Chapter 329: What Is Love, That It Should Make Life and Death a Single Vow?

After dinner, the sky had already turned dark.

Li Heng asked Mai Sui: "Are you going back tonight?"

Sun Manning cut in: "Aren't you two heading to Chang City tomorrow? Let's go pick up Mai Sui's luggage—she'll stay here tonight, and you can leave straight from here in the morning. Saves time and effort."

Li Heng and Mai Sui exchanged glances and immediately agreed to the plan.

Then Li Heng turned to the English teacher: "Teacher, want to take a walk and digest?"

Wang Wang Wang Runwen didn't refuse this time and left the school with them.

The school principal and his wife joined them too.

The group of six chatted and laughed as they strolled leisurely along the path toward Chengnan Park.

They set out around seven, and by the time they returned to the school, it was nearly half past eight. As soon as they stepped through the gate, Sun Manning suggested:

"Mai Sui, why don't you sleep at the English teacher's tonight? I'm planning to sleep in tomorrow, so I won't see you off."

Hearing this, the English teacher gave Sun Manning a meaningful glance, then smiled at Mai Sui: "It's better to stay with me—I have plenty of rooms, and you two can get ready together in the morning."

"Alright, thank you, Teacher," Mai Sui said.

Some things are understood without being said; as they climbed the stairs, Li Heng secretly rolled his eyes at Sun Manning.

Sun Manning didn't back down, giving him two back.

It was getting late. After entering the house, Li Heng took a shower as usual, then plopped onto the sofa and asked the English teacher beside him:

"Teacher, where's Mai Sui?"

The English teacher kept her eyes on the TV: "After you finished showering, she went to Manning's to bathe."

The TV was airing Journey to the West. Li Heng watched a bit with her; during a commercial break, she asked about her new book: "How long do you plan to stay in Bai Bai Bai Luyuan?"

Li Heng glanced at her, thinking: Didn't you already hear that today? Why ask again?

He felt the teacher seemed off today—distracted, absent-minded.

He answered patiently: "About a month."

The English teacher asked: "How many characters do you plan to write?"

Li Heng replied: "Just over five hundred thousand."

The English teacher said: "That'll take more than half a year."

"Yeah, roughly. I plan to write until summer vacation," Li Heng said.

At that point, both fell silent. The living room grew quiet.

After a long while, her gaze went distant as she asked: "Do you think I'm getting old?"

Li Heng paused, turning to study her. "You're only in your twenties. Why ask that?"

The English teacher shook her long hair. "This morning, I went shopping. Two kids called me 'Auntie.'"

Li Heng laughed. She glared at him. He quickly wiped the smile off his face and comforted her:

"Kids say anything. Don't take it seriously. Your skin is in excellent shape—people would believe you're twenty if you said so."

"If my skin is in excellent shape, that still means I'm old, right?" The English teacher turned her head, fixing him with a piercing stare, her eyes flashing with something dangerous.

Li Heng: "..."

When a woman cares about her age, anything you say might be wrong—she's too sensitive.

She stared at him a moment longer, then stood up and walked toward the door with a swaying gait. "I haven't taken a photo in ages. Come with me to get one."

"Huh?"

Li Heng blinked, struggling to follow her train of thought: "It's late at night—aren't photo studios closed?"

The English teacher ignored him, changed her shoes, and stepped out with crisp efficiency.

With no other choice, Li Heng reluctantly followed.

They went downstairs, crossed the playground. Instead of heading to the school gate, she knocked on the door of the infirmary: "Minmin, open up."

"Oh? Bringing a celebrity," the female doctor said, opening the door and teasing upon seeing Li Heng.

Li Heng knew the doctor well and didn't bother with formalities, stepping right in.

The doctor poured tea for both and asked Li Heng: "Did you really compose 'The Original Scenery of My Hometown'?"

The English teacher frowned. "It's officially certified by CCTV. Still doubting?"

"Wow, look at how fiercely you defend him! I'm not doubting—it's just that the impact was too huge! Huge, you understand? Six months ago he was still our student, and now he's on the Spring Festival Gala. Everyone back home talked about it all through the New Year." The doctor was excited, going on for over three minutes without stopping.

When she finished, she went to her bedroom and fetched a camera, handing it to the English teacher: "Wang Wang Runwen, take a photo of me and the star."

The doctor asked Li Heng: "Li Heng, you don't mind, right?"

"Delighted," Li Heng said, stepping over willingly.

The doctor pressed close beside him.

Wang Wang Wang Runwen raised the camera and said: "Aren't you two a bit too close? Minmin, don't take advantage like that."

"Hah, it's just one photo. He's not your husband. He hasn't objected—why are you so upset? Just take it! Take it! I'll take a photo of you two being intimate afterward." Minmin leaned her head against Li Heng's arm, grinning brightly, like a modern-day fangirl.

After the photo was taken, when it came to Li Heng and the English teacher, they didn't need prompting—they naturally stood side by side and took three shots together.

"Wow! You two have real chemistry. If I didn't know you were teacher and student, I'd think you were a couple." The doctor teased.

"If you can't speak properly, just shut up," the English teacher shot back, then asked: "When will the photos be ready?"

The doctor said: "No fixed time. If you're in a hurry, I'll get them developed for you tomorrow at a friend's place."

Hearing this, the English teacher told Li Heng: "When the photos are ready, I'll mail you one."

"Alright," Li Heng nodded.

They sat in the infirmary a while longer. Later, the doctor's husband came home, so they left.

Gazing at the star-strewn night sky, Li Heng said: "I haven't walked around campus in a long time. Teacher, walk with me?"

The English teacher looked up toward the third floor. "Mai Sui should be done bathing soon."

Speak of the devil.

No sooner had she spoken than Mai Sui and Sun Manning appeared on the corridor.

Li Heng called out: "Mai Sui, Manning—come down!"

The two girls stopped, leaned over to look down, then hurried down the stairs to join them.

The four of them lined up like a row of Yakult bottles, strolling around campus. When they reached the rock garden, Sun Manning suddenly asked:

"Teacher, are you planning to teach at this school your whole life?"

To Li Heng and Mai Sui, this wasn't even a question—many teachers at the school spent their entire careers here.

Wang Wang Wang Runwen shook her head. "Hard to say. Right now, I have no desire to leave. We'll see about the future."

In the past, she would have firmly said yes.

But now, her friend Yu Yu Yu Shuheng kept nudging her to leave Shaoshan for Shanghai. At night, alone in silence, she sometimes pondered the question.

Sun Manning had wanted to ask: "Teacher, you're this old—why aren't you married yet?"

But the words caught in her throat. She changed her mind: "Actually, this school's pretty good. Every winter and summer break, we can come back to visit you."

Before today, Wang Wang Wang Runwen wouldn't have thought anything odd about this. But after Yu Yu Shuheng's hint, she now sensed hidden meaning in Sun Manning's words.

It made her wonder: What exactly is the relationship between Mai Sui and Li Heng?

They wandered the campus for several laps. Past ten at night, the four returned indoors and ate sunflower seeds for a while before sleeping.

The night passed without incident.

Li Heng fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. He would've slept through until morning if not for being woken by a full bladder.

He opened the bedroom door and froze—a dark shadow sat on the sofa.

He rubbed his eyes, looked again—the shadow was still there. His spine chilled. He quickly flipped on the light.

"Me!"

Li Heng had been about to curse, but when he recognized the shadow, he exhaled sharply and walked over: "Teacher, why aren't you sleeping?"

"I slept too much during the day. Couldn't fall asleep. Just wanted to sit quietly alone." The English teacher had watched his every move and smiled sweetly.

Li Heng said: "You could've turned on the light. It's scary like this at night."

"I'm used to being alone. I don't like lights." The English teacher's smile vanished. Her face was expressionless, like still water.

Looking down at her, Li Heng didn't know why—but suddenly, he sensed a deep loneliness and desolation radiating from her.

Like

Like a yellow leaf falling, swaying in the wind, revealing the quiet passage of time.

Li Heng sat beside her and, without thinking, said: "Teacher, maybe you should find someone."

The English teacher shot him a look, lips moving, and spat out one word: "Go!"

"Go!" Li Heng echoed the word almost simultaneously.

She blinked, then let out a soft laugh, brushing her hair aside with a strange tone: "What if I quit my job and travel with you to Bai Bai Bai Luyuan?"

Meeting her gaze, Li Heng fell silent for a moment, then nodded: "You don't need to quit. You can just take leave."

He said this because he knew she wouldn't quit.

Otherwise, she would've quit long ago—during summer vacation, not now.

But he clearly sensed that staying here alone was just wasting her life—she was merely a shell, her soul long worn away.

That's the flaw of small towns: life is stagnant, without spark or passion, easily pushing people into premature old age.

Surprisingly, she didn't yell "Go" again. She fell silent.

She didn't speak. Li Heng couldn't find words either. Finally, his bladder forced him to move toward the bathroom.

Wang Wang Wang Runwen glanced at his back, thought for a moment, then stood and returned to the master bedroom.

She understood: if she didn't sleep, he'd stay up to comfort her—and that would ruin tomorrow's flight.

At 5:30 a. m., Wang Run woke up on time to make breakfast; her cooking was average, so she chose only the simplest dishes.

An hour later, Li Heng and Mai Sui were woken by their English teacher and called to the table: "You've eaten too much fish and meat during the Spring Festival—teacher made something light instead. Hurry and eat; we're heading to the station soon."

Li Heng was a food lover—he never turned down anything, as long as there was something to eat.

Mai Sui was even less picky, since her cooking was worse than the teacher's.

The dishes were simple, but all three ate comfortably, mainly because the food was refreshingly crisp.

More importantly, the English teacher cleverly brought out a bowl of pickled vegetables—sour chili peppers, sour bamboo shoots, and sour radishes—that went perfectly with rice.

Around seven, the three arrived at the school gate.

As the bus pulled up, Li Heng said to the English teacher: "Teacher, we're off now. Take care of yourself at school."

Mai Sui hugged the teacher voluntarily: "Teacher, I'll come visit you this summer."

The English teacher smiled: "Good. Stay safe on your journey. Have a pleasant trip."

Li Heng and Mai Sui left.

Watching the bus fade into the distance, the English teacher's smile slowly vanished; suddenly, she felt a pang of envy for the carefree days of student life, when everything could be done on a whim.

But it was a pity—she had grown old, and could never go back.

Li Heng and Mai Sui first took a bus to the long-distance station, then transferred to a vehicle heading to Chang City, arriving well past noon.

Seeing him standing still, Mai Sui waved her hand in front of him and asked with concern: "Li Heng, what's wrong?"

Li Heng blinked as her hand moved and said: "I was just thinking—I should buy an apartment in Chang City, for convenience when we transit through later."

The word "we" made Mai Sui's cheeks flush; she smiled softly and asked: "You're not serious, are you?"

"Of course I am. How could I be joking? It's exhausting always rushing like this." The more Li Heng thought about it, the more he felt buying an apartment was necessary.

Unfortunately, he had no acquaintances in Chang City, and he had no time in the near future.

He thought of Song Yu's aunt—she apparently worked in Yu Hua District, which would be convenient.

He also thought of Yu Laoshi, but immediately dismissed the idea; her family was too prestigious—he couldn't keep bothering her over small matters.

While Li Heng was considering buying a home in Chang City, Huang Huang Huang Zhaoyi, far away in Shanghai, had the same thought.

She took the photos delivered by Editor Sister Sister Liao and studied them intently.

After a long while, Huang Huang Huang Zhaoyi finally snapped out of it: "Is this really his hometown?"

Editor Sister Sister Liao sipped his coffee: "Apart from being remote, the scenery is excellent—mountains, flowing streams, birdsong, and fragrant flowers. It feels like a paradise beyond the world; perfect for health and retirement."

Huang Huang Huang Zhaoyi stared at the photo of Li Heng for a long time, then glanced at Old Li's house, and asked hesitantly: "Does he know these photos were taken because of me?"

Editor Sister Sister Liao said: "I didn't hide it. Someone as sharp as him couldn't be fooled—better to be honest."

Huang Huang Huang Zhaoyi asked: "What was his reaction?"

Editor Sister Sister Liao replied: "He showed no strong reaction. He agreed calmly."

Huang Huang Huang Zhaoyi thought for a moment, then said: "Uncle Sister Sister Liao, what do you think if I bought an apartment in Chang City?"

"Buy a house there?" Editor Sister Sister Liao was surprised.

Huang Huang Huang Zhaoyi said: "I'd go stay for a while whenever I have time. I'm becoming interested in the customs and folkways of southern Hunan."

Hearing this, Editor Sister Sister Liao sighed inwardly—it wasn't southern Hunan's customs she was interested in, but simply loving the person and everything connected to him. "That's fine. The food there has a unique flavor, and the pace of life is slow—ideal for living."

At the same time, he wondered: Was Huang Huang Zhaoyi secretly hoping to run into him in Chang City?

But then he thought the idea too childish—how hard would it be to meet someone by chance in such a vast city?

Unless

Unless she deliberately created opportunities to meet him.

She admired the photos once more, then tucked them into her bag and asked: "My father wants to meet him?"

Editor Sister Sister Liao wasn't surprised: "Xiao Liuyue told you."

Huang Huang Huang Zhaoyi nodded.

Editor Sister Sister Liao apologized: "Huang Huang Zhaoyi, I couldn't refuse his request."

"I don't blame you," Huang Huang Huang Zhaoyi said.

Editor Sister Sister Liao asked: "So what are your plans?"

Huang Huang Huang Zhaoyi thought a moment and said: "Don't rush to arrange anything—I'll find a chance to go home."

Editor Sister Sister Liao asked: "Are you going to confront your father?"

Huang Huang Huang Zhaoyi hesitated: "I have to. My father is too noticeable—he reads newspapers and news every day. He might recognize him."

Editor Sister Sister Liao agreed: "Then what can I help with?"

Huang Huang Huang Zhaoyi asked: "When is he returning to Shanghai?"

Editor Sister Sister Liao answered: "Tonight."

Huang Huang Huang Zhaoyi opened her mouth several times, then finally spoke softly: "If possible, I'd like to meet him alone."

She added: "Not in public—when there are crowds, I get unnaturally nervous seeing him."

How could she not be nervous?

Last time on the plane, when Li Heng first wrote her a note, she was so nervous she didn't dare reply—and missed a chance to connect.

Editor Sister Sister Liao frowned: "Aren't you even more nervous in private?"

Huang Huang Huang Zhaoyi had already prepared her answer: "I want to try."

Editor Sister Sister Liao paused, then said: "Alright. I'll arrange it."

Hearing his agreement, Huang Huang Huang Zhaoyi, who had struggled to speak, quietly exhaled. "Aren't you curious why I'm so eager to meet him?"

"Is it about the new book?" Editor Sister Sister Liao guessed.

"Yes. I'm completely hooked. Those five chapters—I read them all night, over and over, and still couldn't get enough. They're truly well-written." After speaking bitterly, she removed her large sunglasses.

Seeing her tired eyes, Editor Sister Sister Liao sighed again.

At that moment, Editor Sister Sister Liao finally understood deeply the old saying: What is love? It drives people to life and death.

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Post first, revise later.

Today's update: 11,300 characters. Will continue tomorrow.

(End of chapter)