After breakfast the next day, Zhan Weiyang returned to the balcony on the second floor to water the plants.
Originally, Auntie Luo said she would come up to water the plants after washing the dishes, but Zhan Weiyang took the initiative to undertake this task. After all, it was a friend he hadn’t taken care of for a long time.
He put on a light grey down jacket and went out to the balcony to fill the watering can with water. He squatted next to the flower pot, first cleared the fallen leaves and weeds in the flower pot, and then watered it.
While watering, Zhan Weiyang couldn’t help but whisper, “I won’t be with you anymore.”
He had been discharged for a long time and had been taking his medication on time. He hadn’t heard any voices since. He believed that as long as he continued to take his medication, he shouldn’t turn into a fortune tree again.
“But I will come to see you often,” Zhan Weiyang felt a little ashamed when he said this. He could actually come to see his friends every day, but the weather was too cold recently. The room was heated, and he could wear only a thin sweater. If he wanted to go out, he had to put on a down jacket. Even so, if he stayed on the balcony for a while, his face and hands would still be cold, so he didn’t go out on the balcony very often. It was only today, when Auntie Luo mentioned it that he thought of watering the potted plants here.
Zhan Weiyang’s hands were wet by the cold water and soon turned red with cold. He still patiently took care of the pots one by one until he stopped in front of his own empty pot.
Since Zhan Xiusong broke this pot the last time Pei Qing helped him fix it, he had never squatted in it again, mainly because he was worried about stepping on it. Today, he came here and saw that the pot was full of dust. It had rained before, and so the bottom of the pot was dirty and covered with a layer of mud. He felt heartbroken immediately.
He quickened his pace, watered the remaining plants, and then washed and scrubbed his flower pots simultaneously.
Zhan Xueqing was standing in the corridor and happened to see this scene.
She stopped and looked at Zhan Weiyang for a while, went back to the room to get her coat and put it on. She then walked to the balcony, slowly approached Zhan Weiyang from behind, and heard Zhan Weiyang say, “I’m not abandoning you.”
Zhan Xueqing was puzzled and couldn’t help calling out, “Yangyang?”
Zhan Weiyang was startled and turned back to look at her in panic.
Zhan Xueqing smiled at him, squatted down beside him, and asked, “What are you talking about to yourself?”
Zhan Weiyang called “Qing jie”, then turned around and continued to wash the flower pot, saying, “I’m chatting with my flower pot.”
Zhan Xueqing propped her face with one hand and smiled when she heard, “You are so cute! Are you chatting with the flower pot?”
Zhan Weiyang said, “Yeah.” He grabbed the kettle and poured water into it to disperse the mud.
Zhan Xueqing asked him, “What are you talking about?”
Zhan Weiyang looked at her strangely, “What? About the flower pot?”
Zhan Xueqing said, “Yes.”
Zhan Weiyang said, “I just said that I would take good care of it and let it rest assured.”
Zhan Xueqing asked, “Is your flower pot alive?”
Zhan Weiyang thought about this question and answered Zhan Xueqing, “I don’t think so.”
“If it’s not alive, how can you still talk to it? It can’t hear it,” Zhan Xueqing said to her.
Zhan Weiyang said, “I can talk to it even if it’s not alive. As long as I can hear it, that’s enough.”
Zhan Xueqing didn’t speak for a while. She squatted beside and looked at Zhan Weiyang quietly for a long time and said, “Isn’t it cold?”
Zhan Weiyang answered her, “It’s okay. Qing jie, if you are cold, go in.”
Zhan Xueqing said, “I’m not cold either.” She paused for a while and asked, “Does Pei Qing often make food for you?”
Zhan Weiyang was stunned and turned to look at her, “Sometimes.”
Zhan Xueqing looked at him without saying anything.
Zhan Weiyang suddenly became a little nervous and turned his head back silently.
Zhan Xueqing said, “I didn’t know he could cook.”
Zhan Weiyang said, “Qing ge’s fried rice is delicious.”
Zhan Xueqing supported her face with her hands and remained silent for a long time. Then she asked Zhan Weiyang, “Is Pei Qing very good to you?”
Zhan Weiyang nodded, “Qing ge is very good.”
Zhan Xueqing asked him, “How good?”
Zhan Weiyang thought her question was strange, and couldn’t help but look at her more, and said, “He is very nice.”
Zhan Xueqing asked, “Do you…”
Zhan Weiyang looked innocent and ignorant, “What?”
Zhan Xueqing saw his expression and suddenly felt that her question was a little ridiculous. She said, “Nothing.”
Zhan Weiyang stood up, patted the mud on his hands, and said, “Are you going in?” He wanted to wash his hands.
Zhan Xueqing also stood up and said, “Okay, let’s go in.”
The two of them left the balcony and walked into the corridor. Zhan Weiyang walked towards the bathroom. Zhan Xueqing stood at the door of the room and watched Zhan Weiyang disappear from behind.
Holidays always passed in the blink of an eye, and the Lunar New Year was almost here.
The New Year’s atmosphere in big cities was always not as intense as in smaller places. Many residents in the neighbourhood had gone back to their hometowns to celebrate, making the area feel quiet.
Meanwhile, the Zhan family was getting more and more lively.
Two days before the New Year, Zhan Xiusong’s parents came back from out of town. Because there were too many people at home, Zhan Pengcheng arranged for them to stay in a hotel not far from the neighbourhood. Zhan Xiusong stayed at home so that the kids could play together.
Until the day of New Year’s Eve, Auntie Luo was busy in the kitchen preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner.
Near noon, Pei Jingrong and his wife, Zhan Yingfei, took a taxi back from the airport. When they arrived, the family was preparing to have lunch.
Zhan Weiyang came down from the second floor and heard a knock on the door, so he went to open the door.
As soon as the door was opened, along with the cold air, there was also a soft embrace. When Zhan Yingfei saw Zhan Weiyang, she opened her arms and hugged him tightly, shaking him left and right, saying, “My baby Yangyang!”
Zhan Weiyang was already taller than Zhan Yingfei, and he didn’t dare to struggle hard, so he could only nervously call out, “Auntie!”
Zhan Yingfei then let go of her hand and looked at him with a smile on her face.
Zhan Weiyang’s face was a little red.
Zhan Yingfei was already in her forties, but she maintained her appearance and figure very well. She was wearing a smart short down jacket and a pair of long boots on her legs.
The middle-aged man standing behind her was Pei Qing’s father, Pei Jingrong. Pei Jingrong was a few years older than Zhan Yingfei, tall, mature and handsome. When he saw Zhan Weiyang, he also showed a gentle smile, “Yangyang.”
Zhan Weiyang had never carefully examined Pei Jingrong before. However, when he saw him today, he suddenly found that he was really similar to Pei Qing, so he couldn’t help but look at him for a while longer.
Pei Jingrong smiled and said to Zhan Yingfei, “Yangyang may not recognise me.”
Zhan Weiyang wanted to explain that he knew him, but he heard Zhan Yingfei smiling and saying, “This is your Uncle.”
He had no choice but to call out, “Uncle.”
Zhan Yingfei put her arm around Zhan Weiyang’s shoulders, pushed him inside, and said, “It’s too cold. Let’s go in and talk.”
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