Thanks to Zhou Du's advance warning, Xia Xi was mentally prepared. Before Xu Yanfeng reached her, she put down her chopsticks and stood up, blocking any words he might say: "You haven't eaten yet? I'll order another portion for you, the food is getting cold."
She was in the hotel's banquet hall, where six tables were set up for banquets. Xu Yanfeng hadn't come just now, and the guests had finished their meals and left. Now there were leftovers on several tables. It wouldn't be long before the waiters came to clean up.
Xu Yanfeng came from another place, so there is no reason to let him eat what others have left.
Since they met again, she had always had a stern face and pretended not to know him. It was rare to see her in such a calm manner. Xu Yanfeng also wanted to maintain this good feeling, but unfortunately, it did not go as he wished. He had something to ask her: "I heard that your family used to..."
"Xu Yanfeng!" Xia Xi was severely sleep-deprived. Not only was her brain slow, but she also felt tense. She couldn't handle his interrogation in this state, so she could only avoid him for the time being. "Let's talk about it later. I'm very tired and want to go to bed."
Xu Yanfeng pursed his lips and said nothing else, his eyes fixed on her face.
She had her hair tied in a low ponytail, and her face looked very pale under the light, a bleak pale. There was a faint bluish-black tint on her lower eyelids, and there were several red bloodshot lines in her eyes. She wore a black sweater and tight jeans, and looked thin and fragile.
Xu Yanfeng couldn't bear it, so he temporarily put aside his doubts and let her go: "Remember to rest."
Xia Xi turned around, picked up the quilted jacket on the back of the chair, held it in her arms, nodded at him, brushed past him, and slowly exhaled.
She was really afraid that Xu Yanfeng would grab her and force her to tell the truth. Her brain was slow and like paste at the moment, and she couldn't think carefully. If she wasn't careful, she would let something slip.
He seems to have changed, but also seems to have not changed. He is still the same as he was back then, a gentleman who never forces anyone to do anything.
After leaving the banquet hall, Xia Xi held the wall with one hand and walked towards the elevator tiredly with his sore legs.
Returning to the room upstairs, she leaned against the door for a long time before walking in and ran into Su Jinru: "Are the two children asleep?" She didn't hear any sound.
"I slept. I woke up too early this morning and felt sleepy after just a few bites of food." Su Jinru stroked her hair, her eyes showing heartache. "You should get some sleep too. You've been busy these past few days."
Xia Xi nodded, went to see the child first, then went to the bathroom to take a shower and wrapped herself in the quilt.
She was so tired that she slept until dark. When she took out her cell phone, it was already eleven o'clock in the evening.
Su Jinru hadn't slept yet. She was sitting on the sofa, not doing anything else but just staring blankly.
Xia Xi leaned against the headboard and called her, "Mom."
Su Jinru was distracted for a moment, then looked up at the bed: "Are you awake? Are you hungry? The hotel restaurant must be closed at this time. I'll go out and buy you something to eat."
"No, I can't eat. Why don't you rest?"
"I can't sleep. I'm thinking about your grandma."
Su Jinru's voice cracked at the mention of her grandmother, a hint of sob in her voice. For the past few years, she'd been plagued by guilt. Her family often reassured her that the family's misfortunes were Xia Chenggang's fault, not hers, and urged her not to take the blame. She knew her family didn't blame her, but she couldn't forgive herself.
If she had not been so blind and incompetent, and had not found a husband like Xia Chenggang, and had not trusted and indulged him too much, how could he have ruined the entire family?
At its root, it was her fault.
The old lady's passing increased her sense of guilt. She was unfilial and failed to let her mother, who had worked hard all her life, live a peaceful and carefree old age. She left in fear and regret.
Xia Xi got out of bed, put on slippers, sat next to Su Jinru, and hugged her: "Grandma cares about us the most. She definitely doesn't want to see us sad for her. When I was little, you told me that people turn into stars when they die. I have always remembered it. There must be a star in the sky that is Grandma, and she is watching over us."
Su Jinru used her shoulder to wipe away her tears and changed the subject: "When are we going back? You've been so busy lately, two or three days off will be enough. We can't delay your work."
Xia Xi stepped back, looked at her and said, "Big sister is coming out soon. Let's wait for her and go back to South City together, okay?"
"Your elder sister..."
"You forgot that she showed remorse in prison and received an eight-month sentence reduction. She'll be out in a few days."
Su Jinru is old now. Xia Xi told her about this last time, but she didn't remember it. She had the impression that Xia Yue would not be released from prison until late September this year. So there are only a few days left?
Sometimes it's not a bad thing that time passes too quickly.
The tears that had just stopped falling could not help but fall. Su Jinru cried and laughed at the same time: "If only she had come out a few days earlier, your grandma could have seen her."
Xia Xi had never thought of this: "Xiaoxuan and I plan to go see Big Sister tomorrow and let her prepare."
*
As New Year's Eve approached, everything looked brand new, and the atmosphere was festive. "Happy New Year" was played on repeat in every shopping mall we passed. The taxi headed for increasingly remote locations, finally stopping at No. 68 Jianlin Road in Changfeng District, where the prison was located.
Xia Xuan took Xia Xi's hand, and they went in together. Su Jinru had to stay at the hotel to look after the children and did not join them. Chen Songbai had returned to South City for work yesterday afternoon.
Xia Yue was delighted to see Xia Xuan. She hadn't seen her younger sister in ages. Just as she was about to ask how she'd been doing, she noticed the white string hanging from the zipper of her down jacket. Her smile froze. She looked at Xia Xi again, who also had a white string tied around her clothes. This was "wearing mourning."
She understood it in an instant, but she didn't want to believe it, so she asked Xia Xi for confirmation: "...Is it grandma?"
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