The Gentle Breeze Reflects in My Eyes - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

A heavy downpour and the deafening roar of thunder jolted Gu Yitong awake.

Flash after flash of lightning illuminated the sky, followed by thunderclaps that sounded as if they were splitting the night in two.

Gu Yitong rolled out of bed and rushed toward the master bedroom. As she crossed the living room, a flash of lightning revealed a small, dark shadow curled up on the sofa. It was Xia Lusheng.

Fear of thunder—in their four years together in her past life, this was the only weakness Gu Yitong had ever known Xia Lusheng to possess.

Gu Yitong switched on the living room lights and walked over, calling out softly, “Lusheng.”

Xia Lusheng was trembling all over. At the sound of Gu Yitong’s voice, she stirred and lifted her head; her eyes were red and swollen—she had clearly been crying.

The moment Gu Yitong sat beside her, Xia Lusheng leaned her head against Yitong’s shoulder and gripped her arm with both hands.

Once she had found a comfortable position, Gu Yitong wrapped an arm around the girl’s shoulders. She reached up and expertly took hold of Lusheng’s earlobe, gently rubbing and kneading it. “Be good, Lusheng. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid.”

In 2010, on a thunderous day much like this one, Xia Lusheng had grabbed Gu Yitong’s sleeve and exposed her vulnerability for the first time: “Can you… can you knead my ear?”

This was a habit left behind by Auntie Xia.

Auntie Xia had been slightly superstitious. Whenever a storm raged, she would tell Lusheng that the God of Thunder was coming to catch ghosts who did bad things. Then, she would gently knead Lusheng’s earlobe and chant over and over: “Sheng’er, be good. Don’t be afraid. Mama is here. Sheng’er, come home.”

Auntie Xia said this was to prevent the God of Thunder from mistaking Lusheng for someone else and accidentally taking her soul away; it was a way to keep her spirit firmly inside her body.

Back then, Xia Lusheng hadn’t been afraid of thunder at all. She had even been a little annoyed when her mother would pull on her ear and chant. But for some reason, after Auntie Xia passed away, Lusheng began to experience an abnormal terror of thunder.

Now, Gu Yitong kneaded her ear, offering soft words of comfort.

Xia Lusheng’s trembling gradually subsided. Gu Yitong lowered her head slightly to look at the girl on her shoulder.

She froze.

Xia Lusheng was covered in tears, weeping silently.

“Lu… Lusheng.” Gu Yitong panicked.

Finally unable to hold it back, Xia Lusheng let out a sob and buried her face in Gu Yitong’s shoulder. Against the backdrop of the booming thunder outside, her voice was muffled and broken: “I… I miss my Mama. I miss my Mama.”

Gu Yitong felt her heart wrench at the sound.

Xia Lusheng’s sudden breakdown was like a dam of suppressed emotions finally bursting. Her crying grew more frantic, her voice louder, as her small, animal-like whimpers turned into a full-blown wail.

“I want my Mama… I miss my Mama…”

Over and over she cried, as if these were the only words she knew.

But Gu Yitong understood. Those few words, repeated again and again, were the sound of Xia Lusheng’s soul screaming in grief. She had no mother anymore. She would never see her again.

Gu Yitong said nothing. She simply held Lusheng tightly, her own eyes rimmed with red.

…

It was hard to say how much time had passed, but the thunder eventually died down, leaving only the sound of a steady, heavy rain. Xia Lusheng’s crying weakened until she was only hiccupping against Yitong’s shoulder.

Seeing her like this caused Gu Yitong a dull ache in her chest. She tenderly wiped away the tears from the girl’s cheeks. “Be good. Do you remember what I told you?”

Xia Lusheng sniffled but didn’t answer.

Gu Yitong continued, “You are Auntie Xia’s continuation in this world, Lusheng. As long as you are well, Auntie Xia is still here.” She paused before adding, “Lusheng, stay strong for her, okay?”

Xia Lusheng nodded silently in response.

By the time Lusheng’s emotions were settled, it was the middle of the night. Gu Yitong watched her drift off to sleep and sighed. She found a small hot water bottle in a storage box and filled it with warm water. After testing the temperature, she sat on the edge of the bed and gently placed the warm pack over Lusheng’s eyes to soothe the swelling.

In her sleep, Lusheng frowned slightly and shifted as if about to wake. Gu Yitong held the pack with one hand and patted her gently with the other, cooing, “Go to sleep, be good. I’m right here.”

The girl’s brow smoothed out, and her breathing became steady once more.

Gu Yitong eventually went out to the balcony, opened the window, and stared at the rain-washed city. The temperature had plummeted after the storm; cold wind and mist swirled into the balcony. Gu Yitong didn’t sleep a wink, standing there until dawn. Predictably, she ended up with a cold.

…

Wearing a mask, Gu Yitong dropped Xia Lusheng off at Zhao Yasu’s studio.

Seeing her state, Zhao Yasu asked with concern, “Yitong, did you catch a cold? Was it raining last night?”

Gu Yitong replied with a nasally voice, “It’s nothing. I’ll be fine in a couple of days.”

Zhao Yasu hesitated, glanced at Xia Lusheng, and then turned back to Gu Yitong. “Yitong, do you have a moment? There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

Knowing it must be about Lusheng, Gu Yitong nodded without hesitation. “I do.”

They stepped into the hallway. Zhao Yasu gathered her thoughts and began, “There is a small-scale youth cello competition in S City in a week. I’d like Lusheng to give it a try.”

“A competition?”

Zhao Yasu nodded. “The age limit is 7 to 16, and Lusheng is exactly 16, so she qualifies. Honestly, with her skill level, this competition is a bit beneath her. But since she has never competed before, the goal isn’t the ranking; it’s to get her familiar with the feeling and the process of competing.”

She paused, looking as if she had more to say.

Gu Yitong sensed her hesitation. “Teacher Zhao, please speak freely. I know it’s for Lusheng’s benefit.”

Zhao Yasu smiled softly. “Then I’ll be direct. After the competition, there is a cello concert in S City. If Lusheng can attend, it would be extremely helpful for her development.”

Gu Yitong looked up. “Is the cost quite high?”

Zhao Yasu hadn’t expected Gu Yitong to catch on so quickly. She nodded. “Round-trip tickets to S City are over two thousand. The competition goes through preliminaries, semi-finals, and finals, lasting about a week. Then we’d stay two more days for the concert. The concert isn’t a solo one; many excellent cellists will be performing. It lasts three days, and tickets are nearly a thousand. Between travel, food, lodging, and registration fees… you’re looking at at least five or six thousand yuan.”

Gu Yitong felt her tension ease. Five or six thousand wasn’t much—it was less than she had expected. She was about to agree when Zhao Yasu added a final note.

“But money isn’t the main issue. I’m very fond of Lusheng; if it means nurturing her talent, I wouldn’t mind covering the cost myself. The real issue is… Lusheng needs you with her. Can you set aside half a month to be with her?”

The last question was asked gently, but it carried significant weight.