Second tone
When Lu Er returned home with the dumplings, she learned what Jiang Chun meant by "considering that matter."
Although Lu Er told Jiang Zhun not to send such expensive gifts, he still brought large and small boxes to their door this time. The table piled high with gift boxes was proof of that.
Cui Feng and Lu Guoyang stood together, heads close, talking. When they saw Lu Er return, they immediately turned their heads back and looked at her together.
Lu Er placed the plate of dumplings on the dining table. Teacher Mina, worried they'd get cold by the time she got home, had specially chosen a freshly cooked portion. She felt the intense gazes directed at her from the two men and sensed something was amiss.
Lu Er turned her face and caught a glimpse of what Lu Guoyang was holding. It was an envelope that was bulging out of shape, and what was inside was definitely not light.
She felt a slight sting on her brow, but her tone didn't betray her distress: "Auntie, Uncle, what's wrong?"
Neither Lu Guoyang nor Cui Feng spoke immediately. Lu Mingyi had gone inside sometime earlier.
Lu Guoyang turned to look at Cui Feng, seemingly receiving a signal from her, before turning back and speaking slowly, "Xiao Er, um..."
Cui Feng coughed lightly, and unusually today, there was no hint of disdain in her eyes: "Xiao Er, you're going to take the entrance exam for Tsinghua University, right?"
"Um."
“Beijing is so far from Huai’an. You’re all alone in Beijing, without anyone to look after you, it’s troublesome…” Cui Feng changed the subject again, “Just now, your senior brother Jiang Zhun came to our house to wish us a Happy New Year. His family and your father’s family are very close, right…”
The conversation was roundabout and didn't get to the point. Lu Er's brows furrowed deeper and deeper as she interrupted Cui Feng, "Auntie, just say what you want to say."
"..." Cui Feng and Lu Guoyang exchanged a glance.
Lu Guoyang told her the truth: "Xiao Er, your senior brother Jiang came over and talked to us. He said that his family and your family are on good terms, and his family has always wanted to adopt you, but we beat them to it. After he met you again last year, he still had this idea..."
Lu Er seemed to know what he was going to say.
Sure enough, Lu Guoyang said, "Xiao Jiang said that if you want to study translation, it would be better to study with him. So, Xiao Jiang plans to bring you over after your college entrance examination."
Lu Er's expression remained frozen, as if encased in wax. Lu Guoyang glanced at her face, then at Cui Feng, and after being glared at, immediately turned back: "Xiao Er, you know, since your brother passed away, you've had a very hard life with us. Your aunt and I have seen it all, and it breaks our hearts... Your senior brother Jiang's family is better off than ours. If you follow him, you'll definitely have a better life than us." As if afraid his reasoning wasn't strong enough, he hurriedly added, "Besides, didn't you want to study translation? Following Xiao Jiang and the others will be better for your future, and maybe you'll even have a chance to go abroad..."
Lu Er's eyes remained fixed on the center of the screen as she softly asked, "How much money did he give you?"
"..." Cui Feng, who had been keeping her hands folded in front of her chest, finally spoke up, "120,000. Xiao Er, we've raised you for your parents for so many years. We've done our part, so this is our compensation. His family has two houses in Beijing and one in Qing City. They're much better off than us. You won't suffer if you go to his house and stay with him. It's a blessing from heaven. With this 120,000, we can consider all our past efforts wiped clean."
Lu Er closed her eyes, feeling as if her breath and fingertips were ice. After a moment, she bowed heavily to Cui Feng and Lu Guoyang: "Auntie, Uncle, thank you for taking care of me all these years."
“I will not go with Brother Jiang Zhun, and I will repay all the money I owe you over the past nine years. After I go to university, I will not ask you for a single penny. I will pay back everything, and I hope you can give me some time.”
Every word he uttered lingered endlessly in Lu Er's heart for thousands of days and nights.
When she finally spoke, she felt so relieved. As relieved as if she were letting go of all her strength, shedding unnecessary burdens, and wiping away the tears from her eyes.
Cui Feng and Lu Guoyang remained silent, looking at each other without saying a word. Lu Er went back to her room, and the cow-patterned cat had left sometime earlier, leaving the entire bedroom empty.
She sat alone at her desk, lost in thought for a while. Then she took out her phone and dialed Jiang Zhun's number. During this time, Lu Er's hand, which was resting on the corner of the desk, swung and bumped into a red envelope.
It's obvious who sent it without even thinking. Lu Er opened it; there was a total of 1,800 inside.
The call connected. Lu Er's mind, which had been in turmoil, had long since calmed down: "Brother Jiang Zhun, I'm sorry, thank you for your kindness."
A simple "I'm sorry" carries a lot of meaning. At this moment, Jiang Zhun, sitting in the taxi, listening to her phone call, couldn't help but give a wry smile: "It's okay, I was presumptuous, I brought this up with your family without your permission."
“Brother Jiang Zhun, I owe my aunt and uncle a lot, but I don’t need your help.” Lu Er raised her eyelashes and saw a black and white cat jump down from the window, carrying a sparrow in its mouth. “I can’t accept this 120,000. I will pay it back to you for them.”
Jiang Zhun remained silent for a long time on the other end of the phone, then let out a long sigh: "I know you won't accept this because of your personality. I'm sorry."
Lu Er hung up the phone. The black and white cat came up carrying the frozen sparrow, as if to show it to her. It jumped onto the table and dropped the sparrow. As a result, the sparrow, which had been playing dead, immediately came to life, flapping its wings and flying out the window like a gust of wind, disappearing without a trace in an instant.
The black and white cat wagged its tail unhappily. Lu Er smiled silently and stroked its head, which was now icy cold from the frost it had been holding. She opened WeChat, found Jiang Zhun, and sent him a 1700 yuan red envelope.
Jiang Zhun said, "I'm sorry."
She replied, "It's okay."
Lu Er didn't look at the messages after that. She put down her phone, looked out the window, and felt as if something inside her had been blown away.
-
On New Year's Eve, Lu Guoyang and Cui Feng took Lu Mingyi out as usual. In previous years, they would also bring Lu Er along. In their first year of junior high, the four of them went to an amusement park together and played frisbee.
But Lu Guoyang and Cui Feng never threw anything at her. Lu Er stood there with her hands bare, like a superfluous passerby. After that, she never went out with Lu Guoyang and the others again.
Now that Cui Feng and the other two had left, Lu Er breathed a sigh of relief. After the house quieted down, Lu Er waited for about ten minutes, then turned off the lights, closed the door, and left the residential area.
Lu Er and Ruan Xiyan agreed to meet at a corner store. When she arrived, Wen Fei, Sheng Jiao, and Ruan Xiyan had been waiting there for a long time.
Even in winter, Sheng Jiao was dressed elegantly. She wore a hooded shearling coat over a shirt and pleated skirt, and ankle boots. When Lu Er arrived, she could still hear Sheng Jiao shaking her leg and complaining, "It's so cold, why isn't Lu Er here yet?"
Wen Fei glanced at her and said, "With your legs exposed, who's going to be cold if not you?"
"I'm so cold, and you keep saying such chilling things?" Sheng Jiao pouted. "Hate words can be as cold as a summer's heat."
Wen Fei snorted coldly: "I can even take you all the way to the North Pole."
Lu Er ran up to him in small steps: "Sorry to have kept you waiting."
“No,” Ruan Xiyan smiled, he was wearing that burgundy baseball cap today, “We just arrived, not long ago.”
Sheng Jiao didn't argue with Wen Fei and headed straight for the subway entrance: "Now that we're here, let's hurry up and go. It's almost time for the grilled fish restaurant I booked."
The group took the elevator down. Lu Er suddenly felt her hand being held. She turned her eyes slightly and saw Ruan Xiyan behind her, looking at her with warm eyes: "Your hands are so cold."
"Cold."
Why didn't you buy gloves?
"I'm not used to wearing gloves."
After she finished speaking, Ruan Xiyan placed his other hand on hers, covering her palm with his. His hand felt like it had been roasted, burning her palm.
Ruan Xiyan chuckled softly, "This way it won't be cold."
The grilled fish restaurant was in Fule Plaza. The road to Fule Plaza was crowded; people were shoulder to shoulder, hands rubbing together. Lu Er had her hands in her cool pockets when suddenly someone forcefully pulled them out, and her fingers fell back into a warm palm.
"Ruan Xiyan." Lu Er called him softly, trying to pull her hand away. Behind her were Sheng Jiao and Wen Fei, and she always felt awkward in front of familiar people.
Ruan Xiyan stared straight ahead, seemingly not having heard. But Lu Er knew he had heard, because not only did he not let go, he pressed his fingers together and gripped her tightly as if embracing her.
Lu Er had no choice but to let him hold her hand. The crowd was dense, and people who weren't holding hands were frequently separated. But the two holding hands remained tightly pressed together.
Upon arriving at the grilled fish restaurant, Sheng Jiao couldn't help but frown at Wen Fei: "You stingy guy, you wouldn't even let me hold your hand, and I got bumped into and thrown behind you."
"Didn't I tell you to tug at my clothes?"
Sheng Jiao snorted through her nose: "Who can stop you from pulling on my clothes? Your hands are like you have OCD, you don't even want anyone to touch them. You're the delicate one." The abrupt remark at the end seemed to be a response to something.
Wen Fei said lazily, "My hands are precious, unlike yours."
The two were still arguing when Ruan Xiyan quickly intervened to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, stop arguing. The grilled fish is here."
After leaving the grilled fish restaurant, the four of them went into a cultural and creative store in the square. Lu Er was watching Sheng Jiao pick out hand cream when Ruan Xiyan pulled her arm and led her away to the side. He gestured with his chin towards the row of gloves: "Choose one."
"..." Lu Er immediately realized what he meant and found it a little funny, "It's inconvenient for me to wear gloves when I'm writing."
Ruan Xiyan manually picked out a bear glove for her: "You can wear it when you're not writing. For example, right now."
Lu Er's hands were put on gloves without any room for argument. She spread her fingers in front of him, and Ruan Xiyan finally showed her dimples with satisfaction: "This way it will keep you warm."
Ruan Xiyan's dimples were so adorable that Lu Er, with her fingers spread wide, couldn't resist slapping his face twice. Now the dimples were on her face instead.
"Ruan Xiyan." Lu Er touched his face and chuckled softly, "Have I ever told you that you're cute?"
Ruan Xiyan took advantage of the situation and brought her face closer, their noses almost touching, their breaths seemingly merging together: "No. Compliment me again."
The closer Ruan Xiyan got, the clearer Lu Er could see his beautiful eyes. His full, rounded eyes resembled two small boats. Just as she was about to speak, a voice came from behind her.
"Hey, you two." Sheng Jiao glanced at them, her face full of disdain. "This isn't a deserted place."
Ruan Xiyan pulled her to her feet: "I know, I know." Sheng Jiao walked away, and Lu Er's cheeks were still burning.
-
Leaving the souvenir shop, Sheng Jiao suggested setting off some fireworks. Since Huai'an prohibits overly powerful fireworks, the only ones available locally are sparklers and other small fireworks. The group bought sparklers from a roadside stall and headed to the cinema. Inside the cinema, they could see the fireworks displayed at designated spots.
The screen hanging at the entrance of the shopping mall was showing the Spring Festival Gala; some people were sitting at the entrance of the shops, singing crosstalk.
Lu Er walked along, looking at the scenery, when suddenly Ruan Xiyan grabbed her wrist again. Ruan Xiyan peeled off half of her glove, rubbing it between her fingertips: "Why is it still so cold?"
"If you have a cold constitution, it's not so easy for you to warm up."
Ruan Xiyan grabbed her hand and put it in her pocket: "I don't believe it's not hot enough like this."
Lu Er's laughter was barely audible: "Idiot."
On a relatively open concrete ground, Sheng Jiao lit the sparkler. Several beams of white light gradually grew larger, sparkling like a skirt, slowly fluttering.
After Sheng Jiao finished setting off her own bundle, she wanted to use the rest to light Wen Fei's fire, but Wen Fei wouldn't let her, so she chased after him.
Lu Er didn't join in their playful bickering; she quietly watched the fireworks in her hand bloom.
"Teacher Xiao Lu." Hearing Ruan Xiyan's voice, she turned around and saw him taking a picture of her with his phone.
"Ruan Xiyan." Lu Er was both amused and annoyed. The fairy wand in her hand fell apart, and she tried to snatch Ruan Xiyan's phone. Ruan Xiyan didn't try to dodge, and she easily took it off.
Flipping through the photo album, Lu Er discovered that he had taken more than just this one. In the cultural and creative store, while holding hands on the street, in the cake shop, and during the days they spent together, he had taken many photos that she had never seen before.
“…Ruan Xiyan.” Lu Er raised her phone. “Do you like me that much?”
With his innocent, bright eyes wide open, Ruan Xiyan said in a completely different, earnest tone, "I like it." Then he looked down at the corner of his eye and said aggrievedly, "Because you wouldn't let me take pictures, I had to take them secretly."
Lu Er continued scrolling through her phone, her finger pausing on a painting.
He was photographing a drawing board, on which was drawn a gray profile. Lu Er continued flipping through the pages; the person not only had a profile, but also a front view, a back view, and the top of their head.
"I painted this in my studio." Ruan Xiyan's smile was unusually shy.
Lu Er blinked a few times: "I didn't know you were so good at drawing people."
“I’ve only ever painted you like this.” Ruan Xiyan tensed up instantly. “I’m actually not very good at portrait painting. I’ve never painted anyone else, only you.”
Lu Er lowered her eyes, then raised them again, staring intently at him: "Next time, I want to see you paint with my own eyes."
Ruan Xiyan blinked as well: "Okay."
After setting off fireworks for a while, Lu Er and Ruan Xiyan went to find Sheng Jiao and the others. Passing the sculpture, they saw Chen Xiang and Ji Sibai there, chatting with Sheng Jiao and Wen Fei.
“Chen Xiang and I were playing games at home. We just met up and then we ran into you and Wen Fei.” Ji Sibai glanced at Ruan Xiyan and Lu Er next to her, his face full of understanding. “And you guys too.”
Chen Xiang took the lead: "It's almost time, let's go to the cinema center to watch the fireworks."
The clock showed that there were still two minutes until midnight, and the cinema center was already packed with people.
Two minutes later, the fireworks display began as scheduled. A dazzling array of colors and patterns filled the air. People cheered, dreamed, and made wishes.
A second "Happy New Year" rang in Lu Er's ears.
She laughed and imitated her, saying "Happy New Year" a second time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
