"Hu Ni!" A soft call, as if from a dream.
Hu Ni paused, remaining in the same position, relying solely on her senses to determine if the sound was genuine.
"Hu Ni!" A call that was both unfamiliar and familiar.
Hu Ni let out a soft breath and turned back. Qiu Ping stood there, in a stubborn posture, just like the one he had taken when he stood on the mountaintop that year. Hu Ni noticed that he had changed into a neat suit, a clean and tidy outfit, the standard image of an office worker, an ordinary man that could be seen everywhere in this city. The difference was that he was Qiu Ping.
"So early?"
Hu Ni said, "Yes."
“Let’s go together,” Qiu Ping said, walking up to Hu Ni.
Hu Ni looked away. He and the young Qiu Ping always seemed a little out of sync, yet he was clearly Qiu Ping again. Hu Ni turned and slowly walked forward. He exuded a fresh scent, without the smell of smoke or perfume, but the clean scent of sunshine and licorice.
I called you after I got home last night.
"...I didn't hear it."
"I thought so too. It's so late, you should be asleep..."
"..."
"I must see you this morning... otherwise I won't feel at ease."
"...I didn't expect you to live so close by."
"Yes, we've actually lived so close to each other in the last two years."
She reached the street corner very quickly; there was a bus, number 204, there to catch. Hu Ni didn't stop and continued walking towards Shennan Avenue. She felt herself sweating; her palms were also damp and cool with perspiration.
"Are you alright?" Qiu Ping asked. They didn't talk much, and an inexplicable awkwardness made them both fall silent.
"Hmm, it's alright." Hu Ni looked away from the stone slabs on the road, glanced at him easily, and smiled. Qiu Ping's beard was freshly shaved, with a bluish patch on his chin; he'd grown up. Hu Ni thought with a touch of melancholy.
"Are your uncle and aunt alright?" Hu Ni asked. She liked this question, as it was one that only came to mind after they had gone through something together.
“Okay… Last Spring Festival when we went back, they were still talking about you, saying they didn’t know how you were doing now…” Qiu Ping turned to look at Hu Ni, but saw that her eyes were misty, so he stopped talking.
As they walked onto the overpass, Hu Ni asked with a smile, "Do you remember the day the typhoon hit?"
Qiu Ping looked at her with a puzzled expression.
“On the overpass,” Hu Ni reminded her with a smile.
"Is that you?" Qiu Ping asked in surprise. He hadn't paid attention to the woman's appearance that day.
Hu Ni nodded and said, "I heard your companion call your name."
"Then why didn't you call me?"
“…I didn’t realize it at first,” Hu Ni said, looking down, then smiled.
Qiu Ping laughed and said, "Yes, it was so sudden. When I heard someone call your name that day, I couldn't believe it was really you."
Hu Ni smiled but didn't say anything.
They both laughed. Walking down the overpass, there were very few people waiting for the bus. Just then, a No. 113 bus came by, and Hu Ni got on. Qiu Ping also wanted to go with her, but Hu Ni quickly said, "You don't need to see me off."
"I'm on this train too."
Hu Ni blushed and secretly blamed herself for being presumptuous.
A Past of Sudden Growth (Part Two)
gold
In front of the municipal government building, adorned with flowers, two stone sculptures of oxen pulling a plow remain in the same pose. Qiu Ping pointed to the sculptures and said, "Look, these are the people of Shenzhen. Shenzhen was built by many people like them."
Looking at the stone carving, Hu Ni felt a little moved. Qiu Ping was still as innocent as ever, with a touch of upright innocence.
Today's journey seemed unusually short. Qiu Ping kept saying that it was still early, so he and Hu Ni got out of the car, crossed the road, and stopped in front of a building. Hu Ni said, "You should go to work now, it's getting late."
Qiu Ping looked at Hu Ni with such heartbreaking tenderness in his eyes, and said, "I'll watch you go in."
Hu Ni smiled, walked up the dark green marble steps, turned the corner, and looked back. A man who was both familiar and unfamiliar to her, a handsome man with a distinguished air, turned and walked towards the station.
Even after entering the elevator, my heart was still pounding. I took a deep breath to calm it down.
There was no one in the office yet; it was far too early. Hu Ni quickly stood in front of the window, looking down at the people coming and going, but she couldn't spot Qiu Ping. She slowly sat down, feeling a mix of bewildered happiness and unease.
Around noon, Xiaoyan called. She yawned on the phone and asked, "How was that handsome guy you met yesterday? Did he do well?" Getting up now was perfectly normal for Xiaoyan.
"What did you say?"
Xiao Yan chuckled and said, "Don't lie to me, he already took you home. I didn't want to disturb your good time, that's why I didn't call you yesterday. How was it? Not bad, right? He seems like the kind of man with real 'capability'." She finished with another light laugh.
Hu Ni was getting annoyed. The pleasant feeling had been turned into something lewd by Xiao Yan. Hu Ni said, "If you keep saying that, I'm hanging up!"
Are you really angry?
What do you think?
"Never mind, never mind, forget I said anything..."
This city is teeming with unmarried men and women, and rampant one-night stands. Hu Ni couldn't be too dissatisfied with Xiao Yan's attitude; it was simply the reality. A condom, a glass of red wine or coffee, a mundane or eventful encounter, a fleeting desire to indulge oneself, a somewhat lonely couple, a simple "I wonder who's playing whom"—these elements fuel countless passionate stories in this city, some intense, some mundane, permeating every corner. ...But Hu Ni didn't want any of that. After Xiao Wen, she cherished herself as much as she cherished her virginity. She wouldn't play games with anyone, she wouldn't play with anyone anymore, she didn't want that kind of game. She didn't have the skill to play emotional games, so she could only cherish herself.
But is she still capable of accepting Meng Qiuping? This is a thorny issue.
As I was leaving get off work, my phone suddenly rang, the ringtone enough to shatter my weary heart.
Hu Ni fumbled in her bag, the more anxious she became, the less she could find that small piece of paper. Finally, she pulled it out and saw that it indeed displayed that familiar number. Hu Ni's heart, which had become much calmer, was suddenly stirred again. Anticipation, anxiety, and passion surged within her; her body could barely bear such complex emotions, and she felt like she was about to collapse. The forced composure she had displayed when she first met Qiu Ping yesterday was gone. After a day of reminiscing, a day of waiting, a day of struggling, the feelings that had been hidden since her youth, the memories of him that she had repeatedly pondered in his absence, all ignited her desire for him, causing it to erupt like a volcano. But she had to endure it; the pain stemmed from her necessity to endure.
"Hello? Hu Ni? Is that you?" Qiu Ping's voice sounded distant yet intimately close.
“It’s me.” A day of futile struggle had left Hu Ni somewhat weak.
How are you? Are you alright?
"good."
"I have to work overtime today..."
"Oh." I felt inexplicably relieved.
"If there's nothing else, I'll contact you another day."
"Okay!" After hanging up the phone, I looked at the distant horizon and thought how wonderful it would be if things could really stop like this.
A Past of Sudden Growth (Part 3)
gold
Lying in bed, my eyes stared into an endless darkness. Everything that's happened lately has been so sudden, leaving me with a myriad of emotions, and suddenly I felt an urge to confide in someone. It's been so long since I've written a novel.
Too many emotions to express, I'm at a loss for words. Let me start with a title. The book's title: a very old story, a story from the mountains, from yesterday to today. Yesterday is like ashes after a fire, floating in today's sunlight. "Ashes of Time," yes, that's what it will be called.
Hu Ni got up, turned on the light, turned on the computer, and sat down in the chair. She could be described as having a surge of emotions, but she couldn't write a single meaningful word.
Under the light, her phone suddenly rang. Hu Ni looked at it, stood up, and grabbed the phone that was charging in the corner—the number she already knew.
"Qiuping".
"Hu Ni, you're still awake?" Qiu Ping's voice was deep and magnetic, carrying a mature, masculine quality.
How did you know?
“I was downstairs from you, and I saw your lights were on.”
Hu Ni walked to the window, lifted a corner of the curtain, and saw Qiu Ping standing in the small open space.
"Please come out. I want to see you!" Qiu Ping's voice was soft and gentle, like a bewitching mist, making Hu Ni float and become blurred.
Hu Ni opened the door and walked into the hallway, still wearing her white lace-trimmed nightgown. She saw the boy standing on the mountaintop.
She turned off her phone, not wanting to think about anything anymore, and ran downstairs. The warmth of her childhood, the budding feelings of her youth, and the unsettling temptations she couldn't resist now drove her down. She didn't care about anything else; she just wanted this moment. She would cherish this moment, even if it was just this one.
The slippers made a "clattering" sound on the stairs. Running was a little difficult for the feet wearing slippers, but Qiu Ping was waiting for them below. They continued to run wildly, as if they had been waiting for this run all their lives, and nothing else mattered.
He didn't hesitate, and neither did she. He embraced her, and she nestled into his arms; everything was so natural, as if they had never been apart.
They embraced tightly, as if trying to draw each other into their own bodies. He kissed her, kissed her tear-streaked face, kissed her cold lips. She felt his lips, so sensual and tender. She smelled an unfamiliar scent on him, a clean, masculine scent, carrying the aroma of sunshine and mint. She took a deep breath; this was the scent she had waited so long for.
He lowered his head, stroking her hair with his chin, and murmured, "Hu Ni, I've found you."
Hu Ni buried her head deeply in his chest, lost in thought, unwilling to think. Latecomers passing by whistled loudly, expressing their surprise and delight.
The moonlight still gently shone on the city, which was beginning to quiet down. Qiu Ping stroked Hu Ni's hair and said softly, "Go back and get some sleep. You have to go to work tomorrow."
Hu Ni tilted her head back, looking at Qiu Ping so close, so very close, what an incredible happiness.
"Go back, sweetie!" Qiu Ping reached into Hu Ni's hair, brought her head close, and gently kissed Hu Ni's forehead.
Reaching the top of the stairs, I turned around and saw Qiu Ping standing there, his tall and imposing figure bathed in the moonlight. "I'll call you tomorrow!" Qiu Ping said.
Hu Ni ran upstairs and looked down from the hallway. Qiu Ping was still standing there. Hu Ni lay down on the bed, thinking that someone was watching over her like that, and her heart warmed so much that she almost cried again. She turned off the light. Then she quietly got out of bed, walked to the window, and carefully lifted a corner of the curtain. She saw Qiu Ping standing there. Qiu Ping slowly took two steps back, then turned and walked away. Until he was out of sight.
After a long while, she slowly fell asleep. Hu Ni saw the shimmering sea, the water clear and warm, reflecting the sunlight. Hu Ni must be at the bottom of the ocean, with Qiu Ping, the grown-up Qiu Ping. They stood hand in hand on the seabed, watching the colorful little fish swim past them. They admired it, marveling at the beauty of the underwater world. Suddenly, they were on the shore, running, just like they were as children. They laughed loudly, and in the water, they saw small, beautiful silver fish…
A Past of Sudden Growth (Part 4)
gold
Things seemed to be progressing smoothly, as if everything was happening naturally.
At night, Hu Ni lay in bed, watching her phone's green glow flicker, anxiously signaling its impending call. Hu Ni knew he wouldn't call; after 10:30, he wouldn't call again.
Would he be with someone else? The thought was somewhat sordid, but she couldn't help but think it, because she had seen so many unfaithful men, and she lacked confidence. How much trust should one give a man before it's not too much? Hu Ni struggled to control her wild thoughts, reopened her computer, and wrote down what felt pale and powerless, yet the emotions within her were clearly surging.
She knew she was longing for him, longing for him like a thirsty person longing for water and bread.
However, inferiority is always Hu Ni's greatest enemy. What will be the fate of a woman with a disability?
Hu Ni glanced at the time; it was 11:40. She got up, didn't turn on the light, and slowly walked to the window, carefully lifting a corner of the curtain. The open space below was deserted. A deep disappointment, like the darkness of the night, overwhelmed Hu Ni. She simply sat down at the desk by the window, lit a cigarette, and slowly began to smoke. The smoke drifted by, making a desolate, hollow sound.
Actually, Qiu Ping definitely won't be coming today. He's in another city right now; he said he's on a business trip.
She once again lifted a corner of the curtain to look down at the open space below, where Qiu Ping had once watched over her.
Qiu Ping, Qiu Ping is a man too, doesn't he have any manly "qualities"? Hu Ni thought of Xiao Wen. Even now, thinking of him still hurts her deeply, a pain that cuts to the bone. He left such a profound memory, and his final cowardice, that she would never forget, because of the pain he inflicted on her—both physical and emotional. He left an indelible mark on her. Hu Ni vowed never to "play" with anyone again. Today, she had to admit that her actions back then were absurd, not worth it. Yes, not worth it. He wasn't worth the sacrifice she made for him. Qiu Ping wouldn't be like that. No, even if all men in the world were like that, Qiu Ping was special. He was one of the few remaining good men of this century, a kind, simple, upright man untouched by worldly corruption. He was a piece of gold.
But perhaps he already has a girlfriend, or even is married. Hu Ni sighed; perhaps that would be for the best. No pressure, no need to feel inferior.
Looking at the phone flashing green, she felt an urge to hear his voice. This urge had been suppressed for a long time. But her experience with Xiao Wen had instilled in her a habitual restraint to contact him. She was still restraining herself, though she couldn't explain why.
The cigarette was still burning between my fingers, slowly wasting its life. Only a wisp of smoke remained, gradually dissipating.
Hu Ni suddenly stubbed out her cigarette, jumped off the table, grabbed her phone from beside her pillow, and dialed the numbers without hesitation. But she didn't press the small green button to connect. She repeated this several times, finally breaking down in tears under the covers. Her experience with Xiao Wen had deeply affected her; she was afraid to disturb anyone's life. Even after all these years, she had maintained this restraint. But ultimately, she didn't want to go through that again. She pressed the small green button heavily, held the phone to her ear, and listened nervously. It connected.