Chapter 55
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
The two of them went upstairs to get some things, and they also intended to take Hu Dongdong back to his home. Hu Dongdong’s grandmother had aged further, but she was still relatively healthy. Their new house was closer to the park, and she still exercised by taking a walk there every day. When Gu Yaoyang returned that year, he had found a caregiver for her to take care of her daily needs. However, the elderly woman was still quite active, and every once in a while, she made some homemade pickles for Hu Dongdong, which he would then deliver.
Lin Yuyan had packed five or six bottles of pickles in the backpack he usually didn’t use, making it quite heavy.
Gu Yaoyang couldn’t stand it and took the bag from him, then slung it over Hu Dongdong’s neck. Usually, Hu Dongdong would surely complain loudly about this, but today he was unexpectedly well-behaved. He walked quietly, keeping one side of his face covered with his hand. When they reached the entrance, he continued clutching his face and stayed close to Gu Yaoyang.
Gu Yaoyang glanced at him. “What are you doing?”
Hu Dongdong was nervous and said, “No, nothing.” Then, he called Lin Yuyan again and pointed to the door, saying, “Brother Yuyan, why hasn’t that person left yet?”
Lin Yuyan followed his pointing finger and indeed saw Wang Qi sitting on the steps at the entrance of the art studio. He gestured for Gu Yaoyang to wait and walked over.
Gu Yaoyang nodded and turned to appraise the shifty-eyed Hu Dongdong. He asked, “From the same school?”
Hu Dongdong replied with a mumbled, “Yes,” avoiding direct eye contact with Gu Yaoyang. He seemed afraid that this fellow student might expose something he was ashamed of.
The wind chimes tinkled, then fell silent. Wang Qi, hearing footsteps, was about to turn around when he realized that Lin Yuyan had already sat down next to him.
“Why did you and your father do that?” Lin Yuyan was straightforward by nature, and if he couldn’t comprehend something, he would ask directly.
Seemingly aware of being caught, Wang Qi thought for a moment, biting his lip. He finally said, “I’m sorry; it’s all my fault.”
Wang Qi’s family was struggling financially. His father was an uneducated laborer who could only afford to send his son to school through hard work and toil. From a young age, Wang Qi had a passion for drawing. While his wife was still alive, they had worked hard to save money, hoping to send their son to an art school. However, tragedy struck when his wife fell seriously ill, and they ended up spending all their savings and incurring debts. Ultimately, Wang Qi’s wife passed away. Wang’s father, although appearing rough, was a stubborn man. He was the type who would work relentlessly and endure any hardship just to ensure his wife and child did not have to suffer. He saw that Wang Qi was about to enter the 11th grade and had not seriously studied painting yet, so he wanted to enroll him in an art class. However, the tuition was really expensive, and they still had many debts to pay. That day, Wang’s father heard some gossip at work that one of his colleagues in their group was a drunkard who used to abuse his child at home. After being criticized and punished, he was detained for fifteen days. The child received much attention and many people offered money, gifts, and even planned to sponsor his education.
“So my dad wanted to try this method, but he didn’t expect you, a formidable teacher. He didn’t dare to sleep last night and was worried that Sister Ling might come knocking at our door.”
After listening, Lin Yuyan had a complex expression. He never expected that the first time he got into a fight on the street, his opponent would be as timid as he was.
“So why didn’t you stop him?” Lin Yuyan asked.
After a moment of silence, Wang Qi honestly replied, “I was also filled with hope, thinking that someone would take pity on me and lend a helping hand.”
Lin Yuyan smiled and said, “You’re quite honest.”
Wang Qi shook his head. “I deceived you.”
Lin Yuyan didn’t argue about this and thought for a moment before saying, “Perhaps everyone has some compassion. For example, you just shared your genuine experience, and I do feel that you are quite pitiful. But I might not help you because I think relying on others’ sympathy to get by is not as good as getting out of the current difficulties and surviving through your own efforts.”
After a brief pause, he added, “If you want to learn how to paint, you can. It’s okay if you don’t have money. Do you have anything to offer in exchange?” He gestured toward the job advertisement posted on the glass door.
Wang Qi turned to look at it and immediately stood up. “Can I come and clean the place?”
Lin Yuyan nodded repeatedly and smiled. “Of course.”
After seeing Wang Qi off, they dropped off the furtive Hu Dongdong at his home. Then, Gu Yaoyang changed the direction of the steering wheel, heading to their own home.
Lin Yuyan was in a good mood, humming songs along the way. Gu Yaoyang glanced at him and tapped his finger on the steering wheel. The setting sun shone through the car window, casting light on his wedding ring, which was a very simple basic design. Lin Yuyan had worked part-time while studying for years and saved up his earnings to buy it before their marriage.
“Are you very happy?” Gu Yaoyang suddenly spoke, interrupting the song Lin Yuyan was humming.
“Yeah,” Lin Yuyan replied. “I didn’t expect that the child would voluntarily admit his mistake. I’m actually quite keen on teaching him.”
Gu Yaoyang asked, “Why? What’s special about him?”
Lin Yuyan thought for a moment and replied, “There’s nothing particularly special about him. It’s just that he’s somewhat like I was in my childhood. He wants to learn how to paint, and he’s a bit timid.”
Gu Yaoyang said, “He’s not timid at all. He remained very calm in front of you, clearly knowing that yesterday’s approach wouldn’t work, so he used a different approach.”
Lin Yuyan felt that Gu Yaoyang’s tone was a bit strange and turned his head to ask, “Isn’t that normal?”
“Normal?”
“Yeah, if it were me, and the first approach didn’t work, I’d definitely try a different method.”
“So you think he’s reasonable?”
Lin Yuyan found his words odd and asked, “What’s wrong with that? He just wants to learn how to paint. Besides, I already wanted to help him before. If he can come to me using the right method, I’ll be really happy.”
Gu Yaoyang waited for him to finish and then turned the question back to him, “Why do you want to help him? What’s so special about him?”
Lin Yuyan was puzzled and asked, “What’s gotten into you today? I want to help him because he wants to learn how to paint….”
“Many people on the street want to learn too. Why did you choose to help him? I want to learn too, but why haven’t you helped me?”
“Huh?” Lin Yuyan was shocked, “You’re better at painting than I am, so why would I help you? Do you want me to teach you how to draw a deer that ends up looking like a pig?”
Gu Yaoyang’s lips twitched, but his expression remained unchanged. “That’s not the point.”
“So what is the point?”
“The point is the words you just said and the actions you took. It’s highly likely that you’ve left an indelible impression in the heart of a teenager who has just entered adolescence.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Lin Yuyan said. “I’m a teacher now. Shouldn’t I impart some simple wisdom to him?”
Gu Yaoyang asked, “Aren’t you afraid he’ll fall in love with you?”
“???” Lin Yuyan was shocked. “How is that possible?”
Gu Yaoyang raised an eyebrow, popped a piece of candy into his mouth, and casually said, “Why is it impossible? You didn’t say all that to me back then. You just pulled me along for a few steps, and I was convinced, I fell in love with you, right?”
Three in the morning.
The teachers’ dormitory on the second floor of the art studio.
Xu Ze was sleeping soundly but was awakened by a series of phone calls. He sleepily checked the caller ID and answered, “What’s going on in the middle of the night?”
The call was from Lin Yuyan. Lin Yuyan didn’t say anything and sniffled a bit first.
Sensing something was wrong, Xu Ze sat up and asked with concern, “What’s the matter?”
Lin Yuyan’s voice was a bit muffled, and he said with sadness, “I had a fight with Gu Yaoyang.”
“A fight?” That was a bit unusual. While Xu Ze wasn’t a complete witness to their love story, he knew how affectionate they were towards each other. They cherished and doted on each other, so why would they fight?
So he asked, “Why?”
Lin Yuyan said, “He got jealous.”
“…”
Xu Ze rolled back onto his bed. “Did you wake up the dog in the middle of the night to complain?”
“No,” Lin Yuyan was lying alone with a pillow, his eyes red. “We might be going through the ten-year itch…”
If you are enjoying this novel, come show support at my Ko-fi :))
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
Thank You for the new chapter ( ˘ ³˘)♥