Back to Auntie’s School Days - Chapter 35

At seven o’clock on an October evening in Nanqing, the night was hazy, and the two rows of streetlights along the road looked like the eyes of owls.

Outside the police station, an elm tree by the roadside was already half-bald, with a few remaining rustling leaves waiting to fall.

As they came out of the station, Jian You let go of Tan Yanqing.

The two stepped toward the roadside.

In the gap while waiting for a taxi, Jian You glanced at Tan Yanqing.

“I didn’t see that coming; you’ve actually got quite a temper.”

She had thought that besides being a “poser,” Tan Yanqing was truly just a block of ice.

Seeing Tan Yanqing staring down at her feet, still acting aloof, Jian You would usually have rolled her eyes. But at this moment, she found Tan Yanqing somewhat tolerable.

She spoke up: “She’s a grown person; she won’t get lost.”

Beneath the large elm tree stood a streetlight, and the crisscrossing shadows of the branches blurred the figures of those standing below.

Tan Yanqing identified her own shadow and thought back to that night when her shadow and Jian Lai’s had overlapped.

If only she could be Jian Lai’s shadow.

Tan Yanqing lowered her lashes: “She said she recovered a bit of her memory.”

On the street, a few withered leaves were swept up by the wind, spiraling in the air, only to land on the ground the next second as the wind blew elsewhere. Without the leaves to reveal it, the wind became mysterious and unpredictable once more.

Just like Jian Lai.

When she hadn’t found any trace of Jian Lai at Jian You’s house, it felt like stepping into thin air; Tan Yanqing felt a momentary sense of weightlessness. At the same time, a surge of confusion rushed over her. It was like losing her direction in the vast ocean—she actually didn’t know where to go to find Jian Lai.

She realized belatedly that if Jian Lai hadn’t always been by her side, she might not even be able to see her if she wanted to.

Tan Yanqing stared at the fallen leaves on the ground, trying to find some clue to locate Jian Lai, and spoke slowly to Jian You: “But if she recovered her memory, why didn’t she look for you, or me? Instead, she went to withdraw the case by herself.”

“Maybe she just didn’t want to trouble the police anymore. When I took her to the station before to check for updates, she always told me not to go every day, saying asking too much adds a burden to the police.”

“So why isn’t she anxious at all? She’s the one with amnesia, yet you care more about her business than she does. Is that normal?”

Jian You froze, then realized: “Are you suspecting she’s faking her amnesia?”

Tan Yanqing lowered her head. She had suspected this long ago and was certain of it: Jian Lai was lying.

But what was Jian Lai’s purpose? All she had after her amnesia was going to school and staying at Jian You’s or her own house… Was there something between them that Jian Lai was after? What was it?

Jian You spaced out for a moment, then patted Tan Yanqing’s arm. “Now that you mention it, I did find her a bit abnormal at noon.”

Tan Yanqing looked at Jian You, who was resting her chin in one hand and hugging her chest with the other, analyzing: “She seemed very concerned about whether I would adopt Tiantian. She even cried toward the end, but she said it was a stomach ache. I don’t think so—she ran out quite fast; I couldn’t even see her back when I chased after her.”

Jian You pondered for a while. “And she was quite interested in whether I’d have children before. She used to tell me the downsides of having kids to stop me. But today, she wanted me to be responsible for Tiantian. From what she said, it sounded like she wanted me to adopt her.”

Tan Yanqing’s cold eyes narrowed, her brow slightly furrowed.

Like her, Jian You couldn’t quite figure out Jian Lai’s meaning, but thinking of the expression on Jian Lai’s face when she said she was a “good mother” in such a gentle tone, it was like a sudden realization. Jian You slapped her hands together and stared straight at Tan Yanqing.

“I’ve got it!”

She said: “Jian Lai might also be from an orphanage.”

Tan Yanqing was silent for two seconds. “How so?”

“Think about it! When Old Gao found her, she had been drinking. But at the last gathering, she said she couldn’t drink. Why can’t she drink? Because she’s had it before and knows she can’t handle it. And why does she know she can’t handle it? Because she hasn’t lost her memory. Think again—under what circumstances would a person fake amnesia?”

Jian You tilted her chin up. “The answer is: when they don’t want to have anything to do with their past anymore and have nowhere to go.”

“I bet Jian Lai definitely came out of an orphanage. Maybe she was adopted, but the family that took her in was bad to her, so she ran away. With nowhere to go, she faked amnesia, and since she’d seen me, she clung to me…”

The more she thought about it, the more Jian You felt her analysis made sense.

“And today, seeing Tiantian reminded her of herself. She projected herself onto the baby, which is why she broke down and disappeared.”

She arched an eyebrow at Tan Yanqing. “What do you think?”

Although Tan Yanqing still felt there were some suspicious points, Jian You’s explanation wasn’t far from what she had guessed. She nodded.

Jian You laughed instantly. “I’m seriously incredible!” she tilted her chin up. “Do you think I have the potential to be a cop?”

Tan Yanqing only glanced at her and said nothing.

Jian You shook her head. “I’m so smart I’m even jealous of myself.” Seeing Tan Yanqing’s wooden face, she huffed again. “I’m telling you, don’t worry. Didn’t she tell Old Gao to tell you not to worry? That means she didn’t disappear on purpose. Maybe she’s just clearing her head somewhere. Let’s just go home and wait.”

As she finished speaking, Tan Yanqing’s phone rang.

Tan Yanqing took out her phone, and Jian You leaned in to look.

“It’s my home number.”

Tan Yanqing realized something and quickly pressed the answer button.

“Xiao Tan, where are you two? Come back quickly. Lailai is back.”

In the distance, a taxi happened to be approaching. Jian You was quick and signaled for it to stop.

When Jian You and Tan Yanqing got out of the car, they ran toward the apartment building. Tan Yanqing ran fast, disappearing in a flash. Jian You followed behind, chasing with a red face. Seeing Tan Yanqing run into the building, Jian You put her hands on her hips, panting heavily.

“Someone… would… think… Jian Lai… owed you money.”

Tan Yanqing made it to the third floor in one breath. The door to Jian You’s house was slightly ajar; Tan Yanqing didn’t enter immediately. She caught her breath at the door before opening it and walking in.

Jian Sihong was sitting on the sofa waiting for them. Seeing Tan Yanqing, she stood up and whispered: “She went straight to Youyou’s room as soon as she got back and hasn’t come out.”

Tan Yanqing gave a quiet “Mhm” and walked toward Jian You’s room.

Standing at the door, she saw a floral curtain hanging over the glass, making it impossible to see inside. Tan Yanqing’s hand lifted slightly. But it only lifted; she didn’t knock or push the door. After hesitating for a few seconds, she finally tried pushing it.

The door wasn’t locked.

The green-painted door had mottled paint due to age. With a gentle push, it “creaked” backward. Though it was so shaky it made one want to steady it, it quickly opened a gap. Not too wide, not too narrow—just enough to see inside and out.

The light in Jian You’s room was still a yellow bulb. Even with the light on, the room was dim, like a manufactured twilight, giving it an unreal feeling. Because of this, even though Tan Yanqing saw the figure of the person sitting by the bed, she paused, not daring to step forward.

Until she heard that person’s voice.

Jian Hao heard the door open and looked up. Seeing Tan Yanqing, she was stunned for a moment, then said: “Auntie said you went looking for me? Didn’t I tell Teacher Gao to tell you not to worry?”

Tan Yanqing pursed her lips and walked into the room. It wasn’t until she stood by the bed and clearly saw Jian Lai’s face—confirming this wasn’t an illusory dream—that she spoke: “She said you were crying, so I thought… something happened to you.”

Jian Hao gave a faint smile. “What could happen to me?” Then she lowered her head in regret. “I’m sorry, I still made you worry.”

Tan Yanqing’s hand half-clenched into a fist. It didn’t seem to be worry. It was fear. She was afraid not just for Jian Lai’s safety, but of that feeling of not seeing Jian Lai at home—the feeling of waiting for a long time and Jian Lai not coming back.

Seeing Jian Lai’s eyes were slightly swollen, with obvious signs of having had a good cry, Tan Yanqing’s eyelashes lowered.

“You—”

Jian Hao spoke first. She looked behind Tan Yanqing. “Where’s Jian You?”

Tan Yanqing had to swallow the rest of her words and replied: “She’s behind me.”

Jian Hao stood up: “I’ll go see her.”

As she walked past Tan Yanqing, her arm was caught.

“Jian Lai.”

She turned toward Tan Yanqing: “Mhm?”

Tan Yanqing’s tone was serious: “I’ll take you to buy a mobile phone tomorrow.”

Jian Hao had been raised not to accept things from others easily. Even if it was from Tan Yanqing, it wasn’t okay. Jian Hao instinctively wanted to refuse, but the moment she met Tan Yanqing’s eyes, her words caught in her throat.

She forced a smile: “…Okay.”

The sound of Jian You talking to Jian Sihong came from outside the door. Jian Hao turned her arm, gently squeezing Tan Yanqing’s hand back, and said softly: “Wait for me a moment.”

Then she left the room.

Tan Yanqing paused for two seconds before following her.

What she saw was Jian Lai opening her arms and deeply embracing Jian You, who was demanding to know where she had been.

Tan Yanqing froze slightly.

And she wasn’t the only one frozen.

Jian You took a moment to recover. After glancing at Tan Yanqing, she felt inexplicably awkward, gave a shudder, and struggled in Jian Hao’s embrace.

“What are you doing?”

After saying that, she followed up with: “Where did you run off to all afternoon? You nearly worried our Monitor to death.”

Jian You didn’t say the latter part because she was being watched by Tan Yanqing while they embraced; rather, she remembered that Jian Lai had helped her and Xinsui, and today she found Tan Yanqing a bit more agreeable, so she tacked on the last half.

After speaking, she tried to push Jian Hao away, but Jian Hao held her tightly.

Jian Hao whispered: “Nowhere.”

After running out of the hospital, she didn’t know where to go. Where could she go?

First, she went to look at her future home, but it hadn’t been built yet; it was still a patch of old, dilapidated tenement buildings. After staying there for a while, she went to the police station to withdraw the case. The efficiency of the Nanqing police was excellent—she had only reported being lost, but she never expected it would lead her to the truth about her background that she had never once suspected. What else could she do but withdraw the case? She was someone nobody wanted.

After withdrawing the case, she still didn’t know where to go. She walked aimlessly through the streets in a daze. It wasn’t until a gust of wind blew, making her skin crawl with goosebumps, that she realized she was sitting on a bench at a bus stop.

Looking around, she recognized it—it was the very bus stop where Jian You had found the woven bag.

She sat there, watching the buses come and go one by one, watching group after group of people get on and off. From the afternoon until evening.

The evening temperature was low enough to make one shiver. Chilly gusts of wind blew through, so cold it felt as if it wanted to carry someone away.

So cold—it had been cold all day today—even at noon when the sun was large and round and the temperature was high enough to make one’s nose sweat, today had been cold all day.

The sky was a dull blue-gray.

Against that gray sky, Jian Hao asked “why” over and over in her heart.

Why wasn’t she her mother’s biological daughter?

Sitting on that bus stop bench all afternoon, she still hadn’t accepted the fact. How could she?

She wasn’t her mother’s biological child.

Her mother loved her so much. Though she would swat and scold her a bit for being naughty as a child, that was because she was too mischievous. Thinking back now, she once joked to Jian You when she wouldn’t buy her something: “Was I picked up from a trash can?”

Other kids often told her that when they asked their moms where they came from, their moms would say they were picked up from the street. She had only said it out of spite, but Jian You’s face had changed drastically; she hit her several times on the bottom, scolded her for being heartless, and warned her never to say it again.

At the time, her heart was full of resentment, but thinking about it now: She was so happy.

Why was she so happy?

Because…

She has a good mother.

Jian Hao buried her head in the crook of Jian You’s neck, her tears wetting her eyelashes. She said softly:

“Thank you.”

Mom.