Chapter 31 Qingcheng Aying, You Must Run
The next morning, before dawn, the morning mist was as thin as a veil covering the surface of Chengdu's mother river, as if frozen in mid-air by the chill of early spring.
Ye Yuying's thoughts were in turmoil last night, and she didn't fall asleep until very late. When the alarm clock rang, she was still holding the DVD of "Forrest Gump".
She lost count of how long she stared at the DVD cover last night—the length of a movie, in a spacious, retro-decorated screening room, a story told amidst floating feathers…
During the time that "Forrest Gump" was playing, it felt like the longest time she could spend with Cheng Mingdu for the first time. And he, such a taciturn person, actually translated the entire film. It was also the first time she had ever heard Cheng Mingdu speak for so long.
She had thought that this time she would finally be able to remember the characteristics of his voice, so that even at least once when recalling his face and expression, she wouldn't be so inaccurate.
But... when she looked at the ceiling trying to remember something.
She still couldn't recreate it in her mind. For her, there was only one outline, a mysterious profile with a sense of distance. His voice was also indescribable; she only remembered that it had a texture like the clinking of rosewood beads.
It sounds beautiful, but she can never recover.
The events that happened with Cheng Mingdu felt like a dream, always seeming unreal and surreal in retrospect...
She didn't know why either.
She went into the bathroom, quickly finished washing up, tied her hair in a low ponytail, and changed into a beige thin sweatshirt and black jeans. She deliberately wore clothes she often wore before, everything was the most common look she had in Qingcheng, except... her hair was a little too short, but fortunately it was jet black.
At least she didn't look like the "problem student" she used to be. Her grandmother always called that kind of outfit "street thug" and told her never to go astray...
Before leaving, her luggage was as simple as ever, consisting of just that CD...
She examined it for a while, unsure whether she should bring it or not, but in the end, she stuffed it into the inner compartment of her backpack without saying a word.
Ye Yuying arrived at the garage entrance five minutes early to wait, and Cheng Mingdu's car lights were already on nearby.
It turns out he arrived early as well.
The car resumed its journey along the road from last night toward Qingcheng. The fog had been very thick lately, especially as we approached the riverbank. The willows had sprouted new buds, slender and soft, drooping in the wind.
The tour boat sailed through the narrow waterways, leaving behind the creaking sound of oars.
She opened the car window a crack and smelled a sweet, refreshing fragrance. In the blink of an eye, stalls selling qingtuan (green glutinous rice dumplings) began to appear on the streets and alleys. The dumplings, made with mugwort or cudweed, were emerald green in color and had a soft, glutinous, and slightly bitter taste.
She smelled the aroma and subconsciously swallowed.
The car stopped, and Cheng Mingdu got out and bought a few freshly cooked qingtuan (a type of glutinous rice dumpling) from a stall, handing them to her.
From then on, every spring she would think of mugwort, and thinking of mugwort would make her think of qingtuan (green rice dumplings), the best kind with salted egg yolk and pork floss filling...
After several hours of driving, the scenery gradually transitioned from the concrete jungle of the city to the familiar landscape of a southern town.
As the bamboo forest swept by, the tea hills rose and fell, and the rapeseed flowers along the village road swayed along the field ridges, Ye Yuying's gaze grew softer and softer.
When we got off the highway, she took the initiative to ask, "Brother, have you been to Qingcheng before?"
Cheng Mingdu looked straight ahead and said in a calm tone, "I passed by once when I was very young."
“When I was a child, I never thought this place was good. It was too secluded, and there were only a few shops on the street, all of which were ordinary. It seemed like nothing new could be born here. Now I realize that those dull atmospheres are actually impossible to replicate.”
She spoke slowly as if she had suddenly come to understand her childhood. Her voice blocked out the gentle breeze outside the car window, and swayed back and forth in the car along with the wooden car ornament.
Cheng Mingdu didn't speak, but tilted his head slightly, as if listening or pondering. He opened the car window a crack, and the scent of the mountains and forests rushed in.
When they arrived in Qingcheng, it was almost noon. The fog was gradually evaporated by the sun, and the bluestone pavement on the old street shone with a faint light. The breakfast stalls on the street corners had closed and been replaced by stalls selling kites, sachets and seasonal snacks.
The old locust tree at the alley entrance has low-hanging branches, where birds build nests and their calls are clear and powerful.
This is a small town where life moves so slowly it's almost still.
The camphor and laurel trees planted along the old street release a slightly astringent plant fragrance during the Qingming rain.
This is probably the kind of smell that you get tired of after smelling it for a long time since childhood, but then you miss it terribly when you think about it.
As the car drove into the old alley on the edge of town, the road became narrower and narrower, with low brick and tile houses on both sides. Some of the houses had freshly washed clothes hanging under the eaves, and when the wind blew, it carried the smell of sunshine and soap.
Ye Yuying suddenly spoke up, reminding, "If we drive any further, it might be difficult to turn around. I'll just get off here."
After the car came to a stop, she jumped out and grabbed her backpack.
Just as she was about to continue walking inside, she remembered something, leaned close to the car window, and asked, "Brother, would you like to come to my house for a visit? My grandma is very hospitable."
Cheng Mingdu gripped the steering wheel and politely declined, "I have some things to do this afternoon. I'll come pick you up in a few days."
She stopped in her tracks, obediently standing still, watching Cheng Mingdu's car disappear into the alley before realizing that her breathing was becoming labored.
My nose feels a little sore; I wonder if it's because I inhaled pollen.
As far as she could think, it was indeed inconvenient for Cheng Mingdu to meet with his grandmother, as the news of Jiang Xinxue marrying Cheng Jianian had caused quite a stir in the family.
Passing through the narrow alley, you can see a vast field, with a shallow stream at your feet. Ducks are playing in the water nearby, flapping their wings and splashing a small circle of water. A few clumps of wild reeds lie by the stream, their heads drooping, as if taking a nap in the midday sun.
Ye Yuying stood at the bridgehead, composed herself, and then slowly stepped across the stone path. Each stone slab was different in shape, and sometimes she would accidentally step on a loose brick and get dirty water splashed on her calves. She skillfully avoided these "traps" that only outsiders would fall into.
As I approached the old wooden door, the aroma of medicinal herbs wafted from the courtyard, mingled with the familiar, bitter, and mild scent of herbs and firewood.
She didn't knock, but simply pushed the door open gently with a creak.
The courtyard was dappled with sunlight, and the wisteria was in full bloom, twining around the wooden trellis, its delicate, pale purple blossoms hanging like wind chimes in the passage of time. Even the rose bush in the corner had blossomed, adding a touch of tranquility to the otherwise quiet corner of the small, blue-brick courtyard.
The curtain was lifted, and Grandma's figure walked out from the kitchen.
She was wearing a faded old apron, busy making glutinous rice cakes, and still walked with a slight unsteadiness, using a tall wooden stool as a cane.
My grandmother's back had been hunched for several years, and she was almost bent over. Wherever she went, the first thing you would see was her undulating back, like a tea mountain, followed by her drooping, gray head.
But when she glanced to the side, her eyes were bright, as if she hadn't known she was coming. A look of surprise flashed in her eyes, then she immediately broke into a smile, her eyes almost completely hidden by wrinkles, and said with a slightly reproachful tone:
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I could have gone to buy some of your favorite foods."
"Why is your hair so short? You don't look like a girl anymore." Grandma didn't mean to criticize her; she just sighed.
“It’s easier to clean now that it’s cut.” Ye Yuying’s nose tingled, and she smiled as she looked down. “It’s alright, don’t bother. I can eat anything, as long as it’s made by Grandma, it’s delicious.”
"I know you too well, you little glutton." Grandma reached out to take her backpack. Ye Yuying quickly snatched it away, "Let me do it, let me do it, don't hurt your back."
"It's almost healed by now." Grandma casually mentioned her back injury, turned around and slowly went into the kitchen. The aroma of glutinous rice cakes with banana leaves filled the space with the rising steam.
Just like when I was a child, my grandmother opened the top layer of the steamer, and as if she wasn't afraid of getting burned, she quickly grabbed a piece and threw it aside to cool. "Here, have a freshly steamed glutinous rice cake for me."
The room remained the same as before, with an old wooden table, a porcelain jar, and a faded old calendar hanging on the wall.
The clay pot was bubbling away, and Grandma beckoned her to sit down and go to the stove to get some porridge.
Ye Yuying walked around the room and suddenly noticed a small incense burner on a small cabinet in the corner, next to an old photograph—a picture of her as a child holding a cat at the door, her eyes squinting as she smiled.
"It's a pity that cat is gone," Grandma said. "You used to sleep with it every day when you were little."
She nodded without saying a word, then pulled out the disc from her bag and excitedly introduced it to her:
"Grandma, look, I brought a DVD. We can watch it together. It's a foreign story."
Grandma gave a simple, honest smile, tilting her head slightly. "It's in a foreign language, I can't understand it..."
"We can watch the visuals, and I'll tell you the plot. This is the original..."
Grandma's eyes crinkled into a smile, as if she had heard something extraordinary, and she laughed out loud: "Oh my, such a formal thing! Ah Ying has grown up, and she even knows to bring back nice things to look at with me."
As she spoke, she slowly sat down, unscrewed the enamel kettle lid, poured her a glass of warm water, and said in a gentle tone, as tender as the glutinous rice cake in her hand: "Then let's wait until after dinner and watch it slowly."
The meal consisted of only two simple dishes: a bowl of vegetable and tofu soup, and a plate of stir-fried salted duck eggs with garlic sprouts. The hot rice served alongside the pot was so fragrant that it made one forget there were other places in the world. Ye Yuying ate quickly, yet carefully made sure no rice grains fell out.
After the meal, her grandmother insisted that she sit down and said she would clean up herself. She tried to stop her, but her grandmother glared at her and said, "Don't try to take my work away from me. If I don't move, my bones will rust."
Ye Yuying had no choice but to give up. She took out the Forrest Gump DVD from her schoolbag, carefully wiped away the faint fingerprints on it, and then inserted it into the old DVD player in the corner of the room.
Grandma moved a rattan chair with a backrest and sat down next to her, still holding the half-finished yarn work she had just finished drying.
Ye Yuying prayed silently that the old-fashioned television wouldn't break down at the crucial moment.
When the screen starts up, it is slightly white and a little blurry, but still barely visible.
Thank goodness.
The scene unfolds slowly, with the feather drifting across the empty street.
“Look, this is Forrest Gump. He had a little trouble walking when he was little,” Ye Yuying said softly, trying her best to imitate the kind of narration she heard at school, speaking with extra care, afraid that her grandmother wouldn’t understand. “His mother told him that as long as you work hard, you can do anything…”
Grandma watched the screen, nodding occasionally, her eyes filled with a childlike wonder and earnestness. She couldn't understand the lines, but from Ye Yuying's detailed translation, she could piece together a complete story.
When the movie showed Forrest Gump running in the rain, his grandmother suddenly whispered, "You're just like Forrest Gump. You loved running since you were little. You didn't cry when you fell, you just wiped the mud off your knees and kept running."
Ye Yuying was taken aback and turned to look at her.
The room was softly lit, and the rain outside had stopped; the wisteria blossoms swayed gently in the breeze. Grandma had many wrinkles around her eyes, but her eyes remained bright.
She can't remember what her grandmother looked like many years ago. In fact, many years ago, her grandmother didn't have a hunchback, and she dyed her hair black and took her to walk through the streets and alleys.
When she turned to look at the TV screen again, her throat felt dry. She felt that she had been subjected to too much criticism. She was the "troublemaker," "unmotivated," and "bad student" in the teacher's eyes.
When I arrived at my maternal grandmother's place, I saw another side of her that showed her resilience from her childhood.
In her grandmother's eyes, she was always the kind of person who would get up and come home even if she fell down.
As the movie progressed into its later stages, Ye Yuying's voice gradually softened, and she choked up slightly. Her grandmother didn't ask why; she simply patted her knee and gently said:
“Aying, you must run, run like Forrest Gump, without asking what lies ahead, without caring about anyone or anything, and run forward without hesitation.”
At that moment, Ye Yuying's eyes welled up with tears.
Later, she whispered to her grandmother that she wanted to go back to Qingcheng, to stay by her side, and not to return to an environment like Rongcheng.
Grandma simply stroked her forehead gently, just like she used to lull her to sleep when she was little, and sighed softly.
“Ah Ying, what are you coming back for? I’ve always been here. If you miss me, come back and visit. If you’re tired, come back and rest. But don’t stop. Never bow your head to life, unless… it’s for survival.”
Her tone remained gentle, yet it was like a slow fire, quietly warming Ye Yuying's heart until it felt soothing.
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Author's Note: 50 red envelopes! [Cat emoji]
Thank you all for your concern. I've read all the comments. I can finally see the doctor tomorrow, and I should be able to speak again soon!
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