Chapter 46 Night Flight
When Hang Liumei pressed the shutter, a meteor flashed before Xiaomai's eyes.
He stood to her right, his hands behind his back, fingers intertwined, distracted by his thoughts. Her right hand drooped, holding her bag, her left hand embracing her right elbow, looking much more relaxed than he was.
The railings of Victoria Harbour were cool, and the sea breeze blew from behind. Hang Liumei took a photo before Pu Zhihe's long hair disturbed the picture.
Hang Liumei glanced at her work. The young woman and man in the shot were half an arm's length apart, both with faint smiles on their faces. After reading the letter, this photo felt like the opening credits of a movie, only the story ended before it even began.
She suddenly remembered that she and Lao Jiang had taken a photo together after they got married. Where did her photo go?
Pu Zhihe and Xiaomai came over to look at the photos. Hang Liumei handed her the phone, and Xiaomai naturally bent down to move closer to her. They both felt Hang Liumei's gaze and then quietly distanced themselves.
"Look, there's a cruise tonight?" Hang Liumei noticed the Star Ferry sailing behind them and suggested they board it for the night trip. The four of them lined up to buy tickets, with Xiaomai and Pu Zhihe going first to put in their coins. After the two of them boarded, Hang Liumei grabbed Mai's father from behind, saying she was a little tired and worried about seasickness from the strong winds. So they didn't board.
Hang Liumei didn’t know if what she did was right or not. She just thought that there had to be a beginning, and then there would be an ending, no matter whether it was good or bad.
From the boat, Xiao Mai and Pu Zhihe watched the figures on the shore grow smaller and smaller, confused as to what was happening. Fortunately, this boat was a round trip between Tsim Sha Tsui and Central, and would soon be over.
"Let's go. It looks like they won't be coming. Let's hurry up and grab a seat by the side." They bought tickets for the upper deck. Pu Zhihe said to Xiaomai and turned to walk towards the stairs. How come the matter that they thought had been resolved turned out like this?
Xiaomai chased after her and explained, "Sister Zhihe, I don't know why grandma and dad didn't come up."
Pu Zhihe guessed Xiaomai thought she had misunderstood, so she said, "It's okay, your grandma just sent me a message."
A bell chimed in the distance. Pu Zhihe sat inside, looking out. The Bank of China Tower shone silver like a knife blade. Xiaomai sat near the outside, with an empty seat between them.
A strange man with a camera hanging around his neck walked over and said in broken Mandarin: "Hello, is this middle seat taken?"
Xiaomai saw that although he was asking her, his eyes were fixed on Pu Zhihe, so she answered, "We are together." As she spoke, she picked up her bag and moved to the seat next to Pu Zhihe, then said to the man, "The seat outside is empty."
The man took one look and turned away, walking towards his companions in the back row. He told his friends in Cantonese that she wasn't alone, that the boy was with her, and that they must have had a quarrel. They shouldn't sit together, so I wasted my time. This caused a lot of commotion.
Pu Zhihe understood, but Xiaomai didn't. He had a vague feeling the man was talking about them. He looked behind him, then back at Pu Zhihe. She had already taken out her sketchbook and started sketching. Her drawings were simple, just outlining the tall buildings with a black marker.
She saw Xiaomai staring at her drawing out of the corner of her eye, so she turned around and handed him the unfinished notebook: "You said before that you learned painting with Teacher Hang for a few years when you were a child. Can you draw sketches? The drawings are more interesting than taking photos. Do you want to try?" Xiaomai took the notebook and continued drawing on the unfinished paper of Pu Zhihemei.
Pu Zhihe used a light brushstroke, while Xiaomai applied a heavy one. The areas he traced resembled the negative carvings of a seal, a difference instantly apparent. Xiaomai had just finished filling in the shading when the boat approached the shore. He was about to return the notebook to Pu Zhihe when everyone around him stood up. At their destination, they had to disembark and buy a one-way ticket back.
Pu Zhihe didn't have time to take the notebook, so Xiaomai had to put it in his backpack first.
As they returned to Tsim Sha Tsui from Central, fireworks were set off on the other side of the river, and tourists gathered on one side. But Pu Zhihe and Xiao Mai remained seated.
Pu Zhihe noticed that Xiaomai had been feeling a little down this time, so she asked, "Are you still thinking about your parents?"
Yes and no, but Xiaomai nodded as a sign of agreement.
Pu Zhihe thought for a moment and said, "Although I've only met them a few times, I'm more inclined to believe they can get back together. If you still feel there's little hope, then let's make a bet. I'll bet yes, but you won't. How about that?"
"Okay," Xiaomai asked, "what's the bet?"
Pu Zhihe couldn't answer. She said, "Does this also require a bet?"
Xiaomai then said, "Sister Zhihe, are you going to leave when you return from Hong Kong this time?"
She admitted, "Well, Teacher Hang has almost recovered now, and I should think carefully about what to do next."
"Have you thought it through?"
"I guess so. I actually like cultural relic restoration, but I used to have a mental block, always thinking that painting was more important than restoration. During this time living in your house, I saw how your grandmother painted and the works she produced, and I knew I couldn't do it, and I no longer insisted on doing it. Now I feel that protecting murals is the same as painting good paintings. Maybe when I return, I will go to Dunhuang first."
"Since you haven't made up your mind yet, can we make a bet on this? If I win, you can stay with grandma for a while longer until you figure it out, okay?"
It’s really hard to guess what Xiaomai is thinking. It turns out he hasn’t given up.
After her conversation with Xiaomai that day, Pu Zhihe felt no more relaxed than he did. She returned to her room, crossed her legs, and sat at the table, uninterested in drawing. She had known Xiaomai only for a short time, but already they felt familiar. Hang Liumei and her, she and Xiaomai, had become two pairs of close friends, regardless of age. Thinking of this word, she remembered Xiaomai's refusal to acknowledge their age difference. While she had indeed treated Xiaomai like a child at first, she didn't know when she began to treat him like a peer, just like Xiaomai.
If she had met Xiaomai instead of Zhu Fu in college ten years ago, would she have been with him? Perhaps. At that time, she didn't know what kind of person she liked, or even what kind of person she was, so she had endless interest in getting to know those passers-by.
After their breakup, she realized that nothing in this world remains static, and her breakup with Zhu Fu wasn't about one person changing. A "happy" couple is one who enjoys sharing experiences and creating memories. But she and Zhu Fu had long since abandoned each other, each pursuing their own paths. So, he didn't understand her; he only wanted to find someone obedient to marry; and she didn't understand him either, hoping to wait until everything was over before negotiating the end of their relationship.
In the end, there are very few happy memories, and what is scary is that even painful memories are rare.
Xiaomai is still at an age where she is impulsive, but she no longer puts impulse first when considering feelings.
She could only answer his question first: "It won't change anything if I stay a little longer, Xiaomai."
Xiaomai said, "Sister Zhihe, last time you said that when you're young, you'll fall in love with someone because of an illusory aura, but that's not true love. You're looking for reasons, but I think 'a person falls in love with another person for some reason' is actually a paradox. People should be attracted to each other involuntarily, rather than actively looking for reasons to convince themselves to like someone."
Pu Zhihe couldn't find the right words to refute him. Years ago, during that unrequited crush, she had convinced herself that he didn't have to like her, but no one could stop me from liking him. Although it was a matter between two people, each person could only decide their own feelings and couldn't influence others.
Fortunately, the boat had docked, so she didn't have to continue this discussion. They slowly walked down with the crowd. Pu Zhihe lowered her head, lost in thought about what Xiaomai had just said, when she suddenly felt a strong force tugging at her skirt from behind. Turning around, she saw that the hem of her skirt was entangled in an iron chain. Perhaps because there were too many people just now, she was squeezed to the side and didn't pay attention, which led to such an accident.
She didn't call Xiaomai, hoping that Xiaomai wouldn't look back.
However, when Xiaomai saw that she hadn't caught up, he immediately returned to look for her. Like everyone else passing by, he noticed the frantic Pu Zhihe. He quickly walked back to block Pu Zhihe's way. Although her skirt was ankle-length, it had been tucked in, shortening considerably. While they were busy pulling it out, they also had to be careful not to expose her.
"Forget it, Xiaomai! This skirt won't be wearable anymore, so let's not waste our energy." Pu Zhihe wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, paused with a bit of despair, and took out a miniskirt from her bag. "I brought an extra skirt. I originally wanted to change into it for taking photos. It was so windy at night that I kept it in my bag. I didn't expect to have to wear it after all. I'm putting it on now. Can you help me cover it up?"
Xiaomai nodded, took off his thin outer shirt, and held Pu Zhihe with both hands, letting her hide inside to change into her skirt. If you didn't look closely, it would look like he was holding Pu Zhihe in his arms.
Pu Zhihe sighed inwardly, wondering why such awkward coincidences kept happening. She'd first pulled the new skirt under her feet, then untied the old one and removed it, easily collapsing onto Xiaomai. Pu Zhihe felt incredibly embarrassed, and Xiaomai was incredibly nervous. He could only remain motionless, letting her use her strength to steady herself. He turned his face away, not watching Pu Zhihe's movements.
Something fell to the ground, and Pu Zhihe took a sharp breath. Xiaomai looked at her and saw that she was holding her stomach and not moving. She looked away and asked her what was wrong.
"The button fell off, it's okay, I can just hold on to my waist and walk. It's so dark now, no one will notice."
Xiaomai lifted the sleeves of the shirt and handed it to Pu Zhihe: "It's so troublesome to hold the skirt all the time when you put it on. Just tie it around your waist."
"I didn't expect it," Pu Zhihe tied the clothes around her waist, "my first day in Hong Kong is so unforgettable."
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