On My Way - Chapter 35

Chapter 35 - Thus We Walked Down a Long Street

Tyrannosaurus had transferred back to a local hospital from Beijing, and I went to visit him.

He had divorced his wife years ago. By his hospital bed was a young girl who looked to be in junior high; she spoke to me like a little adult: "Thank you, Auntie, but my dad isn't in good health right now, so we can't talk for too long."

"Stinking brat! Shut your trap!" Tyrannosaurus glared, cursing in Minnan dialect.

The little girl wrinkled her nose: "Old Bao, dare to be fierce again! I won't help you to the restroom!"

Tyrannosaurus had a very scholarly name: Bao Wenchen.

Once the girl went to fetch their meal, he said to me: "My kid! She’s top of her grade, sigh."

"Yes, she looks smart just by glancing at her."

I sat by the bed and said: "The work-related injury assessment has come through. We’ll cover all the medical expenses, and the compensation is currently going through the proper channels. Don't worry, it won't be a small amount."

Tyrannosaurus hesitated, wanting to say something, so I hurriedly added: "Your position is being held for you. When you’ve rested well, you can come back to work."

Only then did Tyrannosaurus feel reassured, grinning broadly: "Thank you, Boss."

"It’s what I should do." I bit my lip, then pushed myself to say: "If I hadn't asked you to take on this project, none of this would have happened..."

I knew that taking all the blame on myself was the last thing I should be doing right now.

But those words felt like a giant rock pressing against my chest; I couldn't catch my breath until I let them out.

"That’s not it; it was all just to make money," Tyrannosaurus said. "I know my own poor track record. You running around for me like this—I didn't follow the wrong person..."

He had gone to the county to buy materials; he really should have taken a company car. Him taking the transport fleet's truck was a violation. Someone at the company had questioned whether this could even be ruled a work-related injury, but I had firmly suppressed those voices.

Tyrannosaurus wasn't one for talking. At this moment, I didn't know what else to say, so we sat in silence for a while.

Tyrannosaurus suddenly said: "Boss, don't go back."

"Why?"

"There are ghosts there."

I looked up at him in disbelief. He抓了抓头 (furiously scratched his head) in agitation and said: "After I jumped from the truck, I quickly scrambled to the shore. I wanted to find someone—or at least a tree branch—to save my life, but right then, someone pressed me down."

Tyrannosaurus gestured to his head and said: "They pressed me down into the water with lethal intent; it was the strength of someone trying to kill."

My heart contracted sharply.

There was no surveillance nearby, and no residents. It had to be either that driver, or... someone had been lying in wait there beforehand.

Tyrannosaurus said coldly: "At that moment, I thought, 'If you kill me, I won't let you live either!' I dragged that damned bastard down, and only then did he manage to break free from me and run..."

"Did you tell the police?"

"I told them, but they think it was a hallucination," he said. "But I know it wasn't."

"That night, I had originally wanted to take a company car, but that kid insisted on giving me a lift, saying he got sleepy driving at night and wanted me to come over to talk to him... Thinking about it now, his eyes were wide open, and he was smiling like he was crying." Tyrannosaurus took a deep breath: "That look—it was like he was terrified."

I felt as if I were sinking into a pitch-black nightmare, and I said: "You mean, Qinglong knew something was going to happen..."

Tyrannosaurus said: "I only know he was destined to die that day. Normally, when fleets pass over that bridge, they go one by one. But after he got on the bridge, those two other trucks followed him. All three went on at once, which is why the bridge collapsed. And there was someone by the bridge..."

I muttered: "So... it wasn't just to cause trouble for us; someone wanted to kill Qinglong..."

Tyrannosaurus didn't answer; he just said: "Boss, in the poorest places, people are closer to beasts."

The Jiaolong Village project was like a plump, healthy cow thrown into a herd of long-starving beasts. Every wolf, jackal, tiger, and leopard wanted to tear off a piece of meat.

They were so hungry that even if they were kicked and gutted by the cow's hooves, they would still fight to eat their fill.

Just then, Tyrannosaurus’s daughter returned and began ushering me out: "Auntie, the doctor said my dad can't sit up for too long."

"Right." I collected my thoughts, stood up, and said: "I'll come visit you again next time."

Tyrannosaurus was helped to lie down by his daughter. He gave me one more piece of advice: "Don't try to be a hero. Think about your family. If it were my daughter, I wouldn't let her go there even if I died."

I walked out of the hospital door, feeling a chill run through my entire body, so intense that my teeth began to chatter.

Outside the glass windows was a continuous line of rain and traffic that was jammed completely solid.

Since this place wasn't far from Cheng Xia’s office, I bought an umbrella and went to find him for dinner.

The red house was truly beautiful, its walls covered in Boston ivy that looked crystal clear and emerald green from being washed by the rain. Everyone was rushing out in a hurry.

At that moment, I saw Cheng Xia walking out. He was wearing a long black windbreaker, tall and dashing. Through a veil of rain and mist, he looked just like a male lead in a romance novel.

Just as I was about to call out to him, a young boy rushed over and asked: "Engineer Cheng, did you bring an umbrella? I have one here!"

Cheng Xia hesitated for a moment, then looked up and saw me. His brows relaxed, and he said to the boy with a smile: "No need, my wife is here to bring me an umbrella."

The boys saw me and began to tease: "Hello, Sister-in-law! You two are so affectionate!"

My face flushed a deep crimson, and I could only say awkwardly: "I was... just passing by... passing by..."

"So we finally get to see you," an older woman teased from the side. "Little Cheng is always mentioning you, but we never see you. We thought he was making you up!"

The boy winked and said: "No way! Didn't Engineer Yan say? Sister-in-law works at S Construction, surrounded by buff, muscular men. That’s why Engineer Cheng plays basketball every day to work out!"

Cheng Xia’s face turned red instantly, and he said: "You can draw all the blueprints tomorrow yourself!"

The boys ran off, laughing and playing.

Cheng Xia took the umbrella from my hand and said softly: "Let's go."

I said: "I just came to grab dinner with you; what do you mean 'bring me an umbrella'? That’s so cheesy!"

"Ahem, well, men sometimes have a bit of vanity."

We walked side by side. The single umbrella was ultimately too small, so he tilted it as much as he could toward my side.

I looked sideways at our shoulders pressed tightly together, remembering that distance of a fist-width from long ago.

My heart felt both sour and warm.

Just then, Cheng Xia raised his arm and pulled me close to his shoulder.

I felt as though I had been struck by a warm electric current; my whole body felt numb and tingling, a dizzy, dreamlike sensation.

Ahhh, why is it like this?! It’s just an arm around the shoulder; we’ve already... we’ve already been to bed together!

I screamed silently in my heart, but my body wouldn't budge. I let him hold me close, walking forward like that.

The leaves in the south still maintained their lush greenery in autumn. Cool raindrops dripped down through the intersecting green leaves. I was shielded from the wind and rain under his umbrella, walking slowly, just like that, down a long street.

"I remembered what my father said before," Cheng Xia said. "Back when he was dating my mom, he would often ride his bicycle to pick her up from work. The two of them wouldn't even ride the bike; they’d just push it and walk all the way back, yet they felt especially settled in their hearts... So, this is how it feels."

I laughed and said: "Then will you ride a bike to pick me up in the future too?"

"Sure. From now on, I’ll pick you up from work every day, we’ll eat together, and then take a walk home together." He held my waist and smiled gently: "If we have a kid in the future, we can go pick up the little one from school together..."

"You might be able to, but with my job, the kid would be old enough to turn into stone before I made it there."

"Then what do we do? Our child might be destined to be closer to Dad!"

"She dares! I’ll definitely spank her until her bottom blooms like a flower!"

We bickered all the way until we reached the corner of the street. There was a very large kapok tree there, and the rain pattered on its leaves with a rustling sound.

I drifted off slightly, thinking that I was probably only a step away from that dream from years ago.

I would have a respectable degree, then work at the headquarters. The salary wouldn't be too high, but it would be decent, and I wouldn't have to keep rushing from construction site to construction site.

Then I’d marry Cheng Xia, and we’d probably live that standard middle-class life: working together, getting off work together, seeing plays and concerts together, driving to the sea on weekends, having barbecues, going camping, traveling abroad during holidays, and after having a child, moving to a bigger, prettier house...

I looked at Cheng Xia, thinking: My child must be so beautiful!

Cheng Xia looked down at me, and he suddenly laughed: "What are you looking at me for?"

I wanted to explain awkwardly, but as soon as I opened my mouth, my lips were gently covered by his.

The rain was still heavy. Under the umbrella, it was like a tiny universe; here it was safe, gentle, just me and him.

The fresh fragrance of him, the lingering tenderness between our lips and tongues.

"Are you hungry? If not, let's head home first, okay?" Cheng Xia whispered in my ear.

I knew what he meant, so I hurriedly shook my head: "I’m hungry, I’m hungry, I’m really hungry."

Compared to bed, I preferred kissing and hugging.

Because the Cheng Xia in bed was too aggressive, always carrying a kind of strange madness; he wanted me to lose control along with him.

But I didn't like losing control, nor did I like passion that was too ferocious.

I liked this kind of green, gentle kiss.

It made me feel like it was that seventeen-year-old boy kissing me.

Cheng Xia laughed and said: "What are you panicked about? I’m not in a rush; we have plenty of time, anyway."

——

We went to a Western restaurant with a very nice atmosphere.

I had been drifting off, and when I finally came back to reality, I realized Cheng Xia was staring at me.

I said: "What are you doing? Is the food ordered?"

Cheng Xia said: "I’m counting... seeing how high I have to count before my girlfriend looks at me once."

"You’re really sick—"

"That was just three hundred and seventy-two numbers." He put down the menu and said: "Tell me, what is actually on your mind?"

I took a deep breath and said: "The company notified us that the contract for Jiaolong Village has been saved."

"So?"

"I want to go back and finish it.”