Thirteen Wonders (ShíSānYāo) : Chapter 49 - Shisan Yao
Chapter 49: Shisan Yao
Early in the morning, Mother Zhou was already busy, coming and going, her figure bustling around—not for the mahjong parlor’s business, but for something else.
Starting with breakfast, she put in extra effort, making it far more lavish than usual, insisting that both Zhou Yao and Chen Xuze eat well. Then, she grabbed a shopping basket and headed to the market, selecting ingredients with even more care than when she picked a husband back in the day.
“How much per pound for this vegetable?”
“One yuan and three cents? The stall up front is two cents cheaper… Forget it, weigh some for me.”
“I need a live fish. Not that dead one, no, not that one… That one over there.”
“Make sure the shrimp are measured properly, and pick the bigger ones. The small ones barely have any meat.”
“......”
She moved between stalls, buying both the ingredients she frequently got and those she rarely did, filling her basket with all sorts of things.
A curious vendor asked, “Is Zhou Ma’s wife hosting a feast today? She’s buying so much, and it all looks fancy.”
“No,” someone in the know answered, “You don’t know? Today’s the day her daughter leaves for university. Of course, she’s making something nice.”
At the mention of Zhou Yao, the market vendors immediately understood.
“Oh, that quiet, fair-skinned little girl?”
“Yeah, that’s her.”
“I heard she got top marks in the city’s exams.”
“She did! Zhou Ma and his wife are truly blessed.”
“But didn’t our alley produce two top scorers this year?”
“That’s right! One’s at Zhou Ma’s house, and the other—well, he’s always over there. That kid, Old Madam Chen’s grandson, he’s dating Zhou Ma’s daughter now.”
“They’re really lucky—both kids are so successful. The parents will have an easy life in the future.”
“Isn’t that the truth…”
……
Mother Zhou didn’t pay much attention to the chatter. It was mostly admiration and envy, and she had heard it plenty of times before. At first, she couldn’t help but smile, but soon, she learned to keep her pride in check. It didn’t take long to get used to it.
Her daughter was talented and had achieved great things, but it was all earned through her own hard work. Over a decade of diligent studying, enduring summer heat, and winter cold, day after day—her efforts were worthy of this result.
Today, Zhou Yao and Chen Xuze were heading to school. They had bought late tickets, so they could still have lunch at home before leaving. Mother Zhou took it more seriously than the New Year, buying so many ingredients that their small dining table couldn’t even hold all the dishes.
Zhou Ma didn’t complain about her going overboard. After all, it was an important day. Once Zhou Yao left for university, she’d only come home during holidays. The daughter they saw every day would soon be far away, studying in the capital. Who knew? Maybe she’d go even further in the future. Their home would always be here, but the number of times she’d return, the hours she’d spend under their roof, and the moments the three of them could sit together as a family—those would only grow fewer and fewer.
It was too fast.
Looking at Zhou Yao’s gentle face, Zhou Ma couldn’t help but feel emotional.
He remembered when she was first born, a tiny baby wrapped in swaddling clothes. She used to smile all the time, and her smile was different—her eyes would curve as she looked at people, making anyone who saw her instantly happy.
They had missed out on too much time with her. Not just him—Mother Zhou, too. They hadn’t given her enough attention, hadn’t been good enough to her. Maybe they had been blinded by foolishness, letting such a wonderful child be overlooked right under their noses for so long.
Zhou Ma sighed, full of self-reproach.
Zhou Yao heard and assumed he was reluctant to see her go—though that was certainly part of it. She reassured him, “Dad, as long as I don’t have schoolwork keeping me busy, I’ll come home for the holidays to spend time with you and Mom.”
“It’s fine, I know. Your studies are important. You’re going to school to learn and grow—don’t let worrying about home get in the way.” Zhou Ma smiled, waving a hand. “If we miss you, your mom and I will call. And now that transportation is so convenient, we can always visit you ourselves—make a trip out of it, right?”
Seeing that he had already talked himself into feeling better, Zhou Yao felt relieved.
Chen Xuze had been at the Zhou house since early morning, back to his previous treatment—getting called over for breakfast. Mother Zhou had personally made the noodles. It seemed like all her years of cooking skills had been saved for this one day. Perhaps it was because she had put so much care into it, but the noodles turned out especially delicious.
The usually quiet Chen Xuze finished his bowl completely and even gave a rare compliment. “Auntie, the noodles are really good.”
Mother Zhou was pleased but pretended to scold him. “Hmph, always looking for an opportunity to flatter me. Smooth talker…” Yet, even as she spoke, she ladled another huge bowl of noodles for him.
Chen Xuze: “…”
He had just been speaking from the heart. And he really was full. Another bowl? That was pushing it. But under his future mother-in-law’s expectant gaze, he had no choice but to slowly eat a few more bites.
……
After their lavish lunch, Zhou Yao and Chen Xuze rested briefly at home. When it was about time, they set off for the station.
The Zhou couple walked them to the alley entrance. No matter how much Zhou Yao protested, Zhou Ma insisted on carrying her luggage. It was their first time going to university, and they had quite a lot of things to bring. Both their suitcases were heavy.
At the street corner, noticing Zhou Ma’s concern, Chen Xuze said, “If Yaoyao can’t carry it, I’ll help her.”
“You just worry about yourself first!” Mother Zhou lightly smacked his arm. She had spoken harshly to him for so long, but at this moment, her true feelings as an elder finally surfaced. “When you’re outside, don’t go around putting on that cold face. If you offend people, no matter how good-looking you are, it won’t help! And don’t worry about Yaoyao—she’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself. I’m not worried about her at all. But you—after all these years, away from your grandparents, I don’t even know if you’ve learned anything. You’ve spent all your time shut up at home. Out there, you need to be mindful. If there’s something you don’t know, ask Yaoyao. You two should look after each other and support each other. Just try not to make us worry too much…”
Mother Zhou rambled on, every word full of care.
Chen Xuze nodded repeatedly, obediently listening to the lecture.
Zhou Yao and Chen Xuze only allowed the Zhou couple to see them off to the alley entrance, refusing to let them go any further. After getting into the taxi, Zhou Yao sat by the window, waving goodbye to her reluctant parents standing by the roadside.
The car drove farther and farther away, but in the rearview mirror, they could still see the two figures standing in place.
……
At nineteen, Zhou Yao and Chen Xuze walked out of the alley where they had been born, grown up, and lived for more than a decade—together.
Later, she became a doctor, often traveling abroad with medical teams for conferences or providing aid in impoverished countries. He pursued scientific research, sometimes so busy that he barely had time to eat, yet their relationship remained strong.
The alley was demolished two years after their graduation, and every household was allocated new housing. Zhou’s couple moved into their new home, refusing Zhou Yao’s offer to buy them another one, claiming it would be a waste. After all, in their eyes, one home was enough.
The old house left behind by Chen Xuze’s grandparents was also torn down, and though they received a new place in exchange, they rarely went back to stay. Mother Zhou often went to clean it, making sure the place was kept tidy so that Zhou Yao and Chen Xuze could stay there whenever they returned.
The two of them got married the year they graduated. Perhaps it was because they had spent so much time apart in the beginning that every reunion felt like a honeymoon. Even later, when they settled in the same city, working and living together, they remained inseparable, never tiring of each other.
They had a son and a daughter—one resembling him, the other resembling her.
Chen Xuze wasn’t particularly strict with his children and grandchildren, but there was one thing no one was allowed to touch—his notebook.
Many, many years later, his grandchildren finally opened it, expecting to find notes related to his research. Instead, they discovered it was nothing more than a simple diary.
The entire diary was filled with entries written in the first and second person—only ‘I’ and ‘you.’ There were no other names, no other people. Every recorded moment revolved around ‘I’ and ‘you.’ The ‘I’ was, of course, Chen Xuze. The ‘you’ was Zhou Yao.
“Today, you really liked the flowers that arrived. You spent a long time arranging them in the vase, wanting to trim the leaves. I stopped you. You asked me if they looked good, and I said they did—but honestly... I won’t say it out loud, but you should probably give up on flower arranging. Of course, I can’t tell you that. The night is a bit chilly; sleeping alone on the couch would be too pitiful.”
“You said the noodles at the restaurant we ate at today were delicious. I thought so too. We’ll go again next time to try a different dish. I asked if you’d like that, and you smiled at me. In that instant, my mood lifted.”
“There was a heavy thunderstorm today. We shut the doors and windows, pulled the curtains, turned off the lights, and curled up together under the blankets, watching a movie on the screen. The weather was awful, but life felt wonderful.”
……
He had recorded so much—big moments and small details, everything was written down.
On the last page of the diary, there was an entry where he reminisced about the day they left their old alley.
“We made a promise to walk out of that alley together. In the end, we really did it. When we left, we didn’t look back, just walked straight ahead. In the taxi, I held your hand—it was a little cold. I asked if you were cold, and you shook your head, saying no.”
“That moment, you smiled at me, your eyes curved, lips slightly lifted. In that instant, I could already see what our future would look like.”
The final sentence was written on the second-to-last line.
He spoke, speaking to Zhou Yao:
“If you are with me through all four seasons, then this life will be good.”
-The End-
----------
If you like my translation, please support me by buying me a coffee:
0 comments:
Post a Comment