It took me twenty minutes to drive to the old residential compound where the house was located, but Mi Cai had not arrived yet. I waited at the entrance of the building, idly looking around. Compared to last year, the compound seemed even more dilapidated and decrepit. I couldn’t help but wonder how much longer it could survive before being demolished.
A while later, that red Q7 finally appeared in my sight. After parking steadily, Mi Cai approached me with a floral-patterned umbrella. Even though we were so familiar with each other, I was still moved by her outfit today. She was casually wearing a loose sweater and a simple pair of washed-style slim-fit jeans, yet she looked extraordinary because of her unique aura—so clean and simple.
I felt a bit ashamed of myself and avoided looking at her, asking instead, “You’re five minutes late. Aren’t you usually punctual?”
“Sorry, there was some traffic on the way.”
The brief conversation finally diverted my attention, and I gestured for her to go upstairs.
So we walked up the narrow stairwell. Because it was too quiet, even the motion-sensitive lights didn’t turn on. I coughed deliberately, and the surroundings finally lit up a bit. I said, “Actually, we really don’t need to argue over this house. It might be demolished soon anyway. You didn’t refuse to sell it to me just for the demolition compensation, did you? You certainly don’t need that money!”
Mi Cai’s tone was full of concern as she asked, “What do you mean? Did you hear something about the demolition?”
“Not exactly, but it’s definitely going to be torn down sooner or later. Maybe by this time next year, these old houses will be gone, replaced by new high-rises… Ha, unless you, Ms. Mi, have the ambition to buy this place. But your Zhuo Mei Group does commercial real estate, right?”
Mi Cai didn’t respond, which made my laughter sound awkward. I chose to keep quiet and refrained from saying anything else that might provoke her.
…
Mi Cai unlocked the door and entered the house first, turning on the lights. I followed her inside and habitually sat down on the sofa, picking up a tangerine from the fruit tray and eating it. I felt a sense of nostalgia as I returned here again. I had thought many times that I had said goodbye to this house for good, but somehow I always ended up coming back for different reasons. This time, lifting the bed was a simple task that could be done in minutes.
I picked up another tangerine and waved it in front of Mi Cai, asking, “Do you want one?”
“No, I don’t eat them… When are you going to help me move the bed and get those things out?”
“I’ll rest a bit first. Are you in a hurry?”
“No.”
“Then you should rest too. I just finished a long day’s work and I’m exhausted!”
Mi Cai gave a soft sigh and walked toward the window, moving the flowerpots that were getting soaked by the rain into the balcony. Then she stood there with her back to me, gazing out at the rainy world.
I forced myself not to look at her slender back and peeled another tangerine, eating it while half an hour quickly passed.
Finally, I threw the pile of tangerine peels on the coffee table into the trash bin and said to her, “I’ve rested enough. Open the bedroom door, I’ll help you lift the bed.”
Mi Cai turned around. There were traces of moisture on her face, probably rainwater. She wiped them away with her fingers and took out the key from her bag to unlock the bedroom door. I realized that in five minutes, I would have to say goodbye to this room—and to Mi Cai—again.
Feeling slightly down, I followed her into the room. I was even more familiar with it than she was. I found the wall lamp switch before she did. When the light came on, I noticed that the room hadn’t changed at all. Her clothes and books were still there, and the stuffed doll she had once given me—named “Brother Yang”—was still hanging by her bed.
I said to her, “You stand aside, I’ll move the bed.”
Mi Cai stepped aside. I neatly folded the quilt and blanket on the bed and moved them aside. Then I asked curiously, “You didn’t even move the mattress. How did you see the things under the bed?”
“I looked from the floor.”
I immediately crouched down and looked too. Sure enough, I saw the guitar. Thinking about how she had crouched on the floor like that seemed unbelievable to me, because in my mind she was a woman of perfect physical beauty. How could she do something so undignified as crawling on the floor? But then I thought better of it. After all, no one else would see her. It was just like her deep, unfathomable thoughts.
I didn’t dwell on it too much. With a strong push, the guitar and go-kart finally saw the light of day after years of being hidden. I pulled them out from under the bed and took the initiative to find a large plastic bag to pack them in.
Mi Cai asked, “What are you doing?”
“Taking them with me. Otherwise, why did you call me here? You could have just asked any strong guy to do this!”
“I didn’t plan to let you take them.”
“Then why did you ask me to come?”
Mi Cai hesitated, then said after a while, “Whoever put them there should be the one to take them out.”
“Fine. If you think they’re useful, keep them. I don’t need them anyway. This guitar originally cost more than 20,000 yuan. It’s a shame to just leave it like this.”
Mi Cai looked at me…
Confused, I asked, “What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You said back then that this guitar cost only 6,000 yuan. When did it become more than 20,000?”
I suddenly remembered that I had lied about the price to ease her guilt, claiming that the guitar I gave her cost only 6,000 yuan. I replied somewhat hesitantly, “Oh… I must have remembered wrong. It was definitely around 6,000. The one you later gave me was the one that cost more than 20,000.”
“The guitar I gave you wasn’t that expensive either.”
“Why are you arguing with me about this? It was so long ago. Can’t I just have misremembered?”
“I don’t want you to lie to me like this…”
“Damn it… What difference does it make? We’ve already broken up. I’m just an unreliable guy who doesn’t think before he speaks!”
“No… I just feel sad thinking about how you kept all these grievances to yourself.”
“What grievances could I possibly have? This shouldn’t even be called a grievance. I gave you the guitar because you liked it. Whether it cost 6,000 or 20,000 yuan doesn’t matter.”
Mi Cai turned her back to me, her body slightly trembling. A strange feeling rose in my heart, and instinctively, I took out a cigarette from my pocket and lit it. I really disliked the current atmosphere, because it went against everything I had always pursued.
Outside the window, the rain continued to fall drizzle. We remained in this awkward silence for a long time. Unable to bear it any longer, I finally changed the topic, asking her, “I haven’t had dinner yet. Is there anything to eat at home?”
“There are still some instant noodles you bought before. They’re in the kitchen cabinet.”
I walked out of the room with big steps and started rummaging around in the kitchen… Yet I couldn’t forget, this was another rainy night.
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