Chapter 36: Reading
Before arriving home, You Shu knew that You Ruxu was bringing a friend, the Dr. Zhou who had been taking care of her in Jindu. Heeding Wu Xiulian’s words, he also bought two extra dishes, filling the table. You Ruxu and Zhou Tianzui came out of the bedroom and heard noises at the door. You Shu looked up: “Ruxu, you’re back?”
“Dad.” You Ruxu turned to Zhou Tianzui: “This is my dad.”
“Hello, Uncle.” Zhou Tianzui’s expression was calm. You Ruxu walked over to You Shu and took his briefcase. You Shu said, “Dr. Zhou, right? Have a seat, have a seat. Your mother has been singing your praises since you arrived.”
Zhou Tianzui smiled, “Auntie is too kind.”
Wu Xiulian said, “It’s all thanks to your good upbringing.” She looked at You Ruxu. “You, if you were half as sweet-talking as Dr. Zhou, your mother would be delighted. You barely say a word to me, and you don’t act affectionately when you come home.”
Wu Xiulian chimed in, “Who else would she be affectionate with? Sis, you don’t know how many colleagues envy you.”
Wu Xiulian asked, “Envy me for what?”
“Having such an obedient and sensible daughter.” Wu Xiulian said, “If giving birth wasn’t so painful, I’d really want to have one too.”
“What are you saying!” Wu Xiulian glared at her. “Is that something you should be saying in front of the younger generation?”
“Oh, come on, what younger generation?” Wu Xiulian pulled You Ruxu closer. “This is my little sister, right, Xu Xu?”
You Ruxu laughed, “Aunt, stop it, you’ll make Mom angry.”
“She’s always angry, ignore her.”
Wu Xiulian said in exasperation, “The two of you, big and small, are always causing me trouble, of course I’m always angry!”
You Shu tried to smooth things over, “Let’s eat, let’s eat.”
Wu Xiulian released You Ruxu and said, “Let’s go eat, Dr. Zhou. See if you like Yuhai cuisine.”
Yuhai cuisine was generally spicy. You Ruxu hadn’t mentioned Zhou Tianzui was coming, so the dishes were quite heavily seasoned. The two dishes prepared later were milder. You Ruxu pushed those two dishes towards Zhou Tianzui, sat down, and said, “Let’s eat.”
The family sat down at the table. Wu Xiulian said, “It’s been half a year since your last visit, now it’s so difficult for your aunt to even see you.”
You Ruxu smiled: “Aunt, you can come visit me in Jindu.”
“Good idea.” Wu Xiulian readily agreed, then turned to Zhou Tianzui, “By the way, Dr. Zhou, you live with our Xu Xu, so your mother…”
“My mother lives alone.” Zhou Tianzui said, “She prefers peace and quiet.”
Wu Xiulian sighed, “Living alone is good, I also want to live alone when I’m older.”
The topic strayed. You Ruxu glanced at Zhou Tianzui, who was eating and chatting calmly, looking up attentively when Wu Xiulian and Wu Xiulian’s mother spoke.
You Shu didn’t talk much during dinner. After finishing, he went to the kitchen to wash the dishes and cut some fruit. Wu Xiulian asked Wu Xiulian’s mother, “Not going to work this afternoon?”
“I took the afternoon off.” Wu Xiulian said, “Sis, I finally have a day off, let me rest for half a day. Xu Xu, how about your aunt takes you for a drive this afternoon?”
You Ruxu said, “I have to take her to the hotel this afternoon.”
“Oh—” Wu Xiulian said, “Alright then, I’ll go home and rest, I’m used to taking afternoon naps, I get sleepy after lunch.”
Wu Xiulian’s mother asked You Ruxu, “Do you and Dr. Zhou want to take a nap?”
You Ruxu, remembering how tired Zhou Tianzui looked on the plane, nodded, “Then we’ll go rest for a bit.”
She looked at Zhou Tianzui, “Want to take a nap in my room?”
Zhou Tianzui agreed, said goodbye to You Shu and Wu Xiulian, and entered You Ruxu’s room. You Ruxu said, “Let’s sleep for half an hour, my parents are used to taking afternoon naps, you should rest too.”
Zhou Tianzui wasn’t used to napping, her sleep schedule irregular, only sleeping when she was truly exhausted. So, even after going to the bedroom, she couldn’t fall asleep. You Ruxu sat at her desk and saw a book with a bookmark. She had been halfway through this book before, intending to finish it when she came back, but every time she returned, it was only for a few days. It had been three or four years, and she still hadn’t finished it. You Ruxu opened the book, having already forgotten the previous content.
The noises outside gradually subsided, the faint sounds of people returning to their rooms, then silence.
Zhou Tianzui sat on the edge of You Ruxu’s bed. The teddy bear had fully inflated, but it was still wrinkled, some of its fur missing, feeling sparse to the touch. Zhou Tianzui stared at the teddy bear for a while, silent. You Ruxu asked, “Aren’t you going to sleep?”
The bedsheets were new, with a faint laundry scent. Zhou Tianzui said, “I’ll sit for a bit, what are you looking at?”
“A book.” You Ruxu said, “I bought this book years ago, and my deskmate borrowed it right after I bought it.”
She handed the book to Zhou Tianzui. The last page was torn, barely attached. Zhou Tianzui asked, “It’s damaged?”
“It was already like this when she returned it.” You Ruxu smiled.
Zhou Tianzui asked, “Why didn’t you ask her to replace it with a new one?”
You Ruxu said, “There was no need.”
Zhou Tianzui looked at her, paused, then asked, “Was your temper always this good?”
You Ruxu looked at Zhou Tianzui, hearing her question.
So many people had told her she had a good temper, her parents, her aunt, her teachers, her classmates, almost everyone who knew her would say, “Xu Xu, with such a good temper, you’ll be bullied.” But she was rarely bullied. Wu Xiulian had said, “Xu Xu, your face is too misleading.”
Strangers, seeing her aloof demeanor, didn’t dare bully her. Those who knew her would receive a smiling response after a few interactions. Wu Xiulian had said, “With those eyes of yours, who would have the heart to deceive or bully you?”
You Ruxu said, “Is it good?”
Zhou Tianzui glanced at her and continued reading. It was a romance novel. Zhou Tianzui rarely read such books. She flipped through a few pages. You Ruxu asked, “Do you want to read it?”
She had never seen Zhou Tianzui read a novel before, so she asked, “Have you ever read novels?”
“I read a couple in junior high.” Zhou Tianzui said, “Later, I felt it was a waste of time, so I stopped.”
Such strong self-control. You Ruxu had loved reading novels in junior high, practically devouring them whenever she wasn’t in class. Her classmates were surprised that she could still maintain good grades despite reading novels all the time. She read less after entering high school due to her studies, but she would still buy a few during the holidays as a reward.
Zhou Tianzui said, “Your way of rewarding yourself is quite unique.”
You Ruxu asked, “Then how do you reward yourself?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “Doing practice exercises.”
You Ruxu: …
You’re the unique one.
That wasn’t a reward, it was practically punishment during school years. But—it suited Zhou Tianzui’s personality. She found it amusing. Zhou Tianzui turned to her, “What are you laughing at?”
You Ruxu said, “Nothing.”
Zhou Tianzui asked, “Laughing at me?”
You Ruxu said, “No.”
Zhou Tianzui looked up at her. You Ruxu was standing by the bed, while Zhou Tianzui was sitting beside her, holding the book. She tilted her head slightly. Sunlight streamed in through the window, making You Ruxu’s milky skin almost translucent. Zhou Tianzui’s eyes were deep. She blinked and said, “Teacher You is still so dishonest.”
A strange feeling crept into You Ruxu’s heart, like a crack opening, something pouring in, a tingling sensation. She looked down at Zhou Tianzui, not speaking.
The room was quiet. Zhou Tianzui continued reading. You Ruxu cleared her throat, “I’m going to get some water.”
Zhou Tianzui watched her leave the room, a smile playing on her lips.
You Ruxu stood in the kitchen for a few minutes after leaving the bedroom. She opened the refrigerator door, a wave of cold air washing over her, making her face feel even warmer. She took a glass, poured herself some water, poured another glass for Zhou Tianzui, and returned to the bedroom. She saw Zhou Tianzui sitting on the bed, quietly flipping through the pages, her slender fingers holding the book, her other hand resting on the pages, the red string bracelet on her wrist clearly visible. You Ruxu looked at her own wrist, the peach pit on her bracelet swaying gently, mirroring her feelings.
Zhou Tianzui hadn’t taken a nap. After reading for half an hour, she waited until You Shu and Wu Xiulian woke up, sat for a bit longer, then prepared to leave for the hotel. Wu Xiulian said, “Why don’t you just stay here?”
You Ruxu’s heart leaped, looking at Zhou Tianzui. Hearing her mother’s words, a flicker of anticipation arose within her.
Zhou Tianzui said, “Thank you, Auntie, but I’ll stay at the hotel. It’s more convenient for the summit.”
You Ruxu picked up her bag and said, “Dad, Mom, I’ll take her there.”
You Shu also said, “Come over for dinner with Ruxu when you’re free.”
Zhou Tianzui agreed.
They took Wu Xiulian’s car. It was a large car, and You Ruxu didn’t drive fast. Logically, there shouldn’t be much traffic at this hour, but the drive to the hotel was still stop-and-go, taking some time, showing just how much busier and more congested Yuhai was compared to Jindu. You Ruxu carried her backpack, watched Zhou Tianzui get out with her suitcase, and asked, “What’s your room number?”
“1306.” Zhou Tianzui said, “Thirteenth floor.”
They went to the lobby to get the room key. Zhou Tianzui, carrying her suitcase, entered the elevator with You Ruxu. The hotel was quite tall, twenty-six floors. The thirteenth floor was in the middle, a good location with a nice view. There was a man-made lake and a park below. From the hotel’s floor-to-ceiling windows, one could see the bustling crowd. Zhou Tianzui didn’t have much luggage. She put You Ruxu’s equipment away first and, seeing You Ruxu on the phone, turned to look at her. You Ruxu, looking down, said, “Okay, I understand.”
After hanging up, You Ruxu said, “My aunt wants me to bring her a small cake.” She then asked Zhou Tianzui, “Do you want anything?”
Zhou Tianzui shook her head and asked You Ruxu, “Are you going back now?”
Theoretically, You Ruxu didn’t have anything else to do here, but she looked at the time on her phone and said, “It’s still early. What are you planning to do?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “Take a nap.”
You Ruxu looked at her, “Didn’t you say you weren’t sleepy?”
Zhou Tianzui said, “I wasn’t sleepy at your place, but I am now.”
You Ruxu nodded, “Then go to sleep, I’ll go home.”
“Didn’t you just say it’s still early?” Zhou Tianzui sat on the edge of the bed. The sheets were white with gold trim. She took the book she brought from You Ruxu’s room out of her bag and handed it to You Ruxu. You Ruxu was puzzled, “What’s this for?”
“To read me to sleep.” Zhou Tianzui lay back against the pillows, pulling the corner of the blanket over herself. You Ruxu looked at the book, then at Zhou Tianzui. Did this person think novels were bedtime stories for children?
You Ruxu had never done this before. Seeing Zhou Tianzui’s hand still extended, she walked over, took the book, and sat beside Zhou Tianzui, opening it.
A one-night stand as the opening scene.
You Ruxu glanced at Zhou Tianzui and heard her ask, “Why aren’t you reading?”
“I’ll find you another book.” You Ruxu said. Zhou Tianzui grabbed her wrist, “I want to hear this one.”
You Ruxu hesitated.
Zhou Tianzui called out, “A Ran.” You Ruxu lowered her eyes, meeting Zhou Tianzui’s deep gaze. She heard Zhou Tianzui say, “We’ve done it so many times, can’t you even read about it?”
She took the book from You Ruxu’s hand, flipped to the first chapter, and teased, “Should I read it to you then?”
You Ruxu abruptly tried to stand up, but Zhou Tianzui grabbed her wrist and pulled her back!
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