954 Old Things
“But how did the food get on your face? You were merely helping him with his meal, weren’t you?” Song Jinning nudged Gu Nianzhi as she probed and only changed the topic when she saw that Gu Nianzhi was blus.h.i.+ng so hard that her ears had turned red. “Nianzhi, do you have any interest in physics by any chance? Why don’t you come to our inst.i.tute and take the entrance examinations for being a doctoral student with us?”
Gu Nianzhi dipped her blanched meat into some sauce and had just put it in her mouth. Upon hearing the suggestion, she almost choked. Quickly taking a sip of coconut juice, she calmed herself and replied, “Auntie, please don’t scare me like that. I’ve been majoring in law since my bachelor’s program and continued on to my master’s. Now you’re suggesting I continue with physics for my doctorate?! I think I’d have to retake my bachelor’s program before that’s possible.”
“Why not!?” Song Jinning held onto her arm excitedly. “Why don’t you retake college altogether!? No matter what, you’re only 19 years old. Even if you were to redo your entire college journey, you would only need two years to graduate. With brains like yours, it’s really such a waste if you don’t take up physics!”
Gu Nianzhi was speechless.
“The study of physics is the most precious of all aspects of science.” Song Jinning continued trying her luck. “Nianzhi, only the cleverest people are able to handle physics. Come on, get into the physics program in B University, and then…”
Gu Nianzhi thought about how to reply and smiled at Song Jinning as she picked up a piece of braised sea cuc.u.mber and placed it in Song Jinning’s bowl. “Auntie, have more food. Sea cuc.u.mber is really nutritious.”
Song Jinning understood where Gu Nianzhi was coming from and shook her head. “What a waste, really. Nianzhi, you are so clever; I merely didn’t want to lose a gem in the physics industry…”
Gu Nianzhi expressed her thanks with a smile. “However, Auntie, I’m not as clever as you think I am. I’m merely a tad more hardworking than others.”
“Now, that’s too much. It’s too pretentious, haha…” Song Jinning tapped on the back of Gu Nianzhi’s hand with her chopsticks. “No need to be humble with Auntie, okay?”
“Alright.” Gu Nianzhi put down her chopsticks and said firmly, “Actually, the truth is that I have no interest in physics. Not one bit.”
“What?” Song Jinning finally stopped trying to talk Gu Nianzhi into taking up physics upon hearing that. Sighing, she said, “Interest is the best teacher. If you have no interest in physics, then it definitely won’t work.”
Seeing that Song Jinning had stopped trying to bring it up, Gu Nianzhi breathed a sigh of relief and changed the topic seamlessly. “Auntie, have you liked physics since you were little?”
“Yes, of course. I followed my father around in the laboratory from the time I was little. Seeing his colleagues, students, and him doing experiments and discussing the latest research, I was so envious.” Song Jinning allowed her mind to go back in time to reminisce.
Gu Nianzhi remembered with a start that Song Jinning’s father had pa.s.sed away due to an accident during an experiment. Suddenly, she felt guilty about her insensitivity. It was the New Year. Why was she so bad at choosing topics to talk about?
However, Song Jinning didn’t mind one bit. Instead, she headed to her study and took out a thick photo alb.u.m. She began flipping through it, page by page, for Gu Nianzhi to see. Song Jinning’s father, Song Haichuan, was extremely handsome and looked smart. He emanated a knowledgeable aura, and it was clear that Song Jinning took after her father in that aspect. With respect to looks, perhaps she looked more like her mother.
Song Jinning had never mentioned her mother. Therefore, Gu Nianzhi didn’t ask further. She was afraid that it might be something sad. It wouldn’t be good if it were. However, it wasn’t long before she realized that she had been thinking too much.
Song Jinning flipped the photo alb.u.m to somewhere at the back where it displayed all of their family pictures. Song Jinning’s mother looked average. She did not even look as good as Song Jinning’s father. However, one look at her and you would somehow know that she was someone knowledgeable and full of wisdom.
Song Jinning caressed her mother’s picture and turned to Gu Nianzhi. “Nianzhi, this is my mother. Isn’t she beautiful?”
Gu Nianzhi looked at Song Jinning. “Yes,” she replied. “She looks like a really kind person.”
Song Jinning smiled. “I know that my mother looked only average in the eyes of others. At that time, there were even many female students who had thought that my mother was not compatible with my father, so they went after my father instead. However, in my heart, my mother was extremely beautiful.”
Gu Nianzhi remained silent for a moment. “…Haha. Students are usually so pa.s.sionate.”
“Yes, indeed. They were extremely pa.s.sionate. It was almost difficult to handle. However, my father never faltered. As long as there were female students who were romantically interested in him, my father would just make them quit his cla.s.ses. He never let my mother worry once.” Song Jinning flipped a page of the alb.u.m and reminisced enthusiastically. “Other than looking average, my mother was impressive in every other aspect.
“She was extremely smart and was a genius since she was a little girl. She attended youth cla.s.ses when she was 14 years old and began majoring in physics. When she graduated from her master’s program, she naturally entered the Inst.i.tute of High Energy Physics. That’s where she met my father. My father had read the research articles that she had published and had been wanting to meet her for a long time…”
Then they must have been a match made in heaven… Gu Nianzhi listened quietly and felt emotional. Such a loving husband and wife, but they did not last long…
“…My mother was doing research on nuclear energy. There was a leak of that energy once, and she was irradiated. She was gone within a couple of years.” Song Jinning sighed and closed the photo alb.u.m. Turning to Gu Nianzhi, she said apologetically, “It’s the New Year; I shouldn’t have said these things.”
Gu Nianzhi was absolutely engrossed in the story and quickly explained to Song Jinning, “Oh no, Auntie, please don’t be so sad…”
“I stopped being sad a long time ago. Now, whenever I think of my parents, there’s nothing but beautiful memories.” Song Jinning wiped the corners of her eyes. “Let’s not talk anymore. Let’s have dinner.”
Gu Nianzhi stopped dwelling on this sensitive topic and began telling Song Jinning about the interesting happenings from school and during trials. Song Jinning laughed so hard that she cried. Although there were only two people around the table, when Gu Nianzhi began talking, she could be as lively as an entire cla.s.sroom of girls. Laughter filled the empty dining hall, and it was even livelier than the countdown program that was on the television.
After they finished dinner, they cleared up the dining room. When they glanced at the television, they were already counting down to the New Year. “It’ll be midnight soon.” Song Jinning put down whatever she was doing and pulled Gu Nianzhi outside. “Come here. Let’s count down together.”
They stood in front of the television together and shouted along with the emcee on the television, “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one! Happy New Year!”
“It’s the New Year! It’s the New Year!”
The sounds of firecrackers could be heard coming both from the television and from outside. There were even fireworks from the top floor of their neighborhood. Gu Nianzhi smiled as she brought the photo alb.u.m they had been looking through together to Song Jinning and asked, “Auntie, where can I put this photo alb.u.m please?”
Song Jinning was looking at the fireworks from the neighborhood and pointed casually in the opposite direction. “In the second drawer of the desk in that study.”
That drawer contained some of Song Jinning’s old things. They were things that were not worth much money but that had sentimental value. Gu Nianzhi hugged the thick photo alb.u.m and entered the study that Song Jinning had pointed toward. She pulled the second drawer open and took a look before putting the photo alb.u.m in. There were little trinkets in this drawer. For example, there was a beautiful, translucent yuhua stone; a piece of amber with a b.u.t.terfly in it; and a couple of small, carved wooden boxes with a diffuser that was carved using the trunk of an elephant. They were all rather old.
Right in the middle of the drawer, there was an old black smartphone. Gu Nianzhi’s heart skipped a beat, and she felt that this phone looked rather familiar. Right at that moment, the phone’s black screen flashed, and a text message popped up.
Gu Nianzhi jumped back in shock. She thought that her eyesight was failing and rubbed her eyes. After looking closely, she realized that there was indeed a text message on the screen of that black phone! People actually still used such an old phone?!
Gu Nianzhi looked at the message and realized that it was a string of strange numbers. Quickly, she moved her gaze away and took the phone out of the study. She walked to Song Jinning and said, “Auntie. Someone sent you a text message to wish you a happy New Year.”
It was already considered to be the first day of the Lunar New Year. Gu Nianzhi heard her phone ring, and it was Huo Shaoheng’s personalized ringtone. She shoved the old phone into Song Jinning’s hands and looked for her own phone in her bag.
Song Jinning had been looking fixedly at the fireworks. They were so eye-catching and bright. The night sky was like a garden, and the fireworks bloomed continuously everywhere. Although it was only for a second, it was so beautiful that the beauty could be eternal.
Gu Nianzhi looked at the fireworks as she answered Huo Shaoheng’s call. “Huo Shao, Happy New Year.”
“Happy New Year.” Huo Shaoheng’s low voice traveled from the other end of the line. It was slightly hoa.r.s.e, but it made his voice sound even s.e.xier than before.
Gu Nianzhi’s ears felt hot and feverish. Holding onto her phone, she turned around and looked at Song Jinning’s back. Lowering her voice, she asked, “Is your arm better? Should you go and get it checked by the doctor tomorrow?”
Although Huo Shaoheng’s arm had stopped hurting quite a while ago, he had to keep it “bandaged” for a couple of days more to keep up the show since Gu Nianzhi had seen it. He had initially worried that his mother would expose the fact that he was a left-hander, but hearing Gu Nianzhi’s tone, it sounded like she still didn’t know. Therefore, most likely she hadn’t told Song Jinning about his injury. Putting aside her stubbornness, Gu Nianzhi was usually an obedient little girl. “I’m already okay. I’ll be fine in two days.” Huo Shaoheng looked at his right arm that was hanging and said, “It’s just not easy to wash up at night.”
Gu Nianzhi’s ear lobes were burning now. Her little ears looked like lychee jellies, pink and cute. Lowering her voice, she said, “Then don’t wash up. You wouldn’t be dirty, even if you didn’t wash for a couple of days.”
“I’m not used to it.” Huo Shaoheng chuckled softly. Steering the car with his left hand, he had already entered the neighborhood where Song Jinning was staying. “Therefore, I have come to you for help.”
Gu Nianzhi gasped and looked around instinctively. “What do you mean?”
“I’m off duty. I want to come over for some supper. Do you still have some food left?” Huo Shaoheng exited the car and walked into the elevator.
Gu Nianzhi quickly replied, “Yes. There’s lots.” Bringing the phone to Song Jinning, Gu Nianzhi said, “Auntie, Huo Shao is here. He said that he’s hungry and wants supper.”
Song Jinning was over the moon. Turning around quickly, she said, “Oh really? Now? That’s great! Let’s bring out our leftovers and heat them up for him.”
Gu Nianzhi was speechless.
“Let me see what there is in the refrigerator. Or we can make him some dumplings.” Gu Nianzhi rejected her suggestion politely. Seeing Song Jinning’s embarra.s.sed expression, Gu Nianzhi changed the topic quickly and pointed at her phone. “Someone sent you a text there just now. You can reply ‘Happy New Year."”
Song Jinning lowered her head to take a look and smiled. “Did you get the wrong phone? How could anyone send a text to this phone? This phone doesn’t even have a number. We haven’t used it in more than a decade.”
Gu Nianzhi remembered. Wasn’t this phone the one that Huo Shaoheng’s uncle, Huo Guanyuan, had?! She had seen it once before in court. This belonged to Huo Guanyuan. It had actually been with his wife, Luo Xinxue, after he had pa.s.sed away. However, it was s.n.a.t.c.hed away by Bai Jinyi after that. It cost Luo Xinxue her life…