As Gu’er was heading out to eat, she happened to run into Aunt Zhao coming out of Grandma Sun’s room. Seeing Gu’er, she said quickly, "Gu’er, you’re up! Feeling any better? I’ll go heat up so food for you. This afternoon, I’ll buy an old hen and make you so soup."
Aunt Zhao’s words made Gu’er pause. ’Why would I need a hen? It’s not like I’m pregnant.’ She had no idea what Sun Jiaming had been telling people. Lost in thought, she shot Sun Jiaming a glare.
Sun Jiaming chuckled and whispered, "I just told Aunt Zhao that you caught a bit of a chill after your bath yesterday and weren’t feeling well. I swear I didn’t say anything else."
Gu’er’s face instantly flushed red.
"I’m ignoring you."
Gu’er muttered, then fled to the bathroom.
By the ti Gu’er sat down at the dining table, she had composed herself. ’I’m getting so thick-skinned,’ she thought.
Gu’er was in the middle of her al when a sudden, loud banging erupted from the door.
"Coming, coming! Who is it? Stop banging! You’re going to break the door!"
Aunt Zhao called out as she went to open the door.
When she opened the door, she found Li Zhi standing there, his hand raised as if to smash it down again.
Aunt Zhao knew Li Zhi well and quickly ushered him inside.
The mont he was inside, Li Zhi bood, "Hey, Jia Ming, Gu’er! What’s taken you so long? We’ve been waiting forever! We’ve been waiting and waiting, but you never ca down. Are you trying to leave us hanging?"
Li Zhi’s outburst left Gu’er and Sun Jiaming stunned.
"Waiting for us for what?" Gu’er asked. "We didn’t even know you were waiting. Where have you been?"
Sun Jiaming also looked at Li Zhi in confusion. ’This guy was just here drinking last night,’ he thought. ’He didn’t say anything when he left. What’s gotten into him now?’
"Gu’er, don’t tell you forgot! What did you tell yesterday? You said we were going to the park today, that we’d bring food for a picnic, and that I should get Dingzi and the grandmas so we could all go together."
Li Zhi’s eyes widened as he pointed at Gu’er.
Gu’er’s mind went blank. She’d been so preoccupied with Sun Jiaming last night that she had completely forgotten. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have slept in so late.
"Um... ah, I really did forget," Gu’er said, looking a little embarrassed.
"Unbelievable! I got up bright and early, worried about being late, then rushed out to get Dingzi and the grandmas. I got them all together, and we’ve been waiting downstairs this whole ti! We kept wondering why you weren’t coming down, and what do you know? You completely forgot. Are you trying to drive crazy?"
Li Zhi said, his cheeks puffed out in exasperation.
"Gu’er caught a chill last night, so she woke up a little late. This one’s on , not her."
Understanding what had happened, Sun Jiaming quickly jumped in to smooth things over.
"She caught a chill? Is it serious? If so, we should just cancel. Does she need to go to the hospital?"
The mont Li Zhi heard Gu’er wasn’t feeling well, his anger evaporated, replaced by concern.
This made Gu’er feel even more embarrassed.
"I’m fine. It was just a bit of a headache, but I’m all better now. Li Zhi, just give us a minute. We’ll be ready in a flash."
Gu’er felt really bad for putting Li Zhi through all that trouble.
"No rush, no rush! It doesn’t matter if we go or not. As long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters."
Li Zhi didn’t mind at all. He hadn’t truly been blaming Gu’er to begin with. He liked her, so how could he possibly stay mad at her for real?
"You finish eating. I’ll get our things."
Sun Jiaming told Gu’er to stay put.
"Don’t worry about food or anything! I’ve already got the picnic blankets and all that stuff," Li Zhi called out.
Gu’er quickly finished her bowl of porridge. By then, Sun Jiaming was ready to go. He carried Grandma Sun to Li Zhi’s car and settled her in.
anwhile, Gu’er knocked on a door to get Lin Shuying and her family.
They had originally planned to bring Li Hua, but since Gu’er had forgotten to tell her, Li Hua had already left for her job at the shopping mall.
She had also wanted to invite Lin Zheng, but without any advance notice, he had already gone to school. And with ti being short, they decided not to stop by Chen Fengjiao’s place either.
’We’ll just go this ti,’ Gu’er thought. ’Next ti, we’ll make proper plans and have everyone co along.’
Li Zhi drove them to a newly built park.
This was before small neighborhood parks beca common, and this one wasn’t as large as parks would be in the future. Still, for the ti, it was quite nice.
They strolled through the park, chatting and taking in the sights. Smiles graced everyone’s faces; they were all in high spirits.
Sitting in her wheelchair, Grandma Sun couldn’t stop smiling. She’d never imagined that one day she could visit a park so effortlessly just to enjoy the scenery. In that mont, the sky seed bluer, the flowers more beautiful, and her heart felt utterly content.
Around noon, they found a flat patch of grass. Li Zhi and the others spread out the blankets and arranged all the food and drinks on top. Everyone sat down, eating, drinking, and chatting away happily.
Holding a chicken drumstick, Gu’er ate while gazing into the distance. The green grass and red flowers were a feast for the eyes. Surrounded by her beloved, her family, and her friends, she felt an incredible sense of peace.
’It’s a sha they don’t have those simple, portable grills yet,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, a barbecue out here would be perfect.’
"You know," Li Zhi proposed, "we should do this once a month. Being outdoors just makes you feel different." He also felt that getting out to have fun with such a group was incredibly relaxing.
"But it would be too much trouble for you all,"
Grandma Sun said.
"What trouble? It’s no trouble at all! It’s a nice break for us, too."
Li Zhi said dismissively.
"Exactly, my dear friend," Grandma Dingzi chid in. "The younger generation doesn’t see it as trouble. We’ve both got one foot in the grave, so we should just relax and enjoy it. If they want to dote on us and take us out, we should just let them. Once we’re in our coffins, they won’t have anyone to fuss over even if they wanted to."
This was Grandma Dingzi’s advice. She had never imagined living such a life. Nowadays, Dingzi often took her out, and she felt her days couldn’t be more wonderful. She was reaping the rewards of her grandson’s good fortune, and she knew his success was all thanks to his friendship with Li Zhi, Gu’er, and the others.
"Alright, then. As long as they don’t mind having us old folks around, we’ll co."
Grandma Sun agreed with a nod. "And you’re right, being out here is a world of difference from being cooped up at ho." If she had the chance, she’d love to get out more often. The air inside the house was no match for the fresh air outside.
A short distance away, Lin Shuying watched her son. His face had a faint, rosy tint. He’d been taking dicine to build up his strength, and she could tell he had more energy than before. They had walked a fair bit earlier, and in the past, that would have left him looking terribly pale. But now, his cheeks were flushed. He was still weak, but it was a healthy color, not a sickly pallor. She could also see that he was no longer as withdrawn as he used to be; he seed much more at ease.
Then she looked over at her daughter, who was chattering away like a little sparrow. The smile on her face was so genuine, her joy so pure—things she had never seen in her before.
Lin Shuying’s eyes welled with tears. ’This is how people are supposed to live. This is the life I want for my children, not the one they had in that family. This is why I have to get a divorce, no matter what. I will never let my children go back to that house and live like that again.’
In that mont, Lin Shuying’s resolve was unshakable.
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