I haven't heard from my father for several days. My mother goes to work, does beauty treatments, and goes shopping as usual. I am still the same as usual, going to work and coming home. In my free time, I accompany my mother to pick out some clothes, or make an appointment with Yaoyao and others to watch a movie. From this point of view alone, Zhao Xinyue seems to have withdrawn from our lives.
No matter how unhappy a woman is, she will comfort herself by buying a piece of clothing, a box of rouge, and then get up the next day to live her life again. But every night when everyone is asleep and I see the dim light coming from my mother's bedroom, I realize that the family is still different with him or without him.
One day, my mother pointed at herself in the mirror and asked anxiously, "Qiuqiu, do you think I am old?"
I held my mother's shoulders and shook my head, but I saw that her eyes were dim and faint brown spots appeared in the corners of her eyes from time to time. I felt sad and painful in my heart.
My mother seems to live in her own world, unaware that the outside world is changing with each passing day.
In the sleepless night, I thought of Nan Fang. That boy from the distant past once wrote to me and said that it was common for rich men to find lovers outside. Quilt, take things easy. Parents’ lives are their lives, and we are us. We all need to deal with our own lives. He was so open-minded at that time. He was still so young...
The drizzle of autumn rain mixed with the coolness made me more energetic. I simply turned on the light and rummaged through the boxes to find a stack of yellowed letter paper. Xu Nanfang and I had been separated by four summers in the mountain city without realizing it. At this time, I suddenly realized that men are all very open-minded, and it is only us who are not open-minded.
Even Zhang Yaoyao and Senior Brother Luo started playing the breakup game, getting angry over trivial matters, one party wanting to break up, the other trying to keep the other, the relationship becoming strained for a while, and then reconciling… I became more and more confused, but Yaoyao laughed at me for becoming more and more closed-minded, still humming Faye Wong’s early songs when I went to KTV. They had already bought the albums of Taipei campus singer Cheer Chen and the recent Jay Chou. That guy spoke unclearly, and his tongue seemed to be tangled in his mouth and couldn’t move. I didn’t know whether he was talking or singing, but he was very popular among the new generation.
My mother was still discussing divorce with my father, and she was discussing it privately without my knowledge. Many, many times, when I saw my mother coming out of the room after making a phone call, I wanted to go up to her, shake her arm and ask, "Mom, how was the discussion with Dad?"
Or - Mom, tell me, are you really going to get a divorce? Are you ready
Also, no matter what conditions you put forward or what decision you make, I will stand by your side.
But she doesn't need it. They are adults with their own independent spiritual world, even if it is sometimes fragile and vulnerable.
My father didn't come home for two weeks, and I knew they hadn't reached an agreement. One day, when I got home from get off work, I was greeted by a fragrant aroma as soon as I opened the door. I looked up and saw a slender vase on the windowsill. The curtains were drawn, and a large bunch of lilies had their shadows lengthened by the afterglow of the setting sun. I looked around and found my mother leaning against the window in a sleeveless purple silk dress. At first glance, her shoulders were narrow, and she was still the beauty she used to be. I suddenly felt like I was back in the past, and I deliberately called her naughtily, "Mom!"
The mother turned around, holding in her hand the latest travel magazine, a color page with the cover featuring a newly popular tourist destination - Saipan.
"Huh?" I blinked like a little kid.
"Qianqian, where do you think we should go? I haven't been out for a walk in years."
If you have such interest, you must have let it go and your worries can be reduced by half.
"Where do you want to go, Mom? I happen to have a vacation." I picked up the drooping pages of the book.
The mother flipped through the magazine and pointed to a page and said, "Shu Ming suggested going to the beach. If you want to play longer, you can go to the Maldives or Bali. If you don't want to bother, you can stay in China or go to Sanya to see the blue sky and clouds."
Oh, it's him. When did he call again? I saw a comfortable smile on my mother's face. I secretly sighed that this person was so thoughtful and could please the elders in this way.
"My dear Aunt Jiang, when did you get a close friend who is much older than you?" I asked with a slightly teasing tone.
My mother glared at me and didn't argue with me. She just said to me very calmly and seriously, "You are not a child anymore."
"It's not too late to make plans after the 25th." I took the travel magazine, sat on the armchair, lowered my head, and turned the pages one by one.
“If you don’t plan for the future, you’ll have immediate worries. If you find the most suitable person in your best years, you’re already halfway to success in life. Otherwise, your youth will be wasted, and you’ll regret it when you become an old lady.” Wow, my mother actually said such a profound truth, and she was quite serious.
How could I say no? In addition to my mother's unhappiness, all her hopes were pinned on me. I let out a breath and muttered softly, Zhao Qinqin has a heavy responsibility!
My mother rolled her eyes at me and patted my shoulder heavily, "Don't be so careless!"
I put down the magazine, looked up at her and smiled, "Dear Aunt Jiang, when did Li Shuming call again to say hello? What did he say?"
"You are still interested in him—" Mother smiled.
Yes, this person, although he is still a bit mysterious to me, and his sophisticated handling of things makes me in awe, I still began to like him, at least my mother likes this, and her happiness is my happiness. Otherwise, how can I find a good boy to please the injured Aunt Jiang
After dinner, I remembered that I should call Li Shuming. I looked through my phone, but where was his number? I had never exchanged contact information with him. It was really funny that Li Shuming's personal phone number was from my mother's handwritten phone book. I called the number, and it rang three times before I picked up. It was quite quiet on the other end. I thought he might be socializing. "Hi!" I still didn't know how to address him.
"Quilt?"
"Yes, what are you busy with recently?"
"Trivia, meetings, reports, and studying the central bank's series of policies to ease monetary policy. Are you free today?"
Oh! It sounds as if I am never free, but he is always waiting.
"We might go on a trip, but we don't know where to go. Mom said you gave her some good advice."
Li Shuming's hearty laugh came from the receiver, and I seemed to see his bright eyes and white teeth. I could vaguely hear music over there, a leisurely piano piece, but I didn't know the name of it.
"From what I heard from my aunt, she hopes to travel as soon as possible," he added.
"Yes, I'm just in the country, relaxing."
"The vast sea and sky are a good place to relax and melt away worries."
"Sanya?"
"It's suitable to take aunt to a mature tourist area. There's no need to climb mountains, rush, or get tired. You can completely relax." He said it very logically.
"Okay, let's go see the tour group tomorrow."
"It's fashionable to travel independently now. If you need me, I'd be happy to contact you..."
I hurriedly thanked him. This person had entered our lives so quickly that I couldn't help but feel a little scared when I thought about it. I was afraid that he had some hidden agenda. It would be better for me to take my mother with the tour group. He didn't force us, and he wasn't too enthusiastic. I think this person will always be like this. (To be continued)