Ten days later, after several days of freezing rain, a heavy snow suddenly began drifting down on Saturday morning.
It was a dry snow, easily dusted off. Jiang Wu swallowed his last bite of baozi at the bus stop, crumpled the paper bag, and tossed it into the trash bin. He then crossed the crosswalk, registered at the neighborhood guard post, and entered the residential complex.
Xie Qingyuan’s birthday party was at six in the evening, so he had canceled his time off to continue today’s tutoring session.
Before he even reached the villa area, he heard he was fired.
The student was a second-year middle school boy, complaining in the study on the second floor, “Mom, I want a new tutor! I can’t understand a word he says!”
The lady of the house was surprised. “Xiao Jiang was third place in the college entrance exam last year. His grades are excellent.”
The boy whined playfully, “Mom, good grades don’t mean he can teach! Also, his looks… he looks mean, he scares me! I can’t focus on studying!”
The hostess hesitated. “This…”
Jiang Wu brushed the snowflakes off his shoulder. He waited until the mother and son finished their discussion, then stepped forward and rang the doorbell.
The hostess handed him an envelope of cash, an apologetic look on her face. “Your teaching was quite good, but we’ve decided to send our child abroad. We won’t need tutoring for a while. You don’t need to come anymore.”
Jiang Wu accepted it politely. “Alright.”
Leaving the villa, a thin layer of snow quickly covered the ground. It was still early for the birthday party, so Jiang Wu first found a bookstore to read in. When noon came and he was hungry, he bought a few books and took them to a chain fast-food restaurant downstairs, ordering a hot cocoa and a portion of fries.
A large fries was 15.5, a small 10. After hesitating for a few seconds, Jiang Wu opted for the small.
“One extra packet of ketchup.”
Carrying his tray, Jiang Wu found a single high stool by the window and sat down.
He needed to find a new job again.
This was the third time in two months he’d been fired from a tutoring job, all because the students disliked him.
Jiang Wu took a sip of the hot cocoa to warm his stomach, pulled out his phone, and scrolled through a job-hunting site. This time, he didn’t search for tutoring jobs. He was barely an adult and could only work part-time. He’d messaged dozens of HR reps, and only a mascot flyer distributor job had replied—
10 yuan an hour, lunch included, daily pay.
Last month, Jiang Wu had paid half a year’s rent in one lump sum. Now, he only had a few hundred yuan left on his card.
He had never touched the savings Ms. Jiang left behind.
Ms. Jiang’s greatest wish in life had been to have a home of her own, with a small courtyard planted with an osmanthus tree, a cherry tree, a tangerine tree, and beautiful flowers and plants.
Jiang Wu deposited some money into that passbook every month. More when his income was good, less when it wasn’t. As of last month, the balance had grown to 102,456 yuan. It was just still a very long way from enough to buy a house with a courtyard.
Jiang Wu was badly in need of money. A 10-yuan hourly wage was pitifully low, but he still agreed.
Putting down his phone, he tore open a packet of ketchup, picked up a fry, squeezed a generous amount of ketchup onto it, and put it in his mouth, looking out the window.
The restaurant’s heating was blasting, and the floor-to-ceiling windows were fogged with a faint mist, making the world outside look hazy.
Outside the shop, an extended black sedan came to a stop.
The front passenger door opened, and a white-haired elder got out.
Amidst the heavy snow, the elder still walked into the shop with an elegant gait, ordering two portions at the front counter—
“One large fries, one seasoned potato wedges.”
His tone was also exceptionally elegant. “Ten packets of ketchup.”
A few minutes later, the elder walked out carrying a paper bag.
Jiang Wu folded the ketchup packet a few times, squeezing out the last of it onto a fry. Outside the floor-to-ceiling glass, the sedan drove away. He chewed his fry and set down the third empty ketchup packet. Half a box of fries remained, but he didn’t go back to the counter. He sipped his hot cocoa slowly, pairing it with the salty fries.
As time slowly passed, a message popped up on his phone.
Xie Qingyuan: “Have you set off yet?”
Jiang Wu replied: “Getting ready now.”
Xie Qingyuan sent another voice message: “It’s going to turn into an extreme blizzard soon. The buses will stop running. You should head out early.”
The village Jiang Wu lived in didn’t have a subway line yet, only buses.
Jiang Wu looked up. Through the glass, large snowflakes were falling densely like eiderdown. He finished his hot cocoa in a few gulps, packed up, and left his stool.
After storing his books, Jiang Wu exited the subway station. It was just past five, and the sky was already completely dark.
Strong winds whipped snowflakes against his face, feeling somewhat like small blades. Jiang Wu quickly buried his chin in his scarf and glanced into the distance. The road leading to the Xie Residence was already jammed.
He had been to Xie Qingyuan’s house once before.
It was a Western-style mansion built a hundred years ago, very well maintained. He especially loved the Wavy-leaf Osmanthus tree in the garden, 8 meters tall, its crown covering more area than his living room.
When it bloomed, its fragrance would definitely travel for miles.
The road leading to the Xie house was exceptionally clean. Orange streetlights illuminated the white snow that looked like laundry detergent foam. Jiang Wu looked down at his shoes—red canvas shoes. Good, they were also clean.
He walked a few steps when suddenly, several honks sounded from behind him. He turned his head slightly. A sedan was slowing down, its rear window rolling down. A disgusted face glared viciously at him. “Jiang Wu! What are you doing here?!”
It was the guy who had driven his sports car through a puddle at school, trying to splash him. Ge Xi or Ge Nan, something like that.
Jiang Wu retracted his peripheral gaze, minded his own business, and ignored him.
Seeing Jiang Wu ignore him, Ge Bei was so angry his facial features scrunched up. He pulled the door handle to get out, but the driver’s phone rang.
The driver whispered, “Young master, Young Master Tan is on the phone.”
Ge Bei stared at Jiang Wu’s receding back, ground his back teeth, and shrank back into the car. Taking the phone, he switched to a smiling face. “What’s up, baby?”
Tan Yiqian sneered, “Young Master Ge, you’re stuck in traffic.”
Ge Bei immediately whipped his head around. Outside the rear window, the snow was heavy. He couldn’t clearly see if it was the Tan family’s car, but there was indeed a vehicle behind them.
A nameless guilt rose in Ge Bei. He yelled at the driver, “Drive faster! What are you stopping for!”
The driver silently moved the car forward.
Four wheels easily overtook two legs. Past the lowered car window, Jiang Wu was talking to the guard. “My name is Jiang Wu, a friend of Xie Qingyuan.”
The guard eyed the only guest who had arrived on foot today, sizing him up suspiciously. Politely, he said, “One moment, let me confirm.”
A few seconds later, the guard put down the phone and opened the small side gate.
Luxury cars streamed into the Xie Residence in an endless flow. Jiang Wu walked alone on the path surrounded by bustling traffic. The air was thick with the scent of snowflakes. Jiang Wu looked toward that Wavy-leaf Osmanthus, but it was too far; he could only make out a blurry black shadow of a tree.
Across a pond full of withered lotus leaves, on the opposite shore, was the brilliantly lit Western-style mansion. The catered restaurant area was already prepared with fine foods, and the cold air carried the aroma of the food over.
Jiang Wu followed the crowd into the main hall. Heat currents surging from all directions dispelled the chill, and he instantly entered another, warm world.
The Xie Residence’s decor wasn’t ostentatiously luxurious, but anyone with a discerning eye would notice that even the flower stand holding a bonsai in the corner was an antique.
Today, Xie Qingyuan was the main character and had no time to entertain him. Jiang Wu found a food station where all kinds of drinks were available. He was just about to get a glass of water when someone approached him. “Waiter, where’s the restroom?”
Jiang Wu looked up. The newcomer let out an “Eh?” his pretty face radiant under the crystal chandelier, a mocking smile on his lips. “Oh, it’s you. Sorry, I thought you were one of the wait staff today.”
Jiang Wu spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly. “You are?”
Tan Yiqian’s smile froze. He and Jiang Wu had been classmates for four months, and Jiang Wu was asking him—who are you?
Tan Yiqian felt insulted. He pulled at the corner of his mouth unhappily. “We’re all adults now. Ge Bei has been dating me for a month. If you’re still holding a grudge, that’s rather petty of you.”
It was then that Jiang Wu finally remembered. The guy was the other person in the sports car that day. He couldn’t recall having any grudge with them, but it wasn’t strange; others disliking him was as commonplace as drinking water.
He took a sip of water, casually polite. “Who you date is none of my damn business.”
Jiang Wu didn’t lower his volume. People nearby glanced over. Tan Yiqian felt he’d lost face, his pale complexion flushing a swelling purple. Quite upset, he touched his butterfly bow tie and lowered his voice. “You! How can you use such foul language?”
Jiang Wu smiled and raised his cup. “Since we’re classmates, you must know I’m an ill-bred boor. Just a little swear word. Getting angry over it seems rather like making a mountain out of a molehill on your part.”
Tan Yiqian’s lips trembled with rage. Suddenly, a large commotion sounded in the distance, drawing the crowd’s attention. Tan Yiqian couldn’t help but be distracted by it too.
Only Jiang Wu was looking at the desserts.
Most of the pastries on the dessert platform were ones he’d only ever seen on TV. There was a lotus pastry made so lifelike, its gradient shading from light pink to deep pink shimmered under the lights, its aroma wafting over. Jiang Wu carefully picked it up and bit into a lotus petal. A light, fresh lotus fragrance and rice scent. Only on the second chew was there a slight hint of sweetness.
It was a pastry that wasn’t sweet!
His light brown eyes instantly lit up. Jiang Wu devoted himself entirely to enjoying the pastry, completely unconcerned that in the distance—a white-haired elder was being respectfully escorted to the second floor by the head of the Xie family.
“Who is that? Such a grand display! The Xie family greeting him personally…” Tan Yiqian clicked his tongue nearby.
Jiang Wu finished the pastry just as the host’s warm-up voice sounded through the hall.
Xie Qingyuan’s birthday party had begun.
Tan Yiqian glanced at Jiang Wu again, gave a light snort, and walked quickly to the front.
Jiang Wu still didn’t move. He just stood at the back of the crowd, watching everyone surround Xie Qingyuan as Xie Qingyuan’s parents personally wheeled out a nine-layered birthday cake.
Then, Jiang Wu clapped and sang the blessing song along with everyone else. “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy 19th birthday, dear Qingyuan!”
The birthday candles were lit, the hall went dark, and the burning flames in the distance seemed like dancing fireflies. Suddenly, a familiar line of black-red characters flashed before Jiang Wu’s eyes.
【Xie… 9 years old, …year, December 21st…】
Death Notice!
Jiang Wu’s heart leaped violently. Before he could look closely, the hall blazed with light again, and the black-red characters vanished.
Jiang Wu’s pupils constricted sharply. The direction the Death Notice had disappeared was—
The place where the birthday cake was!
Xie Qingyuan cut the first slice of cake and handed it to his father. Father Xie then held it with both hands and passed it to Xie Qingyuan’s great-grandfather. The great-grandfather’s face showed joy as he hurriedly went up the stairs, his figure quickly disappearing onto the second floor.
“Dad, what’s the background of that distinguished guest surnamed Lu?” Xie Qingyuan quietly asked Father Xie.
The silver-haired elder his father had just escorted upstairs was merely that distinguished guest Lu’s butler. The actual person was already in the room on the second floor; he hadn’t been able to meet him.
Father Xie immediately shot Xie Qingyuan a look, his hand hidden in his sleeve subtly waving for him to drop the subject.
Xie Qingyuan’s eyes flickered. Actually, he had overheard. Last month, his great-grandfather had a guest, and he’d eavesdropped on their conversation. It turned out, this Earth still had—
He lifted his gaze to the curtain-drawn floor-to-ceiling window on the second floor. Could this person be…
Xie Qingyuan’s heart rate quickened.
He had to meet him tonight!
