Todeschronik

Kapitel 7

(eleven)

Today is the beginning of autumn. The weather was fine this afternoon, and the leaves on the trees were eager to fall. In the sunlight, the few fallen leaves looked like flowing light dancing in the air, silently waiting for the trees to be full of flowers next year in their splendid splendor.

There was a row of wooden chairs under the tree, and the two of them sat hand in hand, like a painting.

"I need to go back home to see my parents. I'll stay here for a while." Xianjing was wearing a peach-colored rabbit fur short-sleeved vest and plaid pants, looking like a well-behaved rabbit, so pitiful to look at.

"I'm going." Ye You said without hesitation. "I'm free, I have plenty of time."

“No, that won’t do.” Xianjing shook her head. “I’m going home. Why would I take you back? It’s so far away and remote. Aren’t you doing just fine staying in Beijing?”

"What's so great about it? I'm tired of playing around, and I just want to go on a trip." Ye You leaned closer to her face.

“No means no.” Xianjing’s eyes bulged like a frog’s.

"I'm your boyfriend, so it's only right that I meet your parents," Ye You said shamelessly.

"You've only known me for a few days? My dad is very traditional. He likes doctors, lawyers, police officers, or teachers. He definitely won't approve if you don't have a job." Ye You shook her head, recalling her father's serious expression.

"I don't care about all that, I'm going anyway." Ye You pinched Xian Jing's ear, pulled her close, and kissed her.

Between kisses, Ye You said with a mischievous smile, "If you don't agree, I'll keep kissing you like this until you do."

Passersby turned to look. In broad daylight, people were passionately kissing in the street. After all, this is a traditional city; in Shenzhen, no one would care—everyone's too busy. But in Beijing, it's different. Before long, four elderly women nearby were pointing and whispering.

Xianjing could hardly breathe and could only nod.

Ye You let go of her. "Are you sure you're leaving tomorrow afternoon? Then we need to go buy some roast duck, candied fruit, local specialties, clothes, shoes, and things like that this morning. You have some relatives, and we can't go to see them empty-handed."

Xian Jing paused for a moment, and after a long while, she finally said, "A sensible child."

Ye You escorted Xian Jing into the house, then turned and left, saying, "I'm going home to tidy up. You can have dinner by yourself tonight."

Xian Jing suddenly felt a little reluctant to leave. Even if they met again tomorrow, she still felt reluctant to part. But what could she do? She had to leave eventually. She lingered in Ye You's arms for a moment before letting go.

The house was quiet and deserted. I turned on the TV so that it would feel more real, like someone was talking inside. We'll start working on removing the floorboards when Anzhu gets home from get off work. Shi Lei will be coming over for dinner this afternoon. The fridge is packed full of food. Xianjing loves the kitchen; it's a woman's paradise. Men usually just get in the way when they come in.

Thinking about how spicy the chili peppers should be, Xianjing chuckled as she ate while chopping vegetables. Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine—was she perhaps in love? If someone suddenly starts giggling for no reason, they're either an idiot or in love.

And lately, I've been laughing like an idiot more and more often.

Thinking of this, he sighed again.

Anzhu returned just in time; the dishes were already on the table, and the doorbell rang. "That cunning couple," Xianjing thought.

Shi Lei hadn't been to Japan yet, but his mannerisms already hinted at a Japanese flair. He greeted Xian Jing with standard Japanese etiquette. Xian Jing, her eyelids drooping, said, "You're back."

Anzhu put some food on Shi Lei's plate, saying, "Eat more, so you can work better."

While eating, Shi Lei complained, "Why did you pry up perfectly good floor tiles? What are you two women up to?"

Xian Jing's face turned pale. "Stop talking nonsense. An Zhu and I don't like the color of these floor tiles, and we're planning to replace them."

"Just find a worker..." Shi Lei muttered.

Before he could finish speaking, An Zhu interrupted him loudly, "You think hiring workers is free? It's easy for you to say that when you're not the one suffering. I asked you to be my boyfriend, and you're already making excuses for doing this little thing. Fine, when you go to Japan, I'll find a worker to replace you."

Shi Lei got impatient. "Fine, fine, I'll smash it, I'll pry it open, okay? I've brought all the tools."

Xianjing pursed her lips and smoothed things over, "Eat quickly, eat quickly. You won't find anything this delicious in Japan. Anzhu, don't blame Shitou. He's a good man. He went all the way to study abroad for your future."

An Zhu glared at Shi Lei and piled a large handful of vegetables into his bowl.

Shi Lei looked up at Xian Jing with a grateful smile and ate even more heartily.

They pried up the floor tiles, one by one, and smashed the ones they couldn't pry. Thump, thump, thump! A woman on the first floor stuck her head out of the window and shouted, "It's so noisy!"

Xianjing climbed onto the toilet and stuck her head out to apologize to the people downstairs, "I'm sorry, it'll be over soon."

The woman leaned half her body out and yelled at the upstairs, "You outsiders, you're always making noise, day and night, when will it ever end? What kind of people are you..."

Xian Jing felt somewhat guilty, so she pulled her head back and watched Shi Lei smash the floor tiles with a resentful expression, unable to help him.

The person downstairs is still cursing.

Anzhu filled a cup with water, and without looking, splashed it out the window. The cursing stopped abruptly, and the world became quiet.

Shi Lei and Xian Jing looked on with admiration. An Zhu tossed her hair lightly and said, "Only a shrew can subdue another shrew."

After finishing, Shi Lei washed his hands and wiped his sweat, then said goodbye to the two of them, "I'm leaving now. I've been very busy lately. Xian Jing is going home tomorrow, right? Have a safe trip."

"Come over tomorrow night," Anzhu said as she saw her to the door.

"Can I bring my study materials with me?" Shi Lei's exam was approaching.

Anzhu was about to faint. "A stone is a stone," she said helplessly. "If you can accept it, bring it over."

Bone fragments, white powder, and small pieces of debris, were scraped and collected bit by bit with fingernails from the back of the floor tiles, slowly gathering in a small red lacquered box. No one was willing to speak. Xian Jing simply put on her glasses, wanting to collect more. Clearly, these were carefully hidden bone fragments. Why such cruelty? Besides sympathy, fear, and sorrow, there was also a touch of curiosity.

Xianjing and Anzhu, who were squatting on the ground, were so engrossed that they didn't notice the red eyes staring unblinkingly at the window.

(twelve)

I went shopping this morning, buying local specialties that Ye You had mentioned, saying, "You can't go back to visit relatives empty-handed." The department store counters were overflowing with goods, making it hard to choose. These things are also available in Zhengzhou; it's just a token of my affection to bring back.

Like a sweet young couple, Ye You's hand remained around Xian Jing's waist. He felt a sense of security; this woman was his, her girlfriend, her sister, her mother, or something else entirely—she was his. Thinking of this, Ye You felt a slight warmth in his throat; this feeling was perhaps what happiness was.

"That's enough, it's too much to carry. We still have to take a two-hour bus ride after we get off the plane." Xianjing looked at the overflowing shopping basket.

"This is my first time meeting Lord Taishan, I can't be rude." Ye You continued throwing things inside. "Let's go to the fourth floor to buy some clothes."

Ye You was a spending genius, never hesitating to buy things. She bought a sweater for Xian Jing's parents, and also clothes for relatives with children. Xian Jing wandered around aimlessly. She wasn't good at buying clothes; good clothes should feel right at first glance, like the person you love. A sweater, adorned with snowflakes, a lemon-yellow collar, and a white base, was priced at four figures. Xian Jing glanced at the tag, then put it down. Trouble comes from desire.

Xian Jing was moved as she watched Ye You's busy figure.

She brought back so much stuff that she had to pack her luggage and ship it. Xian Jing only carried a small bag with her, inside which was the important little red lacquered box. It contained Wu Bilian's heavy entrustment: Xian Jing had to fulfill her wish, to calm the resentful soul, to let her return to her parents, to be liberated, and to await the next life where love and hate would be reincarnated.

Xianjing was a little nervous when the plane took off. She hadn't slept well the night before and was exhausted, with a pale face.

Ye You put his arm around her shoulder and said, "Go to sleep for a while."

A familiar scent crept into her heart—a faint tobacco aroma. Ye You smoked. The lighter was beautiful; the flame wouldn't go out no matter how hard she blew. Xian Jing thought that such a lighter would be perfect for lighting fireworks in the wind during the New Year. The more she thought about it, the more her consciousness blurred, and she fell asleep.

Ye You watched the flight attendants come and go.

A flight attendant with a good figure came over and asked, "Would you like a blanket to cover yourself with?"

"Okay, thank you." Ye You looked at the sleeping Xian Jing with affection.

The flight attendant covered Xianjing with a blanket, looked her over, and then glanced at Ye You.

"What's the problem?" Ye You flashed a standard 18-tooth smile.

"You two look very alike," the flight attendant said before leaving.

Ye Youzai looked closely at the sleeping beauty in his arms. There was a small pimple on the back of her neck. He hugged her even tighter.

Xianjing was still asleep when the plane landed, her brows slightly furrowed, making it hard to wake her. Ye You waited until everyone had disembarked before gently whispering in Xianjing's ear, "We've arrived."

Xian Jing opened her eyes, thinking she was dreaming, and instantly woke up, smiling apologetically, "Sorry, I overslept."

One expression of love is being sweetly awakened, and upon waking, seeing that it was the sweet person who awakened you.

"The flight attendant said we look alike," Ye You said on the airport bus.

She probably thought I was your older sister. Xianjing looked at the increasingly familiar scenery.

I think she meant we look like a married couple. Ye You said.

Xianjing didn't say anything and fell asleep again. As a result, she missed her stop and had to take a taxi home. The taxi driver's familiar local accent made Xianjing feel warm and fuzzy. Going back to her hometown meant that besides visiting her parents and friends, she could freely speak the local dialect, eat delicious food at will, and walk home along the path she used to take to and from school as a child.

It was already dark when they got home. Xianjing's house was in a very remote southeastern suburb. The alley was dark, and Ye You twisted her ankle on a stone, crying out in pain. She walked with a limp, and the two of them struggled to drag their luggage. Xianjing said, "I'm sorry for making you suffer. Do you regret it?"

In the darkness, Ye You answered with a snake's kiss.

When the door opened, Xian Shiyu was startled.

"Dad, this is Ye You, my boyfriend."

Han Mei brought over two bowls of noodles. "Eat up. You must be hungry. We've been waiting for you for a long time."

Ye You looked around. The furnishings were simple but clean. When she saw Xian Jing's parents, she thought of her own parents, and her eyes welled up with tears.

Xian Shiyu did not like the young Ye You, and her words were quite dissatisfied during the interrogation.

"Young people should always seek a good job so that they can have a bright future."

"Uncle is right, I'll look for a job when I get back to Beijing." Ye You's back was sweating.

"You're younger than Xianjing, I don't think you two are a good match. You can be friends, but in the future..."

"Uncle, I love Xianjing, and I will treat Xianjing well," Ye You said softly, her voice low but full of confidence.

Xian Shiyu said, "What love? That's unrealistic for young people."

Han Mei sorted through the gifts she brought back, saying, "You came all this way, but brought so much stuff. You're wasting money. Is work going well? Take care of yourself."

It was obvious that Xian Shiyu's face clearly said "disagree".

There were three rooms, but they were separated for sleeping. In the middle of the night, Ye You tried to sneak into Xianjing's room to sleep, but she heard arguing coming from the next room.

"Are you out of your mind? Your daughter has come back from so far away, what are you putting on airs for!" Han Mei's voice was loud.

“That kid doesn’t look like a good person at all. Xian Jing can’t be with him; he doesn’t even have a skill.” Xian Shiyu’s voice was noticeably lower.

Han Mei said, "I just think the young man is pretty good. His eyebrows are eyebrows, his nose is a nose. What do you know? You're sour, rotten—%#·..."

"Anyway, I just don't like him." Xian Shiyu's tone grew lower and lower.

With a loud thud, it sounded like something had fallen heavily from the bed to the floor, and then there was no more sound.

Ye You pondered, it seems my mother-in-law is still on my side. The road may be winding and bumpy, but hope always lies ahead.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew up my back, and two snow-white arms stretched out, their ten fingers tightly gripping my neck.

"How dare you eavesdrop on my parents' conversation!" Xian Jing got up to go to the bathroom and noticed a dark figure lurking at the door.

Ye You released Xian Jing's hand and carried her to the bed.

This was the most exciting lovemaking Ye You and Xian Jing had ever experienced. The communication between their bodies was a hundred times stronger than words. All desires cannot be suppressed; suppression only breeds stronger desires. We are ordinary people, so we indulge in sensual pleasures. We sleep in each other's arms, kissing each other's imperfect bodies. We want to leave marks on each other's bodies and hearts so that we won't forget them in the future. We are greedy, so we are endlessly addicted...

In the darkness, autumn insects chirped at the corner of the window, their chaotic breathing mingling with the sounds of male and female genitalia rubbing together, accompanied by the rhythmic creaking of the wooden bed, making the night even quieter.

(Thirteen)

Waking up to familiar air, I stretched. Home is a gentle harbor, and the bed at home is always the most comfortable. The pillow beside me was empty; Ye You had gone to sleep next door after doing something naughty last night.

Ye You only realized the loud noise she heard last night when she saw Xian Shiyu clutching her waist. It sounded like something had fallen heavily off the bed. It turned out to be the sound of Han Mei kicking her off the bed.