Even though she couldn't see the person, Ju Nian could imagine the old man's beaming face as he spoke. It seemed that all elders in the world longed for their children, who were past the age of marriage, to settle down and start a family as soon as possible. If fate had taken a different path, and she were now enjoying the company of her parents, would anyone be nagging her with such concern? She then thought to herself with a self-deprecating smile, perhaps there really was another path, and she wouldn't necessarily be alone.
Tang Ye did not deny it. It seemed that the girl was the one who placed the order with Ju Nian that day. At this moment, Ju Nian seemed to be able to recall some details of that day. The woman's meticulousness and faint joy when choosing the items did indeed seem like someone who was deeply in love.
Tang Ye's tone was emotionless. "Auntie, I've told my aunt many times that a man and a woman don't necessarily have to be together just because they're a good match. The reason I went to see that girl was because I didn't want to spoil my aunt's fun or offend her good intentions, but..."
The old woman interrupted Tang Ye, "But you're going to talk to me about those young people's feelings, love at first sight, and so on. I don't understand those things, but I've met that girl. She's beautiful, educated, and polite. She's also interested in you. Ah Ye, you're already in your thirties. What kind of goddess do you want to be satisfied with? Your father at your age... never mind, I won't say anymore. Your aunt asked me to talk to you, but you might not listen to what I say... Ah Ye, don't blame me for being nosy, but the reason your aunt is so worried is because she's heard some gossip and rumors, like men looking for men, the better the conditions..."
"Nonsense!" Tang Ye's voice suddenly rose, accompanied by the sound of rattan chair legs scraping against the wooden floor. Ju Nian was also startled; even someone like her who didn't like to meddle in other people's business couldn't help but have sharp ears.
“Aunt, you and my aunt are both prone to listening to unfounded rumors. There’s no truth to it.” Tang Ye clearly realized he had lost his composure. He shouldn’t have been rude to the old lady. This time, his voice softened considerably, but he was still gloomy. “I don’t like that girl because I hate it when people interfere with my lifestyle. I’ve gone out with her a few times, but we’re not close enough for her to treat this place like her own territory. She didn’t even ask me about these sofa covers and cushions.”
“Other girls are just concerned about you. Ah Ye, everyone needs a companion in this world. You're always single, not only are you all alone, but others…”
"Who said I don't have a companion?" Tang Ye said quickly, then fell silent, seemingly regretting his impulsive defense. Ju Nian couldn't help but think of the bespectacled man who stood there all night, watching Tang Ye's car leave; his resentful gaze still sent a chill down Ju Nian's spine.
"You found someone on your own?" The old woman's voice regained its surprise. "What does the girl do? Where is she from? Why don't you bring her out to meet your aunt and your great-auntie? You're making us old folks worry about you for no reason!"
Tang Ye didn't answer immediately. He forgot that one lie requires countless more to cover it up. His great-aunt was old, but like his aunt, she was shrewd and calculating. Tang Ye's understanding of women was inadequate. What about the girl? Faced with this question, he was momentarily at a loss for words.
"Well, it's not exactly beautiful," he said vaguely.
"Our Tang family can't marry an ugly woman."
"Of course it's not ugly." He spoke slowly.
"What does she do? Is she from the local area? Is she a colleague in your department or was she introduced by someone else? How old is she? What's her personality like?"
The barrage of questions clearly stumped Tang Ye. Ju Nian thought to herself, Han Shu's statement that she lied as easily as eating was not untrue; at least, not everyone could lie like her without batting an eye, and Tang Ye was clearly someone who didn't know how to do it.
“You silly child, why are you being shy in front of your great-aunt? Tell me, how old is that girl, and what does she do?” The old woman repeated the key question.
"Um, that... she works in a fabric store, and she's a few years younger than me."
Ju Nian blinked again, her mind processing the information. She was instantly struck dumb, as if struck by lightning. Even if the highest level of lying was to include a crucial lie among ten truths, but…
“I’ll call your aunt. It’s the weekend, so bring that girl out. Otherwise, your aunt and I will be really worried sick.”
Tang Ye fell silent again. This time, his silence made Ju Nian's heart race, as if she were anticipating the worst-case scenario. In her panic, she couldn't help but pull back the curtains again. The eleventh floor was still too high.
She should have known better; her worst fears in life often turned out to be true. Sure enough, after a moment, Tang Ye seemed to have made up his mind, and said, "Yes, Aunt, she, she's in the room right now."
At that moment, Ju Nian closed her eyes with a pained expression.
"What?"
Just as the old woman pushed open the door, Ju Nian immediately changed her expression and put on a slightly shy smile, "Hello... Auntie."
As she said this, she saw a look of initial shock appear on Tang Ye's deathly pale face, which followed closely behind. Perhaps he couldn't have predicted Ju Nian's reaction, but this time, he had guessed right; Ju Nian owed him.
"Um... this is my great-aunt, my dad's aunt. She's always lived with us, and she raised me." Tang Ye tried to hide his embarrassment.
Ju Nian quickly said, "Grandma, my name is Xie Ju Nian." This was not only an introduction to the old woman, but also an introduction to the man who had told such a colossal lie without even knowing her name. After she finished speaking, while the old woman was looking her up and down and then at Tang Ye, she quickly stuffed the orange vest—the fabric store uniform she had just taken off a second ago—behind the curtains.
Next, the old woman took Ju Nian's hand and sat on the sofa, chatting kindly and gossipy, which goes without saying. From beginning to end, Tang Ye sat quietly in a rattan chair on one side, listening to the conversation between the two women, one old and one young.
Ju Nian smiled occasionally at her aunt's rambling. She had always been someone whose heart was quicker than her tongue, and she knew all too well that when the situation was unclear, the more she said in the face of a kind old woman's questioning, the more mistakes she would make. Perhaps she was genuinely nervous, for her ears remained red, and fine beads of sweat appeared at her hairline. But this appearance perfectly matched the old woman's initial impression of her as a gentle, kind, reserved, and shy girl who spoke softly.
Although Ju Nian was filled with trepidation, the old woman was overjoyed to finally see a pretty little girl living in the home of her reclusive grandnephew. Time flew by as they talked, and before they knew it, it was noon. The aunt offered to cook at Tang Ye's house so she could eat and chat with the young couple, specifically declining the two young people's offer to help.
Tang Ye had no choice but to watch his aunt skip into the kitchen, while Ju Nian kept glancing at the antique clock on the wall.
"Please... could you..." His words implied a plea, but not long ago, Ju Nian had been a humble and cunning "prostitute" in his eyes, and it was indeed not easy for him to suddenly change his attitude. Moreover, in the semi-open kitchen, even a slightly louder sound would inevitably disturb his aunt who was happily busy inside.
There were still jobs waiting for Ju Nian at the shop, but things had already come to this... She sighed and smiled at Tang Ye, replying, "Don't I always have a lot of part-time jobs?"
She wondered why Tang Ye did this. Perhaps it was because of her identity as a "prostitute." For money, what wouldn't she pretend to be? That's why his lies were easier to tell. She got up, made a quiet phone call to the shop, and said that something had come up at home and she had to go back temporarily.
At this moment, the aunt didn't forget to peek out from the kitchen and greet him, "Ah Ye, you too, you didn't even pour Ju Nian a glass of water. Even if you're familiar with each other, you can't be lacking in manners."
Tang Ye awkwardly got up to make tea for Ju Nian. Ju Nian quickly took the cup; the white porcelain cup was thin and the tea was clear and bright. The person who made the tea seemed introverted, sensitive, and aloof, yet he was also a kind man who knew how to enjoy life. These were qualities that another man would surely appreciate even more. As Zhu Xiaobei had said, due to the greenhouse effect and changes in the Earth's magnetic field, good men now tend to appreciate each other more and repel each other more.
Ju Nian and Tang Ye were not familiar with each other, not to mention the unpleasant things that had happened between them. With their aunt still in the kitchen, they still had to put on this show. However, the two reserved people sat there blankly, each lost in thought, which looked rather strange and stiff.
"Do you watch TV?" Tang Ye asked listlessly.
"Uh, whatever," Ju Nian said, standing up as if to put down her teacup. As she sat down, she picked up the only large book on the bag rack next to the coffee table to pass the time.
It was a paperback edition of "Journey to the West," the pages of which were worn from frequent reading. Ju Nian was not picky about books. Not only was she obsessed with martial arts novels in high school, but during her three years in prison, as a librarian, she had access to more books than other prisoners, though the selection was not extensive. She accepted everything from obscure philosophical books to comic books and knitting manuals.
Once Ju Nian sat down, she never looked up again. Tang Ye initially watched her warily, fearing that she might take the opportunity to do something. However, she just turned the pages of her book from time to time, her shoulder-length short hair partially covering her profile.
Tang Ye shifted his stiff legs. Her gradual composure eased his tension to some extent. He took a sip of the now-cold tea. This woman was now as calm as a pool of clear water, seemingly transparent, yet bottomless.
"Dinner is ready." Auntie brought out the first dish from the kitchen. Ju Nian quickly closed the book, put it back in its place, and stood up to help get the bowls and chopsticks. Tang Ye also got up. As Auntie went back to serve the next dish, he glanced at the returned copy of "Journey to the West".
"Can it really fascinate you so much?"
Ju Nian bit her lip and said, "Reading is useful for any industry."
"So what did you gain from this book? 'The restless mind, despite a thousand schemes, cannot be subdued by water and fire.'"
Ju Nian didn't answer. Instead, she went forward to take the soup bowl from her aunt's hands and placed it in the center of the table before turning back and smiling. "Not this time. What I'm looking for is the completion of the nine-nine count, the extinction of all demons, and the attainment of true enlightenment."
Tang Ye's refrigerator contained some simple provisions. His aunt, seemingly accustomed to housework, rummaged around for an hour, and a table was set with three dishes and a soup, a balanced mix of meat and vegetables, which looked quite substantial. The three sat around the table, the old woman continuing to inquire about Ju Nian's family history while constantly adding food to Ju Nian's bowl. Ju Nian only mentioned that her father was a truck driver, her mother a housewife, and she had a younger brother—this was the truth. As for her parents and brother, they had rarely been in contact for eleven years; there was no need to mention that in front of the old woman.
As they ate, the aunt had asked all the questions she needed to. After adding a bowl of rice to Tang Ye's bowl, she suddenly asked, "By the way, Ye, my memory is getting worse and worse. Your aunt asked me the other day if your birthday was coming up soon. With my semi-senile dementia, I couldn't remember no matter how hard I tried. Were you born in May or September?"
Although the aunt's words seemed to be directed at Tang Ye, her eyes were fixed on Ju Nian. Tang Ye held his bowl but didn't pick up his chopsticks, gripping them tightly.
Ju Nian was perfectly aware of the situation. The old woman, having lived so long, had far more experience and wisdom than they did. A future grandniece-in-law had seemingly fallen from the sky, fulfilling a long-held wish. However, this event was too sudden, and the old woman harbored some suspicion. She couldn't ask directly, perhaps knowing that if the two were genuinely deceiving her, questioning would be pointless. So, she probed indirectly. If Ju Nian was truly Tang Ye's girlfriend, someone he brought home and kept hidden in his room, she should at least know Tang Ye's birthday.
Ju Nian slowly swallowed the food in her mouth. This question really stumped her. She not only didn't know when Tang Ye was born, but apart from a name and an address, she knew nothing about this man.
"Auntie, I never celebrate my birthday, as you know." If Tang Yeruo directly stated her birthdate, it would be tantamount to letting her auntie assume that Ju Nian truly didn't know. Even if she explained that she had forgotten, it would make the two seem too unfamiliar. She could only vaguely smooth things over.
Just as Auntie was about to speak, Ju Nian turned to Tang Ye and smiled, "Ye, I remember you told me you were born in the summer, right? I've kind of forgotten whether it was July 23rd or 24th."
Tang Ye was stunned, his surprise evident in his eyes. But his aunt didn't look at him. She smiled and said to Ju Nian, "That's right, that's right, it's July 24th. See, Ju Nian still remembers."
Ju Nian smiled and lowered her head to eat, her heart finally settling down. She had taken a gamble, with less than a 20% chance of winning. Thank goodness, she was lucky. Even if she was wrong, she could find a topic to brush it off.
After lunch and a short break, Auntie and Ju Nian went back to the sofa to watch TV.
"A-Ye, sit down too." The aunt seemed to have no more questions about the young couple. Although Ju-Nian still looked a little shy, he answered all her questions fluently.
Although the girl came from an ordinary family, she looked unusually clean, which pleased her great-aunt.
Tang Ye did not sit down. "I don't really like watching old Cantonese opera films. You guys chat."
He said this, but as he entered the study and began unpacking the package his aunt had brought him that day, his eyes secretly peered through the crack in the door at the woman in the living room.
My aunt said, "Ju Nian, you must be feeling bored too. You young people don't like this anymore."
The woman named Xie Junian said, "No, I heard some of it when I was a child, and I still remember some of it now."
"Really?" The great-aunt was clearly pleasantly surprised.
"What I remember most vividly is 'The Bell Tolls at the Zen Temple'..."
"Oh, I know, I know!" Auntie slapped her thigh.
"...In the quiet of the desolate mountain, the faint, steady sound of a midnight bell could be heard."
The tolling of the bell shattered my dream, making it even harder to achieve.
Who is it that makes me so sorrowful, it is none other than the chime stone…
Tang Ye listened quietly as the woman hummed along with her aunt. The most desolate and cold tune, in her not-so-sweet voice, had a kind of calm and detached feeling after all the trials and tribulations.
"...Love is like a bubble, a dream of love, a promise made in three lifetimes."
How could I possibly acknowledge this retroactively…
Tang Ye placed his hands on the opened package.
Who exactly is she?
After the meal, Auntie planned to go back to the old house to rest. Tang Ye insisted on taking the old woman back, but Ju Nian said that she had to go to another place to run errands and it wasn't on her way. She walked Auntie downstairs and then waved goodbye.
Auntie got into Tang Ye's black Volkswagen Santana, and Ju Nian said goodbye to them.
“Ju Nian, let’s have dinner together next time. Ah Ye said he doesn’t like Cantonese opera, but he used to love it when he was little, and he could sing a few parts quite well. I’ll have him sing for you then.” It seemed that her aunt and she got along very well.
“Okay, next time.” Ju Nian leaned over from outside the car and nodded with a smile.
Tang Ye stared at her for a while, then unexpectedly turned to his aunt and said, "Aunt, wait for me, I need to say a few words to her."
The aunt laughed and said, "Young people, you're already so clingy even though you're not separated yet."
Tang Ye got out of the car and pulled Ju Nian a few steps away. Ju Nian seemed docile and did not react much.
"Is the money in the package my aunt brought yours?" He had left his father's old house address when he spoke to the traffic police, just like he had done with the two women, fearing they would cause trouble. His father had passed away many years ago, and only his aunt lived there; he only went back to visit occasionally. Today, the brown paper package his aunt brought contained exactly 5,000 yuan, no more, no less.
“The money isn’t mine, it’s yours. I had no choice that day, but I’m truly sorry,” Ju Nian said sincerely.
Tang Ye paused for a moment, then asked, "So how much should I pay you today? You tell me." He was also someone who didn't like to be indebted.
Ju Nian seemed to think about it seriously for a while, then said, "You should give me 1450 yuan."
Tang Ye was taken aback, but still lowered his head to search his wallet.
Ju Nian held the 1450 yuan in his hand and said with a smile, "The money for the sofa cover is paid off. Once the goods have left, there are no returns or exchanges."
They were even now. Ju Nian was grateful to Tang Ye for giving her a chance to repay him. If you don't have that chance, no matter what you owe, the so-called compensation will only be a burden to the other party. She was lucky to be able to repay him.
"Goodbye," Ju Nian said to Tang Ye.
Goodbye, goodbye, it means goodbye forever, never to meet again.
"Wait a minute." Tang Ye called out to her, asking the question that had been bothering him for a while, "How could you possibly know my birthday?"
Ju Nian smiled and said, "I guessed."
Seeing that Tang Ye didn't believe her, she added the most crucial point.
"At Wangfeng Pavilion, one can sleep soundly in the wind during the Great Heat."
The Great Heat, which falls on July 23 or 24, is the hottest day of the year.
Although she didn't know what memories this man had on that particular birthday, she remembered herself weeping and carving under the pomegranate tree. Perhaps she shared the same passion as this man; they both loved to deeply carve precious things. And if one day, when they grew old and their memories faded, the wood grain would still remember them for them.
Chapter Four: Tomorrow night, second floor of the Left Bank
After repaying Tang Ye's debt, Ju Nian felt much better. For some people, the feeling of being indebted is perhaps more unbearable than being indebted to, because the person who is indebted can forgive themselves and say it's over; but the person who owes others, as long as the guilt is still on their shoulders, will never be able to get over that hurdle.