After Breaking the Ice-Beauty's Heart - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: The Evening Breeze Outside Had Already Embraced The Flying Curtains.

That night, the supermarket was very crowded, and Zhou Nianzhi worked especially hard. It was probably because of the ointment Song Yuli had given her that her back didn’t ache as much as before.

Liu Jie, who was next to her, saw that Zhou Nianzhi looked very energetic and teased, “Did you use those few days off to rest up?”

Zhou Nianzhi smiled but didn’t say anything.

To be honest, if she hadn’t run into Song Yuli during her leave, she probably would have been completely drained.

Liu Jie put down what was in her hands and came over to Zhou Nianzhi, whispering, “Are you still going to the milk tea shop? They said they haven’t found anyone yet, and since you’re a hard worker, they asked if you could go back.”

Zhou Nianzhi was stunned for a moment. She remembered the days of being neglected and forced to do all the hard work. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded and agreed. “Okay, I can go tomorrow.”

Forget it, life still has to go on.

Besides, Mom is at home.

On the way home, for the first time, Zhou Nianzhi felt that the warm yellow streetlights had a real sense of sunshine.

The dark street corners that used to frighten her now had streetlights. The entire street was filled with light.

Maybe things were going to get better.

Hardship eventually comes to an end, and she would also welcome a new beginning.

It was already late when she got home. Zhou Nianzhi stood at the door, fumbling with her keys. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the house next door and wondered if Song Yuli was home. While she was thinking, she slowly turned the key and opened the door. Every move was extremely cautious, afraid of waking up Sheng Ning.

However, the sound of a TV show came from inside the house.

It had been a long time since she had felt that she wasn’t the only one living in a cold house. Zhou Nianzhi’s nose stung, and she couldn’t pinpoint the emotions she was feeling, but she could tell that happiness was the predominant one.

After confirming that Sheng Ning wasn’t asleep, she finally relaxed completely. She was no longer tiptoeing. She closed the door and temporarily cut off her thoughts about Song Yuli.

“Zhi Zhi is back,” Sheng Ning waved at Zhou Nianzhi. “Hurry, the best part is on right now.”

Zhou Nianzhi asked with a smile, “What’s so exciting about it?”

As she spoke, her feet were already walking toward Sheng Ning.

She sat next to Sheng Ning and watched the TV show with her mom. The two protagonists in the show were arguing and saying hurtful things to each other.

“So, Mom, you…” Zhou Nianzhi paused and looked at her mom, who was staring intently at the TV. “…you like watching people argue?”

“No, I don’t,” Sheng Ning shook her head, answering directly. “These young people nowadays argue about everything.”

“Then you…” Zhou Nianzhi stopped herself, because she had already noticed the change in her mom’s expression.

Sheng Ning asked, “Do you feel happy when you see others argue?”

“No,” Zhou Nianzhi answered without hesitation.

“But you still argued with little Song,” Sheng Ning said, staring at the screen but talking about a person in real life. “You two broke up, right?”

Zhou Nianzhi was stunned. She inhaled sharply, not expecting her mom to bring up this topic. For a long time, she couldn’t say anything.

“Zhi Zhi, you two could have been together forever,” Sheng Ning pushed the fan toward Zhou Nianzhi. This scene reminded her of the fan in Song Yuli’s house in her hometown.

“At first, I couldn’t accept you two. You know, I had never heard of a relationship like yours. But later, I thought about it carefully. My daughter’s happiness is the most important thing. Your life belongs to you,” Sheng Ning said to herself. “Little Song is also a very good person. I believe she would never abandon you. She really likes you.”

The fan kept blowing.

“Zhi Zhi, Mom knows that you like her a lot too,” Sheng Ning turned her head to look at Zhou Nianzhi.

Her mom’s voice, along with the sound from the TV and the fan’s swaying, brought back memories from a few days ago when she and Song Yuli had a heart-to-heart under a small fan.

That night didn’t go as planned. Song Yuli fell asleep on the bed, but Zhou Nianzhi didn’t leave. She stayed by her side. When she saw sweat on Song Yuli’s forehead, she grabbed a handheld fan and fanned her tirelessly.

Zhou Nianzhi wasn’t sure if Song Yuli was asleep.

But she hoped she was, so she could openly show her love that she had suppressed for so long.

The small fan wasn’t powerful enough, and the big one was too loud.

So she would do it herself, with her own strength and the quietest sound, to bring some coolness to Song Yuli.

This was the only thing she could do for Song Yuli.

“So you two are going to get back together, right?” Sheng Ning asked.

The fan blades were shaking their heads, while the curtains blown by the evening breeze were nodding.

Zhou Nianzhi didn’t know whose advice to follow.

In the end, she could only answer, “I don’t know.”

Sheng Ning looked a little disappointed. She turned her head and continued watching the TV. She was about to say something but suddenly started to cough and couldn’t stop for a long time.

Zhou Nianzhi was worried. She quickly said, “What’s wrong? Do we need to go to the hospital?”

Sheng Ning squeezed out a sentence between coughs. “I want to drink some water.”

“Okay!” Zhou Nianzhi agreed, and hurried to get a cup of water for Sheng Ning. She was blowing on it all the way, trying to cool it down quickly.

Sheng Ning took the cup and drank a big gulp, which eased her coughing a little.

“Mom, are you really okay?” Zhou Nianzhi stared at Sheng Ning’s pale lips, still very worried. “Do we still need to go to the hospital?”

“No, no,” Sheng Ning waved her hand and yawned. “I’m a little tired. I want to go to sleep.”

“Okay, you go to sleep first. I’ll take a shower and come over,” Zhou Nianzhi had no choice but to listen to Sheng Ning and didn’t try to persuade her to go to the hospital anymore.

After taking a shower and drying her hair, Zhou Nianzhi went back to the room and found that Sheng Ning was still awake.

“Mom, why aren’t you asleep yet?” Zhou Nianzhi walked over to the fan and checked its power. “Is it too hot? This fan was a cheap one, so it might not be strong enough to cool you down.”

Zhou Nianzhi sighed, looked up at the air conditioner, and said, “The landlord said the air conditioner was broken when we rented this place, so we got a small discount on the rent.”

“I’m not hot,” Sheng Ning propped herself up on the bed and sat up. “I was just waiting for you.”

“Waiting for me for what?” Zhou Nianzhi chuckled. “I’m not staying up.”

“I was wondering if you come home this late every night?” Sheng Ning lowered her head and said softly, “You get off work so late and still have to go to the hospital to see me. You only get to sleep for a few hours every day.”

“I’m not tired. I told you, I have superpowers,” Zhou Nianzhi heard the sympathy in her mom’s words and felt a little sad, but she still pretended to be relaxed to avoid making her mom feel even more for her.

Sheng Ning gave a bitter smile and said, “But when you were in middle school, one time, when your last class ended a little late, you would come back and complain to me for a long time.”

Oh, my God.

Zhou Nianzhi’s tears were about to fall again.

Her mom had remembered her random complaints.

No, no.

Zhou Nianzhi bit her lip, holding back her tears. She forced a smile and said, “I’ve grown up.”

Sheng Ning patted the spot next to her on the bed, signaling for Zhou Nianzhi to hurry and get in bed. “To me, you’re still that little kid.”

“I’m already twenty-four,” Zhou Nianzhi said, sitting on the edge of the bed. She took off her slippers, turned around, and sat next to Sheng Ning. “And I’m not a ‘little kid.’ I’m five-foot-five.”

“Even if you were six feet tall, you’d still be the ‘little kid’ who had to hold my hand when she walked,” Sheng Ning lay down, resting her head on the pillow, and said softly, “Speaking of which, I got married at twenty-two and had you at twenty-eight. In a blink of an eye, you’re already twenty-four.”

Zhou Nianzhi turned off the light and also lay down, replying, “I know.”

Sheng Ning was a little confused. “How do you know?”

Zhou Nianzhi told her the truth. “I read the letter you wrote.”

Sheng Ning wasn’t surprised. Instead, she praised her. “You’re truly my daughter. You inherited my intelligence to find that.”

Zhou Nianzhi said, “They just fell out by themselves.”

Sheng Ning said “oh,” and then added, “That means my daughter has good luck. I hid them so well, and you still managed to find them.”

“You’re just trying to praise me, aren’t you?” Zhou Nianzhi asked with a couple of laughs.

“Of course!” Sheng Ning said firmly. “I have to praise my daughter.”

In the small room in the darkness, joyful laughter echoed.

Zhou Nianzhi used the moonlight to get a clear look at Sheng Ning’s face. After a while, she opened her mouth and called out “Mom.”

Sheng Ning asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Did you deliberately let me find those two letters?” Zhou Nianzhi’s voice was muffled.

Sheng Ning didn’t say anything.

Zhou Nianzhi continued to ask, “Were you already feeling unwell a few years ago?”

Sheng Ning turned over, moving away from Zhou Nianzhi, and looked at the ceiling.

“Zhi Zhi, do you remember your favorite shop from high school?” Sheng Ning answered with a question.

Zhou Nianzhi still wouldn’t stop asking, “Mom, why didn’t you tell me back then?”

Sheng Ning still didn’t want to answer her question and said to herself, “Let me tell you. When you went to college, that shop closed down, and a new one that was similar opened. But their business wasn’t as good as before.”

“I’ll feel guilty, Mom. I already feel guilty,” Zhou Nianzhi could no longer suppress her emotions. Her voice was choked up. “I just keep thinking, how great would it have been if I had known earlier? Maybe you would have been cured sooner, and you wouldn’t have had to suffer from the illness for so long…”

“Zhi Zhi…” Sheng Ning turned to her side again and gently patted Zhou Nianzhi’s back.

Zhou Nianzhi’s tears were all over the pillow, soaking a patch of it. “It’s all my fault for being so careless. I didn’t even notice you were sick…”

“It’s not Zhi Zhi’s fault,” Sheng Ning’s tone was gentle, and she comforted her, “You’re just a child yourself. Why do you have to bear so much?”

Zhou Nianzhi’s emotions were a little out of control. “Why does everyone say I’m a child? I’m already this old. I’m not a child anymore.”

“I want you to always be carefree and lighthearted like a child,” Sheng Ning wiped away the tears from Zhou Nianzhi’s eyes. “You will always be Mom’s child. I don’t want you to suffer too much.”

“Then if I’m a child…” Zhou Nianzhi sobbed. After wiping away her tears, she continued, “Can I hold your hand and walk forward forever? Just like you used to pick me up from school and take me home.”

Sheng Ning smiled with relief and replied, “You can.”

In this dark night in the small room, there were sounds of laughter and crying.

After laughing and crying, they fell asleep together.

But the sound of the fan was still louder, creaking and groaning.

It was like a child who had just learned to speak, continuously calling out “Mom,” swaying unsteadily as it walked toward its mom.

The evening breeze outside had already embraced the flying curtains.

And the child’s mother had already bent down, her arms wide open, waiting for her child to rush into her embrace.