svetikya Chapter 69 Yu Xin's Misunderstanding
Chapter 69 Yu Xin's Misunderstanding
Just as they expected, the letter was full of the naive confessions of a young man, and it was signed by Sun Qingfa.
After reading the letter, the second sister frowned and said, "What do we do now? Should we give the letter to our younger sister?"
The older sister thought for a moment, then shook her head: "We can't give it to her! It's best if she doesn't know about this. She's so young, what's the point of dating? It will not only interfere with her studies, but she'll also easily be deceived."
The second sister suddenly laughed, teasing the eldest sister on purpose: "So how do you find a boyfriend?"
The older sister blushed instantly and quickly defended herself, "How can I be compared to her? I'm not going to school anymore, so dating won't affect anything. You and your younger sister are still in school, especially your younger sister, you can't mess around like that."
The second sister pursed her lips and asked again, "So how do we resolve this now? We can't just let that guy keep eyeing my little sister, can we?"
The older sister thought for a moment and said, "Go to school tomorrow and find out who this Sun Qingfa is, what he looks like, and tell me at noon. We'll find a chance to talk to him and tell him to stop harassing my younger sister."
Having made up their minds, the two sisters hid the love letter in the eldest sister's drawer. Guo Xianmei had no idea from beginning to end that there had been a love letter in her schoolbag, nor did she know that this letter had already stirred up quite a storm—she, like Qiao Shuang, was kept in the dark.
The next morning, the second sister arrived at school and asked several familiar girls in her class. She quickly found out who Sun Qingfa was and even secretly glanced at him a few times during break. At noon, after school, she rushed outside to find her eldest sister and told her everything she had learned.
The two sisters squatted by the roadside discussing, "We can't say it at school. What if my younger sister or her classmates see us and it gets out?"
"Then we'll wait for him on his way home from school. He takes this route every day. We'll block him at the intersection ahead."
The two had originally agreed to just warn Sun Qingfa to stop thinking about Guo Xianmei and to stay away from her. But when they actually got to the roadside to wait, the second sister's anger flared up—her eldest sister had a boyfriend, even her younger sister had someone writing her love letters, and she was already in her final year of junior high, no less attractive than her sisters, so why didn't anyone pursue her? The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, and she vented all her anger on Sun Qingfa.
So as soon as the two saw Sun Qingfa approaching, the second sister slapped him before the eldest sister could even speak. Seeing her younger sister attack, the eldest sister, fearing she would be hurt, quickly rushed to help. The two women fought frantically, leaving Sun Qingfa completely disoriented.
After the two sisters left, cursing and swearing, Hong Liguo quickly helped Fa Zi sit down. Looking at the bloodstains on his face, she felt both distressed and helpless: "You've done such a disastrous thing. You confessed your feelings but failed, and then you got beaten up. You're so unlucky."
Fa Zi covered his face, his eyes a little red, but he didn't say anything—his little expectation of love was shattered by two slaps, leaving only grievance and disappointment.
The next morning, Hong Liguo went to find Fa Zi to go to school together. Fa Zi pushed his bicycle out, but refused to get on. He was hesitant and seemed very afraid of going to school.
After walking for a while, Fa Zi said to Hong Liguo, "Can you ask me for a day off today? I... I don't want to go to school."
"Why?" Hong Liguo turned around and asked him.
Fa Zi's face flushed red instantly. He didn't say why, but Hong Liguo immediately guessed when he saw the finger marks on Fa Zi's face—Fa Zi was probably embarrassed to go to school because of the injuries, afraid that his classmates would see and laugh at him. On the other hand, he was also afraid that Guo Xianmei would cause him trouble. He didn't know how Guo Xianmei would behave today. Would she publicly criticize him, or would she embarrass him by publishing her love letter like Zhang Qiaoyun did? He was genuinely afraid, so he asked Hong Liguo to ask him for a day off and also told Hong Liguo to pay attention to Guo Xianmei's attitude to see if she would cause him any trouble.
Hong Liguo asked, "Then where are you going?"
Fa Zi thought for a moment and said, "Where else can I go? I'll hide at the billiards hall for the day! I'll come back after school."
Back then, there were no karaoke bars, dance halls, or arcades in the countryside. The only place to go was the billiard hall, which became a refuge for all truant students. Hong Liguo had been there too.
When Hong Liguo arrived at school, he had just sat down when he heard his deskmate ask, "Why isn't Fa Zi here? Did he ask for leave?"
His heart tightened, and he quickly took out paper and pen to write a leave note. He explained the situation to the teacher: "Teacher, Sun Qingfa accidentally fell on his way home from school yesterday and scraped his face. He's embarrassed to come to school, so please ask me to ask for a day off for him." The teacher didn't ask any questions and signed the note to agree.
During the break, Hong Liguo watched Guo Xianmei sitting quietly in her seat reading, noticing nothing unusual about her. He couldn't help but sigh—Fa Zi's cherished love had shattered so easily, without even a proper answer. He thought back to his own love letter that had sunk without a trace, and suddenly felt that the affections of young people were sometimes like a gust of wind, coming and going quickly, disappearing before they could even be grasped.
His deskmate, Cui Zhiguo, asked him mysteriously in a low voice, "I heard that Sun Qingfa got scratched on his way home from school yesterday. Is that true?" As he said this, Cui Zhiguo had a smug smile on his face.
Hong Liguo looked at Cui Zhiguo in surprise: "Who told you this nonsense? It's completely untrue."
"Many classmates were talking about this this morning. You said it didn't happen, so why didn't he come to school today? You two usually come together."
"He wasn't feeling well today and took the day off," Hong Liguo said, trying to cover for Fa Zi.
"I heard from others that he was scratched by two women yesterday." Cui Zhiguo had a gloating look on his face, which was annoying to look at. Hong Li really wanted to grab him and punch him.
At this moment, Hong Liguo noticed that Zhang Yulan at the table in front of him was eavesdropping on their conversation and even turned her head to look at him.
Hong Liguo happened to see her as well. When Zhang Yulan saw him looking over, she quickly turned her head away.
Looking at Zhang Yulan's beautiful face, a face that could make one's heart flutter, Hong Liguo wondered to himself, "Zhang Yulan is such a wonderful girl, how could Fa Zi have fallen for someone else? What exactly happened between them? Did they confess to each other, or did Fa Zi secretly test the waters but then back down because he wasn't confident?"
Cui Zhiguo wanted to ask something else, but Hong Liguo ignored him—he really hated Cui Zhiguo's attitude.
This guy was never one to be trifled with. I heard he flirted with girls back in seventh grade, and he wasn't behaving well in his original eighth grade class either, always focusing on winning over female classmates. Now that he's been held back and is in Hong Liguo's class, he's been eyeing Zhang Yulan from the start. If Hong Liguo hadn't secretly warned him for Fa Zi's sake, this kid would have already made his move. And look at how smug he was when he heard Fa Zi got scratched, he's clearly no good.
Subsequent events confirmed Hong Liguo's judgment: After graduating from teachers' college, Cui Zhiguo returned to the city to become a teacher. Many years after his marriage, he was still unfaithful and actually hooked up with a young female teacher and even lived with her.
To support his mistress, he borrowed money from all over the place. At that time, he had not been in contact with Hong Liguo for a long time, but he found Hong Liguo's house through other classmates.
Hong Liguo didn't know his specific situation at the time, but out of friendship, he invited him to stay for a meal.
He said the school hadn't been able to pay his salary for several months, and he was short of money, so he wanted to borrow some money from Hong Liguo to tide him over.
Hong Liguo had made some money from small construction projects over the years, and since he happened to have some cash on hand, he felt embarrassed to refuse his old classmate's request, so he lent him some money. To Hong Liguo's surprise, Cui Zhiguo didn't mention repaying the money for several years.
Later, Hong Liguo inquired around and learned that Cui Zhiguo had borrowed money to support his mistress. When the affair was exposed, his mistress left him, and his wife also demanded a divorce. Their arguments even spilled over into his workplace, causing him immense psychological stress, ultimately leading to depression and schizophrenia. Although the divorce didn't happen, he and his wife continued to live separately. Later, Hong Liguo bought an apartment in the city, and coincidentally, it was in the same complex as Cui Zhiguo's.
After class, many students went out to play. Hong Liguo packed up his books and was about to leave when Zhang Yulan suddenly turned around and asked him, "Why didn't Sun Qingfa come to school today?"
When Hong Liguo heard her ask this, his heart skipped a beat: "Could it be that she also knows about Fa Zi being scratched?"
"Oh! He's not feeling well today, so he asked me to give him a day off. He'll be here tomorrow."
"Not feeling well? What's wrong with him? Is he sick?" Zhang Yulan asked with concern.
Hong Liguo was very surprised: "Didn't they break up? It seems Zhang Yulan still cares about him quite a bit. Could it be that Fa Zi is trying to have his cake and eat it too? It's not over on this side, but he wants to start something else on the other side? Holy crap! This kid is too dishonest!"
Hong Liguo didn't dare to think too much about it and quickly replied, "It's nothing, a small matter. I'll be here tomorrow."
Although Zhang Yulan was somewhat skeptical, she didn't press the matter further and turned to leave.
Hong Liguo really couldn't understand what was going on between the two of them: had it started but not ended, or had it ended but they were unwilling to let go and wanted to continue, or had it never even started? But if it hadn't started, what did Zhang Yulan's concern for Fa Zi mean? This matter really baffled him.
Hong Liguo guessed that Zhang Yulan must have heard about Fa Zi being scratched, which was why she came to ask him about it. He thought to himself, "Fa Zi, you've really lost face this time. The whole school knows you got scratched."
During lunch break, the students ate the food they brought from home. Some went out to play, some dozed off at their desks, and some chatted quietly.
Hong Liguo packed up his lunchbox, got up and left the classroom, intending to go chat with Jun Ge and the others.
Just then, he noticed that Guo Xianmei had followed him out. Hong Liguo guessed that she must have deliberately followed him out, so he slowed down to see what she meant. He was also about to question Guo Xianmei: If she didn't want to date Fa Zi, she should have just said so. Nobody forced her to date. Why did she have her two older sisters scratch Fa Zi halfway through the trip, making it impossible for Fa Zi to go to school?
Seeing that no one was around, Guo Xianmei hurried a few steps to catch up with Hong Liguo and called out, "Hong Liguo, wait a moment."
In fact, Hong Liguo hadn't been walking fast at all; he had been waiting for her to call him.
"Did you call me for something?" Hong Liguo asked deliberately, knowing the answer already.
"Oh! I, I want to ask you something." Guo Xianmei seemed very uncomfortable.
"What is it? Tell me."
"Why didn't Sun Qingfa come to school today?"
Hearing this, Hong Liguo couldn't help but find it amusing, thinking to himself, "Don't you know why he didn't come to school? You had your two older sisters scratch him up, and now you're asking about it? What's the meaning of this? To see if you scratched him to death?"
He said somewhat unhappily, "Don't you know why he didn't come?"
Guo Xianmei said awkwardly, "I heard that he was beaten up on his way home yesterday, is that right?"
Hong Liguo scoffed inwardly, "Still? Absolutely! And it was your two older sisters who did it!"
He was still angry as he said, "Don't you know more about this than I do? Why are you asking me?"
Guo Xianmei continued, "I heard from others that my sister hit him, is that true? Why?"
"Why?" This question surprised Hong Liguo. Back then, Guo Xianmei's sister stopped him and Fa Zi, and started scratching Fa Zi. He was also caught in the crossfire and got hit several times. If he hadn't blocked the blows, his face would have been red too. But now Guo Xianmei was asking him why. Did she really not know the reason?
Hong Liguo looked at Guo Xianmei with suspicion: "You really don't know why, or are you deliberately pretending not to know?"
"I really don't know why! I only heard it from other classmates when I got to school this morning. I ran over and asked my second sister, and she said there was no reason, she just didn't like him, and told me not to ask anymore. It's all so confusing—how could he have a grudge against my sister?"
Hearing Guo Xianmei say this, Hong Liguo figured she genuinely didn't know the reason. It seemed she certainly hadn't seen the love letter Fa Zi had written to her either; otherwise, she could have guessed the reason.
Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he immediately understood: it must have been Guo Xianmei's sister who had secretly read Fa Zi's love letter, and without telling Guo Xianmei, she had gone to cause trouble for Fa Zi in private.
"Do you know what their feud is like? My sister wouldn't have hit him for no reason!" Guo Xianmei asked again.
Hong Liguo thought for a moment and decided to tell the truth: "Then I'll tell you the truth! Fa Zi wrote you a letter and put it in your schoolbag. You should understand what I mean, right?"
Guo Xianmei was two years older than him, so how could she not understand these things? Hearing Hong Liguo say this, her face flushed red, and her voice trembled slightly: "I...I didn't see it! I...I really didn't see any letter!"
Hong Liguo felt that she didn't seem to be lying; she probably really hadn't read the love letter, otherwise she would never have come to ask him why.
"If you really didn't see it, then you'll have to ask your two older sisters. They must have taken the letter, otherwise they wouldn't have bothered Fa Zi."
"Then, I... I'll go ask my sister."
Watching Guo Xianmei's departing figure, Hong Liguo couldn't figure out what she meant—did she just want to know the truth, or did she want to see what was written in that love letter? It seemed that the outcome would only be known after she learned the truth.
Later, Hong Liguo didn't know if Guo Xianmei had actually gone to ask her sister for clarification, nor did he know if the love letter was still in her second sister's hands; perhaps it had already been torn up or burned. He only saw that for a long time afterward, Guo Xianmei acted very reserved, always looking preoccupied.
Moreover, Wang Yuxin saw Hong Liguo and Guo Xianmei's conversation and seemed very angry at the time.
On the way home from school, Wang Yuxin followed Hong Liguo and the others without saying a word—completely different from her usual personality. Previously, when she walked with them, she would always chat happily with Hong Liguo with a sweet smile, talking almost the entire way.
Hong Liguo deliberately slowed down, and when Wang Yuxin was walking alongside him, he asked her, "What's wrong with you today? You seem unhappy?"
Wang Yuxin didn't even turn his head, and threw a sentence at him: "What's it to you? Just go and have fun."
Hearing the anger in her words, Hong Liguo knew she was indeed unhappy, but he had no idea why or what to say to her, so he simply kept quiet and rode alongside her.
After walking for a while, we passed a bend and entered an uneven dirt road, forcing the bicycle to slow down.
The road surface was uneven and full of potholes, and Wang Yuxin almost slipped and fell. Hong Liguo quickly reminded him, "Be careful, this part is difficult to walk on."
"It's none of your business, just go your own way! I'm not new to this, I know how to get here."
"You seem angry. What's wrong? Who are you so angry with?" Hong Liguo asked again.
"With you."
Upon hearing this, Hong Liguo was instantly stunned: "You're angry with me? I haven't done anything to you, why are you angry with me?"
Wang Yuxin didn't say anything more, she just pedaled the bicycle hard, as if the bicycle had offended her and she was determined to break it.
After driving for a while, they were not far from Wang Yuxin's village. She suddenly slowed down, and Hong Liguo also slowed down.
At this moment, Wang Yuxin suddenly asked, "What did Guo Xianmei say to you today? You two talked for so long."
Oh! Hong Liguo understood now—Wang Yuxin must have seen him talking to Guo Xianmei today, and that's why she was angry.
He couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Seeing him laugh, Wang Yuxin became even more annoyed: "You still have the mind to laugh! I'm ignoring you!"
After saying that, she sped up the car.
Hong Liguo quickly caught up and explained, "Do you know about Fa Zi being beaten yesterday?"
Wang Yuxin slowed down again and replied, "I've heard about it."
"Do you know who hit Fa Zi?"
"I heard from others that she is Guo Xianmei's second sister."
"That's right, it was her sister who hit her."
Why did her sister hit him?
Having no other choice, Hong Liguo had to reveal that Fa Zi had written a love letter to Guo Xianmei.
After listening, Wang Yuxin smiled faintly and looked at Hong Liguo, asking, "Is everything you said true?"
"Every word is true, I have no reason to lie to you! Today, Guo Xianmei came to me to ask why her sister was sending her a letter. I told her about the letter she wrote to her and said, 'If you don't believe me, go ask your sister.' I don't know if she went to ask her or not; I doubt she would dare to."
Through the afterglow of the sunset, Hong Liguo saw a satisfied smile on Wang Yuxin's face, with a slight blush on her cheeks—that blush accompanying her smile was just like the sunset rising in the sky, so beautiful that it was hard to look away.
Hong Liguo couldn't help but sigh inwardly: Wang Yuxin's smile is so handsome, how come I never noticed before!
No wonder, at that time, Hong Liguo's eyes, heart, and dreams were all filled with Qiao Shuang, and he had no intention of paying attention to other girls.
"Now that you know the truth, you're not angry anymore, are you? Are you satisfied?" Hong Liguo asked her with a smile.
"What I'm angry about is none of my business. What do I have to be satisfied or dissatisfied with?" Wang Yuxin retorted softly, her cheeks flushed.
Watching Wang Yuxin's departing figure, Hong Liguo fell into deep thought: Did she see him talking to Guo Xianmei today by chance, or was she deliberately paying attention? Could it be that she has been watching his every move in class? Then, did she already know that he had been secretly staring at Qiao Shuang all those days? Thinking of this, Hong Liguo's heart began to pound wildly, and he himself did not know why he was so flustered.
Looking back now, his story with Wang Yuxin actually only truly began from that moment.