Chapter 061: Our Home?

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On weekends, the campus was particularly quiet. Some students hid away in their dormitories to sleep all day, some sweated it out on the sports field, others went shopping in groups of three or five, and of course, there were those who sat under the green shade, reading quietly.

"Yang Tian, where are we going? Aren't we supposed to help out at Angel's family's food stall today?" Huang Juan was being led by the hand by Yang Tian, hurrying toward the school gate. The little girl looked a bit tired—there were too many people in the dorm, and everyone had their own routines and biological clocks, so she often didn't sleep well at night. Her eyes were red.

"I asked Chen Ming, Zhao Shilei, and Zhang Yunxiang to help today. We'll go in the afternoon!" Yang Tian turned and smiled, still holding Huang Juan's hand as they kept walking. Zhao Shilei and Zhang Yunxiang were Yang Tian’s roommates, both cheerful guys and on good terms with Chen Ming. They had planned to play basketball today to prepare for the school's sports meet after National Day, but ended up being roped into volunteer work by Yang Tian and Chen Ming.

Outside the school gate was a lively street, though not a bustling one. It was filled with bookstores and food stalls catering to students, and there was even a music and video shop playing Andy Lau's "Fate in the Next Life": "Searching and seeking, silently fading away, always unable to find memories, unable to find the forgotten truth. A lifetime abandoned bit by bit, pain, sorrow, heartbreak, hatred, and the pain of losing you..."

"Where are we going?" Huang Juan asked softly, surprised as Yang Tian led her into a small alley. She glanced around, a little uneasy.

"We’re here!" Yang Tian smiled. By now, they had arrived in front of a privately built house—a small two-story building, not lavishly decorated but very clean. Standing a short distance from the door, one could see the lotus pond behind the house, a lush green stretch, beautiful to behold.

Yang Tian led Huang Juan up the outside staircase to the second floor. There were only two rooms upstairs, both with red doors. At the left door, Yang Tian fished out a key, and with a click, opened the door and smiled as he invited Huang Juan inside.

As soon as the door opened, the wind chime hanging by the entrance gave off a crisp, pleasant jingle! It startled timid Huang Juan at first, but then she smiled brightly; she liked this wind chime very much—it was exactly like the one in her own room at home.

That wind chime had been a birthday gift from Yang Tian last year, and she had hung it by her door ever since, so she could hear its lovely sound each time she came and went.

Looking farther into the room, she was even more surprised. There were two beds, and one of them was exactly like the one she had at home—a simple wooden bed.

Even the bedding was identical: bright red covers, festive and joyful, embroidered with two yellow ducks playing in water, and a neat pink bedsheet below.

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What astonished her most was the pillow—it was just like the one she used at home, with a cover embroidered with Doraemon, the robot cat.

There was also a small desk beside the bed. Though not exactly the same as the one at her house, its style was similar, and the little lamp on top was identical.

“What is this place?” Huang Juan turned around and asked in amazement.

“From today on, this will be your own little haven. You can come here and sleep after school. I’ve checked—it's very quiet here, so you’ll definitely sleep well at night!” Yang Tian replied with a smile. Good sleep meant good health.

“What? You rented this place? And even arranged it just like my room?” Huang Juan beamed with delight. Some students in their class had already rented places outside—she’d long wanted to move out herself, since the dorm was too noisy. She had planned to discuss it with Yang Tian, but then, because of Angel’s situation, she learned Yang Tian owed a lot of money and was under pressure, so she didn’t want to add to his burden.

She never expected Yang Tian to see through her worries and quietly make this arrangement. She was so moved she didn’t know what to say.

“Yes, this is the quietest spot on this street,” Yang Tian said, walking to the window and opening it. A cool breeze blew in, and below, the lotus leaves in the pond swayed in the wind, with several ducks playing joyfully in the water.

The rent for the place wasn’t high—only eighty yuan a month. But buying all the furniture to match her room at home had cost Yang Tian quite a bit of money and effort.

Fortunately, the internet café business had been good recently, and Zhang Zhi was generous, giving him a lot of kickbacks. Yang Tian had already quietly repaid the five thousand yuan he owed Zhang Zhi, and spent the rest here.

“It’s so beautiful! It must have cost a lot?” Huang Juan came over, inhaled a deep breath of fresh air, and then asked with concern.

“As long as you’re happy here, that’s all that matters,” Yang Tian said sincerely, smiling.

Huang Juan was dazed for a moment, then gave a sweet smile. She turned to the other bed and asked with a laugh, “So, who’s sleeping there?”

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Compared to Huang Juan’s bed, the other was much simpler. Instead of a mattress, it was padded with computer packaging boxes, covered with a clean blue sheet and a thin blanket.

The only difference was that on the small desk in front of that bed stood a brand new computer, with a plastic figure of Astro Boy sitting on top. Huang Juan remembered—it was her New Year’s gift to Yang Tian.

“Of course, that’s my bed. You’re afraid of thunder, scared of the dark, and frightened of ghosts—if I’m not here, would you dare sleep alone?” Yang Tian teased with a mischievous grin. Seeing Huang Juan’s gaze linger on the computer, he strolled over, turned it on, and began playing Li Lingyu’s “Indian Girl”: “Oh… Shaliwa, oh… Shaliwa, oh… he!… oh… he!… oh… he!… Who brought you to my side? Was it the round bright moon, the murmuring mountain spring…”

“Ah, are we living together?” At this, Huang Juan’s face instantly flushed. Even though she and Yang Tian were betrothed as children, the barrier in a country girl’s heart was still there.

“Don’t worry, there’s a curtain—once it’s drawn, it’s like we’re in two separate rooms!” Yang Tian said with a smile, and then pulled the sky-blue curtain behind Huang Juan. Sure enough, the two beds were separated, each side like its own small room.

“So, this will be our home from now on?… Wait, did you buy this computer?” Huang Juan murmured softly, still blushing, but quickly changed the subject, focusing on Yang Tian’s computer. She moved over to play with it, exclaiming, “It’s so much better than the ones in the school computer lab!”

“Our home?” Yang Tian felt a warm joy in his heart, understanding her thoughts. In the days to come, this would be their little world.

There were a dozen or so old, outdated computers in the school’s computer lab, and students only got to use them during computer class, with each class split into two or three groups. The first and second groups this week, the third and fourth the next. For students, computers were a novel delight—who didn’t want more time with them? So Huang Juan was always left wanting more after class.

But now things were different—their little haven had a computer, and she could play whenever she wanted. She quickly found the little game “Level Mario” and began playing with delight.

“Jump! Quick, jump! The nasty turtle’s going to bite you!… Hurry up, there’s a big mushroom ahead!…” Huang Juan was completely absorbed in the game, while Yang Tian watched with a knowing smile. At last, he had created a peaceful place where Huang Juan could rest and relax—a place that, he hoped, would help her grow.