Translator: System Yaoi
Chapter 2: Inquiring about the Past
Kindly read all the translations at https://chrysanthemumgarden.com/novel-tl/ees/
There are three steps in total, with Lin Ting moving backward and ascending the stairs. As he does so, his pants brush against the marble bricks, collecting rainwater. As the lights within the building gradually embrace him, they create a radiant aura that envelops his entire presence.
Lin Ting turns around and deftly presses the button. A soft click resonates as the glass door at the entrance sways with the wind’s gentle touch. He pushes the door open, and then, glancing back, he waves to Gu Yuqing.
“Goodbye, Mr. Gu,” he brushes aside the stray hair in front of his eyes, “Don’t break our appointment the day after tomorrow. I’ll be waiting for you at home.”
Lin Ting’s words are light-hearted, completely disregarding whether Gu Yuqing will actually agree or if he has other plans on that day. Lin Ting doesn’t really mind.
He took charge of the arrangement, willingly sharing his address without consulting anyone else. Already, he envisions the dinner for the day after tomorrow, eager to make it special. He plans to purchase some candles and perhaps a fresh set of tableware. Later, he contemplates whether to accompany Gu Yuqing to the supermarket to buy ingredients or go on his own.
Having met this new friend, Gu Yuqing, Lin Ting finds himself with a favourable impression. He is determined to arrange a flawless dinner, hoping to make it a truly special experience for Gu Yuqing.
However, they didn’t specify the time. Lin Ting just informed Gu Yuqing that he would be coming the day after tomorrow.
His racing thoughts cannot be contained. The elevator has already reached the first floor. With a “ding,” the elevator door opens. It’s empty inside, and the bright lights reflect off the mirror inside the elevator, projecting another “Lin Ting.” He wears a smile brighter than the light itself.
Lin Ting steps into the elevator and presses the button for the sixteenth floor.
The rain has lessened, but it has become denser. Gu Yuqing holds up his umbrella and watches as Lin Ting enters the elevator. He stuffs his hands in his pockets, feeling the paper with Lin Ting’s address. It still carries a hint of Lin Ting’s warmth, damp and slightly cool.
Gu Yuqing takes a few steps back, his knees grazing against a low flower bed. He looks up at the well-lit building and takes out the piece of paper, holding it up in front of him.
Soft light seeps through the paper, making the interlacing patterns clearer.
Lin Ting used a fountain pen, and the ink has spread along the patterns. His handwriting is bold yet not sloppy, contradicting his character. It’s like a soft sheet of music wrapped around a sharp sword, the blade piercing through the notes.
Gu Yuqing looks at it for a long time before carefully putting away the paper. He looks up and counts the floors. When he reaches sixteen, he suddenly notices another person standing in front of the window.
Sixteen floors isn’t particularly high, but Lin Ting feels like the elevator ride has been quite long. There are four tiles on the elevator floor, and Lin Ting jumps from the top left to the bottom right, then from the bottom right to the top right, making a figure-eight motion. The strap of his music case brushes against his shoulder, and the elevator sways with his movements.
The steel cable makes unbearable noises, and only then does Lin Ting stop. He was just feeling a bit suffocated and didn’t want anything unexpected to happen.
He stood still, his mind filled with the melodies he had played today, but before long, he started thinking about the dinner two days later. He pondered over which piece of music to play for Gu Yuqing.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Suddenly, he thought of the flower beds downstairs. Since spring started, the flower beds had gradually turned green. It was said that new seeds were sprinkled in the flower beds last winter, and Lin Ting wondered if they had sprouted. He felt a sudden urge to go and check it out.
The elevator didn’t wait for him and descended after a brief stop on the fifteenth floor. Lin Ting watched the numbers decrease. He remembered that a dog-owning aunt lived downstairs. Rain or snow, she would always take her dog out for a walk. Her dog was well-groomed, with its own raincoat and shoes.
Instead of waiting for the elevator, Lin Ting walked to the window. The lights in the flower beds were already on, and he wanted to see if he could spot anything from the sixteenth floor.
He pressed against the window and looked carefully, but unfortunately, the sixteenth floor was still too far. The flower beds appeared pitch-black, as if a layer of mist covered them after the rain. Lin Ting’s gaze jumped from one lamppost to another until it returned to the ground floor, where he saw Gu Yuqing counting the floors.
The black umbrella wasn’t particularly eye-catching; it blended with the darkness of the night. However, the rainwater on the umbrella reflected the streetlights, resembling a cluster of small stars.
The person under the umbrella paused for a moment, pointing at the window on the sixteenth floor.
Lin Ting smiled at Gu Yuqing from afar, waving his hand. Then, fearing that Gu Yuqing might not see him clearly, he raised his arm higher and waved vigorously. The person under the umbrella seemed to smile back and waved in return.
Gu Yuqing’s response brought great satisfaction to Lin Ting. He burst into laughter and then disappeared from the window.
Today’s originally gloomy mood brightened because of Gu Yuqing. Lin Ting half-tied his hair and hummed a cheerful tune as he changed into slippers and knocked on the door. The wooden door made a crisp sound.
“I’m here!” a melodious female voice came through, and the peephole darkened for a moment before lighting up again.
“It’s me,” Lin Ting looked at the peephole and smiled helplessly.
Laughter came from behind the door, followed by the sound of the handle turning, and the aroma of food accompanied the light that flowed out.
“You’re back so late today?” The person opening the door was a middle-aged woman. Her face was filled with a smile, and she was wearing slightly bulky home clothes. She stepped aside to let Lin Ting in, holding a spatula in her left hand.
“It rained,” Lin Ting entered the house, took off the case from the quin, and hung his coat behind the door. “The road was difficult to walk on. D University had puddles, and one of the students who was riding a bicycle dropped me off at the subway entrance. The subway was crowded, and my qin almost got lost.”
Zhuo Qingmai had been staring at Lin Ting, appearing very attentive. The warm light fell on the top of her hair, concealing a few strands of grey.
“Next time, I’ll buy you a lock to keep on you,” Zhuo Qingmai placed the spatula on the coffee table and wiped the rainwater off the qin case. “Go wash your hands. Your dad stewed pork ribs for you. He added more potatoes as you requested. Is there anything else you want to eat?”
Lin Ting glanced at the kitchen, where a busy figure could be seen through the frosted glass door. The pressure cooker hissed with steam, the sound of a knife hitting the cutting board resembling drum beats.
“Just the pork ribs will do,” Lin Ting walked towards the bathroom. In that instant when he turned on the light, he suddenly thought of Gu Yuqing. Tilting his body backward, he asked, “Mom, can I bring a friend home the day after tomorrow?”
Zhuo Qingmai was about to go to the kitchen but paused upon hearing his question. The residual oil on the spatula dripped down the handle and seeped into the creases of her joints.
“Which friend?” Zhuo Qingmai pondered for a moment. “Nan Zhi? Has he arrived in Qizhou?”
Lin Ting didn’t wipe his hands, leaving watermarks on the switch, and he shook off the water before coming out. He said, “Not Nan Zhi. Why would he come at this time of the year? It’s a new friend I met on the subway today. If it weren’t for him, I would have lost my qin. I want to thank him and invite him to have a meal at our home.”
The sound of the pressure cooker stopped, and the room suddenly became silent for a moment. Then, the exhaust fan was switched on again, and a voice shouted from the kitchen, “Give me the spatula!”
“Coming!” Zhuo Qingmai hurriedly handed over the spatula, and when she returned, Lin Ting had already slumped onto the sofa, munching on half an apple.
Zhuo Qingmai picked up the other half of the apple and asked, “Someone you met on the subway?”
“Yeah,” Lin Ting absentmindedly scrolled through his phone. After a few seconds, he tossed the phone on the coffee table.
On top of the chest of drawers by the entrance, there was another phone that made a ding sound, and the screen lit up for a moment.
Zhuo Qingmai looked at her son, and suddenly tugged at the corner of her lips. She wanted to smile but couldn’t quite manage it. She walked to Lin Ting’s side and lifted his face, planting a kiss on his forehead, and affectionately said, “Alright, ask the person what they like to eat and if they have any dietary restrictions. Is it the day after tomorrow? Your dad still has to work that day, so you’ll accompany me to buy groceries.”
Lin Ting smiled and gave Zhuo Qingmai a kiss in return, the kiss landing on her cheek, leaving a trace of apple juice.
“Love you~” Lin Ting pinched his fingers together and made a heart gesture, speaking in an affected tone that made Zhuo Qingmai cringe. She stuffed the half-eaten apple into Lin Ting’s mouth and pushed him away.
The mother and son were playfully teasing each other when the kitchen gradually quieted down. Then, the glass door was opened, and Lin Zheng came out holding the tender and succulent stewed pork ribs. The potatoes were submerged in the broth, soft and sticky, infused with the aroma of the meat.
He told Lin Ting to help serve the dishes.
The breathing light on the phone atop the chest of drawers flickered. Lin Zheng casually glanced at it, but the message on the screen instantly froze him. He couldn’t casually brush it off.
Credit card transaction: 1,500 yuan.
What was it used for?
Zhuo Qingmai noticed Lin Zheng’s uneasiness, walked over, and tiptoed to take a look. Then, she rolled her eyes at her husband and turned off the phone, tossing it back onto the chest of drawers.
“Just 1,500 yuan,” Zhuo Qingmai lowered her voice when she saw Lin Ting come out of the kitchen. “Why make such a fuss? Isn’t the money you earn for our son?”
Without giving Lin Zheng a chance to retort, she took Lin Ting’s arm and the mother and son happily sat at the table.
The rain seemed to have intensified, as if it would pour through the night. The leaves couldn’t withstand the onslaught of rain, and tender shoots on the branches fell into the flowerbeds. Water streaks remained on the French windows, while heavy thunder accumulated in the clouds, and the quick flashes of lightning were intense and dazzling.
Gu Yuqing set up an easel by the window, looking through the gauze curtain at the streaks of lightning. Each flash struck in front of the window, casting the image of Lin Ting at the subway station exit. His face was immersed in the moist light, his slightly long hair dishevelled, and his eyes filled with lifeless melancholy.
He held a palette in one hand and a paintbrush in the other. He decisively made the first stroke, but couldn’t find the second stroke no matter what.
That face seemed to blur, leaving only desolation in his mind. Annoyed, Gu Yuqing dropped the paintbrush, ruffled his hair, and then walked to the desk. He picked up his phone and sent a message to a colleague at D University.
Gu Yuqing: Do we have a teacher named Lin Ting at our school? He’s from the neighbouring Music Academy, teaching qin.
The other side seemed idle and responded to the message within a few seconds.
Dr. Shang: There isn’t a teacher named Lin Ting, but there is a student named Lin Ting. He was a graduate student, but dropped out during his second year of studies.
Dropped out?
Gu Yuqing furrowed his brow.
Dr. Shang: He was Professor Sun’s student. Professor Sun had high hopes for him and took him everywhere. After he dropped out, Professor Sun was upset for a long time, saying that as long as Lin Ting wanted, he would always be Professor Sun’s student.
Dr. Shang: Why are you inquiring about him?
Gu Yuqing rubbed his hair again, took the paintbrush between his teeth, and he was extremely frustrated. He twisted the pen fiercely, leaving deep and shallow tooth marks on it.
Gu Yuqing: How do you know so much?
He evaded the question.
The sound of rain outside had no rhythm at all, and the lights swayed incessantly in the wind. Gu Yuqing looked at the lights, his gaze sinking into the halo.
The response took much longer this time. When the phone rang, Gu Yuqing had already made a rough draft, and the vague figure in his mind had turned into simple lines.
Gu Yuqing’s gaze stuck to the lines as he fumbled to pick up the phone. After unlocking it, he lowered his head to read the message.
Dr. Shang: We were roommates back then, staying together everyday. But I was a year ahead of him, and he dropped out when I was about to graduate.
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