1.2

The second week after being together with Wei Min, summer vacation began. The whole summer vacation, he was working jobs outside and I was attending math and English supplementary classes.

Aside from his grandmother, no one else knew about us being together.

Wei Min’s grandmother was a very pitiful person. She had two sons. The older one brought the younger one to do bad things. The eldest son died and the youngest was in jail.

Wei Min’s father was that youngest son.

His father went to jail the year his mother had him, so his mother named him Wei Min in hopes that he would not be heartless¹良心未泯(liáng xīn wèi mǐn): lit. conscience (良心) has not (未) vanished (泯); Wei Min’s name sounds like the last two words, unlike his father.

When his mother gave birth to him, it was a difficult birth, plus she had been depressed, she passed away before making it out of the confinement period.

Wei Min was brought up by his paternal grandmother. His grandmother’s heart was not good. He was willing to collect enough money for heart transplant surgery for her, but her wish was for him to study well.

Wei Min said he tried before, but he had fallen too far behind, he could only make it so far even if he tried harder.

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Following his teacher’s advice, he tested into the economics and finance major, and I went against my parents’ wishes for the first time, not going to the Normal University that they fancied, instead attending Fudan University to study news media.

Wei Min and I began our long distance relationship.

Despite having known that being long distance was unavoidable, and doing plenty of psychological preparation beforehand, I still couldn’t bear it and cried when I watched Wei Min’s departing figure at the station.

I had just cried sending my parents off in the afternoon, my eyes became swollen from crying this time around.

Wei Min was also reluctant to part with me and stayed an extra two days to keep me company. He was even faster at familiarizing himself with the layout of my school than me.

When I got lost on my way to class, I called him on the phone.

The first year of our long distance relationship passed quickly. On this New Year’s, I made a serious decision. I told my parents about me dating, but didn’t tell them when it started.

But I clearly underestimated my parents’ ability. When they knew that Wei Min graduated from the same high school but wasn’t at the same university, they arrived at the conclusion of Wei Min and I falling in love early.

I was originally not good at lying, I tacitly admitted it.

My parents were the angriest they had ever gotten with me, but this time, I didn’t remain silent again. I took out the various kinds of scholarships and the grade transcripts that I got this year at university, trying to use solid, true accomplishments to convince them.

“I didn’t let falling in love delay me. Part of the reason I appear so excellent to you now is because of Wei Min.”

I kept repeating these words and my parents gradually calmed down. Maybe the pile of transcripts couldn’t be ignored, or maybe they finally realized that I was no longer the flower in the greenhouse that they bred with the utmost care. I no longer need them to water and fertilize at a set time or amount. I have developed my independence, the ability to withstand wind and rain.

My parents were suddenly silent, it was also a moment where I felt sad and distressed. The price of our growth is the aging of our parents.

Even though I don’t like the way they educated me, I have also reflected on whether I had rebelled when they put forth to me what they felt was something good.

I did not. I only obediently accepted it, giving them the misconception that they had done right. We were both at fault for not catching this mistake promptly and correcting it.

Though my parents were starting to accept the fact that I was dating, they hadn’t accepted the matter of me dating Wei Min. To be precise, they did not accept Wei Min.

Did not accept his family and background.

I knew this was very normal, so I didn’t argue nor refute, nor did I hide it from Wei Min.

Because this time, it required both him and I to work hard together to accomplish this.

Wei Min didn’t solely do laborious work this year. Under the guidance of his senior, he began to do some work that required using the brain.

His little yard at his house was still like that, filled with morning glories in the summer, piled up with snow in the winter.

I sometimes stargazed in the yard, sometimes looked at the moon from the south-facing bedroom on the second floor, and more often, was doing things that adults do with Wei Min.

Grandma’s health was getting worse and worse. She never waited for Wei Min to accumulate enough money. In the winter of our third year of college, she passed away. What was sadder was that not long after Wei Min’s father knew about this, he also died.

Wei Min lost two family members in a row within half a year. After dealing with his father’s funeral arrangements, he shut himself in his room and didn’t come out.

How long he shut himself up was however long I accompanied him outside. He didn’t eat or drink water, I didn’t eat or drink either. When he didn’t sleep, I sat outside and talked to him.

Two days later, Wei Min came out of the room looking scruffy. Because I’d sat on the ground for too long, he carried me to the bed.

I tugged his hand. He suddenly kissed me.

I was pressed into the soft quilt. Both he and the room were filled with an unpleasant smell, but I didn’t block him.

He kissed and kissed, then he suddenly leaned over and buried himself in my neck.

He was crying, and I also cried with him. Tears fell from the corner of my eyes into his hair.

Getting along was just like this.

I patted his hair. His lips were pressed against my neck, his voice was muffled as he called me: “Baobei.”

“Hm?”

“I don’t have a dad anymore.” His tears were hot and made my heart ache: “I don’t have a family²The word (家) means both home and family. Poor Wei Min basically just lost both ;-; anymore.”

I cried as I comforted him: “You still have me, I am your dad from now on.”

“…”

“No, my dad is your dad.”

His mood changed for the better. He propped himself up on his elbows and lifted his head to look at me: “Dad.”

“…” I wiped the tears in the corner of his eyes: “Let’s get married. Wei Min, I want to get married to you, I want to form a family with you.”

I felt like I was such a brave person. I was the one who took the initiative on our first kiss, and even proposing marriage was brought up by me.

But Wei Min didn’t accept my proposal.

He sat up and hugged me in his arms. The tip of our noses rubbed against each other, I could see a tiny me in his eyes.

This made me feel like I was the only one in his eyes.

But this was also the truth.

In these years, his eyes only saw me.

I remember in the second year of university, there was a girl from their major chasing him. It was useless no matter how he rejected her. He directly brought her to the entrance of my school and told her: “This is my girlfriend. If you have places you want to visit, we can take you there.”

After the girl went back, the campus forum was filled with rumors about Wei Min, but they were very quickly proven to be only a rumor. After being confronted by Wei Min and his roommates for several days, she publicly apologized to me and Wei Min on the forum in the end.

Since then, there was no one else in school that dared to pursue Wei Min.

At this very moment, Wei Min and I sat facing one another. He said to me: “Wait two more years for me, I will definitely marry you.”

If someone else asked me to wait, I would certainly refuse, but Wei Min asked me to wait, I cannot refuse. He was my god, I willingly serve him.

Waiting for him filled me with anticipation.

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[1]良心未泯(liáng xīn wèi mǐn): lit. conscience (良心) has not (未) vanished (泯); Wei Min’s name sounds like the last two words

[2] The word (家) means both home and family, so poor Wei Min basically just lost both ;-;