CG - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

On Sunday morning, Wei Jinzhi went to the university to pick up Wu Gu. After getting in the car, Wu Gu handed her a bag. "You won't let me treat you to a meal," she said, "so I can only give you a gift."

Wei Jinzhi recognized the logo on the bag. She opened it to find a long, narrow scarf—this year's latest style. She liked it a lot and could only say with a helpless smile, "You mustn't spend so much money like this next time."

After giving the gift, Wu Gu kept her eyes fixed on Wei Jinzhi's expression. Fortunately, she saw surprise in the other woman's eyes. She had wandered through the mall for a long time while picking out the gift. When she passed a coffee shop, she had stopped for some reason. The glass wall offered a clear view of the customers inside, and she suddenly recalled her first meeting with Wei Jinzhi. Back then, Wei Jinzhi had been looking down, her long hair half-concealing the square scarf at her collar. It had been very charming.

Wu Gu's eyes curved into crescents. "If I cook, is there anything you'd like to eat?"

"Make your specialty. But first, we need to go shopping. You can start thinking about what we need to buy."

Wu Yong drove to a supermarket near Yujing Huating. The Changshan Villa was too far, and Wei Jinzhi didn't want to waste time on the road, nor did she mind bringing Wu Gu back to this other house of hers. In the supermarket, Wei Jinzhi pushed a shopping cart behind Wu Gu. While Wu Gu carefully selected items, they discussed the best ways to cook them.

From a distance, Su Jiayin spotted Wei Jinzhi pushing a cart and following a young girl. The two were talking and laughing, the scene extremely heartwarming. Ever since two of her own good friends had become a couple, it was as if she'd been enlightened; she could spot love with a single glance. She seized the opportunity, circling to the other end of the aisle to stage a chance encounter.

"Well now, what a coincidence, Jinzhi."

Su Jiayin was being ridiculously dramatic. Wei Jinzhi didn't believe for a second that she had only just spotted her. She said, "I'm surprised you have time for grocery shopping."

Meeting Wei Jinzhi's acquaintance, Wu Gu stood obediently to the side. Su Jiayin had been observing her for a while. Up close, her features were quite pretty, just a bit immature. But because she wasn't dressed up and wore plain clothes, she was easy to overlook. She turned to Wei Jinzhi. "Don't tell me she's a student."

Wei Jinzhi answered her, "Her name is Wu Gu. She's a sophomore at North City University." She then introduced Su Jiayin to Wu Gu. "This is my friend, Su Jiayin."

Wu Gu smiled sweetly. "Hello, Sister Su."

"Oho." Su Jiayin was pleased by the "Sister Su." Seeing her bright, energetic smile, she said to Wei Jinzhi, "So this is your type—fresh and delectable."

Wei Jinzhi knew she was up to no good and glared at her. "Be serious."

Su Jiayin leaned close to her ear and whispered, "This little girl is a blue-chip stock. If you're interested, you'd better act fast. Don't dilly-dally, or she'll get away."

Wei Jinzhi felt her ear burn from the warm breath Su Jiayin exhaled as she spoke. She blustered, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Su Jiayin knew when to quit while she was ahead. She said to Wu Gu, "Our Jinzhi has always had poor health. Even though you're still young, you need to take good care of her."

Wu Gu nodded with extreme seriousness. "I know, Sister Su."

Su Jiayin was very satisfied and decided not to take up any more of their time. "I'm done shopping. You two carry on."

After that, Wei Jinzhi grew silent. On the way back, Wu Gu noticed her preoccupied expression and asked, "Sister Wei, are you not feeling well?"

Wei Jinzhi was silent because Su Jiayin's words had made her reflect on her feelings for Wu Gu. She had always thought she was just partial to Wu Gu and wanted to take care of her, and that she enjoyed her company, but she had never considered that it stemmed from that kind of emotion.

She looked at Wu Gu and saw the worried, anxious look in the girl's eyes. As if held open too long, those eyes blinked gently, her fluttering eyelashes seeming capable of stirring up a hurricane that swept, without warning, through her heart. Suddenly, Wei Jinzhi felt a sense of relief. So this was what it felt like to like someone.

She asked Wu Gu, "Are you very worried about me?" When Wu Gu nodded, she laid her hand over the back of Wu Gu's, clasping it in her palm. "I'm fine. I just figured some things out."

But Wu Gu's mood had already soured. She turned sideways, placing her other hand on top of Wei Jinzhi's. Her expression was solemn. "I will definitely not let anything happen to you."

"Don't be nervous. I'm really fine." Wei Jinzhi tucked a stray strand of hair behind Wu Gu's ear and smiled. "I believe you."

Back at the house, Wu Gu deftly chopped vegetables and stir-fried in the kitchen. Wei Jinzhi was only assigned the task of washing the vegetables. Wu Gu's movements were skillful. She didn't even flinch when spattered by hot oil from the wok, as if she couldn't feel the pain. This accustomed attitude made Wei Jinzhi's heart ache. If they were going to eat at home again in the future, she would hire a chef.

She asked, "Did you used to do this all by yourself often?"

"It was fine when Master was around. After he passed away, I did it myself."

"Is there anyone else in your family?"

"Monkey is younger than me, and Granny is too old, so I'm the only one who can take care of them."

These two people weren't in the file Wu Yong had provided. Wei Jinzhi asked, "Are they your master's relatives?"

"Not really. When there's a chance, I'll take you home to stay for a while, and you'll know who they are. The spiritual energy where I live is many times stronger than at Changshan." Wu Gu paused, thinking seriously. "After I disperse your Yin Qi, you should come back with me. My home has abundant spiritual energy and lots of medicinal herbs in the mountains. You can go there to recuperate for a while and make up for the damage your body has suffered over the past decade or so."

Wei Jinzhi listened to her making plans on her own and replied, "Alright. I'd also like to see the place where you grew up." For some reason, Wu Gu's cheeks turned red again. Finding her adorable, Wei Jinzhi reached out and gave one a gentle pinch, feeling satisfied. It only made Wu Gu's face even redder.

The dishes Wu Gu made were ordinary home-style cooking with an ordinary taste, nothing special. But Wei Jinzhi ate happily, feeling they were more delicious than anything made by a professional chef. After the meal, Wu Gu borrowed her laptop and sat cross-legged on the sofa to look something up, while Wei Jinzhi sat beside her, reading reports on her tablet.

A few times, her gaze swept over and saw that the laptop screen was displaying the names of mountains in nearby cities. She asked, "Thinking of going on a trip?" After asking, she suddenly remembered her birthday was next month and asked again, "Are you free on the 6th of next month?"

Wu Gu was carefully studying a map on the computer. She replied, "I don't know yet."

"It's my birthday that day. I'd like to have a meal with you."

Only then did Wu Gu turn her gaze. "Your birthday?" She looked back at the computer. "I'll do my best to give you a big gift that day." She turned back to Wei Jinzhi and smiled. "You can look forward to it."

Wu Gu wore all her emotions on her face; how could Wei Jinzhi not guess? She was a little excited, but more than that, she felt a sense of sweetness. "Alright. I'll clear my entire schedule that day to wait for your gift."

Wu Gu felt the blood in her veins boil with excitement. Full of motivation, she looked at the aerial photos of the mountain range on the computer and thought, You're the one. She wished she could fly over to explore the mountain right this instant.

It was an ordinary Sunday. The weather wasn't great; the wind outside was strong, as if it was about to rain. The reports in her hand were nothing special, even thicker than last week's. Yet, Wei Jinzhi felt that this entire day was different from any other. The sky seemed more reserved, the wind more passionate.

The weekend ended, and Wu Gu threw herself back into the ocean of her studies. She checked her class schedule and saw she could skip her Friday classes, so she bought a train ticket to Huaishan for Friday. After getting off the train, she switched to a bus that ended in a town at the foot of Huaishan. The mountain's terrain wasn't perilous, nor did it have any strange peaks. It wasn't covered in dense vegetation either; from a distance, the mountain looked yellowish, so it wasn't famous. Most tourists who came went to the Daoist temple on the mountainside.

Wu Gu stayed a night at a hotel at the foot of the mountain and went up the next morning. The entrance fee for Huaishan was cheap, only twenty yuan. As a fellow practitioner, her first stop was the Daoist temple. The temple was called Huaishang Palace, and it was crowded with worshippers. She went inside to burn a stick of incense, as a way of greeting the place, letting it know she was here on business and asking for forgiveness for the disturbance.

After burning the incense, she went outside to buy some paper talismans. She was surprised to find that not only did the talismans here come in many varieties, but they were also divided into different grades with different prices. She bought a few mid-priced ones. This was the etiquette her master had required of her: when on someone else's turf, be polite and well-behaved, and pay a visit first. Offering money and burning incense was a courtesy. This way, if she ran into trouble, it would be easier to ask a local deity for help.

In any case, after doing everything her master had required, she left the temple and headed into the mountains. First, she climbed the developed area like a tourist, then, when no one was around, she slipped down into a ravine. Fortunately, security was lax here due to the small number of tourists. With a compass in one hand and performing finger calculations with the other, she began searching for the earth vein. She tried several times without finding the right direction, regretting that she hadn't studied feng shui properly back then.

Saturday ended without any success. That evening, Wei Jinzhi called to ask her out for dinner and a movie the next day. Lying on the single bed in her hotel room, Wu Gu stared at the yellowed, peeling ceiling and found herself missing Wei Jinzhi. If she had managed to find the location of the earth vein today, she might have been able to travel back overnight and meet Wei Jinzhi for dinner tomorrow.

She said, "Sister Wei, I'm out of town. I can't make it back tomorrow."

"Why did you go out of town? When did you leave?"

"Yesterday afternoon."

Wei Jinzhi said, "Why didn't you tell me before you left?"

Wu Gu was used to coming and going as she pleased and never had to report her whereabouts to anyone. If anyone else had said that to her, she would have thought they were crazy. But Wei Jinzhi was different. She said, "I'll remember next time."

Wei Jinzhi knew that relationships needed to be cultivated slowly, so she didn't press the issue. She asked, "Then when are you coming back? I'll pick you up at the station."

"I haven't decided yet. I'll buy a ticket after I find what I'm looking for."

"That's fine. Just tell me the time when you've bought your ticket. If I'm late, will you wait for me?" She suddenly said tenderly, "I want to see you."

Wu Gu clapped a hand to her chest, pressing down on her heart that felt like it was about to leap out. Though shy, she answered honestly, "I want to see you, too."

Wei Jinzhi laughed. "Then it's a deal. Tell me as soon as you've bought your ticket."

"Okay."

"Lock your doors and windows. Be safe."

"Okay."

"It's getting late. Go to sleep early."

"Okay."

"Such a good girl."

Wu Gu buried her head in her pillow, a goofy grin on her face. "You should go to sleep early too, Sister Wei."

"Mm, good night." The phone call soothed both their hearts, and they both slept well that night.

The next day, Wu Gu spent another twenty yuan to go up the mountain. She had been too impatient yesterday and had forgotten the principle that more haste means less speed. If her master were alive, he would have definitely chewed her out. Fortunately, she had slept well last night, and her condition was at its peak today. By early afternoon, she had found Huaishan's earth vein. After memorizing its location, she hurried down the mountain, timed it perfectly to buy a ticket for the next train, and had plenty of time to have dinner with Wei Jinzhi that evening.

Wei Jinzhi was also very happy to receive Wu Gu's message about her return trip. Su Jiayin, sitting opposite her, said, "Last week, my words woke you from your dream, and you're only treating me to a cup of tea?"

Wei Jinzhi replied to Wu Gu's message without even looking up. "It's because Qiao Xi and Jian Chu are too busy to hang out with you that I reluctantly took you in. But you can leave now. I'm going to pick up my little one and take her home."

"I was too embarrassed to ask the other day. How old is she?"

"22."

"So young." Su Jiayin sighed. "As expected of my friends. Each one of you values romance over friendship more than the last." Wei Jinzhi just smiled without a word, but Su Jiayin was right. Compared to them, Wu Gu was a bit too young.

In the afternoon, Wei Jinzhi waited for Wu Gu at the station's arrival gate. She smoothly took Wu Gu's bag and handed it to Wu Yong, asking her, "What do you want to eat tonight?"

"Skewers."

Wei Jinzhi rarely ate such things, but if Wu Gu liked it, she was willing to go. Eating skewers in a private room didn't have the same atmosphere as the main dining hall. Plus, Wei Jinzhi ate very little, so Wu Gu also felt full after a while. Wei Jinzhi asked, "Are you full?" When she nodded, she added, "Let's go buy some snacks for you to take back later."

Wu Gu nodded and said, "Can we go to Huaishan on your birthday?"

"So you went to Huaishan for me?"

"Yes."

Wei Jinzhi had had that thought before, and now that it was confirmed, a smile touched the corners of her eyes. "It's getting late, and you have class tomorrow. Let's go back."

Back in her dorm that night, Wu Gu was carrying two large bags of snacks. The skewers hadn't been very satisfying, so it was a good thing she'd bought snacks to ward off hunger. It dawned on her a little late—could it be that Wei Jinzhi had guessed she would be hungry later and suggested buying snacks for that reason? As she ate, she suddenly let out a silly laugh.

Author's Notes

Su Jiayin says, "I'm the author's most tragic supporting female character. Other supporting female characters are either just supporting characters in one story, or they look like supporting characters but are actually the protagonists of other stories. Only I get moved wherever I'm needed, forever lonely in someone else's story."

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