Chapter 34 Senior Year
Feelings were a very mysterious thing to Nan Jiu. When did she develop feelings for Song Ting? Perhaps it could be traced back to when she was still young and didn't understand the concept of love.
But feelings, like all things, aren't tangible; they can't be grasped or tied down. They don't exist everywhere, nor are they present at all times. She and he weren't in the same city, their social circles and friend circles didn't overlap. Once they were apart, it was hard to see them again. Therefore, this feeling didn't constantly haunt Nanjiu. Even if it occasionally came to mind, it was quickly drowned out by other things. After all, the challenges of survival that followed were more pressing than the ethereal feeling.
However, once you return to this particular place and meet this particular person, this mysterious thing will be inadvertently stimulated and turn into a deeper desire.
Invisible sparks drifted in the dim light, as if every inch of air was trembling. The two ships were smashed to pieces in the storm, their uncontrolled heartbeats sinking together until they were completely lost.
She turned over, her long hair flowing down, past her shoulders, and then swirling in front of her. Her twisting waist was like a serpent, wrapping around and sliding, taking his life.
The extreme dizziness eroded Song Ting's consciousness, and his eyes suddenly lost focus. A moment later, his gaze, like boiling lava, fell on her wild and seductive face. He grasped the back of her neck, pressed her to his eyes, and kissed her with a searing passion that nearly incinerated her.
How could he not be obsessed with her? She was a fairy who specialized in sucking away men's spirits. She was born with this ability. With just a look, a smile, or a twist of her head, she could turn a man into putty in her hands.
In his world of routine, where life was monotonous every day, she was the only variable, a curse sent by God to torture him. At the same time, she was also a ray of light bestowed upon him by God.
It was late at night and there was no sound in the house except for the long intertwining of breaths.
She stood up and walked barefoot into the bathroom. The sound of water hitting the glass created a thick mist.
The bathroom door was pushed open again, and as he approached, the air suddenly became thinner. She was like a boat thrown into the waves, rising and falling with his approach, until she was once again caught in this uncontrollable vortex.
Three of the condoms in the small box by the bed were used. At four in the morning, they returned to the hotel, separated in the elevator, and went back to their rooms.
Song Ting told Nan Zhendong that the rafting trip was booked for the afternoon. In the morning, Xiao Kai soaked in the pool at the B&B and didn't bother Nan Jiu.
Nanjiu's body felt as if it had been run over by a train. Every muscle and bone was sore and weak, and he slept until noon.
The frenzy of the night will eventually give way to the order of the day. When Nan Jiu came downstairs, Song Ting took her bag and put it in the car. Their eyes met, a lingering warmth still lingering, but they returned to their respective seats.
After the afternoon rafting ended and they had lunch nearby, it was already late when they returned to Maoer Lane. Nan Zhendong and his family of three went straight back to the hotel to rest, while Song Ting and Nan Jiu returned to the teahouse.
The night alley was deep and quiet. Fallen leaves piled in the corners of the walls were picked up by the wind and fluttered down again, making a small sound. Wherever the light reached, moths fluttered blindly against the lampshade, casting swaying shadows on the wall.
The old sign of "Mao'er Teahouse" gradually came into view, like an invisible barrier between them. A few steps further, and they would return to their unbreakable status.
Nan Jiu's hair was lifted by the night wind. She noticed that Song Ting had slowed down his pace, so she slowed down too.
As they walked through the alley, he grasped her wrist and led her into a narrow, shadowed area. His tall frame blocked out the light from outside. She boldly pressed herself against him, looking into his eyes. "Not going back?"
"I'll be back later." His eyes were like settled clouds, and indistinguishable emotions enveloped her.
On both sides are towering old walls, blocking the light from the street lamps.
She raised her face, pressed her warm lips against his fragile Adam's apple, and gently circled her tongue around it, like a hunter marking his prey.
His hand reached for her back, and he lowered his head to cover her lips. Those lips were soft and plump, like honey melting in the sun, making him want to touch, possess, and even ravage them.
Nanjiu responded quickly. She was shorter than he, so when they kissed while standing, he had to lean down, his broad shoulders gently pressing down, drawing her into a world that belonged only to them. She was gently enveloped by his scent, warmth, and strength, completely isolated from the hustle and bustle of the outside world.
Suddenly, a very light cough was heard outside the alley: "Song Ting?"
Nan Jiu's body suddenly stiffened. He lowered his head, grabbed Song Ting's lapel, and buried his face in his chest.
Song Ting folded his arms and turned around. Old Li happened to be playing cards in front with a teacup. He was quite surprised to see this scene: "Are you dating?"
"Yeah." Song Ting replied indifferently.
Song Ting has reached the age of thirty and has never had a woman around him. When Old Li saw that he finally had a girlfriend, he wanted to see what the girl looked like, but he saw her shyly hiding in Song Ting's arms. He didn't want to make things awkward, so he smiled awkwardly and walked away.
Listening to the gradually fading footsteps, Nan Jiu let out a long sigh: "Li Chongguang's father?"
Song Ting nodded. The fabric on his chest wrinkled as Nan Jiu gripped it, just like her heart tightened. He hugged her tighter, and the interrupted kiss ended. His chest and arms formed an intimate and safe embrace, completely enveloping her.
After a brief hug, they let go of each other, and the moment they turned around, the figure standing quietly outside the alley stared at them without blinking.
When Liu Yin returned from outside, she heard Old Li calling Song Ting's name. She reached the door, turned, and headed toward the alley.
She had known Song Ting for eighteen years. As a child, he often carried a fierce rage in his eyes, a stern expression that kept everyone at arm's length. The kids in the alley would gather together, disdainful of the bruises all over his body, and pelt him with hard stones and harsh words. With no escape, he could only lunge forward, beating down those who bullied him with his fists and reckless ferocity.
Later, he stayed in the teahouse, shedding the piercing anger of his youth and completely closing the door to anyone approaching. The sincerity in his eyes turned into a pool of unmovable water. He appeared to be kind and could talk to anyone, but in reality, his heart had long since calmed down, unfathomable. Behind the kindness lay a distance that no one could truly approach.
Liu Yin never thought that one day Song Ting would hold a woman so cherishedly in his arms. The impact of this scene on her far exceeded the fact that there was a woman by his side.
However, when they turned around, Liu Yin's expression went from shock to fear. Everything happened in a flash, and her face twisted several times. Her gaze passed over Song Ting's shoulder and fixed on the figure walking out from behind him: "Nanjiu?"
Nan Jiu paused, his blood drained out instantly, and the remaining crimson on his face was replaced by paleness.
The old streetlight at the entrance of the alley flickered, like the breath of a dying person. After a long moment of stunned silence, Nan Jiu raised his head and said to Song Ting, "I'll talk to her for a while."
Song Ting nodded and went back to the teahouse first.
Outside Maoer Lane, not far from the crooked tree, stood a long stone bench. Nan Jiu and Liu Yin sat on it, their headlights casting a trail of light in the twilight before quickly disappearing at the end of the street.
"Does your grandfather know?" Liu Yin's voice was very soft, as if covered with a layer of dust.
"No one knows." Nan Jiu's gaze was fixed on the opposite side of the street. The shop selling osmanthus cake was closed and the owner was packing up the stall.
"When did you get together?"
"Not together."
"So what's your relationship now?"
“That’s the kind of relationship.”
Nan Jiu's overly frank answer left Liu Yin speechless for a moment. She was surprised that Nan Jiu had such an unspeakable connection with the man she had called uncle since childhood. She was even more surprised that Song Ting would allow such a relationship to exist.
In Liu Yin's eyes, Song Ting was always conservative and cautious when it came to relationships. He wouldn't even approach the opposite sex easily, yet he acquiesced to such an open relationship, which almost overturned Liu Yin's understanding of Song Ting.
Liu Yin turned her head and looked at Nan Jiu's profile immersed in the neon lights: "When did you..."
"I slept with him during my sophomore year."
As she spoke, her expression was calm, like a lake on a windless day—neither sorrow nor joy, neither anticipation nor demand. Yet, it was with this profound calmness that she uttered the most insane words. Liu Yin stared at Nan Jiu, still in disbelief, yet seemingly finding it perfectly natural for her to be experiencing all this. She had always been bolder than he, daring to think and act. A brave person always begins by enjoying the world.
After a moment of daze, Liu Yin suddenly smiled. She lowered her eyes and shook her head: "You are really something." Then, the smile disappeared, and she frowned and raised her head: "Are you going to tell your grandfather?"
"I don't plan to." Nanjiu's eyes gradually lost focus, and his soul seemed to have temporarily left his body, floating in the air and examining himself, "We can't be together."
"Why?"
"I've been hired as a full-time employee. I spent several years in college before I had a platform to display my talents after graduation. I can't possibly go back to Maoerxiang to live. He has tea fields to take care of and business to attend to, so he won't leave Maoerxiang either."
Liu Yin fell silent. While she felt Song Ting was a trustworthy man, she also felt Nan Jiu's decision was sound. She had quit her once-enviable, stable job for a marriage. But when the marriage failed, her financial resources were gone, and now she could only work odd jobs. Having experienced marriage, Liu Yin finally understood one thing: a woman's world shouldn't be solely about love, and she certainly shouldn't rely on another person for her life's destiny.
She suddenly remembered what Nanjiu had said to her a few days ago when they were chatting casually - "Marriage is the same in the end. Instead of relying on a relationship for your life, you might as well find a way to make yourself comfortable."
Liu Yin vaguely remembered that Nanjiu's family wasn't harmonious, and that when she was little, she had come to Maoer Lane from another place alone because of family problems. Perhaps, marriage had never been something she looked forward to, and the same was true for love.
They parted in the alley, and as they turned around, Nan Jiu suddenly called out to her. Liu Yin turned back, facing the moonlight across the scattered bluestone bricks, and said tacitly, "I won't tell anyone. I hope your grandfather can live to be a hundred!"
A smile spread across Nanjiu's lips, and she waved to Liu Yin: "Thank you."
Pushing open the door of the teahouse, Song Ting sat in the tea room, inspecting the tea utensils. Only the light next to him was on; the other tables were already plunged into darkness.
"Have you talked about it?" He raised his eyes.
"Yeah." Nan Jiu glanced at Grandpa Nan's room.
Song Ting said, "He went to bed."
Nan Jiu walked towards him, pulled out the chair opposite him, and said on a whim: "Please make me a pot of tea. I haven't had your tea for a long time."
Song Ting took a covered bowl and asked, "Aren't you afraid you won't be able to sleep?"
"I'm immune to coffee now, so tea shouldn't be a problem either."
As the night deepened, they sat facing each other by the window.
The dry tea leaves fell into the warm bowl, making a gentle, crackling sound. Nanjiu suddenly found this sound soothing, yet so fleeting. The clashing of water against porcelain created a different kind of echo that spread throughout the silent teahouse. She recorded every step with her eyes. What once seemed like a tedious process now seemed delightful.
After closing the lid on the bowl, Song Ting rested his fingertips lightly on the lid button, and time also paused under his fingertips. He looked up at her and asked, "Have you completed all the graduation procedures?"
Her eyes moved from his fingertips to his face: "It's done."
He divided the tea into two portions and handed the fair cup to Nanjiu. Nanjiu held the bottom of the cup, took the tea, and brought it to his mouth.
A few dogs barked in the distance, making the alley even quieter. Finally, he spoke again, his voice as if dampened by the night dew, carrying a hint of heaviness: "What are your plans for the future?"
She handed the cup back to him: "While I'm still young, I want to try my luck out there." Her answer was like a pebble thrown into the lake of her heart, creating ripples.
He picked up the teacup in front of him, his eyes drooping into the swaying tea amidst the steam. "Going out there is always going to be hardship." His Adam's apple rolled slowly, and when he spoke again, his voice was soft and slow. "At least I can feel more at ease when I come back."
She tilted her head and looked at the thin crescent moon. "I know." Her tone was gentle, but firm. "I have to go and see it."
He was familiar with the look in her eyes, the light of wings longing to measure the sky.
There is always a special kind of tranquility in Maoerxiang at night. It is independent of the hustle and bustle, but it has long tentacles that are entangled with Nanjiu's growing years.
"Did the boss of the Zhu family return the money to you later?" She looked away and asked.
"If he dared to take it, he would not be able to spend it all. He will be in jail. Their village has been cleaned up and the village chief has been replaced."
Looking back on her courage at twenty, Nan Jiu now feels a lingering fear. Every stage of life has its own unique courage and choices. But with this outcome in the end, it was a worthwhile decision. As for Song Ting, however, she still doesn't know whether her courage and decision back then were right or wrong.
Song Ting began his second soak. Nan Jiu stared at his hands, each of his movements a slow, ritualistic gesture.
Her voice poured down with the water: "How is Zhenmin now?"
He immediately stopped the water flow, opened his eyelids and looked directly into her eyes, his gaze piercing and burning: "What do you want to say?"
He was too perceptive, and her thoughts were nowhere to be hidden from him. Nan Jiu leaned back slightly and simply met his gaze: "If you meet the right one, don't block your own path."
Song Ting remained silent, maintaining a cruel silence as he placed the second cup of tea in front of her. He poured out the remaining tea leaves, put away the tea set, and went upstairs.
Nanjiu held the cup of tea in his hand, which went from warm to completely cold.
Song Ting once asked Grandpa Nan if he wanted to retire in Feng City, but he just shook his head. In his entire life, Grandpa Nan never considered leaving this alley, and he was even more reluctant to close Mao'er Teahouse. This was the place he and his wife had spent their entire lives building, and every brick and tile, every cup of tea and every meal, was inseparable from their lives.
Back then, Song Ting lost both his parents, became homeless, and his future was shattered. Overnight, he witnessed the desolation of life. Standing on the embankment outside Mao'er Alley, gazing at the surging river below, he felt vaguely that perhaps this was the end.
It was Old Man Nan who had followed him all the way, grabbed his wrist, and said to him, "Son, come home with me."
From that moment on, his life was given by Mr. Nan.
The old man's children left him one after another and settled down in distant places. But as long as Mr. Nan was still in the alley and the teahouse was still open, Song Ting would not leave.
The stability he could offer was not what she wanted at the moment, and the world she longed for was destined to be a journey he could not follow.
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