SYLM Chapter 15
by VolareChapter 15 Moving
It must be said that Chen Lu had a rather hard week.
For several nights in a row, she had rushed out of the classroom and sprinted to the bus stop to queue, boarded the bus and fought for a seat, and then taken nearly an hour-long bus ride back to the old house…
Chen Lu, who was prone to motion sickness, almost threw up several times, but because Gu Wan Jun was next to her, she stubbornly closed her eyes, pretended to be asleep, and endured it.
Chen Lu endured such days for seven or eight days. Estimating that Gu Wan Jun’s period was over and she no longer needed to help her reserve a seat, Chen Lu returned to the residential area opposite the school—Rose Garden—that night.
Rose Garden is a school district property directly opposite Ningcheng No. 1 High School. Before Chen Lu’s grandmother passed away, she personally handed the door key to Chen Lu.
The old lady had been reluctant to eat or wear good things her whole life, saving every penny to save up for such a valuable school district property, all so that her granddaughter could attend high school properly.
Even if Chen Lu planned to leave Ningcheng later, the house in this location could still be sold for a good price.
After her grandmother passed away, Chen Lu spent her entire ninth grade in the old house, which was next door to Gu Wan Jun.
It wasn’t until she was admitted to Ningcheng No. 1 High School that Chen Lu moved from the old house to Rose Garden opposite the school, not wanting to waste her grandmother’s wishes.
At first, when she no longer took that bus, Chen Lu hesitated whether to tell Gu Wan Jun, but she was the type of person who did more than she said. After thinking about it for several days, she never managed to say it in the end.
What did it matter to Gu Wan Jun whether she took that bus or not? Maybe she didn’t care at all.
……
——
After six days of school days where they slept later than dogs and woke up earlier than chickens, the students finally ushered in their precious Sunday holiday.
Due to the formation of a biological clock of going to bed early and waking up late, even on holidays, Chen Lu naturally opened her eyes before dawn.
It was still dark outside the window, but the person inside the room was already busy.
After getting up, Chen Lu washed the collars and cuffs of her autumn school uniform and some everyday clothes, then put them in the washing machine. While the washing machine was rumbling, she simply washed up, then cleaned the house inside and out, and finally sat at the table to finish the remaining homework.
After hanging up the washed clothes to dry, Chen Lu sat back at the table and began to conceive her novel.
She had two short suspense stories that were due next week.
Since she no longer wrote novels during math class, Chen Lu’s writing time had been cut in half, so she could only fill it in with more spare time.
Before she knew it, the quiet outside the window gradually became noisy, and the sun poked its head out from behind the clouds, casting a warm glow on the thick snow, adding some color to the originally white world.
The sunlight shone through the window onto Chen Lu’s desk where she was writing, and only then did she break away from her novel ideas, stretch, and look up at the time. It was almost noon.
Although Chen Lu didn’t feel hungry, her stomach had protested several times this morning, as if reminding her that it was time to eat.
Closing her black notebook, Chen Lu prepared to change her clothes, go downstairs to the supermarket to buy some groceries, and throw out the trash she had collected at the door.
Grabbing her house keys, putting on a mask, Chen Lu left the house with two bags of trash.
Chen Lu lived on the 3rd floor. Across the hall at 302 lived a warm-hearted landlady, who often brought Chen Lu food before.
However, Chen Lu hadn’t seen her for some time.
One reason was that their schedules didn’t match. The last time they met, Chen Lu heard the landlady say that her daughter was going to work abroad soon, and she would be going abroad to accompany her daughter. This house would likely be sold or rented out.
She wondered who would move in later.
Looking at the 302 door with the Spring Festival couplets on it, Chen Lu felt a little reluctant, remembering the landlady’s concern for her before. That was one of the few times she had felt the warmth of an elder since her grandmother passed away.
Feelings of loss and sadness quietly spread in her heart. Chen Lu knew that all feasts must come to an end, and even her closest mother could leave without a word, let alone others.
Only she could always be with herself.
……
Locking the door, Chen Lu prepared to go downstairs with the trash. At the same time, the 302 door suddenly opened from the inside.
The sound of conversation came out through the crack in the door, naturally falling into Chen Lu’s ears. The voices of the two people sounded very familiar—
“Auntie, I’m sincerely renting it, paying annually. Do you think the rent can be a little cheaper?”
“Oh my, seeing that you’re also a girl who knows how to take care of a house, even bringing your own shoe covers to look at the place. I heard from my daughter that it’s not easy for you to come to our little county to be a teacher. Auntie will give you another two hundred off!”
“That’s great, thank you so much, Auntie. After I communicate with your daughter, we’ll sign the contract online directly. Thank you, Auntie.”
“Oh my, what are you doing, even bowing? My daughter is about your age. It’s not easy for you young people out there. Auntie knows. So, are you going to find a moving truck later or what—oh, Lu Lu!”
Seeing Chen Lu standing at the stairwell, the landlady exclaimed excitedly, completely unaware of the shocked expression on the woman next to her when she saw Chen Lu.
The landlady was beaming, and went to the stairwell to hug Chen Lu’s shoulders and exchange pleasantries:
“Little girl, it’s been a while since we saw each other. Where are you going? Why are you wearing so little? You didn’t even wear a hat. It’s dozens of degrees below zero outside, so cold!”
“…It’s okay, not cold.”
Chen Lu replied in a low voice, her eyes meeting in the air. She never expected to see Gu Wan Jun at her doorstep.
Although it was Sunday, the other person was, after all, her teacher. She had to greet her proactively, right?
Too much information was hitting her at once. Chen Lu didn’t have time to think about the conversation she had just heard. After hesitating for a few seconds, she took the initiative to speak: “Hello, teacher.”
“Hello.” Gu Wan Jun responded with a smile, but she clearly felt the unnaturalness in her tone.
Considering the unpleasant neighbor experience before, Gu Wan Jun had specifically asked what kind of person lived across the hall when she came to see the house.
When the landlady said with a beaming smile that a high school student lived across the hall at 301, so well-behaved and obedient, everyone who saw her would like her, Gu Wan Jun’s mind couldn’t help but flash Chen Lu’s cold and beautiful face.
But who would have thought that the well-behaved and sensible high school student in the landlady’s mouth would actually be Chen Lu, whom she had been thinking about these past few days?
How could there be such a coincidence?
Gu Wan Jun couldn’t help but sigh once again at the arrangements of fate and destiny.
……
Hearing that the two knew each other, the landlady immediately burst into a smile, almost slapping her thigh:
“Oh my, girl, this girl is your teacher? Isn’t this a coincidence! Girl—no, Teacher Gu, Lu Lu is a good child, sensible, obedient, and has good grades. She lives across the hall from you at 301. I’ll leave it to you to take care of her in the future. Auntie will reduce your rent by another fifty yuan per month!”
“……”
……
Walking to the unit door downstairs, the landlady, who had been talking all the way, was called away by her husband on the phone, leaving only Chen Lu with the trash bags and Gu Wan Jun with the 302 door key. The two stood at the unit door, watching the landlady leave.
Today was a rare day when it wasn’t snowing and the sun was out.
In the residential area, children were playing happily in the snow, building snowmen, having snowball fights, chasing each other. Adults gathered in twos and threes, chatting about their families, enjoying the rare sunshine and comfort of the northeastern winter.
“You in a moment——um, you go first.”
“Teacher, you in a moment——ah…you go first.”
The two spoke almost in unison.
Their eyes met, Gu Wan Jun curved her eyebrows and couldn’t help but laugh. The soft laughter was like a spring, clear and melodious, slowly flowing past Chen Lu’s ears.
Gu Wan Jun raised her eyebrows and smiled: “You go first.”
Chen Lu pursed her lips and followed suit: “Teacher, are you moving in a moment?”
Gu Wan Jun nodded, telling the truth: “Yes, the previous house was too far from the school, and it wasn’t convenient to go to and from work.”
“I see…”
Chen Lu’s thoughts were racing. When she lowered her eyes, she suddenly noticed that a large piece of cotton wool was inexplicably attached to the back of Gu Wan Jun’s right hand.
“Are you injured?”
“Huh?”
Noticing Chen Lu’s gaze, a hint of unease flashed in Gu Wan Jun’s eyes. She immediately shrunk her right hand with the cotton wool into the sleeve of her cotton coat, saying casually:
“It’s nothing, I accidentally scratched myself while moving books.”
“Are you moving by yourself?”
“Originally, a friend was going to come and help, but I don’t have much stuff, so moving alone is enough.”
Gu Wan Jun smiled. It didn’t feel good to lie to her student in person.
Having been in Ningcheng for less than a year, Gu Wan Jun hadn’t had time to make friends except for her colleagues whom she saw every day.
Besides, no one knew about her moving, and she was embarrassed to trouble anyone.
……
Seeing Chen Lu looking thoughtful, Gu Wan Jun was afraid that this person would continue to ask questions, so she directly changed the subject: “By the way, you have something to go out for, right? Go ahead, while the weather is nice.”
“I don’t have anything to do, I’m just going downstairs to throw out the trash.” Chen Lu avoided Gu Wan Jun’s gaze and looked down at the trash bags in her hand.
This was the second time she had lied to Gu Wan Jun.
“I see. Then throw out the trash and go upstairs quickly. The auntie was right just now, you’re wearing too little, don’t catch a cold. Go back, I’m leaving first.”
Gu Wan Jun was anxious to end the topic. After speaking, she smiled and patted Chen Lu’s shoulder to say goodbye, then walked towards the entrance of the residential area.
……
Two minutes later.
The trash bags rolled the snowflakes on the edge of the bucket into the trash can together. Chen Lu rubbed her frozen red fingertips, her mind constantly sorting out everything that had just happened.
Gu Wan Jun was moving to 302 across the hall.
Gu Wan Jun’s right hand was injured.
Gu Wan Jun said she was going to move alone.
Remembering when she moved from the old house to the current residential area in her tenth grade year, Chen Lu could imagine how difficult it was to move alone. At that time, she also didn’t want to trouble anyone and was going to move by herself, but Fu Yi Wen and Jiang Zhen Zhen blocked her doorstep before dawn.
Chen Lu didn’t have many things, but the three of them were still busy all morning before they finished moving.
Now that Gu Wan Jun was moving alone, and with an injured right hand, could she really do it?
Chen Lu pursed her lips, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes.
Should she go and help?
Chen Lu hesitated.
But Gu Wan Jun didn’t let her friends help, would she let her help?
Besides, the other person was her homeroom teacher. Would she mind a student participating in her private life?
With each step up the stairs, new concerns emerged one after another in her mind. Chen Lu frowned. When she came to her senses, she was already standing at her doorstep.
She hadn’t gone to the supermarket, hadn’t bought groceries, and had only been thinking about Gu Wan Jun’s move.
When she felt the slightly cold house keys in her pocket, as if she had received some kind of call, Chen Lu pursed her lips and looked back at 302 across the hall.
——
At the entrance of the Rose Garden residential area.
When Gu Wan Jun walked to the bus stop, the previous bus had just left.
It wasn’t too cold today, and even the white steam she exhaled was much lighter.
Using the time while waiting for the bus, Gu Wan Jun roughly planned in her mind what she should pack first when she got home later.
She hadn’t hired an on-site moving service, but had only booked a small truck that was only responsible for moving and not for packing, which was the cheapest option in the moving service.
In other words, the heavy responsibility of packing things fell on Gu Wan Jun alone.
Although there weren’t many things, it would still be time-consuming and laborious if she really packed them up.
For example, this morning, Gu Wan Jun was in a hurry to pack books and ended up scratching the back of her hand on a nail sticking out from the old bookcase, and it still hurt.
A cold wind blew past, Gu Wan Jun put her hands in her pockets and shrank her neck. She comforted herself in her heart, saying that luckily she had found a suitable house today, otherwise she would have to postpone it to next week.
And the new house was across the hall from Chen Lu.
This was already an unexpected surprise for Gu Wan Jun.
Judging from the landlady’s attitude towards Chen Lu, Gu Wan Jun was even more convinced that not only was she thinking about Chen Lu, but no one in the world would dislike a well-behaved, sensible, considerate, and meticulous little girl like Chen Lu.
……
The bus came, Gu Wan Jun touched the paper money in her pocket, and prepared to board.
“Teacher!”
A familiar voice came from behind, and Gu Wan Jun turned her head when she heard the sound.
It turned out to be Chen Lu.
The girl had just left the residential area and was jogging all the way towards her.