Su Tiantian stood under the warm yellow lights of the platform and waved to me, her tall figure as straight as a poplar tree.
I shamefully started crying again.
My younger brother has grown up; a glance back reveals his handsome appearance.
*****
I have never understood the anticipation of this event as clearly and consciously as I do now.
The first thing I do every morning when I wake up is pray that Qu Ling and Tian Tian will come back today.
Waiting is easy, but longing is unbearable.
Sigh, I never thought that the carefree Su Yuanyuan would be troubled and yearn for love one day.
I miss Qu Ling so much, I miss her so intensely, I can't sleep all night.
From the very first glance we met, every single moment, every scene, I savored them all in the darkness.
I really wanted to go, so I used the excuse of accompanying my grandfather to see Qu Ba to sneak off to the Qu family to look through their photos.
That day, Grandma prepared some New Year's goods for me to deliver to the Qu family. I tied the goods to the back of my electric scooter, put on my earmuffs, and rushed straight to the Qu family.
Grandpa Qu had already been discharged from the hospital, but he was still recovering from a serious illness and his health was not as robust as it had been in the autumn. He often sat in his rocking chair, basking in the sun, and would drift off to sleep. Grandpa often visited him, reading books and newspapers to him. His meticulousness and patience towards him were something that no one in the Su family had ever experienced.
Teacher Zhu Guang is teaching a graduating class of senior high school students this year. He was already incredibly busy with work, and then a family crisis hit him. In just one month, he lost a lot of weight. Aunt Lin, after the initial shock, quickly calmed down. I admire her attitude; she still smiles often and frequently holds my hand, offering me things to eat. After learning about my trip to Beijing to find Qu Ling, she treated me even better, no less than a biological daughter. She said her son's judgment is never wrong; even if given a pool of sand, he can find the only pearl within it.
Hehe, does that mean I am that pearl?
After helping Aunt Lin organize the New Year's goods, the two brewed a pot of black tea and sat by the stove to warm themselves. Their conversation drifted back to the topic of love.
"Aunt Lin, how did you end up marrying Uncle Qu?" I asked with a gossipy chuckle.
"Sigh, don't even mention it... This matter is..." Aunt Lin's face flushed slightly, her eyes crinkled with laughter, and her hesitant stammering only fueled my gossipy curiosity.
"Tell me! Tell me!" I pleaded, tugging at her sleeve. "What was Uncle Qu like when he was young? Did he look like Qu Ling?"
"Yes, your Uncle Qu was very handsome when he was young, no less so than Xiao Ling."
"Really? Was it Uncle Qu who pursued you?" My eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Actually... well, it's a long story!" Aunt Lin sighed again.
I quickly poured her a cup of tea, preparing to listen attentively.
Aunt Lin took a sip of black tea and slowly began to speak, “Your Uncle Qu and I were college classmates. To be honest, we didn’t have much interaction. He was the student council president and a prominent figure on campus. An ordinary girl like me could only look up at him in his column at most. I never thought that we could have any kind of story.”
"And then?" I pressed.
"Later, before graduating from university, the department organized a trip. We were going to spend a week in the Huangshan area."
"Wow! It's Huangshan again!" I exclaimed. Huangshan is truly a magnificent mountain, especially for the Qu family.
"Yes, it's Huangshan. We stayed on the mountain. The accommodations were basic, but the scenery was exceptionally beautiful. In my room, you could see stunning views right from the window without even leaving the room. One morning, I overslept, and my roommates had already gone out to play with the others. I decided to stay in bed and found a plank to put on the bed, so I started sketching the scenery out the window. I was engrossed in my drawing when the door suddenly opened, and your Uncle Qu came in. When he saw me sitting on the bed, we stared at each other dumbfounded for a long time before I screamed and shrank back under the covers. He quickly turned his back and apologized profusely."
"Huh? Why is he apologizing? Did he go into the wrong room?"
"Yes, he went to the wrong room. That hotel uses the same key to open all the rooms. My classmate didn't lock the door after he left that day, so he just opened it and came in. And..." Aunt Lin's face flushed even more in the firelight, "And I was young then, I didn't wear clothes to bed, and he just barged in like that..."
"Oh, so he saw you naked!" I said with a chuckle.
"Yuanyuan!" Aunt Lin turned around and glared at me with a slight annoyance, then burst out laughing after a while and said, "That's right, he saw everything, so this little red seedling who grew up under the influence of Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought believes that he has to take responsibility for me."
"Haha!" I laughed so hard I rolled around on the sofa, clutching my stomach. "Aunt Lin, what a hilarious mismatch!"
Aunt Lin laughed too, resting her chin on her hand and said, "Yes, from then on, he kept pursuing me. Later, I, an ordinary Cinderella, married the little prince of this old Red Army soldier's family."
"How romantic..." I sighed as I lay back on the sofa, about to ask for more details, when I heard the sound of a car outside the door.
"Someone's here?" Aunt Lin and I both looked towards the door in surprise.
"I'll go open the door." I jumped off the sofa.
"Never mind, I'll go." Aunt Lin pressed me down and stood up to walk towards the door.
The doorknob creaked as it turned, and Aunt Lin stood still inside the doorway just as she was about to open it.
The door opened, and Mayor Qu, looking weary, stood outside.
"Zhongyi!" Aunt Lin cried out in disbelief.
"Lingling, I'm back." Mayor Qu's extremely tired face was full of tenderness. He opened his arms and hugged Aunt Lin tightly.
"Zhongyi! Zhongyi!" Aunt Lin was perhaps too happy, and she threw herself into Mayor Qu's arms, repeatedly calling his name.
Zhong Yi, Zhong Yi, Zhong Yi... She must have called out this name countless times in her sleep, tears welling in her eyes.
Qu Ling, Qu Ling, Qu Ling... He must be coming back soon. I clasped my hands tightly to my chest, watching the figures embracing tightly at the door, my heart suddenly pounding with emotion beyond words.
Brother Qu, come back soon, Yuanyuan misses you.
Author's Note: The ending is coming soon. Because I've been thinking about how to end it, the last few chapters will be updated more slowly. Please bear with me.
All my previous stories have been criticized for ending too hastily and being anticlimactic. It was all because of my own lack of patience, and I feel very sorry for everyone.
When I first started writing Yuanyuan, I promised Lingling that I would give this story a happy ending, not an anticlimactic one. So, this story doesn't end in this chapter. I will slow down and gradually bring it to a complete conclusion.
Happy New Year everyone! Although this is a belated greeting from Yu Zi, it is my sincerest wish!!
I wish you all eternal happiness!! Like Yuanyuan, Zhenzhen, and Caicai!!