STT – Chapter 32

She could only be my personal timely rain.¹

When Lu Zizheng returned home, it was already dark, and her mother was standing anxiously at the corridor entrance with the door open, waiting for her.

As soon as Lu Zizheng stepped out of the elevator, Mother Lu quickly walked over, reaching out to grab Lu Zizheng’s arm.

Knowing she was in the wrong, Lu Zizheng didn’t wait for her mother to speak. She first linked her arm with her mother’s, pulling her mother along as she walked back, and obediently explained, “Mom, I just went to see Dad, so I came back a bit late. I worried you.”

Upon entering the house, she immediately squatted down, took out the slippers her mother would change into from the shoe cabinet, and placed them in front of her mother with the toes facing outward.

Mother Lu closed the door, looked at the squatting Lu Zizheng, and sighed helplessly. She thought Lu Zizheng was sometimes worryingly irresponsible, yet other times she was so considerate that one couldn’t bear to scold her. Glancing at Lu Zizheng with a hint of annoyance, she asked, “Why was your phone off? No one could reach you. I wasn’t the only one worried.”

While changing her shoes, Lu Zizheng explained, “I accidentally dropped my phone just now, and the screen shattered. It must have broken.” She stood up, thought for a moment, and asked hesitantly, “Why? Did someone call me?”

Mother Lu chuckled, “Besides Huaixi, who else would be so deeply concerned about you?”

Lu Zizheng was taken aback, and her expression became somewhat unnatural. She clearly remembered the unpleasant phone conversation they had a few days ago. She had thought that Jiang Huaixi was angry, but unexpectedly, Jiang Huaixi had once again forgiven her. Thinking about this made her feel both sour and warm inside. In a soft voice, she asked her mother, “What did Huaixi say?”

As Mother Lu walked inside, she replied, “She asked when we’re planning to return to Linzhou and if we’ve bought the tickets.”

Lu Zizheng’s heart tightened, and she felt inexplicably nervous. “How did you respond to her?”

Mother Lu went to the kitchen to heat up the food, responding calmly, “I just honestly told Huaixi that because we bought the tickets too late, we couldn’t get return tickets for the high-speed train. So we’re planning to take the bus back on the sixth day of the new year.” As she said this, she looked back at Lu Zizheng with a meaningful expression and added, “Zhengzheng, Huaixi said that you hadn’t mentioned returning to Juzhou before, so she guessed it was a last-minute decision and anticipated that it might be difficult for you to get tickets if you booked too late. It seems she didn’t take that incident to heart.”

Lu Zizheng lowered her eyelids and said nothing. She felt as if a seed in her heart was about to break through the soil.

Mother Lu placed the dishes into the microwave. “Huaixi said she has some business to attend to in Juzhou on the fifth day of the new year and will be returning to Linzhou on the sixth. She offered to pick us up and take us back so we wouldn’t have to squeeze onto the bus.” She scooped a bowl of rice for Lu Zizheng and teased with a smile, “Isn’t that a coincidence? Like timely rain.”

Lu Zizheng took the bowl, a smile forming on her lips. “It is quite a coincidence…” The seed in her heart, nurtured by this timely rain, finally sprouted a tender shoot…

Seeing her daughter smiling so warmly, Mother Lu felt her own spirits lift and couldn’t help but remind her, “Spring rain is as precious as oil; don’t waste it. If you don’t cherish it, next time it might fall on another field.”

Lu Zizheng relaxed her brow and smiled lightly for the first time, responding to her mother in a melodious tone, “She will only be my timely rain, and she will always be my timely rain.”

Mother Lu was surprised by Lu Zizheng’s sudden confidence and determination. She looked at her daughter in confusion, but all she saw was Lu Zizheng smiling and winking at her, eyes shining brightly.

Has she figured it out?

Mother Lu couldn’t help but squint her eyes and laugh heartily. Happily, she added two chopsticks’ worth of spinach to Lu Zizheng’s bowl, saying, “Spinach gives strength. It seems Mom didn’t make you eat spinach for nothing. Have some more…”

Lu Zizheng looked at her mother with amusement, thinking, What on earth…

After dinner, Lu Zizheng returned to her room and took out her phone with the shattered screen. Without much hope, she pressed the power button. To her surprise, the screen lit up after two or three seconds. Overjoyed, she felt a fleeting illusion that ever since she had come to her realization and made her decision, everything had been going exceptionally smoothly, flourishing. Her heart felt a lightness and ease that she hadn’t experienced in years.

She turned on the phone and, sure enough, saw three missed calls from Jiang Huaixi in the call log.

Staring at the red-highlighted “Jiang Huaixi” in the records, she couldn’t help but smile. She pulled out a chair, sat at her desk, and composed a new text message to explain to Jiang Huaixi: “I accidentally dropped my phone just now, so I missed your calls.”

Soon, Jiang Huaixi replied with a simple: “Okay.”

Looking at the text, Lu Zizheng pressed her lips together in amusement and thought to herself, Mom was completely wrong. This clearly isn’t the behavior of someone who hasn’t taken that incident to heart; she’s obviously still upset.

She rubbed her thumb and index finger together for a long time before deciding to be the first to show weakness in their disagreement. She sent a message expressing concern: “Mom told me you’ll be coming to Juzhou on the fifth. The weather here has been much colder than in Linzhou these past few days. Wear an extra layer when you come to avoid catching a cold.”

Jiang Huaixi quickly replied with another single syllable: “Ha.”

Lu Zizheng burst out laughing. Oh, even when she’s angry, she still manages to be so aloof.

However, a moment later, another message from Jiang Huaixi came in: “Such sudden attentiveness for no reason, it’s either treachery or theft. Your sudden warmth and consideration are a bit unsettling.”

Lu Zizheng smiled and let out a breath of relief. It seemed her anger had dissipated, and she was back to her sharp-tongued self.

Her index and middle fingers alternated, like taking small steps, moving from the bottom of the phone screen to where the recipient’s name, Jiang Huaixi, was displayed in the messaging app. Finally, they lingered there for a long time.

After Jiang Huaixi made her declaration at the campus radio station’s general meeting, the two hadn’t seen much of each other and managed to coexist peacefully for a while.

During the May Day holiday² in the second semester of her freshman year, Lu Zizheng was busy preparing for her upcoming CET-6 English exam³ and had told her mother she wouldn’t be returning to Juzhou. The night before the holiday, the station manager organized a small gathering for the staff and cadres who weren’t going home. Xu Baihan, who also didn’t go home, dragged Lu Zizheng along. By the time they arrived, a circle of people had already gathered around the table. Xu Baihan brought her own chair and squeezed into a gap next to the station manager, leaving Lu Zizheng awkwardly standing beside her, clearly not expecting Xu Baihan to abandon her so easily. Looking around, the only remaining seat was the one against the wall with an empty chair next to it. When Lu Zizheng raised her eyes, she immediately locked eyes with Jiang Huaixi’s indifferent gaze and couldn’t avoid it.

The station manager waved a hand and said, “Zizheng, there’s a seat next to Huaixi. Sit there…”

Lu Zizheng immediately lowered her head in defeat. Despite her reluctance, she had no choice but to drag her feet step by step toward Jiang Huaixi.

As soon as she sat down, she heard Jiang Huaixi’s faintly mocking voice, “Sorry to inconvenience you by having to sit next to me. I’m sorry you have to see me again.”

Lu Zizheng gave her a cold sidelong glance and lightly moved her chair a bit to the side to put some distance between them. As soon as she sat down, the person next to her exclaimed, “Ah, Zizheng, you stepped on my foot with your chair! You’ve moved too close, it’s really crowded over here…”

Embarrassed, Lu Zizheng quickly stood up and moved her chair back toward Jiang Huaixi. Her face burned with shame, and she didn’t dare to look up. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jiang Huaixi watching her clumsy movements with an amused expression.

They had barely started eating when Lu Zizheng’s phone rang. She signaled to everyone that she needed to take a call and stood up to leave the private room, heading to the hallway. As soon as she picked up the phone, she heard her uncle’s frantic voice, “Zizheng, you need to come back right away. Your mom suddenly started coughing up blood and is now in emergency care at the People’s Hospital…”

Her legs went weak in an instant, and she could barely hold onto her phone. Her teeth chattered, and she almost couldn’t speak. After trembling for a moment, she finally managed to reply with difficulty, “Right away, Uncle. I’ll come back right away…”

In her haste to return to the private room to grab her bag, she took a big step forward and tripped, falling to the ground. Ignoring the pain, she scrambled to her feet and stumbled back to the private room. As soon as she got inside, she grabbed her bag, not even sparing a glance at anyone, and with a trembling voice said, “I have to go, something urgent came up,” before rushing out.

She hobbled down the stairs as quickly as she could, wishing she could fly, but the more anxious she became, the clumsier her movements. She lost her balance and twisted her ankle, nearly falling down the stairs. At the last second, a slender hand reached out from behind and firmly steadied her. She didn’t have time to look back and only managed a quick “Thank you” before trying to continue running. But the hand didn’t let go, gripping her tightly.

Frustrated, Lu Zizheng turned around to see Jiang Huaixi’s beautiful yet indifferent face. With a slight frown, Jiang Huaixi asked calmly, “What happened?”

Lu Zizheng had neither the time nor the energy to explain and tried to break free from her grasp to keep running. However, Jiang Huaixi stubbornly held onto her arm, frowning in displeasure and asking again, “What happened?”

Annoyed, Lu Zizheng turned back and shouted, “Let go of me! I don’t have time to argue with you. My mom is in emergency care, and I need to get to the station.”

Jiang Huaixi’s expression turned cold and stern. She pressed her lips together but did not let go. Taking two steps to stand on the stair below Lu Zizheng, she hooked her arms behind her and tried to hoist Lu Zizheng onto her back. Naturally, Lu Zizheng struggled and cried out in surprise, “Let go! What are you doing…”

But Jiang Huaixi held her waist tightly and sternly said, “Don’t move, unless you want us both to tumble down the stairs.”

Furious, Lu Zizheng shouted, “Jiang Huaixi, what are you doing?!”

Jiang Huaixi carried her on her back, her breath a bit unsteady, but her voice remained cold and composed, “Am I the one making a fuss? Can you still run? Tomorrow is the start of the May Day Golden Week holiday. Do you think you can get a ticket tonight? Do you think the station belongs to your family?” (Travel demand is extremely high during this holiday.)

Her reprimand brought Lu Zizheng back to her senses, and she realized it was unlikely she would find a ticket. She struggled again, “Put me down. I’ll hire a car to go back.”

As they neared the parking lot, Jiang Huaixi, panting heavily, angrily said, “Stop moving…”

Finally reaching the parking lot, Jiang Huaixi put Lu Zizheng down, and Lu Zizheng immediately tried to run. Jiang Huaixi grabbed her, her face a bit pale and her voice unsteady, “I’ll take you back to Juzhou.”

Lu Zizheng was stunned and didn’t move.

Jiang Huaixi opened the car door and got in, commanding, “Get in. Where can you find a car on such short notice…”

Lu Zizheng was still hesitating, and Jiang Huaixi coldly said, “I’m not helping you; I’m helping Auntie. You’re not going to Juzhou to see her? Then I will.” With that, she closed the car door. Startled, Lu Zizheng quickly opened the back door and got in the car.

Not long after the car had started, Jiang Huaixi suddenly tossed a few band-aids from the front. When Lu Zizheng reached out to pick them up, she realized that at some point, her hand had gotten scraped and was bleeding. But Lu Zizheng didn’t have time to dwell on Jiang Huaixi’s thoughtfulness; her mind drifted back to her mother.

That night, Jiang Huaixi drove for five hours, and it was past 1 AM when they arrived at the hospital. Mother Lu was already asleep, having been treated. The doctor said it was a gastric hemorrhage and that she needed to stay in the hospital for a week to rest. Only her uncle was there watching over her. After seeing Mother Lu and feeling somewhat relieved, Lu Zizheng immediately went home to fetch clothes and some daily necessities for her mother’s hospital stay. Jiang Huaixi drove her home without a word, tirelessly, and even offered to drive her uncle home. Upon returning, Jiang Huaixi had somehow managed to buy some late-night snacks for Lu Zizheng and quietly stayed in the hospital corridor all night. The next day, Jiang Huaixi bought breakfast and brought it to the hospital. After Mother Lu woke up and Jiang Huaixi had seen her, she finally bid farewell and returned to Linzhou. Before leaving, she went to the supermarket to buy some fruits and handed them to Lu Zizheng’s uncle, who had come to visit.

Lu Zizheng silently took all of this in and etched it into her heart.

After returning to school, Lu Zizheng sincerely went to Jiang Huaixi’s dorm, bringing a gift to express her gratitude. Jiang Huaixi did not accept the gift but simply raised an eyebrow and asked calmly, “Do you remember what I said before? One day, I will make you willingly go to the station manager and agree to partner with me.”

Lu Zizheng was slightly taken aback, but this time she did not react with anger or sarcasm. Instead, she chuckled softly and turned to leave. That afternoon, she went to the station manager’s dorm and submitted an application, requesting to partner with Jiang Huaixi.

She knew that the distance between her and Jiang Huaixi had always been very long, and the wall she had built around her heart against Jiang Huaixi was very thick. If the distance between them was ten thousand steps, then Jiang Huaixi had already tirelessly walked nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine steps. It was time for her to make the effort for that final step.

She stood up and walked to the window. Outside, the plants in the community were all withered and yellow. But as she looked carefully, she could still see a few patches of fresh, vibrant green grass among the withered yellow, swaying energetically, taking in this new world…

Winter was leaving, and she could already hear the subtle footsteps of spring approaching…

LP: Re-translated on August 17, 2024

1. Timely Rain (及时雨): Referring to someone who provides help just when it is needed most. It originates from agricultural societies where rain at the right time could save crops and ensure a good harvest.
2. May Day Holiday: A public holiday in China, celebrated on May 1st, also known as International Workers’ Day.
3. CET-6 (College English Test Band 6): A national English proficiency test in China for college students.