We always find ourselves reminiscing about many things:songs we’ve heard, landscapes we’ve seen,and people who have already left us behind.
Dad and Aunt Shen held their wedding at the end of November, during the time when the scent of autumn osmanthus fills the air and red maple leaves cover the ground. Although it was a second marriage for both of them, Dad carefully prepared a Western-style ceremony. When they made their vows in front of a crowd of family and friends, I couldn’t hold back my tears.
As a daughter who had caused so much trouble for Dad since I was little, I had no idea how much I had burdened him over the years. Yet, he never hit me, never scolded me. Now that he had finally found his own happiness, I naturally cried tears of joy.
However, compared to my harmonious family life, Gu Yu’s circumstances seemed all the more tragic.
Just yesterday, I went to see him. He still hasn’t woken up, and Gu Yu’s mother’s condition has worsened. The doctor told me that her kidneys are gradually failing and that, at best, she might survive until the end of next year.
I haven’t shared the doctor’s words with anyone; I just find myself crying in secret whenever I think about it.
Gu Yu’s misfortune has cast a shadow over my world since that day. It feels as if the sun has disappeared, leaving everything shrouded in a dull, gray haze. How I wish it were all just a dream, and that when I woke up, Gu Yu would still be beside me, smiling at me as brightly as ever.
But I know that’s impossible—it’s nothing but self-deception.
Brother Xiao Hei called to tell me that Aunt He Pei had quit her job at the bar and started working as a cashier at a supermarket. It was only then that I realized I hadn’t contacted Chen Qiao Luo for a long time. Since starting university, I’d occasionally receive postcards postmarked from City X. I knew they were from Chen Qiao Luo, but I never replied.
I saw Xu Xuan again in mid-December, exactly six months since our last meeting. That day, I was at the hospital picking up medication for a stomachache, and unexpectedly ran into him.
He seemed to be visiting someone and waved cheerfully when he saw me, then ran over. “Zhu Yun Hao, what are you doing here?” he asked.
I shook the bag in my hand. “My stomach’s been bothering me, so I came to get some medicine.”
For the past six months, my stomach would occasionally ache faintly. I figured it was due to irregular eating habits and hadn’t mentioned it to Dad. When the pain got bad, I’d just go to the hospital to pick up medicine.
Hearing this, Xu Xuan glanced around and asked curiously, “What about that boy who used to be with you?”
At the mention of Chen Qiao Luo, I instinctively lowered my gaze.
Noticing my reaction, Xu Xuan asked, “Did you two have a fight?”
“Not really,” I replied with a self-deprecating smile. “We just… stopped keeping in touch.”
Xu Xuan frowned slightly and pulled me outside the hospital. “If you don’t mind, could you tell me about it?” he said.
It had been a long time since anyone had brought up Chen Qiao Luo, and suddenly I felt a faint desire to confide in someone.
Xu Xuan took me to his skating rink, the place where we first met. I still remember inviting Chen Qiao Luo to come here with me back then. He had declined, saying he wanted to chase after some pretty girl. I ended up falling hard on the ice because of it.
Thinking of that moment, my nose started to sting.
The truth is, over these past six months, I hadn’t stopped thinking about Chen Qiao Luo. In every silent night, on every bustling street, in countless scenes I encountered, I found myself missing him. But I knew that no amount of longing could bring us back together. Chen Qiao Luo and I were like two hedgehogs, wounding each other so deeply that we could no longer get close.
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