White Olive Tree

32 • Good Time

It’s only the last day of February and the weather is still cold.

The temperature at night was less than 2℃, which was bone-chilling in the humid Liangcheng.

The first floor of Song Lisa ’s house was originally cool and comfortable to live in in the summer, but it was chilly in this season. Song Lisa  opened the door and walked into the house. Li Jungkook  followed her in and stood in the porch to look at the ground.

Song Lisa  said hoarsely: “My house has a cement floor, so there is no need to change shoes.”

Li Jungkook  glanced around the house and asked, “Do you live alone?”

“Yeah. This is my grandparents’ house. They’re both dead.”

Song Lisa  put down her bag, immediately turned on the electric heater, and said, “You warm yourself up by the fire first, I’ll go wash my face.” Although she stopped crying, her face was covered with tear marks.

Li Jungkook  nodded and said, “Okay.”

Song Lisa  walked away a few steps and looked back. Seeing that he was still standing there, he looked a little absent-minded. She pointed at the sofa and said, “Sit down.”

“Hey.” He walked over.

Song Lisa  went to the bathroom and poured cold water on her face. When she looked up, dhe saw her eyes in the mirror were red and swollen, which looked terrible.

When she left, Li Jungkook  was sitting on the sofa, warming himself by the fire with his back slightly hunched.

His elbows rested on his knees, and his well-proportioned, slender hands were casually flipping over the stove. The firelight reflected between his fingers, illuminating the pink color of his flesh. His face was also reflected in the warm red light, but there was an indescribable loneliness in his calm expression.

Since they met again this year, Song Lisa  had never seen him with such an expression; or rather, she had never seen him with such an expression before, as if the scorching fire could not melt the loneliness in his eyes.

She thought that in the past six months, when she was not facing the mirror or anyone else, she must have had the same expression.

Song Lisa  walked over and sat on the small sofa next to her, also leaning forward to warm herself by the fire. Her hand was at a distance from his, not too close, nor too far.

After being in the room for a while, she was still cold. She asked, “Have you been waiting for a long time?”

“It’s been a while,” he said. “Your cell phone is disconnected.”

“out of battery.”

“Um.”

“Why are you here today?”

“I think you might be right about that case.”

“But you are also right. Wang Han lied to me… I can’t say he lied, he just fabricated 1% of the facts.”

They were both right, but they were also both wrong.

At this moment, neither of them seemed to want to discuss this issue in depth, as if they had reached some kind of tacit understanding.

There is something more I want to say.

He and she sat at right angles, both staring at the fireplace, rubbing and turning their hands, revealing a slight sense of insecurity in their hearts.

Finally, he looked up at her and said, “Go drink some water.”

“Um?”

Li Jungkook  said, “Your voice is a little hoarse.”

She just cried.

Song Lisa  was stunned for a moment, then she realized that her throat was dry, astringent and painful. She got up and went to the kitchen to mix two cups of warm water and handed one to Li Jungkook .

Li Jungkook held the cup and asked, “You have cried a lot since you came back from Dongguk, right?”

Song Lisa  lowered her eyes and said, “I won’t cry out loud.”

Li Jungkook  said: “Because of 926?”

Song Lisa ’s hands froze for a moment, and he groaned softly, saying in self-reflection, “Maybe it’s because I’m not strong enough, so I always feel pain.”

“It’s okay.” Li Jungkook  said, “I think it’s good to be a little softer.”

Song Lisa  raised his eyes and looked at him. He lowered his head slightly, and the firelight reflected on the side of his face, which was particularly soft and warm.

Growing up, her parents always criticized her for being fragile and not strong enough. No one ever told her that being a little softer was also good.

Li Jungkook said: “Do you know how I felt when I first saw CANDY?”

“What?” Her heart tightened slightly.

“The world in the photo makes people feel sad and desolate. But at the same time, they are proud and grateful.”

Song Lisa  was stunned: “Why?”

“Because I know the person who took the photo. She let the world see the suffering of a country. I feel honoured to know her.”

“My consolation may not have any effect, but I think that only those who have fought alongside you are qualified to judge you. I think,” Li Jungkook  raised his eyes and looked directly at her, “I at least have more say than those who don’t know you.”

His gaze was firm yet gentle, and seemed to have the power to penetrate her eyes and warm her deep inside.

Song Lisa  felt a sudden pain in her nose and he lowered her head in a hurry.

After entering the house for a long time, they sat around the fireplace, and our hands, which had been cold just now, gradually warmed up.

She blinked away the moisture in her eyes and smiled to herself.

He finished half a glass of water, stood up and put the glass aside.

She looked up at his ears.

“What about you? Is it still a problem with your ears?”

“If you listen to the sound, there’s no problem.” Li Jungkook  sat back down, and seeing Song Lisa  still looking at him stubbornly, he slowly added the truth, “Sometimes there will be tinnitus, mute it.”

She frowned: “Is it serious?”

“It’s not serious at ordinary times, but at work,” he lowered his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose, “if you come into contact with a bomb…”

Song Lisa  understood and asked, “What did the doctor say?”

“Stress trauma. Because of the bomb injury, the body instinctively rejected it.”

“Can it be cured?”

“I don’t know.” He rubbed his hands vigorously, his expression obscure, “They say it depends on the time, but no one knows how long it will take.”

Song Lisa  silently looked at his hands, a pair of hands that could be used to defuse bombs, slender and with strong joints. Xiao Qiu said that those were hands that could play the piano.

She didn’t comfort him, but suddenly asked: “Do you want to go back to your previous position?”

He was silent.

After a while, just as she was about to speak, she whispered, “Tell the truth, God will hear it.”

Li Jungkook  bit his lip and replied, “I really want to.”

For half a year, he had been self-anesthetizing, pretending to be indifferent, unwilling to admit that he was a loser, and always avoiding the desire in his heart. But at this moment, he had a ridiculous hope that if admitting it would bring good luck, he was willing to face his unwillingness.

Song Lisa  silently said something in her heart, then nodded vigorously, as if talking to herself: “It will be fine.”

Li Jungkook  suddenly smiled softly, frowning and laughing: “Your consolation is too perfunctory.”

“It’s true. If you want something very, very badly, it will definitely come true.”

Li Jungkook  obviously didn’t believe this unscientific thing and asked, “Who said that? You?”

“I personally experienced things that I really, really wanted, and they all came true… But,” Song Lisa  whispered, “some people also say that if you want to get better, you have to stay away from the source of stimulation.”

“Stay away?” Li Jungkook  raised his chin slightly and narrowed his eyes. He disagreed. “Pain is ‘wanting’ but not getting it. Only when you stop ‘wanting’ can you stay away. But if you stop ‘wanting’, the pain will be gone, and happiness will be gone too.”

“So I also think this is nonsense.” Song Lisa  rubbed her fingers and said, “It’s easy to comfort others, but in the end, you still have to continue to struggle.”

“Yes.” Li Jungkook  curled the corner of his lips lightly and lowered his head to continue looking at the heater.

They had just stood outside for a few hours and was freezing. Now they sat inside and looked at the fire in the stove for a long time, and the warmth gradually seeped into their eyes.

The two of them chatted back and forth.

There seemed to be no comfort; there seemed to be no persuasion either.

Just talk and listen; that’s all.

The cold wind was howling outside, and the temperature inside the house was gradually rising.

As the night deepened, there was a knock on the door from outside: “Lisa is home?”

Song Lisa  glanced at Li Jungkook  and quickly stood up: “Yes.”

Grandma Wang pushed open the gate and walked in.

Song Lisa  opened the door, and her grandmother handed her a needle: “Oh, my eyes are not good again. I just can’t thread the needle. Lisa, help me thread the needle.”

Just as Song Lisa  took over the needle and thread, Grandma Wang looked into the room, saw Li Jungkook , and whispered, “Are there guests at home?”

“Yeah.” Song Lisa  lowered her head and threaded the needle for Grandma Wang.

Maybe it was because she had been staring at the fire in the stove for too long, but Song Lisa ’s eyes were red and she felt dizzy. She kept blinking, but she still couldn’t get through.

Grandma Wang laughed and said, “You young people, your eyesight is almost the same as mine. Have you been staying up late lately?”

Li Jungkook  stood up and walked over, saying, “Let me try.”

Song Lisa  handed it to him. He held the thin needle and thread, looked at it carefully, and gently threaded it. The thin thread went into the needle hole.

Grandma Wang took the needle and thread and said with a smile, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Li Jungkook  said gently, “Please pay attention to the steps.”

“Okay.” The old man held his knees and walked out carefully, “Thank you, young man.”

Li Jungkook  glanced at his watch and it was already eight o’clock in the evening.

He looked at Song Lisa , pursed his lips unnaturally, and said, “It’s almost time for me to leave.”

Song Lisa  guessed that he was afraid that the neighbours would gossip about her, so he said this to Grandma Wang.

But she remained silent for a moment.

She didn’t answer, so Li Jungkook  stood by the door waiting.

It was not until Grandma Wang from next door came into the house that she whispered, “Have dinner before you leave.”

Li Jungkook ’s eyes flickered, and he whispered, “I’m just afraid of trouble…”

“It’s not a big deal,” Song Lisa  lowered his eyelashes and pinched his fingers, “There’s no food either… just noodles.”

…

They went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, but there was nothing inside except noodles and eggs.

The cooking pot was placed in the top cabinet on the upper shelf. Song Lisa  stood on tiptoe to reach it, but failed. The next second, a shadow came over from behind her – Li Jungkook  came over, stood behind her, reached out and took the pot away.

The lid tilted and suddenly slid down, falling on her head. Song Lisa  shrank back in fear, and the back of her head rubbed against his chest. Li Jungkook  quickly caught the lid with his other hand.

He lowered his eyes to look at her who was curled up against his chest, and said softly, “I’m sorry.”

“I should say thank you.” She stood up quickly with a red face, and the two of them walked away, brushing shoulders with each other.

Song Lisa  took a deep breath, walked to the stove and picked up two eggs. She e felt that it was too shabby, so she turned around and said, “There are cabbages in the yard. Do you want to add some?”

“good.”

In a vegetable patch in the backyard, cabbages were growing crookedly. Li Jungkook  turned around and asked, “Who planted this?”

“I scattered my grandmother’s rapeseed.”

“I see,” he said.

She blushed for no apparent reason.

“Here.” She handed him the knife. Li Jungkook  took it, looked at the cabbage field, and asked, “Which one do you want?”

Song Lisa  stood on tiptoe and pointed: “The smallest one.”

Li Jungkook  squatted over, grabbed the stems of the vegetables with one hand, and cut them with a knife. There was a crisp sound of the stems breaking. He returned the knife to Song Lisa  and squatted at the edge of the field to pick off the insect leaves.

Song Lisa  walked up the steps and squatted by the faucet to clean the mud off the blade.

There was no light in the backyard, but the back door was open. A beam of light was projected from inside the house, spreading diagonally on the ground. Song Lisa  squatted at the back door, her long shadow spread in the light; Li Jungkook  squatted at the boundary between light and darkness, and his face was a little unclear when he lowered his head.

Song Lisa  looked at her own shadow on the ground and secretly moved to the side – her shadow rested on his back.

She leaned against him and suddenly called out, “A-Jungkook .”

“Hmm?” Hearing the name, he turned his head to look at her, his eyes dark and bright in the night.

She asked, “Are you scared?”

He was still picking leaves and paused: “What are you afraid of?”

“It won’t get better.”

He turned his head back and said, “I’m afraid.”

In the quiet backyard,

The rushing water washed over the blade in her hand, reflecting pieces of white light.

He added one more word, “very scared.”

I long for something but can never get it, so I spend my days doing nothing. There is probably nothing worse or more terrifying in life than this.

She lowered her head, ran her fingers over the blade washed by clean water, and said, “Don’t be afraid, it will be fine.” Perhaps she felt that this was not credible, so she added, “I think.”

Li Jungkook  curled the corner of his lip indifferently and pulled at the vegetable leaves.

Song Lisa  looked at the shadow on the ground, then leaned gently against his back, pretending to give him strength silently.

She squatted on the ground, swaying, not quite standing firmly, and accidentally tilted, and her shadow fell on his head, blocking his light.

He looked back and had just finished picking the cabbages. He stood up and said, “This cabbage may not look good, but it should taste good.”

Song Lisa  quickly turned off the faucet awkwardly, stood up, and agreed: “Of course, this winter is too cold. They say the colder the weather, the sweeter the cabbage grows.”

…

Back in the kitchen, Li Jungkook  washed the cabbage and boiled the pot, then filled a half pot of water and placed it on the stove. Song Lisa  turned on the gas stove and the flames rose.

They both took a step back and leaned against the wall with their hands behind their backs, waiting for the water to boil.

The small kitchen suddenly became quiet again, with only the sound of the flames and the sound of the wind outside.

Li Jungkook  observed the stove and saw a complete and rich collection of seasonings, as well as various fried rice cooking tools and various pots and pans, even a milk pot.

He asked, "You used to cook, right?"

Song Lisa  understood immediately: “Yeah. But I’m not in the mood lately.”

“You still have to eat well,” he said.

“Okay.” She answered, staring at the flames, “…Actually, I’m a very good cook. I’ll show you some of my cooking skills when I get a chance.”

“Okay.” He said with a faint smile.

Soon the water boiled, and when the lid was opened, steam rose from the water. Song Lisa  took out some noodles, took out a handful and threw them into the pot, then took out another handful and showed it to him: “How much do you want to eat? Is this enough?”

Li Jungkook  said, “A little more.”

She measured it with her finger again and turned to look at him;

Li Jungkook  touched his nose and said, “A little more.”

She pulled one more handful, her eyes questioning;

He didn’t want to laugh, so he simply stepped forward, took a handful and threw it into the pot, sighing: “You really don’t know how much a boy eats.”

Song Lisa  was slightly surprised: “I was afraid that if I cooked too much, you would feel full.”

Li Jungkook  asked, “Was that small handful at the beginning your own amount?”

“yes.”

He laughed, “Feeding the cat?”

Song Lisa : “…”

The noodles softened as soon as they were put into the boiling water, and bubbles formed in the noodle soup. After boiling for a while, Song Lisa  threw in the cabbage leaves and beat two eggs.

Li Jungkook  stood in front of the stove, took two bowls, added soy sauce, fermented black beans, salt and chili sauce into the bowls to prepare the base for the noodle soup.

When the leaves were cooked soft and the eggs were formed, Song Lisa  slowly stirred the noodles in the pot with chopsticks.

The steaming hot air hit her face, stirring it, and she suddenly called out, “A-Jungkook ?”

“Huh?” Li Jungkook  was scooping chili sauce into the bowl and turned to look at her.

But she stared at the noodle soup pot, stirring the noodles seriously, and asked, “Did you go to save Shen Jennie that day?”

Li Jungkook  looked at her for a while, lowered his head and put the sauce into the bowl, and said clearly: “No.”

The icy thorn in her heart slowly melted, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously rose.

He caught a glimpse and asked, “What are you laughing at?”

“Happy.” She looked at the pot, “Although it’s not quite right, I’m happy.” She used the chopsticks in her hand to break the noodles. She turned her head to look at him, her eyes sparkling, and said, “The noodles are cooked.”

Li Jungkook  smiled and said, “Okay.”

Song Lisa  stepped aside and handed the chopsticks to Li Jungkook . He scooped the noodles from the pot into a bowl, poured the soup on them, and stirred them.

It was a bowl of ordinary noodles, soaked in soy sauce, with an egg and a bunch of cabbage leaves. But the two of them ate it with great satisfaction, as if they hadn’t had such a satisfying meal for a long time.

By the time I cleaned the kitchen, it was already past nine o’clock in the evening.

Li Jungkook  was about to leave. Song Lisa  saw him off to the gate of the courtyard. She  glanced at the dark alley and suddenly said, “Wait for me.”

She ran into the house quickly, and ran out again soon, and handed him a flashlight. Her cheeks were flushed, and she pursed her lips and said, “It’s dark in the alley.”

Li Jungkook  was about to say something, but she interrupted him: “I have a lot of flashlights at home.”

Li Jungkook  was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, “Okay.”

Then he said solemnly: “If you have any trouble tomorrow, tell me.”

“Okay.” Song Lisa  said, “If there is anything, can I call you?”

Li Jungkook  said, “Of course.”

Today’s society is very strange. Many people know each other’s phone numbers, but calling each other seems to be a private and inappropriate thing.

The two looked at each other and smiled knowingly.

“Let’s go.” Li Jungkook  said, turning on the flashlight. A beam of white light cut through the darkness and shone brilliantly into the alley.

“Okay. Goodbye.” Song Lisa  waved at him.

He walked a distance away, turned around and saw her still standing at the door. He waved at her and said:

“It’s cold. Come inside!”

“Hey!” Song Lisa  answered and closed the gate.