Chapter 18: The era of whitewashing and superficial peace will never return...
After Yu Kui changed her clothes, her mother asked her to sit down next to her and asked if she enjoyed the hot pot dinner. Yu Kui drank some water and replied, "It was great, I'm very full."
"Then next time you can take your mother to eat there," said Mrs. Yu with a smile.
“Okay,” Yu Kui said, “both the beef and dessert are delicious.”
Qin's mother looked at the mother and daughter with envy and couldn't help but ask, "Yu Kui, we're having hot pot today. Didn't Qin You come with you? Auntie remembers you two were together last year..."
“No,” Yu Kui shook her head, “I didn’t see Qin You today. Didn’t he go home?”
"No," Qin's mother sighed, helplessly saying, "I don't know what he's been busy with lately; he hasn't come home by 10 p.m. yet."
Yu Kui's heart stirred slightly; she really wanted to know what Qin You had gone to do, but she was no longer in a position to interfere and could only remain silent. Qin's mother was somewhat disappointed. She had come specifically to ask Yu Kui if she knew anything about Qin You, but she hadn't expected her to know absolutely nothing.
"A-Kui, have you and Qin You had a fight?" Qin's mother couldn't help but ask. "It seems like you haven't gone out together in a long time. You used to go to the library to read books all the time on weekends..."
“There’s no conflict,” Yu Kui said, lowering her eyes. “It’s just that we’ve all grown up and need time to be alone.”
"I see," Qin's mother said thoughtfully, and immediately said, "Auntie has been very busy with work, and our two families haven't sat down to eat together for a long time. I have two days off for New Year's Day, so I'll cook at home and we can have a good get-together."
"Let's forget it," Yu's mother said, pressing her hand down. "You finally have a holiday, so you should rest at home for a couple of days. We can talk about food later."
Qin's mother insisted, "You've been taking care of Qin You all these years, how can we let it go? If you're worried about me getting tired, we can eat out, it's the same."
Having said all that, it would be impolite to refuse any longer. So, Mrs. Yu smiled and said, "Let's eat inside. I'll help you prepare the food." Eating out wasn't cost-effective, and Mrs. Yu didn't want Qin's mother to spend so much money, as she worked hard to earn it.
"Okay, then I'll buy more groceries tomorrow." Qin's mother secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Come over early then."
"good."
After Qin's mother left, Yu's mother touched her daughter's hand, took a blanket and covered her with it, saying, "Tomorrow is a holiday, watch a movie with Mom tonight."
Yu Kui nestled beside her, chose a movie to watch, and felt a warm glow in her heart.
Not long after Qin's mother returned home, Qin You came in carrying his schoolbag. Seeing his tired face, Qin's mother felt both pain and anger. "Where have you been these past few days? Why are you back so late?"
"I didn't go anywhere," Qin You said, changing into slippers in the entryway. "I just studied in the classroom."
“I called the teacher and they said you weren’t in the classroom.”
Qin You froze, looked down at her mother who had red eyes, and suddenly choked up, not knowing what to say.
“Tell your mother, where did you go after school? Why didn’t you come home?” Qin’s mother walked to his side, looking into her son’s eyes. “When did you learn to lie?”
Qin You closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "Mom, can you please not ask?"
"Why didn't you ask?" Qin's mother said, unable to bear it any longer. "You are my son, shouldn't I know what you're doing? Recently, not only have your grades dropped, but you've also been disappearing after school. Do you know how worried I am?"
Seeing her mother so distraught, Qin You pursed her lips and whispered, "I'm sorry, Mom, it's all my fault..."
Hearing this, Qin's mother felt very bad and said with a bitter smile, "If you knew you were sorry to me, you wouldn't have done these things to upset me."
Qin You didn't say anything, but went to the kitchen to pour her a glass of water. "Don't be angry. I will definitely come home on time after tomorrow."
Seeing that he still refused to speak, Qin's mother was filled with disappointment. "I don't know what you're doing, but whatever you're doing, it's not a good choice for you. You're a student now, and your primary task is to study. If you don't cherish this opportunity, there will be no way to make up for it after the college entrance examination."
"Mom knows I don't spend much time with you, but you know our family's situation. Neither you nor I have a choice. We can only make things easier for each other if we work hard. Otherwise..." Qin's mother didn't finish her sentence. She rarely showed her vulnerability to Qin You, afraid of putting a psychological burden on her son.
But now Qin You has deviated from the path of a student, which makes Qin's mother very worried.
“I know,” Qin You said, holding her hand and looking at the wrinkles around her eyes, almost unable to meet her gaze. “You can trust me, I will definitely catch up with my grades later.”
Seeing her son like this, Qin's mother didn't say anything more, only saying, "Your Aunt Yu and the others are coming over for dinner tomorrow, so you don't need to go out."
"Tomorrow?" Qin You's movements stiffened slightly. "Why the sudden idea of having dinner together?"
"What do you mean by this?" His reluctant look made Qin's mother's heart skip a beat. "Isn't it only natural for our two families to have a get-together on New Year's Day? Have you forgotten how your Aunt Yu and the others have always taken care of you?"
"No," Qin You shook his head subconsciously, and said reluctantly, "It's just that we haven't eaten together in a long time."
Qin's mother said, "Didn't you often go there for dinner before?"
But that was several months ago, and he hasn't been there since he met Tao Jiang.
“I haven’t been there recently,” he explained, “I don’t know if Aunt Yu will be angry…”
"How could that be?" Qin's mother thought he was overthinking it. "Your Aunt Yu is so good to you, how could she possibly be angry with you?"
Qin You didn't reply. The thought of meeting Yu Kui tomorrow filled him with mixed feelings. They hadn't spoken in a long time, and he was worried that his mother and Aunt Yu would notice something amiss.
No matter what he thought, he couldn't change the fact that there would be a dinner party tomorrow.
Back in the bedroom, Qin You opened his phone and found Yu Kui's chat window. After thinking for a moment, he sent her a message: "I haven't told my mom that we're not friends anymore. We have a dinner party tomorrow, and I don't want things to get unpleasant at the dinner table."
After sending the message, Qin You stared blankly at the familiar cartoon avatar for a moment, quietly waiting for Yu Kui's reply, but Yu Kui did not reply all night.
The next day, when he woke up, he sent Yu Kui another message, but Yu Kui still ignored him.
Qin You finally understood how Yu Kui felt when she sent him a message but didn't get a reply. It was very uncomfortable, and he kept thinking about that message. Even when Tao Jiang invited him out, he wasn't that happy.
In the afternoon, Yu's mother came over to help Qin's mother cook, and Qin You realized that Yu Kui hadn't come downstairs. Qin's mother asked where Yu Kui had gone, and Yu's mother smiled and said, "She's been focusing on her studies lately. She went to the library with her best friend early this morning, so she'll probably be back later."
"Oh, I see," Qin's mother said subconsciously, "Why didn't she call Qin You when she went out? It would have been so much better if they had gone together."
"Next time," said Yu's mother. "This time it was all girls who went, so it's inconvenient for Qin You to go."
"That's true."
Qin You was sitting in the living room watching TV and could easily hear their conversation. In the past, Yu Kui would always invite him to the library, and she wouldn't go by herself if he didn't go. But now, she not only doesn't reply to his messages, but she also stops asking him to go out to study.
This realization made Qin You feel a little sad, but he knew that his sadness was nothing compared to Tao Jiang's place in his heart. He deliberately ignored the strange feeling in his heart, as if Yu Kui was not so important.
In reality, how can a relationship of more than ten years be extinguished with a few light words?
In the quiet of the night, he often thought of Yu Kui. When he was with her, he always felt relaxed and happy. She could sense what he was thinking without him having to say anything. She was like a piece of candy in his life, making him feel cherished and valued, a feeling he rarely experienced even with his mother.
But he got it from Yu Kui.
This is a precious memory that Qin You cannot erase, even if he wants to deny it.
He sat in the living room, listening to the voices of Qin's mother and Yu's mother talking, as if he had returned to a warm moment.
It wasn't until much later that he realized this moment was one of the most unforgettable in his life. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't turn back time.
As evening approached, Mr. Yu knocked on the door and came in. He immediately smiled when he smelled the aroma of the food and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
Yu's mother glanced at him and said, "It's getting late. Call Yu Kui and tell her to come home for dinner."
"Okay." Mr. Yu went to the balcony to make a phone call and quickly came back to say, "Yu Kui isn't coming today."
"What's wrong?" Mrs. Yu asked, somewhat surprised. "Why didn't she come?"
Mr. Yu said with a smile, "The female classmate I went to the library with today was having a birthday party. She wouldn't let me leave no matter what I said, so she went to a karaoke bar to celebrate with some people."
"Oh, is that so?" Mrs. Yu said irritably, "You two are the same, father and daughter, always having so many social engagements."
After saying that, she apologized to Qin's mother, "Yu Kui is ignorant, please don't be angry."
"It's alright, it's alright," Qin's mother said generously. "We can have a get-together anytime, but a friend's birthday only comes once a year, so it's only right that she stays."
After listening to their conversation, Qin You opened his phone and looked at the message he had sent to Yu Kui. She didn't reply to him, but her actions told him that she would no longer disturb his life, and that his worries were completely unnecessary.
Qin You's feelings were very complicated. He wanted to send a message to Yu Kui to tell her that it didn't have to go through all that trouble, but when his fingers touched the keyboard, he couldn't say anything. So be it, this is the best outcome now.
Qin You closed his eyes, trying to ignore the inexplicable sense of loss welling up inside him. Not only today, but Yu Kui probably wouldn't eat with him anymore.
When Yu Kui and Sun Shuya came out of the KTV, it was already dark outside. Yu's father drove over to pick them up and took Sun Shuya home before asking his daughter why she didn't go to Qin You's house for dinner today.
Yu Kui felt a little guilty and asked curiously, "Dad, how did you know my friend didn't have a birthday?"
"Do you think I wouldn't know what you're doing?" Mr. Yu scoffed. "Otherwise, would I be your father?"
Yu Kui: "......"
"I don't want to eat at his house," Yu Kui said honestly.
"Did you have a fight with Qin You?" Yu's father wasn't as perceptive as Yu's mother, but he could still sense that there was a conflict between the two children.
"I guess so," Yu Kui said softly, thinking of the snowy night that had made her so sad that she fainted. "I'm not going to his house for dinner today, and I won't go there again in the future."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Yu did not ask why the two had argued, but simply said, "If you don't want to go, then don't go. Let's eat at our own home."
Upon hearing this, Yu Kui laughed, and the sadness she felt upon receiving Qin You's message finally dissipated at that moment.
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