Decayed Vulgarian chapter 50
Candied Hawthorn (bg story)
Sunday was the day for moving, and apart from Meng Yuan Cen, both Liang Yan and Meng Yuan Ning also came.
Emerald Garden had a total of six floors, and Shen Xun’s home was on the third floor, considered a mid-lower level. Despite this, it took a lot of effort to go back and forth, and they surprisingly broke into a sweat in the middle of winter.
Meng Yuan Ning had never been strong physically, wearing short boots with square heels, running up and down a few flights of stairs, which left her panting after a few times. She started feeling exhausted while moving a large cardboard box halfway through and took a break, leaning against the wall in the hallway.
Liang Yan happened to pass by her, “Meng Yuan Ning, you don’t need to move anymore. With your brother and Shen Xun, the three of us are enough, and we’ll finish quickly.”
Meng Yuan Ning argued, “I came here to help; so I have to right?”
After a moment’s thought, Liang Yan took out his car keys and tossed them to her, “Then, help me tidy up the stuff in the trunk. I packed it in a hurry; it might be a bit disorganized. I’ll be bringing some more things down later. If the trunk doesn’t have space, put them on the back seat.”
Meng Yuan Ning instinctively caught the keys and heard Liang Yan saying, “Leave the moving to us. I know it’s tiring to climb stairs in high heels.”
Meng Yuan Ning felt touched.
Liang Yan looked down, seeing the large cardboard box in front of Meng Yuan Ning’s shoe tips. “I’ll help you move this box after I’ve unloaded the things I’m carrying. It looks big, so it must be heavy.”
“No, it’s alright; there are only clothes and books in it. It seems heavy but it’s actually not.” After resting for a while, Meng Yuan Ning picked up the cardboard box and tried to show she could handle it easily, but unexpectedly, with an unsteady force, stumbled a bit. Fortunately, Liang Yan swiftly reached out and steadied her.
He chuckled, “But you don’t seem very comfortable.”
“Don’t underestimate me. I’ll help with the move, and you’ll have to run fewer times,” Meng Yuan Ning said, “After moving this box, I won’t move anymore.”
Liang Yan advised her, “Just be careful.”
Then, he grinned as he lifted the box he was carrying, slung it over his shoulder, and turned back to Meng Yuan Ning, “Well, I’m off. I’m feeling quite relaxed after all.”
Meng Yuan Ning was speechless, “…”
She furrowed her brows, “Are you being childish?”
Liang Yan burst into laughter and explained, “I thought since the hallways are so narrow, if I dawdled a bit, I’d be blocking your way. So, I better go ahead.”
He frequently went jogging and did workouts, so moving things and lifting weights were a piece of cake for him. He swiftly ran down several flights of stairs and put his things in the trunk of his car. Suddenly, he heard a scream.
It was Meng Yuan Ning’s voice!
Liang Yan dropped what he was holding and quickly ran back up. He found Meng Yuan Ning sitting on the ground at the corner between the stairs connecting the second and first floor, her short hair also a mess. He anxiously asked, “What’s wrong?!”
Meng Yuan Ning shook her head and waved her hand, sounding a bit regretful, “It’s nothing. I just accidentally stepped into the void. The hallway is too narrow, and with the cardboard box in my arms, it blocked my view, so I couldn’t see the steps.”
Kneeling before Meng Yuan Ning, Liang Yan asked, “Where does it hurt now?”
Meng Yuan Ning lowered her head, looking at the palm of her right hand, “I’ve just scraped the skin on my hand—”
Before she could finish, Liang Yan took her right hand and inspected it, “I’ll get some medicine for bruises or ointment from the pharmacy later.”
Meng Yuan Ning said, “I don’t want the type of medicine that’s colored and takes days to wash off.”
Liang Yan continued, “Is it only your hand that’s injured?”
“…Seems like I’ve also twisted my ankle.”
Meng Yuan Ning struggled to get up, but Liang Yan held her shoulder, “Don’t move around if you’ve twisted your foot.”
She slowly unzipped the short boots, rolled the sock down, and saw that her ankle was swollen.
Coincidentally, Meng Yuan Cen and Shen Xun were walking up the stairs, one after the other.
Meng Yuan Cen saw Meng Yuan Ning in such a state and asked, “What happened?”
Meng Yuan Ning quietly said, “I accidentally twisted my foot.”
Meng Yuan Cen couldn’t help but sigh and then furrowed his brows, “I told you before you came that it’s best not to wear high heels.”
Meng Yuan Ning silently lowered her eyes and didn’t speak. Instead, Liang Yan beside her spoke up, “Girls wear high heels to look good. Just be careful next time.”
He looked at Meng Yuan Cen and continued, “I’ll take Meng Ning to the hospital immediately for a check-up. I’m mainly concerned about bone injuries. I don’t think there’s much left at Shen Xun’s house, your car should be able to fit everything. Meng Ning and I will go to the hospital for the check-up and then to your and Shen Xun’s new home. It might be a bit delayed. What do you think?”
Meng Yuan Cen nodded, “Sure, thank you.”
“It’s no problem.” Liang Yan picked up Meng Yuan Ning’s short boots from the ground, lifted Meng Yuan Ning, went down a few flights of stairs, reached the parking space directly opposite the hallway, opened the door, and effortlessly stuffed her inside, all without a hint of fatigue.
“Thank you,” Meng Yuan Ning couldn’t help but express, “You’re really strong.”
“It’s just that you’re too thin, so you feel light.”
After a check-up at the hospital that showed no bone injuries, they received some medication and prepared to leave.
Most likely because the doctor said it was nothing serious, on their way back, Meng Yuan Ning had a bit of confidence and was reluctant to let Liang Yan carry her. “I can walk back on my own. It’s too embarrassing to be carried. Everyone’s watching.”
However, walking with a twisted foot after wearing high heels was a kind of torture. Meng Yuan Ning tried to take a few steps and, wincing in pain, had to rely on Liang Yan’s arm to hop on one foot.
Bouncing around like a little rabbit, Liang Yan thought.
After letting Meng Yuan Ning hop for a while, Liang Yan still picked her up.
Meng Yuan Ning gritted her teeth and whispered, “I told you not to carry me, everyone’s watching.”
“If you don’t shout, others won’t notice you, and everyone’s here for medical attention. Who has time to care about you?,” Liang Yan said seriously, “And when you hopped just now, the high heels hitting the tiles were quite noisy, disturbing the peace.”
Meng Yuan Ning was startled… It seemed to make sense.
Liang Yan again placed Meng Yuan Ning in the back seat, then sat in the driver’s seat, “Should I directly take you back home or to your brother’s new house?”
Meng Yuan Ning answered without hesitation, “Of course to my brother’s new house. I haven’t seen it yet.”
“…”
Liang Yan, somewhat helpless, replied, “Originally, I was planning to take you directly home, but it seems you’re not willing… you’ve twisted your foot and yet you’re so restless.”
“Ah, well, my brother will see me and say I’m bouncing around again.”
Liang Yan thought he’d convinced Meng Yuan Ning, ready to switch the navigation, but he hadn’t tapped it when he heard Meng Yuan Ning say, “Liang Yan, when the time comes, you have to speak up for me. Otherwise, I can’t argue with Meng Yuan Cen by myself.”
Liang Yan was speechless and chuckled.
Two chatty individuals made the car far from quiet.
Meng Yuan Ning then changed the topic, “Actually, I felt it wasn’t necessary to go to the hospital before. I had a feeling it wasn’t that serious.”
Liang Yan raised an eyebrow, “Don’t be wise after the event. You fell down the stairs. It’s not a flat surface, and not checking would make me uneasy.”
Meng Yuan Ning retorted, “If I had really fallen on a flat surface, wouldn’t that make me look incredibly foolish?”
Liang Yan laughed but didn’t say anything.
As they passed by a shopping mall, Liang Yan suddenly parked the car. “I need to buy something. Wait in the car.”
Meng Yuan Ning thought he was going to buy some daily necessities, so she didn’t inquire further and just sat back, playing with her phone.
After just fifteen minutes or so, Liang Yan returned, opened the rear door, and handed Meng Yuan Ning a pair of red, fluffy slippers.
Meng Yuan Ning looked puzzled, “Is this for me?”
Liang Yan nodded and said, “Shen Xun’s new place doesn’t have slippers for us to wear. There are only shoe covers to make do with. Since you want to hop around in front of your brother, it’s more comfortable to hop around in these slippers along with the shoe covers than wearing high heels.”
“Thank you!” Meng Yuan Ning turned to Liang Yan and asked, “How much do they cost? Can I transfer you the money?”
Liang Yan closed the car door, saying, “No need; it’s a gift from me, and it didn’t cost much.”
“Then let me treat you to a meal.”
These flat slippers were indeed comfortable to wear. Meng Yuan Ning changed into both of them, looked down at her feet, and then asked, “Liang Yan, when you were buying the slippers, did they have other colors?”
Liang Yan caught the hidden meaning behind her words and said directly, “There were also green ones with red flowers. You don’t want flowery cotton shoes, do you? I do have a bit of aesthetic sense, right?”
Meng Yuan Ning chuckled when she heard his reply and repeated his words, “Oh, how unfair! I didn’t say anything.”
She wiggled her uninjured right foot and said, “The red cotton shoes look the best. The bright red color is quite festive.”
In the meantime, Meng Yuan Cen called. After Meng Yuan Ning answered, there were “Yes,” “I understand, brother,” and “I’ll definitely be more careful in the future.” Her attitude was extremely obedient, and the call ended smoothly.
With her phone running low on battery, Meng Yuan Ning stopped using it and put it in her pocket. Bored, she glanced out of the window at the streets of the old town, noticing several street vendors with a vague aroma seeping through the car window crack. She checked the time and realized it was already 4:19 in the afternoon. “Liang Yan, are you hungry?”
Liang Yan asked, “Are you hungry?”
Meng Yuan Ning was shocked, “Are you a mind reader?”
Liang Yan asked again, “What would you like to eat?”
“Just saw an old man selling candied haws by the roadside, and I suddenly wanted to reminisce about the taste of my childhood.”
Liang Yan looked over, “Where? I didn’t see it.”
“At the last intersection, it’s already passed.”
“The last intersection? Let me go buy it for you.”
“No need, it’s too much trouble.”
Liang Yan turned the steering wheel, “It’s okay, not a problem.”
For the umpteenth time, Liang Yan stopped the car and ran off. To save time, he came back with a brown paper bag, containing three strings of candied haws.
Meng Yuan Ning received them, and the white breath he exhaled passed over her hand without a sound but a slight tickle. She took one string, twirled the slender bamboo skewer with her fingertips, and the amber-colored light on the sugar spun with it. She gazed down at it quietly and suddenly felt that she was quite whimsical.
She took a bite, and the sugar coat cracked first. The tart hawthorn flavor grew freely on her taste buds, a blend of sourness and sweetness – it was a taste from memory. As she chewed, she suddenly said, “If we have time someday, let’s go mountain climbing, just the two of us.”
She had remembered this method from somewhere, although she couldn’t recall where. The idea was to judge whether a guy likes her – invite him to go mountain climbing, provided he doesn’t like mountain climbing. This way, this exhausting and time-consuming activity would only be agreed upon by him if the person asking was special enough to him.
“My goodness,” Liang Yan was shocked, “You’ve just twisted your foot, and you’re already thinking of going mountain climbing? Just take a good rest first.”
Meng Yuan Ning didn’t expect this kind of response and inquired further, “I didn’t say to go mountain climbing now, I said in the future. So, are you going or not?”
“Let’s wait until your foot gets better.”
Meng Yuan Ning’s smile faded a bit, and after a moment of silence, she said straightforwardly, “If you don’t want to go, you can just refuse directly. I won’t be upset. I never want to force anyone to do anything.”