Chapter 38: That Was the Kind and Tender-Hearted Ms. Yu

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The afternoon sun was hazy and warm, yet the shadow cast by the building sent a chill through the air.

Only Zhai Da and Lu Wei remained.

Lu Wei did not cry for long. In fact, she made no sound at all, merely letting the tears roll silently down her cheeks.

Perhaps, on some night in the past, she had already exhausted every cry she had left in her.

Lu Wei rose and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. Her voice was very soft.

“I probably... can’t go to Teacher Yu’s house today. I’m sorry...”

Zhai Da searched for a packet of tissues but found none, so he gave up. “What about your phone? Was that taken too?”

Lu Wei shook her head. “When I woke up this morning, I found that the battery had broken... It won’t charge. I’m sorry...”

Zhai Da waved dismissively. “It’ll be fine once it’s repaired. That’s the advantage of having a removable battery. What are you planning to do next?”

“I don’t know... I’m sorry...”

Suddenly, Zhai Da tapped her on the forehead.

He used two fingers and considerable force, making her lift her head despite keeping it bowed the entire time.

Zhai Da spoke word by word. “You have nothing to apologize to me for, so stop saying sorry all the time.”

“I’m sorry...”

“From now on, whenever you want to say ‘sorry,’ say ‘Let’s go!’ instead.”

Lu Wei froze like a malfunctioning machine.

After holding it in for a long while, she finally spoke, her voice growing softer and softer.

“Let’s... go...”

Zhai Da looked toward the distant highway. “Your mind is buzzing right now, isn’t it? You don’t know what to do or where to go. You don’t even know how you’re supposed to keep living from here on.”

There was a faint ripple in the young man’s gaze as well. He had remembered the period after Yu Xiaoli’s death in his previous life.

“Don’t worry. I have experience with this sort of thing.”

Lu Wei raised her head.

Zhai Da stood up at once and pulled the two battered suitcases from behind him.

“Whenever life takes an unexpected turn, when the pain becomes unbearable and you’re so lost that you can’t find your way... the simplest thing to do is to carry on with whatever you had planned. Even if you have to grit your teeth. Even if your tears haven’t dried yet.”

“It’s simple right now. Come home with me for dinner! Teacher Yu is waiting for you!”

Zhai Da strode ahead.

Lu Wei hesitated, but Zhai Da’s footsteps showed no intention of stopping.

Watching his figure grow farther away, Lu Wei gritted her teeth and started walking too.

Her canvas shoes quickened until she caught up with the young man.

And she stepped out of the shadows and into the sunlight.

“I’ll carry the suitcases. They’re heavy.”

Zhai Da did not disappoint her. He handed them over without hesitation.

...

“Driver, take both suitcases to Sanmao. Just leave them in the security office by the main gate. I’ve written down your license plate, so don’t lose them.”

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They waited a full fifteen minutes before a taxi finally passed through this godforsaken place. Zhai Da paid the fare in advance.

He patted the car door, and the taxi sped away, leaving behind only a trail of dust.

Then Zhai Da mounted his old-fashioned bicycle with Lu Wei riding on the back. Before the cloud of dust had even settled, they had already set off again.

Lu Wei rarely sat on the back of a bicycle. Her body was stiff with tension, and she clung tightly to Zhai Da’s waist.

To be honest, it was rather awkward. Someone had a firm grip on his soft belly.

The girl was holding on far too tightly.

At every red light, Zhai Da sent Yu Xiaoli several messages, briefly explaining what had happened.

By the time they reached the Sanmao residential compound, Zhai Da was drenched in sweat. The round trip had covered nearly ten miles.

He had expected his back to ache, but the vigor of youth proved itself. His lower back was perfectly fine.

His buttocks, however, were killing him.

The two suitcases had arrived safely in the compound’s security office. Zhai Da did not retrieve them for the moment, instead leading Lu Wei straight toward home.

He had begun preparing lunch at noon, then set out after one to look for Lu Wei.

By the time they returned, it was already past four. Some of the elderly residents who went to bed early had even begun preparing dinner.

They walked down the long corridor. Because of the cooking fumes, many neighbors had left their doors wide open.

The scene was remarkably similar to the first time Zhai Da had met Lu Wei. Even the angle of the sunlight was nearly the same.

Of course, Zhai Da also attracted plenty of attention. The old men and women openly stared, wondering where the boy had found such a pretty girl.

So he wasn’t planning to study anymore... Was he openly dating now?

Wasn’t it a little early for Yu Xiaoli to become a grandmother?

The door to their own apartment was open as well. Zhai Da walked straight inside.

Lu Wei, however, was so nervous that she could not make her canvas shoes cross the nonexistent threshold.

Not until Zhai Da reached out and pulled her in.

“Mom, we’re back! I delivered her safely!”

Yu Xiaoli emerged from the kitchen with a bright smile, carrying two freshly cooked dishes.

“Little Lu is here? Come sit down! Perfect timing!”

Lu Wei stood against the wall and immediately bowed at a perfect ninety degrees. She moved so quickly that her ponytail whipped out in a straight line.

It smacked Zhai Da on the back of the head.

Zhai Da turned around.

Lu Wei said timidly, “Let’s... go.”

Yu Xiaoli looked puzzled. “Go where? Never mind that. Go wash your hands and eat.”

Like a machine following instructions, Lu Wei headed toward the bathroom in the direction Yu Xiaoli had indicated.

Once she closed the door, briefly shutting herself off from the outside world, her heartbeat gradually began to calm.

Then the door opened again.

Lu Wei jumped.

Zhai Da looked puzzled. “Why lock the door just to wash your hands? Are you doing something strange in there?”

Lu Wei hurriedly shook her head.

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Zhai Da squeezed in beside Lu Wei and turned on the faucet.

The bathroom was tiny to begin with. Apart from the toilet, no one had enough room to claim a space of their own.

The two of them stood very close together.

Watching Lu Wei’s expression in the mirror, Zhai Da saw the confusion and sorrow brought on by the catastrophe in her life. She resembled a small animal whose nest had just been swept away by a rainstorm—before it had even found time to cry out twice, it had been captured and taken straight to a zoo.

Lu Wei was in a state of fearing observation. Normally, she was not the sort of person who cared about other people’s opinions. Her expressions were often nearly nonexistent. Yet now, she could not help but care.

The more wretched she felt, the harder she had to pretend she was fine.

The more lost she was, the more she had to pretend she knew exactly what she was doing.

Still, it had to be admitted that Lu Wei, deliberately dressed up that day, was prettier than usual. The slight puffiness beneath her eyes stood out especially sharply against the white-flowered hair tie in her ponytail.

She was the very picture of fragile beauty.

In the age of short videos, a single post like this could gain a hundred thousand followers.

Aside from being rather thin, she was flawless.

Zhai Da felt not the slightest shame about indulging in the visual pleasure of watching someone else suffer. He stared at Lu Wei until she lowered her head farther and farther.

“At the table, eat plenty. Madam Yu has been busy since noon.”

Lu Wei quickly nodded. The two graceful tendons along her long neck stood out clearly.

“And praise the food. Tell her your aunt’s cooking is delicious.”

Lu Wei continued nodding.

“Don’t just eat what’s in front of you. Try every dish.”

Nod, nod.

Seeing how obedient she was, Zhai Da immediately began slipping in his own demands.

“Although you’re a guest, you are half a day late, so after dinner you’ll take the initiative to wash the dishes. No matter how much my mother tries to stop you, stand firm.”

Lu Wei said softly, “That’s only right... I’ll wash the dishes.”

“From now on, while you’re living under someone else’s roof, you’ll wash the dishes every day. You can mop the floor when you have nothing else to do. You don’t need to wash clothes; we each handle our own.”

Nod, nod...

Then Lu Wei froze.

Zhai Da dried his hands and adjusted his hair in the mirror without looking at her expression.

“I’ll make a bet with you. My mother is definitely going to suggest that you stay here for a while.”

Lu Wei pressed her back against the cold ceramic tiles, as though she could melt into them.

“Teacher Yu... probably won’t...”

After all, in name she was merely an apprentice, and their relationship was only a workplace connection. She had not even been employed for a month.

Zhai Da smiled and headed outside.

He left her with only one sentence.

“Whether you agree is up to you. But Madam Yu is kind—and softhearted.”