Waiting for You in the City (一座城，在等你) by Jiu Yue Xi 玖月晞 ~ Chapter 63

The time they are out of the school, Xu Qin’s eyes are still wet.

That time the sun is out, it’s shinning brightly.

Groups of students are walking around the school.

They are wearing their own uniform, they look innocent and young. Xu Qin thinks about it, they are like them when they are young.

Now she could know how important those memories for her.

When she was fifteen the time she started to know him, she was just an ignorant young girl and he was an energetic young man.

When they broke up, they were eighteen years old. She was still a young, tender young woman and he is still that weak young man.

Today because of the time, she is getting more mature and silent, the man beside her has grown up a lot to be a great man.

Her man.

Xu Qin’s eyes are wet. She blinks and sucks in a breath. She looks at her the ring. The diamond is shinning.

She couldn’t help but to smile.

Song Yan is walking beside her. From time to time, he keeps on glancing at her. She has been acting this way since they are out of the classroom. She keeps on looking at the ring and giggling.

But that ring is indeed so pretty when she wears it. Her hands are delicate and white.

Previously when he was busy selecting for a ring, that time he already knows that ring is a matched for her. It would be so beautiful on her.

Just as expected.

They keep on walking pass the groups of students.

Song Yan notices that she is still smiling and giggling. He asks; “You really like it? You keep on looking at it.”

Xu Qin looks at him and says: “I like it very much. I really like it that I want to wear it forever. This lifetime I would be unwilling to take it off.” She looks at her ring again and smiles: “I wouldn’t take it off though I am dead.”

He says: “This is a proposal ring, wait till our wedding then we would have a couple ring. It would be more convenient to wear that one.”

Xu Qin holds his hand and take a look at his hand. His nail is cut neatly. His fingers are so awesome. With ring, it would be sexier.

The ring would show that he is taken, she feels possessive of him. She says: “I’m afraid the time you wear the ring, you would attract ‘bees and butterflies’.

He smiles: “Don’t I have a lot too right now?”

Xu Qin hears her out and feels interested: “These years you should have a lot of women chasing after you right?” She thinks of those women who said that they want to devote their life to him because they were rescued by him. She asked: “Do you have a lot of women that want to devote their life to you?”

“Yes. Aren’t you one of them?”

“Then why don’t you choose another woman? why do you choose me ah?” Xu Qin says unreasonably.

“I should be blind.” Song Yan says.

“………” Xu Qin glares at him and then she looks at her ring again and asks: “How do you know my size, it’s a suitable size for me.”

“Rubbish. I know every size of your body.”

Xu Qin pursues her lips, her face is red. “When you weren’t with me, had you ever slept with another woman?”

“No.” He answers shortly.

She asks: “How did you solve your physiology demand?”

Song Yan looks at her and notices that she is happy.

He doesn’t answer and just lifts up his right hand and strokes her head.

She is startled and just responds. She holds his hand.

He laughs.

“Don’t you have a lot of women?”

“I don’t like them.”

She doesn’t ask again.

They pass the sport field.

Thirteen years ago, right here.

She exited the school gate and less than fifty meters, she was stopped by him. He said: “You are Meng Qin, right? I like you.”

Both of them exit the school gate and it’s already morning.

Song Yan takes her to have a breakfast. They are having breakfast at the place they used to go when they were young. The breakfast restaurant is newly decorated.

The lady boss doesn’t know her but she recognizes Song Yan. She greets him when she serves out the bowl of noodle.

Xu Qin is surprised: “That year you indeed were an influential figure, after these years, the boss is still remembers you.”

Song Yan just smiles and takes a chopsticks for her.

She doesn’t know that after the graduation, he would come over once. Except when he was a soldier.

During the breakfast, suddenly Xu Qin’s phone rings. She looks at it and her face changes.

Song Yan looks over and notices the contact ID “Papa”.

The breakfast restaurant is crowded so it’s a bit noisy.

Song Yan says: “It’s noisy here, go out and answer it.”

“Em.” Xu Qin goes outside.

Less than a minute, she comes back and says slowly: “My Pa asked me to come over. He has something to say with me.”

Song Yan: “Okay, I’ll wait till you handle it. Call me when you are done.”

“Oh.” Xu Qin sits down, she is a bit absent-minded.

“What are you thinking about?”

Xu Qin is unwilling to go. “You just ask for a day leave to accompany me. Yet I just leave you around.”

Song Yan smiles: “Then think of the way you should compensate me.”

She asks seriously: “What way? I even already want to get married to you.”

He looks at her seriously: “It’s okay, go.”

Xu Qin takes taxi. On the way, she just realizes what he means by ‘compensate’. She sighs.

………..

Her father asks her to meet at Hong Kong tea restaurant. There are lots of people around, when she arrives at the private room, it’s much peaceful.

Xu Qin feels a bit unease and nervous. She thinks of something, she strokes her ring and feels much assured.

She opens up the private room. There’s only Meng Huai Jin there. Fu Wen Ying and other family members are not coming, even Meng Yan Chen is not there.

She releases her breath.

There are few fine dim sum on the table.

Xu Qin sits down. Meng Huai Jin says: “Eat some, I especially order it for you.”

Xu Qin actually feels a bit full, but looking at Meng Huai Jin’s tired face, she still picks up her chopsticks and picks up a prawn dumplings.

On the way to the restaurant, she browses through the news. The police has solved Meng Yan Chen’s case smoothly, the evidences are intuitive. The college students have apologized. Ye Zi is blamed and she is waiting for her sentence. Xu Qin notices especially for the word choice used by the news anchor.

It seems that Fu Wen Ying would not also be silent, she would completely ruin her.

She always be a protective mother. When her son is hurt, she would avenge it.

Xu Qin remembers when she was in junior high school, there’s a female student who kept on laughing at her accent. Fu Wen Ying knew about it and had a chat with her parents. She doesn’t konw what Fu Wen Ying did but that female student ‘retreated three day’s march’ whenever she saw her.

For Meng family’s kindness, she would remember it.

But for hurting Song Yan, she couldn’t forgive it.

She is somewhat regretful to meet Meng Huai Jin, she doesn’t know how should she react toward him.

Meng Huai Jin enjoys his tea and picks few dishes for her. Looking at how silence she is and doesn’t tallk with him. He finally speaks up: “Yan Chen’s matter could be solved, thanks to you.”

“It’s my duty to help him.” Xu Qin says.

She is somewhat resistance, her words are simple and short.

Meng Huai Jin wants to persuade her to reconcile with Fu Wen Ying, he wants to use emotion card. “Qin Qin, though you might not believe my words, but today if the person in trouble is you, your Mama would do her best to do help you. For what she did for Yan Chen, she would do it for you too.”

Xu Qin says nothing and just stuffs the food in her mouth.

“She would do the same.” Meng Huai Jin says: “If that year it was Meng Yan Chen who didn’t listen to her, she would do the same. I admit that we are not a good parent. Rather than considering our son and daughter’s feeling, we consider more about our family’s interest. Yet Papa still wants to tell you. No matter it’s me or your Mama, toward you or Meng Yan Chen, we feel the same way .”

“I believe it.” Xu Qin says and asks: “But when Meng Yan Chen is in pain, Mama would be heartbroken. But when I’m in pain, would Mama feel heartbroken too?”

Meng Huai Jin is startled.

Xu Qin keeps her head low: “If she is heartbroken, then would it be the same like what she feels toward Meng Yan Chen or Tang Ge (Cousin)?”

“Mama asked me, how could for a man I betray my parents? But when Mama ruined my most beloved man, had she ever think of my feeling. If she thinks that I would cry because my heart is broken, would she feel heartbroken too?”

She holds the chopsticks tightly. She is calm, her tears fall down.

“If it’s Meng Yan Chen, she might not feel at peace.

So…. it possible that Mama just doesn’t care about me.”

“But it might be my fault too. Sometimes I think that I am a bit livelier, and charming, good at talking or be more sociable….. but Meng Yan Chen also doesn’t love to talk. Why does Mama laugh more toward him and laugh less toward me? Why for every birthday, she would hug him, yet she never hugs me? I also want Mama to laugh to me, I also want Mama to hug me ah.”

Meng Huai Jin’s eyes turn red, he replies helplessly: “When Mama gave birth to Meng Yan Chen, it’s too hard for her, so she loves him more.”

Xu Qin wipes her tears and says: “I know. After all I came to the family when I was ten years old. That kind of requests might too harsh. I could understand it, but … Pa, for Song Yan’s matter, I couldn’t let it go, I couldn’t forgive too.”

“Qin Qin.” Meng Huai Jin is impatient and says: “We are family, there might be hardship on our way but we are still family? How could you broke our family relationship? We should discuss the matter and solve it——“

“How should we solve it?” Xu Qin looks at his eyes and cuts him off: “Give back his innocence and future prospect?”

Meng Huai Jin is startled: “This——“

“Have you ever think that Song Yan is someone that couldn’t endure any humiliation. Even if it’s God who bullied him, he would resist too, he would want to take revenge. But he never tells around about this matter. Meng family’s actions hurt him, but he never speaks up about it. He lets you guys go. What else do you want him to do, for me calling you Pa Ma, and having dinner with you guys?”

This time Meng Huai Jin couldn’t speak up.

Xu Qin says: “Of course, you guys will not approve I am marrying him, just like I would never forgive what you did to him. These things couldn’t be solved just by eating dinner together. Pa, I’m very tired. I don’t want to think about this matter again. I don’t want to cry again. Please don’t mention this anymore. As for family,.” She smiles indifferently, “Let’s just live our own life. Let’s meet if there’s a problem. But if there’s nothing else, no need to force ourselves to meet with each other.”

Meng Huai Jin is worried, he doesn’t want to let go. He says: “Let’s not talk about it, stop talking about this. Let’s not talk about the past. We still have a long way to go, let’s solve this slowly. Papa doesn’t think there’s nothing that cut off family.”

Xu Qin says nothing, her face is calm. It’s obvious that she doesn’t want to talk about family or reconciling.

Meng Huai Jin doesn’t mention it anymore, he asks: “You are really determined to marry Song Yan?”

“He is my fiancé now.”

Meng Huai Jin is startled. He wants to say something but looking at her expression, he just says: “Qin Qin, though you would get marry, but you also need a family right?”

Xu Qin bites her lips and says nothing.

“If in the future you are mistreated, you also need to go home and find Papa Mama.”

“He wouldn’t mistreat me.” She says firmly.

Meng Huai Jin wants to speak up but looking at Xu Qin’s ring.

He couldn’t help to keep on seeing it.

The diamond on the ring is not small. It’s a classic design. The price is as higher than buying the car. That mans should be begrudged to make her wronged.

Meng Huai Jin has no words to say anymore.

These years he is living a rich and steady life, his family is happy. He has son and daughter. He believes firmly on complying with family’s rule.

People that in touch with him in his job also live the same life as him. His young subordinates always bicker about blind dates. You should pay for the car, my family would responsible for renovation. You pay for the betrothal gift, I would buy the gold ornaments.

These years he never meets someone that wants to give all he could for someone he loves.

It might be because he is old right now. He is old, so he is more timid and unwilling to give. He is afraid what he has be snatched away.

He has forgotten the happiness of giving to someone that he loves.

After the breakfast, the problem is still there.

Meng Huai Jin says something before he leaves. He says that it’s okay if for temporarily she doesn’t want to go home and visit her parents. She could wait till there’s problem, then they could reunite.

He asks: “Papa Mama would ask you out to have breakfast, right?”

Xu Qin turns silent.

Meng Huai Jin sighs, he pats her shoulder: “If there’s a problem, then don’t forget to find Papa Mama.”

He just leaves after he says that words.

Xu Qin goes out of the restaurant. The cold wind welcomes her.

She stands on the road side and calls Song Yan. Her mood is getting better.

“Hello, Xu Qin?” He answers the call.

“Where are you?” She asks.

“I have something to do at the base camp. I need to go back.” He sound apologetic and sasy: “I couldn’t accompany you today.”

She is startled, she is disappointed but her disappointment is gone quickly. She says softy: “Do your job well.”

“Don’t be unhappy.” He says.

She smiles: “It’s okay, I’ll wait for you to come back.”