Chapter 159 As if Falling into an Ice Cave She truly didn't know that He Ming was keeping things a secret...
Spring City is indeed the city that Zhu Liushuang admires.
She had longed to visit this southern city, where spring-like weather prevails year-round, ever since she heard him describe its scenery and rainy season on the radio program "Human World and Plants".
She had assumed that he would only go a few times and then stop.
Unexpectedly, this time, he chose Kunming again.
"Honey, you've been to Kunming many times, haven't you?" she asked him, swaying her hands behind her back.
"I've been there three times. Once was to a university, and the other two were for business trips."
"Won't you get tired of going again?" Zhu Liushuang hesitated, "Actually, you don't need to...choose it just to please me..."
“No, that’s not true.” He Ming frowned and immediately interrupted her, “Wife, Kunming is a wonderful place. To me, it’s not just a distant city, but also a past worth reminiscing about. So… I want to take you there for a walk, to see it. To feel the breeze of Dianchi Lake, to bask in the sunshine of Cuihu Lake…”
If Zhu Liushuang understood correctly, He Ming meant that he wanted to take her with him to relive the beautiful memories they had cherished.
She gently swayed her arm, gazing tenderly at him.
My heart felt warm, like clouds that had been baked by the sun.
"Can you really buy a bunch of flowers for just a few dollars at Dounan Flower Market?"
The unexpected question stumped the man who was chopping vegetables: "Maybe... I've never been to Dounan Flower Market. We can go and have a look around sometime."
"Great!" Zhu Liushuang's eyes crinkled with laughter. "I heard lots of people go there to take flower-themed photos; they're so beautiful..."
"I'll grant your wish..."
"Shouldn't we book the hotel and train tickets right away?" Zhu Liushuang looked down at her work log. "I need to sort out my work and finish it as soon as possible..."
He Ming couldn't help but chuckle and said, "No rush, I'll talk to Guo Yang... Also, honey, we're going on a road trip, so we don't need to buy train tickets. As for accommodation... I have a friend who works in the hotel industry in Kunming, I'll have him reserve a room for us."
"Aren't we going to Licheng? Where will we stay when we get there?"
“Licheng…” He Ming pondered before answering, “There’s a small villa by Erhai Lake, which belongs to my maternal grandparents. It’s been vacant for years, but someone keeps it clean, so you can just move in with your bags.”
"A small villa by Erhai Lake?" Zhu Liushuang asked in surprise, "So far away... Why did Grandpa and Grandma buy it there?"
“My maternal grandmother worked in the countryside in Licheng when she was young, and she loved the local customs and climate there…” A trace of melancholy flashed across He Ming’s eyes as he recalled the two deceased elders. “When she was still alive, my maternal grandfather would take her to stay by Erhai Lake for a few months every year.”
"How romantic..." Zhu Liushuang said with no small amount of envy, "They must be very much in love."
The gloom in He Ming's eyes gradually dissipated: "Yes, they are the most loving couple I have ever met. They weathered storms together in their youth, supporting each other, and in their old age, they stayed by each other's side day and night, never abandoning one another..."
His voice was calm and even, yet Zhu Liushuang detected a hint of sorrow in it.
What was he regretting? Was he regretting that the old man's happiness couldn't be passed on to their daughter?
"Husband—" she suddenly called out to him, a thousand words welling up on her lips, instantly turning hot, "We can also..." Her eyes trembled slightly, just like the promise that slipped out of her mouth.
"Mm." The man turned around and smiled at her. "If you like, we can go to Licheng for a short stay every year. If Grandpa and Grandma are watching from heaven, they will be very happy."
It was an ordinary spring evening. Sunlight streamed obliquely through the window, illuminating the man's handsome, fair profile. The kitchen counter was trimmed with gold, and the chains of the Venetian blinds jingled in the breeze.
Zhu Liushuang stared intently at him, the surroundings utterly silent. Her mind was in turmoil, as if she had only been lost in thought for a moment, yet also as if she were contemplating many, many things.
So much so that thinking about it once can last a lifetime.
————
April has passed by in eager anticipation.
Because she was going to Kunming at the end of the month, Zhu Liushuang took her mother to the People's Hospital for a physical examination before leaving.
On the day I was discharged from the hospital, the originally clear blue sky suddenly started to rain without warning.
The car was parked in an open-air parking lot, and it would take about ten minutes to walk there. Neither of them had brought an umbrella, so Zhu Liushuang settled her mother at the bottom of the stairs and hurriedly ran to a convenience store to buy one.
Perhaps because of the rain, there were many people seeking shelter in the convenience store. She randomly picked the cheapest item, paid, and hurried out.
The tide, mixed with the sound of a ship's horn, surged in, and just as I stepped out of the glass door, a muffled voice sounded behind me.
She instinctively turned around and was blinded by the glaring white light in the convenience store.
The aisles between the shelves were crowded, except for one curly-haired woman wearing sunglasses who strode towards the door.
Does she know her?
Zhu Liushuang glanced at the woman's diamond-encrusted high heels, and, confirming that she must have misheard, turned around and continued walking forward.
"Zhu... Zhu Liushuang... wait." Accompanied by the sharp sound of high heels, the indistinct call gradually became clearer in my ears.
It was indeed him calling her; Zhu Liushuang turned around again.
The woman's slender figure swept straight into her vision like a gust of wind.
"Who are you?" she asked awkwardly.
The woman stopped in front of her, raised a finger, and skillfully took off the sunglasses that were perched on her nose.
In an instant, the awkwardness on Zhu Liushuang's face froze. She wasn't particularly good at remembering people, but she recognized the exquisitely painted, jewel-encrusted face before her. After all, they had met more than once.
"Aunt Yao... Aunt Yao..." She uttered the awkward title, trying to hide her surprise.
Compared to her loss of composure, the other person remained calm and responded with a smile: "I recognized you as soon as I saw you come in through the door. I was afraid of mistaking you for someone else, but I didn't dare to... Seeing that you were about to leave, I hurriedly called out, and I didn't expect you to actually turn around, so you weren't mistaken. What a coincidence, Liu Shuang... I hope you don't mind me calling you that?"
Yao Ying's voice sounded like plastic coated in syrup, making Zhu Liushuang's eardrums feel sticky. Zhu Liushuang pursed her lips and said politely, "It's not a problem, Aunt Yao."
"There are people coming and going at the entrance, it's not good for us to block the way here." Yao Ying asked her with a smile, "Are you in such a hurry to go to the hospital or something?"
"Oh, I'm going back to the hospital to pick up my mom; she's being discharged today," Zhu Liushuang replied truthfully.
"What a coincidence, I'm going to the hospital too. How about we walk and talk?"
To be honest, Zhu Liushuang didn't really want to get involved with Yao Ying, even though she was He Ming's stepmother. But she couldn't resist the other woman's overly familiar manner, so she could only give a dry "hmm" and open her umbrella to walk with her.
The distance from the convenience store to the inpatient building was only a few hundred meters, and Zhu Liushuang spoke very little along the way. She deliberately lagged behind Yao Ying by half a step, her body unconsciously leaning to the side, as if trying to distance herself from the woman beside her who was trying to force her into a casual conversation.
“Liu Shuang, you should know… being a stepmother isn’t easy. A-Ming and his dad are so estranged, I don’t know how to talk to them anymore. Seeing you today is like finding a savior. Now that you and A-Ming are married, we’re family. Family doesn’t hold grudges overnight, right? Auntie wants to ask you to help persuade A-Ming. When you have time, come back and visit me and his dad more often…”
Finally, they got to the point, and Zhu Liushuang listened, seemingly dazed. Yao Ying's words were eloquent, subtly reminding her to be more sensible and try to ease the tension between He Ming and his father.
But how can a rift be formed overnight?
She vaguely remembered that He Ming hadn't set foot in that so-called home for many years.
She had witnessed He Ming and his father's tense standoff and had also seen the ugly true face of this stepmother. She rejected them from the bottom of her heart, so she reluctantly agreed: "I understand, Aunt Yao. I will try my best to persuade them, but in the end... it still depends on A-Ming himself. Please take care of yourselves, Uncle... We will come over when we have time."
Yao Ying could naturally figure out her attitude, and her smile faltered: "Auntie was too abrupt... Look at me, the discord between the father and son is not something we can easily resolve with a few words of advice. But Auntie has something on her mind that she would like you to pass on to A-Ming."
“Auntie, please speak.” Zhu Liushuang said seriously.
Yao Ying glanced at her: "Back then, A-Ming's father forced A-Ming to divorce you because he felt sorry for A-Ming's mother. I know you have some resentment in your heart... but it's been almost half a year. In these past few months, his father's hair has turned much whiter, and he sighs at home every day. Although he doesn't say it, he must regret it. So... please understand his father. As for the accident involving your father and A-Ming's mother... it can only be said that God was blind. The dead cannot be brought back to life, so let's just let it rot in our hearts and wipe the slate clean!"
divorce?
What happened to her father and He Ming's mother?
Zhu Liushuang's face lost its color at a visible speed.
She understood every single word Yao Ying said, but when they were put together into sentences, she couldn't comprehend them. Or perhaps, the moment she received the message, her brain automatically shut out this bolt from the blue.
A wave of dizziness washed over her, and all the sounds around her blurred into a noisy buzz. She pinched the space between her thumb and forefinger, trying to steady her trembling voice as she asked, "I'm sorry... Aunt Yao, what exactly happened with the accident you just mentioned involving my father and A-Ming's mother?"
“The bus that A-Ming’s mother was on plunged into the lake, and none of the passengers survived. A-Ming’s father said that the driver of that bus was your father…” Yao Ying was halfway through her sentence when she suddenly exclaimed and covered her mouth, “Liu Shuang… you don’t actually know about this, do you? Oh dear, it’s all my fault for saying things I shouldn’t have.”
She was no longer able to discern the sincerity or falsehood in Yao Ying's words; each word felt like a sharp needle piercing her flesh. In an instant, a chill ran down her spine, enveloping her completely. She trembled all over, biting her lower lip hard until a metallic taste filled her mouth.
The April breeze was warm and moist, but she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave: "I...I don't know."
She truly had no idea that He Ming had kept such a secret so well; if she hadn't met Yao Ying today, she probably would have remained in the dark for a long time.
"I'm sorry, Liu Shuang, it was my fault for being so talkative... A-Ming kept it from you..." Yao Ying's words were evasive. "He must have had his reasons. Don't overthink it, it's all old news... By the way, could you please not tell A-Ming that I was the one who told you?"
Amidst the clamor raging in her ears, Zhu Liushuang didn't hear Yao Ying's words at all, only managing a weak nod to her with the last shred of reason remaining.
The hospital building was just steps away, but her feet no longer belonged to her; they felt heavy and frozen in place.
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Author's Note: Only one last plot point remains in the synopsis [chin resting on hand] The two of them will both know the truth...
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