Chapter 38
They were quickly rescued.
Shen Yuqing took a quick look and saw that the people who rescued them all wore red armbands on their arms, but they were all unfamiliar faces.
After asking, I found out that these were all local people from Yunjin, who came from other places to support them.
They happened to see Xu An stop their car and bring them over, and only then did they discover them.
Shen Yuqing looked at Xu An, whose face was covered with tears, touched his head lightly, and said in a deep voice: "Don't be afraid."
He held Xu An and continued walking forward. When he noticed that Xia Ruirui was not following him, he stopped and waited for her.
But she was seen talking to the volunteer who rescued her.
Their backs were facing him, and he couldn't see their expressions clearly, but he could roughly tell that they seemed to be exchanging something.
Thinking they were exchanging contact information, Shen Yuqing abruptly stopped wanting to go forward and find out what was going on.
He didn't wait for her any longer, turned around and took Xu An back to the support point.
Behind her, Xia Ruirui looked at the volunteer who rescued her, and stared at him for a long time as if to confirm.
The man felt a little uncomfortable when she looked at him, and subconsciously reached out to smooth his hair.
After confirming again and again that she had not made a mistake, Xia Ruirui looked at him and said with some difficulty:
"Excuse me, you work in the Canyon Park over there in Rapids Influx, right?"
The man looked a little surprised, thinking he had met a former colleague or friend.
He stared at Xia Ruirui for several more times, and was a little unsure whether he had seen her before.
"Who are you?" I thought I had met someone I knew, and the man's tone was a little light.
Xia Ruirui's voice became even deeper. Without saying anything, she took off the gold ring from the index finger of her right hand.
The moment he saw the gold ring, the man's expression froze for a moment, and then became heavy.
"This is my mother's ring, how come..."
Xia Ruirui was silent for a while, and tried her best to describe the scene in a narrative tone.
At that time, on the winding mountain road on the other side of the canyon, the bus she and Wang Kelly were riding in was hit by debris from the mountain.
Except for the two of them, everyone in the car died.
In order to leave a memory for the aunt's son, Xia Ruirui took off her ring.
Finally, she said to the man: "Your mother loves you very much. Before the accident, she showed me your photo and said how good her son is."
After saying that, she handed him the gold ring with both hands: "Please accept my condolences."
The tall and strong man suddenly cried like a child, squatting on the ground and sobbing loudly.
The mood of the surrounding volunteers was also affected by him and became a little depressed.
Many people died in this earthquake. Now the golden rescue time has passed, but countless Yunjin people are still missing.
Xia Ruirui did not stay by his side to comfort him, but patted his shoulder, got up and left to give him space to vent.
When she returned to the support point, she was a little depressed.
Not long after, Shen Yuqing came over and told her that there would be a bus tomorrow that would take everyone at the rescue site to the new resettlement site, and he asked her if she wanted to go.
Shen Yuqing's tone was very cold, as if he was just asking a routine question in a businesslike manner.
He was about to leave after he finished speaking, but Xia Ruirui hugged him from behind.
She avoided the wound on his back and put her face on his shoulder.
Despite the familiar body temperature, Shen Yuqing felt some subconscious resistance in his heart.
He didn't understand why Xia Ruirui could always tease him when he wanted to give up.
When I'm bored, I tease him.
It was as if she had some kind of foresight that allowed Xia Ruirui to get closer to him and give him some hope every time he wanted to give up.
He had had enough of it over the years, but every time she approached him, he could never bear to refuse.
He thought that maybe he owed Xia Ruirui a debt of love in his previous life, which was why he was always bound by her in this life.
Just when he wanted to break free, she let go of him herself.
At this time, Shen Yuqing had made up his mind not to accept Xia Ruirui's teasing anymore.
But he still wanted to give her a chance.
He turned to look at her and asked calmly, "Xia Ruirui, let's get married."
His proposal was too sudden, as if it was just a spur of the moment proposal, but only Shen Yuqing himself knew how serious he was.
Xia Ruirui also had a momentary impulse to agree to him.
It was not until she remembered the last time she was unconscious for a whole day in her apartment where she lived alone and almost died that she made up her mind to reject him.
He shouldn't be dragged down by her.
"Chen Yuqing, we are not suitable." Xia Ruirui's voice was emotionless.
However, to Shen Yuqing, these words sounded more like a mockery.
They are not suitable.
If she is not suitable for him, then who is suitable for her? Ji Chuyao?
But he still didn't say anything, just nodded, and before leaving, he reminded her to get up early tomorrow...
*
The next day, the group from the support point boarded military vehicles and left Yunjin.
The troops sent them to the nearby town and then left to transport the next group of people.
Because it is a township, there is no high-speed rail station here, only old-fashioned green trains.
Shen Yuqing was going to buy a ticket, but Xia Ruirui said she would go too.
At the ticket booth, Shen Yuqing took out the ticket money and ID and handed them to the service staff at the window: "Two tickets to Beiyi."
Xia Ruirui behind him interrupted him: "One ticket to Beiyi, and one ticket to Xijing."
Shen Yuqing's hand that was taking out the money was stunned, and he looked back at her with disbelief.
The ticket office staff looked at the two of them with a somewhat impatient attitude: "Who do you want to listen to?"
Xia Ruirui chuckled and said softly, "Listen to me."
The staff handed him the ticket, but Shen Yuqing didn't take it.
Xia Ruirui behind him walked past him, took the ticket from the staff, and handed him the ticket to Beiyi.
Looking at Xia Ruirui who had drawn a clear line with herself, Shen Yuqing's voice was a little hoarse: "Are we not going to meet again in the future?"
In fact, it is better for both of them not to face each other, and Xia Ruirui also knows this.
But she still couldn't bear to see the man who had occupied her entire student life again.
She suppressed the sadness that was about to overflow in her heart, stood on tiptoe, and patted his head in a light-hearted manner.
She ruffled his hair again: "Given our relationship, we should see each other once a month, or at least once a year or two."
Looking at Xia Ruirui who was still laughing, Shen Yuqing felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and even his heart was cold.
Our relationship...what is our relationship?
Just a friendship?
Or is it a relationship between teasing and being teased?
In the waiting room, the soft light shone on Xia Ruirui's profile, but Shen Yuqing felt that the woman in front of him was cold even to the bone.
It made him feel daunted.
"Dear passengers, the train to Beiyi Station is about to depart. Please proceed to Beiyi..."
It’s Shen Yuqing’s car that’s going to check tickets.
Xia Ruirui urged him: "It's time to check the tickets."
Shen Yuqing didn't move, looked at her deeply, and turned away.
After he left, Xia Ruirui's forced smile finally collapsed. She looked at Shen Yuqing's back, her eyes slightly red.
She pulled the brim of her hat down to hide the moisture in the corners of her eyes...
*
Because of Xia's mother's strong request, Xia Ruirui finally went to their home.
When I came to the street where the old house was again, the ground was covered with fallen ginkgo leaves.
It was exactly the same as what she saw when she was a child, except that the people living in this house had changed.
From a family of three consisting of her, Xia's father and mother, it became a family of three consisting of Xia's mother, stepfather and their child.
Xia Ruirui bought some seasonal fruits at a nearby fruit store.
She carried the fruits to the door, only to see her stepfather waiting for her at the door.
"Ruirui, I'm your Uncle Wu."
Hearing the sound, Xia's mother also poked her head out. Xia Ruirui saw that she was wearing an apron and holding a spatula in her hand.
He must have been cooking when he heard her coming and came out to see her: "Ruirui, come in quickly."
"……good."
Her stepfather stood up to greet her, took the fruit from her hand, and said that she was too polite for bringing fruit back to his home.
Xia Ruirui didn't take his polite words seriously and smiled slightly.
After closing the door, the stepfather went into the kitchen and helped Xia's mother peel garlic.
She changed into her slippers somewhat nervously, and when she looked up, she saw her half-brother clinging to the wall and secretly watching her.
The grudges of the previous generation have nothing to do with the younger generation, so Xia Ruirui does not have much hatred towards this younger brother.
But to say how much I like it, that’s not necessarily the case.
Her younger brother was still young. When he saw her change her slippers, he ran over and hugged her thighs, calling her sister affectionately.
In the kitchen, Xia's mother and stepfather were also happy to see her close to her brother.
Mother Xia told them to sit and wait for dinner, and then she went to the kitchen to prepare dinner with her stepfather.
"Sister, I'll take you to your room."
Her brother took her hand and led her to the room where she lived until she graduated from high school.
Xia Ruirui thought that her original room must have been converted into a storage room or her brother's room.
She didn't have much expectation at first, but she was completely stunned the moment she pushed open the door.
The layout of the room was still very familiar. She looked back at Xia's mother in disbelief. She was still busy in the kitchen.
Xia Ruirui turned her head to look at the room, stroking the familiar table top. Even the small card of Keigo Atobe on the wall remained the same.
It was as if she had never left the house and the room was still hers alone.
Noticing that her half-brother never stepped into the room, Xia Ruirui asked him why he didn't come in.
But he said, "Mom won't let me into this room."
"If I come in, she'll scold me." His voice was a little cautious.
As if afraid of upsetting his sister, he stood at the door, his small hands clinging tightly to the door frame, yet being careful not to cross the line.
In the room, Xia Ruirui sat on the edge of the bed, smelling the reassuring scent of softener on the sheets, and her nose felt a little sour.
Ten years have passed, and the fabric softener used by Xia's mother has not changed.
The younger brother looked at her and asked innocently, "Sister, why are you crying?"
Xia Ruirui quickly wiped the corner of her eyes: "Nothing, my eyes suddenly feel a little uncomfortable."
After a while, she said to her brother, "Come in, your mother won't beat you."
Hearing the owner of the room inviting him in, the younger brother became a little excited and held Xia Ruirui tightly.
But he was still a little reserved and only dared to sit on the edge of the bed.
The younger brother looked at her with a hint of curiosity: "Sister, why did you say that was my mother?"
Hearing this, Xia Ruirui looked at him with amusement, and said teasingly, "If she's not your mother, then whose mother could she be?"
Unexpectedly, her brother looked at her seriously and said, "Mom is also my sister's mother."
Upon hearing this, Xia Ruirui was stunned for a moment and didn't know how to answer.
Seeing that she didn't answer, the younger brother said with a grown-up look on his face, "It should be our mother."
Outside the door frame, Xia's mother paused as she was about to knock on the door after hearing this, and waited expectantly for Xia Ruirui's reply.
However, after waiting for a long time, I didn't hear her speak.
She originally came over to invite the two of them to dinner, but accidentally overheard the conversation between the siblings.
Seeing that Xia Ruirui didn't say anything, knowing that she still blamed herself in her heart, Xia's mother shed tears silently.
The stepfather also heard the conversation between the siblings. He silently supported the crying Xia mother's shoulders and took her away, leaving only the siblings.
After dinner, Xia Ruirui was about to leave. Her mother pulled her aside, somewhat reluctantly: "Ruirui, just stay at home."
The stepfather was also very polite and courteous: "Ruirui, stay here for one night before leaving."
"No, I'll just stay in a hotel." Xia Ruirui shook her head.
Xia's mother felt a little disappointed, and then she thought of something and told her to meet a friend at a coffee shop near her home tomorrow.
She also deliberately emphasized that the other party also graduated from Beiyi University and was in the same class as her.
Thinking of the last blind date mistake, Xia Ruirui's scalp tightened and she subconsciously felt a little resistant.
But looking at the white hair on Xia's mother's head, she softened her heart again. After all, it would not be too late to refuse after they met.
Before leaving, she hugged Xia's mother.
"Mom, I'm leaving."
"good."
Feeling Xia's mother's slightly trembling body, Xia Ruirui felt uncomfortable.
Behind him, his younger brother broke free from his stepfather's arms, ran out, and asked coquettishly, "Sister, when will you come to see me next time?"
"Let's wait until the Mid-Autumn Festival."
"Then I'll make mooncakes for you and we'll eat them together." Mother Xia quickly replied.
"good."
Xia Ruirui had just walked a short distance when her brother asked her mother, "Mom, when is the next Mid-Autumn Festival?"
"August 15th."
…
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