NOVPUBSu Yan, An Yuanyao’s mother, frowned as she repeated the name her daughter had just said.
“Liu Changqing… Why does that sound familiar?”
The name stirred a sense of recognition, though she couldn’t pinpoint where she had heard it before.
She pressed further. “What does he do?”
“He writes novels. I guess he’s an author…”
“An author? That’s wonderful!” Su Yan’s face lit up with a smile.
“What’s the name of his book? I’ll read it later. Has it been published? Can I buy it now?”
“Well… it’s probably… about to be published…” An Yuanyao’s voice trailed off as she turned her head away, clearly avoiding her mother’s gaze.
Noticing her daughter’s discomfort, Su Yan asked curiously, “Why haven’t I heard about this person before? How did you two meet?”
“Well…”
Caught off guard, An Yuanyao’s mind raced for an explanation.
“… We met at a café.”
“A café?”
“Mm-hmm!” She nodded earnestly, her gaze shifting to the wall behind her mother. Falling silent, she appeared lost in thought.
After a moment, she began to speak softly, as if recalling a distant memory.
“The weather wasn’t great that day. I forgot my umbrella, and it started raining heavily. I was stuck in the café, waiting for the rain to stop. Just when I was feeling hopeless, he came rushing in…”
“He came in?”
“He forgot his umbrella too! His clothes were soaking wet when he entered!”
With a serious expression, she continued her fabricated tale, eager to keep her mother engaged.
Su Yan, intrigued by the story, sat down on the bed to listen more closely.
“The café was packed with people sheltering from the rain, so he had no choice but to sit across from me. He apologized and asked if the seat was taken. I told him it wasn’t, and he asked if he could sit there. I said yes, so he sat down. I guess he noticed how upset I looked because he asked if something was bothering me. For some reason, I ended up telling him everything. Normally, I wouldn’t open up to a stranger, but the moment I saw him, I felt like he was someone I could confide in.”
Su Yan’s expression softened as she listened, a hint of sadness in her eyes.
She hugged her daughter, gently resting An Yuanyao’s head on her lap.
“What he said really struck me,” An Yuanyao continued, her voice quiet. “He told me to eat well, drink well, and leave the person who didn’t love me. He said to find someone who would truly care for me… That women shouldn’t live like this.”
“Well said!” Su Yan nodded in approval of Liu Changqing’s words.
“And then, he suggested that when you’re feeling down, you should go out in the rain to wash away your unhappiness. I don’t know why, but I followed him outside. We got drenched, but somehow, it felt so liberating…”
As she spoke, a smile crept onto her face, her joy evident. Su Yan noticed it clearly, but An Yuanyao, lost in her thoughts, didn’t realize her mother was watching.
“We were both soaked, so he took me to his place to warm up…”
“To his place? You went to his house the first time you met?” Su Yan’s tone was skeptical.
“I was soaked! If I didn’t warm up, I’d have caught a cold or a fever!”
“Still…”
“When we got there, he boiled water, dried my clothes, and even made me a bowl of hot porridge…”
Her voice grew softer, and her face turned pink as the scene played vividly in her mind.
Images of Liu Changqing’s kindness, of the two of them together, filled her thoughts. Her heart started pounding, her face burning with embarrassment.
Unable to continue, she covered her face with her hands and buried her head in the pillow.
Su Yan was perplexed by her daughter’s sudden reaction.
After a while, An Yuanyao muttered, “I’m still a bit tired, Mom. Please leave me alone for now… I don’t want to see anyone today.”
“But you haven’t had breakfast yet…”
“I’ll eat when I’m hungry. For now, I just want some peace.”
“…”
Su Yan hesitated before finally relenting. “Alright.”
She started to leave but stopped when An Yuanyao suddenly sat up.
“Mom, please don’t tell Dad!”
Su Yan turned back, her expression irritated. “I already told you I wouldn’t! When I say something, I mean it.”
“Okay…”
“Alright, rest for a bit.” With that, Su Yan left the room, leaving An Yuanyao alone.
Staring at the closed door, An Yuanyao sat in a daze. The imaginary scene she had just concocted replayed vividly in her mind.
Lying down, she pulled the blanket over her head and curled up, a quiet giggle escaping her lips.
“Hehehe…”
Outside, Su Yan stood by her husband’s door, hesitating before finally pushing it open.
“Just now, our daughter told me she’s taken a liking to a young man. His name is…”
“Liu Changqing!”
The door shut behind her, cutting off the rest of her words.
“Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!”
On a ladder, Liu Changqing turned his head, sneezing three times in a row.
Sniffing, he muttered, “Who’s thinking about me? Why so many sneezes?”
“Dad, stop wobbling! I can barely hold the ladder steady!” Liu Zhiyue shouted from below, gripping the ladder tightly.
Although it wasn’t very high, a fall from over two meters would still hurt.
Looking down, Liu Changqing barked, “Son, hold it steady!”
“Then stop moving so much!”
“Fine, I’ll finish quickly!”
With that, Liu Changqing resumed scraping away at a cobweb with a small trowel.
Old houses came with their quirks, and having spotted the cobweb earlier, Liu Changqing had gone out to buy tools, borrowing a ladder left downstairs. Now, he was determined to handle the issue himself.
After some effort, he finally cleared the cobweb.
“Perfect!”
“Is it clean now?” his son asked, looking up.
“Of course! Your dad never leaves a mess behind. Now, check the light over there—it hasn’t worked in days!”
Moving the ladder under the faulty light, Liu Changqing flipped the circuit breaker before climbing back up.
Below, Liu Zhiyue’s face was turning red from the strain of keeping the ladder steady.
Unscrewing the light bulb, Liu Changqing examined it and sighed. “It’s burnt out. You’ll need to buy a new one.”
“Dad! I can’t take it anymore! We already worked out for an extra hour, and now I’ve been holding this ladder forever. My arms and legs are killing me!”
Seeing his son’s weary face, Liu Changqing realized he was truly exhausted.
