Bai Lu left late into the night.
“…”
Lying on the sofa, Lu Weizhu covered her eyes with the back of her hand.
She felt exhausted.
Breathing heavily, her body still carried the scent of lavender.
“It’s almost eleven…I wonder if Wei Yu is asleep yet…”
Lu Weizhu recalled the phone call from Lu Weiyu.
She couldn’t help but worry, afraid that Lu Weiyu might be overthinking.
“…I still have to go back and check.”
Her legs weak, Lu Weizhu slowly walked to the bathroom.
The bandages on her hands made showering difficult, so she could only wipe her body repeatedly with a damp towel.
Lately, being tangled up with those two patrons had really gotten to her.
“…Maybe I should patch myself up a bit.”
Leaning on her waist, Lu Weizhu pursed her lips.
They say there’s no field too barren to cultivate, but to Lu Weizhu, that was pure nonsense.
She wiped her body over and over until no strange smell remained.
After changing clothes, she left the bathroom.
“Tomorrow I need to take Wei Yu to the café…and buy a quilt and pillows. No need to buy a washing machine; there’s a laundry station to use. Besides, it’s summer, so no freezing hands.”
Pondering these trivial matters, Lu Weizhu’s pace slowed.
Leaving the apartment building, she climbed the overpass and stood looking down at the traffic flowing beneath her feet.
She began to fantasize again.
If her parents hadn’t had that accident, she might have been just another person in the stream of cars—ordinary, but without the torment of conscience.
“Hmm-hmm~ hmm~”
Humming a meaningless tune to cover her frustration.
She descended from the overpass and spotted a small cart by the roadside.
A tempting sweet aroma drifted to her nose.
Lu Weizhu approached the cart.
It was a mobile chestnut vendor.
“Chestnuts for sale! Chestnuts for sale! Sweet and fragrant chestnuts!”
The vendor was a middle-aged woman with a noticeable accent.
It was already late, and the city’s nightlife was vibrant but mostly concentrated in bars and commercial streets.
There were only a few customers in front of the stall.
“One bag of chestnuts.”
Lu Weizhu was about to step forward when a figure rushed past her like the wind.
The voice was tired yet strangely familiar.
Lu Weizhu watched the yellow jacket fading into the distance and touched her nose.
It seemed like the delivery girl she had seen a while ago.
Carrying two bags with courier logos, was she still working?
“All right, large or small bags? Large ones are fifteen yuan, small ones ten.”
The vendor wore gloves and stirred the chestnuts in the pan, the shells clinking against the pot.
“Small bag, please hurry, there’s a customer waiting.”
The delivery girl temporarily set down one bag and pulled out a crumpled bill from her pocket.
“Okay, okay.”
The vendor nodded and quickly bagged the chestnuts, handing them over.
No more words were exchanged; the girl took the chestnuts, picked up her deliveries, and ran off.
“One large bag of chestnuts, please.”
After the delivery girl left, Lu Weizhu stepped forward.
She scanned the QR code on the cart and paid.
“Here you go, young lady, your chestnuts.”
The vendor’s voice was kind, and with nimble hands, she quickly handed Lu Weizhu a large bag of chestnuts.
Watching the vendor busily work alone, Lu Weizhu wanted to say more but thought of her sister in the hospital room and gave up.
Turning away, she hurried down the street.
Selling chestnuts alone late at night—did the vendor have troubles?
What about her family?
Everyone surely had their own difficulties…
“Tsk…Why so empathetic? What’s it to you?”
Lu Weizhu shook her head.
Thinking too much was pointless; she was just an ordinary person with her own problems and no spare time to help others.
Walking slowly along the street, Lu Weizhu touched the bag of chestnuts.
Through the paper bag, she could feel the warmth of the chestnuts, and their fragrance reached her nose.
She took out a chestnut, peeled the shell, and popped the nut into her mouth.
“Phew…delicious.”
The nut was still hot, with a faint sweetness and rich aroma.
Lu Weizhu squinted in pleasure.
Carrying the bag of chestnuts, she quickened her pace.
She recalled that both she and Wei Yu liked chestnuts, though it had been a long time since they had bought any.
Returning to the hospital, Lu Weizhu easily found the ward door.
She had been here so many times that even with her eyes closed, she wouldn’t get lost.
Light seeped through the crack in the door.
Lu Weizhu knocked gently before entering the room.
“Wei Yu, I’m done now.”
Trying to sound lighthearted, Lu Weizhu sat on the edge of the bed.
“Hmm? Ah, sister…that’s great. I thought you wouldn’t come back today. How are you? No injuries?”
Wei Yu lifted her head from under the blanket, still a little dazed.
She had just fallen asleep.
But seeing Lu Weizhu safe and sound made her happy.
“Ah, nothing serious.”
Lu Weizhu smiled and shook her head.
“The furniture in the newly rented place is set up. Soon I’ll be able to cook for you myself.”
She gently patted the girl’s head.
In front of Bai Lu, she was an insignificant pet; here with Wei Yu, she was the steadfast older sister.
Protecting her sister had become an obsession.
“By the way, I brought you some chestnuts.”
Lu Weizhu produced the bag of chestnuts from behind her like a magician.
Quickly peeling one, she fed the plump nut into Wei Yu’s mouth.
“Hm? Thanks, sister~”
Wei Yu accepted the chestnut and even licked Lu Weizhu’s fingertips.
“…Mmm~”
After chewing a few times and swallowing the sweet chestnut, Wei Yu squinted and smiled.
Without saying a word, Lu Weizhu just watched her beloved sister smile and wiped her fingertips.
She placed the bag on the bedside cabinet.
“They taste good, but you can’t eat too many. They’re not good for your stomach.”
She pinched Wei Yu’s cheeks.
Their sisterly interaction remained intimate, as if the recent rift had never happened.
Yet both hid little secrets in their hearts.
Wearing a happy expression, Wei Yu concealed her doubts and dissatisfaction.
She wasn’t sure if Lu Weizhu really was assembling furniture when she hung up the phone, but since her sister said so, she chose to believe her.
After all, her sister wouldn’t do anything against her true self, right?
Still uneasy, Wei Yu took a chestnut from the bag.
She peeled it slowly, taking quite some time.
“Here, sister, you eat this.”
She handed the peeled chestnut to Lu Weizhu.
The chestnut shell prickled her skin as it rested in her palm, but Wei Yu said nothing.
“Thanks, Wei Yu.”
Lu Weizhu took the chestnut.
Wei Yu’s eyes darkened slightly; for some reason, she felt a bit disappointed.
“Tomorrow, sister will take you to the place she works. Do you want to go?”
Chewing the nut her sister fed her, Lu Weizhu asked softly.
“Yes, I want to go.”
Wei Yu obediently nodded.
“All right, but Wei Yu, remember to be good, okay?”
After swallowing, Lu Weizhu tucked Wei Yu back under the blanket.
Looking at Wei Yu’s obedient face, Lu Weizhu still felt a little uneasy, but since the plan was set, there was no turning back.
“Rest now.”
Wei Yu hesitated a moment and didn’t climb back into bed.
Instead, she chose to lean on the chair by the bedside.
Watching Wei Yu fall asleep, Lu Weizhu finally closed her eyes to rest.