Your Distance

83 - The Next Time Ting Shuang And Zhu Wenjia Ate Together, Was The Day Zhu Ao W

“I promised.” Ting Shuang said as he pushed the wheelchair.

Zhu Wenjia followed Ting Shuang and recalled what Ting Shuang had said: When Dad’s recovered, let’s have dinner together.”

Leaves fell from the trees along the street, and Zhu Wenjia wrapped his clothes tightly around himself. He didn’t know what to say, so he responded with an “Mm”.

Ting Shuang turned back to look at Zhu Wenjia, “Why did you dress so lightly?”

Zhu Wenjia sniffed, “… It looks good.”

In actuality, it wasn’t because he wanted to look good. Because he hadn’t left the house for too long, he didn’t know that the weather had already become this cold after an autumn shower.

The meal was eaten in silence, so much so that it was almost a little awkward.

After eating, Ting Shuang explained some important things to look out for when taking care of Zhu Ao to the nurse and the nanny, then went into his room.

The boxes containing his belongings that had been sent home after he had graduated were still piled on the floor of his room. They had not been opened, and even the courier slips were still stuck on the cardboard boxes. Beside the box was a guitar case.

Ting Shuang picked up the guitar, sat down on a random cardboard box, and played a chord.

He thought of the German folk song “The Final Night”. He missed Bai Changyi.

Knock knock. Someone knocked on the door.

“The door’s unlocked.” Ting Shuang continued playing the chords, wondering how that folk song was supposed to be sung.

Zhu Wenjia opened the door, walked in, closed the door, then stood beside it watching Ting Shuang fumble with the guitar. He only spoke after a while, trying to find a topic to talk about. “What does that sentence you just sang mean?”

“Großer Reichtum bringt uns keine Ehr‘… Wealth does not bring us dignity. The next sentence is ‘poverty, too, does not bring shame.’” Ting Shuang plucked the strings twice, lowering his head and laughing, “The lyrics are just nonsense, aren’t they. Why did you come looking for me?”

“…I don’t know.” Zhu Wenjia also sat on a cardboard box. He didn’t know where to put his hands, so he pressed them on the surface of the box, “What’s inside?”

“I forgot.” Ting Shuang put the guitar aside to look for a penknife, “Let’s open it and see.”

Zhu Wenjia watched Ting Shuang scour through the drawer, “What are you looking for?”

“A knife or something.” Ting Shuang found a pair of scissors and went to open the cardboard box.

Zhu Wenjia quickly moved aside to expose the surface of the box.

“Don’t be nervous.” Ting Shuang cut through the tape on the box with the scissors, joking with Zhu Wenjia. “Even if we don’t have a good relationship, I wouldn’t use a pair of scissors to stab you.” After slashing through the tape, he handed the scissors to Zhu Wenjia.

Zhu Wenjia waved the scissors in the air, “If I stab myself with this thing now, can we pretend that everything that had happened didn’t happen?”

“Of course not, so you’d better not stab yourself.” Ting Shuang opened the box and found that it contained clothes from his university years. He pulled out a jacket and threw it to the thinly-dressed Zhu Wenjia. “My old clothes, do you want to try them on?”

Zhu Wenjia put on the jacket over his clothes and tucked his hands into the sleeves, finding it very warm. After wearing it for a while, it became a little too hot.