Yang Mi has always been good to me and never mentioned anything like dating or having a girlfriend. I enjoy this kind of relationship. There are no obligations or responsibilities. The scale is all up to me. It's very relaxing. Some people think that our relationship is as confusing and ambiguous as described in many stories. Some people even think that we are already boyfriend and girlfriend, but we just don't want to make it public. Only we know that our hearts are still at a distance and we haven't really entered each other's hearts.
Grandma's health became increasingly weak, and her heart function seriously declined. Later, she relied entirely on drugs to maintain her health. The doctor made an analogy, just like our mobile phone batteries, at the beginning, they can be used for five days on a single charge, but after a few years, they need to be charged every day. In the autumn when I was just a senior in college, Grandpa Xu came back to visit again and went to the hospital to visit Grandma.
One Wednesday afternoon, I had no classes, so I went to the hospital to see my grandma alone. Grandpa Xu was there. The old man was chatting and laughing in the ward. Even my grandma, who was barely breathing two days ago, was infected by him and seemed to be full of energy. They talked intermittently, and I stood at the door and couldn't bear to interrupt them. At that time, I couldn't help but wonder if this old man had taken some magic medicine to maintain such vigorous energy at his age
This time, Grandpa Xu and Aunt Yiqing stayed at the hotel. My father formally invited them to the Marriott Hotel for dinner. During the meal, they talked about grandma's condition. My father told us that the doctor had issued another critical illness notice, and it would not take long, probably in the next few days. Everyone at the table bowed their heads and said nothing. After a long while, I heard Grandpa Xu say, "We will send her off on this journey before returning to Taipei."
Grandma passed away five days later. That day, our family was there, several aunts also came from other places, and Grandpa Xu and Aunt Yiqing were also there. Grandma moved her dry lips, as if she wanted to say something. My father quickly leaned over and lowered his head to listen. I also moved closer, hoping to hear Grandma's last voice. "I saw Zhao Mingde in my dream yesterday... That year, when he passed away, he said to me, "Qianru, I... am sorry for you... That year, everyone knew that they were going to withdraw, and Ruinian would definitely leave. I shouldn't have gone to find him, and just let him leave by himself, and not take you running around. Women all hope for stability... If you followed him there, your life would be better, and you wouldn't have to... work so hard for so many years, and you would have a companion in your old age... Unlike me... I have to go first..." I didn't hear the last few words clearly, and tears flowed down the sides of my nose and flowed into my mouth, salty.
Their story ends here.
I didn't ask Eunuch Xu about the situation in the south, but my father mentioned it at the dinner table, politely asking about the Xu family's recent situation. Aunt Yiqing was about to speak, but Eunuch Xu said first, "Everything is fine, everything is fine."
In late autumn, I made a formal decision to join the job-hunting army. I made resumes, attended job fairs, took written tests, and had interviews. I traveled to every corner of the city. Like all my classmates looking for jobs, I was on the job-hunting battlefield without gunpowder, and sometimes I couldn't avoid fighting each other.
At that time, Yang Mi had graduated, passed the judicial examination, and was working in a famous law firm. Like most law school graduates, he started out as a junior and "odd job". He didn't find it hard, and just said, "Just hold on for two years." We still made time for dates, meals, chats, and walks.
Sometimes, applying for a position requires a special resume and a cover letter in both English and Chinese. When I am too busy or too upset to do it, I will text him, "Yang Mi, I will send my resume to your Yahoo mailbox. The requirements for this position are... If you have time, please help me revise it. If you have time, please also help me write a cover letter..."
I knew he would be free. I was sure to receive a reply from him the next day.
He often joked with me, "Zhao Qinqin, you are so shameless, you have taken me for granted."
"Actually, if you're busy, you don't have to help me write it. I can also try to write the cover letter myself." I chuckled.
"You've already got me.....please treat me to a meal when you find a job!" He shook his head, with a look of doting in his eyes.
I nodded quickly. "I'll treat you to a feast then. You can choose any place you want."
I have to say that Yang Mi's kindness is a good medicine, but it is not bitter. He is the first person who makes me feel grateful and should repay him.
For example, he would take time out of a weekend when he didn’t have to work overtime to accompany me to the suburbs for an outing. For example, at dusk, he would send me a text message: The temperature will drop tomorrow, remember to put on more clothes. When there was a sudden thunderstorm, I would hide in the mall and text him to chat. While chatting, I suddenly heard someone call out, “Qinqin, you are here!” I looked up and saw Yang Mi standing one meter away, tilting his head at me, his trouser legs wet, and the umbrella in his hand still dripping...
When spring came and flowers bloomed, I finally got a job at a state-owned bank in this city. My father asked someone to help me, and I will stay in the branch to do some back-end work.
I really treated Yang Mi to a feast at the Chinese restaurant above the Yangtze Island Hotel. We ordered grouper and sea cucumber with abalone sauce, as well as four other more common dishes. Yang Mi stuck out her tongue, "Qiu Qin, why are you being so polite? There's really no need to spend so much money!"
"As I said, I will repay you after I finish the work!"
I paid the bill with the bank card my father gave me. The amount was not small. I had never spent so much money on a meal with my classmates before. However, I felt very relieved. It seemed that if I didn't spend more, I wouldn't be able to repay him enough.
My father asked a fortune teller to calculate an auspicious date for grandma's burial. Grandpa's tomb is a double tomb, and they will rest together forever. On the day of the funeral, both Grandpa Xu and Uncle Xu were present. They stayed in their hometown for a day, came to the city the next day, had a meal with us, and then hurriedly flew to Shanghai.
A week later, I suddenly received an email from an unfamiliar address. Before I opened it, I felt a little nervous and my heart was pounding. It was indeed a letter from Xu Nanfang:
"I heard that grandma was buried in her hometown. I'm sorry I couldn't attend. Please accept my condolences.
Qinqin, you are about to graduate from college, right? Will you continue to study or work? How have you been these past few years? I hope that I have not brought you too much unhappiness and unhappiness.
south"
I suddenly felt mixed emotions, sad, melancholy, and felt that things and people had changed. The complex emotions were hard to describe. I just felt that the past was unbearable to look back on. I thought about it and emailed him back the next day.
“I’m fine and will be working in a bank in this city after graduation.
How about you? You should be finishing your master's degree in the US soon, right? What are your plans? Have you found a beautiful foreign girlfriend? … ”
I thought about it for a long time, and finally, I couldn't help but add: "You said that you hoped that you hadn't brought me too much unhappiness and unhappiness in the past. I'm afraid that the truth is often not as perfect as people hope. In the past, I felt sad when I thought of you, but now, the storm has finally passed and the sky is clear. Xu Nanfang, you are a serious mistake in Zhao Qinqin's ignorant youth."
Two days later, I saw Xu Nanfang’s reply:
"I'm about to graduate, and I'm undecided whether to stay in the U.S. or return to Taiwan. I do have a girlfriend, she's not a foreigner, she came from Taipei like me, and we've planned to get married after graduation.
Qinqin, I'm sorry for what happened in the past and sincerely wish you happiness and joy in the days to come.
South” (To be continued)