Zhao Zimu stayed in the car for a long time, looking at the lighted room on the second floor and thinking of many things from the past.
When the lights went out, his thoughts were brought back to reality. Zhao Zimu was about to get out of the car when he heard a creaking sound coming from the Gu family door.
Who is out?
Zhao Zimu quickly turned off the car lights and shrank his body downwards, fearing that others would see him.
He thought it was Gu's father who came out. He usually went out for a walk early in the morning, but Zhao Zimu didn't expect that it was Gu Nianxi who came out today.
Fortunately she didn't find him.
It's so early, where is she going?
Seeing Gu Nianxi walking away, Zhao Zimu couldn't help but jump out of the car and walk towards her.
She was walking three or four meters away from him, and Zhao Zimu followed her example and put his hands in his pockets, and they walked through the path one after the other.
Whenever Gu Nianxi stepped on a fallen leaf, Zhao Zimu also stepped on the dead leaf under his feet. The two sounds were mixed together, and it was impossible to hear the sound made by the footsteps of the two people.
This is a game they created when they were young. They call this game a test of tacit understanding.
Zhao Zimu couldn't help but laugh, thinking to himself, he is so old and still so naughty.
There was complete silence all around, and this silence added a bit of loneliness to the weak figure in front of him. Just when Zhao Zimu felt sad, he saw Gu Nianxi walking to the door of his former home, and said those words to himself.
Zhao Zimu stopped, feeling strong guilt in his heart. He impulsively wanted to ask her why she didn't come to him.
But suddenly when he thought of his previous attitude towards her, he no longer had the confidence to question her.
This road has been the road they must take since they were young. When they were in elementary school, he would first wait for her in front of her house, and then go with her to the elementary school not far from home. After entering junior high school, he would take her on his bicycle every day.
Go to the middle school one kilometer away.
This road is full of their warm memories, but now when they walk together again, one is in front and the other is behind.
They became strangers.
Looking at the fading background, Zhao Zimu's eyes turned red, and he quickened his pace and continued to follow her.
Gu Nianxi walked to the vegetable market and saw that the familiar Qiangzi breakfast shop was open for business. She remembered that this shop had been here since she could remember. The previous boss was a grandfather. He used to only sell fried dough sticks, soy milk and tofu. Later, his son
After inheriting the breakfast shop, there are more breakfast options.
Walking to the door of the store, Gu Nianxi saw the boss stirring the freshly cooked soy milk with an iron spoon. The strong fragrance hit her nostrils. She stood aside silently, planning to wait for the boss to be busy before buying breakfast. While waiting, suddenly
I heard the proprietress in the back holding a cage and asking her.
"It's so early, what do you want to buy, girl?"
Gu Nianxi turned around and greeted the landlady with a smile, "Aunt Li."
Aunt Li took a closer look and saw that it was Teacher Gu's daughter. While working, she said, "Oh, it's Niannian. Aunt Li hasn't seen you for a long time, but you are still so beautiful."
They were all the neighbors who had watched her grow up. Gu Nianxi was very familiar with them. She smiled sweetly and said thank you to Aunt Li.
"Nian Nian, are you feeling better now? We heard what Teacher Gu said, it's really heartbreaking, but judging from your appearance now, you should be recovering well." Uncle Li said excitedly: "What did you come to buy today? Uncle.
Please eat."
"No, no, no, Uncle Li and Aunt Li, I will come here often to buy breakfast. If you don't charge me, it won't work."
The husband and wife worked tirelessly to educate their son into Tsinghua University through this breakfast shop. How dare she exploit the hard-earned money of other working people.
"Hey, this little money is nothing." Aunt Li asked Gu Nianxi politely, "What are you buying? It's all warm."
Gu Nianxi looked up at the menu board and muttered, "I want to buy...two bowls of soy milk, and...xiaolongbao, and..." Gu Nianxi suddenly froze there, forgetting how she came here.
As she spoke, she read the menu one by one without remembering what she wanted to buy just now.
"What else is there?" Aunt Li asked Gu Nianxi softly.
"Yes..." Gu Nianxi's face suddenly turned pale. She realized that there might be something wrong with her. She clearly understood that she suddenly forgot what she had been thinking about all the way.
"What's wrong? Can't you remember?" Aunt Li asked with concern, "Is it fried dough sticks wrapped in fried rice?"
"Yes, yes." In order to cover up her discomfort, Gu Nianxi answered quickly.
When Aunt Li lowered her head to pack the steamed rice, a look of worry appeared on Gu Nianxi's face.
What happened to her? This is no longer a sudden break.
Gu Nianxi turned around with her breakfast in despair, and she was so uneasy that she forgot to pay.
When she walked away, Aunt Li and Uncle Li started talking.
"Oh, my girl's brain has been damaged. She didn't seem to remember what she came to buy just now. How pitiful."
"Yes, she is pretty and has been well-behaved since she was a child. What a pity."
There was sympathy on their faces, and at that moment, a man walked into the breakfast shop.
"Please buy four sesame balls."
"Oh, okay."
After Zhao Zimu paid the money, he carried the sesame balls and left. When he left, he said to the couple: "I also paid for the breakfast that I just missed."
After he finished walking, Uncle Li squinted his eyes and suddenly remembered who he was, "This must be the son of the Zhao family in the original alley. He and Niannian often come here to eat wontons."
"Huh? Yes, it looks familiar. It seems that he moved away later."
…………
Gu Nianxi walked home in a depressed mood. Halfway through, she remembered that she had not paid for breakfast. She quickly turned around and went back, when she suddenly saw someone walking towards her not far away.
She stopped, and so did the man. When she saw the man's face clearly, she recognized it was Zhao Zimu.
This was the first time Gu Nianxi saw the 29-year-old Zhao Zimu. He was much more mature than he was seven years ago.
The two looked at each other in silence.
"Hi." Gu Nianxi broke the awkward deadlock. Although she tried hard to restrain her inner excitement, she could not control her trembling voice.
Zhao Zimu walked up to Gu Nianxi step by step and looked her up and down. The woman in front of him was not like the lively and charming girl she once was. No matter how hard she tried to smile, she could not hide the gloominess on her body. Her hair was only left to her shoulders. In his eyes,
As far as I can remember, she has never had such short hair.
"You look better with long hair." Zhao Zimu forced out a smile. He thought that pretending to have the same tone as before would warm things up between the two of them faster. Who knew that Gu Nianxi's expression froze after hearing his words, and her eyes froze.
There was a flash of sadness.
He inadvertently... hurt her.
Gu Nianxi smiled and touched her hair, "I had a surgery before and my hair was shaved. This is new hair. It is indeed a bit slow."
Her answer and smile wanted to slap Zhao Zimu in the face. He stared at her blankly, the tip of his nose felt sore, and his eyes suddenly became moist. He looked up to the sky and held back his tears.
"sorry."
"It doesn't matter, that's how you talk." Gu Nianxi smiled brightly, but she was pretending. She no longer felt familiar with the man in front of her, and the gap was like a chasm between them.
Seeing that she was carrying something in her left hand, Zhao Zimu quickly took it and said, "Get it for me."
"Thanks."
The two walked home side by side in silence. Gu Nianxi couldn't stand the depressing atmosphere and took the initiative to talk to him.
"Why are you coming back today? Come to see the old house?"
Zhao Zimu murmured back, "No, Yiduo asked me to give you something."
"Yeah?"
Gu Nianxi thought that Zhao Zimu came to see her specifically. She felt a little disappointed when he heard what he said, but she was very happy to see him today.
"I heard that you are in love. Is he treating you well?"
"fine."
Hearing what she said personally, Zhao Zimu was relieved. He turned his head and glanced at Gu Nianxi, only to see that she kept frowning. He thought she had something bothering her, but after observing for a while, he realized that this was her habit.
expression.
She must have a lot of troubles...
"I heard you resigned?"
"Well, I plan to go back to my old business."
"Be a psychiatrist?"
"Well, I've pretty much mastered the knowledge I've recently learned in Xibu. I'll go to a clinic for an interview at the end of the month."
"You have always been very smart." Zhao Zimu encouraged her, "You are a student who jumped to our class."
"Thanks."
Gu Nianxi briefly told Zhao Zimu the current situation, and the two of them chatted in front of the house.
"Wait for me, I'll get something from the car." Zhao Zimu stood up and was about to leave, when Gu Nianxi stopped him.
"I'll take breakfast in first."
"Oh, okay, wait for me at the door." Zhao Zimu reacted and quickly handed her the breakfast. He turned and walked towards the car when he heard Gu Nianxi shouting to her behind him.
"I'll wait for you in the house."
When he turned around, Gu Nianxi had already entered the house.
Zhao Zimu stood in front of Gu Nianxi's house with a paper bag in his hand. After a long ideological struggle, he did not dare to step into the courtyard door. Looking at the gap in the door, he finally plucked up the courage and walked in.
As soon as he entered the door, Zhao Zimu met Gu's father, who was practicing Tai Chi in the yard. They looked at each other, with more fear than surprise in their eyes.
Father Gu stood up straight and looked at Zhao Zimu with an embarrassed expression, not knowing what to say to him.
Over the years, Gu Yuanzhi had never seen the Zhao family again. At this time, Zhao Zimu suddenly appeared. He thought he was looking for trouble.
"Uncle Gu."
Zhao Zimu greeted Gu Yuanzhi in embarrassment. Gu Yuanzhi nodded in astonishment and said to him, "Here he comes."
When this sentence came, Zhao Zimu seemed to go back to the past. In his impression, Father Gu had always been a gentle and elegant man. Gu Nianxi's character was just like Father Gu, and he always dealt with people in a calm manner.
The last time Zhao Zimu saw Gu's father was in the hospital. He saw with his own eyes that Gu's father humbly apologized to his father, as if he had lost his scholarly attitude.
"Go in."
Father Gu interrupted Zhao Zimu's thoughts. He nodded and walked towards the main house.
After entering the door, Zhao Zimu looked around. He thought Gu Nianxi was in the living room, so he walked straight in. Suddenly, the altar table in front of him stopped him. He stared at the portrait of Gu's mother, unable to move as if his soul had been ripped out of his body.
Lin Yiduo told him about Gu's mother's death, but seeing Gu's mother's portrait with his own eyes was still hard for him to accept.
"My mother died of exhaustion just to take care of me."
There was a light voice behind him, and Zhao Zimu didn't dare to look back. He was afraid that when he turned around, he would see Gu Nianxi's sad look.
"If I hadn't driven fast that day, I wouldn't have lost my mother, and I wouldn't have ended up like this. I heard that I killed another person, and because of me, another family was torn apart."
Gu Nianxi said these words in a very light tone. She walked around Zhao Zimu and walked to the portrait of Gu's mother and burned three sticks of incense.
"You must not imitate me when you drive in the future."
She turned back and smiled at Zhao Zimu, with tears in her eyes and a smile full of bitterness.
Zhao Zimu was so sad that he couldn't describe it. He walked to the portrait and lit three incense sticks.
He said nothing and bowed three times sincerely.
"This is what Lin Yiduo gave you." Zhao Zimu handed the paper bag on the ground to Gu Nianxi and said, "I'm leaving first."
Flee in panic.
After walking out of the house, Gu's father was no longer in the yard. Zhao Zimu ran to the door of the yard and suddenly heard footsteps coming from behind.
"Zi Mu!"
Zhao Zimu turned around and saw Gu Nianxi running up to him. She stuffed something into his hand and warned him.
"Eat it."
Zhao Zimu did not answer her and turned to leave.
After getting in the car, he looked down at the things in his hands and realized they were two sesame balls.
All his bravery was destroyed in an instant, and Zhao Zimu cried heartbreakingly, his tears hitting the dough like broken beads.
He stuffed the sesame balls mixed with tears into his mouth hungrily.
"Woooo..."
Zhao Zimu cried bitterly on his back, and the numbness in his mouth gave him the most bitter taste in the world.