Chapter 72 [72] Shen Yu’s heartache.
Tang Yuanyuan covered Li Mu's mouth.
But it was too late. On the terrace, Mr. Shen had already noticed this side and looked over over the salty and humid wind.
Tang Yuanyuan let go of Li Mu's mouth, smiled generously, and walked over while facing Shen Yu's gaze.
"Mr. Shen, what a coincidence! I came here to see the Huangpu River, and I didn't expect you to be here too."
It was just a casual remark, maybe just a polite remark at lunch? Is it possible that he doesn't even remember what he said?
Ms. Shen picked up her coffee cup and glanced at Li Mu behind her: "What a coincidence."
Tang Yuanyuan: "Are you discussing something here?"
Opposite Mr. Shen sat a man in a cashmere coat, holding a cup of coffee, and nodded at Tang Yuanyuan.
"Then you go ahead and do your thing. I'll go check out the waves."
Shen Yu nodded slightly.
Tang Yuanyuan went out to play by herself. Although Shanghai was not that cold in winter, it was not easy to go into the water. She just enjoyed the breeze and watched the waves. Li Mu picked up a mole shrimp from the beach and suddenly jumped in front of Tang Yuanyuan, making a frightening sound.
Tang Yuanyuan was startled. Li Mu laughed triumphantly. Tang Yuanyuan reacted and chased after him, beating him up: "Li Mu, do you want to die?"
You are so grown up, yet so childish.
Qian Tingting just picked up large conches and shells. Is this the normal way of thinking? Li Mu just turned over insects and ugly things to scare people. Tang Yuanyuan always felt like scolding him.
Qian Tingting dusted the conch off and placed it against Tang Yuanyuan's ear. "Listen, there's a sound."
Tang Yuanyuan was also surprised: "Yes, it sounds really nice, like the sound of a conch shell that can still be heard even when it is far away from the water."
Tang Yuanyuan also joined the ranks of picking up shells and conchs. After searching on the beach for a while, he found several beautiful large white conchs.
I was thinking about whether to give one to Mr. Shen, but I found that everyone had left and the coffee cups had been taken away by the waiter without me noticing. There was only an empty chair.
I guess he didn't like such childish things. After enjoying the breeze enough, we took a taxi back to the apartment. We chose a Shanghai restaurant for dinner. The food was very good and the three of us were very satisfied with the meal.
The next morning after breakfast we headed straight to the airport.
Qian Tingting nervously tugged at Tang Yuanyuan's sleeve, "I've never been on a plane before. Aren't the clouds right next to me? Can I grab them and play with them?"
Tang Yuanyuan had never been on one either. The 1,680 yuan price tag on the ticket was very expensive, and she herself was reluctant to take it: "I'll try it later. I wonder if it tastes like cotton candy."
The three of them had no luggage, so they just followed the instructions and went through the security check corridor, which took about twenty minutes.
The radio played some precautions for flying. Tang Yuanyuan checked the window and found that it was different from the windows on the train. It couldn't be opened. She whispered, "It seems that it can't be opened. This window is blocked. It seems that we can't touch the clouds."
Qian Tingting was still very excited: "I wonder if there will be a bird next to the window."
The stewardess in uniform and light makeup looked very beautiful. Everything was exciting and fresh. Even the roar of the plane taking off was not harsh. The plane flew into the sky and just broke through the thick clouds. Through a thin layer of glass window, the clouds were right in front of us.
There were also free drinks to drink, so it would be a waste not to drink them. Tang Yuanyuan pressed the bell like others, and soon the flight attendant brought the drinks over.
"Is there anything else you need?"
Qian Tingting couldn't help but muster up the courage to ask, "Excuse me, can the window be opened to catch the clouds?"
The flight attendant was stunned for a moment, then politely said, "I'm sorry, the entire cabin of the plane is sealed. The wind resistance at high altitude is very strong. If the plane leaks air, it will be very dangerous."
Tang Yuanyuan slapped his forehead and realized that he had forgotten about wind resistance. He had learned physics in vain.
Fortunately, the flight attendant didn't laugh at them.
The plane landed in Jiangxi Province in two hours. There was a free bus at the airport. I took another two hours of bus, more than 20 hours of train, and finally a plane, and it was all done in four hours.
Tang Yuanyuan looked at the number on the ticket and realized that it was expensive for a reason.
Anyway, she won’t have to carry the goods herself in the future. Otherwise, will she also take a plane in the future?
The long train journey is one thing, but the main problem is that it’s not safe enough and there are too many scammers.
There is no reason to put yourself in a difficult position even if you have money.
Tang Yuanyuan was thinking about studying, so she rode her bike to find Xu Xiaofeng. She did have a teacher in this area, but the fee was a bit expensive, ten yuan for one class. Tang Yuanyuan was too willing to spend money, so she took extra classes in mathematics, physics and chemistry, and asked her to find one for her.
The next day, New Year's Eve, Li Mu came over early in the morning with a fish and some meat dishes: "I'm coming to your house to celebrate the New Year."
Tang Yuanyuan had no objection and pointed the pen at the kitchen: "Just cook."
Qian Tingting touched her apron and said, "I'll do it."
Li Muruo, the boss who was more hands-off, turned on the TV to watch TV. When Qian Tingting finished cooking the fish, he found that there was no fragrance in the kitchen, so he took a bite with chopsticks.
That is the level of maturity.
"Get out and don't ruin my meat."
Qian Tingting: "Then I'll pick some vegetables."
Tang Yuanyuan was leisurely doing her homework in the kitchen and listening to English tapes. Li Mu spent two hours making five dishes and a soup.
Tang Yuanyuan was surprised that the cabbage in the sauerkraut beef was sweet and crispy, the hot and sour potato shreds were cut into fine pieces, and the sour and crispy taste was well controlled, and the stir-fried bean sprouts and vermicelli and fried tofu were both delicious.
"When did you learn to cook? I remember you were pretty bad at cooking."
Li Mu: "I now have many skills, and they are very good."
Tang Yuanyuan: "..."
As for the fish Qian Tingting cooked, she ate it by herself: "Is the food I cook bad?"
Tang Yuanyuan: "You finally realized it."
Qian Tingting: “…”
Li Mu stayed here until after dinner, went outside to play with fireworks, and then rode his bike back. Tang Yuanyuan watched the Spring Festival Gala while doing homework. He would do his homework when he saw something he was not interested in, and would stop to watch something he was interested in, such as Zhao Benshan's skits.
In the past, her mother’s favorite thing was Zhao Benshan’s sketches, which was one of her few entertainments.
Tang Yuanyuan guessed that this song "The Sound of Waves Remains" would be popular.
After twelve o'clock, the sound of firecrackers was very loud. Tang Yuanyuan knelt on the ground and chatted with her mother as usual:
"Mom, am I eighteen? I'm an adult."
"I now have 570,000 yuan in savings. This year has been particularly good. I even took a plane yesterday and was very close to you."
"Mom, I will be better next year and will be admitted to university. Wait for my good news."
Before the Spring Festival was over, on the tenth day of the first lunar month, Tang Yuanyuan received a registered letter from Assistant Fan, which indeed contained Mao Ning's negatives.
Tang Yuanyuan sold the negatives and bought another 2,000 copies for herself. Qian Tingting set up a stall at the wholesale market and sold them all by the Lantern Festival. After school started, Tang Yuanyuan printed another 2,000 copies to distribute to her classmates.
Tang Yuanyuan developed a habit of listening to tapes while washing up every morning, and she used the weekends to make up for the missed lessons. When it came to the exams, her grades improved significantly and she was among the top 15 in the grade!
Tang Yuanyuan set a goal for herself, hoping to be in the top ten in her grade in the final exam.
When Li Mu heard about flying, he jumped up and down: "That's too expensive! The train is much cheaper, 30 yuan a ticket. With the money for the plane, I can buy so much delicious food. No, the train is still more economical."
Tang Yuanyuan: "But flying is safe. Have you forgotten? We almost died last time. We took four trains back and forth in a year. How do you know that no thief would remember us?"
"Besides, you should have a hundred thousand or so in savings now. Isn't the reason we earn money to spend it?"
Li Mu: "It's too expensive. It's over a thousand yuan."
Tang Yuanyuan: "Anyway, I'm taking a plane. If you want to take the train, you can go by yourself."
What could Li Mu do? "You are so good, Tang Yuanyuan, you can control me."
Tang Yuanyuan: "Just tell me whether you want to take a plane or not."
Li Mu felt a pang of pain and said unhappily, "Can't I just take a plane?"
Tang Yuanyuan was somewhat satisfied and gave him a White Rabbit snack: "That's more like it. Money should be spent."
Li Mu was very disgusted: "I asked for more than a thousand yuan, and you only gave me one White Rabbit?"
Tang Yuanyuan: "Do you want it or not?"
Li Mu grabbed the candy and put it in his mouth: "I want it."
Since she had to take a plane, and now there were people transporting goods, Tang Yuanyuan didn't have to wear such tattered clothes, but she didn't dare to show off either. She just picked out two normal clothes and skirts and brought them to Shanghai.
She took a flight in the morning and arrived in Shanghai at noon. Tang Yuanyuan first rented a van used to transport goods. She found that this way she could save even the taxi fare, which was actually very cost-effective. She went to the wholesale market and then the department store, and the goods were all collected. Then they were delivered to Mr. Shen's warehouse. The transportation company was loading the goods at that time, so Tang Yuanyuan gave her name and they loaded the goods together.
Tang Yuanyuan was afraid that the goods would be damaged, so he bought two packs of cigarettes for each of the masters and told them to be careful.
The driver smiled and said, "Don't worry, we are all experienced drivers. The company also has rules and regulations. We will not damage the customer's goods."
Only then did Tang Yuanyuan realize that they were a very formal logistics company, not the kind of individual trucks she and Xu Xiaofeng hired, and their rules, regulations and clauses were very clear.
After Tang Yuanyuan finished all these, she used the shared phone to call Shen Yu's mobile phone. She wanted to go see the puppy.
"You go ahead."
Tang Yuanyuan rejected the meaning of this statement and guessed that he might not be at home and might be outside, so she took a van over. Surprisingly, Shen Yu was sitting in the garden with the dog on his lap.
He glanced at Tang Yuanyuan's plaid skirt and lowered his eyelashes: "When did you arrive?"
Tang Yuanyuan: "Arrived at noon."
Shen Yu asked again: "Did you come by plane?"
Tang Yuanyuan nodded: "The plane is more convenient."
Shen Yu nodded in satisfaction and handed it over with the dog leg in his hand. Tang Yuanyuan reached out to take it, tilted his head with obvious displeasure, looked at Shen Yu, and barked.
It seemed unhappy that Shen Yu gave it to a stranger.
Tang Yuanyuan: "It seems like it doesn't like me."
Shen Yu handed over a bag of beautifully packaged dog food: "It likes this. If you feed it a few times, it will like you."
Tang Yuanyuan sat on a rattan chair, put the puppy on her lap, and first took a look at the outer packaging of the dog food... She once thought it was a biscuit packaging.
Looking at the ingredients again, this dog was better than any of her previous meals, and she couldn't help but smile.
Shen Yu: "What funny thing did you think of?"
Tang Yuanyuan poured the dog food into her palm and fed the dog while saying, "I just saw that there were raw bones, meat, egg yolks and fish oil in it. I used to eat worse than it did."
Shen Yu: "What did you eat before?"
Tang Yuanyuan: "My grandfather was ill for a while, and our family was in a difficult situation during that time. Our staple food was noodles every day, and potatoes that cost 2 yuan a bag at the wholesale market. We ate this for about three months. We had shredded potatoes with vegetables for lunch every day, and the rest of the time we ate noodles."
"But my mom cooks delicious food. Even if it's just a bowl of rolled noodles, she'll add a little chili oil and mix it into the bowl, which is also delicious."
Tang Yuanyuan used to think that those days were very uncomfortable, but now when she thinks of those bowls of hand-rolled noodles splashed with red oil, the corners of her lips still curl up unconsciously.
In fact, it was really delicious, and she suddenly wanted to eat oil-splashed noodles.
But, I can never eat it again.
She lowered her head, her eyes unconsciously felt a little sore, and a tear was hanging at the corner of her eye, about to fall.
Shen Yu's hand unconsciously raised up, and for a moment, he wanted to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
He shrank back again.
He took out a handkerchief from his vest pocket, pinched a corner of it with his slender white fingers, and handed it over.
Tang Yuanyuan didn't take it, but wiped it with her hand: "Sorry, I'm fine."
Shen Yu put the handkerchief back into his pocket, his voice unconsciously becoming a little hoarse: "Come in."
Tang Yuanyuan never asked any questions, just held the puppy in her arms and did not forget to bring dog food.
Shen Yu sat down in the restaurant. There were already many dishes on the table, as well as two bowls of rice. Tang Yuanyuan understood and put the dog down. She went to wash her hands first and then washed her face with cold water before coming back.
For some reason, there were so many dishes on the table, but Tang Yuanyuan suddenly lost her appetite. She barely managed to stay awake and ate a few vegetables. She didn't even have any interest in the cake.
Shen Yu's dark pupils trembled slightly behind his glasses, and he put down his chopsticks: "Thinking of your mother, can't you eat?"
Tang Yuanyuan: "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine after a while."
The bright European crystal chandelier casts bright spots of light on the black marble dining table.
Shen Yu's elegant eyebrows were soaked with a soft luster like crystal: "No need to pretend your emotions in front of me."
Auntie brought out a bowl of oil-splashed noodles from the kitchen.
The hand-rolled noodles are as wide as a finger and have only a layer of red oil on them.
Tang Yuanyuan was stunned looking at the bowl of fried noodles.
Shen Yu's voice was as gentle as water, soft and tolerant: "I just asked Auntie to make this, thinking you might like it."
"Try it first. If it doesn't taste right, ask Auntie to make it for you."
Tang Yuanyuan's eyes unconsciously flushed a little, and she suppressed a bit of bitterness, "Thank you."
She picked up the chopsticks, picked up the noodles and put them into her mouth. The chili oil made by her mother was a bit spicy, and this one seemed to have a little sweetness, but the fragrance and chewiness of the noodles were somewhat similar.
She ate with big mouthfuls, as if this would take her back to the days when her mother was still at home.
She didn't know what was wrong with her. She usually didn't think about this matter much. Most of the time, she could still chat gently with her mother looking at the moon and stars in the sky.
At such a moment, it felt like there was a hole in her heart, which made her bleed and feel pain.
She finished the whole bowl of noodles with tears in her eyes, and the corners of her mouth were slightly red and swollen from the spiciness.
Perhaps her sadness was too deep, Shen Yu's dark pupils seemed to be moistened by rain.
"You have a deep bond with your mother. She must have taken good care of you."
Tang Yuanyuan nodded: "I am a girl. My grandparents and father are the kind of parents who favor boys over girls. Only my mother likes me and treats me better than my brother."
"Even the car accident she had was because of my idea of selling jelly to make money."
"If I were still working as a factory girl and I didn't want to continue studying, she would probably still be alive and well."
"She's a very good mother, but I'm not a very good daughter."
"I owe her my whole life."
Tang Yuanyuan hated the Tang family, but in fact, she also hated herself.
If she had stopped her mother from selling buns and jelly, or if she had been more assertive at the time, she could have gone another day.
Why be so cowardly?
Why can't we do better?
A feeling of heartache floated in his eyes behind his glasses. His slender knuckles scratched the edge of the table: "Don't be too hard on yourself."
"You've done very well."
Tang Yuanyuan's eyes bulged with tears and she sniffed: "I should have done better. Maybe she wouldn't have had the car accident."
Shen Yu: "No one can predict it, and no one can be always cautious and not make mistakes. You are being too hard on yourself. Don't be like this. If your mother knew, she would only want you to live a happy life."
Tang Yuanyuan: "But my life is so good now, but my mother has never enjoyed a single day of happiness. I can't feel at ease."
Shen Yu: "So, this is why you've always been a vegetarian?"
Tang Yuanyuan nodded.
Shen Yu: "People lose things throughout their lives, whether it's family, fame, wealth, or health. Eventually, it will be your turn. A hundred years from now, you'll have plenty of time to accompany her. Now, you have to make her sacrifice worthwhile and live your life well, rather than wallowing in self-blame."
Tang Yuanyuan understood the truth. At a certain moment, because of a certain point that overlapped with the past, she would suddenly feel unbearable pain. Then she would fall asleep, recover, and be able to go on again with ease.
Shen Yu also knew that words were difficult to truly comfort a person.
He asked his aunt to bring a box of chocolates and put it in her hand: "This is very sweet. I think the memories your mother gave you are all good and should be sweet. Eat one when you miss her."
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