Back to Auntie’s School Days - Chapter 33

After school.

The three of them had different modes of transport, so Jian You simply left her bike behind, and they took a taxi home together.

When they arrived downstairs, Jian Hao remembered the love letter in her backpack. She pulled it out, intending to throw it away, but just as she did, Jian You called her name. She had no choice but to stuff the paper back in.

Tan Yanqing saw this happen.

Jian Hao didn’t notice; she only saw Tan Yanqing looking at her, so she instinctively gave her a bright smile.

Tan Yanqing lowered her gaze and turned her head away, expressionless.

Jian Hao: “?”

Why are we back to the “iceberg” mode again?

Is it because of last night?

Feeling guilty, Jian Hao didn’t dare say anything or crowd Tan Yanqing’s space. She shouldered her bag and headed upstairs.

Jian Sihong had finished work early today and prepared a large spread of food. During the meal, Jian You mentioned she wanted to find time to visit Tiantian in a few days. The three of them discussed which day to go and what to bring.

After dinner, Jian Hao and Tan Yanqing went back downstairs to head home.

It was that same small alleyway. Compared to the sweltering summer nights, the alley in October felt slightly chilly. However, the warm orange glow of the streetlights made it feel much more cozy.

To make it convenient for the residents to dispose of trash, there was a row of green bins in the alley. Seeing them, Jian Hao swung her backpack to her front and took out that love letter.

Just as she was about to toss it, she glanced at Tan Yanqing. Tan Yanqing had been very quiet tonight—even quieter than her usual reserved self. She walked with her eyes downcast, absorbed in her own thoughts, not saying a word to Jian Hao, which felt a bit strange.

Thinking back to how Tan Yanqing had seen her accept the letter this afternoon…

Is she upset that I didn’t give the letter to her?

Ultimately unable to withstand the weight of her own conscience, she called out, “Hey,” to stop Tan Yanqing. She walked over and handed the paper to her.

Tan Yanqing looked down at it, then lifted her head to look at Jian Hao, a flash of confusion in her eyes. “What are you doing?”

Was she showing off? Or simply trying to provoke her?

“Someone asked me to give this to you,” Jian Hao said.

The emotion in Tan Yanqing’s eyes fractured for a brief moment. She looked back down at the paper once more.

“For me?”

Jian Hao: “Mhm.”

Tan Yanqing’s brow furrowed, then smoothed out. She lifted her gaze to Jian Hao. “Why are you only giving it to me now?”

Jian Hao looked at her in disbelief. Is she actually complaining that I’m late?

She said, “Don’t you usually refuse to accept these things anyway?” So it shouldn’t matter when I give it to you, right?

“Mhm.” Tan Yanqing paused. “Then why did you accept it?”

Jian Hao: “If I didn’t accept it, wouldn’t she just find someone else to send it to you?”

“What’s the difference between someone else sending it and you sending it?”

“…”

Could Jian Hao tell Tan Yanqing the truth? There was no reason why she couldn’t.

Jian Hao fidgeted slightly, cleared her throat, and said, “If I’m the one sending it, I can just throw it away.”

A glimmer of pleasure flashed in Tan Yanqing’s eyes. She gave a soft “Oh,” then asked with a cold face, “Then why didn’t you throw it away?”

Because I don’t have the right to make decisions for you. And because someone else’s feelings are still feelings.

Liking someone isn’t easy. If she had asked someone to deliver a letter for her and it was just tossed aside, how would she feel?

“The person likes you, not me. The decision belongs to you.” Besides, what right do I have to decide for you?

Tan Yanqing stared at her for two seconds. Seeing that Jian Hao was still holding the paper out, her expression changed—it was as if she were questioning why Jian Hao was pushing her away so readily. Then, her gaze dropped, and she reached out to take the paper from Jian Hao’s hand.

Jian Hao instantly dodged.

She had a look of pure shock, as if saying, ‘You’re actually going to take it?!’

“Didn’t you say yourself that you wouldn’t consider it before the college entrance exams?”

A light flickered in Tan Yanqing’s eyes as she gazed at Jian Hao. She said flatly, “I am a person of my word… until I’m not.”

Jian Hao was momentarily speechless. When she snapped out of it, she stuffed the letter back into her bag. “Then you’d better not read it. I’ll return it to them tomorrow.”

She turned around and strode toward the bus stop, glancing back at Tan Yanqing as she went. “If you don’t keep your word, you’re a puppy!”

Behind her lenses, Tan Yanqing’s eyes curved into a smile.

Watching Jian Hao’s retreating back, she pulled a folded note made of pink cardstock out of her pocket. It was the love letter she had written to Jian Lai.

She clenched the note in her palm, looked up, and shouted at the silhouette, “Jian Lai!”

In the seventeen years that followed, Tan Yanqing would dream of this night countless times—the way Jian Lai turned her head under the dim yellow streetlights. Her heart would never be able to forget or replicate the rhythm of its beat at that exact moment.

But this night held regret as well as heartache.

While Tan Yanqing hesitated, Jian Hao asked, “What is it?”

Tan Yanqing instinctively stuffed the hand clutching the note back into her school jacket pocket. She whispered, “Wait for me.”

Jian Hao couldn’t help but smile. She turned her face away to hide a grin and gave a small huff. “Then hurry up.”

Before the three of them could visit Tiantian at the orphanage, Jian You received a call from Han Juan. Because of her health, Tiantian had been sent back to the hospital. That day, Jian You skipped school to go straight to the hospital.

At the time, Jian Hao didn’t know why Jian You hadn’t come to class. Worried about her, she went to her house after school at noon. She went alone; Tan Yanqing had been held back by a teacher to help grade papers.

When she reached the house, no one answered the door. Jian Hao went to Jian Sihong’s stall. Only after asking did she find out Jian You was at the hospital. Thinking Jian You probably hadn’t eaten yet, Jian Hao bought some food on the way.

When she arrived and Jian You saw her, she was surprised. “Why are you here?”

There were three beds in the ward. Aside from Jian You and Tiantian, there was another child and a parent, currently sleeping. Jian Hao lowered her voice. “You weren’t at school, I was worried something happened to you.”

“What could possibly happen to me?”

Of the three beds, the middle one was empty. Tiantian was by the window. Jian You was sitting by the edge of the middle bed. Jian Hao handed a portion of stir-fried noodles to Jian You and sat beside her. “You’re always bouncing around; you’re the most likely to get hurt.”

Jian You gave a helpless laugh. Is that how you use the phrase “bouncing around”? She opened the noodles and, seeing it was her favorite—bean sprout stir-fry—she dug in.

After a while, seeing Jian Hao was alone felt odd to her. She finally remembered the person who was usually glued to Jian Hao’s side. She asked, “Does Tan Yanqing know you came to find me?”

Jian Hao: “I told her.”

Jian You arched a brow. “What was her reaction?”

Jian Hao, who was eating, looked up abruptly, her eyes darting away. “What do you mean, ‘what reaction’?”

Jian You made a “tsk” sound. She picked up a mouthful of noodles, but before eating, she looked at Jian Hao with eyes full of teasing. “Don’t you think the way Tan Yanqing looks at me always carries a bit of… hostility?”

“…You’re imagining things.”

“Not at all. I’ve seen that look in her eyes before.” Jian You was refreshingly blunt.

Jian Hao couldn’t help but giggle, but when she met Jian You’s playful gaze again, she turned her eyes to the bed. “…How is Tiantian? Lung trouble again?”

Jian You glanced at her, silently laughing at her mediocre attempt to change the subject, and then looked at Tiantian too.

“Fever. Sister Han said the orphanage is full of kids five or six and up, and they’re a handful. The director and teachers have their hands full. When such a tiny one arrived, they just couldn’t keep up. When they checked on her the night before last, they found Tiantian had kicked off her blanket and no one had covered her in time. She had a fever yesterday, and when it wouldn’t go down, they sent her to the hospital. The director called Sister Han to explain. Since I’d been taking such good care of Tiantian those few days, Sister Han called me too.”

Jian Hao: “And so you skipped class to come and play nurse.”

Jian You was perfectly logical: “We’re not learning anything new right now anyway. What’s the difference between reviewing here and reviewing at school?”

Jian Hao asked: “Just you?”

Jian You said, “No, the teacher from the orphanage went back; they’ll be here this afternoon.”

After they finished eating, Jian Hao returned from throwing away the trash. Seeing Jian You using her hand to check the temperature of Tiantian’s forehead, she walked over and asked, “Do you really like children that much?”

Jian You withdrew her hand. “I don’t.”

Jian Hao: “Then why are you so invested in her?”

Jian You: “I was the one who found her, after all. It’s fate.”

The other child in the room had woken up and been taken out to the courtyard to play. Since they were alone, Jian You spoke in a normal voice: “I mean, why give birth if you’re not going to raise them? It’s so irresponsible. I think there should be a rule before having kids—both parties have to sign a contract. You can only have them if you’re responsible, otherwise, you go to jail.”

Jian Hao laughed. “You’re a good mom.”

“Stop embarrassing me,” Jian You rolled her eyes. “I’m not getting married or dating; where am I going to be a mom?”

Jian Hao: “Why not date? You and Xinsui—”

Jian You interrupted: “Whether she even comes back is another matter.”

Jian Hao said: “She’ll definitely come back.”

Jian You stared at her in silence for a moment, then gave a light laugh. “There you go knowing everything again.”

At that moment, Tiantian started whimpering in her sleep. Jian You immediately stood up, her hand gently patting the baby’s body. “Don’t be scared, Tiantian. Don’t be scared.”

As she cooed, she suddenly smiled and looked at Jian Hao. “Hey? Do I actually look like a mother right now?”

Jian Hao nodded and joked, “The maternal glow is practically a halo over your head.”

Jian You turned back to look at Tiantian. After a long silence, she suddenly said, “Should I give her a name, too?”

“Be careful,” Jian Hao said.

“Why?”

“Giving a name means creating a bond. You won’t be able to break it.”

“Why would I want to break it? This kid is so cute, I want to visit her often. When the time comes for someone to adopt her, I want to help choose the parents.”

Jian You didn’t move as she finished soothing the baby. She leaned down, her index finger playing with Tiantian’s tightly clenched little hand. Seeing how much she liked the baby, Jian Hao smiled. “Go ahead and name her then. What will it be?”

Jian You stood up and looked at Jian Hao. “Just like you, she’s got to take my last name.”

She turned back to Tiantian, crossing her arms and resting her chin in her hand as she thought. Suddenly, her eyes lit up.

“Let’s call her Jian Hao!”

“Jian Hao, Jian Hao. May everything be simple and good.”

The more Jian You said it, the more satisfied she became. She nodded decisively and looked at Jian Hao with sparkling eyes. “What do you think of that name?”

“…Jian Lai.”