47 "Confessions like these should be made by boys"
The wind blew the grass under my feet, and the tip of the grass scratched my skin back and forth.
He Yu's heart was beating very heavily, each beat like thunder, and above his head was the bright moon and starry sky. His sour and bitter mood made the scene in front of him hazy.
"Anywhere is fine, as long as we leave here..."
She cried intermittently, and her sobs also opened a gap in his chest. He Yu felt the wetness and heat in front of him, and the hand hanging by his side slowly wrapped around her back.
"good."
"I promise to go wherever you go. Stop crying for now, okay?"
He was willing to do anything for her and couldn't bear to see her cry.
"Really?"
Tao Wanjia suddenly looked up at him with tears in her eyes, and asked again unsurely, "Are you really willing to take me away?"
Although it has been three years since he moved out of the family building, Tao Wanjia has always known about his family's affairs.
He Jinsheng will leave Rongcheng after the blast furnace construction of the second plant is completed. This mysterious designer, who has been a source of gossip since he arrived at the steel plant, is still the focus of neighborhood gossip.
He didn't want to inherit the family fortune, so he took his wife and children and left home. He had been gone for ten years, giving up his life to pursue his passion. But now his father was in poor health and unable to support such a large group, and the time had come for him to shoulder the responsibilities he had shirked for so many years.
They grew up together from childhood until now, watching him go from being wary and unfamiliar when he first arrived to being familiar with every alley and road in the city. This relationship has become so familiar that it can't be any more familiar, but Tao Wanjia knows in his heart that their paths are different.
He Yu has parents who have always loved him and supported him in everything he does. She can wander around anywhere as a lone bird, but he can't.
"Really." He Yu looked firm and gently wiped away the tears from her face.
After getting the answer, Tao Wanji suddenly grabbed his hand, as if she had fallen into the sea and was grabbing a piece of driftwood that floated in front of her. She didn't think about anything else, she just wanted to hold on tightly to the person in front of her who had been kind to her as always for decades.
She spoke again, her voice still heavy with tears, "But I don't believe that words are not enough. You swore on my parents' tombstone that you would take me away from Rongcheng."
He Yu did as he was told, but she covered his mouth again when he was halfway through speaking, "Don't make such a vicious oath."
"Trust me, let's go together. I will accompany you wherever you want to go, Wan Jia..." He paused for a moment. His hand, which was held by her, began to heat up, and the words that were about to come out of his mouth became extremely nervous.
"Wan Jia, I want to stay with you forever. Do you want me to stay with you forever?"
I don't know if it was because the surroundings were not suitable for confession or he was too nervous, anyway, He Yu never could say the words "let's be together" that had been rolling over and over in his mind countless times. But for him, this was already the limit, because her parents' graves were still in front of her.
This didn't seem like a suitable place to confess his feelings, but what he didn't expect was that Tao Wanjia heard it.
She smiled and held his hand tighter, their hearts pounding in the silent cemetery.
"He Yu, do you want to be with me? I mean, as a boyfriend and girlfriend."
She was sure she wasn't very calm right now, but it didn't matter anymore. He Yu was stunned for a long time, and only after she shook his hand did he realize he should respond. He met her gaze with a smile, a little shy, "Jia Jia, confessing your feelings should be a boy's thing."
"It doesn't matter. Just tell me whether you agree or not."
"Of course I agree..." He moved his fingers slightly, and every bone in his body seemed to swell up because of her words, "I couldn't ask for more."
Tao Wanjia's smile widened, and at the same time, his stomach made a few rumbling sounds.
I ran so far and up the mountain without eating dinner. I cried for so long and I was exhausted. My body is just now reacting.
"Let's go eat." He Yu picked up the flashlight on the ground and prepared to take her away.
Tao Wanjia nodded, but just took two steps when he was stopped by him.
"What's wrong?"
He Yu handed her the flashlight and bent down, "Come up, I'll carry you down."
He knew she had no strength left, and this would save time.
Tao Wanji's heart was beating heavily. He held the flashlight around his neck. The moon was still hanging high in the sky and the wind was blowing relentlessly, but they both felt that this moment was beautiful.
Behind them are not scattered upright tombstones, but immortal witnesses to each other.
After descending the mountain, He Yu found a restaurant he used to frequent and dined with Tao Wanjia before sending her home. The streetlights at the entrance of the alley were dim, and two hands, unwilling to let go, were draped over their sides, casting long shadows on the ground.
"I may have to go back to Nancheng with my parents in a few days. The results should be out by the time I come back. Then we can apply for college together." When they were almost at the door, He Yu let go of her.
Tao Wanjia nodded in response, and with the anticipation of her new life, she watched He Yu leave before walking into the dark doorway in front of her.
The houses in the old town are all like this, crowded together, short and small, but with spacious gates.
The moonlight shone on the gray floor tiles, and a light bulb entangled in a spider web was dimly lit. She walked through the doorway and saw Huang Zhibiao and Liu Sulan coming out by lifting the rustling door curtain.
"Jia Jia, you're back. That's great! I told your uncle Huang that I'd go out and look for you again. Where have you been? Have you eaten yet?"
Aunt Liu held her hand affectionately and said softly, "Your sister has been in a bad mood recently. She's worried about not being able to sell the goods she brought in. She said all those things to me and your uncle. Let's not get angry with her. Let's eat before she comes back, okay?"
It was already ten o'clock in the evening and the neighbors had all gone to bed. The two of them waited in the house for a long time, thinking that if he didn't come back, they would call more people to go out and look for him.
Huang Zhibiao felt uncomfortable. Tao Wanjia's words were like a needle. He was afraid that she would feel that he was dependent on others over the years, so he never hesitated to give Tao Wanjia money, whether it was food, clothing, or studies. Sometimes he would even ignore Huang Zheng and give her money. However, he never thought that the harder he tried, the more resentful he would make the child feel.
She didn't want favoritism, but equality. It was precisely because of this favoritism that the rift between the two daughters grew wider and wider.
"I'm not angry, Aunt Liu." Tao Wanjia calmed down and felt that it was wrong. He lowered his head slightly and said, "I was also wrong about what happened today. I'm sorry."
"You are right. It's Huang Zheng's fault. Let's not be angry with her and go into the house." Aunt Liu still didn't let go of her hand.
Huang Zhibiao followed the two of them, and after his wife entered the kitchen, he took out a tin biscuit box from the compartment of the wardrobe.
Tao Wanjia recognized that it was where the family kept their money. Uncle Huang and Aunt Liu put their passbooks and cash in it, wrapped them in quilts, and put them at the bottom of the wardrobe.
Before she could think clearly, Huang Zhibiao had already taken out a bank card and placed it in her hand. "This is the pension the factory gave your parents. Now that you've grown up and are going to college, you shouldn't keep this money with us anymore."
Tao Wanjia was stunned. The first image that came to mind was the hard-pressed days when Uncle Huang had just been laid off. To make extra money, Huang Zhibiao worked several odd jobs, sometimes delivering vegetables to the market, sometimes to the grain and oil store. He left early and returned late, always coming home with a pale face.
She came back from vacation and saw that they were feeling bad. She also knew that if she wasn't there, they would feel less pressure. So she mustered up the courage to tell him that she didn't want to go to school anymore. Huang Zheng happened to be walking around the streets at the time, so Tao Wanjia thought she could go along and help. But she just said that she didn't want to study anymore and that studying was boring.
Huang Zhibiao saw through her thoughts and gently comforted her, "You can't not study. We are such good students. Wouldn't it be a waste if we don't study? The most important thing for you now is to study hard. Don't worry about things at home. These are all our adults' business."
Tao Wanji's eyes became moist, and the cards in his sight became blurry.
She knew about this sum of money. When she was a child, many neighbors speculated behind her back about why the Huang family adopted her and also received this pension. But she didn't know that Huang Zhibiao had been saving it for her and had never touched a single cent.
"Why are you giving me this money?" She smiled, wanting to say something to lighten the mood in the room. "Are you giving me the money so I can run away from home?"
Huang Zhibiao also smiled and didn't say anything more about Huang Zheng's matter. He knew that wasn't the problem. He lowered his voice, looked at her seriously, and said, "Uncle knows you haven't been comfortable at home these years. There's no reason to give you this money. I just want to tell you that you're grown up now. If you have your own things to do, you don't have to worry about this family. I don't know if you understand what I mean, but no matter where you go to study in the future, uncle will continue to support you through college."
He was not good at speaking, he just wanted to say that she had grown up and didn't need to be trapped here anymore, she could do whatever she wanted and didn't have to compromise for them.
Tao Wanjia understood, and at once he felt mixed emotions, with more tears welling up in his eyes.
Huang Zhibiao grabbed a piece of toilet paper and handed it to her, "Girl, stop crying. It's not pretty. If you cry, I'll want to cry too."
"Why are you crying?" She was amused and almost choked when she wiped her nose.
Huang Zhibiao smiled, a light flashing in his eyes for a moment, "You've grown up, and your uncle's mission is accomplished. I can feel confident when I meet your parents in the future. I can pat my chest and tell them that our daughter will get first place in the joint entrance examination."
The haze dissipated, and Tao Wanjia returned to the room with the card.
When Huang Zheng came back, she was almost asleep. She woke up when someone touched her face in a daze. When she opened her eyes, Huang Zheng squeezed over and lay next to her.
"Where have you been? I couldn't find you."
Tao Wanji noticed her tone had returned to normal, realizing she was trying to show goodwill. He turned his back to her and said in a deliberately cold voice, "I've heard you say, get out of here as far as you can. Of course you can't find me."
Huang Zheng thought she was still angry and that she had indeed gone too far. She was just a stubborn person and could never control herself.
Huang Zheng opened the bedside table in the dark and took out the shiny silver bracelet from the box and put it on her hand. "Okay, okay, it's all my fault. Don't be angry with me. I'll take you out to play tomorrow."
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