01

Whether it is San Francisco or love, they are merely a dream in our hearts

I stand by the bed, calling out the name Jiang Hai: "Jiang Hai, Jiang Hai."

I was shocked, my mouth agape, staring at her with wide eyes: "How can one achieve peace in the world if one's own heart is not at peace?"

After I finished packing, Jiang Hai lay on the bed, and I placed a cold towel on his forehead to bring down his temperature. By the window stood his beautiful gramophone, which, although available in the United States, Jiang Hai still went to great lengths to have it shipped from his home country by sea. The black classical gramophone, positioned in a spot where sunlight could not reach, exuded a sense of humble strength

No, I just think this cup is beautiful

This fact brings me great joy, as I unexpectedly stumbled upon such a rare opportunity that comes once in a century. I changed into three different outfits in front of the mirror, and finally filled a large cardboard box with the items I purchased at IKEA during the day, then I shakily carried it out the door.

Zhao Yimei stared at the phone screen, which showed no new calls, and she lowered her head in great disappointment

"Do not drink this milk," Zhao Yimei glanced at the milk in my hand, opened the refrigerator, and took out her box of organic milk. "American food contains too many hormones. Not to mention anything else, milk and eggs must be chosen as organic; otherwise, not only will you gain weight, but you will also develop body hair."

I stuck out my tongue and took her milk: "Thank you. No wonder I broke out in pimples on my face today after drinking milk yesterday"

He answered the phone and apologized for not hearing my call in the morning. His voice sounded very weak, and I asked with concern, "What happened to you?"

This is Jiang Hai, who studies the most advanced technology in the world, yet stubbornly clings to old objects that carry the flavor of time. He does not like social networking sites and applications; if not necessary, he will not even touch his mobile phone

I hurriedly swallowed the pizza in my mouth, holding up a one-gallon milk jug in my hand, and waved to her, saying: "Hi"

I shook my head apologetically, and he shrugged, saying: "I can never tell the age of you Eastern girls; you look like you are only fourteen."

Before waking up by the river, I fled his dormitory like a thief. I didn't even dare to breathe, my feet seemed to be stepping on wheels of fire and wind. When I returned to the bottom of the dormitory building, I realized I had forgotten to bring my access card, so I could only sit on the steps, grinning foolishly while waiting for someone to open the door.

Then I hesitated in front of a pair of couple cups, which were printed with Van Gogh's Starry Night. I wanted to buy one for myself and one for Jiang Hai, but I was afraid he would find out that these were couple cups

Thus, under Zhao Yimei's teasing gaze, I steeled myself to pick up the pair of couple mugs. The heavy mugs felt solid in my hands, and as my fingers brushed over the smooth surface, I imagined Jiang Hai using them to drink coffee every morning. Would he know that I was saying good morning to him in this way?

Zhao Yimei bought a huge wardrobe and a dressing table. While copying the item numbers with a pencil, she said to me: "I once had a wish, which was to be able to visit IKEA with the boy I like"

He did not respond, and as I leaned down, I clearly saw his long, dark eyelashes covering those deep, pool-like eyes. By some strange twist of fate, I gently, softly kissed his thin lips.

Zhao Yimei shrugged her shoulders, and I noticed that she had once again donned that nonchalant expression, as if she were indifferent to everything. She asked me, "What are you doing outside, delivering cups?"

I held the phone, my heart pounding like thunder, and all my past eloquence vanished in the face of the vast river and sea. I stammered in response: "No, it's fine, I'll go to sleep now, good, good, good night"

After listening, I stood there in a daze, holding my phone. Is this a joke, I thought, I must be dreaming. The person speaking is Jiang Hai, my idol. I have known him since I was ten years old, and I have never even seen him frown. I have always believed that there is nothing in this world that can stump Jiang Hai.

I laughed heartily and told him I was sixteen years old. He was surprised and whistled, saying, "You must be very, very smart"

Hi, she walked up to me, saw the meager box of pizza in front of me, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Haven't you had dinner?"

He can memorize the entire periodic table of chemical elements after just one glance, model and calculate the results of sports competitions before they begin, and accurately indicate the location of the Rose Nebula.

However, she propped her hands on the table, resting her chin on them, and looked at me with a half-smile, "You are only sixteen, right? Taking some hormones might help; perhaps your A cup could still be saved.

I am unable to reach Jiang Hai by phone, which leaves me somewhat frustrated. Zhao Yimei tossed a bottle of sunscreen to me. Her skin is wheat-colored, the shade most favored by Americans, and it looks particularly enchanting under the sunlight

I raised my head and happened to see Zhao Yimei entering through the door

San Francisco is approximately 15,000 kilometers away from China. In August, it is still observing Daylight Saving Time, resulting in a time difference of 13 hours with China

Do you know? Zhao Yimei said to me with a smile, "The meaning of giving a cup is to give you my whole life"

In August in San Francisco, outside the window was a magnificent sunset resembling a nebula, the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen, and I kissed the boy I deeply loved

He is a person with a very strong and tranquil inner self, and everything about him captivates me so deeply

I have my days and nights reversed; the deeper the night, the more energetic I feel. When I get hungry, I quietly sneak into the living room, open the refrigerator door, and pull out the leftover pizza from yesterday, too lazy to heat it up, eating it with cold milk. Just as I am squatting on the floor enjoying my meal, I suddenly hear the sound of a door opening.

Buy, buy, just buy!

In the end, he was brought down by a cup of strawberry ice cream

Zhao Yimei glanced at me and teased, "Oh, still underage and already experiencing the stirrings of love?"

I sat on the carpet, leaning against the edge of the bed, raising my head to look at Jiang Hai, who was breathing evenly like a baby beside me. His bangs fell in disarray, obscuring his eyebrows. At that moment, an indescribable feeling of affection and emotion surged within me

What I actually wanted to ask her was, why it was once. But looking at Zhao Yimei's expression, I did not pursue the question further

The first thing she did upon arriving in the United States was to purchase a brand new Lexus double cab sports car. She is simply a shopaholic, wandering outside every day. In the three days since I met her, we have only exchanged a few words, and to this day, I only know her name.

The next day before heading out, I called Jiang Hai. We had previously co-organized a family plan, which is the most commonly used mobile plan among international students, allowing free calls between each other. Generally, it is more cost-effective for four or five people, but neither Jiang Hai nor I had mentioned adding anyone else.

For the safety of students and to help them adapt to university life as quickly as possible, most schools in the United States require freshmen to live in campus housing during their first year. When selecting my accommodation, I requested that my roommates be all Chinese girls, so I was ultimately assigned to this 3B2B (three bedroom two bathroom) dormitory.

After she finished speaking, she hung up the phone and threw it to the ground as if she had lost her mind. Then she turned around and we made eye contact. I awkwardly waved at her, then bent down to pick up her phone and handed it back to her, unsure of what to say

Jiang Hai looked at me helplessly and I followed him into his room. Jiang Hai enjoys peace and lives in a 1B1B single room. I took out the desk lamp, towels, dishes, and hangers that I had bought one by one for him. He was sitting on the bed, bent over, with his head down, appearing as if he had fallen asleep.

Jiang Hai was waiting for me under his dormitory building. He was wearing a wrinkled cotton T-shirt, and due to his fever, his cheeks were unnaturally flushed, making him look like a little child. I bounced in front of him with a smile: "Strawberry Boy!"

At that moment, I had a feeling that we would surely become very good friends

I suddenly recalled that stolen kiss and Jiang Hai's soft lips, akin to warm cotton candy. I blushed instantly and shyly replied: "Mm"

I arrived at school a week early with Jiang Hai. I spent three days adjusting to the time difference. Each day, I would sleep until four or five in the afternoon, wearing my pink Hello Kitty nightgown, toothbrush in mouth, standing in front of the mirror, "turning left three times and right three times, twisting my neck and shaking my hips." Then I would lie on the carpet reading comics, with the computer speakers turned up to the maximum—"If you come to San Francisco."

I thought about my empty bedroom and nodded, saying, "Alright."

Then, upon my further inquiry, I learned that he had gone to the supermarket last night and bought a cup of strawberry-flavored Häagen-Dazs. After finishing it, he suddenly remembered that he seemed to be allergic to strawberries. While he was thinking that it was just a strawberry flavor, he realized that he was starting to run a fever

Most things in the United States are larger than those in the domestic market, and IKEA is no exception. The standard furniture lacks any charm compared to that in the domestic market, yet despite this, I still couldn't help but purchase a variety of tableware and daily necessities, with everything in two sets

I stood up and turned on the phonograph, playing a piece by Bach that Jiang Hai particularly liked

It was at that moment that I ran into Zhao Yimei. She was wearing a tank top and flip-flops, probably having rushed out. She was holding her phone, seemingly arguing with someone on the other end. I heard her venomously shout, "Shen Fang, why don't you go die?"

Thus, he lay in bed for an entire day

In the afternoon, when I returned, I called Jiang Hai again

Feeling a bit unwell

Zhao Yimei is one of my roommates. Her room is directly across from mine, and it is the largest room in this house, featuring an en-suite bathroom, with a rent that is one hundred and twenty dollars higher than mine. She is a very beautiful girl from Beijing, tall in stature, with long, deep burgundy hair, and she is majoring in Spanish. She arrived a few days earlier than I did, and when I first saw her wearing Prada sunglasses and carrying a beige MCM backpack, I felt as if my eyes were almost dazzled.

Before going to bed at night, I hesitated and sent a text message to Jiang Hai, asking if he was feeling any better. He hardly ever uses his phone, let alone checks messages, but this time, just as I put my phone down, it rang.

I turned my head to look at her, behind her was the night sky of San Francisco, filled with countless stars, seemingly within reach

In the comic, the male and female protagonists are leaning on their desks, each wearing a headphone, tilting their heads to look at each other, with smiles in their eyes and on their brows. Beside them, on the windowsill, blooms a cluster of unfamiliar flowers

As I stepped out, an American boy主动 came over to help me with my suitcase. He smiled and asked me, "Are you going to find a boyfriend?"

Why

I think she probably feels the same way, because she asked me: "I'm going to IKEA tomorrow to buy something, do you want to go with me?"

She burst into laughter, her brows and eyes arching playfully, exuding a kind of unrestrained beauty in the night

The sound of the river and sea is still a low hum, deep enough to seem gentle, he said: "Jianghe, thank you"

So I thought I was being very considerate by comforting her: "It must be that the phone is broken, and the calls can't get through."

My biological clock is out of sync, and I don't even know if this counts as dinner I said shyly

The son returns home, suitable for family and household. I have always felt that IKEA's Chinese name is truly apt, instantly evoking thoughts of home.

Then why don't you buy it? Look, it's still on sale

This feeling is akin to that of long-time lovers, facing each other day and night, already familiar with each other's presence. I still hold the starry porcelain cup purchased from IKEA, gently cough, and quietly stand up to place it on Jiang Hai's desk