TVDC 35: Time

At noon on a summer day, Qiu Xuning cheerfully ran in the door and said to Zhou Mingmei, “Mom, I went to the supermarket to buy groceries, and then I won a prize!” 

He was obviously very happy, his increasingly fair and delicate little face beaming with a bright smile, and his beautiful black eyes curved into a crescent moon shape.

Zhou Mingmei, upon hearing this, asked in surprise, “What prize did you win?”

Qiu Xuning said, “It’s an electric scooter!”

Zhou Mingmei’s face lit up with even more surprise. “You really won?!”

After telling Zhou Mingmei, Qiu Xuning realized he had been too excited. He tried to calm his emotions and said, “Yeah, really. The supermarket was having a promotion. If you spent a hundred yuan, you could get a number tag. Then, He Zhiyuan took the number tag and went to draw the prize, and he won the first prize.”

He deliberately spoke slowly. When Zhou Mingmei heard that it was He Zhiyuan who drew the prize, her excitement faded by half. “He sure is lucky.”

Qiu Xuning, observing her expression, said, “Mom, the scooter is outside. Do you want to take a look?”

Zhou Mingmei’s eyebrows drooped. She was peeling the edamame in her hands and replied coldly, “No need to go. What’s there to see? It’s not like I don’t have a car.”

When Qiu Xuning heard her response, he couldn’t do much about it. But then, Qiu Zhaozhao came out of the bathroom, heard what he said, and said, “I want to see!”

Qiu Xuning put down the groceries and took Qiu Zhaozhao outside.

The electric scooter he had won from the supermarket was a pink little “donkey” with a low base. It looked small and compact, perfect for a girl to ride.

Qiu Zhaozhao immediately liked it when she saw the scooter. She touched it and then sat on it to get a feel, saying, “It feels pretty good. If you were to buy it, it’d probably cost two or three thousand, right?”

Qiu Xuning replied, “Yeah.”

As he said this, he turned his head to look at He Zhiyuan. He was sitting on a chair in the yard, watching them from a distance.

Qiu Xuning walked over to He Zhiyuan and asked, “What are you sitting here for? Aren’t you afraid of getting sunburned?”

By this time, the weather had gotten much hotter, and neither of them was wearing thick cotton jackets or sweaters anymore. Over the past half year, Qiu Xuning had grown a lot, now standing just over 170 cm. Yet it seemed like he only grew taller without gaining much weight. At the moment, he was wearing shorts, his calves were slender and pale, making them quite eye-catching.

He Zhiyuan also seemed to have grown a bit, but since he was already tall to begin with, it wasn’t very noticeable.

He Zhiyuan glanced at him and said, “A tan looks good.”

Qiu Xuning fell silent. He sat on another chair, watching as Qiu Zhaozhao kicked the scooter’s stand aside, then gently kicked off with her legs and rode it out of the yard.

“In just a few days, it’ll be the high school entrance exam,” Qiu Xuning murmured, feeling a bit nostalgic.

He Zhiyuan pushed the can of Coke he had taken a few sips from toward him and said, “I can’t finish it.”

Qiu Xuning turned his head and glanced at the can, feeling a bit shy. “You’ve already drunk from it and now you want me to drink it?”

He Zhiyuan looked at him, smiling, and said, “Wasting is shameful.”

Qiu Xuning’s face flushed slightly. He pushed the cold Coke back and murmured, “You finish it yourself. No wasting.”

He Zhiyuan smiled faintly and took the cold Coke in his hands.

Qiu Xuning sat for a while, but soon couldn’t take it anymore. The sun was too harsh, and his cheeks quickly turned red. “…You keep sunbathing, but I’m going inside.”

As he spoke, he stood up to leave, but then seemed to remember something. He turned his head and said to He Zhiyuan, “Don’t stay out too long, you might get a heatstroke.”

It was already summer, and even in the small county town, the heat was undeniable. While it wasn’t as suffocating as in the big cities, it was still intense. There was definitely a big chance of heatstroke if one stayed under the sun for too long.

He Zhiyuan nodded in response, and only then did Qiu Xuning turn and head inside.

This time, Zhou Mingmei was late in preparing the meal. Some of the dishes were ones Qiu Xuning had bought on a whim—fish, chicken, and quite a bit of seafood, all packed into one bag. It cost over a hundred yuan. Although the biggest family expense for the Qiu family was on the communal meals, they usually didn’t buy this much food in one go like today.

As soon as Qiu Xuning entered the house, he heard Zhou Mingmei ask, “Did you ask your sister? Can she come back or not?”

Qiu Xuning replied, “I asked her. She’s coming back.”

Zhou Mingmei’s face fell, and she couldn’t help but say, “Your sister really has no conscience. She just leaves without a word, not even bothering to keep the pig farm. I don’t know what she’s trying to do. Now she’ll probably come back with her tail between her legs. I’m not expecting much from her anymore. At least, I hope she gets married soon so I don’t have to worry about her. She’s almost thirty. If she drags this on any longer, only divorced men will want to marry her. Zheng Youqing had such good conditions, and she couldn’t even hold on to him. Now she’s lost both the man and the pig farm. What does she even have to show for herself?”

Zhou Mingmei rambled on, her words hitting Qiu Xuning’s ears like a storm. It made his eardrums hurt, and he couldn’t help but rub his ears, muttering softly, “She’s only 25, still very young.”

Zhou Mingmei shot back, “Young? The daughter of Hong Yong had her second child at this age, and her son is already eight! Look at her—she’s 25, and still has no husband in sight!”

Qiu Xuning opened his mouth, but couldn’t find anything to say in response.

Zhou Mingmei actually had many problematic views, such as the belief that a woman’s purpose is to get married and have children. Once a woman reaches 25 and isn’t married, she’s only worthy of marrying a divorced man. Qiu Xuning didn’t know how to change these ideas because they weren’t formed overnight. They were a result of the education Zhou Mingmei received growing up, or perhaps the environment around her, which day after day subtly shaped her into the person she was now.

Qiu Xuning didn’t agree with her views but he didn’t know how to argue against them. After all, many things can’t be changed just by talking and he wasn’t particularly good at debating.

Zhou Mingmei continued, “When I was your sister’s age, I already had Shuohai. Look at her, she actually found a man with good conditions and instead of rushing to get married, she decides to run away from home? She really thinks she’s got wings now. I can’t control her anymore.”

Qiu Xuning weakly replied, “But she’s already 25, it doesn’t really count as running away from home, does it?”

Zhou Mingmei glared at him. “What, this isn’t her home? If she’s so capable, then let’s see her never come back!

Qiu Xuning fell silent.

Zhou Mingmei, in fact, wasn’t one to hold her tongue. She knew Qiu Haiyan was coming back and yet she still had Qiu Xuning go to the supermarket to buy a bunch of good food. Qiu Xuning understood that she was just venting her frustrations.

He walked over, squatted down, and said, “Let me peel them for you.”

Zhou Mingmei said, “What are you peeling for? I’m almost done. Hurry up and go do your homework! The high school entrance exam is just a few days away. Why aren’t you worried at all?!”

“…” Qiu Xuning tossed the freshly peeled beans onto the plate and said, “I’ll go do a few practice papers.”

With that, Qiu Xuning quickly stood up and hurried out.

Zhou Mingmei said, “Ningning, you’re the same. Stop always hanging around He Zhiyuan. If he distracts you from studying, I’ll make sure to kick him out.”

Qiu Xuning stopped in his tracks, turned to look at her, and quietly said, “Mom, haven’t you noticed that my grades are getting better and better? Recently, I’ve been getting first place in the whole school. Maybe it’s because He Zhiyuan is bringing me good luck.”

Zhou Mingmei was momentarily taken aback. She wasn’t someone who believed in superstitions, but sometimes, she couldn’t help but think there might be some truth to it. However, she would never get along with He Zhiyuan, so she put on a stern face and said, “I’m not going to argue with you. Hurry up and go do your homework!”

Qiu Xuning slightly shrank his neck and quickly ran off.

It wasn’t until a little after 1 PM that Qiu Haiyan came back, carrying a lot of bags, both big and small.

Although Zhou Mingmei had expressed a lot of complaints to Qiu Xuning earlier, when they met, she didn’t say anything harsh. She just kept a stern face and said, “So you still know how to come back.”

Qiu Haiyan knew what kind of temper Zhou Mingmei had. Her expression didn’t change, and she smiled as she replied, “Just came back to take a look.”

As she spoke, Qiu Haiyan noticed Qiu Xuning and her eyes lit up. She raised her hand and measured his height, saying, “Ningning, you’ve gotten so tall!”

Qiu Xuning smiled shyly, his little tiger teeth peeking out. “I haven’t grown that much.”

Yet in reality, he was already much taller than Qiu Haiyan. With his gaze slightly lowered, he could see the top of her head. The feeling reminded him of how He Zhiyuan would look down at him.

Qiu Haiyan took out the clothes she had bought for Qiu Xuning from her bag, still with the tags attached. She held them up to him and said, “Luckily, I bought a size bigger. Now it fits just right.”

Zhou Mingmei interrupted, saying, “Forget about that for now, just eat! If you’re not hungry, Ningning’s been waiting so long for you, and he hasn’t eaten anything.”

Qiu Haiyan chuckled, “Alright, let’s eat first.”

She set the things down and sat down.

Qiu Xuning first took the bowls and chopsticks, rinsed them with hot water, and then scooped some rice.

It wasn’t the first time Qiu Haiyan had seen him do this, so it didn’t surprise her. What surprised her was that even Qiu Zhaozhao and Zhou Mingmei were now following suit, rinsing their bowls and chopsticks with hot water. She asked, “Since when did you all start being so particular about this?” 

Qiu Zhaozhao replied, “I see Ningning doing it every day, and I couldn’t help it. Now, if I don’t rinse the bowls and chopsticks first, it just feels a bit weird.”

Qiu Xuning smiled as he picked up some food. He felt a bit of inexplicable pride in this—he had taught the family to use serving chopsticks and spoons, and it had become a habit.

Maybe because of this, he felt less resistance in his heart, and his appetite improved as well.

When Qiu Haiyan heard Qiu Zhaozhao, she passed her bowl over and said, “Help me rinse mine too.”

Zhou Mingmei watched as Qiu Xuning kept piling his plate higher and couldn’t help but say, “Take less, why are you loading up your plate like that? It’s not like you’re just eating vegetables and not rice.”

Then she mumbled under her breath, “That kid eats so much, I’ve spent fifteen thousand raising him, and it’s still a loss!”

Qiu Xuning knew she was just being stubborn. He quickly picked up a piece of braised pork, and, without saying a word, rushed upstairs.

Qiu Haiyan realized that Zhou Mingmei was talking about He Zhiyuan, and then she thought of Qiu Shuohai. She asked, “Where’s Shuohai? What’s he up to now?”

Zhou Mingmei said, “All this time without a single phone call, and now you suddenly remember you have a younger brother.”

Qiu Haiyan shrugged, “He’s got you all supporting him. How bad could things be for him?”

Zhou Mingmei glanced at her and said, “Your brother’s about to take the high school entrance exam. How can I keep supporting him? Your Dad and I have decided to send him out.”

Qiu Haiyan asked, “Where did he go?”

Zhou Mingmei fell silent for a moment before replying, “He just went to work.”

Qiu Haiyan said, “But if no one’s watching him and he ends up gambling again, what will we do?”

Zhou Mingmei said, “Don’t worry about that. He won’t be able to gamble. I found him a mentor to learn renovation and painting. That mentor is an old high school classmate of mine, and he’ll keep him in check. He’ll be so busy that he won’t have time to think about gambling.”

Hearing this, Qiu Haiyan could almost imagine how miserable Qiu Shuohai must look. She couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for him. “Where is he now?”

Zhou Mingmei replied, “He’s in the city, working hard. I told him that if he learns the skills from my old classmate, he won’t need to rely on anyone else when it comes time to buy a house—think of how much money he’ll save.”

Zhou Mingmei actually felt reluctant to let Qiu Shuohai work too hard but after thinking it through carefully, she realized that if he continued down this path, he might end up gambling away the family’s future. If he caused trouble for Qiu Xuning, then everything would be ruined. Before she could focus on bringing glory to the family, Qiu Shuohai wasn’t that important anymore. So, if she had to send him away, she would.

When Qiu Haiyan heard this, she didn’t ask any more questions.

Qiu Xuning brought the food to He Zhiyuan’s room and said, “My jiejie’s back. She seems to have gotten a lot fairer and even more beautiful.”

“Seems like?”

Qiu Xuning felt a bit embarrassed and said, “I mean, she’s really become more beautiful.”

He thought for a moment and added, “Actually, she also seems much better mentally. Before, she always looked so tired, but now she just seems… well, radiant.”

He Zhiyuan said, “Your sister isn’t that dumb.”

If ordinary people heard Qiu Xuning say those things, they might just take it as a comforting remark, like a bowl of chicken soup for the soul, and forget about it. Qiu Haiyan was decisive—she had shut down the pig farm without hesitation, left without looking back, and after almost half a year, only just returned today.

At first, Qiu Xuning didn’t understand what He Zhiyuan meant. He nodded and said, “She’s really smart. I remember back in middle school, her grades were great. She was in the top five in her class, and she even got into a key class for the high school entrance exam, she just didn’t go.”

He Zhiyuan glanced at him and said, “When I said she’s not dumb, I meant she didn’t stay here.”

Qiu Xuning froze for a moment, then realized what he meant. “…Oh.”

After a brief silence, Qiu Xuning said, “I’m going to eat first. You should eat quickly too.”

Half a year had passed, and the relationship between He Zhiyuan and the Qiu family hadn’t really changed. Qiu Xuning didn’t expect them to get along harmoniously, but at least they were at peace.

Not long after Qiu Haiyan returned, she was getting ready to leave again.

Zhou Mingmei asked, “What’s going on with you and that Zheng Youqing? Aren’t you planning to get married?”

Qiu Haiyan fell silent. The issues between her and Zheng Youqing were too numerous to count, and they couldn’t be resolved in a short time. There was no real possibility of marriage, and she was too tired to put any more thought into it.

Zhou Mingmei urged, “Say something! You’re so stubborn! If you let him slip away, at your age, finding someone else will be even harder!”

Qiu Haiyan was getting irritated by her nagging and replied, “What’s wrong with my age? There are plenty of people in their thirties who aren’t married. They have money, they’re free, and they have plenty of men chasing after them. They’re not worried about finding someone. Why is it such a problem for me at 25?”

Zhou Mingmei’s face darkened. “What are you comparing yourself to? You should be comparing yourself to the better ones! If I weren’t your mom, I wouldn’t care whether you get married or not. I’m doing this for your own good, and you still don’t take it seriously. Just wait until the day you regret it!”

Qiu Haiyan took a deep breath to calm herself and said coldly, “I’m not thinking about that for now. I don’t think Zheng Youqing and I will get married, so stop asking. I’m leaving.”

Spending too much time with Zhou Mingmei had made her mindset start to blend with hers. As soon as Qiu Haiyan left, she realized how ridiculous her old thoughts were. She didn’t feel like arguing with Zhou Mingmei anymore, so she turned around and walked out without saying another word.

When Qiu Xuning came back, he ran into Qiu Haiyan as she was about to leave. He was a bit startled. “Jie, you’re leaving already?”

Qiu Haiyan noticed he was holding a watermelon and smiled. “Do you like watermelon?”

Qiu Xuning’s face was flushed from the sun, and his forehead was covered with tiny beads of sweat. He smiled and said, “The watermelon from Uncle Wu’s house is really sweet.” After a pause, he lowered his voice and asked, “Did you have a fight with mom?”

Qiu Haiyan replied, “We argued a bit.”

Qiu Xuning didn’t go inside. He pulled her to sit under the shade of the umbrella in the yard. “Jie, sit here first. I’ll cut some watermelon for you.”

He brought the watermelon inside and before long, he came back out with two large chunks of watermelon in his hands, running back to her.

He handed the larger piece of watermelon to Qiu Haiyan and said, “Try it. This watermelon is really sweet. I’ve bought it from their place a few times, and it’s always been really good.”

Qiu Haiyan took the watermelon and took a bite.

“How is it?” Qiu Xuning asked expectantly.

Qiu Haiyan nodded and said, “It’s very sweet.”

Qiu Xuning smiled, his red and soft lips curving into a beautiful arc. “I didn’t lie to you, right? It’s really sweet.”

He took a bite of the watermelon as well, savoring it and slightly squinting his eyes in enjoyment. “It’s really sweet.”

It seemed so simple to make Qiu Xuning happy. Just a bite of sweet watermelon, and a joyful smile spread across his face, his breath becoming sweeter and lighter, as if the world around him had brightened just a little.

Qiu Haiyan couldn’t help but glance at Qiu Xuning. Even though it had been half a year since she last saw him, she could still sense the pure innocence that radiated from him, deep down in his bones.

It really didn’t seem like he grew up in this family. He hadn’t always been like this but for the life of her, Qiu Haiyan couldn’t remember exactly what kind of person he had been.

After finishing the watermelon, Qiu Xuning’s palms were damp with juice. He wanted to lick them, but since Qiu Haiyan was there, he didn’t want to be teased. So, he awkwardly hid his hands behind his back and asked, “Jiejie, what have you been up to?”

Qiu Xuning asked quietly.

Qiu Haiyan said, “I’m taking classes outside.”

Qiu Xuning’s eyes widened. “Classes? What kind of classes?”

A little embarrassed, Qiu Haiyan still explained, “I’m planning to take the college entrance exam but you know, I haven’t studied in many years. So, I plan to start over, pick up the middle school material first, and then move on to the high school stuff.”

Qiu Xuning’s eyes brightened a little, and he smiled. “…That’s exactly what I meant.”

Qiu Haiyan sighed. “I’m starting from scratch, so I might not be able to take the exam until next year. You know the situation at home. If I stay here, Mom will keep pushing me. It’s better to go somewhere else, where I can study in peace.”

If Zhou Mingmei found out about these plans, it would probably lead to another long lecture. She lowered her voice and added, “Ningning, you have to keep this a secret, okay?”

Qiu Xuning nodded seriously, making a zipping motion across his mouth and whispered, “I won’t tell, no one will know. I won’t even tell Zhaozhao.”

Qiu Haiyan smiled, “Good, help me keep it a secret.”

Then, Qiu Xuning suddenly thought of something and asked, “Jiejie, do you still have money?”

Qiu Haiyan replied, “Don’t worry about that. I gave the pig farm to Zheng Youqing and he gave me my share. I’ve got about seventy or eighty thousand now, so at least I can get by for a few more years.”

Once she made up her mind, she could act quickly, even in a short time.

Qiu Xuning felt a bit relieved hearing this, but couldn’t help asking, “Then… What about brother-in-law? Are you two still getting married?”

When it came to Zheng Youqing, Qiu Haiyan’s expression darkened. “…Ningning, you’re still young and there are many things you don’t understand. Whether I marry him or not is not just my decision.”

Zheng Youqing, like most men in this county, had very traditional views. In fact, aside from his wealth and status, he didn’t really have much else to offer. It was only after being away for a while that Qiu Haiyan began to see more clearly how shallow and narrow-minded he really was.

It only made her realize even more how low she had been in the past, to have ever liked a man like that.

She felt increasingly discouraged and said, “Let’s not talk about him anymore. We’ve eaten the watermelon, and I need to leave. You’ll be taking the high school entrance exam soon. I want to stay with you but I’m afraid Dad will stop me from leaving when he gets back.”

Qiu Shunming had a lot of resentment toward her. After she left, he almost constantly complained and yelled at home. Zhou Mingmei, worried it would affect Qiu Xuning, had him stay outside.

Qiu Xuning nodded repeatedly, aware of the tension between his father and sister. “I know. Once my results come out, I’ll call you!”

Qiu Haiyan smiled and nodded in response, then left quickly. Qiu Xuning watched her go before finally entering the house.

Zhou Mingmei asked, “Your sister left?”

Qiu Xuning replied with a simple “Mm,” and then said, “Yeah, she left.”

Zhou Mingmei said unhappily, “She just leaves whenever she wants, really thinks she’s got wings now, and I can’t control her anymore.”

Qiu Xuning quietly replied, “She’s an adult now.”

“Being an adult doesn’t change anything! Just because she’s an adult doesn’t mean she’s not my daughter anymore! I had a hard time giving birth to her! I’ve raised her all these years, and now she just leaves whenever she feels like it!” Zhou Mingmei said with a stern face.

Qiu Xuning gave her a puzzled look, not sure how to respond.

Zhou Mingmei noticed his gaze and said, “Ningning, don’t follow your sister’s example. She doesn’t listen to me, and she’ll regret it later. You need to be obedient. If you don’t listen… just look at your brother and you’ll understand.”

Qiu Xuning nodded in agreement, then said, “Mom, I’m going to review now.”

Zhou Mingmei said, “Go ahead.”

Just as Qiu Xuning was about to leave, he suddenly remembered that He Zhiyuan hadn’t had any watermelon, so he went to the kitchen, cut some, put it in a bowl, and grabbed some toothpicks.

Seeing this, Zhou Mingmei was at a loss for words. Over these past few days, Qiu Xuning and He Zhiyuan’s relationship had become better and better. Though she hadn’t interfered much, it still felt a bit strange to her. Even brothers probably weren’t as close as the two of them, right?