Seventh Year Of Separation chapter 67
Sun Shower (Final Chapter)
Two years later, in the summer, cicadas chirped throughout the neighborhood, and the heat rose from the streets.
Gu Jiahe’s life had returned to busyness. After the company went public, his stock options reached the exercise period.
After much consideration, he finally cashed in a portion of them. With some savings accumulated over the past two years, he finally had a substantial amount of savings.
He thought about using it to make a down payment on a small house in the suburbs of North City. However, after looking at several sets, he wasn’t entirely satisfied. Either the kitchen was too small, or the orientation wasn’t perfect southward. So, he kept putting it off, waiting to find time to look at a few more sets with a real estate agent.
He and Li Zhao were still living in Liu Qing’s small house. Earlier in the year, Gu Jiahe bought a new projector to set up in the living room.
The two of them often squeezed onto the sofa in the living room to watch foreign movies. Sometimes they would even drink some red wine together. On weekdays, Li Zhao dared not let him drink too much, or the consequences would be hard to handle.
Six months ago, Grandma’s stent implantation surgery was just completed, and her recovery was going fairly well. However, she still needed to go to the hospital regularly for check-ups.
Gu Jiahe hired a caregiver to accompany her, and he also managed to go back twice himself. However, by the third time, he really couldn’t spare the time. Li Zhao happened to be free, so he went in his place.
At first, Gu Jiahe was worried that Grandma wouldn’t be comfortable with someone else. But later, when he called her, she unexpectedly said that it was fine to let Li Zhao come in the future.
After hanging up the phone, Gu Jiahe interrogated Li Zhao rigorously. Finally, he forced him to confess that every time after taking Grandma for a check-up, he would take her to McDonald’s and buy her bubble tea.
Gu Jiahe was almost speechless with anger.
In short, their life was filled with ups and downs, and they had many arguments. But in the end, they always found a perfect solution using the same methods they had when they were eighteen or nineteen.
On a typical weekend at the end of August, the news push notifications on their phones reminded them that the weather was clear that day, with a high of 35 degrees Celsius.
Gu Jiahe was brushing his teeth in the bathroom, his mouth full of toothpaste foam.
Li Zhao leaned against the bathroom door, waiting for him to come out, and asked, “It’s so hot, why are you still wearing a shirt?”
After rinsing his mouth, Gu Jiahe turned to him. “Do you know? Nobody wears T-shirts in that advanced training class. Last time I walked into the classroom, I thought I was in the wrong place. They all looked so serious, staring at me like I was a monkey.”
After being promoted, the company enrolled Gu Jiahe in an advanced training class at the School of Political Science and Law. He had to report to the School of Political Science and Law every weekend, attend two classes a day, and complete the assignments assigned by the professors on time.
Working while studying was tight on time and heavy on tasks, and Gu Jiahe felt even more exhausted than when he was preparing for the postgraduate entrance examination.
After getting ready, the two of them walked to the parking garage.
Li Zhao unlocked the car, opened the door, and sat in the driver’s seat. Gu Jiahe followed him, carrying his backpack, and sat in the passenger seat.
Li Zhao casually turned on the radio in the car. But as soon as the crackling sound came out, Gu Jiahe reached over and turned it off. “I need to review the lesson.”
Saying that, he took out a notebook from his backpack and started to study, focusing very seriously.
Li Zhao was a bit puzzled. “Is your training class really that difficult?”
Gu Jiahe glanced at him from the corner of his eye. “You bet. We have an exam next month. The Civil Code was just promulgated at the beginning of the year, and many knowledge points are different from what we learned before. I’m really struggling.”
Li Zhao stepped on the gas pedal, and the car drove out of the garage. “Alright, we must invest in our children and education. Let me take you to school!”
Gu Jiahe shook his head with a smile. “Where did that come from? You’re so silly.”
This was Li Zhao’s third time taking Gu Jiahe to the School of Political Science and Law.
The first time, he just waited for Gu Jiahe in the parking lot, sitting there for two hours, bored out of his mind.
The second time, he got out of the car and wandered around aimlessly. He happened to pass by the playground and met several students playing football. They called him over, saying they were short of one player for a full match. Li Zhao immediately rolled up his sleeves and joined in.
Soon, he made a deal with these young college students to come over every weekend to play football. Today was no exception.
After watching Gu Jiahe enter the classroom, Li Zhao couldn’t wait to run to the football field.
That day, a law professor from the School of Political Science and Law was teaching civil and commercial law. Gu Jiahe sat in the middle of the first row, took notes for more than a dozen pages, and almost ran out of ink in his pen.
Rubbing his neck, he took a deep breath when the professor announced the end of the class.
As Gu Jiahe walked out of the classroom, he glanced around and didn’t see Li Zhao in the parking lot. So, he went straight to the football field to find him.
It was about three hundred meters from the teaching building to the football field. The tall trees on the roadside stretched their branches into the middle of the road. Gu Jiahe walked along the shade, enjoying a bit of coolness.
When he reached the edge of the football field and looked up, he saw Li Zhao running on the green field.
He was wearing a gray-blue short-sleeved T-shirt, mingling among a group of eighteen or nineteen-year-old college students, and didn’t look out of place at all.
The situation on the field was quite intense.
After dribbling a few times, Li Zhao was intercepted by the opposing defender.
The ball went back and forth between the two teams’ feet, entangled without either side gaining absolute possession of the ball.
Suddenly, Li Zhao received a long pass, seized the opportunity, and shot directly.
Bang!
With a beautiful arc, the football slanted into the goal at a tricky angle.
Instantly, there was a burst of enthusiastic cheers on the field.
Li Zhao strode to the center of the field, turned around, and high-fived his temporary teammates one by one.
Thud, thud—The football rolled slowly to the edge of the field, stopping right at Gu Jiahe’s feet.
Gu Jiahe looked up, and Li Zhao was waving vigorously at him.
Bathed in the reddish sunset, Li Zhao seemed to be shrouded in a nostalgic light. Gu Jiahe couldn’t help but feel as if he were back in Pingcheng Middle School fourteen years ago.
After a few seconds of hesitation, Gu Jiahe kicked the ball back.
After Li Zhao received the ball, he returned it to the students on the field, waved goodbye to them, and left.
As they walked out of the field, Gu Jiahe followed Li Zhao, heading towards the school gate, and casually asked, “Are you thirsty?”
Li Zhao nodded quickly, fanning his T-shirt. “These kids are too fast. Playing a whole game has exhausted me.”
Gu Jiahe laughed mischievously and patted his exposed arm. “Do you really think you’re still eighteen? Playing half a game with them would suffice.”
Not far from the school gate was a convenience store. Gu Jiahe saw it and walked in, picking up a bottle of cold mineral water from the fridge.
After paying, the two of them stood under the convenience store’s awning.
Gu Jiahe raised his hand and tossed the bottle of mineral water to Li Zhao. Li Zhao reached out and caught it steadily, unscrewing the cap and taking a big sip, his throat rolling a few times.
The summer weather was unpredictable. The orange-red sun was still hanging in the sky, but suddenly there was the sound of thunder in the distance.
At first, only one or two raindrops fell onto the concrete, leaving a few damp spots.
However, soon the raindrops became denser under the intense sunlight, forming a curtain of rain. The once clear street view seemed to be enveloped in a layer of golden soft light.
Li Zhao checked his phone. “The weather forecast didn’t say it would rain today.”
Gu Jiahe smiled and looked at him. “It’s okay, I brought an umbrella.”
Soon, Gu Jiahe opened a large umbrella and held it over Li Zhao’s head.
Side by side, the two of them walked into this sudden sun shower.
(End of the main text)