Chapter 35 She herself had forgotten the difference between joy and sorrow, but he still remembered…
Was he her savior?
He Ming had never thought that way.
He looked at Zhu Liushuang in the rearview mirror with a surprised expression; there seemed to be tears glistening in her expressive almond-shaped eyes.
He was puzzled as to why she was so agitated.
"It's not really a big deal, you... don't need to think about it, and you don't need to repay me." The yellow light at the intersection turned red, and He Ming braked and slowly stopped in front of the pedestrian crossing, his fingers tapping the steering wheel idly.
In a moment, He Ming finally understood where that awkward feeling in his heart came from.
He suddenly realized that he and Zhu Liushuang were not in equal positions.
Whether it was her daily messages on his personal radio station, her cautious communication with him about work, or their chance encounter at her grandfather's house a few days ago...
He even had a vague, absurd thought: Zhu Liushuang was "looking up" to him.
But he is not a high and mighty person, so where does the "worship" and "admiration" come from?
When the green light came on, the wipers slowed down and then stopped completely at the bottom of the windshield.
Gazing at the dissipating dark clouds on the horizon, He Ming couldn't help but chuckle to himself: his intuition must be wrong. Zhu Liushuang was probably somewhat afraid of him.
After all, he always had a stern face and was surrounded by an aura that kept strangers at bay.
It's understandable that she's afraid of him.
Silence fell again in the carriage. He Ming casually rolled down his side window halfway. The cool breeze after the summer thunderstorm blew into his clothes, clearing most of his muddled mind.
Then, he heard Zhu Liushuang's sweet voice: "Senior, do you remember, many years ago in late autumn, on the campus of No. 1 High School, you also saw me looking particularly disheveled?"
“That day I lost my newly recharged meal card, and I couldn’t find it no matter how hard I looked… When I went back to the dorm to look for it, I even had a big argument with my roommate who was ostracizing me.” Zhu Liushuang recounted her ordeal that day with a nonchalant air. “Later, I sat on the artificial hill in the school’s small garden and cried my eyes out. You handed me a tissue, and you also advised me that crying wouldn’t solve anything and that I should go back to the classroom as soon as possible…”
Despite her turbulent emotions, she maintained a calm demeanor and spoke in a casual tone, as if she were recounting someone else's story.
As she spoke, she glanced sideways at He Ming, trying to find a trace of emotion on his profile.
But human joys and sorrows are inherently incomprehensible to one another.
That memory was a lifeline for her, a treasure she cherishes and will never forget.
For He Ming, however, it was a blank that he could not recall no matter what.
As she finished speaking, Zhu Liushuang's voice gradually weakened, and she keenly sensed that He Ming in the carriage was merely a silent listener.
"I'm sorry, I just tried to recall, but I really don't remember anything about what you said."
His tone was somewhat hesitant, which showed that he had indeed thought about it carefully.
Disappointment was obvious. Zhu Liushuang forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "It's alright. Senior is such a kind-hearted person, he must have helped many people. It's normal that he doesn't remember... As long as I remember."
She paused, then said sincerely, "So, if you ever need my help in the future, I will do my best."
The car slowly came to a stop. He Ming ignored Zhu Liushuang's promise and turned to ask her, "Which building do you live in?" Last time, he only drove to the entrance of the community before turning around and leaving, so he didn't know where to go next.
The car windows were fogged up. Zhu Liushuang wiped the fog off the glass with her hand, and the familiar gate of the residential area came into view.
Wow, I got home so quickly! The drive of several tens of minutes seemed to happen in the blink of an eye.
"Turn left after entering, go straight at the second intersection and then turn left again. My home is in Building 10. Thank you for your help, senior." Zhu Liushuang said in a sullen tone.
Within two minutes, the car came to a steady stop in front of Building 10 of Donghu Residential Area.
After being in the carriage for more than half an hour, Zhu Liushuang's clothes were half-dry. She did not get off the train immediately, but instead held He Ming's suit jacket, feeling conflicted.
"Senior... I got your clothes dirty."
She wanted to help him wash his clothes, but the suit looked expensive and she figured she'd have to take it to the dry cleaners.
"It's nothing, just a little water stain."
"I couldn't possibly... I'd better..."
"Go back and take a shower and change your clothes quickly." He Ming suddenly frowned and said in a deep voice, "I have to go back to the firm to work overtime."
Zhu Liushuang wasn't actually startled by his sudden change of expression; she gave up struggling after hearing the words "overtime."
As fellow office workers, nothing is more important than "working overtime." Besides, he was probably urging himself on like this because he was worried she might catch a cold.
Zhu Liushuang hastily put the suit back in the passenger seat, leaned over to open the car door, and jumped out.
She glanced around casually, and seeing that no one was around, she quickly went to the driver's side window to say goodbye to He Ming, then walked towards the apartment building with a troubled heart.
"Beep beep—" The horn sounded.
"Zhu Liushuang—wait a minute." He Ming leaned out of the car window and called to her again.
Zhu Liushuang stopped in her tracks and turned around, somewhat surprised: "Senior, is there anything else?"
"The key, you didn't give me the key to your electric scooter." He Ming shrugged helplessly.
Even she herself had forgotten, but he still remembered.
Zhu Liushuang's heart sank once again.
She ran lightly towards He Ming's direction.
Her shoulder-length short hair swayed in the wind, carrying the scent of camphor tree leaves after the rain.
Running up to He Ming, Zhu Liushuang held up the keychain in her hand and handed it through the window, a grin on her face revealing a set of clean, even teeth.
"Senior, I'll come pick up the car after get off work tomorrow."
The evening sun was half hidden behind the clouds and half peeking out. Golden rays shone on Zhu Liushuang's hair and cheeks, making her look fluffy.
He Ming was surprised to find that the girl who had been feeling down just moments before had now regained her energy.
He looked at the golden sheen on her head, no longer trying to figure out why. He took the keys, calmly turned away, and closed the car window.
The air conditioning in the carriage started cooling again, and He Ming suddenly felt a bit hot.
————
"Bang, bang, bang," someone knocked on the security door from the outside. Gu Chunling shuffled to open it in her slippers. As soon as she opened it, she saw her daughter standing at the door with a silly grin on her face.
"Mom—I forgot my keys!"
"Xiao Shuang, why are you back early today?"
The two spoke in unison.
Zhu Liushuang spoke first to explain: "Yes, I went to the tax bureau this afternoon, so I got off work early."
Gu Chunling adjusted her reading glasses, noticing something amiss, and scolded, "Did you get caught in the rain?"
Knowing she couldn't hide it any longer, Zhu Liushuang told the truth: "We happened to run into a thunderstorm on the way."
"What are you standing there for? Come in quickly." Gu Chunling pulled Zhu Liushuang inside, her resolve to buy her daughter a car strengthened. "Go take a hot bath."
The air conditioner wasn't on inside, and the table fan in the living room was running at its highest setting, buzzing loudly. Zhu Liushuang felt a bit of a headache, so she rubbed her temples and went into the bathroom.
She turned on the shower, and steam billowed out. She took off her damp clothes and stepped into the shower room, then shouted towards the door, "Mom—go to the bedroom and get me a nightgown."
In fact, she didn't need to tell her at all; Gu Chunling had already tacitly grabbed the clothes and walked to the door. She brazenly pushed the door open and casually placed the things on the sink.
"Hey, Mom—why didn't you knock before coming in!" Zhu Liushuang scolded playfully when she heard the door open while washing her hair with her eyes closed.
Gu Chunling glanced at her daughter's beautiful body and closed the glass door of the shower for her: "When you were little, you insisted that your mother take a bath with you, but now you've learned to be shy! You're so clumsy, splashing water all over the tiles..."
"When I was a child, that was when I was a child! Now I'm so old..." Zhu Liushuang raised her hand to wipe her face and defend herself, "I was very careful, the water didn't even splash onto the floor."
When her daughter was in a good mood, her tone of voice would be slightly higher than usual, something Gu Chunling noticed the moment she entered the room. She followed Zhu Liushuang's lead, saying, "Okay, okay... whatever you say."
She remembered that Tian Xingyu had come to her house, so she turned to her and said, "Xiaoshuang, Xingyu came by after dinner today. She even brought two big watermelons, which were quite heavy."
"Why didn't she tell me beforehand?" Zhu Liushuang asked, rubbing the foam in her hair.
She called you before she left, but you didn't answer.
In the afternoon, she silenced her phone and rushed to the company after leaving the tax bureau leader's office without checking it. Then, a downpour hit, making it even harder for her to look at it.
"Mom, please charge my phone. It's on the dining table."
Gu Chunling agreed and walked out of the bathroom.
Soon, the sound of water inside subsided. After a while, Zhu Liushuang came out of the door wearing a cotton floral sundress.
The towel was still on her head, and her fair, oval face shone with a light glow, like a freshly peeled hard-boiled egg.
Gu Chunling patted her daughter on the shoulder and urged, "Hurry up and dry your hair! Come over and drink some ginger soup after you're done."
Upon hearing the words "ginger soup," Zhu Liushuang pouted and pleaded, "Can I not drink it? Mom—you know I hate ginger the most, it has a weird taste!"
As she spoke, she pulled Gu Chunling's hand and shook it back and forth. This made Gu Chunling both amused and exasperated: "How old are you? Why are you still acting like a child?"
The words had barely left their mouths when both of them were taken aback.
Since Zhu Xiangdong passed away, such scenes have rarely been seen in the family.
Even Zhu Liushuang herself couldn't remember the last time she had acted spoiled towards her mother.
Gu Chunling's eyes welled up with tears. She stared at her daughter silently for a long time, the only sound in the room the noise of the table fan.
Zhu Liushuang coughed awkwardly, turned her face away, and ripped off the towel wrapped around her head to go to the bathroom to find a hair dryer.
"There's some Banlangen (Isatis root) in the medicine box, I'll brew a packet and drink it later! I really don't want to drink ginger water..."
"Whatever you want, just drink more hot water these next couple of days!" Gu Chunling wiped away a few tears from the corners of her eyes and quickly walked into the kitchen, pretending to be busy.
Zhu Liushuang couldn't help but glance towards the kitchen, staring thoughtfully at her mother's hunched back.
Just as she was about to say something, her phone suddenly started ringing incessantly.
She turned off the hairdryer and ran to the dining table. Her phone screen showed: Star Rain Baby is calling.
"My busy Shuangshuang, you finally answered the phone!"
Before Zhu Liushuang could even say hello, her friend spoke first on the other end of the phone.
"I just got off the high-speed train this morning, had lunch at home, and then came straight to your house. Isn't that nice? Auntie looks great, much healthier than the last time I saw her..."
Tian Xingyu's voice was clearly that of a mature, sophisticated woman, and she should have taken a cool and aloof approach, but unfortunately, she was a chatterbox. "Hey, have you eaten the watermelon from your house yet? My mom grew it herself. There's a huge bunch growing in the vegetable garden. If you like it, I'll bring you some more next time."
"I just got home," Zhu Liushuang said quickly, finding a moment to interject. "I haven't had time to eat yet, I'll cut it up tonight."
"Look at me, I forgot you're a poor working person!" Tian Xingyu laughed. "Since we just got home, how about we go out for dinner? There's a new teppanyaki place that just opened in the city, and I hear it's really popular."
Zhu Liushuang hesitated, "How about another day? My electric scooter is parked at someone else's workplace, so it's inconvenient for me to come out."
"No way! There's no time like the present. There are fewer people at the mall on weekdays. Let me see if I should take a number." Tian Xingyu didn't give her a chance to refuse. "Just stay at home and wait. I'll come pick you up in a bit."
"Your parents bought you a car?" Zhu Liushuang asked in surprise.
After asking her, she felt silly. Tian Xingyu's family was well-off; buying a car would have been a piece of cake for her.
"No—" Tian Xingyu drawled, "My mother said she'll only buy me a car after I come back to work. I'll borrow my dad's car for now."
Zhu Liushuang said "Oh, oh" twice, seemingly a little worried, and then instructed, "Then drive slowly on the road, and don't change lanes or overtake recklessly."
"You're worried about me, aren't you? After all, I got my driver's license right after graduating from high school... even if I lack practical experience. Anyway, you can rest assured!"
...
After hanging up the phone, Zhu Liushuang turned around and came face to face with Gu Chunling, who was coming out of the kitchen.
"Not eating dinner at home?" Although Gu Chunling was in the kitchen, her heart was always with her daughter.
"Yes, Xingyu said she's coming to pick me up to go out for dinner," Zhu Liushuang nodded.
Gu Chunling seemed very happy: "We should go out more to eat, drink, and have fun. That's what a young person should do..." She took off her apron, pulled out three hundred-yuan bills from her wallet, and handed them to her daughter: "We can't keep letting Xiaoyu spend money. You treat her to dinner tonight."
Zhu Liushuang pushed her mother's hand away: "Mom—I have my own money. Besides, everyone uses QR code payments now, who carries cash anymore! You don't need to tell me, I know what I'm doing."
Gu Chunling awkwardly withdrew her hand and stuffed the money back into her wallet: "Please give my regards to Xiaoyu. Tell her that Auntie thanks her."
"What are you thanking me for?" Zhu Liushuang was completely confused.
Gu Chunling smiled but said nothing, then turned and went back to the kitchen to busy herself.
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Author's Note: Waaaaah, human joys and sorrows are truly uncommon. This part isn't in the senior's memories! Will he still remember it?
However, in the senior's memory, there are things that Shuangshuang herself doesn't remember. These will be written down gradually later!
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