Chapter 57 Night
"Zhiyi, where are you going with your bike so late at night?"
"No, I just practice driving..."
"Practice outside?"
"Well, just practice in the yard for a while. Grandpa, go back to the house and don't worry about me."
They have been commuting on Cailing's bicycle these past two days. After all, it is very troublesome for others. Although Cailing doesn't mind for them, Liu Zhiyi, who has always been thin-skinned, doesn't want to continue like this.
Of course, it wasn't that she didn't want to go to and from school with them. She just wanted to be able to ride a bike to and from school earlier like them.
So after dinner and taking a shower, she started practicing riding her bike in the yard.
At this time of night, the yard is very cool. Without the obstruction of tall buildings, there is always a cool breeze blowing from afar in the air.
When you look up, you can see the brilliant starry sky without light pollution and haze. Every star seems to be within reach. Occasionally, in the corner of the yard, you can even see falling stars, which are flying fireflies.
The croaking of frogs is accompanied by the chirping of insects, and the rustling of leaves in the wind. In fact, the sounds of the world are everywhere in the ears, but it always gives people a feeling of silence.
In fact, her home was indeed very quiet. In the huge space, there were only her and her grandfather at home.
She was practicing riding her bicycle in the yard while her grandfather was reading in the living room. He was wearing a pair of reading glasses with thick lenses. His hands were rough and cracked like the firewood piled in the yard, but he turned the pages of the book very gently. It was just that he was old, so his hands were not as steady, and occasionally they shook when he turned the pages.
The book in grandpa's hand is older than her, his granddaughter, and maybe even older than her father. It is a thread-bound edition of "Dream of the Red Chamber". Over the years, she has no idea how many times he has read it, but he is still reading it.
Liu Zhiyi had naturally read it, but not much. When she was very young, she had already finished reading the four great classics. To be honest, "Dream of Red Mansions" was the one she disliked the most. It was obscure, difficult to understand, and full of complex human nature, the vicissitudes of the world, and the tragedy between the lines. For her, who was reading "Dream of Red Mansions" for the first time, the fun of reading was far less than that of the other three.
She was born smart. I still remember that when she finished reading Dream of the Red Chamber, she couldn't wait to tell her grandfather that she had finished it in just two days. Her grandfather didn't ask her what she understood, or even talk to her about the plot and characters in the book. He just smiled and said indifferently: "You just listened to it."
She was quite unconvinced at the time, and chattered away to her grandfather about her understanding. Her grandfather did not comment or correct her, but just smiled.
Did you just hear a noise?
Thinking about it now, it seems to be true. Even though she hasn't read Red Mansions for a long time, after experiencing some things, she suddenly recalled her huge bias in understanding the characters. It seems that she suddenly went from "hearing a sound" to "where this sound came from and how it was made."
Later, she no longer dared to say that she understood a book. Perhaps the book itself was just the tip of the iceberg, and behind the book was something truly huge.
The laws governing how the world works, or the vast epic that spans the long river of time.
In front of these, the characters are just small projections. Holding the book in your hands and turning the pages one by one, you can turn over the lives of countless people.
She likes reading, probably for this reason, this kind of pleasure is unimaginable to many people.
……
The yard is not big, and as Fang Wei said, practicing cycling in the yard is a more difficult task.
However, Liu Zhiyi had no plans to go out for practice. It was night time now, and even though the bright moonlight still illuminated the country road without street lights, there were dark, swaying shadows of trees all around, and above her head was a night sky deeper than the seabed. Being alone in such an environment, the girl was still a little scared.
So, practice in the yard!
She sat on the bicycle and rode along the longest diagonal of the yard, from one corner to the other, stumbling and bumping. Then she clumsily turned the bicycle 180 degrees, lifting it and carrying it, and rode back along the diagonal.
In addition to practicing riding a bike, Liu Zhiyi did not waste any time. While practicing, he recited the text "Spring" that he had learned this morning.
It was just an essay of more than 600 words. During the two Chinese classes, she read it several times and memorized it. Now she can recite it easily without a script, just as an exercise to consolidate her knowledge.
Her desk mate Fang Wei is also very capable. She must have memorized it long ago. She is determined to get the first place in the exam, so she can't be too lax.
As for other class assignments, she had finished them long ago. After all, they were not difficult and could be finished by just writing for a while during the break.
What really gave her a headache was practicing cycling!
Liu Zhiyi didn't know how many times she had practiced along this diagonal line, turning her head every now and then, which made her dizzy.
Fortunately, it worked to some extent. She was able to finish riding this short diagonal line without touching the ground with both feet. As for turning, it must be because the yard was too narrow and she couldn't move freely!
Noticing that his grandfather in the living room had put away his books, Liu Zhiyi stopped his practice and pushed the bicycle back under the eaves.
"Not practicing anymore?"
"Well, we'll practice again tomorrow morning. Grandpa, are you ready for bed?"
"Yes, I can't stay up late at night now. I will fall asleep soon. Zhiyi, are you hungry? There is a bun in the refrigerator. Grandpa will go to the kitchen to steam it for you."
"No, Grandpa, I'm not hungry."
Liu Zhiyi didn't spend much time with her grandfather, except when she was very young and her parents were busy with work, so they took her back to their hometown to be taken care of by her grandfather.
Later, when she was older, she went back to her hometown less often because she had to go to kindergarten and elementary school, and occasionally go to cram school during the winter and summer vacations. In addition, transportation was very inconvenient. It took five or six hours by boat from Shanghai to here. So she would only come back with her parents during the Mid-Autumn Festival and Chinese New Year every year.
Every time she came back, grandpa was very happy, and his happiness was almost written on every gray hair. He would ask her how her studies were going, how many books she had read, whether she had grown taller than last time, whether she wanted to stay in her hometown for a few more days, etc.
To be honest, Liu Zhiyi didn't have such deep feelings for her grandfather. After all, they rarely spent time together. She only knew that he was her grandfather and knew the blood relationship between her and him, but she was ignorant of what it meant.
It was not until her parents got into trouble and she was taken home by her grandfather, and the two depended on each other for survival, that she finally understood what this old man meant to her.
Each of them is the last family member of the other. All thoughts and expectations about home fall on each other, a heavy weight.
She could see that this old man, who had always been calm and kind and had taught others, was at a loss and confused when faced with this matter. He was already prepared to enjoy his old age, but suddenly he had to take over the responsibility of raising his granddaughter.
Liu Zhiyi didn't know what her grandfather was thinking during those days, but she knew that he tried his best to make her feel like she was in the city. He would ask her if she wanted to have a midnight snack, buy all kinds of snacks and put them on her desk, ask her what dishes she liked, and often chat with her, but he would stop talking when the topic was about to involve her parents...
Liu Zhiyi knew all of this. She had also thought about persuading her grandfather not to do this. She was not as fragile as he thought. But when she saw her grandfather's cautious eyes, she didn't know how to say it.
Maybe doing these things will make grandpa feel better...
……
In fact, Liu Liangxun also understood that after all, this was a small island far away from the inland. No matter what he did, it would be impossible for his granddaughter to get used to it like she would in Shanghai.
Like most families on the island, my family built their own house. A few years ago, my son paid for the reconstruction of the old house.
I still remember when the house was just built, I invited the neighbors to come over for a feast. They all said to him, "Alun has made great progress! He bought a house in Shanghai and built a house in his hometown!" He also laughed and responded with a bright face.
Thinking about it now, it seems like a dream.
After Alun left, he asked someone to bring his granddaughter and various furniture items back here.
The refrigerator that he was unwilling to buy for A-Lun at that time has now been moved back home;
Washing machines, rice cookers, air conditioners, these things that only urban families can use, have all been moved back home;
He asked someone to install an air conditioner in his granddaughter's room; he also asked his granddaughter to teach him how to use the washing machine, rice cooker, and microwave oven. After he finally learned how to use them, he still couldn't get used to them.
Looking at the extra items at home from time to time, Liu Liangxun felt a little dazed. He didn't know whether he should stay in his hometown in the village or finally agree to A Lun's words and go to Shanghai to live with him.
I probably won’t be able to enjoy my old age in peace until my granddaughter grows up.
Liu Liangxun did not sell the house in Shanghai, but asked someone to help rent it out. That was something A Lun left for his daughter, and he kept it for her. It was her wish.
Life must go on. Liu Liangxun is already half buried in the ground, so why would he still be sad about the passing of time?
His biggest wish at the moment is to take good care of his granddaughter.
……
Half past nine in the evening.
This might just be the beginning of nightlife in Shanghai, but here, the grandfather and grandson are both ready to turn off the lights and go to bed.
"Zhiyi, if your school uniform is not dry tomorrow, remember not to wear it, or you might hurt yourself."
"Oh, I see."
"Then Grandpa has gone back to his room to sleep. You should also go to bed early. Don't read too late. It's bad for your eyes."
"Okay, I'll go to sleep soon."
"If it's hot, just turn on the air conditioner."
"It's okay, Grandpa, I'm not hot."
"it is good."
Grandpa left her door. Soon, Liu Zhiyi heard the sound of doors closing and lights turning off, and the corridor outside the door became dim.
She was the only bright spot in the house.
But soon, the light in her room went out because she promised her grandfather to go to bed early.
I didn't turn on the air conditioner, not because I couldn't bear to spend the electricity bill, but because the nights on this small island are cool, not as hot and stuffy as in Shanghai where tall buildings are towering. In windy weather, there is no real need for air conditioning.
The girl lay flat on the bed, with a fan blowing gently beside her. She pulled a corner of the sheet to cover her belly.
After a while, she changed to lying on her side, crumpled the sheets into a ball and held them in her arms.
Unable to sleep, she gently opened her eyes again.
The night on the small island is very magical.
The moonlight outside the window illuminates the room clearly, and the fireflies flying among the grass are persistently emitting a faint light;
Occasionally the wind blows, blowing the branches outside the window, and they sway in the wind, casting long shadows.
The cicadas also quieted down, and the symphony of frogs and katydids came on stage;
She could even hear the sound of distant waves and the wind blowing through the woods.
At first, she would think about the past, and gradually, her thoughts jumped to the past two days.
Think about the text I just memorized, think about the bicycle I practiced, think about Cailing, Fang Wei, and Asheng, what are they doing now...
As she thought about it, she started thinking about the future.
Will I be able to meet Fang Wei jogging tomorrow? Cai Ling said she would take her to the beach this weekend, but she doesn’t even know what to eat at the beach. If she brings back something inedible, she will definitely be laughed at…
In this gentle tranquility, with all these random thoughts.
She fell asleep quietly.
(Thanks again to RUY16109 for being the leader! The boss is generous! The boss is making a fortune!)
(End of this chapter)
