Yan hope smiled, her big eyes clear and bright. "Can you stop being so narcissistic? If I blame you, will you even see the sun tomorrow?"
Chen Juan said awkwardly, "Our Da Yi isn't that weak either."
Ah Heng spat out another mouthful of tea.
When did those two become so close?
Ah Heng turned around, the summer breeze carrying the sunlight was warm, and she smiled, "When I wasn't here, did you and Dayi have a falling out?"
Xin Dayi had a long face.
Yan hope lowered his head and smiled faintly, "It's nothing, a small matter. I borrowed money from him and lost some of it."
Then, he stood up, walked to Da Yi, whispered a few words in her ear, and Da Yi straightened up a bit, still frowning and looking distressed.
Ah Heng patted Dayi on the shoulder and smiled, saying, "If it's not your fault, then it's not your fault. Don't take it to heart."
Tears welled up in Da Yi's eyes, whether from emotion or something else, he held A Heng's hand and said tremblingly, "Brother, I've never asked you for anything in my life, just don't try to cut me with a knife in the future."
Ah Heng smiled, glanced at him subtly, and then spoke.
The bride and groom, dressed in pristine white, stand before the pastor, gaze into each other's eyes, smile, and offer vows of "I do," whether it's "Jesus," "Buddha," or "Avalokiteshvara."
Ah Heng gazed at the bride, a beautiful ring on her hand, gleaming in the sunlight from afar.
My heart felt warm.
This girl, back in high school, once walked up to her with a complete collection of Tang poems, and mischievously smiled, saying, "Aheng, I recited a line of poetry yesterday, do you think it's good or bad?"
Which sentence?
That talented young woman dragged out her words—"Humans are not made of wood or stone, they all have feelings, but it is better to not encounter such beauty."
Ah Heng blushed, surprised that someone had seen through her. She simply said "Very good" and looked up. Not far away, in the sunlight, Yan hope was lazily leaning against the classroom window, memorizing vocabulary.
That year, the sun shone brightly on a similar day, filling people with hope.
Now, the talented young woman is someone else's bride, but she and her stunning beauty are still locked in a fierce battle.
She gently extended her finger and firmly grasped Yan hope's slender, long finger. She thought to herself that she was extremely patient, while Yan hope was impetuous by nature and would always have a day when he would win.
Yan hope was surprised. He looked down at A Heng's knuckles, which had turned white from being gripped so tightly, and then took her hand in return, a faint smile on his lips.
The bride smiled brightly and held a bouquet of flowers, which she was about to throw to the audience. The young women of marriageable age were eager to participate, but the talented young woman saw Ah Heng, winked mischievously, and threw the bouquet to her.
Ah Heng reached out to catch it; the fragrance of flowers in the sunlight seemed to be slowly tracing a parabola of happiness, so close, so very close.
It hits you right in the face.
A group of girls nearby pushed her aside and reached out to the flowers.
Ah Heng looked at her hands full of air and felt somewhat disappointed.
A pair of fair hands swiftly and steadily grasped the bouquet, her eyes sparkling with a smile—"Sorry, everyone, please come earlier next time."
The women were stunned. Why would a man be fighting over this? Is he planning to come out of the closet and get married?
The man wiped away his tears and said, "Our Aheng is so foolish. If I, as her father, hadn't helped her prepare earlier, would you still let my child get married?"
The women were speechless. Yan hope, you're absolutely invincible when it comes to your child.
He smiled broadly, politely squinted at everyone around him, and said thank you very much. He then gently placed the bouquet into Aheng's arms, where she held it tightly.
Instead, he gently stroked her brow with tenderness and said earnestly, "Next time, you must be more proactive about what you want."
Aheng nodded and said, "Okay, I'll try my best."
Holding the bouquet, her face flushed with a girlish blush, she was overjoyed.
After they finished their wedding banquet and left, the talented young woman, lifting her white skirt, shouted after them, "Aheng, since we've met, even if he's a block of wood or stone, we must teach him to see the light."
Ah Heng chuckled, turned around and waved, "I know."
I know.
**************************Divider***************************
One day, Siwan called the Yan family home, saying she wanted to see Yan hope.
After Yan hope answered the phone, his expression turned somewhat unpleasant. He had spent the entire afternoon in his room painting, but hadn't accomplished anything significant. In the evening, he said he had to go out and told A Heng not to cook his dinner.
Ah Heng was a little surprised. Since she came home for the holidays, he had never gone out to eat. He always held his porcelain bowl, sat obediently at the table, and smiled like a big doll.
The temperature difference between day and night is quite significant, so Ah Heng made him bring a purple jacket.
When he returned, it was already past midnight. He was reeking of alcohol, and upon seeing Ah Heng, he almost collapsed onto her shoulder.
His coat was also stained with large amounts of alcohol, so it was hard to tell how much he had drunk.
She cooked him a hangover soup, but he vomited several times throughout the night and couldn't even drink the soup. Finally, he vomited until his stomach was empty before he fell into a deep sleep.
For several days in a row, it was the same: he would go out around six or seven in the evening and not return home until the early hours of the morning, getting extremely drunk each time, vomiting so much that he almost brought up bile.
When Aheng asked him what he had been doing, Yanxi remained silent. But the last time, he said he was dealing with business and socializing.
Ah Heng was puzzled. "When did you start doing business?"
Yan hope replied in a flat tone, "Lu Liu, they're short-handed, I'm helping with the socializing."
Ah Heng frowned, but remained silent.
Yan hope remained unchanged and didn't get home until midnight. Aheng stood guard at the door for him, but Yan hope took the key and opened the door himself. Without saying a word, he held onto the ladder and walked up to the second floor, his face flushed, and he barely managed to keep his steps steady.
He pretended not to see Aheng.
In the middle of the night, although he vomited, his footsteps were extremely light. Ah Heng kept his eyes closed and did not sleep all night.
During the day, he was just like any other day, chatting and laughing with Aheng, taking her to every corner of the ancient city, showing her all the local delicacies, from cat-ear noodles in the alleyways to fried rice cakes in the hutongs, following the traces of his childhood, to the quaint teahouse, where they would spend half a sunset over a cup of flower tea. He said, "If you had never left when you were a child, this would have been your whole life."
However, in the areas where the sunlight didn't reach, his face appeared somewhat pale.
Ah Heng rested her chin on her hand and asked him indifferently, "Yan hope, what exactly do you take me for?"
She asked him earnestly, and he humbly replied—"Of course, it's my girlfriend."
Ah Heng watched as the long, pointed spout of the teapot slurped up the boiling tea, pouring it precisely into the cup. She spoke softly, "Alright, from now on, you must not have any more entanglements with Lu Liu."
She said, "I don't like it when you do this for him."
Chapter 84
Chapter 84
Yan hope's cup trembled slightly, spilling a few drops of tea.
He looked at her, his gaze undisguised. "Aheng, what about you? What do you think of me?"
Am I gay in your eyes?
He smiled calmly, but his eyes held a clear mockery.
Yan hope uttered those three words easily, his expression showing little emotion.
Ah Heng's cup slipped from her hand; the exquisite porcelain was so finely crafted that even the broken pieces were delicate and smooth.
She looked down, lost in thought. "Homosexuality, homosexuality... how can you talk about it so casually?" Then, her mind wandered. "A broken cup isn't a good omen... sigh, it's for a lifetime... It looks quite valuable, how much will I have to pay for it..."
The shopkeeper was a shrewd businessman. He came over to replace the cups with great courtesy. Yan looked at the sky outside the wooden window and said no, he took out a few crisp banknotes from his wallet, handed them to him, and grasped Ah Heng's hand as they walked into the twilight.
Without looking back, he walked very, very fast.
Ah Heng's sleeve was crumpled from his tugging. She said, "Yan hope, let go, let go now, I'm angry!"
Under the setting sun, the clean-cut, fair-skinned boy, bathed in the dim golden light, pulled her along and started running.
If the scene were different, given our eccentric, avant-garde, and fearless personality—who's afraid of being ignored—and the author's melodramatic nature, he should have picked up Miss Wen and said in a manly, affectionate tone, "Lu Liu is nothing! I don't even see him. My baby is the one I love most in this world."
In another scenario, given the schizophrenic nature an author should possess, and the undeniable truth that a good story isn't good if it's not angsty, Yan Shao might say with immense inner turmoil, "Aheng, I... I can't forget Lu Liu." Of course, it would be better if Miss Wen silently shed tears and say, "I wish you well."
Alas, none of the above apply.
Yan Shao didn't actually say anything. He just grabbed Aheng's hand... no, her sleeve, and ran forward with all his might. Then, under the setting sun, the two of them were panting like oxen until they reached the gate of their old high school, where they finally let go of each other's hands.
Ah Heng's legs were about to give out from running. Panting, she pointed at Yan hope and said, "Are you crazy?! Who said anything to you? I just said I didn't like Lu Liu. What, did I hit a nerve?"
His tone was like that of aged Jiangxi vinegar.
Yan hope lowered his head and gently released his grip on her sleeve. He smiled and said, "Walk with me for a bit. I'm thinking back to a few years ago."
Ah Heng stared blankly at Xi Men's gleaming school badge. His anger dissipated with his helplessness and clumsy attempts to distract himself. He nodded and said, "Okay, it's been a long time since I've been inside."
The three teaching buildings stood quietly in the fading sunlight, a gentle breeze blowing, the grass lush and green.
On the basketball court not far away, several young boys with a youthful and innocent look were playing basketball. Muscles, sweat, fist bumps, cheers, a goal, a three-pointer.
Yan Xi lay sprawled on the grass, gently closing his eyes, a peaceful smile on his lips.
The word "tranquil" seems somewhat incongruous when describing him.
Ah Heng looked down at him, his eyes gentle and curved.
He said, "I had a dream yesterday."
Ah Heng asked, "What dream?"
I married you, and we had a child. You gave him a beautiful name, but I can't remember it. Then, the three of us lived in a house with a European fireplace and a Persian rug. He was very young, sitting on the rug playing with his toys. We called him to eat, but no matter how we called, he wouldn't hear us. Then, I woke up.
Ah Heng rested her chin on her hand and laughed. "Oh my god, how unlucky am I? Not only am I stuck with you for life, but I even gave birth to a deaf child."
Yan hope opened his eyes and looked at the rosy clouds in the sky. But you didn't see it, that child is really beautiful. He has my eyes, but where is your mouth?
That smile was as gentle as the first drop of dew in the morning sunlight.
Ah Heng blushed, thinking that the summer sun was indeed summery by evening, how could it be so scorching?
He stood up, patted the grass behind him, and saw that on the basketball court not far away, someone had hit the ball off course and it was rolling towards them.
Yan hope raised an eyebrow, picked up the basketball, took a few steps closer, squinted at the basket, and with that posture and style, he looked as awesome as some kind of boss god who suddenly appeared. He then made a light shot.
Shining, shimmering, shimmering, Yan hope felt as if he were radiating golden light like an X-ray.
Then... cough, the ball hit the rim.
Yan hope covered his face, utterly bewildered. How could he have missed...? How could this be...?