The Road Home

Chapter 10

Their two gazes locked.

She could not say it, could not say that she did not love him. Yet neither could she go against her own conscience and tell a man who was soon to be married that she did love him.

In this instant of stillness, it was as if she could see that youth of the past, right in this spot, yanking her up from the ground and pushing her behind himself, protecting her. All those feeling that she had suppressed, that she had forced herself to forget, now came swelling upwards and swallowed her levelheadedness. Gui Xiao's hands were jammed inside her pockets and they held on to the inner cloth lining, clutching it so tightly that every joint of her fingers felt swollen and ached with pain.

She heard herself, her voice light, ask him, "Bai Tao told me yesterday, you're getting married?"

There was no answer.

Lu Yanchen threw into the plastic trash bin that cigarette that he had crushed, and then felt at his pants pocket, completely forgetting that the half packet of cigarettes was in the tight grip of his other hand. Gui Xiao watched him as he did all this, then watched as he halted all his actions. After remaining frozen in one spot for a long moment, he also crumpled that cigarette pack in his hand and threw it into the trash bin.

"... Lu Chen?" She called his name.

Finally, Lu Yanchen lifted his eyes, his smile self-mocking. "That's right."

Something rushed into her throat, choking her up. She asked, "When?"

"Next month."

"... Congratulations."

He shook his head, not saying anything else.

A gust of cold air rushed in through the seam around the door and blew against the back of Gui Xiao's head. The door had been pushed open by just the right amount. It was Qin Xiaonan.

The child should have eavesdropped outside on the entire conversation, for when he stepped in, his eyes were flustered. Gingerly he shuffled over to Gui Xiao. "Auntie."

Gui Xiao's mind started back. Her eyes were stinging, but still she tried her best to calm her emotions, saying to him, "Uncle Lu is getting married. He'll be really busy. Those things I reminded you about on the way here, you need to remember them yourself, too. Also—" She had originally wanted to tell Qin Xiaonan that he should be a bit more obedient and well-behaved towards Lu Yanchen's wife since, after all, he would be living with her for a good several years. However, she also felt it was not her place to do so.

In the end, she merely ruffled Qin Xiaonan's head and, in passing, also wiped away a small patch of black that had been rubbed onto his face from somewhere. "Also, if you're picked on, remember what I told you: Every transfer student has to get past this hard stage. It's okay. After some time has passed, everyone will accept you."

Outside the door, someone called Lu Yanchen's name. It was a woman's voice.

"You carry on with what you were busy with," Gui Xiao said. "I'm going now."

"Wait." Lu Yanchen yanked open the drawer beneath the television cabinet and pulled out a black wallet. "Paying you back for the suitcase. How much?"

"A hundred," she stated.

The brand of this suitcase was a very well-known one, and its aluminum alloy shell was also very recognizable. Gui Xiao, though, was certain that Lu Yanchen, having spent so many years in the military, would not have had time to pay attention to such things.