Chapter 3 (2/2)
”Right, there was a young woman looking for you just now.”
He asked casually: ”Who?”
”A tall and slender female student. She's also a beauty. She came to join the Book Exchange Club meeting for a few consecutive weeks. Unfortunately, there was only her earlier.”
Cheng Jingpo searched his memories and knew who the waitress was referring to. ”Did she say why she was looking for me?”
”She kept it a secret from me, yeah,” the waitress replied, ”I'm also especially curious why ah.”
Hearing this, Cheng Jingpo's eyes swept across the waitress in a quick glance, and the latter quickly composed her expression, thinking in her heart that she almost forgot, this person had a layer of insulation towards this kind of stuff, joking with him about this would only bring misery upon herself, and to work in an awkwardly tense environment is so stressful. Thus, she wisely zipped her mouth as if she had said nothing, whereas the former remained the same.
Taking the account book from underneath the bar counter, Cheng Jingpo flipped through a few pages before returning it to its place and went upstairs.
Pa.s.sing by the first floor, he stole a glance at the sole source of light in that s.p.a.cious room.
The same seat from last week, the soft cus.h.i.+on pillow on the seat was slightly flushed to the side, and there was nothing else but a gla.s.s on the table. The feeling it gave was similar to having an old friend who had come for a visit, left. The small lamp exuded a warm glow, and a familiar warm tea scent lingered in the air.
He thought of the girl in black sweater and that book she liked. The seriousness on her face she talked about the contents of the book with honest appreciation in her eyes. Other than these, he had had no impression of her face, or as a matter-of-fact, the words she had spoken.
Oh, not right. There was something else he had recollected of−−her name. Strange yet unique, just like she had said, it was hard to forget.
He went over to switch off the lamp light, and as he did so, he saw a strand of long, black hair. Picking it up carefully, he let it floats down into the bin at the corner, rearranged the dented pillow, and finally turned off the light before leaving.
The entire first floor blended in with the darkness and enveloped in the silence. He had finished a day of lectures and spent the better part of the evening answering all kinds of weird questions from students. Now, at this moment, his body and mind fell into a contradictory state−-it was tired yet relaxed at the same time. Soon after, he climbed up to the second floor and threw himself onto the sofa. The first thing he did was to switch off his mobile phone before closing his eyes to rest for a while.
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The next day was Sat.u.r.day, even though it wasn't a 'school day', but Bo Ziren did not have the habit of rolling in the bed past waking hours. She had already woken up a little past five in the morning. She changed into her sportswear, carrying a small backpack as she went for a jog. Running along the streets, she stopped at a snack stall at an intersection, bought a glutinous rice roll[2] and hot soy milk for breakfast. Then she continued walking while eating.
Unknowingly, she came to the end of the intersection close to the Lighthouse Café.
Her nose smelled a thick fragrant aroma of coffee that was a hundred times more alluring than the hot soy milk in her hands. Hearing the sounds of a door being opened, she turned around and caught the sight of Cheng Jingpo holding a cup of coffee in his hand as he stood there, right in front of the café's entrance.
She and he came face to face.
As everything in the world seemed to be veiled by a layer of soft mist, the tall man before her emerged like a burst of light, destroying the haziness that enveloped the world.
”h.e.l.lo,” having seen it was her, he took the initiative to greet her, ”you came to buy breakfast?”
Bo Ziren nodded, watching the spirited him, she waved the glutinous rice roll and hot soy milk in her hands.
”Rice roll and soy milk? Well-balanced nutrition.”
”You… spent the night in the café?” she guessed the reason for him to appeared from the café this early in the morning.
”En, correct.” He answered honestly, ”I stayed too late yesterday, it was simply more convenient to sleep here.”
”I came for yesterday's meeting, but I didn't see you.”
”I was late.” He looked at her, his tone of voice was the ever same composed tone, ”I heard you were looking for me yesterday.”
”Ah?” Bo Ziren was at a loss for words. Seconds later, she successfully thought up of an excuse after exerted some strenuous brain work, ”Oh, it was about the book you mentioned last time. I tried looking for it at the campus library and the book shops around, but couldn't find it.”
”That travelogue? It doesn't belong to a popular genre, thus it's a little difficult to find,” his head casted a bit lower, all the while politely looking at her, fresh and bright like the dawn of sunlight, ”Coincidentally, there is a copy upstairs. Wait for a moment, I'll go get it for you.”
Without waiting for a reply, he already turned around and walked back into the café. Through the gla.s.s panels between the wooden door, she could see him putting the cup of coffee down atop the bar counter before going up the stairs. Several minutes later, he came back down with a book in his hand. He walked out of the door and handed over the book to her.
However, it was evident her hands were occupied with hot soy milk and a half-eaten glutinous rice roll on each. In turns, she had no free hand to reach for the book.
Seeing this situation, she immediately turned around, asking: ”Can I trouble you to put the book into my bag?”
”No trouble at all.” he patiently opened the zip of the bag and put the book inside.
”Thank you.” she turned around again, so they were facing each other. ”I'll return this to you once I've finished it. Will you be here next Friday?”
”If there are no other matters, I'll be here. You don't need to hurry, take your time to read it, return it when you are done. If I am not here, just pa.s.s it to the waitress behind the bar counter.”
Bo Ziren answered with a 'sounds good.'
”Then I'll see you around.”
”Goodbye.”
And two seconds later.
”Wait, I thought of something….” she suddenly blurted it out a little too loudly.
”What?” his head looked back, waiting for her to finish.
”I suddenly remembered that I need to go home next weekend, I won't be able to come over. Erm, would you be here the Friday after? If it's possible, I want to discuss some books with you.”
Detecting the desire for knowledge and improvement in her voice, he felt surprised. He stood there at the same spot for a while, considering the matter, and then agreed, ”Sure. Then our appointment is on the Friday after the next one, in the evening. I'll be here.”
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Note:
[1] picture of pickled vegetable meat dumpling
[2] There's something like deep-fried char kuey inside. Char keuy is deep-fried soft dough stick that Chinese usually eats for breakfast along with porridge, etc.
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Translator: Woodear
Editor: ChocolateMorn
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