On My Way - Chapter 34

Chapter 34 - Sister, Are You Really Not Coming Back?

I attended a dinner party at a restaurant eighty stories in the sky.

Outside the window was a magnificent, boundless sea of clouds. Dreamlike light shone on everyone’s faces; they all looked very happy, wearing shimmering evening gowns, indulging to their hearts' content in red wine and fine food.

I was among them, trying my best to maintain a smile on my face. In reality, I was racking my brain, trying to recall the dining etiquette I had seen online—I didn't want to be laughed at.

I tried to cut my steak as elegantly as possible, but no matter how I did it, it made a harsh, grating sound. Everyone turned to look at me.

I panicked and looked down at my plate, only to discover that it wasn't steak, but a wet, dripping human head.

It was a boy’s head. His complexion was snowy white, his eyes were dull and lifeless, and a line of blood slowly trickled down from a forehead wound I had just inflicted.

It was Qinglong! It was Qinglong, who had drowned in the water.

I was so terrified that I stood up abruptly and stumbled back several steps.

Only then did I realize that sitting at the head of the dining table was Chana. He was smiling an evil smile, and in front of him was a full platter of steaming heart, liver, spleen, and lungs. Fresh red blood was seeping across the white tablecloth...

"You’re eating people... you all..." The guests before me were all familiar faces, and without exception, they were elegantly putting the bloody dishes into their mouths.

"You’re all eating people!"

I wanted to run, but I couldn't. I was surrounded by a bottomless abyss; I was standing atop a solitary, towering pagoda, and beneath my feet was a drop of ten thousand fathoms.

And that pagoda was built from countless bones. I saw Tyrannosaurus, the old women from the vegetable market, and even Harina... their eyes were vacant, stacked one upon another...

A crisp, refreshing scent of citrus, followed by a warm kiss pressed against my forehead.

I struggled and opened my eyes from the nightmare, feeling my heart pounding wildly.

Cheng Xia was squatting by my bedside, asking softly, "Awake? Did you dream of me?"

I was still dazed, and I answered, "You are never in my nightmares."

The ones with him in them were always sweet dreams.

Cheng Xia smiled and said, "Let's go, let's eat."

Yesterday’s leftovers had been cleaned away thoroughly. On the table sat a bouquet of tulips, and beside it was hot milk and... spicy hot pot?

"We're having spicy hot pot for breakfast?" I asked, unable to believe it.

"What kind of expression is that!" he said, acting puffed up. "I got up at six today to make this following a recipe, just because you love it."

"A surprise! Amazing!" I hurriedly said. "Whose boyfriend is this thoughtful? Damn, it turns out he’s mine."

We both laughed.

The gloomy aura that used to hang over him had been swept away; he was more like that boy from university who had such a clean, unbelievable smile—the version of him I loved the most.

His illness was cured, and he still loved me. Could there be anything more fortunate than this?

I really could giggle out loud in my dreams.

We chatted while we ate. The room was filled with sunlight and blooming flowers; everything felt fresh, interesting, and full of things to joke about.

That cloudy, overcast grassland seemed as far away as another world.

"How did you think to arrange this kind of dinner party?"

"The events at your site were trending on the news for three days straight," he said. "I knew it must have had a huge impact on you, so I asked my third uncle. He’s at the client’s company, and he has wide connections."

A wave of belated shame surged in my heart, and I said, "You troubled Third Uncle. Actually, it was nothing. At most, they’d curse at me a couple of times; they wouldn't really fire me."

"I was mostly afraid they would banish you to the frontier again or treat you unfairly." He ladled food for me and said, "It’s better now. From now on, you’ll be doing the university town project, which is only one stop away from our office. We can get off work together, and I’ll make spicy hot pot for you."

I paused with my chopsticks, hesitating for a long time before saying, "I know you mean well, but in the future, things like this... you need to discuss them with me."

"I’m sorry, there won’t be a next time." Cheng Xia said very solemnly to me, "This time it was mainly because you wouldn't pick up your phone, and I got a bit too anxious. Also, my third uncle arrived too suddenly."

"I know." I laughed at myself, poking the rice in my bowl. "My situation was already as bad as it could get, so whatever you did was good, but... I haven't figured out what to do in the future yet..."

Cheng Xia said, "Don't worry. Your future promotions will absolutely not be affected by this incident. Just work through it step by step."

"If I work step by step, it will be ten years before it’s my turn to enter headquarters," I said.

Given my qualifications, I was only capable of managing small projects or serving as a sub-project lead, brushing up on experience little by little.

Jiaolong Village was a rare opportunity for me. The real estate market was shrinking more and more, and waiting for another similar opportunity would take ages.

Cheng Xia said, "Actually, Dongxue, have you ever thought about going back to school?"

I looked at him: "Are you looking down on me?"

Good heavens, I was actually able to say that as a joke naturally.

"How could I dare to!" he said. "Actually, for the last two years, I’ve wanted to go abroad for a Master’s degree. When the overall environment is bad, one should really improve their comprehensive strength. For example, a designer who knows both architecture and landscape has much stronger competitiveness."

He added, "Also, most people at S Construction headquarters are from the 'Old Eight' schools. No matter how much experience you accumulate, your educational background will always be a shortcoming. You can take this opportunity to patch that up."

These words hit home. My educational background always made me feel guilty; when someone gave a meaningful "Oh, an adult self-study degree!" it always made me feel inferior.

However, my work was so busy that it was heaven-defying; I simply had no time.

But now, the Jiaolong Village project was gone, and the university project hadn't started yet. I suddenly had a large block of free time; this was likely my only chance to improve my credentials.

"Forget it," I said.

"Why?"

"I still have a mortgage!" I said. My salary wasn't actually high; it relied mainly on project bonuses. Plus, I had bought insurance for Grandma and my parents, which was no small sum.

"I’ll pay it."

I looked at him, dumbfounded. "What kind of crazy talk is that, Cheng Xia?"

Cheng Xia’s expression, however, was very serious. He said, "After we get married, we will definitely have to pay the mortgage together, anyway. This is just doing it a little early."

...But could that possibly be the same?

"Or it could be like this: when this house is paid off, if you’re willing, I’ll move in with you. The mortgage money can just count as rent."

I finally understood and gave him a sideways glance: "So after such a huge detour, you just want to cohabit, right? Heh, men."

Cheng Xia gave a shy smile: "Ah, you caught me."

——

Still, this was indeed one way to do it.

Of course, I didn't want to owe Cheng Xia anything.

But, as he said, if we got married, we would indeed pay the mortgage together. I could even add his name to it.

If we broke up...

I could sell the house and pay him back—my house had been discovered by my father's family and would never know a moment's peace; I definitely needed to consider swapping it.

The statement from Cheng Xia that moved me the most was: "You can't just look at the present; we have to consider the future. Earning a little less money for two years could make life completely different."

And I had been struggling just to survive for so long; I couldn't not look at the present.

This might be my only chance.

Cheng Xia even tried to persuade us both to go study abroad together.

...That was something I really dared not think about. I still had Grandma; I couldn't accept being out of the workforce for that long.

Thinking like this, I arrived at my front door.

Grandma was busy in the small courtyard, her back hunched and her gray hair all a mess.

My heart ached for a moment.

In that instant, I forgave her. I even hated myself a little for being so petty.

She was just stingy, which was why she couldn't tolerate the nanny, and since I didn't keep her company, she was alone here—of course she would feel lonely and afraid.

I couldn't demand that a person over seventy years old also be a warrior.

Grandma saw me and wiped her hands in unease, saying, "Your father and the others left... I told them if they didn't leave, I’d call the police. That little brat Xiaowei was making quite a fuss."

I sighed and went to help her water the plants, saying: "Grandma, I don't have an opinion on Dad coming to keep you company, but that woman is getting pushy and is insatiably greedy. It’s not like you don't know."

Actually, the same went for my father. If I didn't go crazy, sooner or later they would treat this house as Xiaowei’s.

Yes, don't doubt it; they specialized in daring to dream.

"I don't need him to keep me company!" Grandma hurriedly said. "I’m doing just fine. Besides, my granddaughter isn't leaving anymore; do I need anyone else?"

I hesitated and didn't pick up that thread. I asked: "Did you have lunch yet? Shall I make you something?"

To be honest, I was hungry too. That spicy hot pot Cheng Xia made this morning... you couldn't say whether it tasted good or not; you could only say that it was cooked.

Grandma followed me into the kitchen the whole way and asked: "You’re not leaving, right? Huh? Xue-er?"

"Ah!" I replied perfunctorily. "I haven't decided yet. Who told you that? Cheng Xia?"

"Yeah, I called him yesterday. He said you were never leaving again." Grandma said again: "Xue-er, a girl has to be sensible. You can't just run off and spend the night at someone else’s place! They won’t take you seriously!"

I stirred the food while replying perfunctorily, and something flashed across my mind.

I asked: "While I was gone, didn't Cheng Xia come to see you?"

Grandma said: "He came all the time!"

Then why didn't he ever tell me that Grandma had dismissed the nanny and let my father move in?

"Did you tell him about my dad coming over?"

My grandmother was stingy and strong-willed, but she was afraid of making me angry.

Grandma said: "I discussed it with him, and he thought it was fine. He said you were soft-hearted and wouldn't really get angry with your father... Sigh, that reckless child."

My hand trembled, and I stir-fried the eggs a bit too long; they were overdone.

——

I didn't have to work for the time being, so I took this opportunity to thoroughly clean the house from top to bottom.

I changed into new sunflower-print bed sheets and quilt covers, wiped down every piece of furniture, took the curtains down to wash them, and lit some lemon-ginger scented aromatherapy.

Finally, flopping onto the soft bed and listening to the familiar sounds of the television coming from Grandma’s room, I suddenly realized: home is truly comfortable! Ten thousand times more comfortable than a construction site! And...

I really do miss home.

I lay on the bed and slept soundly until a ringtone woke me up.

It was an unfamiliar number. I thought it was a work message, so I cleared my throat before answering: "Hello?"

However, the person on the other end remained silent for a long time. Just as I was about to hang up, a girl’s voice sounded, filled with tears and trembling slightly: "Sister, are you really not coming back?"

It was Harina!

I opened my mouth, wanting to say something, but she had already hung up. Only the dial tone remained on the line.

I sat there in a daze.

Outside the window, the sky was overcast with thick clouds, and thunder rumbled in the distance.

A heavy rain was about to arrive once more.