A few days later, they embarked on their journey to Yanjing.
This was the first time Jiang Yumo was leaving home to study in a distant place. Both Father and Mother Jiang were extremely reluctant to part with her. She was their only beloved daughter. They felt both happy and sad. Happy because their daughter would have a brighter future than both of them, and sad because this marked the beginning of their separation from her. Sending her away to study was just the beginning; she would eventually have her own life, perhaps even a family…
Father and Mother Jiang both took a few days off from work. They insisted on personally accompanying her to enroll in school.
Apart from her parents, Duan Ye would also be going with them, making the group sending her to school relatively large.
Ning Zhiyu was also departing with them, and they were all on the same train.
There were hardly any empty seats on the train from Ningcheng to Yanjing. The passengers were either going to study or work in that area. The train compartment was lively. Father and Mother Jiang quickly struck up a conversation with another couple. Jiang Yumo sat between Ning Zhiyu and Duan Ye. Ning Zhiyu was playing the role of a protective cover, as the couple was occasionally holding hands and leaning on each other’s shoulders.
Ning Zhiyu sat by the aisle, and casually glanced to her right. She saw Jiang Yumo leaning against Duan Ye’s shoulder, their hands intertwined, engaged in whispered conversation. The atmosphere seemed to be filled with pink bubbles… This sight made Ning Zhiyu sigh internally. If only she had sat with Uncle and Aunt Jiang, it would have been better than being here, feeling like a third wheel.
Third wheel…
The thought of that term brought a certain person’s image to her mind.
She wondered how he was doing now.
In reality, she also missed him.
Jiang Yumo was not the kind of friend to forget her friends over romance. Despite her sweet relationship with Duan Ye, she didn’t overlook Ning Zhiyu’s despondency. After exchanging a few words in secret with Duan Ye, she used the excuse of going to the dining car and pulled Ning Zhiyu away from their seats. In the dining car, instead of rushing to order, they stood by the connecting door between the cars, chatting as they watched the scenery speeding by outside.
“Zhou Ji returned to Yanjing,” Jiang Yumo pretended to say casually. “It’s a pity that there’s so much to take care of for the new students’ registration. Otherwise, we could have visited his super cool mansion.”
She couldn’t understand it. She had already talked things through with Zhou Ji, and it seemed like he had accepted the decision to study abroad. So why weren’t these two reconciled yet?
Ning Zhiyu leaned against the side and curved her lips. “Who cares about him.”
Jiang Yumo tugged at Ning Zhiyu’s hand, leaned closer, and curiously asked, “Are you really planning to never speak to him again?”
Perhaps due to the mindset of a best friend, and Jiang Yumo herself was someone who stood up for her family and friends, suddenly, she held a considerable opinion against Zhou Ji. “What’s wrong with him? We tried to reason with him so much, and now he’s being stubborn again. Hmph, he’s probably hoping that we’ll go and coax him.”
Ning Zhiyu shook her head with a smile, “He might be… concerned about his dignity.”
“After all, he was so adamant about not going abroad at the time, argued with me for so long, had a standoff with his parents for quite a while, and in the end, he was persuaded to go abroad. He definitely feels embarrassed.” Ning Zhiyu also felt a headache, “There’s nothing we can do, we’re stuck with someone like him.”
Apart from coaxing, what else can we do?
Jiang Yumo sighed, “What virtues and abilities does Zhou Ji have? He doesn’t know how to cherish you. He’s still acting stubborn every day, agonizing over whether you like him or not.”
At this moment, Ning Zhiyu spoke some fair words, “It’s not entirely his fault. I’m also conflicted. There were better ways to handle it, but… *sigh*, Yumo,” she leaned against the window, gazing outside with an inexplicably desolate expression, “to be honest, I do miss him.”
Jiang Yumo looked at Ning Zhiyu.
She understood Ning Zhiyu quite well because she already started to miss Duan Ye, who she would be separated from in a few days.
“I don’t know why it turned out like this.” Ning Zhiyu lowered her head, “I wanted to send him abroad happily. It feels like we messed up this matter. He’s not too happy, and neither am I. Actually, I’m reflecting now. Between two people, it can’t be all one person’s fault.”
“Let’s not dwell on that.” Jiang Yumo leaned in and hugged Ning Zhiyu’s arm, “Anyway, I’ve heard a saying that people who are meant to be together will end up together. I guess, with Zhou Ji’s clingy nature, he might act cool for a month at most, no longer. Your ‘painful’ days are still ahead, you won’t be able to shake him off.”
Listening to Jiang Yumo, Ning Zhiyu’s mood lifted as well.
“Let’s hope so.” Ning Zhiyu joked, “Otherwise, I keep thinking I’m being too heartless to him.”
Ning Zhiyu regained her happiness, and Jiang Yumo also breathed a sigh of relief. They bought their meals and happily returned to their original train compartment. After Mother Jiang inquired about the cost of the boxed meals on the high-speed train and complained for a full twenty minutes, still wincing, “They’re robbing people. Outside, you can get these boxed meals for ten yuan each, and nobody wants them!”
Jiang Yumo promptly shifted the blame, “…Zhiyu bought them.”
Ning Zhiyu : “?”
Indeed, she was the one who bought these boxed meals.
She thought about how she had eaten many meals at the Jiang’s house, so she wouldn’t let Jiang Yumo pay this time.
Jiang Yumo didn’t argue, and she had to let Ning Zhiyu foot the bill.
Sure enough, in the next moment, Mother Jiang’s criticism was directed at Ning Zhiyu, “Xiao Ning, Aunt is going to scold you. It’s just a few hours. We could have eaten after we got off the train. With the money spent on these five boxed meals, we could have had some delicious dishes at a restaurant later. Xiao Ning, you must not be led astray by our Yumo to spend money recklessly.”
Jiang Yumo : “???”
Father Jiang opened the disposable chopsticks. “Why teach them to be frugal? Eat when you should eat, spend when you should spend. Xiao Ning, don’t listen to your Aunt. Be willing to spend when you’re outside, take care of yourself a bit. But I still have to say, this lunchbox is indeed a bit expensive.”
Ning Zhiyu couldn’t help but smile and cry, gripping the chopsticks tightly. Despite that, she felt warm inside.
It seemed like no elder had ever nagged her like this before.
—If Mom and Dad were still here, they would probably be like this too…
After the five of them finished eating, Duan Ye conscientiously cleaned up the trash, and Jiang Yumo took the opportunity to follow suit. Father and Mother Jiang pretended not to notice and continued chatting with the friends they had just made. Two middle-aged men were discussing international affairs, while the two women were showing off their own children and casually discussing some juicy gossip they had heard.
After taking a sip of water, Ning Zhiyu looked down at her phone.
Duan Ye threw away the trash, washed his hands, and then stood by the train carriage connecting point chatting with Jiang Yumo. They were in the honeymoon phase, and they couldn’t help wanting to stick to each other all the time. However, due to their personalities, they couldn’t quite bring themselves to hug and kiss in public. They could only stand side by side and chat. Passersby would subconsciously glance at them. Real sweet couples might be like this, even without intimate hugs and kisses, outsiders could still tell they were a couple.
“Thinking about military training makes my head buzz,” Jiang Yumo complained. “Why does the freshman military training have to be during the hottest time? I don’t get it. Aren’t we the flowers of our motherland?”
Duan Ye had no answer to this question either.
When they entered high school, they also had freshman military training, but it wasn’t as long as the university’s, only lasting a week.
On such hot days, they had to wear relatively thick camouflage uniforms compared to short sleeves and shorts.
They were sweating but couldn’t move. Anyone who moved would receive a barrage of reprimands from the instructors.
Duan Ye was okay back then; military training wasn’t a big deal for him. But Jiang Yumo couldn’t bear it. Several times, she felt like she was about to collapse, but she endured it. She was quite delicate at that time. After a few days, her eyes were distant, her muscles were sore, and the way she sat on the grassy field in a daze was something he found cute even now when he looked back.
He went to find her and asked what she wanted to eat.
The cafeteria at Fifth High School wasn’t that big, and it was packed during meal times.
She muttered, “Hamburger.”
There was no hamburger in the school at all. This was undoubtedly a challenge for Duan Ye, but at that time, Jiang Yumo was just answering a question, not expecting him to actually buy it for her. Who would have thought that Duan Ye would take it seriously? That night, he actually climbed over the school wall. Just when Jiang Yumo was so hot in the dormitory that she wished she could take a cold shower, she received his call.
She went downstairs, not knowing what he wanted from her. All she knew was that it was very hot.
The dormitory didn’t have air conditioning, so it was hot.
Outside was also hot, with not a hint of breeze.
Thinking about having to stand in military posture under the scorching sun tomorrow, Jiang Yumo felt like crying and going home to find her mother.
With a face full of disappointment, she descended the steps and came in front of him, weakly asking, “What do you want with me?”
Duan Ye performed like a magician, conjuring up a hamburger and an iced milk tea. “You wanted to eat this, right?”
It seemed that from that moment on, Jiang Yumo faintly felt that Duan Ye was different from other boys.
It was as if, as long as she wanted something and he could do it, he would do his utmost to give it to her.
Afterward, from the first year to the second year of high school, over the span of two years, Jiang Yumo finally confirmed that Duan Ye treated her very well.
Who could resist being ‘treated well’?
“This is for you.” Duan Ye’s words brought Jiang Yumo back to reality, back to this train heading to Yanjing.
Jiang Yumo didn’t react at first, but when she lowered her head and looked, he was handing her a card.
This?
Jiang Yumo raised her gaze, a look of puzzled bewilderment on her face. “What is this?”
Duan Ye was also a bit nervous and uneasy. “A card.”
Of course, she knew it was a card… but why did he give her a card?
“Why are you giving me this?” Jiang Yumo asked in astonishment.
“I wanted to give it to you,” Duan Ye said with difficulty. “There isn’t a lot of money in it, but take it. It’s for you to use.”
Over the past few years, he had managed to save up a little bit of money. It wasn’t as much as others had, but he divided it into three parts. One part went to his mother. He knew that his mother didn’t lack money, but this was his intention and determination. He wanted to tell his mother that she still had a son, someone she could rely on.
Ms. Wu Meiyun shed tears upon receiving the money her son gave her, even though it wasn’t much.
Another part, the card in his hand, intended for Jiang Yumo.
As for the last part, it was a small allowance he set aside for himself, not much, just a few thousand yuan, but it was enough. He didn’t spend much money on himself.
Jiang Yumo took a step back, not accepting the card, “But…”
“No ‘buts’,” Duan Ye lowered his head, “This is something I wanted to do a long time ago. The password is your birthday.”
Jiang Yumo still hadn’t fully processed what was happening.
In the midst of their conversation, she ended up with a card!!
Weren’t they all still students… no, Duan Ye wasn’t anymore, but he was only eighteen or nineteen years old, how did he become like he was handing over a salary card?
Seeing the surprise in her widened eyes, Duan Ye couldn’t hold back his fondness. He reached out and gently touched her hair, “Uncle and Aunt have bought you a house. There’s a mortgage to pay every month. I know you’re under a lot of pressure, and I know you want to find a part-time job to support yourself after entering university. I understand and support that. You’re amazing and capable, but…” He paused for a moment, “But I still want you to enjoy a carefree and happy college life. If you want to eat something, go eat it. If you like some clothes, go buy them.”
Jiang Yumo listened quietly, and the more she listened, the more bittersweet her heart felt.
Duan Ye’s voice grew soft again as he continued, “Hmm, most of the time, I can’t be there with you, and I feel uneasy about it too. You don’t need to feel pressured. In fact, it’s my motivation.” He chuckled, “It just so happens that you can also help me manage my spending, so I don’t squander money, okay?”
He supported every decision she made.
He would never tell her ‘I’ll support you’ when she wanted to be independent. He never wanted to hold her back, but within his means, he hoped she could lead a happier life.
rokumi’s note : really, where can I find a Duan Ye?
He’s setting the bar too high 😩😩 LORD WHEN
Actually I take this back LOL He might reply to me and say, “when you become as outstanding as Jiang Yumo” 😔😔😔