CH 16

Since the hospital was far from the university, Qin Juran called a cab home. She had worn the soles of her feet to bloody blisters last night, so she gruelingly pulled on her heels and dragged her exhausted body to the dorms. Despite her best efforts, she still missed the bus to go back home.

Qin Juran looked at Huang Ying, who was sleeping soundly. Feng Jing was the one who opened the door for Qin Juran moments before, and her eyes were glimmering with curiosity.

There was also the look of expectation, as usual.

Qin Juran stared intently at Feng Jing, then went to the bathroom to shower. Hot water trailed down her neck, sliding down her waist, then finally trickling along the tattoo on her ankle. Her feet were sore and the hunger and exhaustion from the past night were catching up to her. After she got out, she texted “Dad” while drying her hair to tell him that she had missed the bus and would have to wait until the evening or the next day to go home.

Since so many people were traveling for National Day, most of the bus lines had long been booked full. Qin Juran waited for her hair to dry, then went to buy some bread and dragged her luggage to the bus station to try her luck.

She had always been someone who kept her promises, especially to those she was supposed to care about.

By the time Qin Juran arrived at the bus station, it was almost 11 in the morning. The waiting hall was packed with people waiting for the buses, some with tickets, others without. Qin Juran waited in line for a good hour, but when she finally made it to the ticket window, she was told that they had already been sold out a while ago. The next trip would be noon the day after tomorrow, which she could book her tickets for online.

Suddenly, she received a WeChat notification. As Qin Juran glanced at her phone, her lips curved in surprise for a quick moment. She began to make her way to the exit.

Qin Juran dragged her luggage through the throng of people and made it outside. Out on the deck, there were a number of unlicensed taxi drivers trying to persuade the young women waiting there. They rushed over to Qin Juran, asking if she’d like to carpool, to which Qin Juran politely shook her hood in refusal. One plump middle-aged man was especially persistent, continuously following her along the sidewalk: “Hey pretty lady, how bout this: I’ll let you sit in the passenger seat and turn on the AC just for you, how’s that?”

The excessive greed in his eyes made Qin Juran uncomfortable. She stepped back and turned to coldly glare at him: “Like I said, my friend is picking me up. Did I stutter?”

The man waved his hand: “Come on, if your friend were really coming, you would’ve left long ago. Uncle can tell that you don’t look so well, did you have a fight with your boyfriend? Don’t worry, just come in Uncle’s car; this Uncle is experienced, so I’ll teach you…”

Before he could finish, a Porsche Supercar pulled up with a roar from the corner, nearly toppling the man over. He was about to curse out, but as soon as he noticed the car model, he shriveled back.

Qin Juran laughed coldly in his face: “Girlfriend, actually. And we didn’t fight.” After she said this, she stepped into the car.

As Qin Juran arranged her luggage, she peaked at Ruan Nan in the driver’s seat. She also seemed to have been in a hurry; her face was only lightly made up, she wore a plain white t-shirt and jeans, and her hair was casually pulled back in a neat and simple ponytail. Qin Juran buckled her seat belt and lifted an eyebrow towards Ruan Nan through the rearview mirror: “Thanks.”

“No need. I just didn’t want to owe you anything. You brought me to the hospital, so I’ll bring you home. Now we’re even.” Ruan Nan replied in an indifferent tone.

“Oh~ So it’s like that.” Qin Juran nodded thoughtfully: “So you’re saying – whatever I do for you, you’ll return the favor for me?”

Sensing that there was another hidden meaning behind her words, Ruan Nan tossed a pair of dark sunglasses beside her: “Stop it! You haven’t slept all night – aren’t you tired?”

Qin Juran leisurely put the sunglasses on, then adjusted her car seat with a familiar gesture. She stretched and curled up in the seat like a cat.

As soon as she shut her eyes, she blinked them open again, as if remembering something. Using a single finger, she slid her sunglasses down a little, and peered at Ruan Nan from over the frames, nodding contentedly: “Good, you’re aware that you kept this big sister up all night~”

“…..”

Qin Juran was indeed exhausted. She slept from noon to evening and hadn’t even noticed whether Ruan Nan had taken any rest stops in between.

In her muddled state, she heard the phone ring. The call was picked up from the car’s Bluetooth speakers, and a man’s voice chimed: “I heard someone saw your car?”

Before Qin Juran fully awakened, Ruan Nan immediately hung up the call.

Qin Juran groggily sat up and shook out her aching body.  The drive from S University to A District took approximately 6 hours. Since it was raining in A District today, the sky had turned dark quite early. The streetlamps lining the road reflected colorful streaks of light upon the car windows.

Ruan Nan parked the car. Qin Juran stared out the window as the rain continued to patter against them, still in a half-awakened daze. When she finally reacted, she clumsily pulled out her phone: “I’ll tell my brother to come pick me up.”

Ruan Nan noticed the marks that the car seat had printed on her skin from her sleep, making her look like a confused peacock. She pursed her lips: “Isn’t this your house?”

Qin Juran stretched her head and saw the “JuJu Tavern” sign on the building. Laughing in embarrassment, she replied, “Ah, it was so dark before, I didn’t realize.”

“Do you want to come inside for a bit?” Qin Juran asked courteously.

Ruan Nan aloofly responded, “Nah.”

Qin Juran glanced towards the back seat: “You didn’t bring any luggage – where are you staying?”

Ruan Nan tightened her grip on the steering wheel, her eyelashes twitching in the darkness: “I have a home.”

“Alright.”  Qin Juran got out of the car, pulled her luggage from the backseat, then pressed a slip of paper from her fingers onto Ruan Nan’s car. “My number. Feel free to contact me later.”

With this, she raised her brow and smirked playfully: “That way, you don’t have to go through Feng Jing.”

Qin Juran stood hesitantly outside the “JuJu Tavern” for a good three minutes, looking around to ensure that there weren’t any other stores around that would better suggest her “home.” Finally, she sucked in a deep breath and braced herself to go inside.

The restaurant was rather small, with one floor and around 10 tables, serving typical homestyle side dishes.

Given that it was dinner time, the restaurant was quite busy.

Qin Juran lugged her bags and pushed through the door, her hair damp from the rain. Before the word “Welcome” even left the young waiter’s mouth, he raised his head and exclaimed: “Big Sis?!”

Many of the customers also looked up upon hearing his exclamation. Qin Juran stood frozen in place, barely have uttered the word “Brother” when Qin Julai ran into the kitchen area, shouting: “Mom, Dad, Big Sister is back!”

A square-faced middle-aged man came running out at the sound of his voice. Upon seeing Qin Juran, his face lit up in astonishment, and he rushed over to pick up her luggage. “Ranran, didn’t you say there were no buses today?”

“My – my classmate gave me a ride.” Qin Juran instinctively took a small step backward.

“Oh! Which classmate? Are they still here? It’s dinner time, why don’t you invite them for a meal?” As Qin Haotian said this, he moved towards the door.

Qin Juran quickly pulled him back: “She already left.”

“She left? Alright, then.” Qin Haotian regarded his daughter: “You’re soaked from the rain! Your mother is busy in the kitchen right now, so you go up first and change your clothes. Dad will make you something to eat.” He reached out his hand, meaning to pat Qin Juran’s soggy hair.

Qin Juran instinctively moved aside again, leaving Qin Haotian’s hand hanging awkwardly in the air. She quickly looked down and replied, “I’ll go up by myself.”

The first floor of her home was the restaurant, while the second floor constituted the living quarters. Although the space was small, it sufficed.

Qin Juran cautiously pushed open an old creaky door to a tidy room. The bed sheets seemed to have been freshly changed in anticipation of her arrival.

A small, simple desk perched in the corner of the room and yellowing award certificates lined the walls. In both of her lives, Qin Juran had only seen rooms such as these on television. She treaded carefully into the unfamiliar sight.

After she put down her bags, Qin Haotian brought up a fancy plate of fruit salad for her: “Here, Ranran, eat some fruit as an appetizer. Dad told the customers that his daughter is home tonight, so they’ll finish up eating soon, then we’ll make something for you to eat.”

The stairs leading to the second floor were steep and narrow. In his apron and worn-out slippers, Qin Haotian’s steps were a bit unstable. Qin Juran quickly received the plate of fruit, saying: “I can go down to get it myself, I don’t want to trouble you.”

Qin Haotian froze for a moment, looking at his daughter, who suddenly seemed awkward after arriving home: “Silly girl, what are you talking about? Go on and tidy up and shower. I’ll be going down to help out.”

Before he left, he flashed a look towards Qin Juran: “I’ll tell Julai to bring some ribs up for you first, later – don’t tell your Ma.”

As she stared at his smiling face, she suddenly lowered all her defenses. In her mind, she thought back to her birth father from her past life, as well as the mother whom she had little recollection of, and a strange feeling washed over her.

Qin Juran opened her suitcase for her bathing products, and after a quick shower, Qin Julai had brought up a plate of ribs for her. Besides the ribs, on the plate were two soft and creamy potatoes, as well as a small portion of corn on the cob. The rich aroma of the meat filled Qin Juran’s nose, making her mouth water in hunger.

Qin Julai had an average appearance: straight, plain hair with a simple and neat t-shirt. He was in that adolescent stage where his awkwardness was accompanied by a bashfulness. Perhaps it was due to his tall height and slim body, but even his walking had a slight wobble to it.

Qin Juran couldn’t help laughing, gesturing for him to put the plate on the desk: “Let’s eat together?”

Qin Julai promptly shook his head: “Sis, don’t eat too much, yet. Mom is making your favorite bamboo shoots dish – if she finds out, then she’ll scold Dad again.”

Qin Juran smiled. Seeing that Qin Julai didn’t move to leave, she asked while chomping on a rib, “How are your studies going?”

Qin Julai sat on the edge of the bed, scratching his head: “Alright, I guess. My test scores have been improving.”

Qin Juran nodded: “Right, it’s important to only compare against yourself. Progress is the best achievement.”

Hearing her experienced tone of voice, Qin Julai also asked, “Big Sister, how are your classes going? It must be hard, working all through the holiday.”

“Oh, right,” Qin Julai continued, pulling out a wallet from his pants pocket, “Sis, I just got my scholarship money for the semester. I don’t really need anything at school, and since you spend more out at university…”

“No, no, no.” Qin Juran quickly grabbed his arms: “Hey, Qin Julai. What kind of older sister takes money from her younger brother?”

Qin Julai didn’t listen, pressing on, “Sis, just take it. I heard that university is really expensive…”

“Qin Julai, you better stop right there.”

Qin Juran let out a shout, forcing Qin Julai to stiffen in place, intimidated by her outburst. He watched as she placed her chopsticks down and straightened her back, announcing in her most firm President Qin voice:

“Your scholarship money, by definition, is meant for the purpose of your studies. Right now, your only job is to use this money to maintain your health and obtain more learning resources. Once you start really earning money by yourself, I’ll expect you to give me money whenever I come looking for you, but only then. You hear that?”

She lifted an eyebrow, her entire demeanor radiating irrefutable confidence. Sitting under the lamplight, something about her seemed completely different from before. Qin Julai rubbed his eyes and dazedly nodded his head, afraid to say anymore more.

Noticing his bewildered expression, Qin Juran couldn’t help curving her lips. She opened her suitcase and pulled out a bag which she handed to Qin Julai: “Here, Big Sister got you a present. Do you like it?”

Qin Julai accepted the bag, surprised. As soon as he retrieved the contents of the bag, however, his face flamed into a million shades of red.

Noticing his expression, Qin Juran frowned, “You don’t like it?”

Qin Juran was at loss, raising the workbook up and down, face bright red: “Sister, I know that my grades aren’t as good as yours, but really…”

“Are you saying that you don’t like having me buy you workbooks?” Qin Juran asked pointedly, boring into his eyes.

“That’s not it, that’s not it.” Feeling that Qin Juran hadn’t realized the problem, Qin Julai bluntly shoved the book into her face and cried frustratedly, face still aflame: “Sis, I’m already in high school.”

To her astonishment, printed upon the orange cover of the workbook were the words: 5 Years of High School Entrance Exams, 3 Practice Exams.