On Saturday evening, when Lin Mo received a message from Su Qing, he was staring blankly at his computer in his room.
On the screen were several photos he had secretly searched for of a university’s campus scenery: Ginkgo Avenue, teaching buildings, the Library, and the dormitory building where one could allegedly see the sea.
“6:30 PM, dinner at my house. Mom is cooking personally,” read the message Su Qing had sent him earlier.
Lin Mo stared at those four words—”Mom is cooking personally”—and felt inexplicably nervous.
He had eaten the food prepared by Su Wanqing since he was a child, so logically, he should have been used to it by now.
Ever since… he carried that secret of his “temporary departure” in his heart, every time he saw Su Wanqing, he felt a strange, inexplicable sense of guilt.
It was like when he was a child and had done something wrong; even if he hadn’t been caught yet, his guilty conscience made him afraid to meet the other person’s gaze.
(￣～￣;) … ‘I’m overthinking it.’
He changed into a clean white T-shirt, went out, and knocked on the door across the hall.
Su Qing was the one who opened it.
Today, she was wearing a Pikachu home T-shirt, and her hair was loosely tied in a low ponytail with a few stray strands hanging by her cheeks.
Upon seeing Lin Mo, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly in a happy arc.
“You’re here?”
“Yeah.”
“Come in.”
Lin Mo changed his shoes and entered the house, greeted by the drifting aroma of food. The sound of stir-frying came from the kitchen, accompanied by the hum of the range hood.
“Is Lin Mo here?” Su Wanqing’s voice drifted out from the kitchen, sounding cheerful. “Have a seat first, it’s almost ready.”
“Auntie, let me help,” Lin Mo said as he walked toward the kitchen.
“No, no!” Su Wanqing poked her head out, spatula in hand, and smiled at him. “You and Qing’er sit and chat for a while. This is the last dish. Taste my cooking today.”
Lin Mo had no choice but to retreat and sit down at the dining table.
Several dishes were already laid out: sweet and sour pork ribs, steamed sea bass, garlic broccoli, cold cucumber salad, and a steaming bowl of corn and pork rib soup. They were all dishes he had grown up eating, each one familiar and comforting.
Su Qing sat opposite him, resting her chin on her hands as she looked at him.
“What are you looking at?” Lin Mo felt a bit uneasy under her gaze.
“Seeing if you’ve lost weight,” Su Qing said casually. “What have you been doing at home these last few days since the exams ended? You haven’t come out at all.”
“Resting. Sleeping. Playing games.”
“By yourself?”
“Who else?”
Su Qing seemed very satisfied with this answer, and the curve of her lips deepened slightly.
Just then, Su Wanqing emerged from the kitchen carrying the final dish. It was Lin Mo’s favorite, tomato and scrambled eggs, a mix of red and yellow that looked very appetizing.
“Come, eat while it’s hot.” She placed the plate on the table and sat down next to Lin Mo.
The three of them gathered around the table under the warm glow of the light.
The atmosphere at the table was very cozy.
Su Wanqing piled food into Lin Mo’s bowl—a piece of rib, a morsel of fish, a spoonful of eggs—until the small bowl in front of him was brimming.
“Eat more. You worked hard for the exams.” She looked at Lin Mo with a smile. “You’ve gotten thinner. Have you not been eating well lately?”
“I’m fine, really…” Lin Mo lowered his head to eat. “Auntie, you should eat too.”
“I’m at home every day; I have plenty to eat.” Su Wanqing served him another bowl of soup. “How is your mother lately? Is the shop busy?”
“It’s okay. It’s the off-season right now, so she’s not that tired.”
“That’s good. Tell her not to push herself too hard. If she needs anything, tell her to let me know.”
“Yeah, thank you, Auntie Su.”
Lin Mo had heard conversations like this since he was a child. Su Wanqing and his mother had always been close, and there was never any formality between the two families.
This was because Father Su and Father Lin were brothers-in-arms.
They had served together, retired together, and settled in this city together.
Later, Lin Mo’s father sacrificed his life in an accident, and Father Su took it upon himself to look after both families. Then… Father Su passed away as well.
It was also an accident.
Lin Mo’s memory of his father was blurry, consisting only of a few yellowed photographs and the occasional fragments his mother mentioned.
But he remembered Father Su quite clearly—a middle-aged man who was always laughing, who would carry him on his shoulders, take him and Su Qing to the amusement park, and secretly tuck New Year’s money into his pocket.
Back then, he didn’t understand why Father Su was so good to him.
Later, he understood.
It was because they were best brothers—comrades-in-arms.
Lin Mo lowered his head to eat, feeling a bit bittersweet.
Su Wanqing watched him with a soft gaze.
She had watched this child grow up. From a tiny little sprout, he had grown into the clean-cut youth he was now. His eyes and brows were very similar to his father’s when he was young, but his personality was more like his mother’s—gentle, reserved, and prone to keeping things to himself.
Like today.
He sat there eating, appearing no different than usual, but Su Wanqing just felt… something wasn’t quite right.
Perhaps it was because of that physical examination report.
Or perhaps it was because of that 0.3-second Delay that had kept her up all night.
“Lin Mo.” Su Wanqing put down her chopsticks as if making casual small talk. “Now that the Gaokao is over, do you have any plans?”
Lin Mo looked up. “Plans?”
“Regarding your applications. Which city do you want to go to, and what major do you want to study?” Su Wanqing smiled. “Didn’t you and Qing’er say before that you wanted to test into the same school? Have you decided yet?”
Lin Mo’s chopsticks paused for a moment.
At the same time, he felt Su Qing’s gaze fall on his face.
“…I’m still looking.” He lowered his head and took a bite of rice. “I’ll wait until the scores come out.”
“True, the scores are the most important.” Su Wanqing nodded, her tone remaining casual. “But I heard that your school’s physical exam was quite strict this time? The Ability Testing and all that—did the boys have to take it too?”
Lin Mo’s heart skipped a beat.
Ability Testing. Why was Auntie suddenly asking about that?
“Yeah… we took it,” he answered truthfully. “It was just a formality. We stood on the machine for ten seconds and it was done.”
“And the result?”
“0.1. No manifest Special Ability.” Lin Mo didn’t think much of it. “Most of the guys were the same, all around zero-point-something.”
Su Wanqing smiled. “That’s good. Those things are a hassle to have anyway. It’s more peaceful without them.”
She picked up her tea cup and took a sip of water, her gaze sweeping over Lin Mo’s face from over the rim.
The boy’s expression was open, his eyes clear, and there was no evasion in his voice. Mentioning the Ability Testing was like mentioning an ordinary physical checkup; he had no abnormal reaction.
He really didn’t know.
He didn’t know what that “0.1” meant.
He didn’t know what might be hidden inside him.
Su Wanqing set down her tea cup, and the tension in her heart eased slightly.
It was for the best.
Sometimes, not knowing was a good thing.
“By the way, Lin Mo,” Su Wanqing changed the subject, “have you encountered anything strange lately? For example, any dreams, or any special sensations in your body?”
Lin Mo froze for a moment.
Something strange?
—
Teaser Theater
Lin Mo: (Wiping sweat) Auntie’s eyes look so strange today… did she misunderstand something…
Su Qing: (Blushing) Mom, why are you exposing me!!
Su Wanqing: (Smiling) Does this child really not know, or is he just pretending?
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Finally, Yezi wishes all readers a Happy New Year, may all your wishes come true, may you succeed in your studies, find smooth sailing in your work, and enjoy a blissful love life.