Chapter 181: A Village Hidden in the Willows, Another Village in the Flowers ⑥
Nie Qiu wanted to wait until Nie Aifang woke up before leaving; she was still worried. But she also knew that Li Kai had kindly accompanied her to the hospital, and no matter what, it was late and he should be sent off.
Seeing Nie Qiu and Nie Aiwen return, Li Kai greeted Nie Aiwen with a smile before telling Nie Qiu that he was leaving.
Nie Qiu nodded, and after a moment, she said, “I’ll walk you out.”
“Okay.”
The two walked towards the hospital doorway together. After exiting the hospital’s main gate, Li Kai stopped. “This is as far as I go! I’ll take a taxi back myself.”
Nie Qiu looked at him. Li Kai smiled, “Don’t worry, it’ll be alright.”
“I want to go home and take a look.” The demolition workers should have left by now. Although their household things weren’t particularly valuable, after being familiar with them for so long, and living with them for so long, she felt reluctant to part with them. It was like a pen used for a long time, or a notebook, or a cabinet. These things weren’t worth much, but they were imprints of life.
She knew that many usable things must have been picked up by those who were greedy for small gains, but she still wanted to see what her home, where she had lived for several months, had been reduced to.
“I’ll go with you,” Li Kai said to Nie Qiu without hesitation.
Nie Qiu considered herself an adult, believing she could handle any situation calmly. However, when she saw her home collapse in the blink of an eye, it was as if dust had gotten into her eyes. She blinked hard, watching the residential area enveloped in dust under the machines.
The residential area was still the same residential area, but the original residential buildings had been razed. The cement walls, still black and peeling with cracked gaps, were strewn with rubble, broken stones, and twisted wood and iron. A gust of wind blew, and dust and sand immediately swirled up. It was a scene of desolation and emptiness.
Among the broken bricks and stones were mixed wooden chairs, iron pots, and clothes in disarray. In the direction of her home, the honeycomb briquette stove that had been used, the makeshift fence, and many irregularly shaped tables and chairs made of nailed wood, two broken beds, and a tattered second-hand leather sofa were not clearly visible amidst the bricks and lime, but Nie Qiu knew, with certainty, that they were her family’s things.
Nie Qiu said nothing, only turned around. Regarding these things, and her feelings for them, no matter how reluctant she was, she knew she couldn’t impulsively rush forward like Nie Aifang. Getting hurt would only make her closest loved ones heartache. She had experienced Nie Aifang’s anxiety and heartache, panic and fear when she was hurt, so she didn’t want Nie Aifang to experience it again.
However, her heart felt heavy. Nie Qiu lowered her head and slowly, slowly, walked further and further away from the direction of her home.
Li Kai also said nothing, just walked alongside Nie Qiu, and then slowly, he took her hand.
Nie Qiu was startled and looked at Li Kai with some confusion. Li Kai smiled at Nie Qiu, “Don’t worry! It’ll be alright.” He had said this sentence many times. He had poor grades since he was young and couldn’t learn other flowery words or find better language to comfort her. He could only say this one sentence. It was clumsy, but sincere.
Nie Qiu nodded forcefully. Without a home, she could find another. Without furniture, she could buy more. Without clothes, she could buy more. Everything would be alright.
Li Kai placed his other hand on Nie Qiu’s shoulder and looked at her, “If you want to cry, then cry!”
“I’m not crying, I’m just… feeling uncomfortable,” Nie Qiu bit her lower lip. “I know my family’s things aren’t valuable, but… so many things, things we’ve used for so long, are just gone. I can still remember where they were placed, and what clothes I wore on which day…” She didn’t know what the demolition meant to others, but she only knew that her home was gone now, and the familiar corners of her home had disappeared.
The laughter while cooking with Nie Aifang in the kitchen, the whispers while eating together, the time spent watching the fourteen-inch black and white television together, had all vanished.
She felt terrible, and she believed Nie Aifang felt the same. As she spoke, she slowly lowered her head. Li Kai gently rested her head on his shoulder. He wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. Although he said it would be alright and it didn’t matter, such a thing couldn’t truly be alright just because an outsider said so.
It wasn’t his home being demolished, so he couldn’t empathize as deeply as Nie Qiu or imagine his own home being demolished. Therefore, he couldn’t fully understand Nie Qiu’s thoughts or feelings. What he did know was that Nie Qiu was in a bad mood now, and Nie Qiu was very sad.
At this moment, all he could do was hold Nie Qiu tightly and try his best to make her feel a little better.
He felt his shoulder getting wet, felt Nie Qiu’s body trembling more and more violently. Suddenly, he too felt a sense of sorrow, a pain he had never experienced before. He felt his eyes sting, and he looked up, holding Nie Qiu even tighter.
Peng Yu Yang looked at Nie Qiu and Li Kai’s seats. He had seen Li Kai run off and thought Li Kai just wanted to ask Nie Qiu what had happened at home, but he didn’t expect him to not return after leaving.
Huang Yan sat in Nie Qiu’s seat, and Zhang Haiyang sat in his own back seat, Li Kai’s seat. The two chatted while attending class. Peng Yu Yang lowered his head, taking notes of what the Teacher said on the blackboard. However, the text on the paper blurred into black and white in his eyes. He tore off a page from his notebook, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it on the ground. Then he looked again at the two who were chatting while attending class and lowered his head.
After class, Huang Yan went to the toilet with a girl. Peng Yu Yang called out to Huang Yan at the stairwell entrance, “Huang Yan, I have something to tell you…”
Huang Yan looked at Peng Yu Yang, told the girl to go to the toilet by herself, and then walked towards Peng Yu Yang. “What do you want to say?”
“You…” Peng Yu Yang felt a bit agitated. “You… didn’t you say you liked me?”
“Yes!” Huang Yan nodded without hesitation. “I do like you!”
A flicker of joy flashed in Peng Yu Yang’s eyes. “Then…”
“But… Peng Yu Yang, you like Nie Qiu.” Huang Yan gave a bitter smile and sighed. “I know you’ll be uncomfortable seeing me with Zhang Haiyang now.”
“I once read a story, Peng Yu Yang, do you want me to tell it to you?” Huang Yan gripped the handrail on the side of the stairs, feeling the coldness of the metal. “Xiao Hong liked Xiao Ming. Every time she got eggs, she gave them to Xiao Ming. At first, Xiao Ming was very grateful. Over time, he got used to it. Once he got used to it, he took it for granted. Until one day, Xiao Hong gave the eggs to Xiao Gang, and Xiao Ming became unhappy. He forgot that the eggs originally belonged to Xiao Hong, and Xiao Hong could give them to whomever she pleased.” She remembered Nie Qiu saying that Nie Qiu would let her show her homework to Peng Yu Yang because she was hardworking enough to reignite Peng Yu Yang’s confidence.
She thought, Nie Qiu was right. Everything needs enlightenment, and she was now telling Peng Yu Yang that she was that Xiao Hong, who was unrestrained in being good to the person she liked, without any reservations. And Peng Yu Yang was that Xiao Ming, who took it for granted that she liked him and should always like him, and should only wait for him. But he forgot, if you don’t want it anymore, why should my feelings still be for you? Peng Yu Yang didn’t like her, but… he thought that since she liked him, she shouldn’t like anyone else.
But in this world, no one will stay in the same place forever, just waiting for someone, especially when it comes to feelings. Once missed, it’s missed.
Peng Yu Yang stood frozen, looking at the girl who had suddenly matured before him, as if he no longer recognized her.
“Peng Yu Yang, do you know what it feels like to give up on someone you like?” Huang Yan smiled at Peng Yu Yang, her eyes slightly red. “It’s like a fire burning down a house you’ve lived in for a long time. You look at the wreckage and ashes in despair. You know it’s your home, but you can’t go back…”
