“His father was a philanderer with many illegitimate children, but Xiao Yi was his only full-blooded sister, whom he always protected. He wouldn’t allow this woman to harass her.
Regardless of who Xiao Yi was, his tone and actions provoked Ru Feng. She grabbed his wrist and pushed him down.
Caught off guard, Qiu Chi fell to the ground, looking disheveled.
“You, you damned woman!” he exclaimed, furious that a woman had knocked him down. Although surprised, he felt humiliated.
Ru Feng clapped her hands. “I’m warning you. I’m not interested in you. If you provoke me again, you will suffer.”
“You’re not interested in me? Then why have you been chasing me all these years?” Qiu Chi retorted.
Ru Feng placed her hands on her hips. “I don’t like soft men who can be defeated by a single hand.” Ignoring his anger, she pointed and said, “I like someone like…”
The sentence trailed off as a man approached from the other end of the street, casually dressed in a light-colored sweater, with a faint smile.
Ru Feng recognized him—Ning Yuan, and the sweater she had knitted. Her voice softened, “The person I like is someone like him. Look carefully.”
Then she quickly turned and left, a tear sliding down her cheek.
Encounter
Meeting the person you love most on such a beautiful dusk warrants gratitude to the heavens. Yet, Ru Feng could only lament that when the heavens wish to torment someone, they are relentless.
After leaving Qiu Chi, she walked with her head down, not expecting to encounter Ning Yuan after turning two corners. Was this fate or karma?
He stood under an old pagoda tree, hands in his pockets, watching the occasional falling flowers. Ru Feng hesitated but found herself walking toward him, yearning to get close despite knowing she could no longer love.
Just before reaching him, Ru Feng stopped, her hands stiff from gripping too tightly, grateful to maintain a safe distance where she could almost touch him.
Ning Yuan turned around, his clear eyes misty with deep-seated desolation. A grip tightened around Ru Feng’s heart, and it hurt.
“Brother Ning Yuan, can you tell me why you, who have the love you desired, look so lonely?”
Where was the Ning Yuan who smiled like sunshine, who could intoxicate people with his warmth? His gaze blurred as he looked at the woman before him, who gently placed her hand on her heart.
She liked to do this when laughing or feeling sad; it was her habitual gesture. She mentioned that when emotions were too intense, the heart’s burden felt heavy, so she needed to support it with her hand.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. She was a quirky woman, always saying unexpected things that made people laugh.
He asked, “Are you afraid the heart’s burden is too heavy?”
Ru Feng was stunned, looking at her habitual action. She had forgotten that she was Qiu Ru Feng now, no longer the fragile person of her past, no longer so weak that she couldn’t bear emotional fluctuations.
Lowering her hand, she shook her head, “No, just a wrinkle in my clothes that I’m smoothing out.”
Ning Yuan withdrew his gaze and continued to look up. How could there be another woman like her? She was unique and irreplaceable.
“Tell me, can a broken hole be mended?” he asked, referring to the large hole in his heart that left him in despair.
Ru Feng’s gaze fell on his right shoulder, where a tear had formed, “It can be mended.”
“Really?” He shook his head slowly, “I don’t believe it, and I dare not believe it.”
“It really can be mended, mended so completely that you can’t see the trace.”
Ning Yuan turned to her, forcing a smile, “Oh, an innocent girl who always imagines the world as beautiful.”
Ru Feng stepped forward, “You don’t believe me?”
Ning Yuan said nothing, clearly not convinced.
Ru Feng pointed to a small shop, “Then I’ll prove it to you.”
Ning Yuan frowned at the yarn she bought. Could the wounds of the heart be sewn up with needle and thread? But he did not refuse. Perhaps he had been bottling things up too long and wanted to talk, even to a stranger.
Ru Feng held the thread and needle, looking up at him, “Can you squat down?”
Ning Yuan squatted. Ru Feng stood behind him, gently placing her hand on his shoulder, feeling a tremor only she knew.
This shoulder had carried her fantasies and yearnings.
Steadying herself, she connected the broken threads, sewing them tightly. Finally, she patted it satisfactorily, “See, I told you it could be mended without a trace!”
Ning Yuan looked sideways; an exquisite pagoda tree flower was now there, with no sign of mending.
The tear in clothes could be fixed, but what about the wound in the heart?
“What if I hurt someone’s heart?”
Ru Feng trembled slightly, imperceptibly stepping back. Was Ning Yuan’s brother arguing with his sister, making him sad?
She lowered her head slightly, “I’m going home, goodbye.”
She took a few steps back, and Ning Yuan’s voice came from behind, “Thank you, young lady.”
Ru Feng stiffened her back, shaking her head, “No need to thank me, sir.” Despite the difficulty of walking, she maintained her posture and moved away from him.
Ning Yuan’s brother, do you know how much I love you? It’s me; can’t you recognize me? I’m sorry I couldn’t comfort you, as I lacked the strength to hear your story about you and my sister. Your love for her was clear, and the pain was unbearable, even with my now healthy heart. I can’t sincerely bless you, but please be happy because I don’t want to see you sad.
Tears flowed freely down her face for a love that could no longer be remembered. He was her sister’s lover, and she could never look back. She would try to erase him from her heart, and though it still hurt now, one day she could smile and call him brother-in-law.
The tear tracks on her face had not yet dried when another challenge awaited her at home. Approaching the door, she saw Qiu Mama sitting by the road crying, with household items scattered in disarray.
Startled, Ru Feng rushed over to help her up, “What happened? Are you hurt?”
Qiu Mama wiped away her tears, her eyes red, “I’m fine.”
Ru Feng looked around; neighbors were pointing and whispering, but no one came to help. She bit her lip and asked softly, “Who did this?”
Qiu Mama grabbed her, “Xiao Feng, listen to Mom, don’t provoke Qiu Chi anymore, okay?”
Ru Feng’s anger flared, “Qiu Chi?”
Qiu Mama nodded, “Two people just came, warning you not to mess with Qiu Yi, or Qiu Chi won’t let you off.”
Ru Feng clenched her teeth, “Qiu Chi, you’re dead.”
She then asked, “Who is Qiu Yi?”
Qiu Mama looked puzzled, “Xiao Feng, have you forgotten? Qiu Yi is Qiu Chi’s sister, who refuses to go home and insists on working at someone else’s company for a man.”
Ru Feng realized she didn’t know this person at all. When had she ever provoked her? Perhaps this was a consequence of something the previous Qiu Ru Feng had done.
Never mind for now; let’s clean up, or we won’t be able to sleep.
After tidying up, Ru Feng sat in the house catching her breath and asked Qiu Mama, “Is there anything I can eat to improve my mood?”
Qiu Mama wiped sweat from her forehead, “Mom will make you pumpkin cakes.”
“Pumpkin Pancakes Can Lift One’s Mood? Then I want to learn.”
Mom Qiu laughed, touched by her daughter’s willingness to cook.
They worked together in the kitchen, a warm scene illuminated by the firelight.
Mom Qiu suddenly felt her eyes grow sore, “Xiao Feng, are you still angry with Mom?”
She had never been called “Mom” before.
Ru Feng raised her head, looking at the sweat beads on her mother’s forehead shining in the firelight. After a long moment, she softly called out, “Mom!”
The woman before her was her only remaining relative, and Ru Feng might have even lost this last connection.
