The Early Spring - Chapter 112

Chapter 112 - Breaking Out of the Cocoon

The year Shang Zhitao returned to Harbin was truly a difficult one.

She had to run back and forth for the home mortgage paperwork and coordinate the renovation details. On an evening just before the Lunar New Year, Big Zhai, in a good mood, cooked a full spread—Big Zhai was genuinely a master in the kitchen. Shang Zhitao wolfed down her food like a hungry tiger, chatting as she ate: "Mom, I think the reason I don't know how to cook is because you didn't pass down the cooking gene to me."

"Cooking requires genes?" Big Zhai took off her reading glasses. "You just refuse to learn! Who knows how you ate all these years in Beijing? It's a miracle you didn't starve to death."

Shang Zhitao stuffed a bite of rice into her mouth, suddenly remembering Sun Yu's signature Guizhou dishes, her hot and sour noodles, and the meals Luan Nian could effortlessly whip up into something delicious.

"My roommate was a great cook—Sun Yu, you even talked to her before!"

"Oh, right. Sun Yu and Lumi both loved my homemade pickled vegetables. Make sure to mail them some later."

Shang Zhitao thought about it. "Maybe in a little while? Things are too busy right now." She took a sip of sauerkraut soup and wiped the sweat from the tip of her nose. "Mom, how about I open a small restaurant for you and Dad? It doesn't need to be big—just five or six tables. That way, your great cooking won't go to waste."

"I can't handle all that stir-frying, it's too tiring."

"We'll hire people!"

"That could work. Your dad and I still have some savings—we can do a bit of late-life entrepreneurship." Shang Zhitao let out a chuckle. "If I sell my stocks to open the restaurant, I'll still have plenty of money left over. If you and Dad agree, I'll start brainstorming how to open it."

"I think it's a fine idea." Big Zhai nudged Old Shang's good leg. "What do you think?"

"Let's open it. But our daughter doesn't need to pay—we'll use our own money. We can't take our savings into the coffin with us anyway."

"Deal!"

The family of three settled the matter right over dinner. The Shang family was simply like that—no grandiose dreams, but never agonizing over smaller decisions either. After finishing her meal, Shang Zhitao bundled up in a thick down jacket to head out. Big Zhai called out behind her, "Where are you running off to now?"

"I'm going to see where would be a good location for the restaurant."

Ever since returning, Shang Zhitao had gone out for a walk every single night, rain or shine. Breaking up was like being executed with a blunt knife: quick and clean at the moment of parting, making one feel incredibly brave and impressive in those first few days for ending things so decisively. But a few days later, during some completely ordinary moment, the heart would suddenly turn hollow. Shang Zhitao's heart turned hollow on the day she was organizing the books shipped back from Beijing. She opened one of them and saw a photo of the two of them taken in Lhasa.

It felt like an accidental electric shock; she hastily snapped the book shut and tossed it aside, not daring to look at it again. From that day on, she always had to go out for a walk in the evening. If she stayed cooped up at home, she felt suffocated.

She wandered aimlessly through the streets of Harbin. Harbin winters were freezing cold; walking for too long left her nose and ears feeling as though they were about to fall off. So she bought a hat like the ones old ice pop vendors wore—the kind with two earflaps that wrapped her head tight and snug, looking quite comical.

One day, standing outside a hotel entrance, she spotted a man walking inside. From behind, his figure looked uncannily like Luan Nian—broad shoulders, wide back, perky hips, long legs, standing tall and straight with a distant demeanor. Shang Zhitao's heart violently shattered in an instant.

Perhaps she had been too young when she broke up with Xin Zhaozhou; in youth, one picks things up easily and lets them go just as fast. Now, approaching thirty, a breakup truly took everything out of her. She tried her absolute best not to think about what had happened in Beijing. But a human was a human, not a cold animal—to leave behind someone she had spent every day with and not miss them even a little was simply impossible.

Because she went out walking every day, Old Shang and Big Zhai grew worried. The two whispered quietly to each other: "Could she have suffered some kind of shock?"

"Maybe she's just trying to lose weight."

"She isn't even fat."

She roamed the streets, coming to know every nook and cranny of Harbin like a total street loafer. Eventually, she actually stumbled upon a place right on an old street under a residential building. Facing the street, she leaned against the transparent floor-to-ceiling window and looked inside under the moonlight: over a hundred square meters, just a few tables.

A concept immediately took shape in Shang Zhitao's mind: an elderly couple running a modest stir-fry diner, serving home-style meals, but with every dish refined to be exceptionally delicious. That was it.

She immediately pulled out her phone and dialed the number on the sign. A young man answered: "Hello, I saw a commercial space for rent."

"The one on Second Street?" the man asked.

"Yes, can I go inside to take a look?"

"Sure, but you'll have to wait about twenty minutes."

Shang Zhitao stood by the roadside eating candied hawthorns—sweet and sour, dispersing the lingering sorrow in her heart. By the time the man arrived, she was biting into the last hawthorn.

"Looking at the place?"

"Yes."

Shang Zhitao glanced at the man, feeling he looked somewhat familiar, though she couldn't place him. Seeing him unlock the door and flip on the lights, she followed him inside. The interior was very clean; the previous tenant had run a spicy hot pot shop that failed.

"How much is it per year?"

"Sixty thousand. My family owns several properties—this particular spot goes under no matter who runs a business here. Rent it as you like." The man seemed a bit scatterbrained. After speaking, he glanced at Shang Zhitao, only then realizing that beneath the old man's hat was a young woman's face. Looking closer, she seemed familiar.

"Is your surname Shang?"

"Yes. How did you know?"

The man laughed. "I'm Xing Yi. High school, the class next door."

Shang Zhitao pushed up the brim of her hat and examined him closely. It really was him. "What a coincidence."

Both of them laughed.

"What are you renting the place for?"

"I want to open a small restaurant."

"Several businesses have gone belly up here."

"It shouldn't happen with mine."

"Tell you what, since we know each other, let's make it fifty thousand a year." Xing Yi lowered the price on his own initiative, eager to get this troublesome spot rented out.

"Thank you, then. Should we sign the contract?" Shang Zhitao asked him.

"Let's sign it."

The two found a coffee shop. Xing Yi went home to grab the contract while Shang Zhitao drank coffee and waited for him. He moved quickly, placing the contract on the table and taking off his jacket. Sitting down, he noticed Shang Zhitao's hair flattened against her head from the hat, her face flushed red from the cold.

"You're still the same as in high school!" Xing Yi said.

"Huh?"

"Your look is still the same."

"You remember me from high school?"

"Of course. Weren't you always helping the teachers out?"

"..."

Shang Zhitao hadn't brought her ID card, but Xing Yi didn't mind. His family owned seven or eight commercial properties, purchased over the years whenever his parents had extra savings; they weren't desperate for a few tens of thousands in rent. Besides, Shang Zhitao clearly wasn't a bad person.

And just like that, the contract was signed. Shang Zhitao transferred the money, and Xing Yi handed over the keys. As they parted, he said, "If anything comes up, just give me a call. We were classmates, after all—it's fate."

Shang Zhitao went home and showed the contract to Old Shang and Big Zhai. Seeing her parents' wide eyes, she realized they hadn't expected her to be so decisive. What Shang Zhitao herself hadn't realized was that the changes from the past six years had long since seeped into her blood. Once she decided on something, she executed it immediately with absolute resolve.

With the Lunar New Year fast approaching, having settled two major matters before the holiday, she began organizing the renovations for both the new home and the shop.

That New Year's Eve, because Shang Zhitao was no longer traveling far away, the holiday felt exceptionally relaxed. Every day, she and Old Shang strolled to the market and supermarket to buy festival goods. She loved the New Year atmosphere in Harbin most—New Year paintings, spring couplets, frozen pears, and frozen persimmons laid out on the ground to sell, creating a vast sea of red when viewed from afar.

Holding Luke on a leash while squeezing onto the bus with Old Shang, she suddenly thought that perhaps she should buy a car for easier travel later on. The family used to have a car, but Old Shang didn't like driving it, so it had sat idle until it was time to be scrapped.

So she put down a down payment on an SUV with a total price tag of over two hundred thousand.

Days passed like this.

On New Year's Eve, she and Luke curled up on the sofa watching the Spring Gala. Firecrackers echoed faintly from far away, but Luke didn't make a fuss about going to look. It seemed that as dogs grew older, they became just like humans—losing interest in the New Year.

Lingmei's final gift to Shang Zhitao occurred after the New Year.

After that holiday—at the start of 2017—Lingmei's stock hit five consecutive upper price limits, dipped for three days, and then soared through another four limit-ups. The sharp rise made Shang Zhitao a bit anxious, prompting her to pull out her phone and browse the news, where she read about Lingmei's full-scale entry into online advertising. The industry was universally optimistic about this major transformation. While reading the article, she saw Luan Nian being interviewed at the US headquarters, unsmiling as ever.

The comments below the interview praised him: So handsome! I love him, I want to marry him!

Shang Zhitao read through that interview twice. Luan Nian's gaze was incredibly firm, which meant this move was certainly the right one. She was in no rush to sell her stocks; as long as Luan Nian was confident, she wouldn't panic. Holding onto them for nearly another month until mid-to-late March, the total stock value had risen by nearly 40%. On a bright and sunny day, Shang Zhitao sold her shares.

Completely severing her very last connection with Lingmei.

With this money, the profits covered the renovation costs for both properties, and the remainder was set aside to start an event agency.

Starting a company was no easy task, and since this money had come through a winding path, Shang Zhitao spent it with extreme caution. She handled everything single-handedly starting from market research, running to various hotels and scenic spots, meeting all kinds of people, and talking to everyone to understand Harbin's event market. Once the market research was done, she began drafting the budget. Her budget was precise: company registration, office rental, staffing, and miscellaneous expenses—every item laid out with absolute clarity.

By June, she rented a 200-square-meter commercial-residential office in the new district. Her company officially set sail.

During recruitment, many applicants were skeptical of this newly founded company—after all, the owner was the sole person in the office. Only one fresh graduate, who had served as the head of the university sports department, possessed great physical stamina and a sharp appearance. After chatting with Shang Zhitao for half an hour, he felt this boss was impressive—clearly experienced, far more high-level and reliable than HRs from other companies on the market.

He asked Shang Zhitao, "Could you give a bit more on the salary?"

"Seven thousand." Shang Zhitao offered a high rate. For a fresh graduate in Harbin, this salary was genuinely high. The young man grinned, showing a flash of white teeth. "Deal, Boss! Let's start work today then! I've got nothing to do at home anyway."

The young man was named Fu Dong, a native of Qiqihar who went to university in Harbin. Both his parents were teachers, and he held no grand ambitions for his career. In his own words: "As long as I'm happy."

The two spent two days setting up office computers and telephones, arranging plants and a snack cabinet, and spent another full day cleaning inside and out. It finally looked like a real company.

Then, sitting in the office, Fu Dong finally couldn't help asking, "Boss, if I may ask... where are we going to find clients?"

Shang Zhitao was amused by him. She pulled out her phone and walked into her private office to make a call. Once connected, she said, "Sun Yu, it's me."

Years of memories flooded over them. Shang Zhitao on one end of the line, Sun Yu on the other—both fell silent, feeling a touch of heartache.

After a long pause, Shang Zhitao heard Sun Yu blowing her nose, then asking, "Are you alright now?"

"I'm alright now. This is my new number." Shang Zhitao sniffled and said to Sun Yu, "I bought an apartment, and the renovation is done. I built a massive book wall and placed all the books Sun Yuanzhu gave me on it. I opened a small restaurant that's been operating for a month, with great reviews on Dianping. I also started an event company."

"An event company, right?"

"Yes."

"I'll have our marketing department contact you. Our company happens to be looking for new suppliers for offline events in your province."

Perhaps all true friends were like this—able to go long periods without contact, yet as soon as you spoke up, they were right there. Shang Zhitao was immensely grateful: "Sun Yu, do you want to come to Harbin to have a drink with me?"

"I think I do. I'll go tomorrow."

Shang Zhitao invited Lumi and Sun Yu over to her new home for a night of drinking.

Seeing Sun Yu and Lumi, Luke went wild, running around them in circles before jumping up to hug one after the other, unable to contain its joy.

Lumi covered her bag: "Hey! Kiddo! Watch it! Your Auntie Lumi's bag is very expensive, don't scratch it!" Saying so, she took off the bag, tossed it aside, and squatted down to scoop up Luke, panting from the effort: "Good grief! Grandma hasn't been holding back on the food, huh? If you get any fatter, you won't find yourself a wife!"

Her new home was decorated beautifully, featuring a particularly large balcony filled with flowers planted by Shang Zhitao, alongside a reading desk. The most captivating feature was that wall of books, lined with volumes.

Sun Yu stood before that book wall for a very long time, carefully pulling out a copy of Decisive Moments in History. The book was spotless, yet Sun Yu knew that Sun Yuanzhu must have held it and read it thoroughly. Inside was a reading note written in his hand: Read.

Sun Yu knew the state he must have been in when writing "Read"—it was likely during his final days. In the past, his notes were concise and refined, distilling deep thoughts, always marked with the reading date.

Unknowingly, tears streamed down her face, which she wiped away: "I'm a strong career woman in the eyes of the world; I can't just cry whenever I want."

That day, they enjoyed Big Zhai's signature dishes and their favorite pickled vegetables.

Shang Zhitao's new home had only recently been renovated, and she hadn't hosted anyone yet. When she finished cleaning it up, her first thought had been: I should invite Sun Yu and Lumi over.

That night, they all drank too much.

When people drink too much, talk flows freely.

Lumi called Will, spewing rambling nonsense into the phone, the main point being: "If you keep picking fights with me, I'm going to pack up and leave! Don't think I won't do it—I'm tough! I'll leave without telling you where I'm going so you can't find me!"

Will asked her, "Where are you right now?"

"Harbin."

Shang Zhitao and Sun Yu burst into laughter at Lumi.

The three intoxicated women doubled over with laughter in Shang Zhitao's new apartment. The laughter was loud, leaving Luke sitting to the side looking thoroughly bewildered. It probably thought it would never hear such laughter again in its lifetime.

In the midst of this laughter, Shang Zhitao was reborn.

Everything was wonderful.