Chapter 44 Awareness
Mr. Liu was kept in the hospital for observation for a few days and was successfully discharged after it was determined that there was nothing seriously wrong.
When people are happy, they are in high spirits, and Mr. Liu had a smile on his face all day.
Since her maternal grandparents had difficulty walking, Liu's mother didn't want them to climb to the rooftop, so she carried all the prepared ingredients to their place.
Liu Yi hadn't been back to his maternal grandmother's house for almost half a year. This time when he went back, he felt like he had just been released from prison, and everything seemed strange and wonderful to him.
The family was finally reunited on a non-holiday. Grandpa was so happy that he set off a string of firecrackers to celebrate, and Grandma was able to walk much more nimbly even with her cane.
After lunch, Liu Yi had to rush back to class, and Liu Zhi saw him off.
It takes about an hour by car from the town to get to the vicinity of Liu Yi's school.
Liu Zhi and Liu Yi chose two seats in the back row and sat side by side.
The siblings can talk a lot when they video chat, but they don't know what to say when they're face to face.
Liu Yi hugged his bag to his knees and glanced out the window at the scenery.
His shoulders were higher than Liu Zhi's, and from this angle, Liu Zhi could just see his Adam's apple.
The little kid who used to follow her around has really grown up; it's like his face suddenly developed sharp features overnight.
"Will you be taking a break this week?" Liu Zhi asked Liu Yi.
"I'm off today, so that's probably it," Liu Yi said in a low voice. "Are you leaving?"
"Well, I'm thinking of getting back to work as soon as possible." Liu Zhi gripped the handrail and shifted her gaze to the carriage.
The vehicle swayed violently as it passed through a bumpy section of road. Liu Zhi, afraid of hurting her back, kept her upper body leaning forward.
"Sister," Liu Yi said, "you were the one who got hit in that short video, weren't you?"
Liu Zhi remained silent for a moment, then responded softly.
"How do you know that I can't even see their faces clearly?"
Liu Yi braced his arm against the seat, protecting Liu Zhi.
“Look at their backs and profiles.” Liu Yi hugged his bag tighter with his free hand. “Since you kept it from them, I didn’t tell them either.”
The "they" here naturally refers to family members.
"Is your back injury serious?" Liu Yi asked.
"It's a minor injury," Liu Zhi replied.
“If you can rest, it must be a serious injury, don’t lie to me,” Liu Yi said. “It must be a fracture.”
Liu Yi has really grown up. Liu Zhi looked at his profile and was filled with emotion.
"I broke one rib, but it's almost healed." Liu Zhi straightened his back, pretending to be healthy.
"It takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone, and you've only had a few days left?" Liu Yi looked down at her.
"Alright, stop bouncing around. Put your arm down." Liu Zhi didn't answer his question.
"Sister," Liu Yi said, looking straight ahead, "you must take good care of yourself while you're out there alone."
"How can someone so young speak like an old man?" Liu Zhi was touched, but still didn't mince words.
"I learned it all from you. We're in the same boat," Liu Yi said.
Liu Zhi smiled contentedly.
"I'm fine now, don't worry."
The siblings fell silent again.
The scenery outside the window has changed again and again, with the houses on both sides of the road gradually being replaced by high-rise buildings.
As they approached the city, Liu Yi asked, "Have you been particularly irritable these past few days?"
"Um?"
"My mom keeps pressuring me to get married."
"Children shouldn't concern themselves with these things," Liu Zhi said, her eyes fixed straight ahead.
"Her intentions were good, though she was a bit annoying."
Liu Zhi felt that her and Liu Yi's positions had been switched. This was the kind of advice she, as the older sister, should be giving Liu Yi.
“You’ve been sleeping really late these past few days,” Liu Yi said.
"I took a nap during the day, so I can't sleep at night," Liu Zhi continued to lie.
"Sister, are you...?" Liu Yi hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.
Last night, he woke up in the middle of the night and heard Liu Zhi on the phone, her tone very gentle. At that moment, he thought that his sister might already have someone she liked, but just couldn't say it out loud.
A figure vaguely appeared in his mind.
Amidst the clamor of footsteps and gasps, Liu Zhi weaved through the crowd to protect the figure she was desperately trying to shield.
She was a female doctor.
Liu Yi was surprised by his own thoughts.
"Hmm?" For some reason, Liu Zhi suddenly became nervous. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing," Liu Yi ultimately didn't ask.
"Sister, were you protecting a friend that day?" Liu Yi asked.
“A very important friend.” Liu Zhi looked at the back of her hand.
"oh."
"We're almost at the station, right?" Liu Zhi asked. "What time do you arrive at school?"
"One-thirty," Liu Yi replied.
"There are still more than forty minutes left." Liu Zhi prepared to get off the bus. "Is the bakery near the school still open?"
"Keep it on." Liu Yi slung his bag over his shoulder.
Liu Zhi's phone rang as soon as she got out of the car, but she didn't have time to answer it.
While Liu Yi was putting things in his pocket, he happened to see Liu Zhi's phone lock screen—a gentle-looking girl holding a yellow and white cat.
Liu Yi abruptly turned his head away, forcing himself to forget what had just happened.
An electric scooter sped past, and Liu Zhi grabbed Liu Yi's arm and pulled him onto the sidewalk.
"Don't you look left and right when you walk?" Liu Zhi's tone was a bit sharp.
"I was thinking about something just now," Liu Yi said, looking down.
Liu Zhi calmed down a bit. "Be more careful next time."
Liu Yi nodded, feeling somewhat ashamed. Liu Zhi dialed Meng Yang's number.
Meng Yang spends most of the day at work, and Liu's mother is home in the evenings. They only have time to contact each other around noon.
Liu Zhi cherishes this period of time.
"Hey, I was just squeezing onto the bus."
"Walking, not busy."
"Is lunch in the cafeteria again?"
...
Liu Yi looked at his sister.
"I don't even recognize the road here anymore, you lead the way." Liu Zhi told Liu Yi to walk in front.
Liu Yi was tall with long legs, and after walking for a while, he stopped to wait for his sister.
“You keep going, I’m watching,” Liu Zhi said.
Liu Yi walked for a while longer and realized that his sister still hadn't caught up, so he had no choice but to stand by the roadside with his hands in his pockets.
He stopped, and Liu Zhi followed him, standing by the roadside.
When Liu Zhi talks to the person on the phone, a smile always unconsciously appears in her eyes and brows.
Liu Yi's mind was in even more turmoil.
"Sister, hurry up!" Liu Yi waved his arm at her.
Liu Zhi then hung up the phone and followed in his footsteps.
"Let's go to the bakery first, I'll buy you some bread."
"No need," Liu Yi waved his hand. "I'll go straight to school."
"What time do you finish your evening self-study sessions?"
"10:30."
Liu Zhi frowned. "No, we have to buy it."
"You can also tell me if there's anything else you'd like to eat."
Liu Yi understood his sister's personality, and when he couldn't refuse, he gave up.
In the bakery, Liu Zhi wanted to buy something for Liu Yi from everything she saw. After browsing for a while, Liu Yi finally settled on the hand-whipped ice cream by the door.
“I told you to choose the bread, but you were too busy eating ice cream,” Liu Zhi said.
"How about this?" Liu Zhi picked up a piece of cheese bread and waved it in front of Liu Yi.
"Whatever." Liu Yi knew that as long as his sister had her eye on something, he would eventually have to buy it, regardless of whether he liked it or not.
In this respect, his sister and his mother are exactly the same.
"That's enough," Liu Yi said. "I can't eat any more even if I buy more."
"A tall guy over 1.8 meters eats this much?" Liu Zhi retorted.
That's enough.