To Get Married - Chapter 29

Chapter 29

It is often said that nothing is as important as life and death in this world, but the life and death of others, no matter how heavy, must eventually be bid farewell after exhausting cries of pain.

People must learn to move on from grief; no matter how difficult to accept, it is unavoidable.

Zhang Ziyun was a strong girl. On the day her father’s ashes were interred, she returned to school.

After returning to school, she did not act pitiful or vulnerable. Instead, she quickly entered a state of study.

She was still with Lu Yudong every day, going to the canteen for three meals on time.

Everything was the same as before. The two girls were inseparable, returning to the dorm for a midday nap after lunch, going to the classroom to recite books after dinner, and, after evening self-study, going back to the dorm to get their thermoses and go downstairs to fetch hot water.

Classmates initially looked at Zhang Ziyun with pity, but after a while, seeing that she wasn’t sad or sorrowful every day, they gradually forgot about her pain.

For a long time, Zhang Ziyun looked no different from before, at least on the surface.

But Lu Yudong knew that Zhang Ziyun had changed a lot.

The girl who used to have a bold personality had significantly pulled back her edges and become much quieter.

She no longer brought a lot of snacks to the dorm to share with her good friend every week, nor did she spend lavishly treating others or playing around carelessly.

Zhang Ziyun’s mother’s salary wasn’t high. Just supporting her daughter’s education was a considerable pressure, and the tens of thousands of yuan in family debt could not be paid off in the short term.

Zhang Ziyun deleted the games on her phone that required occasional in-app purchases and stopped spending money on following celebrities. She became much more frugal but didn’t show any sign of being unaccustomed to it. Like a bird whose wings were suddenly broken, she held onto a sense of unwilling pride, strongly resisting showing others the wounds hidden beneath her fractured wings.

It was also since then that she finally started to appreciate the honeyed walnuts Lu Yudong shared with her every week.

Before, with so many delicious snacks every day, she had never given a second glance to that dark-looking jar by Lu Yudong’s pillow. Only now did she realize that the things she once looked down upon had a unique flavor of their own.

Zhang Ziyun owed Zhang Hao $70,000, which was undoubtedly a hole she couldn’t fill in the short term.

Fortunately, Zhang Hao had no intention of asking her for the money. He continued to try to please her, just as he had for the past three and a half years.

Because of this debt, Zhang Ziyun no longer felt comfortable ignoring Zhang Hao, but she tried hard to maintain a certain distance.

However, for Zhang Hao, the change in Zhang Ziyun’s attitude was something worth celebrating.

He became even more enthusiastic, and this enthusiasm created a certain illusion for many classmates.

Many people thought Zhang Hao was about to win Zhang Ziyun over, but only Lu Yudong clearly understood that Zhang Ziyun was internally repulsed by Zhang Hao. Yet, because of the suffocating debt, she had no choice but to concede ground as he pushed his luck, leading to more and more gossip.

Zhang Ziyun was afraid Zhang Hao would suddenly demand repayment. She dared not anger him.

She couldn’t pay it back. She simply couldn’t afford it right now.

Let alone Zhang Hao’s $70,000, she didn’t know how long it would take to save up enough to repay even Lu Yudong’s $1,400.

This pressure made Zhang Ziyun increasingly insecure. Unknowingly, she even started walking with her eyes fixed only on the ground.

Lu Yudong saw everything but pretended to be completely unaware.

On December 30th of that year, it was Lu Yudong’s birthday again.

At noon on her birthday, Manzhu came to school to take Lu Yudong out for a warming hot pot meal, and she also invited Zhang Ziyun.

After lunch, the three of them had a birthday cake.

Over the years, Lu Yudong had celebrated every birthday alone with Manzhu. Manzhu would hold the cake and sing the birthday song for her. She would make a wish, blow out the candles, and cut the first slice of the cake.

However, even a small six-inch cake was often wasted by the two of them.

This year was different. Zhang Ziyun was there to sing the birthday song, and naturally, there was one more person to share the cake.

Little was left of the cake in the end. Manzhu checked the time, saw that the lunch break was about to end, and sent the two children back to school.

After school that afternoon, Zhang Ziyun pulled Lu Yudong to the guard’s room to pick up a package. She didn’t even unwrap the mailer bag and just handed it to Lu Yudong.

“This is for you!” Zhang Ziyun said, her eyes full of smiles.

“What is it? It’s quite big.” Lu Yudong unwrapped the package. Inside was a cream-brown Corgi plush toy. It looked silly and adorable, extremely cute.

The little Corgi was especially soft, comfortable to touch, and quite resilient. Cuddling it and burrowing under the thin dorm blankets, she even felt that winter wasn’t so cold anymore.

“From now on, I have two favorite plushies!” That night, Lu Yudong sat on her bed, holding the little white dog Manzhu had given her in her left hand and the little Corgi from Zhang Ziyun in her right, happily showing them off.

Even though she knew this little Corgi cost only about seventy-something yuan, which her other roommates might look down on.

She was happy nonetheless; she loved it.

In January, the weather was freezing, and the freshman winter break finally arrived.

After half a semester of effort, both Lu Yudong and Zhang Ziyun had made some progress in their grades. For this, Zhang Ziyun dragged Lu Yudong to the playground and, like little maniacs, jumped and skipped around in the cold wind for a long time.

That day, everyone was packing their dorms to go home, but Lu Yudong pulled Zhang Ziyun aside for a private chat.

Lu Yudong: “Zhang Ziyun, come to my place tonight.”

Zhang Ziyun tilted her head: “Why?”

Lu Yudong smiled and whispered: “I’m taking you to Not a Stranger.”

Zhang Ziyun was surprised: “Why go there? I’m not going… your Uncle is so fierce.” The memory of being yelled at by that uncle three years ago was still fresh.

“We’ve grown up! We’re sixteen this year!” Lu Yudong said. “Dress maturely, and I guarantee you won’t be kicked out!”

Lu Yudong could tell that Zhang Ziyun had been living under a lot of pressure for the past half semester. She wanted to take her out to relax.

Being self-indulgent was the best way to relax.

She and Zhang Ziyun were both sixteen. If they took off their school uniforms and dressed like adults, and wore their hair down, who would be able to tell if they were legal adults?

“But we still aren’t adults!” Zhang Ziyun frowned and shook her head. “Besides, I don’t have money…”

“I’ll treat you to drinks, and you can order whatever food you want,” Lu Yudong said. “My sister has an employee discount!”

“Drinks?” Zhang Ziyun was a bit tempted. She leaned forward and asked cautiously, “Alcohol?”

Lu Yudong pondered for a moment and countered: “Do you want to drink alcohol?”

Zhang Ziyun said: “What’s the difference between going to a bar without drinking and going to a milk tea shop?”

Lu Yudong asked: “Aren’t you afraid of your aunt scolding you?”

Zhang Ziyun thought for a bit and said: “Just… just a little bit. We’ll share one drink!”

Lu Yudong said: “We’ll have to order it secretly, behind my sister’s back.”

Zhang Ziyun nodded in agreement. Just as she was about to leave, Lu Yudong grabbed her wrist.

Lu Yudong: “Zhang Ziyun.”

Zhang Ziyun: “Huh?”

Lu Yudong: “We are sixteen.”

Zhang Ziyun: “You’ve said that twice.”

Lu Yudong smiled, leaned in, and whispered something in Zhang Ziyun’s ear.

Zhang Ziyun was first stunned, then her eyes filled with anticipation, and she couldn’t help but smile.

“Are you serious?”

“Of course! Totally serious!”

That afternoon, Lu Yudong did not go to Not a Stranger with Manzhu but waited at home.

Around 7:30 p.m., Zhang Ziyun, wearing light makeup and with her long hair down, arrived downstairs at Lu Yudong’s place, bundled up in a down jacket.

The moment Lu Yudong received the Q.Q message, she put on her jacket and ran down the stairs.

The two high school students, who considered themselves grown up, bounced happily under the streetlights and walked to the bar they had both visited once a long time ago.

Lu Yudong was already a regular at Not a Stranger. As soon as she pushed open the bar door, she saw the goat-horned waiter, who happened to be passing by the entrance, greet her.

After three years, Zhang Ziyun had grown considerably. At 1.65 meters tall, she was taller than Huanxi. Coupled with her relatively adult-like attire, no one came to rush them out this time.

Manzhu had started singing quite early today, and the bar was already filled with her captivating voice.

Lu Yudong pulled the timid Zhang Ziyun to the bar counter and sat down. Mimicking the customers she usually saw, she rested her elbows on the counter, cupped her chin in her hands, and called out to Yan Zhaomu: “Little Master!”

Yan Zhaomu was startled by her overly sweet voice. He looked her up and down for a long time, only relaxing when he confirmed that the girl hadn’t been possessed by any dirty spirits.

Yan Zhaomu: “W-w-wha-what’s going on with you?”

“Shhh.” Lu Yudong made a shushing gesture and smiled. “I brought my classmate to play. We are sixteen, not little anymore. Can we order alcohol?”

Yan Zhaomu frowned his beautiful eyebrows. After a few seconds of silence, he lowered his head and said: “N-no… still t-too young.”

The brief exchange made a trace of surprise flash in Zhang Ziyun’s eyes.

The handsome, cool bartender brother whom she had remembered in her heart for three years was actually a stutterer?

The next second, she realized this surprise was quite impolite, so she quickly suppressed it completely.

Lu Yudong on the side was still flirting with Yan Zhaomu, persistently and gently pleading, just to secretly order a glass of wine.

Mu Chensan walked over at some point. Seeing the girl whining at the bar for a long time, he couldn’t help but ask: “What’s wrong? Yudong has a stomach ache today?”

Lu Yudong was startled by Mu Chensan and quickly sat up straight, subconsciously shielding Zhang Ziyun beside her.

But how could such a tall girl escape Mu Chensan’s eyes?

“Tsk.” Mu Chensan thought hard, then looked at Zhang Ziyun and said, “I remember you. Yudong’s little deskmate. You came here three years ago.”

Zhang Ziyun was instantly awkward. She looked up timidly: “Hello, Uncle…”

“What are you here for?”

“To drink,” Lu Yudong said seriously.

“Drink?”

Lu Yudong nodded.

Mu Chensan was silent for a moment, then turned and said: “You’ll have to ask Honghong about that.”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Lu Yudong desperately grabbed Mu Chensan’s arm and anxiously said: “Uncle Mu! You know what I mean!”

“What do I know?” Mu Chensan frowned, then turned around and saw Zhang Ziyun’s slightly disappointed eyes.

Right, he really did know.

Manzhu had asked him if there was any hope for the child’s father.

There was hope for salvation—every spirit in the bar could have saved him—but the cost was too high, so everyone chose absolute indifference.

Now that the child was here, asking for a drink, it made it difficult to refuse.

“Why are little kids drinking…”

“We’ve never had it before,” Lu Yudong said, seeing signs of Mu Chensan relenting, and quickly added, “We’ll just try it. We promise not to drink too much!”

Zhang Ziyun nodded in agreement beside her.

Mu Chensan thought for a moment, raised one finger, and said: “First, let’s agree: after you drink, you’ll come with me to the second floor. Once the alcohol smell is gone, you can’t tell your sister.”

Lu Yudong quickly nodded: “I definitely wouldn’t dare tell Sister!”

“Zhaomu,” Mu Chensan called, looking back at Yan Zhaomu. “You, you see what they want to drink, just give it to them.”

Yan Zhaomu: “You… you said it. If Hong, Sister Hong gets an-angry, I…”

Mu Chensan: “I said it, I said it. It’s best if she doesn’t find out. If she does, and she needs to vent, I’ll take full responsibility, okay?”

Yan Zhaomu frowned. He looked at the two expectant young girls and asked: “What will you drink?”

Lu Yudong and Zhang Ziyun exchanged glances, then both shook their heads and said in unison: “We don’t know!”

Yan Zhaomu: “…”

The two little girls knew nothing about alcohol, which was as annoying as a customer walking in and ordering “Surprise me.”

Finally, under the hopeful gaze of the two little girls, he mixed a drink that looked incredibly beautiful.

Its upper part was a bright orange, which gradually faded into a vibrant red, resting quietly at the bottom of the glass, looking like a sunrise sky.

A fresh orange slice and a cherry adorned the elegant champagne coupe. When the straw was inserted, the crystal-clear ice cubes clinked against the glass, making a pleasant sound.

“It’s so pretty!” Zhang Ziyun couldn’t help but take two photos and asked curiously, “What kind of drink is this?”

Yan Zhaomu: “Tequila…”

“Tequila Sunrise. It’s low-proof, quite suitable for you girls,” Mu Chensan said, sitting down nearby and leisurely crossing his legs. He added a cruel reminder: “$85 a glass, two little beauties.”

“That expensive!” Zhang Ziyun was shocked.

Lu Yudong was relatively calm. Not a Stranger’s drinks were never cheap; in fact, they were slightly more expensive than most other bars outside. As long as customers were willing to pay, the price wouldn’t drop.

She patted Zhang Ziyun’s shoulder, signaling her not to panic.

The next second, Lu Yudong jumped down from the high stool, walked two steps to Mu Chensan’s side, leaned in mysteriously to his ear, and whispered: “Uncle Mu, let me tell you a not-so-secret secret—we don’t have money.”

Mu Chensan subconsciously took a deep breath.

Lu Yudong continued: “We can work to pay off the debt. We’d like to be paid daily!”

“No way!” Mu Chensan slapped the table.

“Why not?” Lu Yudong put her hands on her hips, puffed out her chest, and said: “We’re sixteen. We’re not child laborers!”

Her tone and expression were confident even though her reasoning was questionable.