"Mom, I know, I'm on my way," she said, her tone much softer.
"Zheng'er, don't rush, first go home and get some things ready for your dad to bring over."
"Oh, okay!"
Standing in the front yard of this row of villas, she remembered the year she left when Dad had just planted the grapevines, bare, with only a few red lanterns left over from New Year hanging, their color slightly faded, looking especially bleak in the wind, and now, the front yard was filled with lush greenery and fruit-laden branches.
"Dad! When you have free time, just take a rest, don't always work so hard, and what's with the fuss over grapes! If you want some, just go buy them!"
"Zhiqian loves them!"
That was the conversation she had with her dad the year she left, those four words, "Zhiqian loves them," were the most important principle in her parents' lives over those years, everything prioritized Zhiqian's preferences.
Zhiqian Zhiqian Zhiqian!
An image from her memory, once blurred, gradually became clear. From the depths of her memory stretched out strands and wisps that merged into a white outline, distant, with two points of light, like stars, like illusions, vague and indistinct.
Those strands and tendrils extended rapidly, wrapping precisely around her heart with a tenacious force that caused a throbbing pain in her chest and a buzzing in her ears, and suddenly, it seemed as if a soft yet indifferent voice rang out: Liu Zheng.
Her eyes welled up, and she nearly burst into tears.
Her phone rang.
All the illusions vanished.
She gave a bitter smile, with traces of dampness at the corners of her eyes.
There was a time when the name Zhiqian was a curse in her life, and she had thought that six years would be enough to break the spell...
"Hello, Mom." The call was from her mom.
"Zheng'er, the grapes at home are ripe. When you come, bring some with you," Pei Sufen instructed on the other end.
"Okay." She felt a hint of coolness on her cheek and reached up to touch it, finding her fingertips moistened.
After she packed everything, she finally sat down and took a sip of water.
This home was exactly the same as it had been six years ago, even the family portrait on the wall hadn't been taken down.
She remembered clearly, the picture had been taken a year after her marriage. Dad and Mom were sitting in the middle, with her and her brother Ruan Lang standing on either side at the back, and standing in the center of the back row was him. Ruan Lang and he were very close, with Ruan Lang's arm over his shoulder during the photo, and her, petite, clinging to his arm, leaning against him like a little bird nestled against a person, with a sweet smile.
When the photo was developed, Dad really liked it, sighing that it made one think that Zhiqian was the pillar of the home.
Yes, she once thought so too.
She thought the man who always stood ramrod straight and could easily resolve any issue would be the pillar of her life, her support, but unfortunately...
Ha, perhaps she expected too much! At least, that's what everyone said when they divorced. What more could she want?
Indeed, what more did she want? Even this house was bought by him after their marriage to give to her parents, otherwise, Dad, Mom, and Ruan Lang would still be crammed in the Mixed Courtyard with several other families.
When they divorced, she had suggested returning the house to him, but he didn't want it.
She knew him too well and understood that he would never take it back, and at that time, she just wanted to settle things quickly, to sign the papers fast, so she didn't bother with pointless talk.
Perhaps, the more she accepted from him, the less guilt he felt in his heart. So, over those years, she really accepted too much, so much that she could hardly breathe.
With a sip of water, she took a moment to gather her thoughts.