BSS - Chapter 143

Chapter 143

Tang Lijuan warmly took Xu Wei's hand and shut the door.

Deng Chuan went to clear the dishes, then returned to sit by the sofa. Lao Deng was calmly shelling salted peanuts. Seeing her, he pressed a handful of shelled peanuts into her hand.

"Eat up," he said.

Since they parted ways at the supermarket that day, Deng Chuan hadn't really spoken with him. The relationship between father and daughter had reached a stalemate. Although the conflict had dissipated, they hadn't talked it out. On the surface, things were calm, but whenever they were alone, it became particularly awkward.

Seeing Deng Chuan sit down beside him, open her palm, and start earnestly eating the peanuts, Lao Deng poured her a glass of water and placed it by her hand. He carefully chose his words and said:

"Don't blame your dad."

Deng Chuan was silent, her eyes lowered, not saying a word.

"Dad has been thinking a lot these past few days," Lao Deng said. "Like your mother, I'm just worried you won't have a good life. I was thinking, you're still young now, you have the luxury of being willful. But what about the future? I know your personality, and I'm afraid you'll get hurt."

"But it's a good thing I met Xiao Xu today." Seeming thirsty from talking, Lao Deng picked up his glass and took a sip of water. "Since you're with her, I can rest a little easier."

Seeing that Deng Chuan was about to speak, Lao Deng waved his hand to stop her. "I don't mean that I insist on her taking care of you. You're both girls, you need to look after each other. Besides, it's not easy for Xiao Xu to be so far from home, and she's done so much for you. You have to treat her well. When you two get to Beijing, don't push yourselves too hard- what I mean is, you're our only child. Everything will be yours in the future, you always have a safety net. But, of course, it's a good thing for young people to strive. I just want to tell you that your family will always be your support."

The television was on, playing a military program that Lao Deng liked, but he wasn't watching. He just stared ahead, speaking slowly. "You're grown up now. You have your own life, and Dad can't interfere anymore. So I need to apologize to you. I shouldn't have said those things to you a while back. Come on, let's shake on it and make up, okay?"

Lao Deng held out a hand, which still had some bits of peanut skin on it. He shook his hand, winked at Deng Chuan, and returned to his usual relaxed demeanor. Deng Chuan puffed out her cheeks, wanting to both laugh and cry. She placed her hand in Lao Deng's palm. She felt him give the web of her thumb a firm squeeze.

"When you're out working and shaking hands with people, you have to get the pressure right. Got it?" Lao Deng taught her while holding her hand. "Not too loose, not too tight. You want people to feel your sincerity, but you can't hold on for too long either. It depends on the occasion, just like this... Come on, you shake my hand."

So Deng Chuan shook his hand.

"Not bad." After a few repetitions, Lao Deng pulled his hand back and patted her head. "Do a good job, young one."

The father and daughter returned to their usual way of interacting, talking while watching TV. They waited until Tang Lijuan came out again, leading Xu Wei by the hand. It was already time for an afternoon nap, so Xu Wei prepared to leave.

Deng Chuan looked at her eagerly, wanting to go back with her. Seeing her daughter so eager to leave home, Tang Lijuan also urged them to stay. "Xiao Xu, don't go yet. You can stay in Deng Chuan's room, and we'll have dinner together tonight. I'll cook this time."

Xu Wei hesitated for a moment, but then agreed. The offer to stay in Deng Chuan's room, made by Tang Lijuan, was too tempting for her to refuse.

The kid must have talked about something with her father outside just now; the corners of her eyes and brows were filled with a relaxed smile. Seeing Xu Wei nod, she eagerly grabbed her hand, said "Good afternoon, Dad and Mom," and was ready to go.

Tang Lijuan let out an "Ai," and with an expression of someone who couldn't bear to watch, she turned off the TV that Lao Deng was happily watching. "Everyone needs to rest in the afternoon. Don't disturb Xiao Xu's sleep."

Lao Deng clutched the remote: "..."

They didn't see Lao Deng's grievance. Xu Wei smiled as Deng Chuan pulled her straight into her room. The door was shut, and the air conditioner beeped on. Deng Chuan wrapped an arm around her waist, pressing her against the door panel, and leaned in to ask in a low voice, "What did you and my mom talk about in there?"

Xu Wei stroked her eager face and drew out her words mysteriously, "Hmm... we didn't talk about anything."

Deng Chuan pressed her a few more times, but Xu Wei still wouldn't say anything. The kid got anxious and simply leaned in to kiss her. Her lips and tongue were fiery, making Xu Wei almost unable to stand steady. A few gasps escaped her throat. "...We're still at your house. Don't be like this, be good." She pushed against Deng Chuan's approaching shoulder. "Sit down obediently and let me have a good look at your room."

Deng Chuan followed her closely, holding her hand. "Let's hug first. How is my baby so amazing? Let me hug you."

Sigh. Xu Wei could feel the kid's happiness, and her own heart couldn't help but feel lighter. She was in Deng Chuan's home now. They had been accepted, right? With this thought, Xu Wei let Deng Chuan hug her and reached for the notebook on her desk.

She flipped it open casually. It was Deng Chuan's third-year high school math notebook. The familiar handwriting had neatly copied down incorrect problems, knowledge frameworks, and key difficult points. Xu Wei even saw her own correction marks inside. The past felt like it was just yesterday. Xu Wei felt a surge of emotion, and also a little embarrassed. Deng Chuan was hugging her from behind, resting her head on her shoulder. After a while of not hearing Xu Wei speak, she turned her head and saw that Xu Wei's eyes were red.

She held the increasingly emotional Xu Wei, her heart softening as she kissed her ear. "Don't cry, don't cry." Recalling what Lao Deng had said, she murmured softly, "We'll only get better and better from now on."

Xu Wei sniffled and turned the page. Tucked inside the notebook were two neatly folded pieces of paper. She unfolded them. One was a diagram of key knowledge points she had written for Deng Chuan, and the other was the note she had written for her on her birthday, the time she gave her candy.

Xu Wei bit her lip, her voice very soft. "Why did you still keep this?"

"They're all proof that Teacher Xu loves me." The kid hugged her tightly. "Teacher Xu probably never imagined how much comfort your casual gift and note gave me back then."

Xu Wei's hand, holding the note, tightened.

The room fell silent. Xu Wei was reminiscing about the past, while Deng Chuan closed her eyes, mesmerized, sniffing the scent of her neck. They had just had a lively meal-Lao Deng had made his signature pickled fish and boiled meat slices-and she had talked with her mom for so long, amidst the clinking of glasses and messy plates. Why did Xu Wei still smell so good? As she thought about it, the words slipped out involuntarily: "You smell so good..."

The notebook was closed. Xu Wei put down the things in her hand as if she had made a decision. She turned around, held Deng Chuan's head, and initiated a kiss on her lips.

The two of them drew the curtains and lay down on the bed. In a daze of passion, Deng Chuan heard Xu Wei talking to her. She mumbled her name, but Deng Chuan swallowed the words she was about to say between her lips again and again.

"You don't have to say it." The kid lowered her head and kissed her. "You don't have to say anything. I promised my dad I'd take good care of you. Thank you, wifey..." As she spoke, she felt like crying, but her tone remained firm. "Thank you for loving me."

The kid's tears mixed with sweat and dripped down her face. Her crying made Xu Wei's heart soften. She opened her eyes to look at her, only to see that Deng Chuan's eyes had been open the whole time.

In each other's eyes, their reflections were all they could see-full, inseparable, only each other.

Everything returned to calm. The curtains cast a dim light into the room. Deng Chuan carefully pulled the neatly folded quilt from the foot of the bed to cover Xu Wei's bare back. Seeing Xu Wei with her black hair spread out, curled up and sleeping soundly under the covers, Deng Chuan brought over cotton pads and makeup remover to take off her makeup. Beneath the soft cotton, Xu Wei's pure face was gradually revealed, soft and vivid without any makeup. Deng Chuan leaned down and gently pressed her lips to hers, feeling Xu Wei's small, warm breaths. Everything was peaceful, but there was still an unsaid phrase in her heart.

I love you. Love. Deng Chuan traced these three syllables over and over in her mind, but at this moment, "love" had become a shy phrase, difficult to say out loud. Deng Chuan keenly sensed the depth and difficulty of expressing love, because they were too close, too full. Perhaps the definition of happiness was being decided right at this moment, Deng Chuan thought. There was no need to say it; everything was understood without words.

She leaned down once more to kiss the sleeping Xu Wei, who lay with her eyes peacefully closed, completely unaware.

---

After waking up from her nap, Xu Wei finally had the energy to properly look around the room where Deng Chuan grew up. Deng Chuan liked photography and video games. Besides the densely packed books on the bookshelf, there were also old game controllers and a rarely used film camera. Xu Wei picked it up and fiddled with it, feeling the traces of Deng Chuan's use.

The kid was still sleeping peacefully. Xu Wei watched for a moment before lying back down beside her. She lay on her side, propped up on one arm, and quietly gazed at the young face that seemed to glow.

Deng Chuan's breathing was even, her soft, long hair covering half her face, making her look much more grown-up. As Xu Wei watched, she couldn't resist reaching out to touch her face, remembering what Tang Lijuan had said to her in the room. There were no admonitions or warnings; Deng Chuan's mother had sincerely blessed them. Yet, in that moment, Xu Wei felt a bit of empathy for Tang Lijuan. The daughter she had cherished since childhood was drifting away, about to spend the rest of her life with someone else. Even if that person was Xu Wei herself, she still felt a touch of sadness.

-She didn't need anyone else to tell her; Xu Wei herself felt that her recent sentimentality and nostalgia were becoming a bit excessive. This wasn't like her-or more accurately, not like the person she demanded herself to be. But last night, Deng Chuan had held her and said she liked her willfulness, so Xu Wei had gradually become more tolerant of herself. This was a tolerance born from Deng Chuan.

Xu Wei treated her overflowing emotions with tolerance. With her usual acuity, she also perceived that every fact has a deeper reason for its existence. Her empathy for Tang Lijuan's sadness also contained her own hopes and worries for a Deng Chuan who was about to step into society.

Just as Lao Deng had said, Deng Chuan actually had many safety nets, but she had chosen the broadest and also the most uncertain path. Xu Wei felt a pang of pity, but she knew clearly what Deng Chuan had always been pursuing. And she truly deserved a better, broader future. So, as always, Xu Wei hoped that Deng Chuan could achieve her heart's desire.

On a midsummer afternoon, the only sound in the room was the soft hum of the air conditioner. The whole family was still asleep. Deng Chuan murmured a couple of times and reached out an arm to hold her. With such tender feelings in her heart, Xu Wei naturally settled back into her embrace. She placed her palm on Deng Chuan's chest and felt her heartbeat.

A young, vibrant heartbeat, just as sincere even in sleep. Falling into an embrace like this was like falling into an entire, vivid summer. Deng Chuan's breath brushed softly against Xu Wei's neck. The kid's arms holding her were exceptionally warm and soft, allowing Xu Wei to close her eyes in peace.

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