It was already eight o'clock at night when Jiang Silu got back to school.
As soon as she walked into the dorm, her roommate, Song Miaomiao, who was watching a show, asked curiously, "Silu, where'd you go today? How come you're back so late?"
Jiang Silu explained, "I went out for a bit, but then it started raining, and my bike got a flat tire. That held me up for a while."
Song Miaomiao immediately started to complain, "Agh, I was so bored with you gone today. Lu Yao and Shiting both went out."
There were four people in their dorm room in total.
They were Jiang Silu, Song Miaomiao, Lu Yao, and Liu Shiting.
Of the three, Jiang Silu was closest with Song Miaomiao.
Even though school had only started less than two months ago, the two had already become best friends.
As for her other two roommates, Jiang Silu's relationship with them was just okay.
Lu Yao had a great figure and had been learning street dance since she was little. She spent her days hanging out with guys and often didn't return until just before the dorm's curfew.
Liu Shiting was a Jinling local. When she didn't have class, she would either drive somewhere to hang out or go home, so she was rarely in the dorm.
That's right—as soon as she graduated high school, her father bought her a BMW as a coming-of-age gift.
This gap in wealth naturally meant that Jiang Silu and Liu Shiting didn't have much to talk about.
But Jiang Silu didn't mind. After all, she felt her life was quite good. When she didn't have classes, she could even work part-time as a server in the cafeteria.
She did it for no other reason than to earn a little extra money and lighten her mother's burden.
Thinking of this, she dialed Jiang Yixia's number.
"Hello? Mom."
"Hello, Lulu. Have you eaten?" A gentle, pleasant female voice came from the other end of the line.
The voice was like honey steeped in warm water, tinged with a slow, gentle languor. Her final syllables curved slightly upward, wrapped in just the right amount of tenderness.
Jiang Silu answered, "I've already eaten. I just ate at the cafeteria."
"Eat more. You're already so thin. Don't worry about the money. If you run out, just tell Mom," Jiang Yixia urged.
Jiang Silu replied playfully, "Mom, you have the nerve to say that about me? You're just as thin."
"You silly girl. Mom's thin because I was born this way. I don't gain weight no matter what I eat."
"Haha! Then I must be born this way too. I take after you, after all," Jiang Silu said cheekily.
Hearing her daughter's response, Jiang Yixia chuckled. "That mouth of yours... I can't handle you. When you come back for winter break, I'll let your brother deal with you."
"Nyah nyah nyah! My brother can't control me." At this, Jiang Silu's voice turned a little pouty. "Mom, I miss you."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yixia hesitated for a moment before comforting her, "It's okay. If you really miss Mom, you can find time to come home for a weekend."
"The high-speed train tickets are too expensive," Jiang Silu lamented. "A round trip costs several hundred."
"What's there to be afraid of? Mom will reimburse you." Jiang Yixia feigned a lighthearted tone. "Business at the flower shop is booming. You don't need to worry about money. You, on the other hand, shouldn't always be thinking about part-time jobs. Mom will send you living expenses every month. Your job is to study hard at school, understand? Did you go work your part-time job again today?"
"No."
Jiang Silu suddenly remembered what had happened that day and said excitedly, "Mom, I went to the old city district you used to talk about!"
Hearing this, Jiang Yixia's heart jolted on the other end of the line. She asked nervously, "What old district?"
"You once said you lived in that area of tiled-roof houses in Jinling South City. I heard that area is about to be torn down for urban renewal, so since I didn't have class this afternoon, I rode my bike over to take a picture for you as a memento. I'll send it to you."
As she spoke, Jiang Silu opened WeChat and sent a photo to Jiang Yixia.
With a trembling finger, Jiang Yixia tapped the photo to enlarge it. The familiar cluster of buildings instantly filled her vision.
Her eyes began to redden as she stared blankly at the picture.
When Jiang Yixia didn't speak for a long time, Jiang Silu asked from the other end of the line, "Mom, did you see the photo? Is that really the place where you used to live?"
"I saw it." After composing herself, Jiang Yixia replied, feigning calmness, "Yes, that's where Mom used to live."
"Oh, right, Mom."
Jiang Silu couldn't wait to tell her about meeting Lu Fan that day. "I also ran into an old colleague of yours! This uncle said he used to work with you at the Jinling Electronics Factory, and he even asked if your name was Jiang Yixia. My bike had a flat tire, and he helped me take it to the repair shop."
"An old colleague?" Jiang Yixia was puzzled. "Who?"
"His last name is Lu. He said you'd know who he was if I mentioned Uncle Lu. Mom, is he really your old colleague?" Jiang Silu asked curiously.
The moment Jiang Silu's words fell, the line went silent, leaving only the faint crackle of static.
A second later, Jiang Yixia's voice burst through, stripped of its earlier gentle composure. It was tight, sharp, and trembling uncontrollably. "Lu? You said his last name is Lu?!"
Her rising tone was laced with panic and disbelief, as if a boulder had been thrown into a calm lake, completely shattering the rhythm of her once-gentle voice.
Even her breathing grew ragged. You could feel her panic through the phone. "Is he... is he around forty, tall, and well-dressed?"
The urgency in her voice nearly burst from the receiver. Every word carried a suppressed agitation, like an old scar, held down for years, had suddenly been torn open.
The deeply buried feelings of grievance, resentment, and fear all surged up at once, making her voice tremble uncontrollably.
"Yes, Mom. You remember him?" Jiang Silu replied. "He seemed very respectable, wearing a suit. He didn't look like an ordinary person. He also asked about you, and about our family."
"Don't tell him anything!" Jiang Yixia cut her off abruptly. The urgency in her voice was almost enough to break through the receiver, her breathing heavy and ragged.
You could imagine how tense she must be. "Lulu, listen to Mom. If you ever run into him again, don't say a single word about you, your brother, or me! Stay far away from him, do you hear me?"
Startled by her mother's unprecedentedly stern tone, Jiang Silu asked with concern, "Mom, what's wrong? Is he a bad person? He didn't seem like one. He even helped me..."
"He is not a good person!" Jiang Yixia's voice was tinged with a suppressed sob. Her agitation hadn't subsided, and now a note of grievance crept in. "Just listen to me. Don't get involved with him in any way! Mom... Mom's afraid he'll hurt you."
Her voice faded on the last few words, trembling noticeably as if she were desperately holding something back.
Although Jiang Silu was full of questions, seeing her mother so upset, she could only say, "Okay, Mom, I'll listen to you. I won't have anything to do with him anymore. Please don't be angry, and don't be sad, okay?"
"Mm..." Jiang Yixia's voice softened slightly. "Just be careful from now on, and don't see him again."
After hanging up, Jiang Silu stared at the contact name "Mom" on her phone screen, her heart filled with confusion.
'What kind of history did that gentle Uncle Lu have with my mother to make her react so intensely?'
Meanwhile, on the other end, Jiang Yixia hung up the phone and leaned against the doorframe of her flower shop as if all her strength had drained away.
Her face was as pale as paper, her fingertips still trembling uncontrollably. The memories she had forcibly suppressed moments ago now came rushing back like a tidal wave.
The Jinling Electronics Factory, the ten-square-meter rental room, the arguments on rainy nights, and the sight of Lu Fan turning away, surrounded by other women.
'Lu Fan... How did he find this place? How did he run into Lulu?'
'Is he here to collect a debt? Or does he want to destroy the peaceful life I have now?'
Jiang Yixia pressed a hand to her chest, gasping for breath as tears instantly welled in her eyes.
"He's not a good person... He's not..."