Gu Yingqi was certain that the Zheng family was hiding something from her. Otherwise, why would Grandpa Zheng take such good care of him and Grandma, and why would Zheng Beichen be so tolerant of him?
He knew that his father had been Grandpa Zheng's soldier, but his father had died in the line of duty, and the army had given him a large sum of money in compensation. As a high-ranking officer, Grandpa Zheng had already done more than enough; now it seemed like he was overdoing it.However, what surprised Gu Yingqi was that Zheng Jiujiu, who had never looked at her directly before, seemed to have changed a lot. One drizzly weekend, she, who had always been at odds with Yingqi, actually brought Grandma Gu the carp that Grandpa Zheng had caught.
Perhaps because it hadn't rained when she left, Zheng Jiujiu, who hadn't brought an umbrella, had her hair wet as she stood outside the old house and knocked on the door.
Inside, Yingqi, who was working with her grandmother to fix several leaks, looked so embarrassed and helpless the moment she opened the door. Thinking of Zheng Jiujiu's upscale neighborhood and looking at the dilapidated old house behind her, Gu Yingqi suddenly hesitated whether she should invite her inside.
Zheng Jiujiu, however, casually stepped aside and entered the house, hanging the two large carp on the doorknob: "Grandpa just caught these today, two for Grandma Gu."
Zheng Jiujiu spoke casually, responding to Grandma Gu's polite greetings while her gaze wandered around, finally settling on Gu's father's portrait.
"Is this Uncle Gu?"
Gu Yingqi nodded quickly, stepping forward and placing the portrait face down on the table.
Every rainy season, Grandma would take out her father's photo, repeatedly telling Yingqi, who had never met her biological father, "That year, your father was taken away by a heavy rain."
It seemed that if she forgot to ramble on for a year, no one would remember this son anymore. Actually, Yingqi felt she didn't have much of a connection with her father, since neither of them had ever met.
Zheng Jiujiu withdrew her gaze and looked back at the uneasy Yingqi.
The rain outside the window was pouring down harder and harder, showing no sign of stopping. It seemed Zheng Jiujiu was waiting for the rain to stop before leaving, and under these circumstances, Yingqi had no reason and no desire to send her away. Raindrops seeped through the cracks in the roof tiles, hitting Zheng Jiujiu's toes and splashing onto her skirt. Gu Yingqi quickly grabbed the umbrella from the doorway, opened it, and held it over Zheng Jiujiu's head. This series of actions made Zheng Jiujiu giggle. It was the first time she had ever seen someone use an umbrella indoors, and besides, she was already soaked; those few drops of water were insignificant.
She looked up and, for the first time, seriously examined the thin boy in front of her. For a moment, she seemed to suddenly no longer dislike him.
She remembered what her father had told her that day: if it weren't for that flood, Yingqi would probably be like other children his age, still under his parents' care, sitting in a bright, clean classroom at some university. In that light, he was pitiful, worthy of sympathy.
"Gu Yingqi,"
Zheng Jiujiu called softly, and the other person instinctively snapped to attention: "Present!"
This time, Zheng Jiujiu laughed even louder. She slowly stood up, looked into Yingqi's eyes which were staring straight ahead, and commanded like a grandfather: "Three minutes at attention."
It was while Yingqi stood there like a wooden stake, standing at attention, that Zheng Jiujiu snatched the umbrella from his hand and rushed out into the pouring rain.
Raindrops from the eaves fell into the puddles outside, creating ripples.
Gu Yingqi stood there, silently counting in his mind. He suddenly felt incredibly foolish, yet somewhat willingly so.
He listened to Zheng Jiujiu's footsteps fading into the distance, thinking, "She took my umbrella. Next time I ask her for an umbrella, we'll see each other again, right?"
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