"It wasn't fun." She couldn't lie; the horror of that moment was still vivid in her mind.
"Does this happen often?" she asked.
Wu Yu shook her head. "Such a severe seizure is rare, only a few times from childhood to adulthood, and few people know about it. But it's like a time bomb; you never know when it will explode."
He also said that he had this illness since birth, called primary epilepsy, and to this day, the cause has not been found and there is no way to cure it; he can only control it with medication. Major seizures are rare, but minor seizures are frequent. Because of this illness, he cannot overwork, get excited, drink excessive amounts of water, drink alcohol, go hungry, or suffer from insomnia. Now, Ju Nian understands somewhat why he always wants to stay as far away from crowds as possible, and why he always runs slowly behind her during his morning runs.
"Don't pity me. I'm most afraid of this, so I wish no one in the world knew. Maybe one day, it will flare up, I won't wake up, and I'll quietly die."
Ju Nian said, "Give me your hand."
Wu Yu couldn't keep up with her train of thought.
Ju Nian grabbed his left hand.
"I read a book about palmistry, and I still remember some of it. The line around the thumb is the life line, the line starting between the thumb and index finger is the wisdom line, and the line running from below the little finger towards the index finger is the heart line. People with long life lines can live a very long time..."
She suddenly stopped talking.
Wu Yu's palm lines were deep, clear, and distinct, except for one lifeline, which abruptly ended at two-thirds of the way down her palm.
"Go on, I'm listening," Wu Yu said with a smile.
Ju Nian extended her left hand, placing it next to Wu Yu's for comparison. Her palm lines were shallow and messy, yet her lifeline was the same length as Wu Yu's.
“Look, my lifeline is the same length as yours. Do I look like someone who will die young? As long as I live, you won’t die,” Ju Nian comforted him.
Wu Yu saw through her act, "Men should show me their left hand, women their right. You should show me your right hand!"
"Wrong. The ancient practice of men looking at the left hand and women at the right hand is a product of male superiority and female inferiority. In true palmistry, both men and women should look at the left hand." Ju Nian wasn't deceiving Wu Yu; it was indeed said so in the yellowed palmistry book at her aunt's house.
Much later, Ju Nian realized that she hadn't mastered the skill back then. She hadn't truly understood that book. The book also said that the left hand represents one's innate destiny, while the right hand represents future variables; people whose left and right hands are completely different are destined for a life full of ups and downs. Her left and right hands were indeed completely different.
Wu Yu's palm lines are truly beautiful, except for that short life line. His love line is very long, with a faint early-life benefactor line extending from between his thumb and forefinger.
Early life benefactor line indicates childhood sweetheart.
There is also a faint line like this on Ju Nian's left hand.
Their palm lines have a certain affinity. However, Ju Nian overlooked the fact that her early benefactor line had a broken, net-like pattern near the Mount of Venus.
The book says that short lines on the Mount of Venus indicate setbacks, death, separation, and irreparable emotional wounds.
Chapter Nineteen: A man should be viewed with new eyes after three days of separation.
From that day on, the name Wu Yu permeated Ju Nian's entire youth.
Every morning during their run, they still tacitly go one after the other. Before leaving, Ju Nian would secretly slip an apple or orange into her workout clothes pocket, and when they passed a secluded spot, she would turn around and toss it to Wu Yu. "Little monk, catch!"
Wu Yu likes apples, and if an orange is very sweet, he wants to save it for his grandmother. Wu Yu and his grandmother depend on each other for survival, living on welfare. His grandmother is getting old, and life is becoming increasingly difficult for her. Wu Yu wants to treat her even better.
After entering junior high school, Wu Yu and Ju Nian were assigned to the same class again. In the classroom, they didn't huddle together and chatter like good friends. However, if someone bullied Ju Nian, Wu Yu would quietly walk up to that person. He didn't need violence; the title of the son of a murderer was enough to make people think that he was capable of anything.
After school, Ju Nian started taking the back path home. Wu Yu's trinkets woven from foxtail grass and reeds were exquisite, and Ju Nian was the only one who appreciated them. They would also team up to steal the dried sweet potatoes that Uncle Cai had left to dry in front of his house, before Uncle Cai opened his small shop. Usually, Ju Nian would ask Uncle Cai a serious question about life, and Wu Yu would quickly grab a handful from the winnowing basket. By the time Uncle Cai turned around, Ju Nian would be gone. Uncle Cai would beat his chest and say, "If only all the children in this area were as well-behaved as Ju Nian." Ju Nian would "obediently" meet up with Wu Yu on the back path, chewing on dried sweet potatoes. Nothing in the world tasted better than this.
Ju Nian remained hopelessly engrossed in martial arts novels, having borrowed almost every book from the nearby bookstore. By this time, her aunt and uncle had begun to restrict her reading of extracurricular books, frequently searching her bag and scolding her if they found any. She dared not put novels in her bag, so Wu Yu hid them for her, since Wu Yu was even more unrestrained than her. At night, Wu Yu would scale the earthen slope behind her aunt's house like a monkey, directly opposite Ju Nian's room and storage room. He would gently tap on the windowpane with a twig, and when Ju Nian peeked out, Wu Yu would hand her the book, and Ju Nian would casually give him her math homework for the day.
Wu Yu doesn't like reading novels, and he laughs at Ju Nian's obsession.
"What's so appealing about that place?" he always asked.
Ju Nian told him about her ideal hero, Xiao Qiushui. She had read so many martial arts novels, but there was only one Xiao Qiushui and only one Tang Fang.
But Wu Yu disagreed. He said that Xiao Qiushui's name sounded like a girl's, not like a chivalrous hero at all. A true hero should be like Xiao Feng, renowned throughout the martial world, roaming freely beyond the Great Wall. He also said that his ancestors were from the Northwest, and one day, when he grew up, he would leave here and live beyond the Great Wall.
Ju Nian had also read "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," and she couldn't bear to point it out. Xiao Feng, a hero throughout his life, ultimately experienced the coldness and warmth of human nature, dying a tragic yet desolate death. Besides, as the saying goes, even heroes have their moments of weakness, and their love for their children is fleeting. In the story, wasn't his promise to A'Zhu in the borderlands just a mirage?
After the second year of junior high school, the school required students to develop morally, intellectually, physically, aesthetically, and practically, and each student had to choose one sport to participate in. Most boys chose soccer, basketball, or volleyball, while girls preferred aerobics and shuttlecock kicking. Wu Yu chose badminton. Compared to other ball sports, this sport did not require as much physical strength, and he had not yet had an attack at school. From teachers to classmates, no one knew that he had such an illness.
Ju Nian also chose badminton. She said she didn't like aerobics and shuttlecock kicking. Actually, she was afraid that Wu Yu was too withdrawn and that no one would practice with him.
Having grasped the essentials, Wu Yu's love for badminton grew daily. Stealing moments of free time, the two would practice on an open space at the end of the steps in the Martyrs' Cemetery. Ju Nian was merely keeping Wu Yu company, but day by day, his skills improved, his backhand smashes becoming both accurate and powerful. If they really got serious, Wu Yu was no match for him. Wu Yu repeatedly retrieved the shuttlecock stuck in the pomegranate tree, wiping his sweat and laughing, "You're not here to practice with me, you're here to dampen my enthusiasm!"
After returning home from practice, one time, other boys from the neighborhood also went to play near the martyrs' cemetery. Seeing them laughing and talking, they made strange noises: "Oh, head to head, shameless... Xie Junian is playing with the little murderer..."
Wu Yu's face remained expressionless; he was used to wearing this hat, it was like a part of his body. Ju Nian was both panicked and angry. She couldn't understand why everyone wouldn't let Wu Yu go; what had he done wrong?
Watching the children run away, Ju Nian secretly grabbed a handful of pebbles from the ground and threw them at them, but Wu Yu stopped her. He was the son of a murderer, but he had never hurt anyone.
The rumors that Ju Nian and Wu Yu were playing together reached her aunt and uncle's ears again. Everyone said they saw them walking home together along a side path after school, and it was also a fact that Ju Nian was coming home later and later to cook dinner. Her aunt scolded Ju Nian severely at the door. She asked, "Are you hanging out with that little murderer?"
Ju Nian, who had been bowing his head and "submitting to the law," timidly replied, "He has never killed anyone. He hasn't even killed a chicken."
Ju Nian rarely talked back, but her aunt was enraged and became very agitated. She yelled, "Oh, you're still protecting her. You're going to marry him then, go with him, what are you doing here? As long as you don't say that I raised you like this, I'll let you have your way."
Aunt's voice drew the attention of the neighbors who had just finished dinner. Everyone looked on curiously, and the topic intrigued the onlookers. Ju Nian remained silent, letting her aunt hurl insults at her relentlessly, tears welling in her eyes as she watched the sunset.
Two clouds veiled the afterglow, resembling a smiling little bear. As the saying goes, "Red sky at morning, sailors take warning; red sky at night, sailors' delight." Tomorrow will be another beautiful day, so what's there to fear?
But Ju Nian also saw that Wu Yu's door was opened a crack before being tightly closed again.
For the next few days, Wu Yu didn't wait for Ju Nian on the path after school. The school was preparing to hold a badminton tournament, and this was the first group activity Wu Yu had volunteered for, but he didn't practice. Ju Nian stopped him on the road and asked him why. Wu Yu explained that his racket was broken, and he didn't have the money to buy a new one, so he would give up on the tournament and wouldn't play anymore.
Ju Nian understood Wu Yu's family situation perfectly well, and even if it was just an excuse, she couldn't refute it. That night, after locking her bedroom door, Ju Nian pulled out her "lifesaving money," which she had painstakingly saved up penny by penny over the years. She counted it three times; it was still 7.6 yuan. Back then, the cheapest badminton racket cost 12 yuan, and she didn't have enough. All the money her father gave her was firmly held by her aunt; getting a dollar or a few cents out of her was harder than climbing to heaven.
Ju Nian's father has a secure job at the procuratorate, but he feels guilty towards his own daughter. He usually gives his aunt a considerable amount of money, covering food, clothing, daily necessities, and pocket money. However, his aunt insists that Ju Nian eat leftovers from the previous night even for breakfast, saving money on breakfast. Ju Nian struggled all night, trying to come up with every possible reason to get 5 yuan from her aunt, but none of them were convincing enough.
The next morning, Ju Nian, who was more obedient than a rabbit, trembled as she pulled a five-yuan bill from the purse her aunt used to keep change when she did business. She stuffed it between her sock and calf, completing the biggest crime of her life. Her clothes were soaked with sweat, and she had already made the worst plan in her mind. If her aunt found out, she would be willing to go to jail.
But neither her aunt nor uncle noticed. A day later, Ju Nian secretly bought Wu Yu a new racket. Holding the new racket, Wu Yu asked blankly, "Where did you get the money?"
Ju Nian lay flat on his back under the pomegranate tree with his legs outstretched, and said expressionlessly, "I stole it from my aunt's bag."
Wu Yu was startled. "Are you crazy?"
Ju Nian went along with him, saying, "You're a petty murderer, and I'm a thief. Let's hang out together, and neither of us should look down on the other."
Wu Yu was speechless. After a while, Ju Nian felt him lying down on the grass beside her. Just like her, he was staring straight at the sky.
There wasn't a breath of wind, yet a deep red pomegranate blossom fell from the branch and landed on Ju Nian's cheek with a soft "smack." Is this the sound of a flower blooming?
Ju Nian turned her head to the side, and Wu Yu took it off for her.
“Wu Yu, if your pomegranate blossoms bear fruit, and I’m lying here, the ripe fruit will fall on me, how wonderful that would be.”
Wu Yu said, "How silly. Pomegranate flowers have male and female parts, and there's only one tree here. My pomegranate flowers will never bear fruit."
For ninth graders, the coursework is becoming increasingly intense. Ju Nian, whose grades were average, displayed remarkable stamina at a crucial moment. Like a long-distance runner, she was never in the lead at the beginning, but in the final sprint, while everyone else was exhausted, she was still able to maintain a steady pace.
Because of her outstanding math scores and good English, and after a period of diligent study, her rankings improved steadily in the final mock exams. Sometimes, the teachers grading her essays would take pity on her, and her total score could even break into the top 5 in the class. The teachers all said her performance was a pleasant surprise, and they specifically praised her as a model student at the parent-teacher conference. Her aunt, who rarely attended the conference, was delighted, saying that her scolding had worked.
Wu Yu's grades remained consistently poor. He said he wasn't cut out for studying. Ju Nian thought he was smarter than anyone else, but his mind wasn't on his studies. The reason she worked hard was to take a gamble; if she was lucky enough to get into the best high school in the city, No. 7 Middle School, she could board there, away from her aunt and uncle, and live on her own.
As the high school entrance exam drew closer, tests became more frequent, and fees kept piling up. In one week alone, Ju Nian had asked her aunt for study materials twice, so when the school asked for exam fees, she remembered her aunt's grumbling when she tried to pay last time and couldn't bring herself to ask. On the last day to pay, she had nowhere to borrow from and was really desperate. For some reason, she suddenly had the idea to go home and ask her parents for money.
Ju Nian last saw her parents and younger brother more than two months ago when they came to visit her aunt. Her brother, who could already walk, didn't really recognize her as his older sister. Perhaps distance makes people feel closer, because when they met, her parents still showed her concern.
Having made up her mind, she hurriedly boarded the bus back to the city after school at noon. Having lived in the suburbs for five or six years, Ju Nian was already somewhat unfamiliar with the procuratorate compound.
The journey home required transferring in the city center, and it was rush hour, so traffic was congested. Ju Nian sat in the back seat, lost in thought. Two girls in school uniforms sat side by side in front of her; the girl chattered incessantly, while the boy wore earplugs.
What caught Ju Nian's attention was the boy's collar. You see, school uniforms are worn every other day, so they're never really new. Most people's school uniforms look yellowish up close. Wu Yu is a clean boy; he washes his own clothes and never looks sloppy. But after washing them so often, and with the school uniform's fabric not being very good, it becomes thin and see-through.
The boys' school uniforms, from collar to top, were incredibly white, practically brand new, with crisp collars and clearly visible ironing lines. Ju Nian was initially astonished; the quality of school uniforms in the city's middle schools was truly exceptional. However, she then took a closer look at the girl who had been persistently talking to the boys. Her uniform was clearly the same style as the boys', but while the color and cleanliness were normal, it was significantly less polished than the boys'.
Who would be so particular about their school uniform? Judging by appearances, this probably isn't the first time since starting school. In Ju Nian's opinion, a school uniform is meant to be worn until it's completely worn out and unusable. The boy's hair at the back of his head was trimmed short and neat, and the outline of his ears was perfect, with full earlobes. According to physiognomy books, people with ears like that are very lucky. Ju Nian drifted into thought, lost in her own reflections. Is one's fate truly predetermined?
The girl in the front row was truly admirable. Without anyone to help her, she talked to herself non-stop the whole way. That's what you call mastery. Even someone like Ju Nian, who can fall into a trance like a meditating monk, couldn't stop the occasional snippets of her conversation from drifting into his ears.
"Hey, I'm telling you, you really don't know who slipped the letter into your drawer? Whose handwriting does that look like? Could it be someone from our class? Who in our class would be so bold? By the way, did you see Liu Yanhong's expression? She's furious, like you're her property... Well, good riddance, let her be angry..."
The bus finally pulled into the station. Ju Nian put on her backpack and stood up. She intended to casually glance back at the boy in front of her as she passed by, purely out of curiosity. What would someone with such auspicious ears look like? Would he look like the Buddha?
To her surprise, the boy stood up before her and said to the girl next to him, "I've arrived, goodbye."
It seems they got off at the same stop.
The front gate of the procuratorate's family compound is just 200 meters straight ahead from the bus stop. Ju Nian walked with her head down, thinking about what she should say as the first thing when she saw her parents.
The security guards in the compound had changed so many times that they no longer recognized Ju Nian, so they naturally stopped her.
"Who are you looking for, little girl?"
"Looking for my dad... oh, looking for Xie Maohua."
Ju Nian answered honestly. Just then, she saw the boy in the "snow-white school uniform" pass by the guardhouse a few steps ahead of her. When the guard asked him a question, the boy even turned back for a glance, but he turned away too quickly to see his face clearly. She hadn't expected him to live here too. Maybe he was even the child of her father's colleague. She had been away from this compound for too long; there must be many new people there now, and she wondered what her old classmates were like now.
The security guard let her through, and Ju Nian walked past the office building and the kindergarten, following the tree-lined path. Xie Maohua had been allocated new housing two years ago and moved out of the old tenement building. Ju Nian had only been here twice before, and hoped she wouldn't get lost.
During lunch break, there weren't many people on the tree-lined path. Wandering around, the boy in the white school uniform was still walking directly ahead of Ju Nian. Ju Nian hadn't been home in a long time and had come specifically to ask for money. Feeling a mix of homesickness and trepidation, she walked with a heavy heart, her steps hesitant, and she had no time to care about what others thought. She didn't even notice when the boy turned to look at her several times.
The new staff building was right in front of her. Ju Nian was crossing the grass when a figure suddenly darted out from her right front, almost scaring the daydreaming Ju Nian to death.
"Who are you? Why are you following me?" the uninvited guest asked in a questioning tone.
Ju Nian shrank back, secretly glancing around. There was no one else there. Only then did she realize that she was indeed the one being questioned.
The newcomer was a head taller than Ju Nian, his white school uniform practically begging to be punched. Ju Nian finally got a good look at his features. Not bad, a full forehead, indicating wealth and longevity; a straight nose, signifying strong will and vitality; full lips, indicating abundant food and a good appetite, and eloquence; slightly upturned eyes, indicating a life filled with romantic encounters, and a touch of arrogance; a slightly pointed chin, suggesting a bit of a temper. Overall, this face was exceptionally handsome, and Wu Yu was indeed a good-looking boy, but there was a hint of misfortune in his expression.
Ju Nian also noticed a small mole on the boy's left eyebrow. What did the book say? She racked her brains, and then—right, a pearl hidden in grass signifies wisdom. But his "pearl" was slightly off-center; if it were just a little further, it would have become a sign of "lewdness and baseness." Thank goodness! She was relieved for the "snow-white school uniform" boy; he hadn't had his good looks ruined by a mole.
She had no idea how strange the way she was staring at the other person looked.
"What are you doing following me here from the bus? I noticed you were acting suspiciously the whole way. Look, what are you looking at?"
The boy then launched into another retort.
Ju Nian was speechless; she was always quick-witted. Besides, she couldn't very well tell the other person, "I'm looking at that mole on your eyebrow that almost turned into a 'lewd' mark."
"Hesitating... Oh, I see! That cheesy letter in my drawer this morning was written by you?" The boy suddenly realized, glancing at her again with suspicion and mockery, as if to say, "How could you do such a thing?" But after all, he was still a young boy, and while he was assertive in the face of his persistent admirer, he couldn't hide his slight blush.
"Huh?" What's going on here? Ju Nian was completely confused.
"Aren't you from our school? You came all this way just for something like this? Don't you find it ridiculous?"
Ju Nian finally understood. "Snow White School Uniform's" reasoning ability and ability to match things up were top-notch. She couldn't say anything, only gave him an amazed look, and drifted past him like a ghost.
"Stop right there, what are you doing wandering around?"
Ju Nian didn't want to get entangled with pointless people. She just wanted to ask her father for the registration fee and leave. The return trip would take another forty minutes, and she had class in the afternoon. The more the other person called her from behind, the faster she ran.
One floor, two floors, three floors… They arrived. Dad drew a good apartment layout. She took out her key and tried to insert it into the lock, once, twice, then suddenly stopped. It seemed she was stunned by the "snow-white school uniform." She didn't have a key to her parents' new home. Did she still think this was the old tenement building? That old key should have been thrown away long ago.
The boy in the snow-white school uniform followed like a persistent ghost, his wariness growing stronger. "What are you doing in front of someone else's house?"