When Xie's mother heard him say this, her eyes reddened again.
"Okay, thank you so much for your help this time. Would you like to come up and have a seat?"
"No, I have to go back to Beijing. There's a lot of work to do with the team."
Wan Jing waved his hand and gave Xie Shi'an a few more instructions.
"Call me if anything happens."
Xie Shi'an nodded indifferently.
"good."
She said "okay" but never bothered him even once. Wan Jing sighed and turned to leave.
As they were getting on the elevator, Xie Shi'an suddenly said something.
"Can't I go back to my own home?"
Mother Xie forced a smile.
“Your grandpa’s house hasn’t been lived in for years, it’s a mess, nothing’s been cleaned up. You can stay with Mom for a few days, and move over when it’s all cleaned up.”
These words reminded Xie Shi'an that when she woke up in the morning, the room wasn't messy at all; in fact, it was quite tidy.
How did I get home last night?
"Of course, it was Coach Wan who took you back."
Xie Shi'an said "Oh" and didn't say anything more.
Once inside the room, Xie's mother brought out new slippers for her.
"You'll be sleeping in Youyou's room. The sheets and blankets are all new. Just let me know if you need anything. It'll feel just like home."
"Where will Youyou sleep?"
“She’ll squeeze in with me. Her dad’s been working a lot of overtime lately and doesn’t come home often. When he does come home, he sleeps on the sofa.”
Before Xie Shi'an could say anything more, his mother pushed him into the bathroom: "Go, go, go. You've traveled a long way. Go take a shower. After you're done, dinner should be ready. I'll make you braised fish."
At the dinner table, Xie's mother observed her expression and carefully placed a piece of fish on her plate: "Shi'an, what are your plans for the future? How about taking the civil service exam? It's stable..."
"I'm full, please continue eating."
Xie Shi'an put down the bowl and went back to his room, where he didn't come out until evening.
After Youyou got home from school.
"Mom! You gave my room to my sister, so where am I supposed to sleep?!"
"How about Youyou sleeps with Mommy for the next few days?"
"No! That's my room!"
“Youyou, be good. Your sister rarely comes back. She’ll only stay for a few days before leaving.”
...
Xie Shi'an turned over and buried his face in the blanket.
During the few days Xie Shi'an stayed at her mother's house, she did nothing but eat and sleep. Her mother was worried that she would get bored staying at home, so she took her out shopping a few times. However, she ran into the aunt who had said she would introduce her to a potential partner before at the supermarket.
"Oh, your daughter's back?"
"I'm back. I finally have some free time, so I came out for a stroll."
The middle-aged woman's eyes swept over Xie Shi'an, then she covered her mouth and laughed, "There's plenty of time ahead..."
Xie Shi'an let go of his mother's arm and walked straight ahead with a blank face: "Mom, I'm going back now."
She hasn't left the building since then.
After returning home, Xie's mother locked herself in the kitchen and secretly wiped away her tears.
When it was time for dinner, there was some noise from the kitchen again. Xie Shi'an opened the sliding door, and Xie's mother, who was chopping vegetables, smiled as if nothing had happened when she saw her.
What does Shi'an want to eat tonight?
Xie Shi'an shifted her gaze from the knife in her hand to the basin next to her, where two or three potatoes were soaking and a peeler was placed. She walked over and picked it up.
"Let me help you."
For a moment, Xie's mother's expression was one of extreme alarm. She snatched the potato from her hand, pushed her out of the kitchen, and closed the sliding door in front of her.
"It's alright, go and rest. I'll call you when the food is ready."
Xie Shi'an stared blankly at the water stains on his hands for a moment.
Actually... she really just wanted to help her with the work.
In the evening, Youyou's father, who had been working overtime for a week, also came home. Xie's mother pulled him into another room and talked to him about something. When she came out again to guide Youyou in doing her homework in the living room, she slammed her fist on the table and hit her.
"You can't even do such a simple question? Have you lost your mind?! You stay home all day doing nothing but eating, what else can you do? You glutton!"
"I'll teach you to cry! I'll teach you to cry! If you cry again, you'll kneel on the balcony!"
The man was hitting the little girl's mouth with the sole of his shoe.
Youyou's mother rushed forward to stop him.
"What are you doing?! You come back and start hitting the child. If you have any grievances, take them out on me. If you're so capable, just beat us both to death and that'll be the end of it!"
"Mom! Dad! Stop hitting each other..."
Another round of wailing and lamentation ensued.
Xie Shi'an sat up in bed, stared at the window for a long time, then suddenly got up and walked over. Just as she stood on the bay window sill and opened the window, her phone rang.
The three people outside were still blaming and arguing with each other when the door opened, and Xie Shi'an stood in the doorway with his bag on his back.
Mother Xie wiped away her tears and went to greet her.
"Shi'an, it's so late, where are you going?"
Xie Shi'an said expressionlessly, "Go back to Beijing."
Back at the training base, Wan Jing was delighted to hear that she was going to study abroad.
“I’ve been thinking these past few days about finding an opportunity to send you abroad to get your leg checked out. And what a coincidence! Your school has an exchange program, so it’s good for you to go to the United States. I happen to know an orthopedic doctor there, so I can have him take a look at your leg.”
Even if it is... it shouldn't disrupt normal life.
Xie Shi'an knew his good intentions, but now that things had come to this, he didn't seem to care that much anymore.
Wan Jing then asked, "How many years will you be gone?"
"I'll finish my postgraduate studies first, and if there are opportunities for further study later, I'll consider it."
Wan Jing knew that she had no ties now, and everything that had happened here had broken her heart. Going out might not be a bad choice, but what worried him most was not her leg injury.
“That will take at least two or three years. A change of environment is good, but you have no relatives or friends in the United States…”
Xie Shi'an knew what he was worried about.
"Finding something to do might help me get through this."
Wan Jing sighed: "Fine, you've always been a strong-willed person, and no one can easily persuade you otherwise. When are you leaving?"
"I'll go to the school to complete the formalities tomorrow, and I'll leave the day after tomorrow."
"Such a rush! I was wondering why we'd all been playing together for so long, and why we'd throw you a farewell party."
"No, you know I don't like these kinds of occasions."
"So you're not planning to say goodbye to them?"
Xie Shi'an's eyes flickered.
"No, it's better to leave quietly by myself than to have one or two people come to see me off and make me cry."
Wan Jing knew she was determined to leave, so he stepped forward and gave her a hug, his eyes reddening when he let go.
"You said the only person you felt sorry for was Coach Yan. If he knew in the afterlife that he had trained such an excellent student as you, he would be overjoyed. When he entrusted you to me, he said that no matter whether you win a Grand Slam or not, he will always be proud of you."
"Shi'an, the past is the past. You have a long life ahead of you. Remember the good things about the people around you and don't do anything foolish."
Xie Shi'an's eyes welled up with tears, and he bowed slightly to the person in return, saying, "Thank you for these past few years..."
When she opened the door, Jian Changnian happened to be standing outside. Their eyes met, and she gave a wry smile.
"I... I didn't mean to come and deliver materials to Coach Wan."
Xie Shi'an nodded slightly and walked past her, but was stopped by someone.
She had assumed that Jian Changnian, upon learning that she was about to study abroad, would, as always, yell and beg her not to go.
Who knew she was just saying that?
"Let me take you home."
Sitting in the passenger seat, Xie Shi'an casually asked a question.
When did you get your driver's license?
Jian Changnian looked ahead as she drove, and smiled.
"The six months you... took a break."
"Why didn't you buy a better one?"
"I'm a new driver, I'm afraid of damaging it. Besides, I just use it for transportation, I'll replace it in two years."
Xie Shi'an nodded, said nothing more, leaned back in his seat, and quietly watched the scenery outside the car window fly by.
Jian Changnian dropped the person off at her apartment building and turned off the engine.
"arrive."
Xie Shi'an seemed to have just come to his senses and unbuckled his seatbelt.
"Thank you."
As she was about to push open the door and leave, Jian Changnian moved her lips, wanting to reach out and stop her, but felt that she had no right to do so.
Fortunately, Xie Shi'an removed his hand from the car door.
A faint hope welled up in her heart: "Shi'an..."