02

After leaving the taekwondo practice room, I found myself unsure of where to go. I hesitated for a long time at the door of the practice room before deciding to take a stroll on the street

Wait a moment

At the dining table, my uncle served dishes to my aunt, continuously encouraging us to eat, while my aunt kept serving dishes to me and Xiao Yu. During this meal, everyone took turns serving each other, all wanting to share what they considered the most delicious dishes with one another

I am very familiar with the way to Shen Xiaoyu's house. Since high school and throughout my university years, I have visited her home more times than I have visited Ji Chuan's house.

Shen Xiaoyu's family is one that I admire; her parents are both respected teachers, and their relationship is particularly harmonious. Every time I visit her home, I always find myself eating much more than usual.

Upon hearing my self-deprecating humor, my uncle smiled and then went to the study to prepare his lessons

I do not know why, but my heart is becoming increasingly restless, and the thought of not wanting to return home is growing wildly like a flying thought

I feel somewhat perplexed and do not understand where I went wrong

On many sleepless nights, I have pondered why, since she does not love my father at all, she still chose to marry him and give birth to me

The person on the other end of the phone insisted that she was my mother. It was just a simple sentence, but to my ears, it sounded like a bolt from the blue. No one would joke with me about such a thing. In fact, I had already vaguely believed in my heart that the person on the other end of the line was indeed my biological mother; I just couldn't bring myself to believe it. The person who had initially disappeared from my life could so brazenly reappear in my life like this.

I accompanied my aunt and Xiao Yu to watch television for a while, discussing the tall and handsome guys in Korean dramas, and before long, sleepiness began to wash over us

Little Fish's mother was ladling soup while smiling, exuding a warm and friendly demeanor

The little fish casually turned off the light, curled up in the blanket, and refused to say another word

However, I am not someone who gives up easily, especially since this concerns Xiaoyu's lifelong happiness; I must consider her more. Therefore, I enthusiastically suggested to her, "Xiaoyu, do you think it's because you haven't spent enough time with Yao Yizhou? How about I help you arrange a meeting with him so you two can have a good chat? Who knows, maybe as you talk, this good thing will come to fruition?"

On the other end of the phone, there was a moment of silence. After a while, she slowly spoke up and said: "Xiaoya, it's Mom"

I will never forget that at the age of four, she resolutely divorced my father in pursuit of the love she desired, leaving us, leaving my life. For a time, I hated her, hated her for making me a child without a mother, hated her for leaving us, hated her for destroying this family. I once thought that I could never forgive her, that I could never forgive her callousness

I thought that Xiao Yu was just shy, so she burrowed into the quilt and was still planning that when Yao Yizhou returned from abroad after watching his parents' concert, I would hasten to bring him and Xiao Yu together, ensuring that their matters would be settled, so that Xiao Yu would not be sad alone.

Shen Xiaoyu smiled shyly, lowered her head, and said softly: "I just haven't found the right moment to give it."

Many times, I find myself pondering how I would face my mother if one day she were to return and appear before me. I thought I could calmly tell her to "go away," but when she truly and vividly expressed through my phone that she wanted to see me after returning from abroad, I surprisingly felt like laughing

As soon as my words fell silent, a deep female voice came through the other end of the phone, a voice that took me by surprise

The dishes made by my aunt are also commonly found on our dining table, but I find them particularly delicious. Not only did I eat a lot of the dishes, but I also finished an entire bowl of rice. After the meal, I teamed up with Xiao Yu to wash the dishes, and as we engaged in these trivial tasks together, our mood improved significantly.

Xiao Ya, had I known you were coming, I would have bought more vegetables. Don't you love eating braised lion's head? Next time, please call our little fish in advance and let us know, Auntie will make it for you to enjoy

These three words nearly exhausted all my strength, and I dared not utter another word, as if saying even one more word would cost me my life. I hurriedly hung up the phone, not wanting to hear her voice any longer

I fear such strangeness, and I fear even more that this strangeness will lead me to an irretrievable end. I despise how she suddenly appeared out of nowhere, just as she inexplicably vanished many years ago. To me, she is merely a person I must forget, and nothing more; I do not wish to have any entanglements with her again

My friendship with her began with a birthday cake. Although I could buy a birthday cake at almost any time, the significance and value of a birthday cake only come when it is given by someone else

I have never denied my dependence on Shen Xiaoyu

I do not understand what exactly the little fish is hesitating about. In my eyes, if you like someone, you should definitely tell them. If you do not let them know, how will they ever realize that there is a beautiful girl in this world who holds them in her heart and spends her days lamenting for them? Moreover, in this day and age, who still engages in unrequited love? Do not say things like "unrequited love is beautiful and does not bring harm to the other party"; those are merely excuses for one's own cowardice.

If you have a boy you like in your heart but lack the courage to confess, what reason does he have to like you? In this day and age, the chance that you have a crush on him and he just happens to like you back is simply several times lower than the odds of winning the lottery. Thinking of this, I patted my chest and boldly declared: "Xiao Yu, if you don't send it, I will send it on your behalf."

The little fish was amused by me and playfully slapped my hand, saying: "Stop messing around, go to sleep quickly. You have class early tomorrow, be careful not to oversleep and miss it."

The urgent voice on the other end of the phone made me increasingly agitated. After a moment of silence, I coldly uttered three words: "Impossible"

Her home is a quiet little courtyard. Although the living room and bedroom are not very large, they appear particularly cozy. When I arrived at Shen Xiaoyu's house, their meal had just been prepared. I was not at all polite; after changing my shoes, I helped Auntie by getting the bowls and chopsticks and serving the dishes.

That was the first time in over a decade that I had a birthday cake on my birthday. I remember very clearly that the cake was adorned with many fruits and was very, very sweet

Hello! I politely greeted, but there was no sound coming from the other end of the phone for a long time

Little Fish's face turned even redder as she snatched the glass jar from my hand and placed it back on the bedside table. I lowered my head and carefully examined Little Fish, playfully pinching her cheek and jokingly saying: "Where did this beautiful girl come from? Give the old man a smile, and the old man will reward you with a piece of candy to eat"

After taking a shower and before going to bed, I saw a glass jar filled with colorful paper stars on the bedside table of the little fish, and instantly I lost my sleepiness again

Thinking of this, my heart felt as if it had been pierced by a sharp knife, suddenly experiencing waves of acute pain. Yes, I admit, the person who claims to be my mother so easily uncovered the scars that I had buried deep within my heart, causing the wounds that had taken me many years to heal even slightly to bleed profusely

The music suddenly stopped, and my phone rang. Without looking at the screen, I directly pressed the call button

I was so anxious that I felt like I was about to explode, yet she was still thinking about tomorrow's class. It seems my worries were all in vain. I waved my hand and analyzed the situation for Xiaoyu: "Xiaoyu, tell me, what on earth are you thinking about all day long? You and Yao Yizhou are a perfect match, a pair made in heaven and on earth. He plays the violin beautifully and will surely become a musician, perhaps even gaining fame internationally, becoming a renowned artist. You are talented and beautiful, not to mention diligent and thrifty, truly a model of a good wife in the new century. In my opinion, there is no one more compatible than you two in this world! Just think about it, one of you is a teacher and the other plays the violin. In the future, you could have a little Xiaoyu and a little Zhou, one playing the piano and the other singing. Your family could hold a concert! Just imagine how warm and harmonious that scene would be!"

The birthday cake that Xiao Yu gave me is a precious gift that I will cherish for a lifetime, even though it was not entirely consumed and was mainly used for playful antics

I once thought about being with Ji Chuan, not for any other reason but to find someone who could understand me, someone with whom I could share mutual appreciation and warmth, someone who would remember each other during every holiday, offering a small gift or a simple blessing; to me, that would be the most precious and worthy of cherishing.

I was both excited and thrilled, my face beaming with joy, but the expression on Xiaoyu's face was not very pleasant. She looked at me with a complex expression and said softly, "Maybe next time."

On the road, a couple walked past me, holding hands, their eyes seemingly only for each other, which made me quite envious. It has been a long time since Ji Chuan and I held hands like that, parading through the campus without a care in the world. Ever since he joined this so-called Taekwondo club, it has almost become the focal point of his life, leaving me, his girlfriend, sidelined. Thinking about it makes me feel somewhat disheartened.

That day, everyone was having a great time, except for Shen Xiaoyu, who left halfway through. I thought she didn't like being in such a noisy place, so I didn't call for her. However, what I didn't expect was that after a while, she returned, drenched in sweat, holding a cake.

In high school, I often got into trouble, always enjoying playing pranks that would annoy the boys in the class. I would frequently frolic and horse around in the classroom, leaving the desks and chairs in complete disarray. Each time, she would follow behind me to help clean up the mess.

However, I have not felt like buying lottery tickets recently. It now seems that there is only one possibility left: I must have been targeted by those scam calls.

I harbor an indescribable hatred towards the woman who gave birth to me yet neglects me. Her sudden appearance in my life, under such bizarre circumstances, is something I truly cannot accept, especially on a day like today

I picked up the glass jar and examined it for a moment, then I put my arm around Xiaoyu's shoulders, raised an eyebrow, and playfully asked her: "Xiaoyu, be honest, you've been folding these stars for several years, why haven't you given them to Yao Yizhou yet? That guy didn't have a girlfriend in high school, and even in college, there hasn't been any girl who caught his eye. It's obvious he's waiting for your confession, so why are you still indifferent?"

Everything about her is so unfamiliar to me

Uncle asked about my and Xiaoyu's homework, and I just smiled awkwardly without directly answering him. Uncle, having been a teacher for half his life, naturally understood the pain I was reluctant to express, and instead turned to Xiaoyu and said: "Xiaoyu, you and Xiaoya are in the same school, why don't you help Xiaoya out?"

I stopped in my tracks, even more uncertain about where I should go. After hesitating for a moment, I took out my phone and dialed Shen Xiaoyu's number

I do not want to see the woman who abandoned me, I do not want to see my father, and I especially do not want to see the woman who claims to be my stepmother. I hate their kind of relationship

Xiao Ya, I am your mother. I have returned to the country and would like to see you.

Little Fish snatched the glass jar from my hand and placed it on the bedside table, looking quite bashful. Seeing her hesitance, I felt a surge of urgency and took the glass jar back into my hands: "Little Fish, Yao Yizhou is a good catch; if you don't make your move, he will belong to someone else, and by then, you won't even have time to cry!"

I cleared my throat lightly and said impatiently in a lowered voice: "Who is it? If you don't speak, I'm hanging up."

The little fish ignored me and instead pulled the blanket over herself, burying herself in it. My beautiful visions for her and Yao Yizhou's future surprisingly did not move her at all, which left me feeling somewhat frustrated. Could it be that her aspiration is not to become a teacher, but to win the Nobel Prize in Literature? Is such a lofty ideal even achievable? The gap between ideals and reality seems too vast.

I dialed Shen Xiaoyu's number to express my desire to go to her house for a meal

My father remarried another woman when I was five years old, attempting to erase the traces left by the woman who gave birth to me in my life

Upon hearing the word "mother," I instinctively let out a cold snort and disdainfully said: "Mother? I haven't known how to write the word 'mother' since I was four years old; I have no mother"

Shen Xiaoyu is my high school classmate. She is a well-behaved, considerate, gentle, and attentive young lady. During high school, our homeroom teacher often expressed a desire for a child like Shen Xiaoyu.

Who are you? I hesitated for a moment and asked

In my first year of high school, on my birthday, I reserved a private room at a karaoke hall outside of school and invited a group of close friends to celebrate. My classmates were just joking and playing around with me, unaware that it was my birthday, so they did not prepare any birthday gifts for me. In fact, I did not care about any birthday gifts; as long as my friends could be with me, I would be completely satisfied. My classmates were just joking and playing around with me, unaware that it was my birthday, so they did not prepare any birthday gifts for me. In fact, I did not care about any birthday gifts; as long as my friends could be with me, I would be completely satisfied.

I furrowed my brow, feeling somewhat puzzled. Could it be that I have unexpectedly struck it rich and won some grand prize? Perhaps the beautiful staff at the welfare center are too embarrassed to mention the large sum of money

I put on my headphones, turned on the music, and walked out of the school at a leisurely pace

Shen Xiaoyu was very pleased with this and said with a smile on the other end of the phone: "You must come over, my family is making green beans stewed with pork ribs tonight, and there will also be sweet and sour fish, all of which are your favorites."

Hearing my uncle say this about Xiaoyu, I couldn't help but laugh: "Uncle, Xiaoyu and I are not in the same department, and we study different courses. She wants to help me, but she is unable to do so. Please don't blame her. If it weren't for Xiaoyu, I might not even have been able to get into university. Who knows, one day you might see a little hoodlum on the street, and that could be me"

"Xiao Ya, your mother would like to meet you, is that alright?"

Since that day, every year on my birthday, Shen Xiaoyu buys me a cake. In fact, her pocket money is not much, but she saves up for several months each year for this birthday cake. I always try to stop her from buying it, but this girl, who usually seems very docile, is particularly stubborn about this matter; no matter what I say, she does not listen.