E ⋆ Chapter 48

Yu Zhinian returned to He City on the third day. He went to school to meet with his advisor, wanting to report on his recent progress and consult on some writing matters.

After Yang Ke dropped him off at school, he went to a club to visit the person in charge of a pension insurance fund together with Zhai Di. The person in charge's assistant was Yang Ke's high school classmate Wei Chi.

Their fathers were good friends, and the two had known each other since childhood. Though they didn't keep in frequent contact, their relationship had always been good.

This meeting was mainly to maintain client relations. The group chatted about financial trends and the company's rate of return. After talking for a while, the person in charge stepped out to take a phone call. Wei Chi took a sip of tea and suddenly said he felt like Yang Ke seemed to have become gentler recently.

Before Yang Ke could ask what he meant by gentler, Zhai Di teased him first: "The lifestyle of a married person really is different from us single guys."

Wei Chi was startled: "You got married? When?" He seemed to notice only then, lowering his head to glance at Yang Ke's hand wearing a ring.

"Yeah," Yang Ke told him. "We registered in June."

"Congratulations." There was still surprise on his face, and some envy too, he murmured.

Yang Ke thanked him. Wei Chi suddenly said: "Come to think of it, my dad loves playing matchmaker. A couple of months ago he was fishing for information, asking me if you were dating anyone. I thought he wanted to introduce someone to you, so I quickly said I didn't know and told him to stop meddling in kids' affairs. You definitely don't lack for people interested in you."

"Now it turns out I was actually right," he sighed. "Good thing he didn't come asking you directly."

"So what about you and Yu Zhinian?" Wei Chi paused, then suddenly asked. "You two haven't been in contact anymore?"

Zhai Di, sitting next to Yang Ke, stiffened slightly.

Wei Chi's understanding of Yang Ke and Yu Zhinian's relationship was very limited. Most of it was from high school. Perhaps he had heard from the circle back at school about Yang Ke inviting Yu Zhinian to move in together, or possibly from his father, that the two had already broken up.

Yang Ke had no way of knowing.

"Even though Yu Zhinian seemed to really like you," Wei Chi continued, "if he doesn't like you, there's no way to get married." He seemed to have some personal insight, and said sadly: "I chased a girl for three years, and yesterday she sent me a wedding invitation."

Yang Ke had originally wanted to clarify first that his spouse was Yu Zhinian, but hearing Wei Chi say this, he asked instead: "How did Yu Zhinian like me?"

"Oh," Wei Chi smiled and said, "Didn't a lot of people pursue him in high school? He always said he already had someone he liked and was pursuing them."

"So he must have liked you for quite a long time then." Wei Chi seemed to be putting himself in the situation too, and sighed.

Just then, the person in charge finished his phone call and came back into the room. They didn't continue the conversation.

Not until they were leaving did Wei Chi see them out, and Yang Ke finally got the chance to explain: "I got married to Yu Zhinian."

After leaving the club, Zhai Di and Yang Ke returned to the company together.

On the way, Zhai Di asked Yang Ke whether they were still having a wedding ceremony, and if so, when they were planning to hold it.

"Let's decide after his project ends and he comes back," Yang Ke said.

He had discussed it with Yu Zhinian yesterday, but Yu Zhinian had been almost asleep, and he didn't know if Yu Zhinian had heard clearly.

Yang Ke thought that if other people had a wedding but they didn't, perhaps later when looking back, Yu Zhinian would feel regret. Because he was also clear that he himself was the kind of somewhat dull, unromantic partner.

But they were a couple just like anyone else who had registered at the marriage bureau. What Yu Zhinian deserved should be no less than anyone else's.

According to the agreed time, Yang Ke arrived at school at six in the evening.

Yu Zhinian said he had just finished up and was coming downstairs. Yang Ke drove over and waited for a moment under the building of the sociology department.

Yu Zhinian came out of the building clutching a pile of books, wobbling slightly. The evening sun shone on him, and he looked very thin. His long shadow stretched from the ground across to the lawn. Standing before Yang Ke like this, it made it hard for Yang Ke to imagine that he would soon have to send Yu Zhinian away again, and an indescribable feeling of longing arose in him.

Yang Ke got out of the car and walked toward Yu Zhinian, taking the books from him.

There were seven or eight books, fairly heavy, with a thick file folder placed on top as well. Yang Ke put the books in the back seat and closed the car door. Yu Zhinian, standing to one side, said brightly: "Thanks. These are materials my advisor gave me."

"He said he originally wanted to mail them to me, but was afraid the courier would lose them," Yu Zhinian said as they got in the car, speaking enthusiastically. "Since I came in person, he just had me bring them back."

"Mei Qi sent me a message saying the rain is about to let up soon. The village next to Dang Village has a funeral, and once the rain stops, they're going to hold a ritual ceremony," Yu Zhinian said. "I want to buy a ticket back for tomorrow."

After he said this, he looked at Yang Ke. Yang Ke then said: "I'll have my assistant help you book the ticket."

"Ah," Yu Zhinian didn't stand on ceremony with him. "Okay."

On the way home, Yu Zhinian leaned back in his seat and stared into space, seeming like he wanted to sleep but couldn't.

Yang Ke thought his jet lag was probably all mixed up and he'd been tired these past few days. During a red light, he thought for a moment, then had his assistant book two return plane tickets.

The next day at noon, when Yu Zhinian discovered that Yang Ke was going to accompany him back, his expression went quite blank, which made Yang Ke feel that going back with him was also a very amusing thing.

"But you came to see me," Yu Zhinian said. His bag hadn't been checked, and Yang Ke was carrying it for him. He stood in front of Yang Ke with empty hands, looking a little embarrassed, gazing up at Yang Ke with very wide eyes. "And I haven't even sent you back."

Yang Ke didn't say anything and changed the subject: "You can thank me at the end of your thesis."

Yu Zhinian immediately laughed and said: "Okay."

"Thank Yang Ke," Yu Zhinian mused aloud, "for indulging my long absences from home."

When he said this, he wasn't looking at Yang Ke but at the planes taking off outside the glass. Yang Ke saw that his ears had gone a little red. He leaned close, warm and vivid, and took Yang Ke's hand with a slightly warm grip, saying softly: "Thank you."

As it happened, as soon as they sat down in the waiting lounge, Yu Zhinian received a message from Zhao Sibei.

Zhao Sibei said that the rainy season in Xiping was somewhat dangerous and asked how things were where Yu Zhinian was. Yu Zhinian, for some reason, showed a somewhat guilty expression, let Yang Ke see it, and then, after seeming to think it over carefully, called Zhao Sibei back.

He said that because he had arrived in Xiping, he couldn't get back to Dang Village, so he had simply returned to He City for a few days and was now just about to head back.

Zhao Sibei said something on the other end, and Yu Zhinian nodded repeatedly and said okay.

After hanging up, he said that Zhao Sibei and a colleague would be going to Sanwen in a while and also wanted to come to Xiping to visit Yu Zhinian.

His colleague was the one who had written the ethnographic study of Sanwen and had provided Yu Zhinian with considerable help through email.

"I feel like Professor Zhao somehow knew you were sitting next to me," Yu Zhinian said to Yang Ke. "But he didn't ask about you."

For some reason, he looked very happy and smiled, saying cheerfully that he felt he was a very lucky person.

Yang Ke looked into Yu Zhinian's eyes and felt that he was too.

When Yu Zhinian was by his side, time flew by in an instant.

The whole day of waiting for him to take off and land, the seventy-plus hours spent together, and then the fifteen hours of the return flight, all felt like the rope in a tug-of-war that he couldn't hold onto, right there before his eyes yet slipping away.

Yang Ke returned to He City and received an email from Yu Zhinian sent from Xiping, saying he had purchased supplies and was preparing to set out to another remote village to observe the ritual ceremony, and telling Yang Ke not to worry, that he would be careful.

Yang Ke replied with an okay. For some reason, his composure not quite what it usually was, he had his assistant gather the proposals from several wedding planning companies that Zhai Di's sister had recommended and sent them all to Yu Zhinian, asking him to look them over when he had time and pick one.

He also sent over the guest list he had drafted, asking Yu Zhinian to add his own names to it.

Yu Zhinian was probably using the computer in the archives room. The signal there should not have been poor, so he might simply not have noticed to check his email. After more than half an hour, he replied to Yang Ke saying okay.