Volume 4: Butterfly Lovers
Chapter 1: A Child’s Name
Lu Li followed the address on the note and found the apartment building. Soon after retiring, Sister Yameng had found a coaching job in the county, a job that was said to be both leisurely and respectable. However, this building seemed far too old, dilapidated and crumbling, like a relic from the last century. He harbored a secret hope: if Sister Yameng wasn’t doing well, he would have her move into his studio. After all, only Chen Jianing lived there now, and it would be good for his sister to have some company.
The building had no elevator, only a staircase with uneven steps. The handrail was covered in dust, offering an unsteady grip, as if it were shoddily built. Lu Li reached apartment 402 and knocked gently, but no one answered. Just then, the door to apartment 401 opened, and an old woman with thin lips placed a bag of garbage by the doorway. She saw Lu Li and paused. “Are you looking for the girl who lives here?”
“Yes, I’m her younger brother.”
“Oh dear, you must talk to that girl and tell her to drink less.” The old woman, being elderly, loved to chatter. “I see the empty beer bottles she throws away every day, at least this many! It’s terrifying! She drinks even more than my husband! You must tell your sister to drink less, it’s bad for her health!”
Drinking? Sister Yameng rarely drinks, right?
The old woman rambled on for a while, then went downstairs with the garbage bag, presumably to throw it away. Lu Li knocked on the door again, and this time he finally heard movement inside. “Coming, coming…” It was Sister Yameng’s voice. Hearing her familiar voice, Lu Li felt a warmth in his heart. He couldn’t wait to give his sister a loving hug.
The metal door opened, but Lu Li froze. He stared for a long time before confirming that this woman was indeed his sister. Her hair was messy, not tied in her usual ponytail, but hanging loosely and unkempt. She had dark circles under her eyes, her cheeks were sunken, and she was wearing thick pajamas. Her lips were purple, and she looked incredibly haggard. This was completely different from the energetic and spirited Sister Yameng in Lu Li’s memory. The woman in front of him looked like she had just crawled out of a grave.
“Sis?”
Zou Yameng rubbed her eyes. After seeing that it was Lu Li, a spark of light finally appeared in her dull gaze. She hurriedly smoothed her hair and wiped the corners of her eyes. “Little Li, wh-why are you here? Why, why didn’t you tell me in advance? Come in…”
The state of Sister Yameng’s apartment shocked Lu Li once again. The room was dimly lit, the lights flickering due to unstable voltage. The floor was littered with bulging garbage bags and empty beer bottles. The TV was still on, playing You From The Sun III: The Final Battle, the movie version of a popular TV series from years ago. Sister Yameng had always been a clean person. Back in high school, she always kept their small apartment tidy. Was this room, which looked like a garbage dump, really her home?
How could his sister change so much in just one year? Lu Li placed the gift on the floor, watching as Sister Yameng frantically picked up the trash. “Little Li… You, you sit down, oh dear, this, this place hasn’t been cleaned in a while…” Lu Li helped his sister clean up.
“Little Li, you’re a guest, just sit down…”
“Am I a guest or family?”
“…” Sister Yameng fell silent, but the light in her eyes grew brighter.
The two of them worked for a while, finally making the room somewhat presentable. Lu Li wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. “Sis, are you having a hard time?” He had heard that athletes were poorly treated, but he didn’t expect that his sister, a top player who retired from the national team, would be living in such a dilapidated apartment building.
“It’s not that bad, I can make ends meet, I’m just too lazy to clean up.” Sister Yameng avoided his gaze. “Little Li, why did you come to see me? How’s your business going?”
“It’s on track. I’ll come see you as soon as I have time.” It was true. All his hard work, day and night, was for his sister, for An Baili, for his loved ones to have a comfortable life. Wealth was never the ultimate goal, life was.
Lu Li and Sister Yameng sat on the sofa and chatted, just like old times, when they were huddled in their small room in the low-rent district, warmly sharing the interesting things that happened at school. Sister Yameng told him about her life over the past year, which was basically going to the girls’ school to coach table tennis every day. Anyway, few girls in this county liked table tennis, so she was just going through the motions at work. Then she would come home and drink a case of beer. When Lu Li asked her why she started drinking heavily, Sister Yameng was evasive and changed the subject.
“By the way, you… you and Baili… are you and Baili planning to have children?” Zou Yameng’s voice faltered slightly, but Lu Li didn’t notice.
“We’re planning to.” Lu Li smiled happily. This smile was too dazzling for Zou Yameng, making her lower her head dejectedly, letting her hair fall loosely over her face. For a man, the word “father” was always special. It was both a pursuit and a pillar of support. Humans fantasized about immortality through their offspring, continuing their lineage for generations to come.
Zou Yameng forced herself to look up and put on a smile that a sister should have. “Have you thought of a name for the child?”
“Haha…” Lu Li shook his head. “It’s too early for that. We don’t even know when she’ll get pregnant.”
“How about Lu Mengli if it’s a girl?” Zou Yameng suddenly said.
“That’s a good one.” Lu Li became interested. “What about a boy? What should we name a boy?”
“Bude.”
“Huh?”
“Lu Bude. It means ‘cannot obtain’.” Zou Yameng said half-jokingly. “Little Li, if you have a child, can… can you let him call me ‘Mom’ too?”
“Of course.” Lu Li answered without hesitation.
“…That’s great…” she murmured, her voice so soft that Lu Li didn’t catch it.
Lu Li paced back and forth in the room a few times, then couldn’t help but say, “Sis, why don’t you move in with me? My place is nice, and you can be a tester for our company. I’ll pay you a salary every month…” The “tester” position was something he just made up. He just wanted to bring his sister over and take good care of her.
“Silly brother, your sister can support herself…” Zou Yameng seemed to have regained some of her former spirit. She looked at Lu Li tenderly. “As long as you and An Baili are happy, that’s all that matters.”
Before leaving, Zou Yameng was reluctant to part. Her eyes were moist, a thousand words stuck in her throat. She couldn’t utter a single one. Lu Li felt sorry for his sister and offered to come over regularly every month to help her clean up and urged her to quit drinking. He told her that if she encountered any difficulties, she could always tell him, and he would help her.
“Oh, right, Sis.”
“Yes?”
“I think the name ‘Bude’ is actually quite good. It has a Taoist feel to it.” Lu Li suddenly said. “Lu Bude, seeking but not obtaining, obtaining without seeking. If the child is a boy, let’s name him Lu Bude.”
Zou Yameng’s eyes welled up. “Okay.”
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