Chew Slowly Chapter 13
byDinner was eaten at the factory canteen. Chen Zongqian ate the communal meal very gracefully, showing no sign of fussiness. Xu Qiaochuan sat opposite him, recalling that they had eaten together once before, though that time had been unpleasant, with everything having been messed up by him.
Having developed a bad habit of eating too fast during his school days, and with all canteen food tasting the same, Xu Qiaochuan still wanted to quickly swallow a few bites, just enough to fill his stomach and be done with it. But he couldn’t. He tried to eat like Chen Zongqian, which was slow, but his mind was elsewhere.
As a result, Xu Qiaochuan completely forgot what he had eaten the moment he left the canteen. He had come to the factory and eaten dinner with Chen Zongqian, knowing that the man would soon leave again.
To walk Chen Zongqian to the gate required them to walk side-by-side for a stretch. It was the evening rush hour, and the road was crowded with workers. They walked against the flow of people, looking somewhat out of place. Others looked at Chen Zongqian with curiosity; a man so well-dressed and handsome always drew extra attention.
Xu Qiaochuan, wearing his work uniform, was swallowed by the crowd; student workers all looked the same.
Chen Zongqian remembered another matter: “There are only factories here, and your factory area is remote. It takes quite a while to get to the city center by shuttle bus.”
The shuttle bus stop wasn’t close either. Chen Zongqian recalled that after getting off the secondary road, one had to walk along a lush, rural road for a while. The drive alone took several minutes, and walking it was a long journey.
“There’s a cluster of shared electric bikes parked by the water tower. You can ride for twenty minutes for one yuan, which is enough to get to the bus stop or the market town in front of the factory area.” Chen Zongqian had noted the surrounding area when checking navigation. He thought quickly, as if visualizing a young man traveling along the route. “If you want to go out on the weekend, walking slowly isn’t too much trouble.”
Even without going to the city center, those two bus routes passed by the River Embankment Park and a sizable shopping mall, where one could take a walk, watch a movie, or eat something new.
He spoke these things as casual conversation, but Xu Qiaochuan felt bewildered listening to them. Why was Chen Zongqian telling him all this? The factory card swiped open the gate, and Chen Zongqian quickly stepped out, locking the door and separating them. Xu Qiaochuan didn’t dare move. He felt he was becoming strange.
“I’ve been here before, but I haven’t explored thoroughly, so I can’t recommend other fun places.” Chen Zongqian sighed, then smiled at him. “Your room is too small. Once you’ve rested enough, you can go outside and take a look.”
Xu Qiaochuan was suddenly jolted awake. He had two days off a week. He used one day to adjust his schedule after shift changes, and the remaining day he didn’t know what he did. He had no particular thoughts. Xu Qiaochuan would sleep for two days on the small bed in the small room, doing nothing, which was why he hadn’t even seen the factory’s gymnasium after two weeks of work.
Work was a daily repetition, and off-duty he lay like a corpse. His time was spent in a daze. Xu Qiaochuan realized he had no expectations for life; everything happened naturally, and he made no plans.
Chen Zongqian thought he was depressed and unhappy, and staying in the small room wouldn’t help. He also thought that at his best age, the best and happiest things should be happening to him.
“Why?” Xu Qiaochuan habitually clenched his fingers when nervous, then suddenly spread them wide, stretching them straight, causing them to tremble involuntarily.
He pondered the source of his panic and realized that Chen Zongqian’s presence was gradually seeping into his life. The suggestions were thoughtful and reasonable. Xu Qiaochuan really would follow the plans Chen Zongqian had given him and go out.
It was as if that person would be walking beside him, yet the reality was not so. Fleeting moments, a mere touch—nothing could last. Xu Qiaochuan was still alone, and those traces only added to his distress.
Xu Qiaochuan paused, hesitant. He seemed unable to let go. The Lawyer was a shrewd man, capable of easily manipulating his heart, even if this was absolutely not Chen Zongqian’s intention.
“You called me ‘Gege’ many times today.” Chen Zongqian smiled slightly and waved at him. “Go back and rest, Xiao Qiao.”
Xu Qiaochuan also waved, staring blankly as Chen Zongqian left. He thought this person truly had a good heart, yet was also truly cruel. Gentleness was not entirely harmless; it was already corroding him like a chronic poison.
After seeing him off, Xu Qiaochuan walked slowly along the road, passing the factory buildings and dormitories. He still didn’t know where the gymnasium was and had little interest in finding it. Thinking of the cramped, small dormitory room also made him feel stifled and anxious.
When alone, the brain easily empties. Xu Qiaochuan felt that organ was accumulating white light.
Without basis, without reliance, he would fall into this state of confusion when he didn’t need to do anything. Xu Qiaochuan sat by the flower bed downstairs for a long time.
His phone was rarely used for entertainment. He didn’t read free online novels or scroll through short videos. Xu Qiaochuan couldn’t concentrate on reading large blocks of text; the mechanical ease of scrolling down still felt like operating a machine or feeding materials.
He lit up the screen to check the time, then turned it off to black. After a while, he forgot the time again and had to repeat the action of opening it.
About half an hour ago, he had received a message: “Chen. requests to add you as a friend.” Xu Qiaochuan glanced casually, ready to swipe past, but froze when he saw the profile picture clearly.
It was a landscape photo, a river in winter. Pingzhou Port was in the south, where it was summer all year round, and winter was brief, only a damp, cold chill, without snow.
In the picture, the river surface was covered with a layer of clear ice, and the distant view was blurred, but thin snow could still be seen. He thought it must have been a sunny day when the photo was taken, with excellent sunlight shining on the river, preventing any feeling of desolation or cold.
A slow, gentle river, a layer of clear, thin ice.
This image existed in his phone album, saved more than two months ago. Xu Qiaochuan had searched for it online, finding only similar images but not the exact one. He didn’t know where this river was located, certainly not Pingzhou Port.
After getting Chen Zongqian’s number, Xu Qiaochuan had searched for him on WeChat, not daring to add him, only secretly observing many times.
Chen Zongqian’s Moments were completely open. Non-friends could only see the ten most recent posts, but ten posts were enough for Xu Qiaochuan to see another side of Chen Zongqian.
The latest share was a fresh and lovely bouquet of jasmine, placed on the passenger seat. Xu Qiaochuan didn’t know who the flowers were for.
The tenth post was a book he was reading. Xu Qiaochuan zoomed in to examine the text. It was all in Chinese, and although there were no characters he didn’t recognize, Xu Qiaochuan simply couldn’t understand it.
Those were texts related to his work, exploring profound legal principles.
Xu Qiaochuan had seen these a long time ago and never imagined that his life and others’ lives were so clearly demarcated. That world he couldn’t understand was Chen Zongqian’s world.
The accompanying note was unsurprising: “I am Chen Zongqian.”
Xu Qiaochuan, of course, knew this was Chen Zongqian. He had known it was Chen Zongqian for a long time.
He had never given Chen Zongqian his number, nor was he surprised that the man knew it. The Lawyer was very capable. He knew that Xu Qiaochuan had made two calls using Lu Xiaoyun’s phone, he could find the old house in Guantang Village, he knew he would be at Xin’an Hardware, so why wouldn’t he be able to find his phone number?
Xu Qiaochuan successfully added the person to his contacts. He used to occasionally click into this person’s WeChat, knowing he would never dare to add him, but now things had changed effortlessly.
The system sent a greeting message on his behalf, but the other party never replied. Xu Qiaochuan knew he was driving and couldn’t look, and he also didn’t know what he could possibly talk about with Chen Zongqian.
Their meeting had been a messy misunderstanding, and today’s repetition was incredibly coincidental. Even now, Xu Qiaochuan vaguely felt a line gradually becoming clear. Everything that happened seemed to be dictated by fate, step by step.
That sudden kindness he received made an uncontrollable greed and desire sprout within him. Xu Qiaochuan couldn’t understand it, only feeling that he was about to fall ill again.