After Escaping Marriage - Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Yu Qingtang politely declined. "Thank you, but I don't really like chocolate."
Cheng Zhanxi: "That's okay. You can give it to someone who does."
Yu Qingtang looked at the golden, ball-shaped chocolate on her desk, then looked up at Wen Zhihan, who was sitting across from her.
Wen Zhihan: "???"
Yu Qingtang then turned to Yang Li, the English teacher at the next desk, and asked, raising her voice slightly, "Ms. Yang, do you like chocolate?"
Yang Li turned around, and Yu Qingtang showed her the chocolate.
Yang Li's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, I love this brand of chocolate!" she said, smiling. "Thank you, Ms. Yu."
Yu Qingtang: "Thank Ms. Cheng. She bought it."
Yang Li: "Thank you, Ms. Cheng."
Cheng Zhanxi forced a smile. "You're welcome."
Wen Zhihan, grading papers with her red pen, smiled faintly. If Yu Qingtang could be bribed with chocolate so easily, she would have won her over five years ago.
Cheng Zhanxi leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, one finger tapping rhythmically on her other arm, her eyes narrowed slightly, lost in thought.
The morning passed quickly. Wen Zhihan invited Yu Qingtang to lunch, but Cheng Zhanxi didn't join them.
Aggressive pursuit wasn't her style. She preferred to rely on her charm.
She ordered takeout and ate at her desk.
Yu Qingtang had taken a nap at home and arrived at school earlier than the previous day. Cheng Zhanxi was reading when she entered the office.
The temperature was cooler today. Cheng Zhanxi wore a soft, dusty blue shirt, the top two buttons undone, revealing a delicate silver necklace with a crescent moon pendant resting at the center of her collarbone. Bathed in the afternoon sunlight, her fingers rested lightly on the page, her nails short, neatly rounded, and a healthy pink.
Her long, chestnut curls were tucked behind her ears, no earrings, giving her a clean and elegant appearance. Her focused expression softened her features, adding a touch of gentleness to her usual striking beauty.
Yu Qingtang entered quietly, walking around to her desk on the other side of the office and turning on her computer.
The whirring of the computer fan caught Cheng Zhanxi's attention.
Cheng Zhanxi looked up from her book, surprise flickering in her hazel eyes. "Ms. Yu?" she said, then smiled. "Good afternoon."
"Good afternoon, Ms. Cheng," Yu Qingtang replied politely, nodding slightly as she entered her password.
"You're early today."
"I came straight after my nap."
"Do you live nearby?"
"Yes."
"I'm so jealous," Cheng Zhanxi said, resting her chin in her hand, her eyes sparkling.
"Yes."
"I'll let you get back to work. I'll continue reading," Cheng Zhanxi said, tactfully ending the conversation.
Yu Qingtang opened a teaching-related webpage, glancing at Cheng Zhanxi, who had returned to her book. She thought: She looks... quite attractive when she's quiet.
Cheng Zhanxi turned a page, then, remembering something, looked up at Yu Qingtang.
"Ms. Yu."
Yu Qingtang's hand on the mouse twitched almost imperceptibly. Relieved that she had looked away in time and hadn't been caught staring, she calmly asked, "What is it?"
"Which class was that boy in this morning?"
"Class 10."
"Does his homeroom teacher know about this?"
"Yes. Director Feng, the head of year level, has already spoken to him."
Cheng Zhanxi hesitated. "I'm a little worried about that boy. His mother seems... unstable."
"That's a family matter," Yu Qingtang said indifferently. "Or, at the very least, a matter for Class 10, not us."
"I know." Cheng Zhanxi slumped over her desk, her expression downcast.
Yu Qingtang thought, with a hint of scorn: Does she think she's some kind of savior, capable of rescuing everyone from their misfortunes?
Cheng Zhanxi continued, "What if the homeroom teacher isn't aware of the situation at home? He's a new student, just starting high school. Maybe the teacher hasn't had enough time to get to know him and his family. If the homeroom teacher showed a little more care, talked to the parents... maybe things would be different. I'm thinking of talking to the homeroom teacher of Class 10. Do you think that's appropriate?"
Yu Qingtang wanted to tell her not to overestimate a teacher's role, and not to meddle in other people's business, but she swallowed her words and simply said, "If you want to, go ahead."
Cheng Zhanxi's eyes lit up. "Which office is the Class 10 homeroom teacher in? What's his name?"
"Next door, on the left. His last name is Qian."
"Thank you, Ms. Yu." Cheng Zhanxi magically produced a piece of hard candy from her palm. "Here," she said with a smile, "have a candy."
Without waiting for Yu Qingtang to refuse, she stood up and left for the next office.
Yu Qingtang stared at the candy in her hand, its green wrapper suggesting apple or lime flavor.
After a long moment, she looked down and tossed it into the nearby trash can.
Cheng Zhanxi was gone for a long time. Teachers came and went from the office, leaving only Yu Qingtang, Wen Zhihan, and a biology teacher.
The second bell rang, signaling the start of the next class, and Cheng Zhanxi returned.
Yu Qingtang casually looked away, pretending to have been looking at her computer all along, and only looked up when Cheng Zhanxi addressed her. "Finished?" she asked indifferently.
Cheng Zhanxi: "Yes, I've spoken to Mr. Qian. He said he'll talk to the parents."
Her expression visibly relaxed as she continued, "Mr. Qian said he's already spoken to the boy privately and has a basic understanding of his family situation. He'll also pay more attention to him in the future and thanked me for bringing it to his attention. I heard from the senior teachers in the next office that Mr. Qian has many years of experience as a homeroom teacher. I'm sure he can handle it."
Yu Qingtang made a noncommittal sound of agreement. "Let's get back to work," she said.
"How did you know I had class this afternoon?" Cheng Zhanxi asked, surprised.
"Didn't I see your schedule last time?" Yu Qingtang replied casually, clicking her mouse.
She thought: Ms. Cheng is so young, yet her memory is so poor.
Cheng Zhanxi thought confidently: Your memory is so bad, yet you remembered all my classes after just one glance at my schedule. You clearly like me! Such a tsundere!
In reality, Yu Qingtang's memory wasn't bad. She just had difficulty remembering faces and names. Years ago, her therapist had suggested it might be a self-defense mechanism stemming from childhood trauma. Not remembering people, not remembering names, not having specific memories related to social interactions, could significantly reduce her emotional pain, like when she had "pretended" to be deaf and mute for eight years.
Of course, the therapist had only offered it as a possibility. Her face blindness could also be congenital, unrelated to her later "deafness and muteness." But Yu Qingtang didn't feel her face blindness affected her life. In fact, it gave her a sense of freedom and peace, so she hadn't bothered trying to correct it. It just meant that as a teacher, she needed more time to learn her students' names and faces.
Cheng Zhanxi only had four classes a week, one day off, and one class per day for the remaining four days, three of which were in the afternoon. If Yu Qingtang couldn't even remember that, she would suspect she had early-onset Alzheimer's.
Wen Zhihan, listening to their conversation, was almost visibly shocked.
After only two days, they already had inside jokes? Why couldn't she understand what they were talking about?
And who was Mr. Qian? What did he have to do with anything?
During the second period break, Cheng Zhanxi called out to Yu Qingtang again. "Ms. Yu, do you have a hair tie? For tying up hair?"
Yu Qingtang, without asking why, pulled a black hair tie from her drawer and handed it to her - the same kind she used, bought in bulk from a discount store.
Cheng Zhanxi tied her hair back, a few strands framing her face, creating a casual, relaxed look.
She stood up, leaned on Yu Qingtang's desk, and said with a smile, "Ms. Yu, I'm off to PE class."
Yu Qingtang, not bothering to question why she was being informed, simply nodded.
"Goodbye, Ms. Yu."
"Yes."
Cheng Zhanxi walked backwards towards the door, bidding farewell to the other teachers with a smile.
"Ms. Wen, Ms. Liu, Ms. Yang, Mr. Hu... Ladies and gentlemen, see you later," she said, her tall figure framed in the doorway, her hair bathed in the golden afternoon sunlight, like a magician taking a final bow after a grand performance.
Wen Zhihan: "..."
After Cheng Zhanxi left, the fifty-year-old chemistry teacher, one of the senior staff, chuckled. "Our office has become so much livelier since Ms. Cheng arrived."
The biology teacher, looking up from her grading, agreed. "Indeed. Ms. Cheng has such a pleasant personality. Always smiling, sweet-talking... If I had a daughter like her, I'd be overjoyed."
The chemistry teacher said, "Hey, don't you have a daughter? Now that same-sex marriage is legal, why don't you introduce her to Ms. Cheng?"
Before the biology teacher could reply, the physics teacher adjusted her glasses and said seriously, "Don't fight me for her! I've already reserved Ms. Cheng for my son!"
The chemistry teacher scoffed. "Come on, your son is still in middle school!"
The senior teachers chatted and laughed, the office filled with their cheerful banter.
Snippets of their conversation drifted to Yu Qingtang, who continued typing on her computer, her expression impassive.
Cheng Zhanxi's first week at work ended perfectly with the Friday afternoon bell. Yu Jianxing invited her to dinner to celebrate the new "engineer of human souls," as she called Cheng Zhanxi.
Yu Qingtang didn't stay at school until the end of the evening self-study session. Instead, she took a bus to the old town, located on the other side of the city.
Urban development was rapidly transforming cities, and Sicheng, located in a region known for its fertile land and abundant resources, was no exception. A winding river divided the city, separating the modern metropolis from the old town, with its traditional houses and picturesque canals, reminiscent of a classic Jiangnan water town. Sicheng had a famous ancient town, its well-preserved architecture a popular tourist attraction.
Yu Qingtang's maternal grandparents lived behind the ancient town.
Summer vacation was over, and the tourist season had ended. Yu Qingtang got off the bus, rented a shared bicycle, and rode through the cobblestone streets of the old town, heading towards a quieter area.
The bicycle bell rang cheerfully.
Pedestrians looked up at the sound, their eyes following the young woman on the blue bicycle. She wore a well-fitting black shirt and matching trousers, her sleeves rolled up above her elbows, revealing her slender, pale forearms. Her wrist, gripping the handlebar, was delicate, adding a subtle touch of allure to her otherwise understated appearance. White wireless earbuds were nestled in her ears.
She rode through the old town, bathed in the soft glow of the setting sun, the sound of her bicycle bell echoing in the air, then faded into the distance.
Like a dream.
The pedestrians, momentarily mesmerized, only snapped back to reality when a vendor asked what they wanted to buy.
Yu Qingtang parked her bicycle in the designated area and looked up at the two-story house with a courtyard in front. The gate was open. Yu Qingtang frowned slightly, took her bag from the bicycle basket, and walked inside.
"Grandma?"
There was no answer.
Yu Qingtang found her grandmother in the kitchen. Approaching her, she raised her voice. "Grandma!"
Fang Wenjiao turned around, wiping her hands on her apron. "Momo, you're back," she said, a warm smile on her face.
Her hearing had deteriorated with age.
Yu Qingtang looked at the ingredients on the cutting board. "Where's Aunt Qiu?" she asked. "Why are you cooking?"
Aunt Qiu was the housekeeper Yu Qingtang had hired.
Yu Qingtang's grandfather had recently fallen and injured himself. For an elderly person, such falls could be dangerous. He had barely survived and was now confined to a wheelchair. Yu Qingtang's grandmother had chronic health issues and needed constant medication. They had always supported each other, but after her grandfather's fall, they were struggling, so Yu Qingtang had hired a housekeeper to help.
Fang Wenjiao: "Aunt Qiu went grocery shopping."
Yu Qingtang checked the time on her phone, her expression darkening. "It's almost dinner time. She's not back yet?"
"Maybe she got delayed," Fang Wenjiao said, defending the housekeeper.
"I see." Yu Qingtang's expression softened. She took off her grandmother's apron, led her to the living room, and said, "I'll cook."
Fang Wenjiao started to get up. "I bought shrimp, your favorite. They're in the refrigerator," she said.
"We can have them next time."
Yu Qingtang gently pushed her grandmother's shoulders, her tone firm.
"Then I'll go check on your grandfather."
"Is Grandpa in his room?"
"Yes. Do you want to see him?"
Yu Qingtang pursed her lips. "Let's wait until dinner. It'll be ready soon," she said.
She turned to go to the kitchen, then stopped and looked back. "Remember to lock the gate, even when someone is home," she reminded her grandmother.
Fang Wenjiao rubbed her fingers, a confused look on her face. "I... I locked it."
Yu Qingtang's expression darkened, but she hid it from her grandmother. "Then Aunt Qiu must have opened it and forgotten to close it. Go see Grandpa. I'll start cooking," she said.
Around 7 p.m., Aunt Qiu finally arrived, carrying a fish and a bag of bean sprouts, her expression carefree.
"Ms. Yu?" she said, surprised to see Yu Qingtang busy in the kitchen.
Yu Qingtang had just started her new job two weeks ago and had been busy with school work. She hadn't visited her grandparents for two weekends and had only been in contact by phone. Every time she called, her grandmother had assured her that everything was fine. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn't have known that in just half a month, the seemingly honest housekeeper had started slacking off.
"How much?" Yu Qingtang asked, wiping her hands.
Aunt Qiu hesitated, then said, "Thirty yuan." Facing Yu Qingtang's unreadable expression, she toned down her usual boldness, only inflating the price by five yuan.
"Where's the receipt?"
"There's no receipt," Aunt Qiu said, avoiding eye contact, forcing a smile. "No one gives receipts at the market."
"How much is fish per jin?"
"Fifteen yuan."
"What kind of fish is so expensive?"
"Crucian carp. It's always expensive. Sometimes it goes up to twenty yuan per jin," Aunt Qiu said, trying to deceive Yu Qingtang, who seemed so out of touch with everyday life.
If she had known Yu Qingtang had been buying groceries and cooking since elementary school and was well aware of market prices, she would have regretted her words.
Yu Qingtang made a noncommittal sound and took the fish, her voice calm. "Consider your half-month advance payment forfeited. I won't pursue the extra money you took from my grandmother for groceries."
"What do you mean, Ms. Yu?" Aunt Qiu's smile vanished.
Yu Qingtang turned and looked at her.
"You're fired."
Fang Wenjiao, pushing her husband's wheelchair, witnessed the scene as Yu Qingtang dismissed Aunt Qiu. Aunt Qiu had intended to plead with Fang Wenjiao, but seeing Yu Qingtang's cold stare, she swallowed her words.
At the dinner table, Yu Qingtang calmly explained the situation with Aunt Qiu, reminding her grandmother not to be too lenient with housekeepers. Her grandmother nodded in agreement.
Yu Qingtang served her grandfather some vegetables.
The three of them ate together, but the atmosphere lacked warmth.
Her grandfather, having finished most of his meal, put down his chopsticks. "How are the marriage arrangements your father made for you progressing?" he asked.
Yu Qingtang, startled by the unfamiliar term "father," quickly recovered and replied calmly, "They said he's ill, so the wedding will be postponed."
Fang Wenjiao asked, "Is he a good person? What does he look like?"
"I haven't met him. I heard he's very good."
Fang Wenjiao seemed to want to say something but hesitated.
Her grandfather said sternly, "If your father chose him, he must be a good person. Once you're married, your grandmother and I can rest easy."
Tears welled up in Fang Wenjiao's eyes. "Indeed," she agreed.
Yu Qingtang suppressed a cynical smile. "I understand," she murmured.
Although Wei Tingyu had never shown any interest in Yu Qingtang, he had always treated his deceased wife's parents well, even going above and beyond. He was more like a son to them than a son-in-law, not only providing for them materially but also helping his late wife's younger brother secure a good job, always willing to assist her family. Yu Ci's sudden death had devastated her parents, but even the deepest grief faded with time. How could a person who had been gone for over twenty years compare to the living?
Yu Qingtang's grandparents understood Wei Tingyu's attitude towards Yu Qingtang. It was Wei Tingyu who had sent her back to Sicheng to be raised by them. They firmly believed that blood was thicker than water, that "there are no bad parents," and that Wei Tingyu would eventually come around. They urged Yu Qingtang to forgive her father and seek reconciliation.
The Wei family had arranged her marriage without even consulting her, and her grandparents believed Wei Tingyu would choose a good husband for her. They were getting old and wanted to see Yu Qingtang settled down, married with children. It was a common wish for elderly people, and Yu Qingtang didn't blame them.
If it made them happy, she was willing to go through with it, repaying their years of kindness and care.
Was this her only purpose in life? She didn't know.
After dinner, Yu Qingtang cleaned the kitchen, watched TV with her grandparents until 9 p.m., and then went to bed.
On Saturday, the temperature rose slightly, though it wasn't as hot as before.
Yu Qingtang changed into a light-colored dress and took a bus to the special education school. She had been volunteering there since high school.
Everyone there knew her. The security guard greeted her warmly, and Yu Qingtang nodded, making her way to Ms. Wang, her former teacher.
She played games with the children with special needs, a rare, genuine smile brightening her usually impassive face.
The children, unable to hear, watched her, their own faces lighting up with silent joy. The scene was beautiful.
They were angels in a world without sound.
Ms. Wang watched them, her eyes filled with warmth.
Yu Qingtang had enrolled in the Sicheng Special Education School when she was six or seven, diagnosed with hearing and speech impairment, commonly known as deaf-muteness. A month later, Ms. Wang had suspected she could actually hear, and after several tests, doctors confirmed her hearing was perfectly normal.
But why she had pretended to be deaf remained a mystery.
She had also strongly resisted communicating. It took Ms. Wang a whole year to get her to speak. While most children's first words were "mama" or "dada," Yu Qingtang's first word was "teacher."
When she was eight, her maternal grandparents had brought her back to live with them, and she enrolled in a regular elementary school.
The pleasant morning passed quickly. Yu Qingtang took the children back to their classroom, had lunch with Ms. Wang, and left the school.
2 p.m.
A white Ducati Diavel was parked by the roadside.
"Sicheng Special Education School..." Cheng Zhanxi looked up at the school's old sign and walked inside.
She found the administration office and knocked on the door.
The person inside looked up, a puzzled expression on their face.
Cheng Zhanxi smiled politely. "Hello, I'm the one who called earlier. I'd like to volunteer," she said.
The chance of finding Momo was slim to none, but she had never given up hope.
...
Cheng Zhanxi left the special education school as dusk settled, the streets bustling with activity.
She got on her motorcycle, put on her helmet, and was about to start the engine when her phone buzzed.
It was Yu Jianxing.
Cheng Zhanxi took off her helmet, her eyes narrowed. "This better be important," she said.
Yu Jianxing: "Emergency! Your crush is at the bar again!"
"Which bar?"
"Zero Degrees, the one from last time!" Yu Jianxing said. "The owner told me tons of people are hitting on her! If you don't go now, someone else will snatch her up!"
Before Cheng Zhanxi could reply, Yu Jianxing hung up.
The silver motorcycle weaved through traffic at lightning speed. Cheng Zhanxi made a sharp U-turn, screeching to a halt in front of her apartment. She grabbed something, then sped off like a hurricane towards Zero Degrees.
The bar was even more crowded than usual on weekends, buzzing with activity even before nightfall.
Cheng Zhanxi pushed her way through the crowd, finally finding Yu Qingtang in their usual corner booth. To her surprise, Yu Qingtang was alone. Cheng Zhanxi's legs suddenly felt weak, and she almost stumbled. She took a deep breath, composed herself, and sat down opposite Yu Qingtang.
"Want to go to a hotel?" she asked, taking something out of her bag. "Here's my medical report."
Comments
Post a Comment