Together Forever - Chapter 38
Volume 2, Chapter 38: Waiting For You (2)
The surroundings were easily recognizable; he was in a hospital room. Had he already had surgery? Or was he about to have it?
The more she guessed, the more anxious she became. In the end, she could only repeat Gu Pingfan’s words to herself.
Relax. Only by relaxing can I deal with the situation here.
The next day, Shen Yao accompanied her to the Physics building.
Zhao Yin’s office was full of students. They waited outside for a long time. “Want me to go in with you?” Shen Yao whispered.
Tong Yan shook her head. “This isn’t exactly good news. Wait for me outside.”
From the moment she knocked on the door to the moment she emerged, it took only ten minutes.
Shen Yao, who had been pacing anxiously, grabbed Tong Yan’s arm. “Well? How did it go?” Tong Yan was still slightly dazed. “She agreed. She said since I’ve already taken the course for three semesters and scored above eighty on the midterm, I should be fine for the final.”
“She agreed just like that?”
“Just like that.”
Shen Yao stared at her in disbelief.
Tong Yan nodded firmly, confirming the unbelievable truth.
She hadn’t been very hopeful when she first entered the office.
Zhao Yin, assuming she was there to inquire about her grade, had quickly handed her the exam paper: eighty-one, a record high for Tong Yan. But Tong Yan wasn’t in a celebratory mood. While Zhao Yin was explaining her mistakes, she carefully broached the subject of her request.
It was a rather unreasonable request to make of a teacher.
Tong Yan hesitated, then explained her reasons.
It was a flimsy excuse; her grandmother’s illness didn’t explain why she needed to be the one to return home, let alone for an extended period. Most people would have questioned her further. But Zhao Yin, surprisingly, didn’t pry.
“TK and I are old friends. If you need any help, you can always contact me,” Zhao Yin said, writing down her phone number. “He spoke to me before he left. Although I don’t personally support teacher-student relationships, as a friend, I hope you two will be happy.”
Tong Yan walked out of the Physics building, hands in her pockets, as Shen Yao continued her string of incredulous exclamations.
The ground floor of the Lianhua supermarket was filled with food stalls. Shen Yao pulled her towards one and bought them jianbing (savory crepe) for breakfast. It was raining, and the stalls were less crowded than usual. They stood under the awning, eating and sheltering from the rain.
“Yan Yan, do they have jianbing in Beijing?” Shen Yao asked suddenly, sounding wistful.
“I don’t know, probably,” she thought for a moment. “I haven’t been back in almost three years, and even then, my visits were short. I haven’t really paid attention.”
After this semester, they would begin their year-long internships.
She wouldn’t be interning in Shanghai, which meant that after this visit, apart from returning for the final exams… they wouldn't have much time together. “You should thank me,” Shen Yao said, her mouth full. “I’ve decided to attend Physics lectures and take notes for you. Do you know how much self-sacrifice this requires? I barely scraped by with a sixty-something last time. It was a nightmare.”
Tong Yan laughed.
The professors in her own department were more accommodating. With the help of the administrative staff, she had also been granted special permission to take the final exam for Maritime Law. That afternoon, she returned to the dorm and began packing. Once everything was boxed up, only his laptop remained. Worried it might get damaged, she decided to carry it in her backpack.
Sitting at her desk, she habitually checked her email and was surprised to find a message from him.
It must be late at night where he was…
Yan Yan,
I went back to Penn Law yesterday. Seeing my alma mater brought back memories.
I’ll bring you here after you graduate. Penn is in downtown Philadelphia, easily accessible, and close to New York and Washington. How about making Penn the first stop on our honeymoon?
I’m fine, everything’s fine.
TK
The email also contained a video.
Tong Yan clicked on it. He was standing in front of a fountain in an unfamiliar square, arms crossed, looking at a Gothic building in the distance. The camera shook violently; Pingfan must have run around to face him while filming.
He realized she was filming him and looked surprised.
Then, slowly, a smile spread across his face.
“TK, say something to your wife!” Pingfan’s voice called from behind the camera.
The sound of the fountain filled the video.
His hair was slightly longer, his face wreathed in a smile, the water spraying upwards, the sunlight dazzling; it was a captivating image. He considered Pingfan's request seriously.
Then he raised his arms and formed a heart shape above his head.
Pingfan’s voice shrieked, “Oh my gaga!” She was clearly shocked by his gesture, practically overflowing with vicarious excitement…
Tong Yan sat there, mesmerized, her heart pounding even after the video ended. Two months of longing, condensed into that single gesture.
He looked handsome, healthy, and full of life in the video.
Perhaps it was recorded a month ago, or maybe a few weeks ago, she couldn't be sure, but definitely not yesterday. She stared at the screen, unable to watch it again, then closed the laptop and put it in her bag.
Returning to Beijing felt like a race against time, a matter of life and death.
First, she had to persuade her grandmother to have surgery. Then came the whirlwind of selling their apartment and finding a new place to rent. In just a month, she learned essential life skills, things they didn’t teach in school. Thankfully, her grandmother's former students helped her navigate the complexities of hospitals and treatments.
Not wanting to deal with a complicated move, she rented an apartment in the building next door. She carried smaller items over herself, trip after trip. For the larger furniture, she hired movers and asked two high school friends to help supervise. By the time the move was complete that afternoon, the apartment was still a mess, but she rushed to the hospital.
When she arrived, the waiting area was full of patients’ families, chatting amongst themselves.
They were all oncology patients, sharing their experiences with various diseases, some familiar, some she had never heard of. Apart from going home to shower and change, Tong Yan practically lived at the hospital, so she was relatively familiar with everyone. When asked about her parents’ absence, she gave vague answers.
Eventually, people stopped asking.
Since moving, she had been using the internet cafe near her apartment to check her email and messages.
Shen Yao regularly sent her lecture notes, along with teasing remarks about how she had never been so diligent in her own studies. Gu Pingsheng continued sending emails every few days, never mentioning his condition.
In her replies, she wrote about the warm weather and her light course load. Privately, however, she kept a journal, documenting everything, thinking that when he returned, she would show it to him and say, “See? Mrs. Gu is strong and optimistic.”
In mid-June, Shen Yao reminded her that the Physics final was in July.
As she hung up, the pressure cooker in the kitchen whistled shrilly. She rushed in and turned off the heat, looking out the window at the lush green poplar trees, feeling like she had stepped into a time warp.
How had time flown by so quickly? It was almost July.
“Yan Yan?” her grandmother shuffled into the kitchen. “Why don’t you take a nap?”
“No, thanks.” She turned around, taking the pressure cooker off the stove. “I’ll get the pork trotters ready for you, then I need to study.”
Zhao Yin had given her a chance to take the final exam, and she wanted to show her gratitude with a good grade.
After finally persuading her grandmother to take a nap, she returned to the kitchen and opened the pressure cooker.
The pork trotters were tender and falling off the bone.
She washed her hands and carefully began separating the meat, tendons, and skin, placing them in a small bowl.
Just as she finished one and was starting on the next, a knock echoed through the apartment. Not wanting to wake her grandmother, she quickly dried her hands and went to the door.
She was expecting Auntie Liu, thinking she could ask about the latest test results… But when she opened the door and saw him leaning against the frame, his face slightly thinner but smiling, her mind went blank.
Then she heard him say, “May I come in?”
She stared at him, unblinking.
Gu Pingsheng looked at her appraisingly, a playful smile on his lips. “Mrs. Gu looks much better in skirts, especially miniskirts.”
His teasing tone finally made it real.
She reached out to hug him, then noticed the cane in his right hand. Her heart sank. “Did the surgery not go well?”
He smiled, handing her the cane. “There’s no elevator here, and walking is still a bit difficult. I probably won’t need this in a month or so.” Tong Yan took the cane and leaned it against the wall.
The hallway was too narrow to help him walk, so she simply watched him enter.
He seemed to have recovered well.
“Where’s Grandma?” he asked, entering the living room.
“Taking a nap.” Tong Yan signaled for him to keep his voice down and led him into the kitchen.
After closing the door behind them, she turned and hugged him, feeling his arms wrap around her. She buried her face in his chest, listening as he spoke. “I arrived in Beijing this morning, signed the purchase agreement for the apartment at noon. It’ll be ready in a few days.” She didn’t move, didn’t speak.
It felt so good, having someone take care of everything.
He said a few more words, then fell silent.
She looked up at him, and he looked down at her, gently brushing her nose with his, then her lips. The familiar scent, absent for so long, slowly eased her months of anxiety, fear, and worry…
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