Chapter 22 – The April Sunshine

Looking at the neat small script was a kind of enjoyment for Xu Shiqi, who savored it with her eyes while her voice was enjoyed by others. She noticed that the old lady had finally fallen into a sound sleep, and only then did she gradually lower her voice. Her mouth felt dry, and she cleared her throat softly.

Wen Jialuo suddenly woke up, looked at her for a moment, then adjusted the old lady’s blanket before getting up.

“Let’s go outside.”

Xu Shiqi stood upright, leaning against the desk, her face immediately twisting a bit. Noticing Wen Jialuo looking at her, she inhaled and said, “My legs… are numb from standing.”

Wen Jialuo reached out to support her, his hand naturally clasping hers. Xu Shiqi pretended to pull her hand away to take a book off the desk, organizing the books on the table, then switched her feet to stretch and shake them a couple of times.

After turning off the desk lamp, the two stepped out the door. Wen Jialuo called the housekeeper over to prepare some tea, then watched Xu Shiqi carefully navigate the stairs in her high heels as she descended awkwardly.

Downstairs, it was quiet, with only a person in the kitchen standing by the stairs waiting for them. Upon seeing them come down, the person softly informed them that lunch was ready.

As they passed over the wooden bridge, even in the depths of winter, there was still a gentle stream flowing beneath it; perhaps there was a spring somewhere. Xu Shiqi had experienced the charm of this courtyard before, but this time, she felt that the change of seasons hadn’t left many traces in this classical courtyard that seemed filled with the atmosphere of books.

Upon entering the dining room, she was unexpectedly greeted by Wen Baohua, which made Xu Shiqi pause, hesitant to look at Wen Jialuo, feeling an inexplicable sense of guilt, as if she had been caught doing something wrong.

Fortunately, Wen Baohua simply smiled and waved her over.

Wen Baohua was somewhat surprised when she received a call from her mother. Although she knew her parents had left their beloved study and returned home, she hadn’t seen them immediately. Only after the call did she learn that her grandmother was feeling unwell, and she realized that her excitement over her pregnancy had caused her to overlook this when she returned to the old house to share the good news.

However, after returning home, it turned out to be more serious than she thought; her mother only held her hand and asked about Shiqi.

Shiqi? Hearing that Shiqi was currently at the old house, even accompanying Jialuo to help put their grandmother to sleep, Wen Baohua found it hard to believe. She had heard from her aunt that Shiqi was just accompanying Jialuo for breakfast and had come over to play. An image of Jialuo mixing rice with runny egg yolk suddenly flashed through Wen Baohua’s mind. However, thinking about the current situation, she couldn’t express her confusion about Shiqi to Jialuo at that moment.

It turned out that the elders had called her back home to inquire about Shiqi; it seemed everyone was quite interested in her. Wen Baohua felt curious but was pulled away from going upstairs so as not to disturb the old lady’s rare good sleep.

Well, Wen Baohua had always known that Shiqi’s voice was like the best gift bestowed by heaven, a unique blessing. During her time in school, Shiqi was always the lead reader in class, and she was an indispensable choice in any reading competition; she had even won numerous awards in university for this talent. However, Wen Baohua never expected Shiqi’s voice could also have a soothing effect for sleep. The thought of her reading upstairs to lull their grandmother to sleep felt a bit surreal, as if encountering a celestial being.

I know you have a good relationship with her, and she is friends with Jialuo, so I wonder if we could ask her for a favor to come stay at our house for a while. We’re all busy and won’t be home; she seems to be doing well and might be able to help out. If not, we can pay her to be a caregiver for a while, just to read to the old lady before bed to help her sleep; she can set her own price.

Shiqi is not that kind of person. Wen Baohua thought for a moment and said, “Let me handle this; you all go ahead and do your things. It won’t be good if there are too many people around, it might create pressure.”

Luo Linyi suddenly said, “Do you want me to stay?”

Wen Baohua smiled, “Aunt, you’ve helped her family before, so you’d create the most pressure. I know Shiqi; there’s no need to say these things. You all go ahead, let the housekeeper prepare some lunch, and I’ll keep Shiqi here to eat. She’ll definitely agree if I casually mention it.”

“Alright then,” Luo Linyi nodded with a smile, “Jialuo is also taking the initiative to eat this time, so I won’t keep an eye on her.”

Wen Baohua hesitated for a moment and then said what she had been thinking. After listening, Luo Linyi felt something was off; her daughter had suddenly lost all desire for food to the point that it affected her health. But now, it was as if she had awakened; she seemed to be genuinely happy and forgot to consider the underlying reasons.

Could it be that Jialuo had figured things out and let go? Everyone wondered, or maybe she had someone else she liked?

No matter who the other person was, Luo Linyi smiled, believing this should be a good thing.

Everyone nodded in agreement, but Wen Baohua still felt some things were awkward. Maybe it was that even though Jialuo had eaten with great effort that day, her expression didn’t show enjoyment; it was purely as if she needed something to fill her stomach.

However, seeing the joy on her aunt’s face, Wen Baohua didn’t want to dampen the mood and decided to keep observing for now.

Later, the adults really did leave, and she stayed behind to wait.

Seeing Shiqi enter the dining room with Jialuo, she waved.

“Why are you back?” Wen Jialuo walked over and pulled out a chair. It seemed that today, it was just the three of them having lunch, as the adults had disappeared.

Wen Baohua ignored her, pulling Xu Shiqi to sit on her other side, her face full of surprise and admiration: “Shiqi, did grandma really fall asleep just listening to you read?”

Xu Shiqi smiled, took a sip of water, and replied, “The way you say it makes it sound like a remarkable feat. I think Jialuo is much better at comforting the elderly; she seems to have a skilled technique at tucking in the blanket.”

Hearing her name called, Wen Jialuo reclined in her chair, looking at her from behind Wen Baohua: “Don’t be modest; didn’t I tell you that your voice is pleasant to listen to?”

Wen Baohua turned and glared at her: “What kind of talk is that? She’s my best classmate, and you brought her to the old house without even telling me; I haven’t even confronted you about it yet.”

“She’s also my friend,” Wen Jialuo said leisurely, glancing over.

Xu Shiqi smiled silently as she watched the sisters talk, and someone from the side brought over warm towels for them to dry their hands. The dishes were served as well—four dishes and a soup, a nice home-cooked meal. Wen Baohua served a bowl of soup for Xu Shiqi, knowing her old classmate’s habit: “Shiqi, thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me,” Xu Shiqi replied, taking the soup. “My grandmother passed away a long time ago. Seeing your grandmother reminds me of some beautiful memories, so it felt natural to do that.”

Wen Baohua looked at her, “So, Shiqi, can you stay for a few days?”

This sentence stunned those around her for a moment. Xu Shiqi was drinking soup, and Wen Jialuo was preparing to drink the soup she had just served. They both put down their bowls and looked at the person in the middle.

Xu Shiqi quickly understood, “You mean for me to read to the old lady every day?”

Wen Baohua nodded, “Shiqi, because it’s you, I won’t hold back. I just learned that grandma hasn’t been sleeping well lately,” she glanced at Wen Jialuo, “and you didn’t tell me.” She continued to Xu Shiqi, “I know you have to help at the shop during the day, so you can just come back to the old house at night to stay. Someone will pick you up and drop you off every day; I won’t be home during this time and will stay in the old house to accompany you.”

Xu Shiqi fell into a brief silence. Wen Baohua thought that given their relationship, this should be completely fine. If Xu Shiqi’s family needed help, she would have volunteered without hesitation. She believed they shared a deep bond, but seeing the hesitation in Xu Shiqi’s eyes made her suddenly frustrated with herself for being too casual. Just as she was thinking about how to phrase it more gently, Xu Shiqi smiled and nodded.

“Alright, it’s all the same where I stay. If I can help even a little, it’s just reading, after all.” She didn’t know about Baohua’s inner frustration; that moment of hesitation was simply because of the person on the other side. Although Wen Jialuo didn’t speak and was just listening, the probing gaze from her was impossible to avoid, filled with inquisitive anticipation.

If she were more clear-headed, she should refuse. Just as the undercurrents in her heart were receding, it truly wasn’t appropriate to let any more “full moon gravity” situations arise. However, thinking about how the girl was mostly not around during the week, and that the old lady indeed seemed to need her help, plus the fact that if she declined, she wouldn’t be able to face Baohua’s inquiry honestly, she could only nod in agreement.

Wen Baohua let out a sigh of relief and smiled, “Then it’s settled; let’s eat.”

After saying that, she seemed to finally remember there was another person next to her and turned to Jialuo, “Jialuo, eat slowly.”

Wen Jialuo didn’t stop eating; in fact, she didn’t seem to be in a rush at all, just methodically scooping food into her mouth.

“Hey, what are you doing…” Wen Baohua hadn’t finished speaking when Xu Shiqi nudged her arm, so she had to shut her mouth and stop talking.

Finally, Wen Jialuo set down her bowl and stood up, “I’ll go tidy up a room.”

Wen Baohua originally wanted to say that Shiqi could just share a room with her or that the tidying could be left to the maid, but she could only watch as Wen Jialuo hurried off, then helplessly said, “…Is it really that urgent?”

Xu Shiqi also set down her chopsticks. Seeing the expression on Wen Jialuo’s face, it was likely that the food she had eaten was rebelling in her stomach. She couldn’t help but feel restless, thinking about where the girl might be enduring stomach pain or if she had thrown up everything she had just eaten. But she couldn’t let the people next to her notice anything, so she gritted her teeth and mentioned what had happened in the morning.

Upon hearing that Jialuo had eaten and then vomited, Wen Baohua truly felt worried. She thought for a moment, realizing that no one could handle that stubborn cousin, and it was best to let her aunt take care of it.

After making a phone call, her aunt said she would be back soon. Wen Baohua then pulled Xu Shiqi back to the front hall to go upstairs.

Indeed, Wen Jialuo had already designated a room. Wen Baohua looked around; it was not far from grandma’s room, right next to Jialuo’s.

“I’m fine staying anywhere, no need for special tidying,” Xu Shiqi said quickly, seeing someone actively cleaning the room.

“I think it would be nice for you to stay in the same room with me,” Wen Baohua said with a smile as she linked arms with her.

“I wouldn’t dare,” Xu Shiqi pretended to panic, “I don’t sleep well, and if I accidentally kick the baby, I’d be a sinner.”

Wen Baohua laughed and leaned on her shoulder, playing along with her worried expression, “Oh, really? Then you’ll just have to suffer in sleepless solitude.”

“She won’t suffer in sleepless solitude,” Wen Jialuo suddenly chimed in from the side.

Xu Shiqi jumped in surprise.

“She can record her own voice… and then hypnotize herself,” Wen Jialuo added leisurely.

Xu Shiqi felt deflated like a punctured balloon, and for a moment, she was so energized that she almost jumped up. In the end, she could only glare at the girl who had made an unfunny joke and turned to leave, “I’ll go see if the old lady is awake.”

Wen Baohua was laughing so hard it was hard to breathe as she clung to her cousin’s slender shoulder, “Hey, don’t bully my classmate!”

Wen Jialuo watched the figure that tiptoed into grandma’s room as if she were sneaking in, a slight smile playing on her lips but remaining silent.

The old lady hadn’t woken up yet and was sleeping soundly. The heavy curtains in the room were drawn, as if it were already deep into the night. When Xu Shiqi stepped out of the room, she saw Wen Jialuo leaning against the wall outside.

“Where’s Baohua?”

“She went for a nap,” Wen Jialuo looked at her, “Do you want to rest a bit?”

In keeping with the moment, Xu Shiqi yawned. That girl had woken her up early with a phone call, and she really hadn’t gotten enough sleep, “Yeah, I’ll just lie down for a bit. I still have to go home later.”

“I’ll take you when the time comes,” Wen Jialuo led her to her own room, “You sleep; I’ll go downstairs to use the internet for a while.”

The layout of this room was the same as the one next door, with a large space and an open small balcony. The floor was all laid with hardwood, and there was a round carpet at the foot of the bed with intricate patterns, along with a few books scattered on it. In addition to a wardrobe, the walls had a display shelf filled with various items, none of which were duplicates. The collection spanned both ancient and modern times from various places, indicating that the girl liked to collect memorabilia.

Wen Jialuo turned on the air conditioning for Xu Shiqi and then left. Xu Shiqi stood inside, her mind suddenly filled with the thought, “This is Wen Jialuo’s room.” In contrast, the house in the neighboring city seemed more like a temporary place for the girl, lacking personal touches. But this room even had childhood toys and several photos from her school days.

One of the photos was on the top left of the display shelf, showing the girl with flowing long hair, wearing a school uniform, standing in front of a short wall covered in blooming roses, smiling as brightly as the April sun.

This was the only photo on the entire shelf, and it happened to be from the past, like an irreplaceable item that needed to be cherished. Xu Shiqi picked up the frame and gently brushed her fingers over that face, feeling a pang in her heart. It was as if she had been pricked by the roses in that image; she suddenly pulled her finger back and placed the frame down without looking at it again.

Suddenly, she felt very tired and wanted to rest for a while. Looking at the quilt that had been slightly lifted, Xu Shiqi hazily thought that the girl hadn’t said she couldn’t sleep in her bed, and then decisively took off her outerwear and climbed in.

The last thought Xu Shiqi had before fallen asleep was how fulfilling it would be to help the girl gain weight again…