Finally, both of them were a little out of breath, so they separated. Zhao Mingyue buried her head in Shen Xuyue's arms and didn't lift her head for a long time. Shen Xuyue kissed the top of her head, pressed his cheek against her head, and hugged her tightly.
The feeling of kissing was so wonderful that Shen Xuyue almost fell in love with it. There was no one else in the room except them, so he could kiss her whenever he wanted. He couldn't help but steal glances at Zhao Mingyue, who was reading a book across from him.
Zhao Mingyue's cheeks flushed as he stared at her: "What are you looking at?"
Shen Xuyue grinned at her, revealing eight perfectly white teeth, a clear indication of his delight.
Zhao Mingyue held up a book in front of her: "Alright, let's get to work."
She blushed, while Shen Xuyue was overjoyed: "I'll take some time these next couple of days to go back and check on things."
Zhao Mingyue nodded: "Okay."
Before Shen Xuyue even returned, Zhao Mingyue already knew the result: Mao Jianlan insisted on breaking up with Shen Qixue. Shen Qixue seemed unwilling to accept this, coming to the school every day to ambush her, smoking one cigarette after another, leaving cigarette butts all over the ground. He was now unshaven, with bloodshot eyes, a far cry from his former dashing and heroic image.
But Mao Jianlan simply avoided them. Zhao Mingyue relayed their messages several times, but Mao Jianlan resolutely refused to respond. Her personality was inherently decisive; once she made up her mind, she wouldn't turn back. She had a strong sense of pride, and having finally achieved success, she was now subjected to constant ridicule and harassment. She felt that even if she were to be with Shen Qixue, Shen's mother would still look down on her, and she didn't want to suffer that humiliation.
Seeing them chasing and dodging, both looking haggard, Zhao Mingyue felt very guilty. If only she hadn't told Shen Qixue to stop the car, they wouldn't have met, and this wouldn't have happened. Zhao Mingyue could only go to Shen Qixue and say, "Let it go, brother. Go back and calm down, get some rest. Jianlan is tired too."
Shen Qixue glanced at Zhao Mingyue, then lowered his head and remained silent. Zhao Mingyue felt that Shen Qixue was probably more resentful than anything else. She sighed, "Big brother, don't blame Auntie. Everyone has their own perspective. If we're talking about who made the biggest mistake in this whole thing, it's Xuyue and me. We shouldn't have acted as matchmakers for you."
Shen Qixue looked up at the sky and sighed, "Yes, if we didn't know each other, nothing would have happened."
Zhao Mingyue said, "Don't blame Jianlan for this. It just means you two are destined to be apart. You both need to take good care of yourselves."
Shen Qixue gave a wry smile, then turned around, straightened his back, and Zhao Mingyue saw the dashing young officer again. With his back to Zhao Mingyue, Shen Qixue said, "Please tell her for me that I'm sorry, I shouldn't have disturbed her peaceful life, and ask her to take care." Then he strode forward.
Zhao Mingyue suddenly felt a pang of sadness. What kind of twist of fate could have caused such pain to two such outstanding people?
Two days later, Shen Xuyue came to find Zhao Mingyue: "My brother left yesterday and went back to the army."
Zhao Mingyue said in surprise, "They left so soon? Wasn't there still half a month left?"
Shen Xuyue said with distress, "I didn't even get a chance to say hello to him. Sigh, what a mess this is. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have taken the initiative to play matchmaker for them."
Zhao Mingyue pinched his arm: "Forget it, let both sides calm down. And you, you didn't discuss it with me earlier, you just made the decision on your own."
"How could I have known it would turn out like this?" Shen Xuyue sighed.
"It's obvious without even thinking that your mother doesn't like me. How do you think she feels about letting your older brother date my classmate?"
Shen Xuyue shook his head helplessly: "I really don't understand your women's twisted thoughts. What's so hard to understand? Of course, it's because they are good people and get along well that they are together. Who would go out of their way to find someone to annoy her? They don't have any grudge against her."
Zhao Mingyue asked, "After my older brother left, what was your mother's attitude?"
My mom is sick and hospitalized.
Zhao Mingyue was startled: "Huh?! You're in the hospital? What's wrong?"
Shen Xuyue said, "They said it was because of high blood pressure, probably from anger. He's still in the hospital, he's been there for several days."
"Then aren't you going to take care of them?"
Shen Xuyue said, "My sister is taking care of him, and my brother-in-law is watching over him at night. Actually, there's nothing wrong, but I guess they want to force my brother and Xiao Mao to separate. My mother is the same. When she saw that Mao Jianlan was no longer seeing my brother, she quickly arranged for him to go on a blind date. Isn't that just rubbing salt into the wound? So my brother went to buy a ticket and went back to the army that day."
Zhao Mingyue sighed. What a mess this has become. "Why don't we go to the hospital together to see your mother?"
Shen Xuyue said, "Let's go again this weekend. She'll be discharged tomorrow. She's getting old, these are just common ailments, nothing serious. I think it's probably a case of 30% illness and 70% pretense."
Zhao Mingyue smiled helplessly.
Shen Xuyue took out a box: "This was left by my brother with my sister. He asked me to give it to Xiao Mao as a keepsake."
Zhao Mingyue looked at the box, which was a watch box, and sighed, "I'll take it to her."
Back in the dormitory, Zhao Mingyue told Mao Jianlan, "He's gone. He's gone back to his unit."
Mao Jianlan looked up at Zhao Mingyue with wide eyes. After a while, her eyes became moist, tears welling up and almost falling. Zhao Mingyue handed her the watch: "He said, this is for you as a souvenir."
Mao Jianlan shook her head, refusing to accept it. Tears streamed down her face as she shook herself, then she covered her face with her hands and burst into tears. Zhao Mingyue reached out and patted her head, then rested it against her stomach: "Take it. Don't waste his good intentions. Keep it safe."
Mao Jianlan cried and said, "I can't accept it."
"This is a memory. It's either with him or with you. It's good to keep it as a memento."
Mao Jianlan fell silent.
The girls in the dormitory were all looking at Mao Jianlan. Recently, her affair with Shen Qixue had become known to everyone in the dormitory. Everyone felt sorry for her, but no one could do anything about it.
After that, Mao Jianlan was depressed for a long time, rarely smiling. Her first relationship was such a deeply traumatic experience; it probably created a psychological barrier for her when looking for a partner again. Zhao Mingyue felt some sympathy for her. Mao Jianlan never wore that watch again.
But all of this will pass. Zhao Mingyue went to see Shen's mother. Actually, nothing was wrong; the old lady's blood pressure was a bit high from the anger, so Zhao Mingyue bought a lot of hawthorn berries to help lower it. Shen didn't give Zhao Mingyue a friendly look, probably still resenting Zhao Mingyue for meddling.
That summer, Zhao Mingyue heard that the commune was still buying tea, so she didn't go back home. Instead, she continued to run her business in Beijing, partnering with Mao Jianlan. Zhao Mingyue could save over a hundred yuan each summer. After three summers, after deducting expenses, she had saved four hundred yuan, a considerable sum. However, for Zhao Mingyue, it was still too little; it couldn't do much with it, so she had to continue saving.
Spring passed and autumn came, and Zhao Mingyue was now a junior in college. Zhao Mingyue discovered that Yu Youqing had returned from his hometown and was getting very close to Bian Hongyu again. She was both amused and exasperated; how did they end up together again?
That day, Zhao Mingyue ran into a fellow villager at the library, Hu Yu, whom she had met at the first hometown association meeting. Hu Yu saw her, greeted her, and didn't seem to have any intention of leaving. Zhao Mingyue noticed that Hu Yu seemed to have something to say, so she said, "Let's go sit outside for a while."
Hu Yu nodded: "Okay."
The two found a bench on campus and sat down. The ginkgo leaves on the trees were tinged with frost and had turned golden. The sunlight shone on the ginkgo leaves, making them seem translucent. Autumn was coming again. Zhao Mingyue exclaimed, "Autumn in Beijing is so beautiful."
Looking at the ginkgo leaves overhead, Hu Yu asked, "Yu Youqing is from the same place as you, right?"
Zhao Mingyue said, "Yes, we're from the same village, so what?"
"Has he been getting quite close to Bian Hongyu lately?"
Zhao Mingyue said, "I've seen it twice, and I also found it a bit strange."
Hu Yu thought for a moment, and then said, "It would be best to tell him to have less contact with Bian Hongyu."
Zhao Mingyue turned to look at her. She wasn't familiar with Hu Yu and didn't know why she would remind her of this. Hu Yu lowered her voice and said, "Bian Hongyu has a rather promiscuous private life. A friend of mine said that he saw her visiting the obstetrics and gynecology department of a hospital."
Zhao Mingyue looked at Hu Yu in surprise: "Why are you telling me this?" Although not everyone who goes to the gynecologist has that kind of problem, judging from her expression, she could understand about 70-80% of it.
Hu Yu said, "I think Yu Youqing is a very simple and kind person. Last time I went back, I twisted my ankle, and he helped me carry all my luggage."
Zhao Mingyue nodded: "Okay, I'll go remind him."
Hu Yu added, "Bian Hongyu has dated at least four boyfriends at school. Of course, it's her freedom to date, and we shouldn't interfere, but she and Yu Youqing are clearly not on the same wavelength. It's best to keep Yu Youqing away from getting involved with her."
"I understand, thank you." Zhao Mingyue had never had a good impression of Bian Hongyu. It seemed that this person's private life was not very clean either. She really had to remind Yu Youqing to be more careful and not be deceived in his feelings.
When Zhao Mingyue ran into Yu Youqing, she asked him, "Youqing, when did you get together with Bian Hongyu again? She's a woman who doesn't keep her word. Why are you getting involved with her?"
Yu Youqing also felt somewhat helpless: "I didn't get involved with her. She insisted on following me. When she went home for summer vacation, she told her fellow villagers that I was her boyfriend. Everyone was making a fuss about it."
"And then you just agreed without really understanding what was going on?" Zhao Mingyue asked him.
Yu Youqing quickly shook his head: "No. I didn't take it seriously."
Zhao Mingyue said, "Ignore her. From now on, come with me to the library and the cafeteria. I want to see how she tries to bother you."
Yu Youqing said, "Oh, okay."
Zhao Mingyue and Yu Youqing had arranged to meet at the second classroom for lunch, as her classroom was closer to it. When Zhao Mingyue finished buying her food and was about to meet Yu Youqing, she noticed that Bian Hongyu was following closely behind him again. After buying her food, Bian Hongyu sat down next to him very naturally and even put some meat from her bowl into Yu Youqing's bowl, saying, "Eat more meat so you can gain some weight."
Yu Youqing blushed and said, "No, no need, you can eat it yourself."
Bian Hongyu completely ignored Zhao Mingyue's presence: "You often eat cabbage and tofu, which is not nutritious enough, that's why you're so thin. You need to eat more meat. You study science, which uses your brain a lot, so you need to supplement your diet with more meat, otherwise you won't get enough nutrition."
Yu Youqing looked awkwardly at Zhao Mingyue across from him.
Zhao Mingyue slowly ate her rice, glancing sideways at Bian Hongyu, who was still happily picking out meat from her bowl to give to Yu Youqing. Zhao Mingyue coughed, and Bian Hongyu turned to her, saying, "Do you want some meat too? I don't think I have any left."
Zhao Mingyue cut to the chase: "No need. Are you pursuing Yu Youqing?" Yu Youqing's face turned bright red.
Bian Hongyu showed no embarrassment whatsoever, turning to Yu Youqing: "We're already dating, right, Youqing?"
Yu Youqing quickly replied, "No, no."
Bian Hongyu's face stiffened slightly, then she said, "Yu Youqing, I'm now formally asking you out. I want to date you. Do you agree?"
Yu Youqing's ears turned bright red. He had never seen such a bold woman confess her feelings to someone, especially in front of Zhao Mingyue. He was so embarrassed that he almost turned around and left.
Bian Hongyu looked at Yu Youqing persistently: "Yu Youqing, I'm asking you a question. Will you answer or not?"
Yu Youqing sighed and said softly, "I'm sorry, we're not a good match."
Zhao Mingyue almost burst out laughing.
Bian Hongyu's expression finally changed, turning slightly red, probably from anger: "Yu Youqing, I never expected you to be such an irresponsible person. You helped me with this and that in front of so many people, and even let me lean on you while we slept. Do you think just anyone can do that? So many people were watching, and they all thought you were my boyfriend. Now you're going back on your word. Where do you expect me to put my face?" She never imagined that someone with her looks and family background, who had fallen for this dull-witted Yu Youqing, would be rejected.
Zhao Mingyue said, "Are you taking advantage of his honesty and fear that he won't dare to resist you? You take advantage of him, and then you expect him to take responsibility? There really are things in this world that turn black into white and right into wrong."
In Yu Youqing and Bian Hongyu's world, there was no such thing as a woman taking advantage of a man, so when Zhao Mingyue said this, Bian Hongyu glared at her with anger: "What nonsense are you talking about? How could I, a woman, take advantage of him?"
"You delivered yourself to their doorstep and then expect them to take responsibility? That's just taking advantage of them," Zhao Mingyue said coldly. "Bian Hongyu, I don't know what you're up to, but I can't stand by and watch you bully Yu Youqing like this."
Bian Hongyu's face flushed red and then turned pale, before she pulled a long face and said to Zhao Mingyue without any politeness, "What does this have to do with you? Who is Yu Youqing to you? Mind your own business!"
Zhao Mingyue had always thought that Bian Hongyu was a shrewd person, so why was she acting so stupid now? Could anger really make someone's IQ drop? So she said to Youqing, "Youqing, let's go out to eat."
Yu Youqing nodded: "Okay."
Bian Hongyu looked at Yu Youqing and said, "Yu Youqing, you really don't know what's good for you!"
Yu Youqing paused for a moment, then said softly, "I'm sorry."
Zhao Mingyue said, "What have you done to wrong her? Let's go."
Yu Youqing quickly followed Zhao Mingyue away. Bian Hongyu gritted her teeth in anger and shouted, "Zhao Mingyue, you're always looking for more than you have! What do you mean by dragging Yu Youqing along like this? You're a shameless woman!"
There were already quite a few people watching them. Zhao Mingyue's face stiffened: "Watch your mouth. Youqing is my classmate, friend, and fellow villager. Is it shameless for male and female classmates to eat together? Youqing doesn't like you, but you insist on pestering her. That's what shamelessness is."
Seeing that things were about to escalate, Yu Youqing quickly pulled Zhao Mingyue away. Bian Hongyu threw down her chopsticks, stopped eating, and yelled at the onlookers, "What are you looking at!"
Zhao Mingyue felt that, setting aside Bian Hongyu's character issues, her personality was unsuitable for Yu Youqing. If they ended up together, Yu Youqing would be completely under Bian Hongyu's thumb, with no chance of ever recovering. Zhao Mingyue said, "Don't bother with her anymore. You can't afford to mess with a woman like that." She wouldn't discuss Bian Hongyu's private life with Yu Youqing. For a woman, reputation is quite important, and since she had no evidence, she wouldn't spread rumors.
"Oh," Yu Youqing replied.
“If she comes to you again, don’t talk to her. A man should be decisive and cut ties when necessary. That’s what makes a man strong. Don’t drag things out and make it seem like you’re giving her false hope,” Zhao Mingyue said.
Yu Youqing blushed with embarrassment. He realized he had indeed done poorly in this regard, no wonder Zhao Mingyue looked down on him. "I understand."
Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "The fact that she likes you is a good thing in a way; it shows you have good qualities. Be more confident, and if you meet a girl you like, be bold and pursue her."
Yu Youqing's mood brightened after being praised by Zhao Mingyue: "Mm."
Autumn comes early to Beijing and goes early too. This year, instead of going to Fragrant Hills to see the red leaves, Zhao Mingyue and Shen Xuyue spent their time admiring the golden ginkgo leaves in Tsinghua University. After a night of autumn wind, a thick layer of ginkgo leaves had accumulated on the ground, making it soft and fluffy underfoot. Zhao Mingyue picked out clean, beautifully shaped ginkgo leaves from the ground and pressed them between the pages of her books to make specimens.
Shen Xuyue also picked some ginkgo leaves, wrote poems on them, covered them with plastic film, and pressed them into vacuum bookmarks to keep them fresh and prevent them from fading. He gave them to Zhao Mingyue, who loved them dearly.
Shen Xuyue has an internship this semester, a month-long internship in Qinhuangdao, lasting from December to New Year's Day. Zhao Mingyue found it strange that an internship was scheduled for this time of year, when it's freezing cold. However, there was nothing she could do; it was the school's arrangement, so she had to go. But since the internship location was fixed, they could still communicate, which offered some consolation.
Half a month after Shen Xuyue left, Shen Fuyu came to the school to find Zhao Mingyue: "Mingyue, my mother is in the hospital."
"Ah? Auntie is sick?" Zhao Mingyue was taken aback, looking at Sister Shen's haggard face.
Shen Fuyu said anxiously, "The ground was icy this morning, and I slipped and fell when I went out. My neighbor ran to the school to tell me that I've been taken to the hospital now."
Zhao Mingyue asked, "Where did you fall? Is it serious?"
Shen Fuyu sniffed and said, "The doctor said I hurt my back, but the specific situation depends on how well I recover. You know, there are so many things happening lately, one after another, it just keeps happening."
"Is there anything else?" Zhao Mingyue sensed something was off.
Shen Fuyu said, "Qixue was injured during the exercise and is currently being treated at Southern Hospital in Guangzhou. My dad and Maolin both went to Guangzhou. They had just left when my mom had this accident. It's all so chaotic. What kind of mess is this?"
"Oh! Is Big Brother alright?" Zhao Mingyue asked worriedly. He actually needed emergency treatment. What happened?
Shen Fuyu covered her mouth and shook her head, her emotions almost collapsing: "I don't know, they've already issued a critical condition notice."
Zhao Mingyue gasped, "Sis, don't scare me, it can't be true, right?"
Shen Fuyu's tears streamed down her face: "Maolin called and told me, but I don't dare tell my mom. Don't tell her about this either."
Zhao Mingyue's mind was in turmoil. Was something going to happen to Brother Shen? Zhao Mingyue took a deep breath to calm herself down. Shen Qixue didn't die young in her previous life, so he probably wouldn't in this one either. But everyone's fate was changing, so would his change too?
After a while, Zhao Mingyue calmed down: "Big sister, don't cry. Big brother will be alright. He's lucky and he'll pull through. Come on, let's go to the hospital to see Auntie."
Shen Fuyu wiped away her tears: "Mingyue, I have another favor to ask of you. Jingjing is at home, so I can't stay up all night at the hospital. Could you take care of my mother for me tonight?"
Zhao Mingyue nodded without hesitation: "Okay, I'll go tonight. What about during the day?"
Shen Fuyu said, "I ask Aunt Fang to look after her when I have classes during the day. I take care of her after class, but I'll have to trouble you tonight."
Zhao Mingyue said, "It's alright. If I don't have classes during the day, I can go too. We can check our schedules and arrange the time. I'll go pack some things, then we'll go to the hospital." Zhao Mingyue knew that this was perhaps the most difficult time for the Shen family. Regardless of the old lady's character, she had to get her back to health first. Since Shen Xuyue wasn't there, she would take care of her mother in his place. If he knew that her older brother was in critical condition in the hospital, she didn't know how worried he would be.
When Zhao Mingyue arrived at the hospital, Shen's mother was lying on a pale hospital bed, and Aunt Fang was peeling an apple for her. Zhao Mingyue went over to greet her, "Auntie, Aunt Fang. Auntie, are you feeling better? Are you feeling unwell?" Shen's mother's face was sallow, and her lips were dry and bloodless. She didn't show any of her usual arrogance, but this old woman had an immense destructive power, driving her children to the brink of despair.
Chen's mother looked at Zhao Mingyue with no expression on her face, only blinked once, and said in a voice so low it was almost inaudible, "She's feeling better."
Aunt Fang handed the peeled apple to Chen's mother: "Peijun, have an apple."
Mother Shen moved her head slightly: "I won't eat."
Shen Fuyu leaned closer and said, "Mom, have some fruit. Look how chapped your lips are."
Chen's mother refused the apple and said weakly, "Has your father called back? How is Qixue doing?"
Shen Fuyu hesitated for a moment: "No, we haven't fought back yet."
Shen Fuyu pulled Aunt Fang outside to talk. Zhao Mingyue cut the apple that Aunt Fang had placed on the bedside table into small pieces and put them in a bowl: "Auntie, please eat some fruit. You need to get better so that my brother won't worry. Don't worry, my brother will be fine. It's just an exercise, not a real war, so there won't be much danger."
Mother Shen raised her hand, grabbed a slice of apple, and put it in her mouth. Zhao Mingyue said, "Auntie, please eat more."
A moment later, Shen Fuyu and Aunt Fang came in: "Mom, Aunt Fang went back first. I also need to go back to cook. How about Mingyue stays here to take care of you? I'll cook and bring the food over to you."
Mother Shen rolled her eyes, looking at her daughter. She seemed a little unwilling, but she didn't object.
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