Left ear (61)

  Left ear (61)

  "It's okay," I said, "I can walk myself."

  As I left the stadium, I turned back to look at Jiang Jiao on stage again. Oh no, it should be Jiang Yaxi. She wore a purple long dress with slightly curly hair, like a noble princess. But I didn't dare to look at the crowd cheering for her below, I was afraid of seeing someone and bringing up some past events that were completely unnecessary to mention. At this moment, I saw a person rush onto the stage to present flowers, he hugged Jiang Jiao, in the screaming voice of fans, gently kissed her face.

  Ling turned around and looked for me, I quickly ran away.

  The person who offered flowers was Xu Yi.

  11

  That Spring Festival, I returned home.

  He came to the station to pick me up, wearing a yellow coat, looking like a cute teddy bear, taking over my heavy luggage for me, and then he said: "How did you get thinner again?"

  "I don't want to get fat." I said irritably.

  "What about Xu Yi?" He looked behind me, "Why didn't he come back with you? I heard his dad got out of prison and reinstated his official position."

  "We broke up," I said.

  "Really?" He looked disbelieving.

  "We broke up a year ago," I said.

  His expression was strange.

  We returned home to find my aunt and everyone else there. As soon as the door opened, Mom and Dad rushed over to hug me, leaving me unsure of who to hug first. I took off my outer coat, and Mom's eyes immediately turned red. She choked back tears in front of everyone, saying: "How did you get so thin? Didn't you eat well at school?"

  "I'm just someone who doesn't gain weight no matter what I eat." I hastily explained.

  "Summer vacation is here and you're still not going home, working every day!" My dad also scolded me saying "Look at you, a girl who's already married, yet you don't even miss your husband!"

  "It's all right." Auntie also chimed in, "At least from now on, make more phone calls home, your dad and mom can afford the phone bill!"

  He was laughing gleefully at the side. Seeing that everyone's attention was on me, I quickly changed the subject: "I'm hungry, is there anything to eat? I didn't eat anything on the train."

  That night I ate a lot, but Yueta, who could usually eat a lot, ate very little. I hated the way he looked at me with worried eyes, and I was so angry that after dinner, I chatted with my aunt for a while, then excused myself as being tired and returned to my room. Not long after, my mother came knocking on the door and said: "We're going out for a walk with your father, and we'll also see off your Aunt and Uncle."

  "Okay," I said, "come back early."

  "If you're tired, take a bath and get some rest early."

  "Okay," I said.

  I saw You Ta through the door crack, he had already put on that ugly yellow coat of his, with his back to me changing shoes. I shouted over: "You Ta, buy some good fireworks, we'll go set them off at the square during New Year's."

  He seemed to just grunt vaguely in his nose as a response, and then walked away with them.

  They all left, and the house became quiet. I sat on the sofa in the living room, looking around. This three-bedroom house represents my entire youth. I remember when we moved in, it was the day of my 14th birthday, and everyone was overjoyed. I wore a white skirt and leaned against the windowsill of my small room, feeling like I had entered a brand new world, full of pride and satisfaction.

  Those days are gone and will never come back. The simple self of that time is just a green mark in memory. Just as I was trying to pull myself out of this shameful meditation, the doorbell rang. I got up to open the door, and the person standing outside was You Ta.

  This is what I expected.

  "He said, 'I forgot my phone in the shoe cabinet when I changed shoes just now.'"

  I let him in silently.

  He took his phone in hand and stared at me saying: "Li Er, you are completely different from before, do you know that?"

  "Really?" I said, "Maybe."

  "I don't like seeing you like this," he emphasized.

  "No one is forcing you to watch." I also stared at him and said calmly, "You are so angry for no reason."

  He slapped the phone in his hand back onto the shoe cabinet and shouted at me, "Look at yourself now, aren't you just heartbroken? Even if Xu Yi owes you, who else owes you? Your dad? Your mom? Or us, the people you always find annoying and unnecessary?! Li Ruo, let me tell you, if you think your pain is only your own business, if you think tormenting yourself has nothing to do with anyone else, then you're wrong, dead wrong!"

  He shouted at me in the morning, pulled open the door and left resolutely. Jump! ~!

  ．．