Xie Shi'an certainly remembered.
"Yeah, once I was riding too fast downhill and they threw me off."
Qiao Yuchu's laughter carried far like the sound of silver bells.
“I was so worried when you knocked out your front tooth that time. I was worried that you would be disfigured. I never thought you would grow up so much.”
Recalling the past, the two chattered on and on, their conversation filled with shared memories of each other.
Traffic was congested, crowds surged, the traffic lights at the intersection kept changing, and the landscaped trees on both sides rushed past.
Time slips away bit by bit.
Xie Shi'an's voice trailed off: "Will you disappoint me?"
"What?" Qiao Yuchu didn't hear clearly, so she turned around and asked again. The person was already leaning against her back, with their eyes slightly closed and their breathing even.
A gentle smile appeared on Qiao Yuchu's face. She took her hand, gripped the handlebars with one hand, and sped up.
After taking the person home and settling them in, Qiao Yuchu took out her keys and opened her own door.
The room was dark and cold.
She put her bag on the entryway and was about to turn on the light when the room suddenly lit up. Qiao's mother came out of the bedroom, startling Qiao Yuchu.
"You're home? Why aren't the lights on?"
"You still know how to come back?" Mrs. Qiao said with a displeased expression.
As Qiao Yuchu changed her shoes at the door, she said, "It's my own home, can't I come back? Have you eaten? Where's my dad?"
"I made some noodles for dinner. There are leftovers in the fridge. You can heat them up yourself. Your dad has been away on a business trip for over a week."
Qiao Yuchu was used to her cold words and distant attitude when she came home, and she never gave her a kind look.
"Okay," she replied, and went to the kitchen to get busy.
Mrs. Qiao stood at the kitchen doorway and didn't leave.
"You came back with that jinx next door again, didn't you? I heard the door open. You don't come back until she does, but you run away faster than anyone else the moment she does."
"Mom—" Qiao Yuchu paused her chopping vegetables, a little annoyed. "Don't talk to her like that. Besides, she was just a child back then. What does she know about her family's affairs?"
"I just don't understand. You're a good student, why do you just quit your university? You don't go on blind dates, why do you hang out with her all the time! Her grandfather died because of her father! Her father is a gambling addict, a bloodsucker, and her mother is no better. Everyone knows she hooked up with a rich man and ran away. Like father, like son. If you hang out with people like that, you'll be in trouble sooner or later!"
The more they talk, the more absurd it becomes.
Qiao Yuchu slammed the cleaver down on the cutting board, pushed the person out of the kitchen, and then closed the door behind her.
"Alright, alright, I won't argue with you anymore. It's getting late, go to sleep early, goodnight."
Mrs. Qiao cursed a few more times outside, but seeing that her daughter was unmoved, she had no choice but to go back to her room in a huff.
The world is peaceful now.
Qiao Yuchu sighed and put the chopped vegetables into the pot. She suddenly understood her father's feelings and why he was always away on business trips and unwilling to come back.
Once the vegetables were cooked, the water in the pot boiled. Qiao Yuchu threw in the sliced ginger and some brown sugar.
After she finished eating, the brown sugar ginger water was ready. She picked it up, poured it into a thermos, put the lid on, and delivered it to Xie Shi'an.
***
Xie Shi'an woke up early in the morning with a headache from a hangover. She yawned as she walked out of the bedroom. There was a thermos on the dining table in the living room with a note underneath.
She picked it up and saw that it was Qiao Yuchu's handwriting:
"Remember to drink brown sugar ginger water."
After washing up, Xie Shi'an sat down at the table, unscrewed the cup lid, and although he disliked the taste, he resigned himself to taking small sips while sending messages to Qiao Yuchu.
An emoji popped up on Qiao Yuchu's phone.
She picked it up and replied, "Awake?"
"Um."
Xie Shi'an paused for a moment and then typed: "I'm going back to the training base, what about you?"
Qiao Yuchu had wanted to go back for a while, and finished the porridge in her bowl in a few gulps: "Mom, I'm going back to training."
"Training, training! All these years, and you still haven't brought home a championship!" While scolding her, Qiao's mother still took out a few thick clothes from the closet and packed them for her.
"I think you should put more effort into finding a partner. If you find a good match, Mom will be at ease. Don't find someone like your dad who's never home, or you'll have endless worries."
The mere mention of this incident sent chills down Qiao Yuchu's spine. Fearing that she might take out her anger on her father, she quickly made her escape.
"Okay, Mom, I'll be going now."
Hearing the soft sound of the door closing outside, Xie Shi'an stood up. She wasn't in a hurry to go out; she went to wash the cup. She knew that Qiao Yuchu would definitely be waiting for her downstairs. Qiao's mother didn't like them playing together; one would leave first and the other would arrive later—this was an unspoken understanding they had developed over the years.
As she finished washing the cups and was about to leave, she caught a glimpse of greenery on the balcony out of the corner of her eye.
The money tree that Jian Changnian had carefully tended since her last visit has sprouted new buds, and the cactus next to it that she had watered has also blossomed.
The boy was somewhat moved by the tenacious vitality of the plant, so he stopped in his tracks, went out onto the balcony, and picked up the watering can.
By the time she finished everything, Qiao Yuchu had been waiting downstairs for more than ten minutes.
Why is it so slow?
"I watered the plants."
Xie Shi'an spoke the truth.
"Didn't you say you weren't going to raise them anymore?" Qiao Yuchu asked, somewhat surprised.
"It's a shame to lose it." The boy lowered his eyes slightly.
"That's true, it's still a life, after all. By the way, I'm going to the hospital to see Chang Nian, are you coming?"
Xie Shi'an shook his head and continued walking.
"I'm not going."
Qiao Yu pulled and dragged the person away, saying, "Oh well, it's a holiday anyway, let's go, let's go."
Chapter 28 Special Training
After the training camp ended, Yan Xinyuan gave everyone a week off to rest. Jian Changnian was also hospitalized, so she didn't have to worry about training for the time being. During this week, Qiao Yuchu and Zhou Mu would come over to talk to her whenever they had free time, while Yan Xinyuan often brought her meals.
Jian Changnian knew that he had paid for her medical expenses and that he had saved her life. On the first day she was able to walk, she had to kneel down to express her gratitude, but Yan Xinyuan helped her up.
"Child, this is absolutely not allowed."
Jian Changnian's eyes glistened with tears.
"Without you, I don't even know if I would be alive now."
Yan Xinyuan helped her sit up on the bed and started peeling an apple for her. The peel fell off in circles, like time that had passed and could never be returned.
“If my daughter were still alive, she would be about your age.”
It was the first time Jian Changnian had heard him talk about his family, so she was a little curious. Since he had brought it up, she figured she could ask him about it.
"What kind of person is your daughter?"
"Like you, she's a bit introverted, but she can be incredibly mischievous around people she knows well. I've been teaching her badminton since she was little, watching her grow taller and taller..."
An old man and a young man chatted, and before they knew it, it was dark.
***
Because she was a minor, Sun Qian was released after being detained in the juvenile detention center for a week. Only Cheng Zhen came to pick her up.
"Let's go, I'll take you home."
He took her luggage, which consisted of only a few thin clothes, put them in the car, and held the car door open for her.
Sun Qian curled her lips into a mocking smile.
"What, are you here to laugh at me too?"
"Am I that kind of person?" the boy asked rhetorically.
Seeing the other person's open and honest gaze, Sun Qian shut her mouth, got into the car, and the two remained silent the whole way.
When they arrived at the alleyway leading to her house, Cheng Zhen unbuckled her seatbelt.
"arrive."
Sun Qian smiled and asked, "When did you get your driver's license?"
Not long ago.
He was taking time out of his training camp to get his driver's license so that he could take her for a drive someday.
"The car is quite nice, and it's an Audi."
"My dad's."
Aren't you going to ask me why I did that?
Cheng Zhen tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his throat bobbing as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he shook his head.
"I won't ask anymore."
"So what brings you here today?"
Children from poor families mature early. Sun Qian started working in society at a very young age. Many men approached her hoping to get something from her, but Cheng Zhen was the exception. He was as pure as the first snow on the eaves.
"I..." Cheng Zhen thought for a moment, then took out a bank card from his pocket and handed it to her.
"This is all the pocket money I've saved since I was a child. The password is six 8s. You can take it and use it."
"What do you mean? Are you pitying me?" Sun Qian tried to push the door open to get out of the car, but failed on the first try.
Cheng Zhen pressed the unlock button before she pushed the door open and got out. Still not satisfied, she kicked the car door hard before leaving.
After she left, Cheng Zhen felt a little lost. However, the next second, Sun Qian reappeared in front of the car window. He rolled down the window, hoping that she would say something to him.
Sun Qian peeked in and took the bank card he was holding between his fingers.
"Consider this payment for playing house with you for so long. Goodbye, and goodbye forever."