His reminder made Ju Nian realize that since she had agreed to go, she couldn't go empty-handed. Her allowance was pitifully small, but what could Chen Jiejie possibly lack?
Ju Nian was troubled by this question. When she arrived at her doorstep, Wu Yu called her several times from behind the telephone pole at the alley entrance before she heard him. This was the first time Wu Yu had come to see her here. Ju Nian was both surprised and delighted. Just as she was about to ask a question, Wu Yu took her bike and rode on it, turning back to signal her to get on as well.
"Let's go, let's not talk here."
Ju Nian understood perfectly well that her parents wouldn't like such a visitor. She didn't care whether she got home on time or not, and without thinking, she jumped onto the back of the broken bicycle and let Wu Yu take her away without asking where they were going.
They left the alley where Ju Nian lived and drove onto a less crowded road. Wu Yu turned to her and asked, "Why didn't you come to find me?"
Ju Nian said, "I thought you didn't have time."
"I'll take a break eventually."
"When you're resting, Chen Jiejie doesn't need to come to you?"
Wu Yu rode his bicycle quietly. Just as Ju Nian was regretting getting involved in this matter, he said, "She can't come out often. Besides, she and you are two different things."
"It's the same thing."
Her voice was too soft for Wu Yu to hear clearly. "What did you just say?"
"They didn't say anything... Where are we going?"
"have no idea."
"Then why did you ask me to get in the car?"
"Speak up, let Master Xie tell my fortune. I can't just say it at your doorstep, and you can't come home too late. Am I supposed to take you to the places I usually go?"
"Why not?"
“Those places are too chaotic, I can’t let you go.”
The bicycle rode into an old street, surrounded by shops filled with incense and offerings. Perhaps it was just psychological, but even in broad daylight, it felt eerie. Ju Nian wondered how they had ended up here.
An old, thin black cat darted furtively out of a shop and nearly bumped into Wu Yu's bicycle wheel. Wu Yu twisted the handlebars and rang the bicycle bell. Ju Nian had been riding the bike for over two years and had never known that the broken bell could even make a sound, let alone that an old cat could understand it. She chuckled.
What do you want to calculate?
"Hmm, I don't know..." Wu Yu laughed out of nowhere in front of her.
"How about we consider whether there's any special meaning behind my name?"
"Wu Yu, Wu Yu, isn't it just a drop of rain from Mount Wu?" Ju Nian said, spouting nonsense.
Wu Yu laughed and said, "You say that too?"
Ju Nian was taken aback. "Who else said that?"
Wu Yu did not answer.
Ju Nian was puzzled, and then she noticed a folded piece of paper peeking out of his pants pocket. She reached out to take it, and Wu Yu did not refuse.
It was an exquisite purple note with subtle butterfly-shaped patterns. Even before unfolding it, Ju Nian could already smell its faint fragrance.
Upon opening it, there was only one line of neat, small handwriting on the paper.
"I dwell on the sunny side of Mount Wu, amidst towering hills. In the morning I am the morning clouds, in the evening I am the passing rain, day and night, beneath the Yangtai Terrace."
The beautiful letter paper has developed slight wrinkles on Ju Nian's fingertips. It's like a piece of red-hot iron, causing you pain, yet you can't throw it away; it's scorched, sticking to your skin, leaving ugly marks.
Ju Nian recognized this handwriting.
"She gave it to you?" The car moved forward, cutting through the air, the slight sound of the wind masking the barely perceptible unease in Ju Nian's voice.
After a long time, Ju Nian finally received a single sentence from Wu Yu.
"Yes, I really like it, and it even makes my name meaningful now. What do you think, Ju Nian?"
What do you think about the Year of the Orange?
Ju Nian lowered her head, and a tear fell onto the back of her clasped hands.
He didn't turn around, so he couldn't see it.
Chapter Thirty-Two: Making Wedding Dresses for Others
On Chen Jiejie's birthday, Ju Nian took two bus transfers before finally arriving at Jingchun Road, a wealthy residential area in the city. Jingchun Road is actually a winding mountain road, with several high-end residential complexes, mainly consisting of detached villas, occupying the most scenic and highest-lying area in G City.
Everyone says that the land value on Jingchun Road is so high that every step you take could be worth a gram of gold, but at dusk, Ju Nian only felt that this road, sandwiched between trees and vegetation, was incredibly desolate. Not only was it sparsely populated, but the streetlights were also faintly visible. Walking at night in such a place for too long, it wouldn't be surprising to encounter a ghost. However, it seems that the builders of this area didn't give much consideration to the feelings of pedestrians.
Living in a place like this, the fresh air must be the greatest enjoyment. Ju Nian's bus only went as far as the foot of the mountain, and she walked at a leisurely pace. The wind carried the damp scent of earth and grass, reminding her of the bamboo path near her aunt's house and the quiet fragrance of pine branches in the martyrs' cemetery. But who would compare this place to those remote, rural areas? Many things seem the same with your eyes closed, but when you open them, you realize they are vastly different.
It was early spring and Ju Nian was dressed warmly, but the dew was heavy and her hands were icy. Luckily, there were lights ahead, though she didn't know how far it was. Footsteps sounded behind her. Ju Nian couldn't believe anyone would be as foolish as she was. She turned around with a hint of anticipation, only to see Han Shu raising his hand to pat her unexpectedly. He noticed her and, without batting an eye, changed his gesture to a wave.
"What a coincidence? You're also walking up the mountain?" Han Shu exhaled, his white coat was very thin.
Ju Nian stood on tiptoe and looked down the mountain. She could vaguely see the shadow and lights of a dark-colored car going downhill. She walked on this road for almost ten minutes but did not see any vehicles coming towards her.
"Yes, what a coincidence, the car that brought you here just happened to drop you off halfway to go have some fun."
Han Shu didn't explain, but walked a little ahead of Ju Nian, casually fiddling with the tassels on his scarf.
Ju Nian then noticed that he was wearing a dark red wool scarf around his neck, which looked very eye-catching.
"How is it?" He turned around to face him, walking backwards.
"What do you mean, how about it?"
"Tsk, my scarf!" he said impatiently.
Ju Nian lowered her head and smiled, without saying a word.
Han Shu, feeling bored, started pulling at an unidentified broad-leaved plant by the roadside, only to find his hands covered in green sap. He quickly held up his hands. "Hey, give me a tissue."
"Tissues? I don't have any."
"handkerchief!"
"No!"
"If you go out without even these two things, are you even a woman?"
"Uh, I'm a girl."
"Nonsense! Get me a pack from your bag." Seeing that Ju Nian didn't move, he urged, "Hurry up, if I need it quickly, what will I do?"
Ju Nian slowly unzipped her backpack. The contents were neatly organized and clearly categorized. There was a pencil case, a wallet, a beautifully wrapped gift box, a cell phone, keys, an MP3 player, three packs of tissues and a pack of wet wipes, a pair of gloves matching his scarf, and even a hand cream. Ju Nian was amazed by how well-equipped he was.
Han Shu said, "Classmate, your head is practically stuffed into my backpack."
Ju Nian quickly handed him a pack of tissues. He took out the tissues and carefully cleaned the stains off his hands.
"Oh, Chen Jiejie should have invited that... what's her name? I just forgot... right, Wu Yu. Why aren't you guys coming too?"
Ju Nian also started picking leaves from the roadside. Han Shu exclaimed, "Are you stupid? Didn't you see what happened to my hand just now?"
Ju Nian ignored him; he'd touched a nerve. Indeed, Chen Jiejie had also invited Wu Yu. That day, in the chaotic alley, Wu Yu parked his bicycle by the roadside, holding the beautiful note Chen Jiejie had drawn, and said, puzzled, "She told me there's a riddle in this note. If I guess it, I should go to a certain place on my birthday; she has something for me. She's already invited others to celebrate at her house, so where could that 'certain place' be? Ju Nian, you're the best riddle solver I've ever met. Can you help me figure it out? There's only one line on it... could she be in Wushan?"
Ju Nian wanted to laugh at his sluggish expression, but after trying, she realized that any forced smile would look terrible. She didn't take what Wu Yu offered, not wanting to hold it any longer, and what word on it she didn't remember?
A riddle? Chen Jiejie is really interesting. But she probably didn't expect that Wu Yu wasn't good at solving riddles, and that this hint would eventually be thrown back at Ju Nian.
"Day and night, under the balcony."
Since ancient times, mountains have been considered yin and water yang, north is yin and south is yang, down is yin and up is yang, right is yin and left is yang... What exactly does Chen Jiejie want to tell Wu Yu?
Whatever the answer was, Ju Nian lied to Wu Yu for the first time ever, saying, "I'm not really sure either, but under the balcony, could it be under the balcony at home?"
"Huh?" Wu Yu's confusion deepened.
Ju Nian silently prayed in her heart: God, if possible, please forgive my lie.
Wu Yu ultimately didn't decide whether to keep the appointment. He felt that the date under the "balcony" was very strange, so Ju Nian went alone.
With Han Shu by her side, Ju Nian didn't even need to pay attention to the house number, since someone knew the way anyway. Chen Jiejie's house was brightly lit, and her carefully dressed little master was already waiting at the door.
Seeing Ju Nian and Han Shu arrive one after the other, Chen Jiejie seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Ju Nian, it's good that you're here. I was just thinking of having my family drive down for a spin, but I didn't consider that there's no direct bus route and it's not safe to walk here. Han Shu, you've been very considerate this time."
"What nonsense are you talking about? I just ran into her while I was taking a walk. Here, this is for you. It's the perfume you said you liked last time. You're welcome. My mom bought it for you."
Seeing Han Shu give her a gift, Ju Nian realized she should reciprocate. She gave Chen Jiejie a small bottle of bright red nail polish. Chen Jiejie took it with a radiant smile, and when no one was looking, she quickly stuffed it into her pocket, then whispered to Ju Nian, "It's my favorite color."
Upon entering the living room, a group of boys and girls of similar age were already gathered there, some whom Ju Nian knew and some whom she didn't. Han Shu, on the other hand, seemed perfectly at ease, and as soon as he entered, he busied himself greeting everyone. Everyone said, "Why did you take so long to arrive?"
Ju Nian sat quietly in the corner. Wu Yu hadn't come. Ten minutes later, Chen Jiejie, who was waiting at the door for her invited friends, came in to greet everyone. She noticed Ju Nian, who was being ignored because she wasn't familiar with everyone, so she went over, handed her a drink, and gently sat down next to Ju Nian.
Eighteen is the most beautiful day in a girl's life. Although the protagonist of today's story looks happy and proper, Ju Nian senses the unease in the girl beside her.
"Ju Nian, has he said anything to you, whether he's coming or not?" Chen Jiejie smiled brightly at a friend who was waving to her from a distance. As she asked this question, her fingers unconsciously twisted her clothes.
Ju Nian shook her head. "He didn't tell me for sure. Are you waiting for him?" That was a rhetorical question, wasn't it? They were both waiting, one waiting for him to come, the other waiting for him not to come.
“You know him better than I do, Ju Nian. Do you think he’ll come?” Chen Jiejie smiled. Perhaps she just needed someone to confide in; the answer didn’t matter.
"What I fear most is waiting indefinitely," Chen Jiejie said.
"What if he really doesn't come?" Ju asked softly.
Chen Jiejie bit her lip. "If he didn't promise me, I'm willing to wait, and the outcome is none of his business. But if he promised to come and then broke his promise, I will never forgive him, no matter the reason. I will never wait again! Never!"
Perhaps realizing that the decisiveness in her words had surprised Ju Nian, Chen Jiejie smiled gently again, "This time, he didn't say he had to come; I wanted to wait. But I hope he can come."
Seeing Ju Nian sipping her drink, Chen Jiejie smiled and pointed in the direction where the crowd was gathered, "Look, Han Shu is showing off again."
Han Shu was surrounded by five or six people. Besides Fang Zhihe, there was another girl from their class. Ju Nian didn't recognize the rest of them.
"Han Shu, this scarf is nice, it matches your outfit very well, I like it very much too."
"Whether it suits you or not depends on the person. The color of this scarf is also selective. It looks good on Han Shu, but it may not suit Fang Zhihe and you."
"I think it looks warm and feels comfortable to the touch."
Han Shu laughed and said, "Hey, actually it was just something my sister bought on a whim. She sent it all the way here, and she insisted that I take a picture and send it back to her, otherwise she wouldn't buy me anything anymore... But it's really sweet."
Ju Nian remembered that on the way, he had asked her, "Does the scarf look good?" His expression seemed to say, "Please compliment me!" She couldn't help but laugh out loud while drinking her beverage, and muttered something to herself.
She was secretly trying to amuse herself, but unexpectedly, from a distance away, Han Shu, who was facing them from the side, seemed to have an extra eye on his temple. He slowly turned around and pointed directly at the corner where she was.
"Xie Junian, what did you say?"
He asked in front of so many people, naming names and speaking openly, which greatly embarrassed Ju Nian.