Jing Jing’s reaction was a little more enthusiastic than Jian Chi thought. She took the gift and her eyes were as bright as black grapes. Wen Chuan lighted the candles for the cake, and Jian Chi folded the paper crown that came with the cake and put it on Jing Jing’s head, Jing Jing suddenly approached his ear and whispered as if to say something secret: “Actually, I already knew that you would come.”
Jian Chi saw that Jing Jing’s reaction just now was not one of surprise, so he pretended to be curious and asked in a low voice, “How does Jing Jing know?”
“My brother told me. I asked him if brother Jian Chi would come, and he said he didn’t know.”
“Didn’t he say he didn’t know? How could he have told you?”
Jing Jing raised her chin happily, “Brother’s thoughts are too easy to guess. When he said he didn’t know, the expression on his face clearly meat you would come over.”
Jian Chi was startled for a moment, then laughed. Even a child like Jing Jing could see Wen Chuan’s undisguised emotions and how bare Wen Chuan’s mind was. Seemingly feeling two pairs of eyes, Wen Chuan lit the last candle and looked at Jian Chi and Jing Jing who were sitting together muttering, then as if he was looking at two children, with a hint of indifference in his eyes, “I heard my name.”
Jing Jing hurriedly shook her head and blinked her eyes as if she didn’t know anything. Jian Chi also cooperated and said, “No, you must have had a hallucination.”
Wen Chuan shook his head, a faint smile appeared on his face that was always expressionless. He instructed Jing Jing: “It’s time to turn off the lights.”
The room darkened with a snap, and the rainbow cake looked extra dreamy under the dangling candlelight. Jing Jing put her hands together, closed her eyes and made a wish with a serious expression. She opened her eyes after a few seconds and turned to look at Jian Chi, “My wish was made, there are two left, one for you and one for brother.”
“Can you give wishes?” Jian Chi asked with a smile, his heart as warm as the flame on the candle.
“Of course, I have allowed it.” Jing Jing replied seriously.
Jian Chi raised his head and found that Wen Chuan also looked at him tacitly. They looked at each other for two seconds. Jian Chi imitated Jing Jing and folded his hands together and said softly, “Then I wish…”
I wish the year will go smoothly, I will graduate smoothly, and be admitted to the ideal university.
He made three wishes at once, but Jian Chi realized that he was actually very greedy. Of the three, it was enough to have one realized. He opened his eyes, and Wen Chuan, who was sitting across from him, was still making a wish. His face was shrouded in the dim candlelight, which melted the coldness between his eyebrows, a distinguished beauty. It wasn’t until those eyes slowly opened that Jian Chi realized that he was holding his breath just now.
“It’s time to blow out the candles.”
Jing Jing took a deep breath, but it took a few moments to blow out the candle. The lights in the room were turned on again, and Jian Chi was given a large piece of cake, which melted sweetly in his mouth. It had been a long time since he had eaten so much at once, and it was a little uncomfortable to beat at the end. Seeing that Wen Chuan put the remaining half of the cake back in the box and repackaged it, Jian Chi asked, “Are you taking the cake back?”
“Taking it to the hospital.” Wen Chuan said. Jian Chi understood what he meant.
Jing Jing licked the cream all over her mouth, she was visibly excited when she heard this sentence. She grabbed the corner of the table and asked, “Are you going to go to grandma’s place?”
“En,” Wen Chuan put a beautiful bow on the box, bent down and wiped the cream from Jing Jing’s mouth, “Go wash up and we’ll set off immediately.”
Jing Jing jumped off the chair happily, and Jian Chi couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t have any special feelings for children before, but it would be nice to have a younger sister like Jing Jing. Just thinking about it, a soft touch suddenly covered the corner of his mouth, then disappeared quickly. Jian Chi turned around, and Wen Chuan, who put down his hand, looked at him, “Cream.”
Jian Chi took a napkin and wiped it, and replied with the word ‘thank you’, and the skin that he touched felt hot. After washing his hands, Jing Jing ran out, breaking the slight strangeness in Jian Chi’s heart. He should have just done it because it was in passing.
The hospital was brightly lit at night, and family members and medical staff could be seen everywhere in the corridors of the inpatient department. Jian Chi originally wanted to wait outside as an outsider might disturb the atmosphere, but Jing Jing pulled him and refused to let go. Wen Chuan did not stop her. In the end, Jian Chi followed them into the ward in a confused manner.
“I knew you would bring Jing Jing here, so I didn’t sleep.” Grandma leaned on the head of the bed and smiled at Wen Chuan. Just as Jian Chi had imagined, the white hair and wrinkles couldn’t cover her kindness. Seeing the needle on the back of grandma’s hand outside the quilt, Jing Jing ran to the bed sensibly, and the grandparents and grandchildren kissed and talked.
“Jing Jing lives at the school, so it’s hard to see her grandma.” Wen Chuan said, his voice a little softer.
Just as Jian Chi was about to speak, he suddenly realized that Grandma and Jing Jing had stopped talking and looked in his direction together. Jian Chi suddenly forgot what to say, and it took a long while to remember that he should introduce himself. He stumbled a bit: “Hello, grandma, my name is Jian Chi, Wen Chuan’s classmate.”
“I know,” Grandma laughed, the wrinkles at the end of her eyes showed gentle ripples. She said slowly, “Little Wen told me about you, and Jing Jing also said just now that you spent her birthday with her. Thank you for willing to be friends with Little Wen, this stuffy gourd.”
Jian Chi looked at Wen Chuan, even though he was described as a ‘stuffy gourd’, Wen Chuan didn’t refute anything, it seemed that he really acquiesced to this title. Jian Chi couldn’t help bending the corners of his lips, “Fortunately, he’s actually not that stuffy.”
Grandma continued: “Last time Little Wen told me that he met a friend at school. I was thinking at the time, did he make up someone to make me feel at ease, and now it seems that he didn’t lie to me. Little Chi, can I call you that?”
Jian Chi nodded, it was a very strange feeling of being cared for by someone he had never met. Grandma talked a lot, she was not like the dull and stereotyped old woman in Jian Chi’s impression at all. She liked to joke and tease Jing Jing and Wen Chuan. Wen Chuan listened silently, cut a small piece of cake and handed it to grandma. After taking two bites, she shook her head. At this time, Jian Chi could see that her body was not healthy.
When they came out of the hospital, Jian Chi didn’t realize that an hour had passed. The rest of the cake, Wen Chuan distributed to the medical staff who took care of his grandmother. Jing Jing was too sleepy to open her eyes, so Wen Chuan carried her back to school. After everything was settled and they got into the car back to Saintston, Jian Chi was disturbed by exhaustion. He wanted to take a look at the mute cell phone, but was stopped by Wen Chuan next to him in a low voice: “Take a rest, I will call you when we get there.”
“Okay.”
Jian Chi replied obediently, he was indeed tired, but he was feeling enriched and tired. When he closed his eyes, his mind was full of the sweet and greasy cake, Jing Jing’s smiling face, and the grandma in the hospital who dragged him to talk about the embarrassing things of Wen Chuan. Jian Chi had not felt such a warm atmosphere for a long time. In his impression, he had never seen his grandparents. Jian Chengchao said that in order to marry him, He Yueqing had a very tense relationship with her family. Only when she was heavily sick and on her deathbed did they take one last glance, leave a sum of money, and had not contacted them since. Jian Chi’s grandmother only existed in the vague memories of childhood. Seeing the interaction between Jing Jing and her grandmother, Jian Chi seemed to have returned to the past.
“Aren’t Jing Jing’s parents coming back?” In a blur, Jian Chi asked the question he had always wanted to ask.
“When Jing Jing was four years old, grandma’s son died in a car accident. His wife, Jing Jing’s mother, left Jing Jing to remarry. The other party didn’t want her to bring his daughter.”
“Then she’s not coming back.”
Wen Chuan didn’t deny it, “Jing Jing doesn’t remember the past, so she’s good just following grandma and I like this.”
Jian Chi closed his eyes and slowly fell into a half-dream half-awake state. He still had some things to ask, such as what wish Wen Chuan made just now, and why it took so long; or why did he mention himself to his grandma, and what did he say. ……The last sentence he didn’t say. Jian Chi fell into a deep sleep and leaned against a particularly stable place. In his dream, a butterfly flapped its wings, touched his cheek softly, and stopped on his lips.