Chapter 48: The Insolent Donkey (Please Vote for Me)

Lin Jiajia felt that her thoughts last night were somewhat improper; a lollipop was just a lollipop.

She remained silent, staring blankly into Xia An's eyes for a few seconds before bending down, as if possessed, and taking the lollipop into her mouth.

As a lock of hair brushed across Xia An's wrist, it sparked an icy-blue electrical arc in the crisp autumn air.

Straightening up, Lin Jiajia squinted and smiled.

The outer layer of frosting melted rapidly, and the sweet, sugary taste instantly spread from her lips and teeth throughout her entire body.

"Let's walk," she said.

The grievances and sadness that had lingered all night were diluted by the sweetness.

Calming down, Lin Jiajia suggested taking a stroll down the early autumn street where the withered leaves had just begun to fall.

Xia An knew that a fierce collision of thoughts must be erupting in her mind right now; calling it a battle between heaven and humanity was an understatement.

So he nodded, following alongside her as they walked step by step into the alley.

In fact, over the past few days, he had been pondering it himself.

Pondering whether it was proper, whether it was reasonable, and what was right and wrong.

It was hard to describe the complexity of the process, which even touched upon a metaphysical, philosophical level.

In the end, Xia An forcibly crammed "top-tier elite thinking" from the "superstructure" into the crude premise of "I've even been reborn," thereby achieving logical self-consistency.

Simply put, at least as he explained it simply to himself:

There is always a reason for liking someone; unreasoned affection does not exist in this world.

Aside from wealth and status, beauty and talent, perhaps there was something else.

For instance, desiring a similar solace, seeking to satisfy vanity, wanting to escape the past, or needing to vent certain emotions... all of these operate under the guise of love; some slowly fade away with time, while others endure until the very end called death.

There was nothing wrong with that. The germination of affection had its reasons, and it was not frightening.

What was frightening was refusing to admit those reasons and attributing everything to mysterious fate.

Indeed, fate brought two strangers into each other's orbit, but what then?

Did that night of intoxicated blurring give birth to fate? Absolutely not.

For many late nights running, Xia An had asked himself: it wasn't like that.

If it were, he truly would have behaved like a beast.

In his impression, Lin Jiajia had always been a woman who refused to grow up, someone he cared for even more intimately than an old friend.

In his previous life, he had never entertained any biased thoughts, yet he always knew that deep within each other's hearts, they shared the exact same emotion: heartache.

Since I've been reborn, oh my! Oh my! It's all mine!

To speak of whether one likes or loves someone—how vulgar.

Out of six billion people in this world, how many are truly held in one's heart?

Unlike Le Xiaoning's bustling family with many branches, both he and Zuo You originally had few relatives; Tang Wan was all alone, and Lin Jiajia was all alone. Heh, it would just mean two extra pairs of chopsticks; they wouldn't even need to change the table.

Shameless? Then shameless it was.

Xia An glanced at Lin Jiajia, who was walking slowly with her hands behind her back, guessing that she might be thinking along the same lines.

Xia An guessed wrong.

A gentle breeze that wasn't too stifling brushed against their faces, carrying the crisp scent of trees and grass. The alley was very quiet. It had been a long time since they had taken a walk like this, Lin Jiajia mused to herself.

As a college graduate from 1994, her educational background carried real weight, but Lin Jiajia was still just a woman.

When faced with major decisions—or rather, when her CPU was overheating—most women's brains instinctively initiated self-protection mechanisms.

Couldn't figure it out? Then stop thinking about it for now, put it aside, and let things settle.

At that moment, Lin Jiajia felt only one thing, a perfect fusion of two completely contradictory states of mind: she had returned to her school days, but with a more mature mindset.

Yes, it was somewhat hard to describe.

Before Xia An suggested, "You can just be a little child," she had indeed experienced the childlike psychological impulse of, "I am so pitiful too," and "I also want someone to cherish me."

Yet after Xia An spoke those words, she suddenly felt as though she had grown up all at once, while simultaneously feeling a great deal lighter.

The rushed, hurried habit she had cultivated since entering the hospital vanished in an instant.

Walking those hundred meters, she felt as though she had returned to the era of strolling across campus—very comfortable, very enjoyable.

The end of the alley connected to a commercial district. Xia An thought she would turn back, but Lin Jiajia walked straight into another bustling scene without any sense of discord.

The music was loud and noisy. From several different tracks, Lin Jiajia picked a melody she liked and hummed along.

A group of young boys and girls holding celebrity photos and handheld banners were cheering for their idol by the roadside.

The 2006 Super Girl singing competition had already entered the finals.

Ai Mengmeng, who had advanced from the Dongshan division, was currently performing quite well.

This group of people were her fans.

Lin Jiajia turned back, smiled at Xia An, and said she had been watching the Super Girl contest lately.

She accepted a promotional flyer handed to her by an enthusiastic fan, which featured a profile and contestant number, and was urged to vote by text message in the next round; Lin Jiajia agreed to all of it.

Xia An thought to himself that the champion, runner-up, and second runner-up of this season were Shang Wenjie, Tan Weiwei, and Liu Liyang, respectively, while Ai Mengmeng placed fourth.

Continuing forward, Lin Jiajia asked if he had watched the competition.

Xia An said he had.

"Who do you like?"

"Tan Weiwei, but Liu Liyang's song 'Rain Bremen' is quite good."

"I'm listening to it too, it's very nice."

In this era, verifying whether a song was popular depended on two things: first, whether small street shops played it, and second, whether it was used for ringback tones and QQ Zone background music.

A large bunch of balloons tugged a five- or six-year-old little girl as she "floated" right up in front of Xia An.

"Mister, mister, won't you buy some balloons for the big sister?"

The little girl asked in a milky, adorable voice, tugging at the hem of Xia An's trousers.

Xia An was stunned, and Lin Jiajia beside him burst out laughing.

Xia An bent down and asked the little girl, who was looking up at him with eager eyes, "What did you just call me?"

"Mister."

Xia An pointed at Lin Jiajia and asked again, "What about her?"

"Big sister."

"Good girl, mister will buy two."

The little girl accepted the ten-yuan bill, let Xia An pick for himself, and then pattered away to the entrance of a small grocery store across the street, sitting down on the curb—utterly adorable and well-behaved.

Lin Jiajia stopped laughing, looked at the little girl from afar, and sighed.

"I will never have a daughter this cute."

She spoke as if to herself, but Xia An heard her and remained silent.

He tied a Chibi Maruko-chan balloon to Lin Jiajia's arm and asked her to tie a Crayon Shin-chan one onto his.

Lin Jiajia linked her arm through Xia An's as they walked forward. She used to link arms with Xia An often like this—like a mother linking with her son, like an elder sister with her younger brother. Even now, it didn't quite look like a woman linking arms with a man.

Maruko-chan and Shin-chan occasionally brushed faces against each other a meter high in the air, drifting along.

Lin Jiajia said, "In my past life, I must have been a heinous villain, which is why heaven is punishing me in this life."

Xia An asked curiously, "Is that the conclusion you've come to after pondering from childhood until now?"

Lin Jiajia silently nodded.

Xia An let out a scoff of laughter.

"Is a woman's greatest wish to have children?"

Lin Jiajia nodded, then shook her head, not entirely certain.

Xia An said, "Trust me, regardless of gender, a grown-up's wish is definitely not to have children, but to become a child all over again. Besides, no matter how old a woman gets, at heart she is essentially still a little child. Even an old granny dreams of being a little princess."

When Xia Kangning doted on Wei Xiao-fang, he treated her precisely like a little princess.

Amused, Lin Jiajia asked him, "Do you understand women very well?"

Xia An replied frankly, "I understand them very well."

Lin Jiajia stopped talking.

Turning left at the end of the commercial street led to the main thoroughfare; turning left again at the first intersection brought them back to where the car was parked.

After making a large circle, Lin Jiajia and Xia An sat down on a shaded park bench to rest and chat.

Upon learning that Lin Jiajia's greatest wish upon getting rich really was to buy old Zhou's peach orchard, Xia An fully realized that the boundaries of her soul had never stepped outside the concept of "home."

Grandma was her last remaining family member.

Xia An suggested bringing Grandma into the city for proper recuperation and care.

Lin Jiajia said, "She likes the countryside."

Xia An replied, "Then we'll build a healthcare and nursing base in the countryside."

Lin Jiajia nodded in approval. "Then I'll just have to earn more money."

Xia An: "I'll help you."

Ignoring his offer, Lin Jiajia brushed a fallen leaf off Xia An's shoulder and asked him, "How much money do you need to earn in this lifetime for it to be enough?"

Just as Xia An was planning to put on a slightly domineering front, Lin Jiajia delivered her second sentence: "Tang Wan has already established a relationship with you, and I remember you still have a female classmate in school who has been entangled with you for a long time. Right, what about that neighbor girl, Little Pomelo?"

Xia An rubbed his nose, feeling somewhat awkward.

With a soft giggle, Lin Jiajia said, "Men are all like this. You say little girls dream of being princesses, but all of you are dreaming of being emperors."

With his inner thoughts exposed, Xia An felt even more awkward.

Lin Jiajia crossed her legs and stretched them out straight.

Her trouser cuffs rode up, revealing a border of white socks and her sleek, glowing ankles.

A bicycle jingled past along the roadside, the man pedaling hard while a little girl stood on the back rack holding onto her father's shoulders.

A car beeped past by the roadside, the woman in the front passenger seat peeling an orange, the rear window half-open while a little boy held half a banana and let the wind blow over him.

A young man and woman walked by hand in hand; the boy carried his girlfriend's shoulder bag and used a million-pixel smartphone to take pictures of her.

The girl's skirt fluttered, her hair fluttered, her arms fluttered, her smile fluttered.

Lin Jiajia said, "Little Xia An, stop overthinking it. It's taboo, and it's definitely impossible."

Xia An had no desire to argue; after a brief thought, he merely said, "No man will ever develop feelings for a pig with a beautiful soul. The looks and soul bestowed upon you by the heavens—please do not waste them."

Lin Jiajia giggled, gave him another playful tap, and said, "Are you flirting with me? You're acting improper, bad boy."

Xia An replied, "Youth is free from all taboos."

"Bah!" Lin Jiajia shot him a side-glance and helplessly shook her head.

Then she stood up, walked over to the roadside, and pulled a stuffed donkey out of the trunk.

Xia An was left staring in utter astonishment.

Isn't that the one from her bedside table?

Bouncing back over, Lin Jiajia shoved the donkey directly into Xia An's hands.

"Press its nose, then press both of its eyeballs to start recording. Record a message for me."

Puzzled, Xia An fiddled with it until it first played back an elderly voice:

"Jiajia, you must eat on time every day, don't stay up late, go to sleep early. Grandma is doing just fine at home."

Xia An understood.

The Lin Jiajia who, after marriage, was sealed away inside a Buddhist shrine yet continued to live entirely alone, was lonely.

Taking Lin Jiajia's car keys, Xia An retreated into the car.

Following the correct operational sequence, after a beep, he spoke a passage directly into the donkey.

The donkey was locked back into the trunk, and Xia An told Lin Jiajia to listen to it once she got home.

Having had no breakfast and no lunch, Lin Jiajia had survived on just a single piece of candy.

The two of them sat by the roadside until two-30 in the afternoon; regardless of whether there was affection between them, at least they were spiritually sustained.

Lin Jiajia had a business social engagement that evening and needed to go home to change clothes.

"I'm considered a minor leader now, single and free—must work hard!"

Standing up, Lin Jiajia stretched lazily, giving Xia An a full view of her slender, gracefully pristine waistline.

Shin-chan was left behind by Xia An in the car, while Maruko-chan was taken home by Lin Jiajia.

It became the newest member of that one-room apartment and a new friend to the donkey.

Lin Jiajia resolved to act like a mature woman, desperately suppressing her curiosity and lecturing herself that she must at least wait until after her shower before listening to the bad boy's message.

In the end, she couldn't hold out.

Midway through her shower, Lin Jiajia ran out with wet, bare feet, snatched the donkey left abandoned on the sofa, and smacked the back of the plush toy's head hard.

As if its pressure points had been released, the donkey instantly began swaying its head in a mischievous, cheeky manner, baring its large front teeth while emitting Xia An's voice.

After listening to it once, twice, three times, Lin Jiajia laughed and shed tears at the same time.

Her tears mixed together with the shower water streaming down her forehead from her damp hair, tracing lines across her entire body until falling from her ankles onto the floor.

A warm evening breeze slipped in through the window and, upon catching sight of the post-bath goddess standing right in the middle of the living room, took the initiative to flip over the peeping Shin-chan.

Maruko-chan floated to one side, looking utterly adorable and blankly at Crayon Shin-chan, whose face was plastered flat against the ceiling.

Thinking of something, Lin Jiajia raised her head as well, only to be met with that round, perky little bottom.

Amused, she mused to herself: *Bad boy, you're missing out!*

...

Many people in the hospital knew about the changes in Lin Jiajia's marriage; news like that always spread outward from the personnel department.

Over the past few days, there had been no shortage of colleagues eyeing her covetously, sympathizing with her, or simply watching the drama unfold, all of them having noticed her perpetually gloomy state day in and day out.

The covetous ones were preparing to make a move, the sympathetic ones kept offering concern, and the onlookers continued watching the show.

Yet on this evening, at a banquet organized by the leadership and attended by all hospital cadres to celebrate Head Nurse Lin's brand-new appointment, everyone was utterly astounded.

What had gotten into Lin Jiajia?

Wasn't she acting like a widow just yesterday?

Why was she suddenly glowing with radiance?

Lin Jiajia had put on that solid black jumpsuit again, layering a small brown jacket over the top and stepping into high heels... There was nothing particularly unusual about the outfit; she looked as gorgeous as ever.

But what about her expression?

With just a light touch of makeup, how had she managed to paint a sparkle right into her eyes?

The clever Lin Jiajia simply offered a perfunctory, casual explanation to a close head nurse from the neighboring department, and within twenty minutes, the latter had automatically spread the word for her.

Everyone knew the answer now: a new romance.

Well, the covetous suitors within the medical system, who were naturally subtle to begin with, decided to maintain their low-key, repressed demeanor.

That evening, Lin Jiajia was poised and graceful, taking care of everyone present, neither fawning on superiors nor pandering to subordinates, displaying a professional poise she had never exhibited before.

After three rounds of toasts, she didn't tag along with the leaders for a second round of drinks, and politely yet gracefully declined a male colleague's offer to escort her home, hailing a taxi by herself.

Another shower, another wave of dampness.

Bathed in the moonlight that turned the small bedroom into a silvery midnight, Lin Jiajia drifted off into a deep sleep with a smile on her lips, hugging that donkey.

The donkey, which had been repeating the same passage over and over, was running low on power, and Xia An's voice had shifted pitch, sounding even cheekier:

"Little girl Lin Jiajia, it's late at night, you should be sleeping.

"Go to that castle in your dreams, where the lawn is made of candy, the clouds are, and the house is too.

"There's a chocolate-colored princess bed there, draped with curtains woven from rainbows and clouds.

"Parrots and little phoenixes will keep watch by the window, chasing away the noisy nightingales for you.

"If you wake up in the middle of the night, don't be afraid; push open the window and you'll see a lake surface like silver crystal.

"I'll be sitting at the bow of a boat right on top of that water, fishing.

"Lin Jiajia, you must have saved the entire world in your past life for heaven to allow you to be a little princess for your whole life. But have you forgotten heaven's warning to you?

"It said you would one day meet a handsome guy named Xia An—you should either stay far away from him from the very beginning, or else you will 'find yourself trapped with no escape,' falling right down into an abyss called 'love.'

"If you want to survive, don't struggle, don't fight it, just let it happen.

"Lin Jiajia, being older than me doesn't make you all that impressive.

"Let me teach you what it means when love is the faith of the idealist.

"Lin Jiajia, we have a long way to go."