeeper who was said to be an internationally certified nutritionist, who took good care of her diet and daily life.
In the senior year of high school, the happiness of a family is magnified countless times.
Students who have family members who care about them will feel the overflowing love and care from their usual behavior.
This is also hell for those who have lost their family ties, where everyone around them seems to be reminding them of their loneliness.
Thank goodness, thank goodness...
In that year, Cheng Mingdu made up for everything she needed in terms of family affection, satisfying her small vanity for kinship during her lonely youth...
Every morning there is a warm breakfast, and every night when I wake up, there is a light on in the living room downstairs.
Under the lamp were the books he had left on his desk, and a still-burning incense stick.
She knew that her aunt's time in the hospital was undoubtedly painful, and all she could do was share as much of her own happy life with her as possible.
The new auntie is from Guangdong and is very good at making soup. I'm planning to learn a few tricks from her so I can make some nourishing soup for you.
[I've been eating so well lately, I've gotten a little chubby...] Attached is a line-cut puppy emoji of a satisfied puppy rubbing its belly.
Her aunt would always reply quickly with a few words: "Aying, life is so good. I'm so happy for you."
Those few simple words made her feel a little sad.
She understood that her aunt's health was deteriorating and she would not be able to accompany her through this seemingly endless period of youth.
-----------------------
Author's Note: [Milk Tea]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
