The Silent World And Him - Chapter 17
During the vacation, Pu Chen didn’t sleep in. She woke up promptly at six o’clock, listened to English for twenty minutes, and spent half an hour memorizing vocabulary. Pu Wanli felt sorry for her daughter, saying, “You finally have a break; take a bit more rest.”
Pu Chen just smiled and replied, “I’m not sleepy.” She had gone to bed at ten-thirty the previous night and was accustomed to waking up at this time; her body clock was more reliable than an alarm clock.
Pu Wanli prepared breakfast, and the father and daughter sat at the table. He asked her what she planned to do today and suggested she relax with friends. Pu Chen made an excuse not to go out, saying, “They’re all top students and have homework to do at home; they don’t have time to play.”
She planned to finish several English papers today and write one for Qin Yu, deciding it needed to be original and not copied from her own work. She’d never thought winter break could be so fulfilling and interesting.
Pu Wanli didn’t understand why his daughter’s lips curled upwards; he thought she must have improved in her exams and developed an interest in studying. He asked her, “So are you doing homework at home today?”
Pu Chen nodded and said, “It’s quieter at home than at the shop.” They chatted over breakfast, and Pu Wanli mentioned Teacher Lu Bosheng. He had received a message from Lu the night before; Lu was in Beijing and had asked his relatives to stay at the shop, instructing the child to work to understand the challenges of life.
Pu Chen suppressed her excitement and confirmed with her father, “Is Qin Yu coming to help at the shop?” Pu Wanli nodded, explaining, “His parents divorced, and no one is looking after him. During the break, he’s following Teacher Lu.”
Pu Chen didn’t know much about Qin Yu, only that he was wealthy, didn’t like studying, and planned to go abroad after high school. The university he wanted to apply to was almost impossible to get into with his current grades unless his family donated a lot of money. She was unaware of his parents’ marital status and speculated that his move to Sucheng might be related to their divorce.
Pu Chen didn’t know when Qin Yu would come to the repair shop and didn’t dare to ask her father too many questions, fearing suspicion. She casually ate her meal, deciding to do her homework at the shop today.
After breakfast, Pu Wanli tidied up and knocked on his daughter’s door before leaving, saying, “Chen Chen, I’ve washed the fruit for you. I’ll bring lunch to you later. It’s cold; just stay upstairs.”
Pu Chen was organizing her bag and said, “Dad, I’ll go to the shop to do my homework. If I get tired of studying, I can take a break.” Pu Wanli was concerned, “Will it be too noisy for you at the shop?”
Pu Chen reassured him with a relaxed expression, “It’s okay; I used to study there all the time.” Pu Wanli packed the fruit and brought it to the shop for his daughter. The building was about a hundred meters away from the repair shop, and it was not yet eight o’clock; besides the breakfast shop, the other stores were still closed.
Qin Yu, standing tall at the shop entrance, caught Pu Wanli by surprise with his early arrival. Pu Chen obediently followed her father, feeling a slight flutter in her heart from seeing Qin Yu during the vacation, which was a pleasant occurrence.
They were too far apart to text, so she waved at him. Qin Yu felt slightly relieved, thinking she would only greet Peng Jingyang.
Whether Pu Wanli heard or not, Qin Yu called out, “Uncle, good morning.” Pu Wanli nodded and opened the shop curtain, writing on the whiteboard, “You’ve been waiting long. There’s usually no one here before eight; don’t come so early tomorrow.”
Qin Yu wrote back on the board, “I just got here.” The shop was packed with over a dozen electric and regular bikes, which Pu Wanli pushed outside into the designated parking area. Qin Yu put down the whiteboard marker and helped push the bikes out.
With the bikes outside, the shop instantly felt more spacious. There were two whiteboards in the shop; Pu Wanli took the larger one outside, prepared several whiteboard markers, and then went inside to mop the floor.
Pu Chen turned on the air conditioner, leaving a crack in the sliding door for ventilation. She set up a folding table against the wall and took out her winter break homework, pretending to work diligently.
Pu Wanli finished mopping and planned to wholesale some locks and accessories. He placed the fruit on the table and told Pu Chen, “Chen Chen, I’ll go to the wholesale market; it’ll take about an hour and a half. You can chat with Qin Yu while I’m gone.”
Pu Chen replied, “Dad, I’ll come with you.” Pu Wanli smiled, understanding his daughter wanted to help carry things, “I’ve arranged for them to deliver.” Pu Chen was reassured. Pu Wanli put on his coat and left, leaving only the two of them in the shop.
Qin Yu watched Pu Chen doing her homework; she felt his gaze but pretended not to notice. For a moment, she couldn’t make out the words in front of her. It took her a few minutes to focus again. Accidentally, her arm brushed against his leg while writing her answer.
She quickly looked up, but Qin Yu was engrossed in his phone and hadn’t noticed. Qin Yu grew tired standing and found a small chair nearby to sit on. This was his second visit to the shop, and he was a bit curious.
“Doesn’t your family have any spare parts for repairs?” Pu Chen pointed to a wooden door the same color as the wall behind her.
“Take a look inside; they’re all on the shelves in there.”
Qin Yu asked in doubt, “Isn’t that a small kitchen inside?”
Just now, Pu Wanli pushed open the door to fetch a mop inside and saw a sink, along with a makeshift stove and some cooking utensils.
Pu Chen explained, “The space inside is bigger than this outside part. My dad partitioned it; the outside is for me to do homework and also entertain guests.”
The main reason was to entertain Lu Baisheng; otherwise, the house inside was a mess and not suitable for sitting.
Qin Yu asked again, “When does your family’s shop close for the holidays?”
Pu Chen replied, “Usually around the 28th or 29th of the twelfth lunar month. My dad can’t sit idle and is reluctant to close early. Keeping it open can earn a little more.”
Qin Yu nodded.
So, he could come a few more days.
“My parents gave me next month’s living expenses today; I’ll transfer the 500 yuan I owe you.”
Pu Chen asked, “Do you have enough left with 1,500 yuan?”
Qin Yu’s bank balance exceeded seven figures; he planned to consult Lu Baisheng about investment when he returned. “It’s enough. I’ll eat at Teacher Lu’s during the winter break.”
After transferring the money, he watched her writing on the test paper. “How much of the English test have you finished?”
Pu Chen replied, “I have two more papers to complete.”
Qin Yu tried to make conversation, “What about the Chinese homework?”
Pu Chen replied, “I haven’t written my journal yet.”
Qin Yu never knew about writing journals; he asked, “How many journals per week?”
Pu Chen realized she hadn’t explained the Chinese teacher’s journal requirement to Qin Yu: “At least three journals per week. If you want to write more, the teacher doesn’t mind. It’s not a winter vacation assignment; we’ve had this since the beginning of high school. We don’t have to submit them; the Chinese teacher checks randomly.”
Qin Yu nodded. With nothing else to do, he borrowed a book from Pu Chen, sat opposite her, and started reading from the beginning. It was a book they picked out together at the bookstore that afternoon.
The morning sun poured through the glass door onto Qin Yu’s back, casting a strip of light on the table. Pu Chen’s pen was right in this morning light.
Pu Chen sneakily glanced at his hand; it seemed like a perfect hand drawn by a professional artist—long and clean.
He had never been so focused on reading a book.
After finishing the current page, Qin Yu flipped ahead. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Pu Chen staring blankly at her test paper and lightly tapped her head, “Focus on your homework.”
Pu Chen was startled. His hand on her forehead felt like it struck her heart, with a ‘thud’ sound. Her heart leaped and fell back; due to nervousness, it didn’t land back in place, and her heartbeat was completely disrupted.
She scratched the spot he had tapped with the pen end, trying to conceal her awkwardness.
Feeling guilty, she explained to herself, “I was thinking about the question.”
Qin Yu replied, “Hmm.”
He continued reading his book, unaware of Pu Chen’s recent thoughts.
Pu Chen focused her mind and forced herself into the sea of questions.
When Pu Wanli returned from the wholesale market, he saw the two children engrossed in their own tasks and tiptoed, fearing to disturb them.
At 9:30, Pu Wanli began a busy day, continuing to repair the cars left unfinished from yesterday.
Qin Yu asked Pu Chen for a new pair of white gloves and went out to help Pu Wanli with the car repairs.
Seeing him come out, Pu Wanli smiled, “You focus on reading; you can’t handle these tasks.”
Qin Yu patiently wrote on the whiteboard, “If I can’t fix it, I can do what I can. No rush to study; I’ll be alone at home during the Lunar New Year with plenty of time to study.”
Pu Wanli asked, “Won’t you be going back to Beijing for the New Year?” Lu Baisheng had only told him that Qin Yu’s parents were usually busy and left him to Lu Baisheng during the winter break, but he didn’t expect him to spend the New Year alone.
Qin Yu replied, “No, I’m not going back. My mom is going abroad, and my dad has his own family.”
Looking at these words, Pu Wanli, as an outsider, felt uneasy.
Qin Yu pointed to a row of electric bikes in the parking lot, “Do those bikes need to be fixed today? Tell me which parts need fixing, and I’ll help you dismantle them.”
Pu Wanli replied, “Those were fixed from last night’s overtime; the owners are coming to pick them up today.”
He asked, “Is your home far from here? If you don’t want to stay, go home and get your school bag, do winter vacation homework with Chenchen. It’s cold outside for a long time; you might not be able to stand it, but I’m used to it.”
Qin Yu told Pu Wanli that his home was in the apartment building ahead; he could walk there in two or three minutes. He glanced at Pu Chen, who was concentrating on her homework. It was a rare opportunity to openly spend time with her doing homework.
Pu Wanli urged him again, “Go home, bring your homework, and I’ll cook a good meal for you and Chenchen at noon. Tell me what you want to eat later; don’t be shy.”
Qin Yu had not eaten a home-cooked meal since arriving in Sucheng.
“Thank you, Uncle. Anything you cook will be great.”
He went home, brought his school bag with a few test papers, and mostly drinks.
Pu Chen glanced at it but pretended not to notice.
The test papers were too simple for him; he didn’t want to do them one by one.
Qin Yu asked her, “Which test paper have you finished? Let me take a look first.”
Pu Chen handed him her test paper, reminding him, “Try to do the ones you know first.”
Pu Chen handed his exam paper to him, reminding him, “Try to do the questions you know first.”
Qin Yu placed Pu Chen’s exam paper on top of his own and copied it, saying, “I know everything. Cherish this opportunity to get answers from a top student now, because you won’t have it in the future.”
Pu Chen couldn’t hold back and laughed silently. If he was considered a top student like this, then she was the ultimate top student.
Qin Yu gently played with the pen in her hand and looked at her, “Stop laughing, focus on your homework.” His action of playing with her pen was unintentional, but to her, it became an indescribable hint of intimacy.
Pu Chen’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she flipped the exam paper, pretending to study the questions seriously.
This scene was engraved in her memory during this winter when her feelings were just beginning to bloom.