Chen Ruo Yu did not sleep well the whole night.  The next day, Chen Mother got up early and did not give her a good expression.  Chen Father found an opportunity to pull Chen Ruo Yu quietly back into her room to have a chat.

“Since you don’t want to come home, are you intending to stay outside for the rest of your life?  Xiao Yu, think carefully about this.  Is outside really better than your own home?”

“If you are doing well outside or you have set up a family outside, I and your Mom will not say anything.  Now you don’t have a good job, you don’t even know how long you can work and you don’t have money.  You are not young anymore.  In a few years, it will not be easy for you to return home and look for a job here.  As you grow older, it will be even harder for you to find a partner.  Now when we get to meet acquaintances or friends and have relatives coming to visit us and when they ask about you, we don’t even know what to tell them.”

“In a few years, I will have to retire and then even if I want to find someone to help you with anything, it will be difficult.  Now your Mom’s health is not good, and she worries about you every day.  If anything happens, you will also feel bad.  Dad knows that since young, you have been filial and sensible.  But I don’t know why you are so stubborn and not understanding regarding this matter?”

“You don’t know about this since you are staying outside but your Mom had put in a lot of effort running around regarding this matter.  She values her face the most, and she could also discard her face to ask other people for help to introduce a partner to you.  She was also picky and after others had introduced potential partners, she would say they were not good enough.  After she comes back, she would feel shameful and unhappy, unable to eat and couldn’t sleep.  It was not easy for her to find someone that she was satisfied with, and this time she was afraid you will miss this chance.  So I quickly called you to come home.”

“It is alright if this person is not good enough but this person and his family conditions are really comparable to ours and he is also a filial child.  I heard that he is good-looking and his temper is good.  Your Mom is afraid that if you stay too long in A-city, you will not take a liking to the young men here.  As a matter of fact, Zhou Zhe had lived in A-city for some time, and he is an experienced and wise man who had nothing that you would dislike.  It is also good that his family likes you and both of you can spend more time with each other in A-city and later can come home together.  Isn’t this great?”

Chen Father continued speaking and slowly his voice turned resentful.  “Yesterday, I tried to persuade your Mom not to follow her heart.  I told her our children have grown up and they have to make their own decisions.  But on this matter, you are really in the wrong.  Ask yourself, what reasons do you have that you have to tie yourself to A-city?  What is so good there?  I know that something unpleasant had happened here, and you are unhappy with your friends.  I also know that you broke up with Old Zhang’s son and felt aggrieved.  But can you tell me who in his life will not suffer a few setbacks?  After encountering some mishaps, are you going to shun your parents?  If you are leading a hard life outside, isn’t this self-inflicted?”

Chen Father said all these without taking a breath and Chen Ruo Yu kept quiet.  But when she heard up to here, she could not help but defend herself.  “Dad, I’m not suffering in A-city.  Don’t think too much about it.  I’m really good there and I’m happy with my job.  It’s not that kind of humble and submissive job.  Many of my clients have also become my friends.  I’m able to earn money and my life is good.  I also have very good friends there……..”  She said.  Blinking her eyes, she thought of Meng Gu and felt a little sad. 

“Don’t you have friends here?  Can’t you find a good job here?  Your parents are still here!”  Chen Father also became angry.

“Dad, I know what you mean.  I really understand that you are concerned about me but you must also understand me.  I really like it there and I’m very happy there.”

Chen Father did not speak.  He looked at his daughter for a long time and hardened his voice.  “Anyway, I and your Mom have the same thoughts.  You think carefully about this yourself.  Let’s not talk about anything else.  Isn’t Zhou Zhe good enough for you?  Don’t you like him?  As Dad had said, don’t harbor contradictory feelings in your heart and if you think he is good, you must seize the opportunity.  Mom and Dad will always be here, we can’t run away but a good man is not easy to find.  After this, there will not be another.”

After Chen Father finished his lecture bitterly, he left.

She sat in her room distractedly for a long time and finally decided to go for a walk.

She went to look for her friend, Yang Yang.  During that time when she canceled her phone line and cut off all communications, Yang Yang had looked everywhere for people to help find her.  In the end, Yang Yang went to Gao Yu Lan’s house, then found Gao Yu Lan and finally found her.

At that time, Chen Ruo Yu only called Yang Yang to inform her that she was fine and thanked her.  Now that she is back, she should really look her up and have a good chat with her.

When Yang Yang saw Chen Ruo Yu, she was very happy.  They talked a lot about their old schoolmates.  Yang Yang also told Chen Ruo Yu that Qi Na loves to show off and she is very arrogant.  Now many of their schoolmates are also discontented with her and that year, the matter regarding Gao Yu Lan cheating on her boyfriend seemed to be truly weird.  She felt that an injustice was done to Chen Ruo Yu for being pulled into this incident.

“Ruo Yu, come home.  There is no need to hide again because of this matter.  Qi Na said that she wants to hold a reunion gathering for our schoolmates.  I really don’t know about her real intentions.  We also want to this matter to be cleared up and get justice for both of you.  This matter had happened so long ago and it is not necessary to let yourself suffer this grievance.  Come home.”

“But I’m not aggrieved.”  Chen Ruo Yu said with an indescribable and indefinable feeling.  “At the time when I left, I was truly very sad but now I’m really doing very well.  Don’t worry about me.”

Yang Yang looked at her and Chen Ruo Yu did not know whether she should laugh or cry looking at her expression.  Chen Ruo Yu stressed again.  “Really, I’m doing very well.”

Yang Yang sighed and hugged her.  “Ruo Yu, there are many times you just put on a show of being strong.  What is actually so good there?  If you are not happy over there, do come home…..really.  We all miss you.”

***#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#***

Chen Ruo Yu returned home feeling depressed.

Why is everyone suddenly telling her to come home?  Why do they have the impression that she is very miserable?  Really, she is not miserable, she is doing very well.  Why don’t they believe her?

And why is she so persistent?  She really, really, hates the idea of coming home.  She likes A-city……she really, really likes A-city. 

As she walked into the district, she lifted her eyes and saw Zhang Zi Chun strolling with a woman with a big belly.  This was the man who said she was boring and had requested to break up with her.  Is he married now?

Chen Ruo Yu felt a bit awkward and blinked her eyes.  Her parents must have purposely kept the news from her because they were afraid it would hurt her or perhaps they thought she left C-city because she was hurt by the breakup.

At this moment, an old lady in the same district came over to Chen Ruo Yu and said in a whisper.  “Xiao Yu, Old Zhang’s son is already married, and his child is coming out into the world soon.  Don’t keep those old feelings in your heart and be more broad-minded.  His wife is a bitter gourd, does not like to talk and not as lively as you.  So you don’t have to feel sad.”

Chen Ruo Yu looked at her inexplicably.  This Auntie, what are you thinking?

She did not say anything.  She smiled and went upstairs.

She misses A-city......she wants to go back.......

***#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#***

It was not easy to wait until the afternoon when Zhou Zhe finally called her on the phone to tell her that he would be picking her up to return together.  Because Chen Ruo Yu did not promise to come home, Chen Father and Chen Mother were feeling unhappy until they found out that their daughter had made arrangements to return to A-city with Zhou Zhe, then they smiled slightly.

Before they left, the old couple gave Zhou Zhe a bunch of fruits and told him it was for him to slowly enjoy.  They were attentive showing their meaning and exhibiting their feelings through their speech.  Chen Ruo Yu felt helpless and could not say anything.

When the car entered the express highway, she finally could breathe a sigh of relief.

Home is really a strange place.  She really wants to come home but again cannot wait to escape.  What actually is the problem?

“Mr. Zhou, what makes you decide that you must return to C-city?”

“I have to come back.”  Zhou Zhe smiled.  “My parents are here, my home is here.  In A-city, I don’t have a home and I have to struggle for a living.  Once the struggle for a living is ascertained*, then it is time to go home.”

(Once the struggle for a  living is ascertained here means that once ZZ knows what he wants to do, he had saved enough money and he had mastered his trade, he has to return home.  Since he is an only child, the parents are his responsibility and therefore he has to return to make a living.)

Chen Ruo Yu pondered deeply.

She also has no home in A-city and she also has to struggle for a living.

But she did not want to go home.  Can she really not go home?

They have asked her what is so good in A-city that she must stay.

She was unable to answer.

In her mind, Meng Gu’s face appeared and suddenly she misses him very much!

Author’s notes:

This chapter is a bit heavy and stuffy but I think it is necessary to talk about a person’s inner feelings.  Sometimes, the family is like a wound in the heart, impossible to say where it is not good but one could only feel the pain.  Maybe this is called the generation gap.  There is no strict boundary between right and wrong but only the way of getting along.  Does a person in a big environment feel cozy?  In actual fact, is this the so-called sense of happiness?