The next morning, I drove Mi Cai to the Shanghai airport. In this airport that I had visited countless times, I once again reached the moment of parting with Mi Cai. But this time, I didn’t feel as sad as usual because I knew this would be the shortest separation we had ever experienced. Moreover, she would be living in an environment that I could still sense. I had visited that small village twice before, so I knew that for her to relax and find shooting materials there was much better than the emotional tension and anxiety she had experienced daily in the United States.
America is a place I don’t really like.
I handed Mi Cai her camera bag and reminded her, “When you arrive at the county town, remember to call the village chief and ask him to come pick you up. I’ve already saved his phone number in your phone.” Still worried, fearing she might lose her phone, I took out a piece of paper and a pen from my bag, wrote down the village chief’s number, and put it into Mi Cai’s pocket. I continued, “That way, there’s absolutely no problem! Also, when you leave the village to go photographing, make sure someone accompanies you. The terrain there is quite complex, okay?”
“So serious?”
“Of course! Your personal safety is what I’m most concerned about.”
Mi Cai smiled and said, “Have you forgotten that a few years ago I traveled around the country by myself? I definitely know some basic safety knowledge. Rather, I’m worried that after I leave, you won’t take care of yourself properly and will indulge in bad habits, leading to doing something that makes people unhappy.”
“That won’t happen!!”
“You promise?”
“Of course I do.”
“I’m so silly…”
“You really are silly. How could I possibly do anything to make you unhappy!”
Mi Cai shook her head and said, “That’s not what I meant. I was just thinking, your promises have never really worked, so why bother making one now… ” Mi Cai leaned closer to me, “Right, Brother Zhaoyang?”
I backed away a bit, cupped her face in my hands, and said, “Naughty!”
Mi Cai seemed to recall my past broken promises, became upset, and bit my finger. I cried out in pain, “Beauty… please… be mindful of your image in public!”
Mi Cai let go of me and glared angrily.
I wiped my hand on my clothes and asked plaintively, “Who taught you this bad habit? Why would you bite people?!”
Mi Cai glared at me with her beautiful eyes and replied, “Leyao…”
I didn’t understand at first, but soon recalled the scene in Xitang. Indeed, I had been bitten hard by Leyao, and Mi Cai had witnessed it. She really did learn it from Leyao and wasn’t just framing her!!
I understood her a bit more again. She seemed indifferent on the surface, but for some things, she might dwell on them more than others, and it’s hard for her to move on. Even after a long time, she would still remember certain things. But I wouldn’t consider this a flaw; rather, it’s a kind of cuteness. At least this method is much more sophisticated than directly confronting a man and questioning him, although the psychological pressure it gives me is no less.
Looking at her resentful expression, I was both amused and helpless, “Don’t imitate Leyao, really don’t imitate her…”
“Why can’t I imitate her?”
I thought for a long time but couldn’t come up with a good reason, so I just said, “You two are completely different kinds of women! Think about it, you’re such a gentle and soft woman. Biting people doesn’t fit you at all!!”
“Oh, so you’re saying that as long as it fits, no matter how much you bite you, it’s my fault? I really want to throw you into the zoo and try it out!”
Due to my continuous verbal slips, I was completely at a disadvantage in this verbal sparring before the departure. I simply put my hands into my pockets, remained silent for a while, and then whistled a few times!
Mi Cai looked at me helplessly, scolded me for not being serious, but at the same time helped me fix my wrinkled clothes from the car ride. I knew this matter was now over. Suddenly remembering something important, I told her, “Don’t forget to ask about Teacher Wei.”
Mi Cai nodded and said, “I’ll try to remember.”
“You definitely will remember because when you see her, you’ll naturally think of this.”
“Aren’t you afraid that there might be some hidden reason behind it?”
“No, I’m not afraid because there won’t be any hidden reason. Even if she really did go to the airport to bid Rouben farewell without meeting him face-to-face, it doesn’t indicate any hidden agenda. It would just be a kind of affectionate remembrance, after all, Ruben once carried the most beautiful time of her life!”
“You really are a contradictory person. If there’s no hidden reason, then what’s the point of me asking?”
“Everyone is contradictory, because contradiction is the driving force behind the development of things… Just ask, okay?”
“Alright, I know.”
I nodded, and the time we had for conversation was up. Mi Cai joined the crowd heading toward the security check. I kept watching her back, so soft and so dear to me. It was precisely this affection that made me completely indifferent to material poverty. To some extent, she had already replaced Jian Wei and become my belief in life!
Until she was no longer in my sight, I did not leave. Standing in place, I thought of many things, including some people and some events. I don’t know whether these things still remain vivid in their memories, but I hope they are all doing well…
The plane flew into the sky, creating a sound of pressure, gradually moving away. I seemed to see this year and the winter coming to an end here, and it should come to an end because a new year is about to arrive, and no one wants to carry these sad events into the spring of next year.
Finally, I looked back. My complete life seemed to be divided into two parts in this year, with heart-wrenching pain and uncontrollable joy…
…
After Mi Cai left, I found living alone quite difficult. Two days felt like two centuries. During each night of these “two centuries,” I spent alone in the old house, eating leftover food from the morning and drinking hot water without tea. As long as she wasn’t around, I had no motivation to pursue a healthy and interesting life, and everything became just about getting by.
On the third day, after work in the evening, I, as usual, was eating while sending messages to Mi Cai, coaxing her to send me some selfies she took in the mountains, not just landscape photos.
A while later, I lay smugly on the sofa, admiring the photos Mi Cai had sent me… Suddenly, my phone vibrated in my hand. The caller ID clearly showed it was Yan Yan. Without any warning, my mood instantly became heavy.
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