Xiaoyu is not at home, I miss him
The midsummer sun scorches the earth, and even the air seems to carry a sticky heat. Summer vacation has arrived, and the campus is filled with a joyful atmosphere of liberation.
Shen Yu packed the last bit of luggage in the dormitory, but his heart was not as full of pure excitement about traveling as other students. He promised a few friends from the same department to go to a coastal city in a neighboring province for a few days. This was the first time that he did not reserve all his vacation time for the home he and Lin Qingyue had.
A few days ago, when he nervously mentioned this travel plan to Lin Qingyue, she simply looked up from behind her tablet, leaning back on the sofa reading a financial report, and gazed at him for a few seconds. A fleeting, subtle emotion, barely perceptible even to herself, flashed across those usually calm, sharp eyes, but was quickly replaced by a more rational expression of approval.
"Go ahead." She put down the tablet, her tone as calm as ever, yet with a clear affirmation, "It's good to go out more with your classmates. Be careful."
She even took the initiative to inquire about his itinerary and budget, and promptly transferred him a "travel fund" far exceeding his needs, reminding him: "When you're with friends, don't be too frugal with your expenses. Have fun."
Shen Yu looked at her, and the uneasiness in his heart was slowly ironed out, but another indescribable feeling emerged. She agreed too straightforwardly and too supportively, which made him feel that he might not be that important to her life.
He suppressed the strange feeling in his heart and smiled softly: "Thank you, sister. I will send you a message every day."
Lin Qingyue nodded and picked up the tablet again, as if it was just a trivial matter.
On the day of departure, Shen Yu cleaned the apartment inside and out again, filled the refrigerator with her favorite brand of mineral water and fresh fruit, and even prepared several semi-finished meals in advance and froze them in the refrigerator, which only needed to be heated up before eating. He kept telling her where to put things, remember to turn off the gas, and bring an umbrella when going out...
Lin Qingyue leaned against the kitchen door frame with her arms folded, watching his busy figure, listening to his gentle nagging, and suddenly interrupted him: "Shen Yu, I'm twenty-eight years old, not eighty-two. I can take care of myself." There was a hint of a smile in her tone, as if she thought he looked very interesting.
Shen Yu was stunned for a moment, her cheeks flushed, and she also laughed: "I know... I'm just worried about you."
After seeing Shen Yu off and the door closed, the huge top-floor apartment instantly fell into a strange silence.
The sun still blazed brightly throughout the living room. Everything was neat, luxurious, and spotless, like an exquisite model room, but it had lost a certain flowing, warm vitality.
Lin Qingyue stood in the middle of the living room and for the first time felt that the house was too empty.
…
On that first day, she enjoyed the long-awaited, absolute silence. No one was busy in the kitchen, no gentle voice asked what she wanted for dinner, no soft sounds of cutting and washing fruit, and no sound of another person's gentle breathing. She worked late, and when she got up to get some water, she opened the refrigerator and saw the carefully packaged ingredients and fruit. She paused for a few seconds.
She ended up just getting a bottle of ice water. Heating up those half-finished dishes? Too much trouble. She ordered delivery from her usual restaurant.
The next day, the silence began to take on a more concrete quality. At dinnertime, she sat at the table, looking at the exquisite yet formulaic takeout dishes, and suddenly felt a loss of appetite. Without the person across from her who would smile and ask, "How's it taste?" and who would carefully remove the fish bones and naturally place the best parts in her bowl, the food seemed to have lost its aroma.
On the third day, she finished a video conference and walked out of her study, rubbing her brows. The lights outside the window were already on. The apartment was shrouded in darkness, and she subconsciously said, "Xiaoyu, open it for a moment..."
He stopped talking halfway through his words.
The only response she got was the low hum of the central air conditioner.
She turned on the light herself. The overly bright cold light poured down, illuminating all the emptiness and silence. She suddenly realized that in the past few years, Shen Yu's presence was like air, silently permeating every corner. It was usually difficult to detect, but once it was gone, it made people feel suffocated.
She had always been sensible and knew that keeping him captive like this was wrong. He was in the prime of his life, and should be experiencing life like his peers, laughing, and perhaps... having a normal, sunny, and equal relationship, instead of wasting all his time and emotions trying to please an "older sister" who was eight years older than him and controlled his life.
Reason told her so, but her emotions were clamoring with discomfort and longing in every silent gap.
She never sent him a message on her own initiative, but just replied with a short "Got it, have fun" when he sent her a message to report his safety and photos of the night view of the beach every night.
On the evening of the fourth day, Lin Qingyue finished work early. Standing by the French window, looking at the endless stream of cars below, she felt for the first time a sense of emptiness and idleness. She decided to go downstairs for a walk.
As she absentmindedly walked out of the elevator, her cell phone rang. It was Shen Yu.
"Sister," his voice came through the receiver, carrying the warmth of the seaside sunshine and a hint of urgency, "I'm almost home, about half an hour. I brought you some local specialties."
Lin Qingyue's heart skipped a beat. It was a day earlier than originally planned.
She stood there, holding the phone, silent for two seconds before responding, "Yeah. Be careful on the road."
Instead of going out for another walk, she turned around and went back upstairs.
Half an hour later, there was a slight turning sound from the door lock.
The door opened, and Shen Yu stood at the door dragging a small suitcase. He was dusty and his face was tired from the journey, but it was diluted by a bright smile. He was wearing a simple white T-shirt and jeans, exuding the vigor of a young man, and holding a paper bag that looked very local.
"Sister, I'm back!" His eyes sparkled.
Lin Qingyue was standing not far from the entrance, seemingly on her way to the kitchen, or perhaps just standing there by chance. She looked at him, her gaze sliding from his smiling face to the tips of his sand-stained shoes, and then back to his bright eyes.
She didn't ask him why he came back early, nor did she ask him if he had a good time.
When Shen Yu put down the suitcase, smiled and raised the paper bag in his hand to hand it to her, she suddenly stepped forward, stretched out her arms, and hugged him deeply and forcefully.
This hug came suddenly and tightly, with an unusual force, as if to confirm his real existence. Shen Yu could even smell the cool perfume on her body and feel her slightly rapid heartbeat through the thin fabric.
He froze, his hand holding the bag frozen in mid-air. Then, a huge, surging current of warmth instantly washed away all his thoughts. He slowly lowered his arms and carefully hugged her back, burying his face in the familiar, fragrant crook of her neck. His voice was muffled, but filled with indescribable joy and peace of mind: "Sister..."
Lin Qingyue didn't say anything, but hugged him tighter before slowly releasing her hand and returning to her usual posture, as if the awkward hug just now was just an illusion. Only her eyes, which were much softer than usual, betrayed some of her emotions.
She took the bag of specialties from his hand, and her tone sounded as calm as possible, but with a barely perceptible hoarseness hidden within it:
"Welcome home."
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