When Sheng Xia was nine years old, his father passed away.
His father worked in a brewery at the time, and he died on the spot in an accident when a piece of equipment fell and struck him.
In Sheng Xia’s memory, Sheng Weijun was a very gentle man, gentle to his wife, gentle to him, gentle to his colleagues, and even gentle to stray dogs and cats.
But Sheng Xia’s impression of Sheng Weijun stopped at gentleness. After he passed away, he left very little behind, the most valuable of which was a large sum of compensation left to them.
Zhao Wu was very smart. When she received that sum of money, tourism in Dali was not as prosperous as it is now. She found a way and bought a storefront in the ancient city. After a few years passed and the city began to vigorously develop tourism, Zhao Wu’s investment income had multiplied several times. She didn’t idle during this time either, trying everything to make money—selling tea leaves, selling specialty products, doing exports, doing retail, doing wholesale… she tried everything that could make money.
Sheng Xia actually asked her why she had to tire herself out like this. Zhao Wu had already earned enough money, and even just collecting rent would be enough for their daily lives.
At the time, Zhao Wu’s response to him was, “Baby, when you live to my age, you will understand. In this world, not having money is the saddest thing. With money, we can feel secure.”
Sheng Xia never understood Zhao Wu’s theory about money, but he understood Zhao Wu’s sense of uncertainty. Having experienced the life and death of loved ones, perhaps only by grasping onto some tangible things would one feel secure. Moreover, Zhao Wu only had him left.
Sheng Xia was a premature baby with poor health. He suffered from various illnesses since childhood, spoke later than normal children, and because of his strange personality, he didn’t like to talk and was often called a little fool by others.
His immune system was weak, and he easily caught colds and fevers when the seasons changed. It was precisely because his body was somewhat weak that Zhao Wu pampered him excessively.
Sheng Xia had no other hobbies, he just liked to listen to music and sing. When he was in junior high school, Zhao Wu was very busy and didn’t have time to accompany him. Perhaps to make up for it, every time Zhao Wu came home, she would bring Sheng Xia a “gift.”
Harmonica, guitar, accordion, piano… Zhao Wu didn’t understand musical instruments, but the ones she bought were all good, and they were frighteningly expensive. One by one, she slowly filled Sheng Xia’s room with them.
Regarding music, neither Sheng Weijun nor Zhao Wu had any knowledge, but Sheng Xia was talented. The only thing he had to pass the time during his thin adolescence was the room full of musical instruments. It was also thanks to Zhao Wu doing well in business, being willing to buy him good things, that Sheng Xia, before he was even twenty, had touched so many frighteningly expensive good musical instruments.
In recent years, Zhao Wu had mainly dealt in tea leaves and specialty products. Because she often had to go to the source to inspect the goods and maintain customer relationships, business trips were common. Sheng Xia had long been accustomed to it. But every time Zhao Wu went on a business trip, she would call Sheng Xia three times a day, without fail. It’s hard to say whether it was out of habit or mixed with other worries.
As Sheng Xia grew older, he found it annoying, but he didn’t dare not to answer. If he didn’t answer, Zhao Wu would call the neighbors or anyone she could think of, mobilizing the masses to find her son. In short, she must get in touch with her beloved Sheng Xia.
What else could he do but answer?
This evening was no different. Sheng Xia responded to Zhao Wu’s inquiries with vague sounds, lying on the bed, talking on the phone and feeling drowsy.
It was all about whether he had eaten well, whether he felt uncomfortable anywhere. Recently, there was a new addition—almost all related to the college entrance examination.
The college entrance examination, the future, life. Originally, they were his affairs, but it seemed like he had nothing to do with them.
“Actually, I think XX University is not bad. I asked around, and it’s okay in all aspects. I think your grades can also get you in.” Zhao Wu said enthusiastically, “Anyway, if there is a suitable school locally, there is no need to go elsewhere for school, otherwise it would be inconvenient for Mom to take care of you. If it’s far away, even going to the next city is…”
As Sheng Xia listened to Zhao Wu speak, he took out a cigarette from under the pillow, then took out an ashtray and matches hidden under the bed, held the cigarette with his shoulder and lit it himself, “Mm-hmm.”
“Don’t just mumble. You should pay attention to this matter too. You need to be more attentive when you go to college in the future. Don’t lose your phone today and your wallet tomorrow, and end up losing yourself in the end…”
Sheng Xia exhaled smoke and thought to himself that he had no say in this matter anyway. Where he went to school was determined by Zhao Wu. But he still had to say, “I know,” he took another drag on his cigarette and exhaled, “but how could a person get lost? Mom, don’t worry.”
“If I don’t worry, who else will worry about you? Look at you, you look like this all day long. How can I not worry about you…”
After hanging up the phone, Sheng Xia’s sleepiness had completely disappeared. He took out some fever-reducing medicine and swallowed it, then lit another cigarette, grabbed the ashtray, and walked to the balcony to smoke. After finishing smoking, he planned to go to bed when the medicine took effect.
In fact, he did feel a bit unwell today. He got caught in the rain yesterday, and he found that he had a slight fever when he woke up. But perhaps because Shi Ye was there, the fever-reducing medicine worked well, and Sheng Xia felt that his state today was not too sluggish.
He smoked half a cigarette lazily, twisted his neck leisurely, feeling the wind blowing comfortably. He changed his position, turned around and leaned back against the windowsill, his head facing the sky.
But there wasn’t much of a good view, he couldn’t see clearly, so Sheng Xia simply closed his eyes, quietly enjoying the cigarette.
While smoking, he wondered what Zhao Wu’s reaction would be if she found out he smoked every time he talked to her on the phone.
Probably she would explode in anger, lecture him for hours, maybe cry a little, and then cold-shoulder him? No, no, Zhao Wu wouldn’t cry, she hadn’t cried since his father passed away.
The cigarette was almost finished.
Sheng Xia exhaled the last puff of smoke, preparing to sit up and go back to bed. However, when he opened his eyes, his forehead was hit by a small object.
It was like a little crumpled paper ball. It didn’t hurt much, but it startled him.
Sheng Xia frowned, squinting to look upwards… towards the position on the rooftop.
He couldn’t see clearly.
He pondered which guest staying upstairs lacked manners and was throwing things around.
Then he remembered… wasn’t the attic above his room?
Sheng Xia’s heart thumped as he hurried back to his room to fetch his glasses, put them on, and leaned out the window to look up.
Clear now.
Shi Ye was leaning on the windowsill, originally looking down below expressionlessly. When he saw Sheng Xia staring back at him, he smiled slowly and shallowly.
He’s probably smiling at me? Sheng Xia thought.
The weather that night was very good. From his vantage point, he could see Shi Ye’s handsome face and the starry sky serving as a backdrop.
The face in his line of sight opened its mouth, made a gesture towards him, and then beckoned with a finger, seemingly saying:
“Come up.”
When Sheng Xia was nine years old, his father passed away.
His father worked in a brewery at the time, and he died on the spot in an accident when a piece of equipment fell and struck him.
In Sheng Xia’s memory, Sheng Weijun was a very gentle man, gentle to his wife, gentle to him, gentle to his colleagues, and even gentle to stray dogs and cats.
But Sheng Xia’s impression of Sheng Weijun stopped at gentleness. After he passed away, he left very little behind, the most valuable of which was a large sum of compensation left to them.
Zhao Wu was very smart. When she received that sum of money, tourism in Dali was not as prosperous as it is now. She found a way and bought a storefront in the ancient city. After a few years passed and the city began to vigorously develop tourism, Zhao Wu’s investment income had multiplied several times. She didn’t idle during this time either, trying everything to make money—selling tea leaves, selling specialty products, doing exports, doing retail, doing wholesale… she tried everything that could make money.
Sheng Xia actually asked her why she had to tire herself out like this. Zhao Wu had already earned enough money, and even just collecting rent would be enough for their daily lives.
At the time, Zhao Wu’s response to him was, “Baby, when you live to my age, you will understand. In this world, not having money is the saddest thing. With money, we can feel secure.”
Sheng Xia never understood Zhao Wu’s theory about money, but he understood Zhao Wu’s sense of uncertainty. Having experienced the life and death of loved ones, perhaps only by grasping onto some tangible things would one feel secure. Moreover, Zhao Wu only had him left.
Sheng Xia was a premature baby with poor health. He suffered from various illnesses since childhood, spoke later than normal children, and because of his strange personality, he didn’t like to talk and was often called a little fool by others.
His immune system was weak, and he easily caught colds and fevers when the seasons changed. It was precisely because his body was somewhat weak that Zhao Wu pampered him excessively.
Sheng Xia had no other hobbies, he just liked to listen to music and sing. When he was in junior high school, Zhao Wu was very busy and didn’t have time to accompany him. Perhaps to make up for it, every time Zhao Wu came home, she would bring Sheng Xia a “gift.”
Harmonica, guitar, accordion, piano… Zhao Wu didn’t understand musical instruments, but the ones she bought were all good, and they were frighteningly expensive. One by one, she slowly filled Sheng Xia’s room with them.
Regarding music, neither Sheng Weijun nor Zhao Wu had any knowledge, but Sheng Xia was talented. The only thing he had to pass the time during his thin adolescence was the room full of musical instruments. It was also thanks to Zhao Wu doing well in business, being willing to buy him good things, that Sheng Xia, before he was even twenty, had touched so many frighteningly expensive good musical instruments.
In recent years, Zhao Wu had mainly dealt in tea leaves and specialty products. Because she often had to go to the source to inspect the goods and maintain customer relationships, business trips were common. Sheng Xia had long been accustomed to it. But every time Zhao Wu went on a business trip, she would call Sheng Xia three times a day, without fail. It’s hard to say whether it was out of habit or mixed with other worries.
As Sheng Xia grew older, he found it annoying, but he didn’t dare not to answer. If he didn’t answer, Zhao Wu would call the neighbors or anyone she could think of, mobilizing the masses to find her son. In short, she must get in touch with her beloved Sheng Xia.
What else could he do but answer?
This evening was no different. Sheng Xia responded to Zhao Wu’s inquiries with vague sounds, lying on the bed, talking on the phone and feeling drowsy.
It was all about whether he had eaten well, whether he felt uncomfortable anywhere. Recently, there was a new addition—almost all related to the college entrance examination.
The college entrance examination, the future, life. Originally, they were his affairs, but it seemed like he had nothing to do with them.
“Actually, I think XX University is not bad. I asked around, and it’s okay in all aspects. I think your grades can also get you in.” Zhao Wu said enthusiastically, “Anyway, if there is a suitable school locally, there is no need to go elsewhere for school, otherwise it would be inconvenient for Mom to take care of you. If it’s far away, even going to the next city is…”
As Sheng Xia listened to Zhao Wu speak, he took out a cigarette from under the pillow, then took out an ashtray and matches hidden under the bed, held the cigarette with his shoulder and lit it himself, “Mm-hmm.”
“Don’t just mumble. You should pay attention to this matter too. You need to be more attentive when you go to college in the future. Don’t lose your phone today and your wallet tomorrow, and end up losing yourself in the end…”
Sheng Xia exhaled smoke and thought to himself that he had no say in this matter anyway. Where he went to school was determined by Zhao Wu. But he still had to say, “I know,” he took another drag on his cigarette and exhaled, “but how could a person get lost? Mom, don’t worry.”
“If I don’t worry, who else will worry about you? Look at you, you look like this all day long. How can I not worry about you…”
After hanging up the phone, Sheng Xia’s sleepiness had completely disappeared. He took out some fever-reducing medicine and swallowed it, then lit another cigarette, grabbed the ashtray, and walked to the balcony to smoke. After finishing smoking, he planned to go to bed when the medicine took effect.
In fact, he did feel a bit unwell today. He got caught in the rain yesterday, and he found that he had a slight fever when he woke up. But perhaps because Shi Ye was there, the fever-reducing medicine worked well, and Sheng Xia felt that his state today was not too sluggish.
He smoked half a cigarette lazily, twisted his neck leisurely, feeling the wind blowing comfortably. He changed his position, turned around and leaned back against the windowsill, his head facing the sky.
But there wasn’t much of a good view, he couldn’t see clearly, so Sheng Xia simply closed his eyes, quietly enjoying the cigarette.
While smoking, he wondered what Zhao Wu’s reaction would be if she found out he smoked every time he talked to her on the phone.
Probably she would explode in anger, lecture him for hours, maybe cry a little, and then cold-shoulder him? No, no, Zhao Wu wouldn’t cry, she hadn’t cried since his father passed away.
The cigarette was almost finished.
Sheng Xia exhaled the last puff of smoke, preparing to sit up and go back to bed. However, when he opened his eyes, his forehead was hit by a small object.
It was like a little crumpled paper ball. It didn’t hurt much, but it startled him.
Sheng Xia frowned, squinting to look upwards… towards the position on the rooftop.
He couldn’t see clearly.
He pondered which guest staying upstairs lacked manners and was throwing things around.
Then he remembered… wasn’t the attic above his room?
Sheng Xia’s heart thumped as he hurried back to his room to fetch his glasses, put them on, and leaned out the window to look up.
Clear now.
Shi Ye was leaning on the windowsill, originally looking down below expressionlessly. When he saw Sheng Xia staring back at him, he smiled slowly and shallowly.
He’s probably smiling at me? Sheng Xia thought.
The weather that night was very good. From his vantage point, he could see Shi Ye’s handsome face and the starry sky serving as a backdrop.
The face in his line of sight opened its mouth, made a gesture towards him, and then beckoned with a finger, seemingly saying:
“Come up.”
