After a brief moment of eye contact, Jian Wei quickly looked away from the unexpected gaze of Father Ban and softly said, “Hello, Uncle.”
Father Ban remained his usual self, not one for much talking, and simply nodded. At this moment, Mom finally noticed Jian Wei’s presence, appearing even more surprised than Father Ban. Instinctively, she asked, “Hey girl, when did you return to China?”
Jian Wei kept her head lowered, her voice seeming somewhat choked up, “Auntie… I came back last year.”
Mom looked at me, and I also avoided her gaze. Yet, I felt a pang in my heart because she still called Jian Wei “girl.” Perhaps Mom hadn’t yet moved past her old role, but Jian Wei and I had grown increasingly distant. Perhaps soon she would marry Xiang Chen, and then who would still want to recall those days in Xuzhou when Mom and Father Ban used to call her “girl?”
At this time, Yan Yan and Fang Yuan also greeted Father Ban and Mom, finally easing the indescribable atmosphere. I took the opportunity to lead them into the inn and then booked a room for them to rest and recover from their journey.
As I was preparing to leave, Mom suddenly called me back and asked, “Zhaoyang, that girl who’s always wearing sunglasses, why does she look so familiar? But I don’t think I’ve seen her before?”
I knew she was referring to Leyao, so I smiled and said, “You’d definitely recognize her if she took off her sunglasses.”
Mom frowned and asked, “Was she also one of your ex-girlfriends?”
To avoid unnecessary trouble, I quickly replied, “No, we’re really just friends. We met several years ago.”
Mom fell into thought again, muttering, “Why does she seem so familiar… where have I seen her before?”
…
After leaving the guest room where Father Ban and Mom were staying, I was about to go downstairs to continue waiting for Luo Ben and CC, who had not yet arrived. However, as I passed by the balcony, I unexpectedly found Jian Wei standing by the railing, gazing blankly into the distance.
I hesitated slightly before walking toward her with light steps and stood beside her, asking, “What are you looking at?”
“The sunset in Xitang is so beautiful!”
Instinctively, I looked downstairs, where the gentle glow of the setting sun softly reflected on the new willow branches. The willow branches dipped into the clear river water, and when the wind blew across the river surface, ripples spread outward around the branches, creating a refreshing and pleasant sight.
I closed my eyes and greedily breathed in the scent of the vegetation in the air. After a while, I opened my eyes and smiled at Jian Wei beside me, saying, “That’s why I chose to stay in Xitang to start my business—it’s such a wise decision! Every day feels like making money while living inside a landscape painting!”
Jian Wei smiled but remained silent, letting the evening breeze mess up her long hair.
I also fell silent and stood there wordlessly with Jian Wei until a woman in red passed by in front of the inn on the stone path. I then spoke up again, calling out to her, “Hey, out for another walk?”
She stopped walking, looked at me, and then at Jian Wei beside me, saying, “Are you cheating on your girlfriend again?”
Jian Wei immediately looked displeased, so I quietly said to her, “She’s just kidding; don’t take it seriously, okay?”
Jian Wei restrained herself and coldly replied, “Why should I take it seriously?”
Slightly relieved, I quickly said to the woman in red, “Can’t you stop hanging around this street all the time?”
“Am I bothering you?”
I gave her a meaningful look, signaling her to leave quickly and stop provoking Jian Wei.
The woman in red seemed to sense something and finally stopped embarrassing me by giving me the middle finger before continuing on her way. However, watching her retreating figure, I regretted my impulsiveness. I shouldn’t have spoken to her in the first place, or else she wouldn’t have said something like me cheating on Mi Cai.
I was still standing by the railing when Jian Wei sat down on a wicker rocking chair about two meters away from me. Sarcastically, she said, “Zhaoyang, I feel so ironic now—I’ve become the girl you’re flirting with behind your girlfriend’s back.”
I remained silent, yet I understood Jian Wei’s feelings. Even though we had broken up years ago, it couldn’t change the fact that we had been each other’s first love. Putting myself in her shoes, even as a joke, I would find it difficult to accept being called the third party in a relationship between Jian Wei and some other man.
After a heavy silence, Jian Wei said to me in a cold tone, “Zhaoyang, this morning Xiang Chen proposed to me.”
A dull pain surged in my heart, and I remained speechless for a long time before managing to force a smile and reply, “You two can finally be together. That’s great.”
“I turned him down.”
“Why did you refuse?”
“I don’t know… Maybe because I can’t even imagine what life would be like after marrying him… I feel scared!”
Jian Wei’s self-reflection stirred many thoughts inside me that I couldn’t keep inside, but just as the words reached my lips, I swallowed them back. I simply stared at her with wide eyes.
“Zhaoyang, tell me, was my refusal the right decision?”
This time I finally spoke, “You shouldn’t be asking me. You’ve always been very independent.”
“All the changes around me make me feel like I should marry him, but I just can’t bring myself to make the decision. It’s hard for me to describe this feeling of struggle—it’s really uncomfortable, as if I’m being restrained.”
“Just like you said, everything around you has already changed, so be patient and wait for the day when you finally have the courage to marry him. On that day, I will sincerely wish you both happiness!”
Jian Wei nodded and, without even looking at me again, stood up, left the balcony, and walked toward the guest room where she was staying.
I didn’t look at her retreating figure but instead let out a heavy breath, then imagined my future with Mi Cai in the calmest state possible… I thought I would marry the beautiful her.
…
It was now 5:30 in the evening. An hour and a half had passed since my last conversation with CC. According to the estimated travel time, CC and Luo Ben should have arrived by now, so I couldn’t help but call them again.
This time, the phone was answered after a long wait. I complained, “What’s going on with you two? Even driving a tractor should have gotten you to Xitang by now!”
“A tractor!!”
For a moment, I couldn’t tell who was speaking. Habitually, I said, “Remember you’re driving a car. Driving requires some guts. For such a short distance from Xitang to Suzhou, I could finish it in an hour max!”
A gentle and delicate laugh came from the other end of the line, “Yeah, you do drive with guts. No wonder you crashed into a tree by the roadside last time!”
I was momentarily stunned, but my mind quickly recalled: besides Mi Cai, who else knew about the previous accident?
Did I even need to think? The person speaking to me now could only be Mi Cai!
Sure enough, at the other end of the street, a white Volkswagen CC approached. Sitting inside the driver’s seat was Luo Ben, and in the front passenger seat was CC.
I ran toward the car and, once it had stopped, leaned against the window to look inside. Mi Cai was indeed sitting in the back seat. Her long hair fell over her shoulders, and she wore a white long dress, looking even more beautiful than in my dreams.
She rolled down the window and smiled at me, while I admired her dress and exclaimed, “This white long dress really looks like a wedding gown!”
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