bayedsolid Chapter 194 Things change and people change
Chapter 194 Things change and people change
When they arrived at the school, the TV station shuttle bus that was there to pick them up had just arrived, and the art instructor was organizing the students to board the bus in an orderly manner.
The instructor stood in front of the vehicle and earnestly announced to everyone: "From today until the official performance, you will need to go to the TV station every day for rehearsals and dress rehearsals. Because there are many performers and staff involved in the dress rehearsals, especially those for key programs and well-known actors, their schedules are very tight, and they will be rehearsing as soon as they arrive. Therefore, you may have to wait. In short, you must follow the arrangements and instructions of the scheduling teacher."
For several days in a row, Zhou Yanruo arrived at school early and then took the TV station's shuttle bus to the TV station, where she stayed all day to rehearse.
At the rehearsal for the gala, Zhou Yanruo saw several popular celebrities. As soon as they arrived, the stage would immediately make room for them to rehearse. They always came and went in a hurry.
She heard that even on the day of the performance, she might receive a notification that she would be replaced, which made Zhou Yanru both excited and very nervous.
Before she knew it, it was the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month. As soon as Zhou Yanruo was on holiday, she immediately boarded the train back to Xichuan and returned to her grandmother's house early the next morning.
Just as Zhou Yanruo was about to enter the door, she happened to run into her grandmother who was about to leave. "Grandma, where are you going so early?" she asked.
Grandma was wearing a crimson satin Chinese-style silk jacket today, and her neat short hair looked freshly cut. Upon seeing Zhou Yanruo, she happily said, "Ruoruo, you're back! I was just about to go buy some vegetables. You go take a nap; your parents should be back by noon."
Zhou Yanruo said, "Grandma, please wait a moment. I'll put down my luggage and go to the market with you."
“Okay.” Grandma stood at the door and said with a smile, “We’ve already prepared a lot of New Year’s goods these days. Today we’ll buy some vegetables too. Let’s go together and pick out some of your favorite dishes. Your parents should be home by noon, and then we can prepare the New Year’s Eve dinner together.”
Zhou Yanruo gently leaned her luggage against the wall of the hall. "I'll put it here for now, and take it upstairs when I come back later."
She took the basket from her grandmother's hand. "Grandma, let's go quickly."
Zhou Yanruo carried a shopping basket in one hand and affectionately linked arms with her grandmother in the other. They chose the shortest route to the market, crossing the alleyway and swerving diagonally past the tenement building. They walked and chatted, habitually following the familiar stone-paved path towards the market.
In the blink of an eye, we arrived in front of the cage building.
Zhou Yanruo suddenly stopped, paused for a moment, and then said to her grandmother, "Grandma, you go ahead first. I'm going to see a friend. I'll come find you at the market later."
After saying that, she handed the vegetable basket back to her grandmother.
After watching her grandmother leave, she stood there for two seconds, then climbed the external staircase. She walked down the corridor to Wang Jie's door.
The once-dilapidated gate has been completely renovated, looking as if it had just been painted, and you can still smell a faint paint odor. New couplets are pasted on the door frame, and a large red "福" (Fu, meaning good fortune) character is pasted in the center of the door, its color bright and festive.
Zhou Yanruo hesitated for a moment, but still mustered up her courage and gently knocked on the door.
A clear female voice came from inside the door: "Coming, coming." Immediately afterwards, the door creaked open, and a little girl wearing a pink sweater and a ponytail stood in the doorway, looking at her with a surprised expression.
Just then, a woman's voice came from inside the door: "Fang'er, who's here?"
The little girl turned around and replied, "It's not my aunt, it's a sister I don't know."
Then a woman appeared in the doorway and asked, "Who are you looking for?"
Zhou Yanruo was a little dazed. She only came back to her senses when she heard someone speaking to her. Her face immediately turned red, and she said in a low voice, "I'm sorry to bother you. I came to see a friend. He used to live here."
The woman replied, "Oh, you mean the family that used to live here?"
Zhou Yanruo looked at the woman, lost in thought, and remained silent.
The woman continued, "I heard that family went abroad to study and just left last month. After the house became available, the community allocated it to us. We just moved here recently. You've come at a bad time; if you had come last month, you would have met your friend."
Zhou Yanruo subconsciously followed the woman's lead and softly replied, "Yes, what a coincidence. If I had come earlier, perhaps I could have seen him?"
The woman smiled and nodded.
Just then, the little girl who had opened the door chimed in, "Oh, I know, sister, are you here to wish us a Happy New Year?"
Zhou Yanruo's tone carried a hint of melancholy as she softly replied, "I suppose so. I originally came to wish him a Happy New Year."
The little girl was quick-witted and seemed to always find a solution: "You can send an email! A classmate of mine transferred to a school abroad last month, and I sent her an email. I received her reply in less than half a day, which is much faster than writing a letter. Today is New Year's Eve, so hurry up and send an email; it won't delay your New Year's greetings."
Zhou Yanruo gave a wry smile and muttered to herself, "Thank you for reminding me. I'll send him an email to wish him a Happy New Year when I get back!"
Although the people and this house in front of her had no connection with Wang Jie anymore, she felt a strange sense of closeness because it was once his place. She said softly, "My grandmother's house is the one at the very end of the alley. I just came back from Beijing for the New Year today. I was passing by and thought I'd come up to visit some friends, but I didn't expect to disturb you."
The woman waved her hand and said generously, "Oh, so you're our neighbors! But your place is much better off than ours." Then, she warmly invited, "Since you're here, would you like to come in and have a seat?"
Zhou Yanruo gently shook her head, forcing a smile, and politely declined, "No need, I just happened to be passing by. I have other things to do, so I won't bother you any longer. I wish you a Happy New Year in advance!"
After saying that, Zhou Yanruo turned and left, leaving only the sound of the little girl and the woman talking behind her gradually fading away.
"Sister seems unhappy. Isn't she happy even though it's Chinese New Year?" The little girl's voice carried a hint of doubt.
The woman patiently explained, "Adults are sometimes like that, but they'll get better soon. You'll understand when you're older."
The little girl didn't seem to understand, and asked again, "Why hasn't my aunt come yet? She said she knitted a hat for me and gave it to me..."
Then, the door creaked shut, and the conversation ceased.
Zhou Yanruo had just reached the top of the stairs when she involuntarily turned around and glanced once more at the chaotic yet unusually quiet corridor. At the end of the corridor, it seemed, lingered memories of the past. She stood there silently, as if time had frozen, her heart filled with mixed emotions, before finally turning away after a long while.