Chapter 195 Dear, there is always a time for meeting and leaving
The next day, Zhu Yingning was still thinking about what she had said last night about taking Chu Jiating to learn Sanda. After get off work, she went straight home, made a simple dinner, and ate it face to face with Chu Jiating.
After borrowing the bicycles, the two rode again on the road leading to the town.
Unlike during the day, at dusk, there were few streetlights on both sides of the road, and only the silver-gray moonlight and the noisy croaking of frogs accompanied them.
Besides the annoying frog croaking, Chu Jiating also heard a faint, melancholic chirping sound. Zhu Yingning told her it was the chirping of mole crickets. "Everyone in our village said it was the sound of earthworms. There's also an ancient folk saying, 'The sound of earthworms sighing in the deep.' For a long time, I believed it. It wasn't until I learned scientific knowledge that I realized earthworms don't have vocal organs, and the sounds coming from underground are made by mole crickets, also known as earth dogs."
"It's clearly an insect, why is it called a dog?" she asked.
"I don't know. Maybe because it likes to burrow into the earth, it's nicknamed Tuxingsun. Just like earthworms are also called earth dragons, maybe it's because of their medicinal value that people respect and appreciate them, so that's why they're called that."
Zhu Yingning spoke softly and in a light tone, just like the cool night.
After going back and forth so many times, Chu Jiating found that she had unconsciously memorized how to get there. This feeling made her feel a little lost, as if a place had already left a mark in her memory before her mind had completely decided to accept it.
She even had a strange premonition, knowing that many years later, perhaps in a moment of melancholy, or perhaps on a lonely evening, when a certain moment came, she would recall this night without warning, remember the bicycle whirring forward, Zhu Yingning telling her about earthworms and mole crickets, remember this small village that seemed isolated from the world, and remember the pavilion in the mountains.
**
Chu Jiating still remembers that the martial arts hall and the drama troupe were on the same floor.
Zhu Yingning parked her bike where she'd parked it last time and walked up to the third floor with her. The hallway was pitch black, and the sensor lights, long in disrepair, wouldn't light up until you reached the top of the stairs. Faint, energetic "heh" and "hah" sounds drifted from upstairs.
When I reached the third floor, the smell of rubber mixed with the voices of children hit me in the face.
Most of the people practicing martial arts inside are little kids. When you walk in from the main entrance, you will see a group of children with an average height of 1.3 meters wearing Taekwondo uniforms running around the venue.
Chu Jiating glanced inside and suddenly felt like backing off: "Why are all the children so young? I don't want to learn anymore."
Although they are all primary school students, they are also divided into lower grade students and higher grade students. Obviously, higher grade students like Chu Jiating cannot play together with those lower grade students.
This realization made Zhu Yingning feel oddly cute. She couldn't help but laugh a few times, but she was afraid of hurting Chu Jiating's self-esteem, so she quickly made amends: "It's okay, if there are no peers of your age, I can accompany you to class."
This sentence made Chu Jiating feel much better, and she finally followed her in.
They found the gym's manager, a middle-aged man with muscular build and a kind face. After explaining their purpose, Zhu Yingning asked, "So, I'd like to ask if there's a trial class we could give this child a try to see if she's interested in Sanda? We can pay the normal fee for the trial class, and it would be even better if we could arrange for her to be in a class with other kids her own age."
"Sanda?" the person in charge said, "Not many girls learn Sanda. Parents usually send their daughters to learn women's self-defense, martial arts, or taekwondo. Sanda requires a lot of explosive muscle power, and many parents think it's not elegant enough, and they're also worried about their daughters getting hurt."
"It's okay, let's just practice Sanda." said Zhu Yingning.
"Then come over here and try it." The person in charge led them through a door to another venue. He pointed to several boys and a girl practicing on sandbags inside and said, "These are Sanda students, intermediate class. We only have one Sanda coach here. If you don't mind, let your children go up and practice with me. I won't charge you. Anyway, we want to see if there's interest. These boys are all high school students, and the girl is probably in the eighth grade of junior high school. Are they considered peers?"
Zhu Yingning looked at Chu Jiating and asked for her opinion. Chu Jiating said, "Okay."
It was obviously easier to play with people older than oneself than with those younger than oneself. Zhu Yingning smiled knowingly and said to the person in charge, "That's it."
After she finished speaking, she turned around and found a mat in the venue to sit down and rest, watching Chu Jiating walk alone to the Sanda coach for class.
She believes that children have their own way of getting along with each other, and as a parent, what is often needed is not to interfere but to trust.
Trust that she has the ability to integrate into the group, trust that she can explain her purpose by herself, and trust that she can handle the connection between beginner and intermediate classes.
As expected, after the first ten minutes of unfamiliarity and adjustment, Chu Jiating quickly integrated into the group and dared to ask questions to the coach.
After the coach finished instructing a few students, he had some free time, so he came over to correct her posture, telling her how to stand, how to clench her fists, and how to exert force so as not to hurt herself.
Chu Jiating studies very seriously.
The Sanda side was full of older kids, and not as noisy as the Taekwondo side. When Zhu Yingning sat on the mat to rest, she could hear the intermittent singing of opera from the troupe upstairs. It was still the song "Mu Ke Zhai", and the same female voice was singing -
I am a disciple of the immortal family, and my literary and military skills are unparalleled in the world.
Practicing the Chain Golden Lock Formation is better than the Eight Diagrams Formation back then.
Straight punch, swinging punch, and whip kick.
Round steps, hand-holding skills, and feather-playing.
Sweat dripped onto the ground, forming an endless river of girls.
**
After a one-and-a-half-hour trial class, Chu Jiating ran to Zhu Yingning, sweating all over and with red cheeks, and said to her, "I'm hungry."
"Okay, let's go downstairs for a midnight snack."
She paid for the class anyway, and afterward, she and Chu Jiating went downstairs to the street. She asked her what she wanted to eat. She said she was thirsty and wanted something with soup. So Zhu Yingning ordered two bowls of wontons from the wonton shop.
When the wontons were served, Chu Jiating ignored the heat and, holding a spoon in one hand and chopsticks in the other, buried her head in the food, completely refusing to talk or do anything else. Only after she had eaten half a bowl did she gradually slow down her eating. She tugged at her sweaty collar and wiped her sweat with two tissues. When she looked up and saw that Zhu Yingning had eaten very little, she couldn't help but ask, "Why aren't you eating anything?"
"I didn't exercise, so I'm not hungry." Zhu Yingning said, "I'll eat some after it cools down. Is your portion enough? If not, I'll go to the stall next door and buy you two more sausages."
"Enough." Chu Jiating burped.
Zhu Yingning nodded, remembering what her coach had said to her when they were checking out upstairs. She smiled and relayed it to her, "My coach just praised you, saying you have great control over your body. Have you really never learned Sanda?"
Chu Jiating was stunned for a moment, then lowered her eyes to look at the wonton soup in front of her. She said, "I wouldn't say I've learned it before. I stole it. I saw others taking classes outside the martial arts hall and secretly followed along to learn a few moves."
"Oh? Why do you want to learn it secretly? Are you interested in this?" Zhu Yingning asked.
"...No way." She looked at a wonton scattered in the soup bowl, "It's because I thought that as long as I learned how to box, my dad wouldn't dare to hit me."
This time it was Zhu Yingning who was stunned.
Allen Chu raised her eyelids, saw her expression clearly, and immediately became awkward again: "You don't have to be like this, my dad beat me because I always bully my sister."
"What does 'bullying your sister' mean?" she asked softly.
Chu Jiating said: "As her older sister, I always don't give in to her. I don't give her my favorite food or my favorite toys."
Zhu Yingning suddenly felt very sad.
"I didn't let her have it, not only because I like those things myself, but also because I just wanted to see her cry, I wanted to make my parents angry, and I was jealous that my parents favored her. Before I was six, my parents loved me the most, but after I was six, they didn't love me anymore. Maybe I'm destined to be unloved in this life." As she spoke, she smiled self-deprecatingly and used chopsticks to poke the precarious wonton, making it even more broken.
The wonton filling drifted around, muddying the clear soup. Chu Jiating said, "But even so, I only recognize them as my parents and will only provide for them in my old age. No matter how bad they were to me, they raised me. I don't need other parents."
She looked up at Zhu Yingning. Perhaps because the topic involved Zhu Zhiwei, and Zhu Yingning was an acquaintance of Zhu Zhiwei, her eyes were a little wary, as if she wanted to draw a clear line between herself and Zhu Yingning. She said stiffly, "I won't provide for that woman in her old age. Whether she lives or dies is none of my business. As for which wild man she had me with, I'm not interested in knowing."
Zhu Yingning said nothing.
"Are you going to speak for her?" She raised her chin and looked down at her with contempt.
The thorns are standing up, thinking that by taking the initiative to hurt others with words, they can become invulnerable and even gain the upper hand - a child's defense is so fragile and so heartbreaking.
Zhu Yingning shook her head: "I won't speak for her."
"Aren't you her friend?" Chu Jiating still frowned.
"Yes, she's my friend and my family," Zhu Yingning said. "But even without you, I believe she's capable of providing for herself in her old age, and you, Jiating, can have your own life. She doesn't need to rely on you, and you don't need to carry her on your back. Look, you have the power to punch, the determination to catch bad guys, and you know how to be considerate of others. We've only been together for a few days, and I've already discovered so many good qualities in you."
The cheap light from the wonton stall dimmed her features, making the night infinitely quiet and gentle. "I think you'll grow up to be a cooler adult than all of us."
**
Before going back, Zhu Yingning bought some food in the town for breakfast the next day.
Sitting on the back of the bicycle, Chu Jiating swung her legs and asked her, "Can I ride to town by myself to buy firecrackers tomorrow?"
"You like firecrackers so much?" Zhu Yingning adjusted the handlebars and avoided an oncoming car.
"Yeah." Chu Jiating nodded in the back seat.
"Okay, I'll give you some pocket money, but the bike isn't mine. It's my neighbor's. He's going to ride it to school tomorrow. So, you can go to the Party Secretary's house and borrow a bike from his wife. Do you know where the Party Secretary's house is?"
"Know."
The promise was beautiful, but this "tomorrow" was destined to be unfulfilled, because when Zhu Yingning returned home in the evening, she received a call from Zhu Zhiwei, who said on the other end: "Ningning, I'm done here, you can go pick up Jiating tomorrow."
Zhu Yingning was stunned for a moment, then nodded. Then he remembered that Zhu Zhiwei couldn't see him nodding on the other end of the phone, so he changed his words to: "Okay, what time will you arrive? Do you need me to pick you up?"
"No, I can just take a taxi myself. You still have to go to work. I'll be there around 1 pm."
"Hmm..." She muttered in response, then remained silent for a moment before asking, "Have you thought about what to do with Jia Ting next?"
Zhu Zhiwei smiled bitterly. "There's no such thing as a one-day plan. I can only take it one step at a time and try everything. She's in sixth grade now, and she'll be going to middle school in four months. I wonder if she'd like to live on campus. If she does, I have an apartment in Beijing. I can give her that apartment to stay in on weekends. If she doesn't want to go to school later, this apartment can also be a place for her to stay. I can't give up my business in the south easily, so I'll stay there for the time being. I'll probably visit her every two weeks."
Zhu Zhiwei continued, "Also, I've thought about it, and having her household registration under that couple's name might not be a bad thing—a Beijing household registration is something many people beg for. It's also a form of protection. If it's moved to my name, and Gu Dachun comes looking for her, that would be the end of her. Whether she and I are destined to be mother and daughter is another matter, but in this life, I will never let her have any contact with Gu Dachun."
"Okay." Zhu Yingning said, "I support your decision."
After hanging up the phone, she was about to go find Chu Jiating to tell her that Zhu Zhiwei was coming to pick her up, but when she turned around, she saw Chu Jiating standing at the door of her bedroom, and it seemed that she had been listening for a long time.
Before she could say anything, Chu Jiating took the initiative to ask, "I have to leave tomorrow, right?"
For some reason, this question suddenly made Zhu Yingning a little sad, but she still nodded: "Yeah."
"I understand." After saying this, Chu Jiating turned around and went back to her room, closing the bedroom door.
**
Zhu Zhiwei's arrival happened to be Zhu Yingning's lunch break, which was enough time for her to rush back home to receive her.
Chu Jiating didn't have much luggage, and she left in the same condition she had when she arrived, carrying her backpack, looking just as listless as when she arrived. She still didn't speak to Zhu Zhiwei, barely even glancing at her.
Zhu Zhiwei led her to the village entrance to call a taxi. Zhu Yingning wanted to get in and give them a ride, but Zhu Zhiwei refused, saying it would take more than two hours to go back and forth. "What are you doing? Don't you want to go to work this afternoon?"
I had no choice but to give up.
Before the car started, Zhu Yingning quickly stuffed a bag into the arms of Chu Jiating who was sitting in the car.
Chu Jiating didn't react at once. By the time she came to her senses, the car had already left its original location and was heading towards a road far away from the village.
She looked down at the bag in her hand—a red plastic bag, as plain as Zhu Yingning herself. Untying the knot on the bag, she revealed a thick wad of red banknotes, carefully wrapped in kitchen paper.
Chu Jiating was not yet old enough to be interested in money. She was more curious about the yellow-brown envelope next to the banknotes. It was the most ordinary type of envelope, but the cover was solemnly stamped with "Chu Jiating" written on it.
This sense of ritual piqued her interest. She took out the envelope and used her short fingernails to pry open the seal bit by bit.
Zhu Zhiwei sat in the passenger seat, having been busy for most of the morning, her head leaning back against the seatback, feeling drowsy. The back seat had become a small space that belonged only to Chu Jiating.
She successfully opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of equally plain white letter paper with red lines.
I opened the letter and saw the following words written in neat pen:
Dear Jia Ting.
Just five short words inexplicably made her eyes well up. She quickly closed the letter and opened the car window further, letting the wind outside blow away the moisture in her eyes.
Chu Jiating had always disliked her name. Or rather, before Chu Qionghua was born, she had no particular feelings about it. It was only after Chu Qionghua's birth that she began to dislike it. It all started when she looked up the word "Qionghua" in the dictionary and found its meaning: "Beautiful Jade." She wondered why her sister was called "Beautiful Jade," while she was called "Jiating," a common name she could play mahjong with Jiayi, Jiaxin, and Jiaqi. It was like her parents, unsure of how to choose names, had randomly picked up common names from Baidu or the internet.
But now she realized that maybe the name itself was not wrong, and she only minded because she had never been called so gently before.
After calming down for a while, she opened the letter again and continued reading.
The letter reads:
Dear Jia Ting:
Good luck with your letter.
I used to think that everyone is incomplete, and that we are born into this world with incompleteness in order to find other people and make ourselves whole, just like the pieces of a puzzle come together to form a complete puzzle.
Later I realized that everyone is born whole.
We are naturally endowed with courage, strength, the ability to laugh and cry, abundant love, and a sense of perception of everything in the world.
"Only with enough family affection can we feel complete," "Only with a good love relationship can we feel whole"... These statements may not be wrong, but they are traps. They will make you search for love as a substitute for your whole life and lose yourself in the process.
No, we don't need anyone to provide us with courage and love.
We don't lack something; it's just that these things are hidden deep within us, undiscovered. What we lack is just a little opportunity to notice and accept them. This opportunity can be anything: a word, a song, a book, a conversation with oneself, a sunset, or an action taken by someone towards you.
I was fortunate to have that opportunity, someone who inspired me and made me realize that I was born with the ability to overcome obstacles. For a long time, I thought he was the one who gave me that courage. Later, after attending university and going through many things, I gradually realized that this courage had been deeply rooted in me. He wasn't the provider; he was the inspiration. I remain deeply grateful to him and willing to risk everything for him, but I no longer feel burdened by it. I think we've now reached a more equal footing.
As I write this letter, I ponder how to convey this blessing to you without sounding preachy. I also feel that perhaps even a profound exchange of ideas inevitably has a certain air of didacticism. Even at the risk of being accused of preaching, I want to share this insight with you. I also look forward to the day when you can share yours and your life with me. Perhaps one day, I, in turn, will ask you for guidance on the true meaning of life.
Jiating, if I can be the person who inspires you, it will be an honor for me to think of you in the future. If not, I believe that in the near future, your inspiration will surely come.
You are born with full wings and the courage to fly high.
Next time we meet, let’s set off firecrackers together again.
Written by your friend Zhu Yingning in March 2019.
**
After Chu Jiating left, Zhu Yingning didn't feel anything at first because she had to work at the Party and Mass Service Center in the afternoon. It was only when she returned to the short-term rental house and packed her luggage after work that she belatedly felt the sadness of separation.
It's not serious, just a little bit.
She packed her things and returned to the dormitory. Wen Wenxu and Shen Fei were watching a variety show in the living room. When they saw her, they enthusiastically invited her to watch with them.
Thanks to the banter of these two people, her mood improved a lot. However, when she lay down on the upper bunk and was about to go to sleep at night, looking at the white ceiling, the faint melancholy came back.
Chen Fei had already fallen asleep. Zhu Yingning pulled up the quilt, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed, and sighed softly under the quilt.
She didn't know what she was thinking. The moment she took out her phone, her fingers uncontrollably opened the chat interface with Xu Sirui.
In their chat, you can also see the emoticon package of "If you bloom, the breeze will come." At that time, Xu Sirui replied, "? Do you need me to call the police for you?" She replied seriously, "No." He replied, "Then go to bed quickly." She said, "Okay, good night," and that was the end of it.
I glanced at the time and it was twelve thirteen.
She didn't know if he was asleep at this time, so with the mentality of trying everything, she silently sent a message saying "I don't have to take care of the kids tomorrow."
This time Xu Sirui also replied immediately, without replying with text. He only replied with an old-age emoticon package that was comparable to her "If you bloom, the breeze will come", called "There is always a time to meet and to leave", and the accompanying picture was a yellow tulip that withered and then was awakened by rain from the sky, and slowly bloomed again.
What a psycho.
She held her phone, her face buried in the quilt, and laughed for a long time, trying not to laugh loudly. She also had to control the shaking of her shoulders so as not to wake up Chen Fei in the bunk below. The slight depression seemed to gradually dissipate with her laughter in the cool night.
**
Life went on as usual. Chu Jiating's arrival was like a small episode in March, and in the blink of an eye, March ended with her departure.
Xu Sirui contacted her again to send her the news that the game was ready.
It is now early April, and he said that their management game will be officially launched in mid-April, and the pig farming function can be launched along with the public beta.
"Wow! That's fast! Thanks for your hard work," she typed. "Can I try it out? If not, I'll wait for the public beta."
Xu Sirui didn't say anything. After a few minutes, he sent her a game installation package.
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The author has something to say: Two in one.
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