Ch 78: I’m Sorry
Jiang Lufang made Ice Sugar Mung Bean Soup early this morning, refrigerating it in the refrigerator for half a day. Now, she poured a cup and placed it in front of Zhuang Lingyun.
“It’s cooling and heat-clearing. Try some.”
Zhuang Lingyun said thank you and quickly took it. He looked around, his brows slightly furrowed, his eyes showing a bit of worry. “Yaoyao, where did she go?”
“I sent her to the Police Station. Wenxing came back this morning, so he went with her. You don’t need to worry.”
Zhuang Lingyun smiled and said nothing.
Jiang Lufang watched his expression, feeling a little uneasy. “Lingyun, you and Yaoyao… what did you argue about this morning?”
Zhuang Lingyun glanced at her. Jiang Lufang continued, “Mom knows you’re a good child, filial to your elders, and very fond of Yaoyao. You also know Yaoyao’s personality. Since you can accept her infertility, you must really like her and don’t mind what happened to her before, right?”
Does he not mind?
Does he really not mind?
Zhuang Lingyun asked himself this in his heart. The answer was clearly negative, but it couldn’t change anything. Because he was the one who lost her first, and after regaining her with difficulty, he didn’t want to dwell on other matters, adding to his troubles. Cherishing the present was enough.
But Jiang Lufang called him over and brought up this topic, so she clearly had something to say.
Zhuang Lingyun pondered for a moment and asked, “Mom, I actually have some questions. How did Yaoyao get into the car accident? Do you remember?”
Recalling the past, Jiang Lufang sighed, “To be exact, I’m not very clear. I received a phone call and rushed to the hospital. The doctors were rescuing Yaoyao, and her father had a heart attack at the same time. I was so busy that I didn’t have time to ask.
Moreover, Yaoyao was in a coma at that time, and she didn’t improve after being transferred to several hospitals. Later, when her body recovered and she regained consciousness, she lost some of her memories. Actually, all these years she didn’t know she had amnesia; she remembers most things, but forgot a few people and events. The doctor said it was selective memory loss, a psychological disorder caused by the stimulation.
It didn’t affect her life, so we didn’t mention it. However… this time Yaoyao came back, I felt something was wrong; she might have remembered something.”
Zhuang Lingyun’s heart tightened. “What did she say?”
Jiang Lufang was still hesitating whether to tell Zhuang Lingyun why Xiao Yao couldn’t get pregnant and about the unborn child.
But on second thought, people’s hearts are unpredictable. If she revealed her daughter’s unpleasant past, he might develop a rift, and their relationship might be damaged. She might be doing more harm than good.
After pondering for a moment, Jiang Lufang decided not to say it. Changing the subject, she said, “Actually, when Yaoyao was a freshman in college, she once had a boyfriend…”
As soon as Jiang Lufang spoke, the door was suddenly opened from the outside, and Xiao Yao and Xiao Wenxing entered one after the other.
The people inside and outside the room met eyes and were slightly stunned.
“You’re back so soon?” Jiang Lufang glanced at Zhuang Lingyun and said to Xiao Yao and Xiao Wenxing, “The green bean soup I made this morning is ready. Wenxing, go get it from the refrigerator, I’ll wash some cups.”
Xiao Wenxing looked at Zhuang Lingyun, then at Xiao Yao, silently changed his shoes, and entered the kitchen.
Zhuang Lingyun got up and walked towards her.
Xiao Yao turned around, opened the door, and slightly tilted her head to say, “Yesterday, didn’t we say we’d talk? Let’s go.”
After the summer solstice, the weather gradually heated up. Occasional heavy rain made the air humid and sticky. The wind, baked by the sun, blew in gusts, making the body feel like it was wrapped in plastic, hot and stuffy to the point of suffocation.
Fortunately, the journey was short. From the apartment building’s entrance to the bar, it was only a few dozen steps away.
Zhuang Lingyun walked ahead, took out a spare key, and opened the glass door of the bar.
The light inside was dark, and a wave of coolness mixed with a faint fragrance hit them.
Zhuang Lingyun turned on the lights, and Xiao Yao walked in to discover that the layout was completely different.
The bar’s counter and tables had been cleared out, leaving it empty. The wallpaper, wall hangings, and some spotlights had been removed. Large areas of the walls were painted a light green, and two large wooden racks were installed on the left and right walls. The racks had many small squares, filled with many pots of air-purifying plants.
Zhuang Lingyun brought over a high stool that originally belonged to the bar and asked her to sit down, but Xiao Yao didn’t move, quietly looking at him, wanting an answer.
She had only been gone for ten days, hadn’t he been searching for her outside? So what was going on with this bar? Had it gone bankrupt and closed down?
Seeing that she was just staring at him, Zhuang Lingyun moved closer, personally put his arms around her armpits, lifted her onto the high stool, and made her sit facing him.
Xiao Yao shifted uncomfortably, but he firmly adjusted her posture. “Let’s talk while sitting.”
What to talk about? How to talk? Xiao Yao hadn’t figured it out. Questions filled her mind, but she didn’t know where to begin. What separated them was more than just time and the past. In any case, their former intimacy would only add to the awkwardness now.
“As I said before, the bar was too chaotic, and I always had to stay up late. I wanted to change the environment for you. The flower shop is very good. This shop is in a prime location; whatever you do will be profitable. So I gave this matter to Fu Jinglun. In about half a month, after the varieties of flowers and supply channels are complete, it can open.
You can come to visit occasionally, or stay in the shop every day; flower arranging helps cultivate one’s temperament, and the colorful flowers will make one’s mood relaxed and open. I will hire a skilled florist; if you are interested, you can learn from them.”
Pausing, he pointed to one side of the wall, “The light in the room is a bit dim. I’ve decided to knock down this wall and make a large floor-to-ceiling window. It will look much brighter. What do you think?”
Xiao Yao listened quietly, feeling nothing in her heart.
In any case, they were his properties. Even if they were registered under her name, they were still his; he could do whatever he wanted with them; she didn’t want to care anymore.
One remained silent, the other kept finding topics, and the atmosphere grew increasingly awkward.
Half an hour later, he finally stopped talking about the flower shop. Perhaps he was parched. There was no water here, so he walked a short distance, leaning against the flower rack three or five steps away, and lit a cigarette.
Through the thin blue smoke, his profile was reflected in her eyes. Xiao Yao looked at him and finally broke the silence. “Do you know where I was during this time? How did I spend my days?”
Zhuang Lingyun looked up at her, his eyes gentle and sad.
He said sorry, but he didn’t know which scene this apology referred to.
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