Around ten o'clock on a weekend morning, Su Qing's phone beeped a few times. It was a text message.
[I'll meet you in the alley in half an hour.]
Perhaps worried about rushing things, after careful consideration, Jiang Sui changed his home entrance to the alley when he landed and sent the text.
Su Qing pocketed her phone. It was too late to refuse, and she left the bedroom.
"Mom, I'm going out for a while. Remember to take your medicine."
Thinking it was the weekend, Su Rao, who was knitting, put down her work and casually asked, "Going out? Anything going on at school?"
"Not studying. Going out for dinner with my classmates."
Su Qing paused for a moment, her hand draped over her coat, her long eyelashes masking the emotion in her eyes.
She said nonchalantly, "It's about the classmate who brought me home last time. We agreed to go shopping and have dinner today."
"Do you have enough money?" Su Rao was a little surprised, but didn't think much of it. She stood up and headed upstairs to the inner room to get some money.
"It's the classmate who brought you home. You should get along well with her and thank her properly!" The voice echoed slightly in the room; Su Rao sounded cheerful.
This old house in Wuzhen was left by Su Rao's mother. It had an antique courtyard, a bit run-down, but still quite large. It was a bit spacious for mother and daughter.
There was a screen at the entrance, then a small courtyard. The wing rooms on either side were dilapidated. One had been cleared out to become a kitchen, and one had been converted into a bathroom. The only relatively good rooms left were the front hall and the two upstairs rooms, which were still in good condition. One room was for Su Qing, and the other for Su Rao.
"No need, Mom. I have enough money." Su Qing put on her clothes and prepared to change her shoes, waving her hands.
As a mother, Su Qing's personality was naturally well understood. Her daughter was a diligent student, quiet, reserved, and thin. She looked delicate, but in reality, she possessed a stubborn temper.
She was always worried about Su Qing being harmed, but no mother wouldn't worry about her daughter. She wanted her to make friends and fit in, but she was also worried about her daughter getting hurt.
Unable to dissuade Su Qing, Su Rao coughed violently a few times, staring at the closed door, and went to the secluded bathroom.
Perhaps it was autumn, but Su Qing was still a little cold in her thin sun-protective jacket. She zipped up her coat and walked a little faster, deciding to call Jiang Sui.
The ringtone rang right next to her ear.
Around the corner, a boy leaned against the wall, head bowed, a lighter in one hand, bored.
Click, click. It flickered on and off.
As the phone rang, he put the lighter in his pocket, held up the phone, and waved at her.
He was wearing a white hoodie, his face aloof and cold, his eye sockets thick with dark circles, his thin lips a pale hue.
Having not seen him for a few days, his hair had been cut shorter. The moment he saw her, a smile seemed to play on his lips.
But upon closer inspection, it seemed like wasn't that.
Su Qing had originally wanted to call and ask where they were going to eat so she could just go and not wait in the alley, so when she saw the message, she was already on her way out.
But she hadn't expected it.
The boy had said half an hour later.
He was already waiting for her.
It seemed like he'd been waiting for a long time.
"What are you looking at? You're drooling."
He waved, squinting his eyes, looking nonchalant, and speaking incoherently.
Su Qing said nothing, but obediently walked over.
The girl walking towards him was wearing blue jeans and a white jacket. Her waist was so thin it could be pinched, and she had a simple ponytail. She wore no makeup, and had a mole on the tip of her nose. She looked well-behaved and lovely.