Drifting on a String - Chapter 16
Chapter 16
"Piaopiao'er." Tao Jin mouthed the three syllables before swallowing them back down.
But Chen Piaopiao caught the smile in her eyes. Biting the inside of her lip, she took her Grandma's bag and helped her out of the crowd before making the introduction. "Grandma, this is my senior, Tao Jin. Jin as in 'to soak.'"
"Senior, this is my grandma."
Calling her senior? Tao Jin gave her a knowing look, watching her play the part of a good girl without calling her out.
"Hello, Grandma."
Grandma tilted her head up to look at Tao Jin. "Senior, hello, hello."
Tao Jin let out a soft "Ah," and smiled.
Grandma had learned her Mandarin from television, and it was far from standard. Chen Piaopiao's ears turned red. "Grandma, you don't have to speak Mandarin," she said in a small voice.
And you don't have to call Tao Jin senior.
"Just call me Jinjin," Tao Jin chimed in at the right moment.
"Oh." Grandma nodded, looking Tao Jin up and down. "You're so tall, eh?" she asked.
"One meter seventy-two, Grandma. One seventy-two," Chen Piaopiao said.
"Ooh," Grandma exclaimed, thoroughly impressed.
Tao Jin smiled, pursing her lips. She stood in front of the elevator with her hands behind her back, her head slightly lowered.
Grandma chatted with Chen Piaopiao for a bit—the usual things about whether she'd lost or gained weight. When the elevator arrived, the three of them stepped inside. A few luggage carts were pushed in after them, squeezing Tao Jin and Chen Piaopiao to the side. Chen Piaopiao felt Tao Jin lightly touch her arm. Staring at the elevator doors, Tao Jin whispered, "How did you know?"
"What?"
"One meter seventy-two."
Er… Chen Piaopiao cleared her throat. "An estimate."
Tao Jin gave a faint smile. "Pretty accurate."
"Mhm, my eyes are a ruler," Chen Piaopiao said wistfully, also gazing at the elevator doors.
A soft chuckle. She heard the breath beside her ear come alive.
She was pretty good at playing along with jokes and making Tao Jin happy, too.
Chen Piaopiao desperately wanted to hold her hand. Her fingers twitched with restraint. As if to avoid the impulse, she turned her head and flicked the brim of her grandma's hat. "Old lady, isn't this hot?"
Grandma slapped her hand away. "This is my look."
"You have a look?" Chen Piaopiao's eyes curved into crescents as she grinned.
"What about it? I just bought these clothes, too. Polyester," Grandma said, smoothing out the hem of her shirt.
Polyester was probably what they called 'díquèliáng.' Chen Piaopiao straightened her clothes for her and played along. "Oh, so high-class. Is it comfortable?"
"It's alright."
The elevator arrived. The group came out with their bags, bought tickets, and boarded the express rail. Grandma found everything novel and was also extremely cautious. When boarding the subway, she always hurried a few steps ahead, afraid the doors would close and leave her outside.
"Jinjin, you hurry up too," she called, waving to her from inside.
"Coming." Tao Jin jogged inside.
Chen Piaopiao sat next to Tao Jin, listening to her talk with Grandma. Grandma asked if the card needed to be returned, and Tao Jin gently explained that Grandma's was a single-use ticket that would be collected, while hers and Piaopiao's didn't need to be. Then she flipped them over, carefully explaining the difference between the two.
She was still so composed, so poised, so incredibly likable.
Chen Piaopiao leaned on her grandma's shoulder, taking in her familiar scent without a word. In a pause in the conversation, Tao Jin glanced at her. She looked docile and serene, not a feigned calmness, but like a weary bird returning to its nest.
Her waterfall of hair fell forward, framing her face. Tao Jin's hand twitched. The next second, Grandma's hand reached over and tucked Chen Piaopiao's hair back into place.
Following the same route as when she arrived, they got out of the station and immediately hailed a taxi. By the time they reached the residential complex, the sky was already growing dark. Grandma's eyesight wasn't good at night, so she held tightly to Chen Piaopiao's hand, squinting as she stepped into the building's corridor.
After Tao Jin opened the door, Grandma's eyes adjusted to the light. Her cloudy pupils blinked, revealing dry tear tracks. She wiped her face, stunned. "Piaopiao'er."
"Hm?" Chen Piaopiao led her to the sofa.
Grandma looked all around. "How come this doesn't look like a hotel?"
"It's not a hotel, Grandma." Chen Piaopiao poured her a glass of water, then poured one for Tao Jin. "This is my senior's home. Oh, it's a place she's renting. We'll be staying here for the next few days."
Grandma looked at Tao Jin, then at the apartment, her brow furrowing like a worm. "Your uncle said he'd find a place for me to stay. How did we end up at your classmate's place?"
She clutched Chen Piaopiao's hand. "Didn't your uncle give you money for a room?"
Chen Piaopiao was taken aback. She shook her head. "No, Grandma."
"I even told Uncle and Aunt that I didn't have any money, but I missed you so, so much and wanted you to come. I didn't know what to do. I was so anxious I started crying. My senior saw me crying and said she happened to have a place, so she let me stay here."
Chen Piaopiao said in a small voice.
Tao Jin glanced at her. Usually, in the plays they put on, adhering to the principle of "a harmonious family brings prosperity," the female lead would hide this kind of situation or just laugh it off. But Chen Piaopiao, with a wronged expression, said she had been so anxious she cried.
She had no intention of saving any face for her relatives.
Tao Jin took a sip of water. Chen Piaopiao's gaze drifted over, and she pressed her lips together.
Grandma was furious. She yanked on Chen Piaopiao's wrist. "Get me my phone. I'm calling him!"
Chen Piaopiao shook her head. "Let's eat first. It's no use calling him now anyway. We won't be able to book a room at this point, Grandma."
She diligently soothed her grandma's anger and urged her to drink some water.
Grandma gulped down a large mouthful but was still unhappy. She patted Chen Piaopiao's little hand and huffed, "Grandma has money. I'll leave it all to you, not to him."
Chen Piaopiao smiled. "Okay, Grandma. I'll take care of you when you're old. We can rent a place like this in the future, okay? It's so pretty."
She wrinkled her nose affectionately and gave her grandma a look, whispering.
So cute. Tao Jin propped her chin on her hand, watching her, wanting to say those two words again.
After a short rest, it was six-thirty. Grandma couldn't sit still and didn't want to eat out, so she said she would cook noodles for the two girls. She took Tao Jin's hand and walked to the kitchen, put a pot of water on to boil, and thanked her profusely, then chatted for a good while.
"Is our Piaopiao'er a good girl at school?" she asked.
"Very good." Tao Jin glanced at Chen Piaopiao, who was squatting in the living room, organizing Grandma's luggage.
"How did you two get together?" Grandma asked again.
"Hm?"
"You know, started seeing each other."
Hmm… Tao Jin moistened her lips, the back of her ears turning red. The phrase "seeing each other" seemed to have a different meaning in Beicheng.
"We're in the same club. I was mentoring her when she first joined," Tao Jin answered softly, glancing at the pot. "Grandma, the water's boiling."
"Oh." Grandma put the noodles in. "Jinjin, do you eat spicy food?"
"I do. I can handle spice better than Piaopiao," Tao Jin said with a smile.
"Really?" Grandma's eyebrows shot up. "Our Piaopiao'er can really handle her spice."
"It's true," Tao Jin chuckled. "You can ask her if you don't believe me."
"Grandma doesn't believe you. Grandma will add two spoonfuls of chili for you. If you think it's spicy, then you're not so tough." Grandma tilted her head with a hum, stirring the noodles with chopsticks.
Tao Jin laughed out loud, bracing her hand on the countertop and leaning against it lightly. "Well, if I am tough, is there a reward, Grandma?"
"Your reward is another bowl." Grandma was amused.
Chen Piaopiao held her grandma's pajamas and watched the two of them through the slightly ajar kitchen door.
It had been a long time since a third person's laughter had been heard in her grandma's home. Usually, she was the one who teased her grandma like this.
Tao Jin was truly amazing. Not only was she liked by her peers and teachers, but even her grandma wanted to talk more with her.
Her heart felt both light and heavy. As expected, she was this good to everyone she didn't "dislike."
Grandma's way of making noodles was different from Beicheng's. In the north, the soup and noodles were usually cooked together. But in Xindu, the noodles had a base sauce. The noodles were drained and mixed in, and the soup was just plain boiled water. Chen Piaopiao was right, her grandma was an excellent cook. The two of them ate with great appetite, their mouths full of fragrance.
Grandma wasn't hungry. She blanched some bok choy and ate the boiled vegetables while watching them.
After the meal, Tao Jin and Chen Piaopiao went to wash the dishes. Tao Jin drained the water from the chopsticks and handed them to Chen Piaopiao. After putting the chopsticks away, Chen Piaopiao wiped the water from the bowls and suddenly thought of something. "Are you staying here tonight?"
Tao Jin shook her head. "I'm going back to the dorm. I still have homework."
Chen Piaopiao fell silent. Tao Jin looked down at her. "What's wrong?"
"I was just thinking about our sleeping arrangements. There are two rooms, right? Of course, I'll share a room with my grandma, but I also felt that it might be awkward for you to stay with us." After all, Chen Piaopiao and her grandma were family.
"But if you go back to the dorm, it doesn't seem right for me and Grandma to stay here either, does it?"
Like they were taking over someone's house.
Chen Piaopiao looked up, her gaze soft as she looked at Tao Jin.
She was already starting to rely on Tao Jin's decisions, though she hadn't realized it herself yet.
Tao Jin washed her hands, dried them unhurriedly with a paper towel, and threw it in the trash before speaking. "That's perfect, then."
"Huh?"
"My roommates have all gone home. I'm the only one in the dorm," Tao Jin paused, looking at Chen Piaopiao, her voice soft. "I'm afraid of the dark."
So what she meant was… Chen Piaopiao felt her heart clench, a sour, swelling feeling spreading through her.
She had guessed it. Tao Jin wanted her to go back to the dorm with her after settling her grandma in.
It was actually a very normal suggestion, but because Chen Piaopiao owed Tao Jin a favor, the conversation felt like a transaction, turning ordinary words into something deeply meaningful.
"What do you mean?" Chen Piaopiao asked, her voice husky and gentle.
Tiny, dense beads of sweat formed on her snow-white neck.
Tao Jin's clean, slender fingers rested on the edge of the stove, her index finger tapping it casually.
"You keep me company." She smiled lightly, a spring breeze on one's face, her eyes bright and her teeth pearly white.
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