Chapter 23
Yes, it's because of this, we really need the money.
No, no, I'm doing fine. Nothing much has happened.
I missed my mom and dad, so I came back.
Really? You were looking for me all this time?
...
Is there something up?
Oh.
I don't know. I've never been a tour guide.
How much can I earn?
Oh. Maybe I could give it a try. Yes, and I still have to pay next semester's tuition.
Can you give me the travel agency's phone number? Okay, I will contact them.
...
How did you find this place? Are you tired?"
Cheng Jiayang
Fei's mom brought me a glass of cold boiled water. As Fei spoke with me, she took packs of cigarettes out of her mom's carton to air them. I had always been curious about what kind of family Fei came from. She had a high linguistic talent, a lively and cheerful personality, and shining beauty.
What I saw was a small living space of about fifty square meters, except for the kitchen, bathroom, and hallway, there was one large and one small room; the larger one was barely 10 square meters. The room's furniture was clean but very old, not to mention devoid of any decor.
Fei skillfully used sign language to tell her mom that I was her classmate.
I saw a photo of Fei and her parents on the wall where she was very young, holding a big, bright red plastic apple, smiling brilliantly. She looked a lot like her dad.
About the job at the travel agency, after knowing the amount of pay, she seemed interested. I gave her Xiaoping's phone number; she put it in her own notebook.
I yawned, and she asked me if I was tired.
I nodded my head.
She said, "I'll boil water for you; take a bath and rest here."
I nodded again, my heart secretly delighted.
In her bathroom, Fei used a plank to cover the toilet bowl and placed a kettle filled with hot water and a light blue plastic basin inside, saying, "This is the basin I use for washing my face. You mix the hot water with some cold water; don't burn yourself."
I washed my hair and quickly rinsed my body, feeling very relieved of fatigue. When I came out, Fei had already washed my T-shirt and trousers and hung them on the balcony.
She walked over and draped a dry towel over my head; I thought she would wipe it for me.
She said, "You can sleep in my room today, and I will sleep with my mom."
I said, "Will it be alright?"
"No problem. Why aren't you at work and ran out here?"
"I told you earlier, I was worried something had happened to you."
She laughed, "No one who could cause me trouble is born yet."
"I'm leaving tomorrow. I'll be visiting Canada the day after."
She looked at me, "Then you should sleep soon, tomorrow I'll see you off."
Fei laid out freshly washed sheets for me; I lay on them, smelling the faint scent of soap.
The next day when I got up, Fei and her mother had already prepared breakfast. Soy milk, fried dough sticks, mixed bean sprouts, tea eggs. Fei's mom made us both peel the tea eggs, savory and tasty, very delicious. Then the three of us left Fei's home together. Her mom went to set up her stall, and Fei took me to the train station for Shenyang.
As I drowsily sat on the train, watching the landscape flashing by the window, sorting through the events of these days and my thoughts, I was deeply shocked by myself.
This was not my inconstancy.
That afternoon, a big hole was punched through my heart by Mingfang's wedding; by chance, it was filled by Qiao Fei, this young woman whose life path differed vastly from mine. She and the people I know were so different, she made such a huge impact on me that the hole in my heart was completely penetrated and filled by her, occupying my entire heart.
(End of Chapter)
This book is first published by Xiaoxiang Academy, please do not reprint!