An Earlier Meeting - Chapter 35

Chapter 35

As dusk fell, a faint light shone on the two girls. Huang Xiaozhi’s words echoed in the world around them.

The words quietly made their way into Yu Wen’s ears. She heard every single one clearly.

For a long time, she said nothing. Then, she uttered a single word: “Okay.”

That one simple word was enough to make Huang Xiaozhi lose all composure. She held Yu Wen even tighter.

Yu Wen’s tears stopped flowing, as the tears that had streamed down her face were now indistinguishable from the rest of the moisture.

After a while, Huang Xiaozhi let her go, her two hands resting on Yu Wen’s shoulders. She knew that her own face must look terrible now, truly a mess.

She chose to lower her head and not look at Yu Wen. “So you promised me… can we go home now?” The tremble in her voice was subtle, but not hard to hear.

Yu Wen felt much better now. She looked at Huang Xiaozhi’s bowed head. She was heartbroken over her mother’s death, but she couldn’t stay immersed in this sorrow forever.

Staying sad for too long would only hurt herself and affect others.

“Let’s stay and feel the wind for a bit before we go back… Did you cry?” She didn’t think Huang Xiaozhi would cry. She couldn’t imagine a reason for her tears. Because of her? It seemed a little ridiculous.

Yu Wen’s question caught Huang Xiaozhi off guard. She had cried, but she didn’t want to admit it. But then she thought, if she’s going to see it anyway, I might as well just say it.

“Yes, because my heart aches for you.”

“My heart aches that you’ve walked so much of your life alone, my heart aches for everything you’ve gone through, my heart aches that you’ve carried so much on your own… My heart really, really aches for you, Yu Wen—” In the final words, she no longer held back. She buried her head and cried as she shouted the words out.

Yu Wen froze. This was the first time she had seen Huang Xiaozhi cry so heartbrokenly, and it was because of her. She felt a little panicked now.

Seeing the person in front of her crying so much, she gently cupped her face and forced her to look up. When she saw the small face streaked with tears, she panicked even more.

“Xiaozhi, please don’t cry, okay? I’m fine, really. You have to believe me, I’m strong. Don’t you know me yet? Do I look like someone who would be defeated by a small thing?” She frowned slightly.

Huang Xiaozhi also realized she couldn’t keep crying. She had come here to comfort Yu Wen, and now Yu Wen was comforting her.

“I know you’re strong. I just feel bad for you.”

In her mind, Yu Wen had always been a very hardworking and strong person. Her academic success was a result of her own efforts, and she was always braver and more daring than others.

The Yu Wen she saw was tenacious and strong.

But even this little girl would have times when she felt bad, times when she was sad, and times when she missed her family. She couldn’t bear to think about how Yu Wen had gone through it all.

What Yu Wen lacked was the one thing Huang Xiaozhi had had all her life. So she wanted to love her. If no one else loved her, she would.

Seeing Huang Xiaozhi’s face all messy from crying like a little kitten, Yu Wen used her hand to wipe away her tears. “Before, things might have been a little tough, but now I have you as a good friend, so I won’t be lonely anymore.” She smiled at her, though the smile seemed a little forced.

I won’t be alone for a single day from now on.

Huang Xiaozhi smiled back, a little awkwardly. “I know. You won’t be lonely with me. Auntie will be so happy to see you doing well, so we both have to be okay.” She believed that everything Yu Wen persevered in would have a result.

This time, Yu Wen’s smile was from the heart. She touched Huang Xiaozhi’s cheek as she said, “Yes, I won’t be lonely. I have you.” This phrase was commonly used between family, lovers, and friends.

In the moment that a photograph captures, it seems that the two of them were destined to have a different story.

…

The two of them stood on the rooftop, feeling the evening breeze. If the wind was a member of Yu Wen’s family, then they were all here. Perhaps this breeze was also comforting her.

They stood side-by-side, leaning on the railing, looking at the night view of A City. It was true that the higher you stood, the farther you could see. Everywhere you looked, there was light, and the brightest area was right in front of them—the city center.

Huang Xiaozhi had her hair in a low ponytail on one side. Her long hair draped from her neck and rested on her left chest. The stray strands on her forehead always gave her a certain beauty.

But why did the wind make her eyes hurt? She turned her head to look at Yu Wen’s profile. “Would you like to come and stay at my place tonight?” Her main concern was Yu Wen.

She had thought Huang Xiaozhi would just comfort her, but instead, she was trying to take her home. Yu Wen also turned her head and looked at her. “Are you that worried about me? You don’t trust me?” She felt like she was probably okay now and had accepted the facts.

But Huang Xiaozhi didn’t trust her, or rather, she was just worried that Yu Wen would do something bad. It was best to have her under her watchful eye.

“There’s no discussion. You’re coming to my place and sleeping with me tonight. Or you can live with me for the whole week. What do you say?” She didn’t want to negotiate. Even if Yu Wen disagreed, she would have to agree.

She was like a domineering female CEO.

Huang Xiaozhi’s actions and words made Yu Wen laugh. “Domineering CEO, are you just going to drag me home? Does your mom know?” The Yu Wen now was like two different people from the one earlier. It seemed she had really accepted things and was ready to move forward.

She had no choice but to listen to this domineering CEO. Her heart would still ache, but she would never do anything to harm herself. Her parents were watching from above. If she hurt herself, they would be sad.

So she couldn’t. She had things to do, so she couldn’t retreat; she could only move forward, even if she was bruised and battered.

Huang Xiaozhi didn’t look at her but turned her head to the side. “My mom won’t say anything. Please come back with me, okay?”

“Come home with me.”

…

Yu Wen followed behind Huang Xiaozhi. In the end, she didn’t go back to her own home but to Huang Xiaozhi’s.

As soon as they opened the door, they saw Wei Qingwen sitting on the sofa watching TV. Hearing the door open, she turned her head to look at them. “Oh, little Yu is here too? Have you eaten?” she said, putting on her slippers. It looked like she was planning to cook for them if they hadn’t eaten.

Huang Xiaozhi saw that her mom didn’t say anything and stood in front to speak for Yu Wen. “We haven’t. We haven’t eaten together. Mom, why didn’t you ask if I’ve eaten?” Her tone was a mix of a complaint and a joke.

Wei Qingwen first looked at Yu Wen behind her, smiling. “Little Yu, make yourself at home and sit down. I’ll go make you two some noodles.” She then looked at her daughter. “Because I figured you would have fed yourself on the way.” With that, she went straight to the kitchen, giving Huang Xiaozhi no chance to reply.

Huang Xiaozhi threw her hands up and pouted at Yu Wen. She seemed to be saying, “See? My mom won’t say anything. She’s very happy to have you.”

Seeing her little expression, Yu Wen’s lips curved into a smile.

In Huang Xiaozhi’s home, she didn’t feel like an outsider but more like a family member. Wei Qingwen seemed to treat her like her own daughter. This feeling of being at home was really comforting.

She hadn’t felt this way in years. If not for those things that happened, maybe she would have been happy all her life… Forget it. The past is the past. What’s most important is to live well now.

The two of them put their backpacks on the sofa and sat down, watching the TV. Huang Xiaozhi casually pulled open a drawer, took out a bag of snacks, and handed it to Yu Wen. “Here, have something to tide you over.”

This was from her hidden stash. She had a few drawers filled with snacks.

To make sure Yu Wen wasn’t hungry, she was even bringing out her best stuff.

Yu Wen looked at the cookies in Huang Xiaozhi’s hand. She first looked at Huang Xiaozhi, then took the cookies. “Thank you.”

Only after Yu Wen took the cookies did she turn back to the TV, then suddenly remembered something. “Oh, right, those cookies aren’t very sweet. You can try them.” Her eyes were on the TV, but her mouth was saying something completely unrelated.

Yu Wen was stunned for a moment. So she was looking for these in the drawer. She remembered that Yu Wen didn’t like sweets. The happiness in her heart was invisible, hidden deep down.

But no matter how deep, it was useless, because one day she would see the bottom of things.

Looking at the snacks in her hand, she thought, this is pretty good.

The scene playing on the TV gave her an indescribable sense of happiness.

It was as if many years ago, on an afternoon, a family was also sitting in the living room, watching TV and laughing, with not a single person being unhappy.

It seems… that was the case, right? She couldn’t quite remember. The past was too far gone, and those beautiful moments had been swallowed up.

…

Wei Qingwen finished dinner, and the two girls sat at the dining table, eating tomato and egg noodles. Wei Qingwen naturally sat on the sofa to catch up on the parts of the show she had missed.

It had to be said that Wei Qingwen’s cooking was indeed very good. It was delicious and fragrant.

This kind of stable life was what Yu Wen had always yearned for. She didn’t even know how long it would be before she could live this kind of peaceful and calm life. Would it be after she turned thirty?

Still a long time. I’ll deal with the future slowly.

Huang Xiaozhi was a slow eater. Yu Wen had already finished and set down her chopsticks, but Huang Xiaozhi was only halfway through. Wei Qingwen, seeing that Yu Wen was done, said, “Little Yu, could you come to my room with me for a bit? I want to ask you something, okay?” she said, getting off the sofa.

Yu Wen figured that Wei Qingwen probably knew about her mother’s death. Seeing Wei Qingwen’s expression, she nodded obediently.

Huang Xiaozhi’s chopsticks paused in mid-air. Her eyes kept darting between the two of them, but she couldn’t make any sense of it.

She was the only one left at the table, so she became even more of a dawdler. It wasn’t really dawdling; she just thought you should chew your food slowly and carefully. She only ate quickly when she was in a hurry.

Yu Wen took her bowl and chopsticks to the kitchen and then glanced at Huang Xiaozhi, but Huang Xiaozhi was focused on eating her noodles and missed Yu Wen’s look.

…

When she entered the room, she saw Wei Qingwen sitting on the floor by the window. “Auntie, the floor is cold. There’s a chair.” Perhaps she had long since considered them her family.

Hearing the voice, Wei Qingwen turned to look at Yu Wen, her eyes filled with heartache and sadness. How could she not see it?

“It’s okay, the floor isn’t cold. Close the door and come over.” She really admired this child. She wanted to show extra favor and compassion to her friend’s daughter.

Yu Wen obediently closed the door, placed one hand on it, sighed, and then turned to sit on the floor next to Wei Qingwen, cross-legged.

The first thing she did was look at Wei Qingwen and ask, “Auntie, did you want to see me about something?” Even though she had already guessed, she still asked.

In response to Yu Wen’s question, Wei Qingwen turned her head to look at the girl.

“Your mother passed away.” She smiled slightly, the trembling of her lips clearly showing that she was forcing the smile. She herself was heartbroken, and it made her even sadder to see that person leaving her daughter behind.

With the trembling of her lips and the tears welling up in her eyes, Yu Wen was a little stunned. Wei Qingwen looked very sad, but Yu Wen’s hands seemed to be trapped, unable to move.

Her whole body felt cold. So this was what it felt like to hear the words again… Hadn’t she already accepted it herself?

Wei Qingwen lowered her head, letting the tears from her eyes fall to the ground. “She sent me a video. It’s for you.” Yun Chengdie had left three videos: one for Wei Qingwen, one for her daughter, and one for her parents.

The last time they parted was on a warm and sunny afternoon. The last time they met, she could only look at her on a cold phone screen.

Wei Qingwen took out her phone from her pocket, opened it, and handed the video to her.

Yu Wen’s hands felt like they were broken now. She didn’t dare to take it. Looking at her mother on the phone, she felt so, so sad. The phone was too heavy; she couldn’t hold it.

“Just… just put it there…” Her lips trembled as she spoke, and tears fell.

In the video, the woman had long hair and was still as beautiful as ever. She was wearing a type of clothing that was clearly from Country Z. From the decor behind her, it was not hard to tell she was still abroad.

The woman in the video had changed so much; she was so thin.

As the sound began, Yu Wen couldn’t hold back. One hand covered her mouth, and the other covered her chest.

“Little Wen, I’m your mother, Yun Chengdie. I don’t know if you still remember me. It’s been so long. How have you been?”

“My child, I’m sorry. I brought you into this world and made you suffer so much. I’m truly sorry. If not for that car accident back then, maybe we wouldn’t be here today.”

“I’m being held here, unable to leave or see anything. I’ve tried to escape, but every time I get caught and brought back. Mom is so powerless and useless. If you want to blame me, then blame me.”

“Being trapped in this dark, sunless cage is like being a bird without wings. I can’t hold on much longer. Last night, I even dreamed of your father. He told me he went to see you and said you had found a very good friend.”

“Mom is so happy for you.”

“I hope you won’t be too sad about Mom’s death. You can be a little sad, but don’t hurt your body because of it. Otherwise, your dad will scold me.”

“Little Wen, we should move forward and look ahead. Let the past be the past. Don’t tire yourself out.”

“As a mother, I’ll be a little selfish. I only hope you can grow up healthy. I ask for nothing more.”

“Not being able to watch you grow up is my life’s biggest regret. I’m sorry.”

“I hope you can live the rest of your days carefree and happy.”

“Mom loves you. Mom will always love you, Little Wen.”

…

Mom loves you. Mom will always love you.

Looking at her mother’s bright eyes in the video, maybe she was only able to smile while recording it.

Yu Wen cried and collapsed to the floor, clutching the clothes over her chest. She cried without making a sound.

She had never blamed her. How could she blame her own mother?

She would never be able to blame her mother. Everything, everything was done by that group of animals from the Zhang family.

She couldn’t let it go because she couldn’t stand seeing those animals freely walking around in the open. Why should they? What did her family do wrong?

Wei Qingwen looked at Yu Wen, who was crying so hard she was about to faint. Even though she was crying herself, she reached out and stroked Yu Wen’s head.

“Good child, let’s not be sad anymore, okay? Your mother will be sad if she sees this.”

Life has its partings and its deaths. It’s just a matter of how a person accepts them.

The moment Yu Wen looked up at Wei Qingwen, she had already taken this girl as her own daughter. It pained her to see Yu Wen’s red, crying eyes. She stepped forward and hugged her.

“Child, don’t cry. If you don’t mind, little Butterfly, I can be your godmother. You are my daughter, too.” When she had found out that Yu Wen was Yun Chengdie’s daughter, she had wanted to become her godmother.

At this moment, Yu Wen temporarily let go of everything and leaned into Wei Qingwen’s embrace, wiping away her tears. In truth, she had accepted it, but seeing her mother’s face still hurt so much.

Wei Qingwen’s embrace felt just like her mother’s, making her feel safe and comfortable. It was a shoulder to lean on… but she couldn’t depend on it now. She had to become independent.

She firmly believed that she was the only one she could truly rely on in the world. Relying on others was not as good as relying on yourself. In this situation, she had to become independent… In private, though, having someone to lean on was still pretty good.

“Mom.” She hadn’t called anyone “Mom” for many years, not with genuine sincerity.

Hearing Yu Wen call her “Mom,” Wei Qingwen wanted to both laugh and cry. How could this child have suffered so much?

If they had met earlier, she wouldn’t have had to go through so much.

“Child, don’t cry. Now that things have come to this, we have to look forward, don’t we?”

“Your mother will live forever in your heart. As long as you think of her, she’ll be there.” Her words of comfort were not the best, only average.

But if even a little bit of comfort could stop Yu Wen from being sad, she would try.

At one point, Huang Xiaozhi and Yu Wen were supposed to be good friends who grew up together. Yun Chengdie had planned to move to A City, so Wei Qingwen and Yun Chengdie could go shopping together and so on.

The accident came too suddenly, and no one expected this outcome.

The two of them rested for a while in the embrace, and Yu Wen’s emotions stabilized. Wei Qingwen held her like a real mother, feeling love and heartache for this child.

She was a mother herself. This child in her arms used to like to pull her hair when she was little, and she had held her many times before.

But now, seeing this child’s maturity and composure, she was not happy.

If she could, she would want Yu Wen to be as carefree as Huang Xiaozhi. But at this age, she already had the demeanor of an adult.

There were too many truths in this world, so many that a single Earth couldn’t contain them, so many that they were scattered on every street.

The truths and the world of adults would be even more difficult.

If she had the ability, she really wished these two children could stay as children forever, and not have to understand too much or see things too clearly.

Everything had its pros and cons. Knowing many truths was good, but it also had its downsides.

People always say it’s best to just go with the flow. That’s because when you’re powerless, you have no choice but to go with the flow.

Wei Qingwen turned her head and looked at Yu Wen, who was hugging her knees, lost in thought. “Once you’ve calmed down, you can go and play in Xiaozhi’s room.”

“In the future, don’t blame your past self, because your present self is also helpless.”