He even exchanged a couple more polite words with the man before hanging up. Then he went to the counter and bought another silver coin for making a phone call, and then made another call to Manzhen's house. Of course, what the man said was absolutely true, but he still couldn't quite believe it. The phone rang and rang, clearly from an empty house. Of course, they had moved. It was as if Shijun had only been away from home for less than two hours, and when he called back, he was told that they had already moved. It was shocking and bewildering. It was almost like encountering a ghost.
He hung up the phone and stood by it for a long time. He walked out of the shop and wandered aimlessly along the street. The pale sunlight shone on the ground, and he felt as if the world was so vast, yet he had nowhere to go.
Of course, he should still go to her old place and ask. Perhaps the people in the alley know where they moved to. There's a family of three living downstairs; they've probably moved out too. If they left an address, maybe they could find out something from there. Manzhen's home is far away. He took a rickshaw there, and on the way, he suddenly remembered that when they last met, didn't he tell her to move? Or was she moving this time because she was following his advice? She did move, but because of a fit of pique, she hasn't written to him yet. Is that possible? Perhaps her letter arrived during the two days he was away from Nanjing. Another possibility is that she wrote a letter a while ago, but his mother hid it and didn't give it to him. —But why did she suddenly resign? This completely overturns all the above assumptions.
The rickshaw stopped at the entrance of the alley. He had been to this place countless times, but this time, as soon as he entered the alley, he felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity. Perhaps it was because he knew that the place was deserted. Immediately, the houses here seemed cramped, dilapidated, and gloomy, as if even the sky above had lowered considerably.
He remembered his first visit. Because Manzhen's house always carried a certain mystique, stepping into the alleyway gave him a strange sense of unease, though not entirely without a touch of joy. In that mood, seeing the maids washing rice and clothes at the public tap seemed like a refreshing and cheerful scene. Now, however, it was a cold winter, and the alleyway was deserted. At the entrance was a small wooden fence; the alleyway watcher lived there, yet a maid stood outside his window, chatting with him. She wore a padded jacket and trousers, the waistband of which was particularly bulky, bulging her belly high and making her white apron stick out far. She leaned against the window, talking face-to-face with the person inside. Seeing this, Shijun didn't speak to the watcher. He decided to go inside and see what was going on.
But there was nothing to see, just an empty house with its doors and windows tightly shut, the glass windows covered with a hazy, dusty mist. Shi Jun stood outside for a while, then slowly walked out towards the alley entrance. This time, the alley keeper saw him and came out of his small house to greet him, nodding and smiling. Shi Jun used to give him money often, because he often talked at the Gu family's house until late at night, and the iron gate at the alley entrance would be closed, requiring the alley keeper to open it for him. Now that the alley keeper was nodding and greeting him, Shi Jun asked with a smile, "Did the Gu family move away?" The alley keeper smiled and said, "They moved away at the end of last year. I have two letters from them here; if you know their address, I'll forward them to them. Mr. Shen, do you have anywhere to inquire?" As he spoke, he reached into the window and rummaged on the table for the two letters. The maid who had been talking to him earlier was still standing outside the window, leaning against it; she quickly stepped aside to let him pass. Traditionally, people rely on servants to spread information about their families. The Gu family, however, did not employ servants. Therefore, although the neighborhood watchman was well-informed and knew the accounts of every family in the alley, he was not very familiar with the Gu family's affairs. Moreover, because of Manlu's past, their family affairs seemed to have a certain mystery. Since they didn't talk about it, others didn't feel comfortable asking too many questions.
Shi Jun said, "There's also the Liu family living downstairs. Do you know where they moved to?" The alleyway attendant mumbled, "The Liu family—I think they moved to Hongkou. The Gu family isn't in Shanghai anymore. I heard the rickshaw pullers say they went to the North Railway Station." Shi Jun's heart skipped a beat. He thought, "The North Railway Station. Manzhen must have married Mu Jin and gone back with him. The whole family went with her and got close to Mu Jin. Manzhen's grandmother and mother's dream has finally come true."
He had long known that Manzhen's grandmother and mother had harbored this intention, and he felt it wasn't just wishful thinking on the part of the two old ladies. Mu Jin had a strong liking for Manzhen, but as for whether he had made any further advances, Manzhen didn't say, though Shijun intuitively knew she hadn't told him the whole truth. It wasn't that he was suspicious; it was simply that when two people are close enough, even the slightest distance between them is hard to ignore. She greatly admired Mu Jin, a fact she didn't deny. She almost idolized him, even though he was quietly working, preparing to spend his life as a village doctor. Shijun thought: "Yes, what do I have to compare with her? My career, barely begun, has already been interrupted. She thinks I've surrendered to my family and is very disappointed in me. However, because we've known each other for two or three years, she still feels a certain fondness for me. But in those two or three years, we've never argued, and shortly after Mu Jin came, we had a huge fight. This can't be a coincidence. Of course, she definitely wasn't arguing with me on some pretext; it's just that there was a knot in our relationship beforehand, so it was easily ignited."
The alleyway caretaker handed him two letters. One was from Manzhen's younger brother's school, presumably a report card. The other was a letter he had written to Manzhen; he was startled when he saw his own handwriting. Besides the postmark, there was a circular soy sauce stain on the envelope, suggesting the caretaker had placed a bowl of vegetables on it. He glanced at both letters, smiled and nodded to the caretaker, saying, "Okay, I'll—find a way to forward them." Then he left.
Stepping out of the alley, the streetlights were already on. He took out the letter he had written to Manzhen and examined it. It was the second letter. She must have received the first one. In truth, the first letter had already said everything; the second was completely superfluous. He immediately tore it into pieces.
The man selling mushroom and dried tofu called out from afar. He was back again. Around this time every day, he would come to this area to sell his wares, wandering through every street and alley. A tall, thin old man carrying a basket, he would always make it to the alley where Manzhen lived. As soon as Shijun heard that voice, he remembered the countless evenings he had spent at Manzhen's house. "Dried tofu! Spiced mushroom and dried tofu!" The deep, desolate cry gradually reached this side, making one feel empty inside.
So he thought he could go to her sister's house to ask. He had been there once before and remembered the house number, but it was far away, and it would probably be too late by the time he got there. He walked a few more steps to a nearby car dealership and hailed a car. When he reached Hongqiao Road, it wasn't completely dark yet. He got out of the car and pressed the bell. As before, a square hole opened in the iron gate, and a servant peeked out, seemingly the same person as before. Shijun said, "I want to see your mistress. My surname is Chen, and my name is Shen Shijun." The man paused for a moment before saying, "Madam is probably out. I'll go check." With that, he closed the square hole. Shijun knew this was a common trick used by servants of wealthy families to deal with guests, as they weren't sure if their master would see them, so they made small talk first. But he was still very anxious, thinking that Manzhen's sister might have just gone out. Actually, if her brother-in-law was home, seeing him would be the same; he had just forgotten to ask.
He had expected to wait outside, and he waited for quite some time. Finally, he heard the latch being pulled back and a side door opening. The servant stepped aside and said, "Please come in." He walked into the garden through the driveway, flanked by thick holly walls. It was already dark in the garden at dusk, but the sky was still quite bright, almost like daytime. A crescent moon, pale gold, shone against the pale sky.
Shi Jun passed by the window. Manzhen heard the footsteps from upstairs. The sound of leather shoes crunching on the coal dust wasn't unusual, but nobody here wore cloth shoes. The servants all wore cloth shoes, Manlu usually wore embroidered shoes, and Zhu Hongcai wore those pink-soled woolen shoes. They rarely had guests. Who could this be? Manzhen lay on the bed, struggling to sit up, intently looking out the window. She couldn't see anything but the clear sky and a thin, pale golden moon. She thought, "Perhaps it's Shi Jun." But then she immediately thought, "I'm going crazy. I've been hoping Shi Jun would come to save me all day long, and I think every footstep is his." The sound of leather shoes grew closer, then gradually faded away. Manzhen was extremely anxious, thinking, "Who cares who it is, I'll just scream for help." But when she fell ill, her fever had made her hoarse, and she hadn't spoken to anyone for several days, so she hadn't really noticed. When she opened her mouth, she was shocked; her hoarse voice only produced a rustling sound from her throat.
The room was dark and gloomy, and she was alone. Ever since Abao had taken her ring without permission, she hadn't come in again; Zhang Ma had been taking care of her. Zhang Ma had just left for a while to eat rice cakes in the kitchen. It was still the first month of the lunar year, and there were plenty of rice cakes left over, so the servants could make them whenever they wanted. Zhang Ma had just cooked a large bowl of rice cake soup and taken a sip when Abao sneaked in, calling out in a low voice, "Grandma Zhang, hurry up! They're calling you!" Zhang Ma quickly put down her bowl and asked, "Madam called me?" She assumed something had happened to Manzhen again and hurriedly ran upstairs. Abao followed behind, and just as they reached the bottom of the stairs, they met the male servant leading Shijun in from outside the main gate. Shijun had seen Abao at Manzhen's house before, and although they had only met once, he remembered her well and glanced at her. Abao felt guilty, afraid that if he started talking to her, he might ask where the Gu family had moved to, and she might give inconsistencies in her story. She simply lowered her head, pretending not to know him, and went upstairs on her own.
The male servant led Shijun into the living room and turned on the lights. The living room was very large and luxuriously decorated, but it seemed deserted; even a voice echoed. The radiator was heating up, and Shijun immediately took out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat as soon as he sat down. The male servant went out for a while and then brought in tea, placing it on a low table in front of him. Shijun saw two cups of tea, and when he looked up again, he saw that Manlu had already entered, walking from the other end of the room. She was wearing a long black cheongsam, with rhinestone-trimmed black silk trousers peeking out from the slit, silently approaching on the light gray velvet carpet. Shijun felt that when he last saw her, she wasn't this thin; her eyes were deeply sunken, appearing almost like two hollows in the lamplight. Her face was made up, red and white, and for some reason, it reminded Shijun of a rosy skull.
He had never dealt with a woman like her before, and was already a little flustered. He stood up, gave her a deep nod, and before she even reached him, he hurriedly explained his purpose, saying, "I'm sorry to bother you, Mrs. Zhu—I went to look for Manzhen earlier, but her whole family has moved away. I don't know where they've moved to now." Manlu just smiled and responded with "Um, um," then said, "Mr. Shen, please sit down. Have some tea." He glanced at the paper package twice, but couldn't guess what it was; it didn't seem like a letter. He sat down opposite her, and Manlu opened the package. Inside was another layer of silver paper, and from that, she opened a small pouch and took out a ruby ring. When Shijun saw the ring, his heart trembled, and he couldn't express his feelings. Manlu handed over the ring, smiling, "Manzhen anticipated this. She said Mr. Shen might come looking for me. She told me to give this to you." Shijun thought, "Is this her reply to me?" He mechanically took it, but at the same time, he thought, "Wasn't this ring already returned to me? When she returned it to me, I threw it in the wastebasket right in front of her. Why is she bringing it back now? It's not anything valuable. If she absolutely had to return it, she could have just mailed it to me. There's no need for such a formality, having her sister deliver it personally. Isn't she just trying to annoy me? She's not that kind of person. I don't believe that just because someone's heart has changed, their whole person has changed."
He was silent for a moment, then said, "So she's not in Shanghai anymore? I still want to talk to her in person." Manlu smiled at him, then slowly said, "Then I think it's unnecessary, isn't it?" Shijun paused, then blushed and asked, "Is she married? Is she married to Zhang Mujin?" Knowing that Shijun was very suspicious of Mujin, she didn't dare to say outright that Manzhen had married Mujin, because such a lie would be easily exposed. But judging from the situation, if she didn't say it, she figured he wouldn't give up. She held her teacup, gazing at him over the rim, and smiled, "Since you know, there's no need for me to explain in detail." Shijun hadn't really had much hope when he came to her, but hearing this still left him stunned, speechless. After a while, he hurriedly stood up, nodded to her, and smiled, "I'm sorry to have bothered you for so long." He looked down at something and saw it was his ring. He'd been holding it carefully, but somehow it had slipped from his grasp and rolled to the ground. He didn't know when it had fallen; the carpet was so thick, he hadn't heard a sound. He bent down to pick it up and quickly stuffed it into his pocket. It would be a joke if he'd left the ring at someone's house. Manlu stood up at this moment, but Shijun didn't look at her. Whether her expression was mocking or pitying, it was equally unbearable. He hurried towards the door; the servant had already opened it and was waiting there. Manlu saw him to the gate and then went back inside, leaving the male servant to escort him out. Shijun walked very fast, with the male servant following closely behind. Soon, he was out of the garden gate and walking on the road. A car approached with a whoosh, its white lights clearing the way on either side. This Rainbow Bridge Road had no sidewalk, just an asphalt road, with a dirt path on the side specifically for horses. Shijun walked along the horse path, his feet sinking into the soft, dusty ground, making no sound. The streetlights shone dimly, and he felt a little drowsy himself.
The ring was still in his pocket. If he took it home and examined it closely, he would see bloodstains on the yarn wrapped around the ring. The yarn was coffee-colored, and the dried blood was reddish-brown, so it wasn't visible on the surface. However, the blood had stuck to the yarn, making it stiff, and it would be noticeable upon closer inspection. He would definitely find it strange and become suspicious. But that seemed like something out of a detective novel; it probably wouldn't happen in real life. As Shijun walked, he kept feeling the ring in his pocket, the ruby burning his leg like a burning cigarette butt. He reached in, pulled the ring out, and without even looking at it, tossed it into the field beside the road.
That evening, he returned to the hospital. His father, knowing he had been out all day, asked where he had been. He only said he had run into acquaintances who wouldn't let him go, so he was only now returning. His father noticed he seemed somewhat dazed and guessed he must have gone to see his girlfriend. The next day, his uncle visited him at the hospital. They sat for a long time, and Xiaotong talked too much, causing his condition to worsen again that night.
From that day on, things grew heavier day by day. He stayed in the hospital for two months. Later, Mrs. Shen came to Shanghai, and his concubine came with the children, all waiting to see him off in his final moments. Xiaotong died in the hospital that spring.
In spring, the Bauhinia tree at the Zhu family's house on Hongqiao Road also blossomed, its branches laden with small, deep purple flowers. A bird perched on Manzhen's windowsill, hopping and flitting about. The room was eerily quiet; the bird, thinking no one was there, flew in, fluttering and crashing about. Manzhen seemed oblivious to it. She sat in a chair. Her illness was cured, but she had discovered she was pregnant. Now she was often listless, somewhat numb. Sitting there, the sun warmed her feet, like a yellow cat purring at them. Because she was completely isolated from the world, even the sunlight felt strangely comforting.
She never cries now, except sometimes when she thinks about meeting Shijun one day and how she will tell him all about her experiences. When she thinks about this, it's as if she is already face to face with him and telling him her story, and two lines of tears immediately stream down her face.
Eighteen Spring Thirteen
Xiaotong's coffin was transported back to Nanjing by water. Shijun returned by ship, while Madam Shen and her concubine went back by train. Madam Shen, having lost her husband, felt much more at ease. She had been quite accustomed to widowhood before; in the past, she had been a widow for the sake of having her husband taken by another, and so she always felt a lingering resentment. Now, however, she was a legitimate widow, and her husband had practically died in her arms. The matter was closed; no one could take him away now. This made her feel very peaceful and at ease.
Because of the cramped living space, the coffin was temporarily stored at a temple. Following the usual funeral rites, the focus shifted to dividing the family property. It was the concubine's side that initiated the division. The concubine had many children, and her budget for education was particularly large. There was also her mother; she claimed Xiaotong had promised to care for her in her old age and provide for her in her final days. Although everyone knew her accumulated savings over the years must be considerable, and that Xiaotong had left many important belongings behind when he moved out of the small mansion during his illness, these were things that could not be proven by the dead. Shijun, always advocating for peace, tried to persuade his mother to accept the loss, but women are often petty, and his sister-in-law was also involved. This division was primarily for the concubine; his sister-in-law would continue living with her mother-in-law, but eventually, the division would occur. His sister-in-law felt that even if she didn't plan for herself, she should at least plan for Xiaojian. She harbored many grievances, blaming Shih-Chun for being too weak, saying he had the temperament of a young master and didn't understand the hardships of farming. She also suspected that when he lived in the small mansion, he was flattered by the concubines, and that young people lacked their own opinions, so he sided with her. In reality, Shih-Chun had been making things difficult for everyone. After much delay, the matter was finally resolved.
After his father's death, on the centenary of his passing, Shi Jun, as was customary, visited his relatives to express his condolences. He visited each family, including Shi Cuizhi's. Cuizhi's house was a five-bay old-style Western-style house, half Chinese and half Western in design. The garden in front was also half Chinese and half Western in design, with a wide lawn, a rockery in the center, and a small pond with goldfish. Shi Jun visited on a summer evening. The sun had set, but the cicadas in the trees were still chirping. Cuizhi was walking her dog in the garden.
She was leading the dog, or rather, the dog was leading her, pulling her along with a taut leash. Shijun nodded to her, and she called out the dog's English name: Lai Li! Lai Li! There's always been this black dog. "Cuizhi said, 'You're talking about its grandmother. This one is from the same litter as yours. Mom originally named it Lai Fu, but I thought it sounded awful.'"
Cuizhi had also visited during their funeral, but Shijun, being a dutiful son, remained in mourning at the time and didn't speak with her. So, upon seeing him again, she couldn't help but ask about his father's passing. Hearing that Shijun had been caring for him in the hospital, she asked, "Did you stay at Shuhui's house this time? Did you see him?" Shijun replied, "He came to the hospital twice." Cuizhi fell silent. She had been thinking that Shuhui might no longer be in Shanghai. She had written him a letter mentioning her broken engagement with Yipeng, but he hadn't replied. He had always avoided her, and she guessed it was because her family was wealthy, and he felt unworthy of her. Therefore, she always thought she should take the initiative. But this time, his lack of reply made her regretful. Not because she regretted her actions being too undignified, as she had never considered such things with him. Her regret stemmed from the fear that he might perceive her as too blatant, and even if he had feelings for her, he might instinctively feel repulsed. So she has always been depressed.
She smiled and said to Shijun, "You often see Miss Gu in Shanghai, don't you? How is she?" Shijun replied, "I didn't see her this time." Cuizhi smiled and said, "She and Shuhui are very close, aren't they?" Hearing this, Shijun was initially surprised, but he immediately understood. She must have heard it from his sister-in-law. When Manzhen and Shuhui came to Nanjing, he had told his family that Manzhen was Shuhui's friend, to avoid them looking at Manzhen with special eyes. Now, thinking back to that time, it seemed like many years had passed, and it was all very vague. He forced a smile and said, "She and Shuhui are just ordinary friends." Cuizhi said, "I really envy people like her; it's so good to have work outside."
Shijun couldn't help but smile wryly. He recalled how Manzhen held multiple positions and worked tirelessly every day, yet some people still envied her. But that was all in the past. Now she was the wife of the hospital director, so of course her life was more stable.
Cuizhi added, "I also really want to go to Shanghai to find something to do." Shijun laughed and asked, "What do you want to do?" Cuizhi smiled and replied, "What, do you think I'm not capable?"
Shi Jun laughed and said, "No, aren't you studying at university now?" Cui Zhi said, "Whether I graduate from university or not is all the same. Even if I wait until I graduate and say I want to go out and work, my family will still object." As she spoke, she let out a long sigh.
She seemed to have a lot of complaints she couldn't express. Shijun couldn't help but look at her face. She had lost a lot of weight recently. Shijun felt that since her engagement and subsequent breakup, she seemed a little different from before, at least much quieter.
The two followed the dog, walking slowly across the lawn. Suddenly, Cuizhi exclaimed, "He's so lively!" Shijun said, "You mean Laili? If you're feeling down, talking to him really makes you feel better." He thought to himself, "There's really nothing to talk about with Cuizhi; any conversation we have will inevitably turn to Shuhui."
Cuizhi invited him in to sit for a while, but he said he had two more families to visit and then took his leave. He hadn't visited any relatives lately, but now that he was over a hundred days pregnant, these taboos had lifted, and he was gradually having many unavoidable social engagements. His sister-in-law had tried to arrange a marriage between him and Cuizhi, but it had backfired, and she felt very sorry for her cousin, saying, "The shoes I made didn't work out, but the whole thing fell apart." Of course, they never mentioned it again, and Cuizhi's mother was even more secretive about it, so none of their relatives knew much about the matter. When Amy talked about it, she always blamed Shijun's shyness and Cuizhi's stubbornness; otherwise, the two would have been a perfect match. Cuizhi had been engaged and then broken off the engagement, and now she was a problem again. Shijun was probably overthinking it; he felt that when people invited guests, he would always be included. Cuizhi felt the same way. She often went to Amy's place to play tennis, and Amy would often ask Shijun to join in. Shijun met a Miss Ding there; she was a very good tennis player. She had entered university in Shanghai and was Shijun's classmate at different times. When Shijun returned home, he mentioned her several times during their conversations. His mother then made an excuse to visit Amy and secretly checked out Miss Ding. Shijun's father, on his deathbed, had said that his only regret was not seeing Shijun get married. His mother hadn't dared to respond then, because she thought that if Shijun had married, it would have been to Manzhen. But now, much time had passed, and Mrs. Shen believed the crisis had passed, so she often brought up her father's dying words, repeating them frequently.
Almost all the young people she knew had gotten married that year; it seemed like there were a lot of weddings. Since autumn, she had been attending weddings one after another. The person most affected by this was Cuizhi's mother. Cuizhi wasn't actually that old, and her mother didn't need to be in such a hurry. But recently, Cuizhi had tried to run away on her own, leaving a letter saying she was going to Shanghai to find work. Fortunately, her family found out early and intercepted her at the train station. Although they didn't see anyone with her at the train station, her mother still believed that she must have been seduced. So, since that incident, her mother was even more eager to marry her off, thinking that keeping her at home would cause trouble sooner or later.
Recently, someone tried to set her up with a matchmaker, saying it was the son of a nouveau riche from the Qin family, and some even said he had a vice. The matchmaker invited her to a dinner, but Cuizhi absolutely refused to go, sneaking out early in the morning without deciding where to go. She felt that only her cousin truly understood her current situation, so she wanted to go to her cousin and have a good cry. The eldest daughter-in-law of the Shen family and Cuizhi had always been close friends. Even when Cuizhi and Yipeng broke off their contract—one being her cousin, the other her own brother—she didn't favor either side. In her simple mind, everyone from her maternal family was good; her brother was undoubtedly a first-rate person, and her cousin couldn't be wrong either. She believed there must be outsiders interfering. Yipeng immediately married Dou Wenxian after breaking off the contract, so it must be Dou Wenxian's fault—she had deliberately sabotaged their relationship and stolen Yipeng away. Therefore, she felt quite sympathetic towards Cuizhi.
That day, Cuizhi came to the Shen family to complain to her cousin. Unexpectedly, the eldest daughter-in-law, who never went out, happened to be out. Her father-in-law's body was lying in state at the temple, and her mother-in-law, remembering she hadn't visited in a long time, bought incense and paper money to pay her respects. She took Xiaojian with her, leaving only Shijun at home. Upon seeing Cuizhi, he smiled and said, "Oh, your family knew you were coming here? They called earlier, and I told them I wasn't here." Cuizhi knew her mother must be frantic, looking for her everywhere. She sat down and asked, "Cousin went out?" Shijun said, "She went to the temple with my mother." Cuizhi said, "Oh, and Auntie isn't home either?"
She saw a book on the table and casually flipped through it. Seeing that she seemed to be planning to sit for a while, Shijun smiled and said, "Should we call home and tell your family you've come?" Cuizhi suddenly looked up and asked, "Why?" Shijun was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "No, I was just thinking that your aunt might have something to ask you about." She lowered her head back to look at the book and said, "She won't have anything to ask."
Shijun understood from her tone that she must have run away after arguing with her mother. He had long noticed that Cuizhi had been unhappy, but because he himself was also grieving, and absolutely didn't want anyone to ask about the reason for his sorrow, he didn't want to know why others were sad. You could say they shared the same plight; he felt much more comfortable with her than with others, at least he didn't have to force a smile. The dog Cuizhi had given them timidly approached, wagging its tail. Cuizhi put down her book to scratch its itch, and Shijun chuckled, "It's quite pitiful for this dog to end up in our house. No garden, no one to take it for walks." Cuizhi didn't hear what he said. Suddenly, Shijun saw her eyes fill with tears, and he fell silent. It was Cuizhi who broke the silence, asking, "Have you been playing tennis these past few days?" Shijun smiled and said, "No. Are you going today? Shall we go together?" Cuizhi said, "I haven't improved at all." Her voice was calm, exactly as usual, but as she spoke, tears streamed down her face. She turned her face away and impatiently wiped them away, but they never stopped. Shijun smiled and called out, "Cuizhi," then asked, "What's wrong?"
The autumn breeze blew in through the window, and the book on the table turned its pages one by one with a crisp, lovely sound.
Cuizhi finally broke free from his arm. Then, as if explaining, she whispered, "What if someone sees us?" So, if there was no danger of being seen, then it was okay. Shijun couldn't help but smile slightly at her. Cuizhi immediately blushed, stood up, and walked away, saying, "I'm leaving." Shijun laughed, "Going home?" Cuizhi shouted, "Who said that? I'm not going back!" Shijun laughed, "Then where to go? How about we go play tennis?"
The next day, he went to her house to pick her up, intending to play tennis together, but he didn't go. Instead, he sat at her house chatting and had dinner before returning home. Her mother was very affectionate towards him and also became affectionate towards Cuizhi. After that, Shijun often visited their house every two or three days. Mrs. Shen and the eldest young mistress were naturally very happy when they found out, but they didn't dare to show it too much, fearing that if everyone teased him, he would back down. Although everyone didn't say anything on the surface, a peaceful atmosphere was created, and Shijun was always surrounded by this peaceful atmosphere, whether at his own home or at Cuizhi's.
On Cuizhi's birthday, Shijun gave her a diamond brooch. The diamonds were originally from a pair of her mother's earrings, which he had re-set. Four diamonds were arranged in a row, supported by a platinum tube; the design was simple and elegant. Cuizhi immediately pinned it to her collar. Shijun stood behind her, watching her pin the brooch in front of the mirror. She asked him, "How did you know when my birthday was?" Shijun smiled and said, "My sister-in-law told me." "I asked her," he said. He looked at her in the mirror. Today, she wore light rouge, her long bangs still framing her face, and her curly hair was tied back with a black velvet ribbon. She wore a dark red corduroy short-sleeved jacket. Shi Jun stroked her arms with both hands and laughed, "You've gotten so thin! Look how thin your arms are!" Cui Zhi just tilted her head back, struggling to fasten her brooch, and said, "I guess I'm suffering from summer heat. After a summer, I'm bound to lose weight." Shi Jun stroked her arms, perhaps tentatively, then leaned in from behind and kissed her cheek. Her powder smelled wonderful. Cui Zhi struggled, saying, "Don't do this—what will it look like—what if someone sees us—" Shi Jun said, "So what if they see us? It's alright now." He didn't explain why it wouldn't matter if someone saw them now, and Cui Zhi didn't insist he say it. She simply turned around and smiled shyly at him. And so, their agreement was made.
Shi Jun usually reads novels and always feels that the characters in novels, whether men or women, are always particularly troublesome. In fact, marriage is the most convenient thing ever, he has now realized.
Because Shijun's father had recently passed away, they couldn't be too extravagant, so they didn't plan any grand engagement. They scheduled their wedding for October. When he and Cuizhi were alone, they often liked to talk about their future married life. Cuizhi always hoped that one day they could go to Shanghai to start a small family, specifying what kind of house they would live in, what kind of furniture they would buy, what color the walls would be painted—everything was very concrete. Unlike when she was with Manzhen, the thought of living together in the future only made her feel elated; in short, it was very happy, but she couldn't quite imagine what it would be like.