Shu Ming is the right person at the right time and in the right place, that's it.
There were many calls from the south. "Qianqin, my father told me that my hometown in the county has been completely transformed and the housing prices have doubled. Have you been back to take a look?"
"I never thought Shanghai would be so prosperous, yet deserted. I found that the women in this city are very similar to the style of this city. To them, my father seems to be more popular than me. It's quite interesting."
"I went to see a play yesterday. I was very familiar with that line, so I recited it along."
The tone was kind and warm, like an old friend, unintentionally sharing the little joys of life with me. If possible, I hope this friendship will follow me throughout my life.
The wedding was scheduled for New Year's Day, and the wedding invitations were sent out. My mother worked hard to organize a grand and decent wedding for me. My father returned to his habit of coming home late, but strangely, my mother had no complaints and seemed to have let it go.
As for Shuming, the new boss took over and was very strict. Everyone followed him and was busy showing off. Shuming was in an awkward situation, so he was more proactive and modest in everything, so as to leave a good impression on the new boss and get along well with him in the future. But he still insisted on calling me every evening to chat with me briefly. I have to admit that he has always been a responsible person. In his eyes, many things are responsibilities and shoulds, not temporary passions. Therefore, I would not feel a significant gap as the relationship went from passionate to stable.
I mentioned Wang Biyun during a phone call one evening. He had been working overtime until one o'clock in the morning that day and was preparing for a business trip, which would leave next week.
"I heard that Wang Biyun is back? I haven't heard you mention it."
"Oh! Girl, where did you hear so many gossips? Wang Biyun was indeed transferred back from the Hong Kong branch. But this has nothing to do with you and me. We are getting married soon."
He never denies a fact. But I was still upset and muttered, "But you have to go on a business trip! You're going on a business trip right after she comes?"
"My work arrangements are decided by my boss. I have no hesitation towards her."
Although I couldn't argue with him, I was not convinced in my heart. Wang Biyun was his ex-wife and they worked in the same unit, so they would have to meet in the future, so he should have told me.
He seemed to understand what I was thinking. "Don't worry, little girl. Our relationship ended four years ago and we have nothing to do with each other now. Besides, now that I have a good little girl like you, how can I have the energy to reminisce about the past?"
I felt relieved. He asked me if I had anything to bring back from there. I thought about it and said no. He told me to think about it slowly and tell him when I had thought of it.
When the mountain city was shrouded in wet fog in November and raindrops splashed on the blue stone pavement in the alleys, bringing a chilling chill, Shuming wrapped himself in a scarf and went to rainy Frankfurt.
This is the longest distance we have ever been apart from each other since we met.
It happened that I met Xu Nanfang again at this time. It was said that he and Uncle Xu came here to finalize the agreement with the agent, and the time was exactly two days before my 24th birthday.
The two times my father went out to meet the father and son, my mother didn't deliberately not go. She just held my hand and said, "These men have a lot to talk about. Instead of just listening to them, why not go out and pick out some clothes you like? Qiuqiu, you go out with me. The wedding day needs to be grand, and I can't find a decent dress in my closet."
The father turned around and frowned, "You're not going to go?"
I looked at my mother's face and saw that she had no intention of going at all, so I nodded to my father, followed her out, and drove another car to Pacific Department Store.
Nan Fang called me that night and didn't hide his disappointment at all. "I thought you and your aunt were coming! A table of grown men talking about business is so boring."
I chuckled softly, still a little boyish after all, "Then what's going to make it fun?"
"Girls' conversations are more interesting. It's the most fun to listen to the sisters' conversations at our Taipei home gatherings. They can talk about anything from the U.S. sending troops to Afghanistan to the blueberry mousse cake I ate tonight and a drop of strawberry jam on my red skirt."
Wow! He put me in the same category as a little girl. I felt much closer to him all of a sudden, and my guard was gone.
"It's your birthday the day after tomorrow, I have a present for you."
"What?"
"I'll deliver it to your house at 9 o'clock. That's it. If you need to go out, leave a little later."
He hung up the phone before I could ask him clearly. My heart was pounding and I was worried that he would give me a sweet gift like 999 roses, which would be embarrassing and we would never have any contact in the future.
It was Sunday that day, so I got up early, dressed up, and put on my newly bought rose-red slim-fitting sweater dress, thick socks, and patent leather shoes with small round heels. My mother heard some noise in the room and got up and knocked on my door, "Why are you up so early?"
I nodded and said, "I'll treat my classmates to lunch at noon." Reserve time in advance.
"Oh. Your father will celebrate your birthday at the Harbour Plaza Hotel at 6pm."
I responded.
The gift from the South arrived on time. I hurried downstairs to see it, feeling nervous and worried that something unexpected might happen.
No, there was nothing downstairs. He came alone, empty-handed. I walked over to him in surprise and greeted him, "Nanfang!"
He shrugged his shoulders and spread out his hands. "Miss birthday girl, I can't bring the gift. You need to come with me to get it." After that, he nodded at me, and then I saw a small silver convertible parked on the side.
Before I could figure out what was going on, I followed him into the car. After we got in, I realized that there were only two of us. "Where are we going? Who's driving?" I subconsciously felt that he was not in a good condition to drive.
"I drive. I still have one good leg." He grinned and looked me in the eyes jokingly.
I was still worried, "Let me do it."
When we exchanged seats, I seemed to hear a soft sigh. I felt so bad, but there was nothing I could do. Safety comes first. I would not allow such a thing to happen again.
Nanfang took me to my hometown in the county town. It took two hours to get there by highway. I followed his "instructions" and drove straight to Luohanpo. The hillside shrank by half, but the winding mossy stone road disappeared, replaced by neat steps. Nanfang gestured to go up. I followed him slowly, silently watching his slow steps. For a moment, I was filled with emotion and couldn't think of any topic.
He suddenly stopped, turned around and called me, "Qianqian! What are you following me for? I couldn't even see you and thought you were lost."
Suddenly, my nose felt sore and tears were about to fall, so I had to run to the front and walk side by side with him. Seeing that he was not feeling well, I wanted to support him, but I didn't know how to do it and was afraid of causing trouble. After walking for a while, he finally couldn't stand it anymore, his cheeks were flushed, and he was breathing softly. I tactfully shouted that I was tired and stopped to rest.
A dense layer of sweat beads appeared on Nanfang's forehead. He took off his coat and the thin hooded T-shirt gave off heat. It was as if a familiar scent was coming to his nose, fresh and warm.
"What are you going up there for?" I couldn't help but ask.
"You'll know when you see it." He opened his broad palms and fanned his neck, a bead of sweat falling from the tip of his eyelashes.
We sat for a while, patted our butts and continued on our way. I held him and felt his body trembling slightly. I guess he must be very tired from walking.
I saw gardenias all over the hills, of course, without flowers, about half a meter high, and when the breeze blew, I seemed to smell the delicate and elegant fragrance. I was so excited that I couldn't speak for a long time.
"Time is too tight. We have to ask the workers to plant the seeds. They will bloom next spring. Do you like it?"
“You planted it?”
"I planted it for you."
He held my shoulders and grinned, revealing his shell-like teeth. The heat faded away and his skin looked a little pale in the sunlight, but his eyes were as clear and bright as before.
The boy who rolled around on the hillside with me seemed to come back again.
I don't know how to answer. This gift is too heavy, I'm afraid I can't bear it.
"I remember my first year in college, when I joined the drama club and played a poet. One of the lines was -
After long years,
How shall I greet you?"
Having said that, he turned his head and looked into the distance.
I naturally remember the next sentence, "With silence and tears." In an instant, my heart was filled with sorrow and pain. Time passed silently, but secretly changed everything.
Nan Fang suddenly took my hand, trembling slightly, and said excitedly, "Qinqin, we have so much of the past here that is worth cherishing. Maybe we still have time?"
I stood there, unable to move, feeling a sour heat in the middle of my nose. I almost fell into it, if Shu Ming hadn't called me at this time, "Choosing a diamond ring in the Boucheron store, Qinqin, which ring setting do you like? Six-claw crown style? Four-claw setting? Or a solid bezel setting? There are so many styles, I'm really dazzled."
"Whatever." I almost blurted out.
"What?!" Shu Ming exclaimed on the other end, his voice obviously getting louder.
I was shocked myself, and then I remembered that he mentioned on the phone yesterday that he wanted to go to the jewelry store on Goethe Road to have a look. "No, I mean, whatever you think is good-looking is fine."
Shu Ming was silent, probably realizing something was wrong on my side. After a while, he changed his tone to a gentler one, "How about this, I'll take some photos and email them to you in the evening, and you can choose carefully." His tone had returned to calm, and his voice was not loud, but it had a sense of majesty.
"good."
After hanging up the phone, I regretted it so much. This was too shocking. How could it be so casual? No wonder even Li Shuming was shocked.
Nan Fang patted my shoulder and repeated my words meaningfully, "Whatever, whatever, haha, how can marriage be casual? I think you should take your time and it's not too much to be picky."
There was something else behind these words. I just pretended not to hear it.
We stayed on the top of the mountain for a long time until our stomachs started to growl. We remembered that we hadn't had lunch yet, so we pulled Nanfang down the mountain slowly. On the old street at the foot of the mountain, we were surprised to find the snack bar of the past. The front was enlarged, and there was a striking sign with red characters on a yellow background - "Yao Ji Liangfen." Nanfang pulled me in happily. The guests turned back to look at this arrogant, limping young man, but he didn't care. We ordered a lot of snacks. The boss changed from the mother to the daughter, but the skills were still the same as before. We sat on the wooden bench and looked at the table full of delicious food, but unfortunately our eyes were big and our stomachs were small.
"Qianqin, I remember you like this yellow jelly the best. You eat it first and give me the rest. I'm hungry, so I'll have this spicy noodles to fill my stomach." Nanfang held up his chopsticks and smiled at me.
I really couldn't think of any words to say no. It seemed like the two friends from those days were back again.
He was still not used to spicy food. He breathed hissingly while eating. The sweat on the tip of his nose evaporated quickly under the warm afternoon sun. I could smell the scent of sun on his southern clothes.
Time seems to flow backwards, enjoying the tenderness... (To be continued)