Chapter 31

Su Ci had thought that once she said, “She’s my guardian,” Yan Can would ask her a lot of questions.

Just like when she was younger, after classmates had gotten close to her—

“Hey, how come it’s just you and your aunt at home?”

“Is your aunt really your aunt?”

“Then what about your parents?”

“Passed away?”

“How?”

“What happened?”

“So pitiful…”

...

Curiosity, gossip, sympathy, and other complicated emotions she couldn’t quite put into words.

Almost everyone who got close to her inevitably asked these questions after spending some time with her.

She had even prepared herself to answer them all, if need be.

But Yan Can didn’t.

Su Ci didn’t know whether she simply wasn’t interested or if there was another reason.

But deep down, she was very grateful that Yan Can hadn’t asked.

Yan Can didn’t say a single word about her family, how many people were in it, or anything else.

The question she asked most was—

Is it really okay for me to go over empty-handed like this?

Su Ci turned to look at her. Yan Can was clearly thinking seriously about it, her expression solemn. “Shouldn’t I prepare a gift or something?”

Going to someone else’s house, with adults there too—wasn’t it a little inappropriate to show up empty-handed?

Before she came into this book, she was already a college student who had half-stepped into society; whenever she visited someone else’s home, she would bring something.

Nothing expensive, just a small token of goodwill.

Su Ci understood the adult way of doing things, but they were still students. “You’re not making money yet. You don’t need to buy anything.”

That one sentence convinced her.

The phone buzzed on her lap. Su Ci picked it up and unlocked it with Face ID; it was a message from Auntie Wei, asking how much longer until she got home.

Su Ci looked out the window at the buildings. Since noon, the sky had gone overcast.

By now, a light rain had started; the drops gathered together and ran down the glass, leaving clear streaks across the car window.

She pulled her gaze back in and typed a reply: Within ten minutes.

Not long after, the car stopped at a familiar intersection. It couldn’t go any farther, so the two of them walked in under one umbrella.

The rain wasn’t heavy, but there was wind; when it blew, it carried the rain with it and slapped it against them.

Yan Can tilted the umbrella slightly toward Su Ci.

After a few steps, Su Ci noticed the umbrella was leaning her way. She used the back of her hand to push the handle back and glanced at Yan Can’s right hand, which was still in a brace.

“Take care of yourself. You’re always getting sick or hurt; have you learned nothing?”

Her tone carried a hint of annoyance.

Yan Can felt a little wronged, but she still listened and straightened the umbrella a little.

When they passed a fruit shop, Yan Can turned her head and asked Su Ci, “Should we buy some fruit?”

She still thought showing up empty-handed felt odd.

Su Ci usually didn’t eat fruit when she was alone at home. Auntie Wei knew Yan Can was coming, so she must have already bought some fruit and drinks; the only thing was, Su Ci didn’t know whether Yan Can would like any of it.

She spotted a tray of cherries displayed right at the front, plump and fresh, and looked at her. “How about some cherries?”

Yan Can realized Su Ci had probably misunderstood something. She shook her head. “I’m not especially into cherries.”

Su Ci thought for a moment. “Then what fruit do you like?”

Yan Can considered it. “Bananas.” Actually, she didn’t especially like them either; they were just easy to eat.

Su Ci didn’t say anything. She walked into the shop and asked the clerk how much the bananas were, then bought a bunch.

Yan Can watched her pay, take the bag, and walk out of the shop the whole time. Only then did she smile and say, “Su Ci, you’re being especially nice to me today.”

Su Ci didn’t answer and just kept walking with a muffled expression.

“Hey, why are you suddenly walking so fast?” Yan Can hurried after her, holding the umbrella over her.

The place where Su Ci lived wasn’t far from where they got off the car. Before long, they arrived.

It was still an old residential building, but Yan Can noticed there were quite a few elderly people and children inside; along the way, she kept hearing kids making a racket.

Compared with the last time, when the neighbor across the hall was a guy with a full sleeve of tattoos, this time the neighbors opposite them were a kind elderly couple, which felt a lot safer.

When the old couple saw them return, they greeted Su Ci with a smile and went out to pick up their grandson from tutoring.

Su Ci stood at the door, took her backpack off her shoulder, and reached into the inner compartment.

The instant Yan Can saw Su Ci take out her keys, her eyes lit up.

Hanging from Su Ci’s key ring was a green plush duck charm.

It was the charm Yan Can had insisted Su Ci accept before.

She had told her to hang it on her phone or her keys, and Su Ci had refused, saying she wouldn’t hang something like that on anything. So she had actually hidden it away.

Yan Can had always thought she’d just tossed it into her backpack and forgotten about it.

A kind of indescribable delight rose in her chest.

So Su Ci said she didn’t like it, but deep down, she still did.

So stubborn.

Su Ci opened the door and turned her head, only to see Yan Can grinning stupidly. She had no idea what she was smiling about.

“Come in.” Su Ci bent down and took a pair of light blue slippers from the shoe rack for her. They were a very ordinary style, but they were comfortable, and the size was just right.

Yan Can changed her shoes and stood awkwardly by the doorway.

When Wei Li heard the door close, she poked her head out from the kitchen. Seeing Yan Can, she gave a warm, welcoming smile. “You’re here?”

Yan Can stepped out of the entryway and replied, “Hello, Auntie.”

Wei Li was a middle-aged woman with a kind face, the sort who looked honest and easy to get along with; she was the same woman Yan Can had seen in the photo during the earlier loops.

Only back then, what she’d seen was the other side of her—the haggard, heartbroken look of utter misery.

Because by then, Su Ci had already jumped from the building; when the school notified her, she had come to work with the school and the police on the aftermath.

There were still a few dishes left to finish, so she called out to Su Ci, “A Ci, take care of your classmate.”

Then she went back to the stove.

Soon after, the sounds of pots and bowls clattering together filled the air.

The room was small, and the range hood—whether it had broken or not, nobody knew—didn’t seem to work well. The living room was already thick with the smell of cooking oil.

There was a single sofa in the living room, a dirt-resistant brown one with part of the armrest cover peeled away, exposing the yellow foam underneath.

The folding table had already been set with bowls and chopsticks, along with several meat dishes covered by food covers.

Seeing Su Ci glance toward the kitchen again and again, she looked like she wanted to help but was worried about leaving her guest alone, hesitating over what to do.

Yan Can took out her phone and said, “I’ll play games for a while. You go do your thing, Su Ci. Don’t worry about me.”

In the kitchen, Wei Li was making sweet and sour pork ribs. Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned and saw it was Su Ci, so she told her to go out. “Auntie doesn’t need help here. Just take good care of your classmate.”

Su Ci said nothing; she picked up a plate of stir-fried lettuce from the side and took it out to the living room.

Wei Li watched her back and smiled.

A Ci didn’t like talking much; she was indifferent toward people and things, always giving the impression that she was cold and hard to approach. But in truth, she only looked cold on the outside; inside, she was warmer than anyone. She was especially good to the people she had taken to heart, like her, and like the classmate who had come today.

She didn’t say anything else. The two of them worked together, one cooking and one helping, and before long the whole table of dishes was finished.

When Wei Li came out, Yan Can immediately put down her phone. She wasn’t awkward anymore either; she sweetly called her Auntie and praised her cooking for looking wonderful, then praised her for being amazing, able to make a whole table of dishes all by herself.

Her mouth was so smooth it could send someone straight into the clouds. Wei Li smiled so hard she could barely close her mouth, thinking that this classmate was good-looking, had a nice personality, and such a sweet mouth; no wonder she got along with A Ci.

The one who could melt a glacier really did have to be the scorching sun.

“Yan Can, was it?” Unlike Su Ci, Wei Li didn’t have any of that rule about not talking while eating; she liked chatting at the table and hearing what the children had to tell her about school. “Thank you for saving our A Ci last time.”

Thinking of that day, she felt guilty. “Auntie originally wanted to stay at the hospital and wait until you woke up, but I really couldn’t get leave that day, so I had to go first…”

“Auntie, don’t say that.” Yan Can felt embarrassed by her words. “Calling me a lifesaver is too much.”

“According to A Ci, your wrist was broken. How is it now?”

Her gaze fell on the other girl’s wrist; Yan Can’s right wrist was still in a brace.

Yan Can flexed her fingers and smiled. “It’s fine. I just can’t use much force right now; day-to-day activities aren’t a problem.”

Wei Li let out a breath of relief.

“You still need to rest properly after an injury. Bones and tendons take a hundred days to heal.”

“Mm.” Yan Can took a bite of the cold sliced beef. Her cheeks were stuffed full, but it didn’t stop her from praising it. “This is so good. Auntie, your cooking is amazing. Su Ci really has a blessing.”

Even though this dish wasn’t actually made by Wei Li; it had just been bought outside and reheated.

But Wei Li was still very happy. This child really knew how to talk.

“Then eat more if you like it,” Wei Li said.

The atmosphere was excellent, until Su Ci picked up a slice of beef and said in a calm voice, “This wasn’t made by Auntie. It was bought from a braised delicatessen outside.”

Wei Li…

Yan Can’s chopsticks froze awkwardly in midair…

“Eat more of the marrow bones.” Wei Li ladled a bowl of marrow-bone soup for her. “I made this bone soup just for you; what you eat is exactly what you’re supposed to replenish.”

Yan Can nodded. “Thank you, Auntie. I love marrow-bone soup the most.”

After taking a sip, she narrowed her eyes. “It’s so good. Better than what the chef at my house makes. Auntie, your cooking is good enough to open a restaurant.”

Wei Li had never seen anyone so good at flattery before. Smiling, she said, “Then drink some more.”

“Okay; I’ll drink two more bowls after I finish eating.”

As soon as she said that, Su Ci glanced at her and said flatly, “Just eat the meat off the bones. Don’t drink the soup. It won’t do your body any good; it’ll only raise your risk of high blood lipids and high uric acid.”

Yan Can…

She couldn’t help shooting her a resentful look.

Couldn’t this person see she was trying to earn points with Auntie Wei?

Yet that someone seemed to genuinely not understand. Seeing that Yan Can’s bowl of rice was almost finished and she looked ready to go for more, she added, “Enough is enough. Don’t overload your stomach; it won’t be worth it.”

Yan Can gritted her teeth…

Wei Li looked at their expressions and laughed.

Halfway through the meal, the sky outside had turned pitch-black, and before long a downpour began.

The room darkened. Su Ci walked to the entryway and switched on the light; the interior instantly brightened.

The meal lasted more than an hour. Wei Li kept telling Yan Can to eat more dishes, and Yan Can felt too embarrassed to refuse; she stuffed herself until her belly was round as a ball. In the end, her stomach felt uncomfortable, and only after taking digestive medicine did she finally feel better.

Su Ci watched helplessly as she swallowed it. “I told you, if you couldn’t eat any more, then stop. Why did you insist on clearing the plates?”

Yan Can rubbed her stomach and said, “It’s rare for Auntie to cook a whole table of dishes. Finishing them is only right; it does justice to her hard work.”

Su Ci didn’t say anything else. After Wei Li finished cleaning up the kitchen and came out, she saw that the rain outside still hadn’t let up. She told Yan Can not to go back for now; if she was tired, she could go rest in Su Ci’s room for a while.

...

The rain still hadn’t stopped by the time Yan Can finished dinner at Su Ci’s place in the afternoon.

And from the looks of it, it was only getting heavier.

Yan Can ate a banana and happily checked the weather forecast on her phone; the rain would continue until tomorrow.

A dull rumble of thunder sounded, and the rain hammering against the eaves was loud enough to sound like firecrackers going off.

Wei Li glanced outside, then at the time, and said to Yan Can, “The rain’s gotten heavier. Stay here tonight and sleep with A Ci.”

Yan Can blinked twice; she practically couldn’t have asked for anything better.

She had never spent the night at a classmate’s house before.

Without even thinking, Yan Can nodded and looked at Su Ci. The other girl’s expression was as calm as wind and clouds, with hardly any emotional fluctuation; unlike her, whose whole face was practically lit up with excitement.

At night, Su Ci took out a set of pajamas for Yan Can. The style was very ordinary. “They’ve never been worn after being washed.”

Yan Can took the pajama top and pants and followed Su Ci to the bathroom.

After explaining how to use everything, Su Ci left the bathroom.

The bathroom door still couldn’t be locked; the landlord hadn’t come to fix it yet. Worried that Yan Can might feel unsafe, she said, “I’ll stay right here and wait for you to come out.”

Actually, not staying was fine too, since there were only her and Wei Li at home.

Yan Can nodded.

Not long after, the sound of running water came from inside.

Half a minute later, the water stopped.

Yan Can’s voice came from inside. “Su Ci, is there something wrong with your water heater?”

TL Note:

“bones and tendons take a hundred days to heal” (伤筋动骨一百天) is a common saying meaning serious sprains or bone injuries need a long recovery.