Find each other at 117

  Su Ruiqi was perhaps a bit drunk, lowering his head, his face lightly touching her hair, softly asking: "What day is tomorrow?"

  Tang Ke Xin's hands grasped the railing tightly, her eyes suddenly fixed on a certain point, as if she had seen some tragedy, and her body began to tremble slightly.

  Su Ruiqi felt her body tremble slightly, so he lowered his head, turned to see her bright big eyes, staring tensely ahead, with tears of sadness overflowing. His eyes swept over a hint of heartache, and slowly stretched out his hands, embracing her shoulders, letting her lean against his chest, saying helplessly: "Okay, let's just say you're an older brother at dusk."

  Tang Ke Xin's eyes blinked, and tears rolled down immediately. Her whole body started to convulse violently, leaning into Su Rui Qi's arms, with tears falling drop by drop.

  Su Ruiqi tightened his hands again, embracing her from behind, feeling the sorrow that she couldn't let go of in her body, and said: "If there's anything sad, cry it out."

  Tang Ke Xin clenched her teeth, gazing at the fiery red maple forest, so beautiful, like a fire burning life. She didn't cry out loud, but silently faced the distant maple forest, silently shedding tears.

  They say the sunset is infinitely beautiful, but it's just near dusk.

  Su Ruiqi took advantage of the sunset's remaining dark red glow to push open his usual exercise bike, turned around and looked at Ke Xin who was excitedly rushing out from the living room, holding a few lotus leaves in her hand, running to Su Ruiqi's back and looking at him.

  The two of them smiled at each other, and under the warm sunset light, they walked across the long suspension bridge. Then Su Ruiqi got on his bicycle, and Ke Xin happily hugged a lotus leaf and sat on the back of Su Ruiqi's bike, shouting "Let's go!"

  Su Ruiqi smiled, his hand on the handlebars of the bicycle, and with a push of his foot, the bicycle moved forward, driving out along Fenglin Avenue.

  Tang Ke Xin was delighted to look around at the lake view in front of her, and she even saw a white egret flying across the lake surface, then drove forward. She immediately exclaimed with a "wow" and laughed, saying: "Look!! White Egret!"

  Su Ruiqi turned his head and looked at the flying bird, smiled slightly, and then increased his pedaling speed, letting the bicycle rush forward, sweeping through the scenery, and finally arrived at a certain blue platform in front of the small park.

  Tang Ke Xin happily hugged the lotus leaf, backpack on her back, jumped off the bicycle, looked at Su Rui Qi and smiled: "Thank you. I'm very happy today."

  Su Ruiqi grasped his bicycle and smiled at Tang Ke Xin, saying: "Remember our agreement. Three days later..."

  "See!" Tang Ke Xin proudly took out his phone and wallet, happily saying: "Look?"

  Su Ruiqi smiled and looked at her, then slowly said: "Do you know how to find each other?"

  Tang Ke Xin thought for a moment before laughing and saying: "Do you think I'm an idiot? Finding you is the same as finding myself."

  Su Ruiqi gazed deeply at her delicate little face and said: "Yes. Looking for me is looking for yourself. Remember this sentence."

  Tang Ke Xin felt there was more to his words and looked at him inexplicably.

  Su Ruiqi saw the number 18 white bus coming slowly, and she patted her shoulder lightly, saying: "The bus is here."

  "Oh." Tang Ke Xin turned her head and indeed saw the bus coming, so she immediately hugged her lotus leaf and chased after the bus that had just stopped. She jumped onto the vehicle, chose a window seat, sat down, and immediately opened the window to wave at Su Rui Qi, smiling and saying: "Hurry back! Thanks! Be careful riding your bike on the way home."

  Su Ruiqi smiled and nodded.

  The bus slowly started. Ruisu's eyes sparkled.

  Tang Ke Xin still smiled sweetly and poked her head out of the window, waving at Su Rui Qi. It seemed like she was a bit reluctant to part with him. As she watched his figure, it gradually grew smaller in her line of sight. Only then did she sit back properly, hugging that lotus leaf, thinking about what Su Rui Qi had said earlier and murmuring in confusion: "Looking for you is looking for me..." What does this mean?

  She gradually became puzzled, and with a bit of curiosity, she took out Su Ruiqi's phone. After thinking for a moment, she dialed her own number digit by digit. Just as she finished dialing the tenth digit, she hung up again. Holding the phone in her arms, she muttered to herself: "Tsk! I'm not that stupid! When I want to find him, I just need to call my own phone number! It's so simple! Honestly!"

  The bus continued on its way, moving forward.

  Su Ruiqi continued to gaze at the long road, smiled slightly, then turned his bicycle around and rode slowly along the way he came.

  Tomorrow is July 13th.

  Perhaps Su Ruiqi saw his wallet.

  Tang Ke Xin didn't deliberately hide anything, but when she returned home that night, she saw Ya Hui had already prepared some fruit and tomorrow's ingredients for cooking. She walked out of the kitchen, looked at Ke Xin, and smiled with a bit of heartache.

  Tang Ke Xin hugged the bag of lotus leaves and smiled with tears in her eyes.

  That night.

  Ya Hui sat on the sofa in the living room, carefully putting various fruits into airtight boxes. She turned her head to look at Ke Xin, who was alone, and saw that she had personally ground green bean powder and placed it in a large plate. Then, she took out a ball of flour and put it on the already-laid-out pastry board, preparing to make green bean cakes. Next to her were already-made millet cakes, red bean paste buns, triangular sugar buns, and black bean cakes, all ready to go.

  Ke Xin held the rolling pin with flour on it, placed it on top of the dough, and with her palms facing downwards, she kept rotating the rolling pin, allowing the dough to spread out bit by bit. As she worked, Ke Xin stretched out her hand to wipe away the sweat from her forehead, panting slightly...

  "Ke Xin... otherwise, take a rest for a while. You've been doing it for several hours already. It's almost dawn now." Ya Hui said, hugging a watermelon and continuing to peel it.

  "It's not needed." Tang Ke Xin continued to knead the dough, her eyes firmly saying.

  Ya Hui helplessly watched her back, and could only sigh, suddenly saying from the heart: "Ke Xin... you will be happy."

  Ke Xin was covered in flour, and slightly panting, said: "I knew when I was eight years old that happiness has to be earned by oneself. Relying on fate is useless. But now, I no longer hope for happiness. Because there are still many people who have not yet found happiness."

  Ya Hui's eyes were slightly red, she didn't say anything else and continued peeling the watermelon skin.

  Time passed bit by bit. The lights of the ten thousand homes were almost all extinguished. Only the light in the small attic kitchen window, accompanied by the starlight, remained until the dark color of the sky retreated and a pale white gradually appeared...

  The sound of "opening the door" gradually echoed.

  Ke Xin finally came down the stairs at dawn, carrying a huge colorful basket, wearing a black shirt, black shorts, and black boots, with a tired face and panting, walking alone to the bus stop.

  Ya Hui stood at the balcony, watching Ke Xin's receding back, so many years had passed, she always insisted on going alone, no matter how heavy or tiring things were.

  The bus is coming.

  It drove away.

  Ke Xin was exhausted from rushing through the night to prepare these dishes, and she fell asleep slowly with her head leaning against the window, hugging that vegetable basket.

  The bus drove all the way forward until it arrived at a small fire station platform. It was just six o'clock in the morning.

  Ke Xin rubbed her blurry eyes, carrying a heavy basket of vegetables, sweating profusely as she got off the bus and walked towards the train station. She bought a ticket to Xicheng and found a seat by the window, sitting down and gazing out at the still hazy blue sky. Her face was serene, thinking of her father, a hint of a smile escaped her lips.

  The train slowly started moving.

  Headed towards the mountain 'cave' track.

  It seemed like a long, long time had passed, but in reality it was only a short two-hour drive. Yet, it separated two completely different worlds. Gone were the hustle and bustle, gone was the noise, leaving only the endless mountains undulating in the serene world.

  Ke Xin panted as she carried the heavy basket of vegetables, along the stairs of Lychee Mountain Forest, continuing towards the house at the top of the mountain. As she walked, she lifted her head to look at the several small houses at the summit, one of which had a wisp of smoke rising from its chimney. She swallowed hard, feeling parched, and continued on, carrying the over 20 kg basket up the more than 300 steps, a journey she had made for many, many years...

  At last, she came again as in previous years to a small house with fire-red brick and tile stairs, put down the basket of food in her hand, looked at the iron railing in front of her with tears in her eyes, and called out excitedly: "Auntie... I'm here..."

  The same wailing and clanging of copper gongs as in previous years during worship was heard again inside the house.

  Tang Ke Xin heard the crying sound, tears immediately rolled down, knelt on the small path full of gravel, sobbing and saying: "Auntie, I'm here...I brought Uncle's favorite food..."

  The neighbors nearby heard a familiar cry of "girl" and hurried out to see, but when they saw it was her again, they went from scolding to silence.

  "Auntie, don't lock the iron gate, let me in, I want to see Uncle. I'm coming to you with a sincere heart, hoping you can forgive my dad... We were wrong, our whole family owes you an apology..." Tang Ke Xin kneeled all the way to the front of the iron railings, grasping them with both hands and crying: "Auntie... open the gate..."

  The door creaked open with a bang.

  An old woman over sixty years old, dressed in black, with a head full of white hair, stood at the door with tears in her eyes. When she saw Tang Ke Xin, she cried out in anger and hatred: "Why have you come again? So many years have passed! Why have you come again?! I don't care how many times you come, I will absolutely never forgive your father!! Absolutely not!!"

  Tang Ke Xin looked at Old Aunt's hair, which had turned even whiter, and she sobbed painfully: "Auntie, I know we were wrong. I don't want anything else, just let me go in to pay my respects to Uncle. I made a lot of his favorite desserts and brought some fruit, all peeled and pitted. I also brought some money to buy you something to eat and drink... I know your lychee tree at home must not have anyone to help with the harvest this year, let me come and pick some for you. Don't be angry, don't be angry..."

  The old aunt heard these words and immediately burst into tears, standing in the small courtyard, sat down, patted the solid ground, and cried out: "Heavens! What have I done to deserve this? How could I have met such a person?! Can't I just live in peace?! I don't want to see that woman who killed my husband, coming here pretending to ask for forgiveness. So many years have passed, Old Wu is gone, but at least he's still alive in prison! My poor old companion, you're really gone."

  Tang Ke Xin's tears fell one by one, she retreated two steps back, knelt on the ground, her hands supporting the ground, her head heavily knocking against the ground, as she knocked and cried saying: "Auntie, my dad owes you an apology, our whole family owes you an apology, we were wrong."

  "Get out!! Get out!! Go away!! I don't want to see you again!" The old aunt suddenly stormed out, opened the iron gate, and threw all the food that Ke Xin had worked hard to make down the stairs!

  "Auntie..." Ke Xin cried as she looked at the pastries and fruits that she had spent all evening making, now rolling down the stone steps, some crushed, others still tumbling down the mountain. She tearfully said: "Those things... were for Uncle..."

  "Slap!!" The old aunt slapped Ke Xin's face with all her might, then grabbed her hair and slammed her to the ground, non-stop slapping her shoulders and body while wailing: "Get out!! I don't want to see you again! If you come back next year, I'll kill you! Get out!! I will never forgive you!! Never!! Get out of my sight!!"

  Auntie finished speaking and continued to beat Kexin's body mercilessly.

  Ke Xin curled up on the ground, her mouth overflowing with tears as Auntie pulled her short hair and patted her body. Her tears fell one by one as she remembered her father crying in prison: "In this life, I haven't wronged anyone, only Ah Xiong. That great fire destroyed him and his family. If his family can't forgive me in this life, let me go to hell and atone for my sins."

  At that time, the pitiful and desperate look on Father's face is still vivid in her mind. She was like this, staring with bright and tearful eyes, curled up on the ground, enduring the waves of physical pain, thinking strongly in her heart: "Dad... You can rest assured, what you can't do, I'll do for you. The sins you can't redeem, I'll redeem for you..."

  "Get out! Get out!" The old aunt slapped her body desperately, then pushed her down the stairs.

  "Don't push anymore, if you keep pushing, this girl will be gone." An old woman saw Ke Xin being beaten until she was covered in bruises, with dark marks on her face and arms. She hurriedly walked out, stood in front of the old aunt, stretched out her wrinkled and spotted hand, grasped Ke Xin's thin arm, and said pitifully: "Child, don't come again. If you come again, you'll lose your life. It's your father's fault, there's no need for you to take responsibility. Go back quickly! Take these edible things back with you, ah!"

  Tang Ke Xin remained silent, propping up her painful body, biting her teeth tightly, and trembling as she crawled back up. With tears in her eyes, she knelt again towards the house where her uncle was, knocking her head and sobbing: "Uncle, I'll come visit you again next year. May you be at peace in heaven and protect Auntie's health. My whole family owes you an apology... sorry... sorry... The money is all in the basket, I hope Auntie will take care of it after I leave. I'll come back again..."

  The old aunt turned her face to one side and burst into tears with a pained expression.

  Ke Xin didn't dare to speak again, she just propped up her painful body, clenched her teeth, and turned around shakily. She swallowed the dryness in her throat, feeling the metallic taste of blood at the corner of her mouth. It was so sad that tears rolled down her eyes, just like before, step by step, walking down the stone stairs...

  The old woman looked at Ke Xin's thin figure, gradually moving down the stone steps. She came to the front of Old Aunt and said helplessly: "Actually, so many years have passed, we also know you are very sad, but this is a rare child, every year let her make trouble, let her hit, never fight back. This can be considered as the blessing of that old chef, giving birth to such a filial and sensible 'daughter'. If possible, please forgive her father for the sake of that poor child, after all, he is also suffering now."

  The old aunt cried and looked up at the stone steps, that black figure, as in previous years, was about to disappear, she turned her head away, painfully silent.

  Tonight's update is over.