Chapter 21: Reunion

The night wind was cold, slashing against his face like a knife, capable of cutting through flesh and piercing bone with a single stroke.

Dim yellow streetlights illuminated an alley extending into the darkness. The surroundings were terrifyingly silent, and the few scattered lights from homes appeared fragile and small, as if they could be swallowed by the night at any moment.

Gu Yu pulled up his hood and hurried home, carrying a boxed lunch that had lost most of its heat. The eerie caterwauling of cats rang incessantly in his ears, sounding irritatingly shrill.

A familiar old building appeared before him. Dilapidated and aging, it looked like an old man with one foot in the grave, stubbornly clinging to a memory and refusing to collapse — as if waiting for someone who would never return.

Gu Yu looked up and found the dark, unlit apartment. A sense of lonely desolation welled up within him. He thought that everything would get better and that fate would favor him sooner or later, but every time he stood there looking at his gloomy home, the hope in his heart was extinguished bit by bit.

His footsteps were swallowed by the gloomy entrance of the building, which resembled a beast’s den. He climbed the stairs under the flickering, half-dead lights. At the landing, Gu Yu looked up and saw that the door across from his was slightly ajar, with a faint light leaking out.

His heart suddenly began to thrum wildly. His steps became frantic, though he remained calm on the surface. He slowly climbed the stairs, pushed open the door, and walked inside.

His ability to think seemed to have failed him. He forgot to knock, forgot the suspicion of trespassing, and forgot that the other person was just a neighbor he hadn’t seen in years. He barged in on his own, searching for that figure with a heart full of hope.

The fragrant scent of cooking oil and smoke lingered in the air. The house was clean, and faint water stains were visible on the floor, clearly having just been scrubbed. Two large black trash bags were tossed by the door, and a pair of blue women’s sneakers had been added to the entryway.

The figure in the kitchen was slender and tall, her long, waterfall-like hair tied back. She wore an apron and moved with practiced, nimble motions as she stir-fried.

“Oh my, the little greedy cat followed the scent here.”

Yun Qianxin turned around. A captivating smile played on her bright red lips, and the slightly upturned corners of her eyes were long and soft, framing her charming willow leaf eyes. Her skin was as white as snow; she was beautiful beyond words.

“It’s been a long time, Xiao Yu.”

The crude and shabby environment couldn’t overshadow the woman’s beauty. Gu Yu was momentarily stunned. The blurred image in his memory gradually became clear, overlapping with the woman before him. She was still as gentle as water, refined, and enchanting.

“Long… long time no see, Sister Qianxin.”

“Why have you become so dazed? Am I so beautiful that I’ve stunned Xiao Yu?” Yun Qianxin looked at Gu Yu’s youthful appearance, as if seeing the young boy who used to follow her around calling her “Sister” again.

“No… it’s not…”

“Hmm? Is Big Sister not beautiful?”

“No, no, Sister Qianxin is very beautiful…” Gu Yu felt extremely uneasy. After a long separation, he had impulsively barged into her home. He didn’t know how to act toward this sister who wasn’t a blood relative.

She was still so beautiful, with a hint of maturity in her every look and smile. She still looked very young, as if she had just graduated from college, in the prime of her beauty.

Gu Yu remembered that she was five years older than him.

“Haha, I’ll stop teasing you. Have you had dinner? Do you want to eat here? It’s almost ready.”

“Not yet… the place where I work gave me a boxed lunch…” Gu Yu replied with a slight stutter.

“But I made so many dishes. It’ll be a waste if they aren’t finished.”

“All right.”

Gu Yu pulled out a chair and sat down, setting aside his lunchbox. Several dishes were already laid out on the table, featuring both meat and vegetables. They were full of color, fragrance, and taste, stimulating his appetite. He hadn’t eaten such a sumptuous dinner in a very long time.

“Come, try it and see if my cooking skills have declined.”

Yun Qianxin served the final dish — red braised pork that was seven parts lean and three parts fat, dripping with a dark, savory sauce. The aroma was thick and inviting. A bowl of white rice was placed in front of Gu Yu at the same time.

He picked up his chopsticks and took a bite. The flavors he had almost forgotten were revived on his taste buds. It was perfectly seasoned; Yun Qianxin’s cooking was still excellent.

“It’s delicious. Sister Qianxin is still such a good cook.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

Yun Qianxin took off her apron, pulled out a chair, and sat across from Gu Yu. The dim yellow light cast shadows on the white walls. A gentle smile graced her exquisite face, making it hard not to let one’s guard down.

She took small bites of the food elegantly, her gaze constantly lingering on Gu Yu. She could see that he was indeed hungry, yet he was too constrained and uneasy to fully relax.

Yun Qianxin didn’t speak. She quietly waited for the boy to finish the rice in his bowl, then asked with a smile, “Are you full? Do you want another bowl?”

His stomach wasn’t yet full, but nervousness and pride made him instinctively refuse. “No thanks, I’m full.”

Yun Qianxin noticed the boy’s hesitation and took the bowl from him, acting considerate and graceful. “I’ll get you another bowl. I cooked a bit too much rice; it would be a waste otherwise.”

“Um… thank you.”

She filled the bowl and placed it in front of him. She watched as he sat upright with his head lowered, his movements cautious — as if he had entered the home of some great personage, using every bit of etiquette he knew.

Yun Qianxin made her voice even more gentle and kind. “Xiao Yu.”

“Huh… yes?” Gu Yu looked up blankly, meeting the woman’s smiling eyes.

She asked, “What did you just call me?”

Gu Yu didn’t quite understand and replied somewhat dully, “Sister Qianxin?”

“Yes, Sister Qianxin. I’m still your big sister, and our relationship hasn’t changed, right?”

Yun Qianxin patted the boy’s head. Her long, pale hand rested on his dry, short hair, as if encouraging a young, shy brother.

“Yes… right.” Gu Yu paused, understanding what she meant.

He had been acting too distant. Although she had changed quite a bit, she was still that gentle sister who would treat him with such kindness.

“I understand.”

“Good boy.”

Yun Qianxin sat back down. The young man before her had let go of his previous awkwardness and began to gulp down the food. He seemed famished, as if he hadn’t had a good meal in a long time.

The light spilled over the top of his head. Yun Qianxin admired how the boy’s features had matured. He was handsome and lean, with a soft yet stubborn look in his eyes. His skin was like white jade. The facial structure deeply etched in her memory hadn’t changed; it was still him.

Gu Yu finished his second bowl. His stomach, which had been empty since school until late at night, still had some room. The fragrant and inviting dishes on the table were still tempting him. He looked at Yun Qianxin, who was reaching for his bowl. Her words protected his fragile pride. “Have another bowl. There’s still a lot left.”

Gu Yu watched her take his bowl and raised his hand to take it back. “I can get it myself, there’s no need —”

“It’s fine. Didn’t I always get it for you before?”

“Th—thank you, Sister Qianxin. Just half a bowl is fine. I’m almost full.”

“I see.”

Yun Qianxin looked at the rice in her own bowl. She hadn’t eaten much, and she hadn’t put any food into the bowl yet. The grains were still fragrant, soft, and clean.

“It just so happens that I can’t eat anymore. Here, take this one.” She pushed her bowl toward him.

Gu Yu looked at the rice placed in front of him. It was very clean, unlike his bowl which was covered in grease. ‘But this gesture… it seems she isn’t paying attention to the distance between us.’