Chapter 87
At the entrance of Xicheng Railway Station, Meng Ruqing appeared in the crowd.
At the family dinner three days ago, she said she had to attend an important lecture, and the time conflicted with Mo Daoyan's schedule, so she couldn't come to see him off. In Mo Daoyan's memory, his mother hated the scene of parting. She was absent on the pretext of something when he went abroad for the first time. Unlike his first long journey, this time she knew he would always come back but still insisted on seeing him off, which was quite surprising.
"A few days ago, I asked a colleague to bring back some lotus root starch fried dough twists from Changzhou. When you were little, you always gave in to your brother and could eat two bags in one go." Meng Ruqing accompanied him across the platform and stuffed a few bags of snacks into his backpack. "He wanted to come and see you off, but I didn't let him."
His younger brother hadn't known about his and Tong Yufei's divorce. That day, during a casual chat after dinner, he mentioned the past story of borrowing money from Tong Yufei, and he finally confessed the truth. His original intention was to stop his younger brother from bothering her financially in the future. His younger brother didn't understand marriage, but he firmly believed he wouldn't do anything immoral. The divorce was simply a lack of attention, a habit he'd always had since childhood. If he truly cared about something, nothing would be impossible. The trouble with his marriage to his sister-in-law was surely the result of his disregard for it.
"You're always so proud, it's really annoying sometimes."
This was the first time his younger brother had contradicted him like that, and despite his displeasure, he still wanted to come and see him off, but his mother stopped him, fearing his emotional brother might say something wrong and upset him. Actually, he didn't think his mother had to come. It was the start of the new semester for university students these days, and the platform was packed with parents and students seeing them off, some from other places coming to study in Xicheng, some from locals leaving. What remained constant was that most parents held their children's hands, repeatedly giving them instructions, while others, tears welling in their eyes, hugged them tightly. Amidst this tender and melancholic atmosphere, the estranged mother and son seemed out of place, like a public execution.
After the train arrived at the station, he moved forward with the crowd. Meng Ruqing suddenly opened his arms towards him: "Mo Daoyan, hug me?" Seeing his hesitation, she took the initiative to hug him, "You've grown up and become shy."
"You never hugged me when I was younger and less shy."
"The one who has been held is you who always wants to compare yourself with your brother."
"If you say so, then so be it."
In reality, his mother had held him, but the memory always seemed to be misplaced in the time before his brother was born. Thinking back, he was certain that those rare hugs had all taken place before they moved back to the old house. Back then, his mother had to work and look after two small children at the same time, so she couldn't devote her full attention to him. Back at the old house, his grandmother took over their care, and their relationship grew even more distant. Now, hugging him, he realized that the mother he always had to look up to was now a head shorter than him. Her face was still beautiful, but deep lines had formed around her eyes and eyebrows, and silver was visible in her hair. The woman who everyone thought was invincible was now quietly aging with the passage of time.
"Let's go back." He strode onto the train and looked out the window. His mother's thin figure was jostled by the crowd, looking so frail. He opened the window and said to her, "I never regret meeting her. Even if we can't be together forever, I'm grateful for this fate. Just follow the path you've chosen. There's no need to change for anyone else."
In fact, he didn't need to express his opinion, his mother never changed for him.
Four months ago, he finally found the contact information for Ye Conghai's ex-girlfriend. Seeing that familiar name, he couldn't sleep for three days. When the overseas call back home was connected, he could only squeeze out a difficult question: "Why?"
There were so many questions to ask, but I didn't know where to begin. My mother seemed to have anticipated this day. There was no trace of panic at being exposed in her words. She said in her usual calm tone, "Ye Conghai is a good man, but good people make mistakes."
Ye Conghai was at fault, his mother had her own reasons, but what about Tong Yufei? Who will be held responsible for her delayed life?
For over three months, he cut off all contact with her, unsure how to face her, and unable to bear the recurrence of his mother's agony. He spent those 103 days testing himself: under what circumstances would he choose to divorce Tong Yufei and never see her again? The final answer was that, no matter what, he still wanted to be with her, to kiss and embrace her until they were old... So he returned, even though reality still refused to give him a chance.
"Don't blame me. I gave her the chance to choose. Even though she refused, it's her right." As the train started moving, the wind rustled through the windows. He said to his mother, "Keep going. Don't look back."
Meng Ruqing raised her hand, rubbed her fingertips across the corner of her eyes, and wiped away the tears before they fell: "What about you?"
He replied over the tremors of the railroad tracks, "She is right in front of me."
----
After completing her training in Shanghai, Tong Yufei was transferred from the Arts and Literature Group to the People's Livelihood Group. Her reporting focus shifted from art and culture to the community. She began covering stories like the case of a county-level leader's son who raped a young woman and the reform of the dual-track housing system. Her days were spent on the road, and she had no time to follow even major international events like the situation in the Soviet Union. She could only catch up on the latest developments by listening to colleagues' chats during meals in the cafeteria. In just three or four months, she produced six in-depth reports, two of which were recognized as "Excellent Articles." The summer, which in previous years had been prolonged by the oppressive heat, flew by this year in a flurry of activity.
After Mo Daoyan went abroad, they lost contact. One day, when she needed the property deed to repair a leaking pipe, she had to call him and ask for it, which led to their first communication. After he reminded her, she found the small dark green notebook in the bottom drawer of the study. On the palm-sized property certificate, her name was written in the "Owner" column, and the property was marked as "private."
"My name can't be on the property deed," she said, holding the phone, "otherwise I'll never be able to apply for housing from my employer in my lifetime."
"In the future, it will be the era of commercial housing, and the housing allocation policy will become increasingly stringent." Mo Daoyan asked about her academic performance. "What score did you get on the mock exam? Once you get your master's degree, your salary should increase significantly."
"Buying a house and allocating a house are two different things. Knowing that policies are tightening, we should prepare early." Tong Yufei insisted, "Even if we don't allocate houses, it's not appropriate to put your house in my name."
A chuckle came from the other end of the phone: "So I have to go back as soon as possible, so as not to delay your room allocation."
After hanging up the phone, they didn't contact each other for several months.
In early December, it snowed in Xicheng. A force 7 gale brought heavy snow, triggering a super cold wave that lasted for several days. The city's infrastructure was overwhelmed, some areas were without water and electricity, and residents' lives were in trouble. When the newspaper took the lead in organizing public welfare rescue, she worked hard to include the tube buildings in Jiangwan City in the rescue scope, and then braved the wind and snow to deliver daily necessities to the neighbors there, and also thoughtfully bought several sets of thick winter clothes for Uncle Zhong, Aunt Zhang and Li Tong.
As dusk fell, she walked home from work in the snow. As she exited the office gate, she saw Tong Wan standing there waiting for her. Months prior, Tong Wan had learned that she had been secretly caring for Ye Yimo. Knowing that he couldn't persuade her, yet still worried about her, he often came over to help with laundry and cooking. This time, Tong Wan had a special mission. The family's business had picked up over the past two years, thanks to the couple's efforts, but also thanks to Mo Changlin's care. Knowing that Director Mo was an upright man who never accepted gifts, his only passion was stamp collecting, Zhao Weimin had managed to obtain a set of Terracotta Warriors stamps and wanted Tong Yufei to help pass them on.
The stamps had a low market value and weren't considered bribery, but they held special historical significance, making them a fitting gift to Mo Changlin. Tong Yufei accepted. A few days later, she visited Old Lady Mo at the old house and gave the stamps to Mo Changlin.
Mo Changlin was watching the newly aired "Military World" in the living room. He received the stamps and chatted with her while flipping through them. "I've read all your recent reports. You've made great progress. Did anyone give you any trouble during the interview? If you run into a situation like last time with the household registration report, be sure to tell me. I can't help with anything else, but I won't let you get bullied outside."
Was it Mo Changlin who smoothed things over last time? Tong Yufei was surprised: "How did you know?"
"Didn't Mo Daoyan mention it to you? He was so anxious at the time that he almost slammed the table in front of me." Mo Changlin smiled, "But this kind of trivial matter is really not worth mentioning. It's just that seeing how anxious he was for you, I thought you two could get through it, but love can't be forced. If you can't live together, then so be it. But Yufei, even if you break up, don't separate from your family. You've called me 'Dad' for so many years. If you don't want to be a daughter-in-law in the future, you can be a daughter."
Speaking of Mo Daoyan, she naturally asked about his recent situation: "Is he okay?"
Mo Changlin's expression suddenly became serious: "Not very good... to be exact, it's very bad."
Unexpectedly, after a casual greeting, she heard such an answer. Her heart couldn't help but tightened: "What's wrong?"
"He and his colleagues were on their way to meet a client when they were met by armed robbers. Germany may not have the same rampant guns as America, but there are still desperate criminals everywhere. Bullets have no eyes! While he was dealing with the robbers, he was shot while trying to protect his colleagues, and he's still lying in the hospital ward." He sighed heavily. "If Chen Huaili hadn't mentioned it casually, we would still be in the dark. How could he not tell his family about something so life-threatening?"
Tong Yufei almost knocked over the teacup in his hand: "He was shot? Is the injury serious?"
"It's said that the bullet hit the right chest and didn't hurt any vital parts, but who knows whether it's true or not? What if he only reports good news and not bad news as usual? I feel really uneasy and I have to go and see him. But with his mother and I's status... we can't get the procedures to go abroad for the time being, so we can only let Daoxing go and take care of him first. Alas, this child has been like this since he was young. He handles all the big things by himself. Everyone says he is worry-free, but if worry-free means he hides all the pain... I would rather he was a spoiled child who would complain." Seeing the worry on Tong Yufei's face, his slightly choked tone softened, "It's only because you ask, otherwise I won't mention it. He didn't even tell us, and I don't want to make you worry. Besides, you are going to get divorced. Even if he lies in the hospital waiting to die, it has nothing to do with you."
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