The Withered Tree Always Welcomes Spring chapter 67
When the laughter in the room subsided, Chen Xian collected himself and knocked on the door.
Lin Qiao turned her head and saw Chen Xian at the door. She nudged Shen Jixue’s arm and whispered, “Your Chen Xian is here.”
Her tone was ambiguous, with a hint of teasing. Chen Xian, lost in thought, only saw her closeness to Shen Jixue.
Shen Jixue finally took the stone from Lin Qiao and put it back in his pocket. He supported himself on the bed to walk to the door, soon hearing Chen Xian’s footsteps.
“Don’t move.” Chen Xian quickly stopped him, helped him back to the bed, turned on the light, and set up the small table with their meals.
The table had simple home-cooked dishes. Shen Jixue, holding the bowl and chopsticks, turned to the adjacent bed, “Lin Qiao hasn’t eaten either.”
Chen Xian paused. He wouldn’t fuss over a meal with a young girl. What concerned him was that Shen Jixue, who used to isolate himself from others, could now care for Lin Qiao.
He should be happy that Shen Jixue was opening up to others, but he couldn’t feel happy.
Chen Xian forced a smile and scooped some food into a bowl for Lin Qiao, “Here.”
“Thanks.” Lin Qiao accepted it graciously.
“Her dad hasn’t come yet.” Shen Jixue explained. These days, although the caregiver took care of his meals, Lin Qiao and her parents had helped him a lot. It was his turn to help her.
Chen Xian nodded blankly, realizing Shen Jixue couldn’t see. He stammered, “Then… maybe… should we call your dad?”
Lin Qiao showed Chen Xian a bright smile and refused, “Forget it, my parents have been really tired lately. Don’t rush them. Anyway, I won’t starve from missing one meal. I can eat a bit with Shen Jixue.”
Hearing Lin Qiao say this, Chen Xian didn’t insist. He sat quietly to the side. Lin Qiao was a talkative girl, always cheerful and never letting the conversation die. She would actively start topics and sometimes, when Chen Xian was silent for too long, she would steer the conversation towards him.
From an adult’s perspective, Lin Qiao and Shen Jixue seemed to get along very well. Most importantly, Shen Jixue did not mind the presence of this girl.
“Chen Xian?”
A fair hand tugged at Chen Xian’s sleeve, bringing him back to his senses, just in time to meet Shen Jixue’s eyes. He hadn’t heard a word of their previous conversation.
“What…” Chen Xian glanced at the table, noticing the empty plates. The two young people, in the prime of their youth, had finished all the food. “Finished eating?”
“Yeah.” Shen Jixue nodded. “What were you thinking about? You didn’t respond when I talked to you.”
He couldn’t possibly tell Shen Jixue that he was thinking about how well he matched with Lin Qiao, so he denied it, “Nothing, I’ll clean up.”
Shen Jixue couldn’t tell from Chen Xian’s expression whether he was telling the truth or not. He vaguely felt that something was off with Chen Xian’s mood but couldn’t pinpoint what.
“Don’t forget.”
What?
Chen Xian paused, wondering what he shouldn’t forget. Since he had just denied being distracted, he couldn’t ask directly and had to play along, “Ah… okay…”
Shen Jixue thought Chen Xian seemed distracted. He assumed he must be very tired from running around for so many days and then coming back to bring him food.
If it weren’t for wanting to see Chen Xian so much, Shen Jixue wouldn’t have troubled him like this. He tugged at Chen Xian’s sleeve, “Why don’t you go home and rest early tonight?”
Is he trying to get rid of me?
When they were apart, wasn’t Shen Jixue waiting for his calls all night long?
Chen Xian felt a bit petty. No matter what Shen Jixue said, he could find fault with it. Why was he like this?
“Alright, I’ll take you to wash up.”
Seeing Chen Xian taking Shen Jixue to the hot water room, Lin Qiao waved at them enthusiastically. Chen Xian felt pretty silly, a thirty-year-old man competing with a young girl. She was much more straightforward than he was.
At this time, the hot water room was empty. Chen Xian quietly squeezed toothpaste for Shen Jixue, handed him the toothbrush, and placed the rinsing cup filled with water where he could easily reach it.
After Shen Jixue finished brushing his teeth, Chen Xian wrung out a towel for him, “Towel.”
With the warm, damp towel on his face, Shen Jixue felt more awake. He held the towel for a while until the warmth faded. Only then did he realize that Chen Xian was upset.
Chen Xian silently took the towel, intending to rinse it out again. Suddenly, Shen Jixue’s hands cupped his face, making him turn to face him.
“What’s wrong with you?”
Tone can be deceptive. Shen Jixue decided to feel Chen Xian’s expressions. His hand touched Chen Xian’s smooth forehead, then his eyes, nose, and finally stopped on his tightly closed lips. He traced the shape of Chen Xian’s lips with his fingertips repeatedly.
He knew it was childish, but he wanted to see if Chen Xian’s lips would droop when he was unhappy. However, after a long time, he couldn’t tell.
“Do you regret it?” Shen Jixue asked. Apart from this, he couldn’t think of any reason for Chen Xian’s sudden unhappiness.
Chen Xian felt lost. This should be his question for Shen Jixue. Did Shen Jixue regret it? Even now, it wasn’t too late. He hadn’t agreed, so Shen Jixue still had a chance to back out.
“Did Jiang Ying come to find you?” Shen Jixue boldly guessed. Thinking of this possibility made him anxious. “No, tell me what you were thinking.”
Why is he turning the tables on me?
Chen Xian helplessly pressed down Shen Jixue’s hand and explained, “No, nothing like that.”
“Then why?” Shen Jixue knew Chen Xian wouldn’t lie, but his answer didn’t reassure him.
Chen Xian couldn’t say he was competing with a young girl.
“No reason. I’m not unhappy. Maybe I’ve been too busy lately, and I can’t relax even after coming back.”
“Really?” Shen Jixue asked, tracing Chen Xian’s lips with his fingers. Chen Xian’s lips were tightly closed, making it seem impossible to get an answer from him. His hand moved from Chen Xian’s chin to his neck, lightly pressing on his Adam’s apple.
This touch wasn’t exactly comfortable, nor was it uncomfortable. It was a bit tingly, making Chen Xian cough. He cleared his throat awkwardly, “Mm…”
His Adam’s apple moved under Shen Jixue’s fingers. Chen Xian appeared calm, so Shen Jixue couldn’t find any flaws and had to believe him.
Shen Jixue slowly let go, “Then hurry back and rest early.”
“Okay, let’s go. I’ll take you back to your room.”
When Shen Jixue and Chen Xian returned to the ward, Lin Qiao’s father was also there. After greeting each other, knowing that Lin Qiao had already eaten with Shen Jixue, Lin Qiao’s father specifically thanked Chen Xian.
“Dad, you can go too. I’ve already eaten and need to rest.”
“Don’t you need Dad to stay with you?”
Lin Qiao waved generously, “No need.”
Lin Qiao’s father didn’t insist and left with Chen Xian, leaving Shen Jixue and Lin Qiao alone in the ward. Shen Jixue sighed, and Lin Qiao turned to look at him, seeing a troubled expression on his face.
“What’s wrong? Shouldn’t you be happy that Chen Xian came to see you?”
Shen Jixue pouted. He should be happy, but he couldn’t figure out why Chen Xian was unhappy, “He didn’t seem very happy. Even though I asked him, he wouldn’t admit it, but I could feel it.”
Lin Qiao carelessly said, “When you take off the bandages in a couple of days, you’ll see him and see how he tries to argue his way out of it.”
The dormitory of the shipping company was close to the hospital. Chen Xian parted ways with Lin Qiao’s father at the intersection after a brief chat. They talked about how Lin Qiao and Shen Jixue were sharing a ward. They were about the same age and got along well, which was a relief. Lin Qiao was talkative while Shen Jixue was quiet, but Shen Jixue didn’t mind and was willing to listen to Lin Qiao talk.
Lin Qiao’s father made a casual remark, but it left Chen Xian thinking deeply. The mere mention of their similar ages was enough to keep him pondering for half the night. He and Shen Jixue had a ten-year age difference.
What did ten years mean? By the time he was about to graduate from elementary school, Shen Jixue was just born. At twenty, Shen Jixue was curious about everything and found everything new and exciting.
Chen Xian, a thirty-year-old divorced man, felt he had no strengths and had lived a mediocre life for half of it. He was inherently dull. If he couldn’t even keep Jiang Ying, how could he keep Shen Jixue?
Chen Xian had lost count of how many times he sighed that day. They weren’t even together yet, but he was already planning for their separation.
Maybe he had been scared by what happened with Jiang Ying. He wasn’t a confident person and lacked the courage to face an unconventional relationship.
He stumbled to his doorstep, fumbled for his keys, but couldn’t find the keyhole for a long time. The corridor was pitch black, and when he stomped his foot, the voice-activated light didn’t respond. Only then did he realize the light was broken.
“Sigh.”
Chen Xian had to use his phone for light. The green glow was better than nothing. As he turned the key, he thought he heard a sound from the corridor. Instinctively, he paused and held the door handle.
A biting cold wind blew through the corridor, making him shiver. The corridor entrance was dark and eerily quiet, and no one appeared for a long time.
“Did I hear it wrong?” Chen Xian muttered to himself. He pushed open the door, not wanting to think too much, and went inside to wash up briefly.
When he lay in bed, he tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He thought he couldn’t go on like this. Since nothing had started with Shen Jixue, he should cut his losses in time. Shen Jixue was young and indecisive, which was normal. He should be decisive and stop muddling through things like before.