Chapter 31: An Excuse
The night before the memorial ceremony for the patriarch of the Qiao family, Qiao Jiu asked for leave. She would be going to the temple the next day, so she avoided any places of entertainment that evening.
After dinner, she stood by the window, gazing outside. The moonlight was gentle, and for once, there were stars twinkling in the sky.
Over an hour ago, Lu Fengzhou had sent her a message, listing the schedule for the ceremony the following day. She read it over and over, twice in total. In truth, when someone dies, it is as if a lamp is extinguished; Lu Fengzhou didn’t really need to do all this. During her father’s illness, he had cared for him at his bedside, and everyone had seen it. His good reputation had already spread; none of these aftercare gestures would make much difference.
She hadn’t stood there for long before her phone vibrated again. She reached over and glanced at it. The number was familiar—it was the one Lu Fengzhou had hung up on that time.
She answered, “Hello.”
A voice came from the other end. “It’s me.”
Qiao Jiu was a little surprised. “Liang Xiucheng?”
Liang Xiucheng responded with a quiet acknowledgment. “I just arrived at the bar and didn’t see you. Guan Wei told me you’re going to the temple tomorrow.”
Qiao Jiu confirmed, “There’s a memorial ceremony for my father, so I can’t make it to the bar tonight.”
Liang Xiucheng paused for a few seconds, as if asking casually, “You’ll be heading over early tomorrow?”
Qiao Jiu thought of the schedule Lu Fengzhou had given her. “It starts at eight, so I should be there a little after seven.”
Just as she finished speaking, she heard someone else’s voice on the phone, urging Liang Xiucheng to come over and drink.
Liang Xiucheng replied to them, then spoke into the phone again. “Qiao Jiu, I have something to take care of here, so let’s leave it at that for now.”
Qiao Jiu agreed, and the call ended.
……
The next morning, Qiao Jiu woke early and went downstairs after getting ready. She had barely taken a few steps when she stopped.
A car was parked by the roadside not far away. Leaning against the car door with his arms crossed was Liang Xiucheng. No one knew how long he’d been there, lost in thought.
Qiao Jiu blinked and instinctively took a step back, hesitating whether to pretend she hadn’t seen him and leave quickly.
What Guan Wei had said that day was true—to avoid unnecessary trouble, she and Liang Xiucheng truly shouldn’t interact too much.
But Liang Xiucheng didn’t give her that chance; he soon snapped out of his reverie and looked over.
Qiao Jiu froze for a moment, then had no choice but to walk over. “What are you doing here?”
Liang Xiucheng straightened and didn’t answer her question. “Heading out already?”
Qiao Jiu gave a brief reply, “I still have some things to buy, so I need to leave early.”
Liang Xiucheng turned and opened the car door. “Let me give you a ride. That area’s a bit remote, not easy to get a taxi.”
Qiao Jiu looked at the car, then at Liang Xiucheng, and thought about the things she needed to buy. After a moment, she said, “Thank you. Sorry to trouble you.”
Liang Xiucheng smiled as well. “We’ve had drinks together—no need to be so formal.”
They bought what she needed and headed toward Taiping Temple. At this hour, the temple grounds were still empty; the worshippers hadn’t arrived yet, and the foot of the mountain was wide open.
The car stopped, and Liang Xiucheng helped her unload the things.
Qiao Jiu said, “Just drop me here. Thank you, I can go up by myself.”
Liang Xiucheng glanced up toward the halfway point of the mountain. “I came here with my mother to offer incense before I went abroad. I wonder if the temple has changed after so many years. Anyway, I have nothing else to do—might as well take a look.”
Qiao Jiu wasn’t naïve; she could tell this was just an excuse—he simply wanted to help.
She looked up at the temple halfway up the mountain. Hauling all these things up would indeed be exhausting.
So she once again accepted his kindness. “Sorry for troubling you so much.”
Liang Xiucheng looked at her, sincerely. “If you really feel sorry, just treat me as one of your own and relax a little. If you keep being so polite, I won’t know what to do.”
They climbed up together. The main gate of Taiping Temple was open. To the right inside was the guest hall. Qiao Jiu took the things over and found a place to store them for now.
Liang Xiucheng waited outside for her.
She exchanged a few words with the monk in charge of the guest hall, and as she stepped out and walked a few paces, she stopped in surprise.
Lu Fengzhou had arrived at some point—he seemed to have gotten there even earlier than she did.
A monk stood by his side, chatting with Liang Xiucheng, who was waiting for her.