Sweet Oxygen - Chapter 23

Chapter 23 – The Past

I will stay by your side from now on

——

Qin Han stared at Luo Shijin for a long time without saying a word.

Luo Shijin’s nose was rubbed red from tissues, and he sniffled again.

He waved his hand in front of Qin Han’s face and said in a nasal voice, “What are you looking at? I just caught a cold; it’s not contagious.”

“Are you a student from the Normal University?”

“What Normal University?”

Luo Shijin shot Qin Han a disdainful glance, pointed at his red nose, and said, “If I had graduated from a Normal University, would I still be here selling fruit? My dad would’ve broken my legs!”

Qin Han’s expression remained slightly dazed.

That white sports jacket had left a deep impression on her.

Even after so many years, her memory of that brother’s face had faded, but that white sports jacket was still vivid in her mind.

Especially the two dark green stripes running down the sleeves.

Later, Qin Han had looked into it and learned that universities generally don’t have uniforms.

The white sports jacket she had seen might have just been a class uniform or a custom-made department uniform for an event.

She looked at Luo Shijin. “Are you sure you’re not a graduate of the Normal University?”

“Nope. What’s so great about a Normal University? I, Luo Shijin, was the most handsome guy in Yaonan Alley First Kindergarten!” Luo Shijin declared shamelessly.

But…

Mr. “Most Handsome Guy,” you still have bits of tissue stuck to your nose.

Qin Han glanced at him and gestured to her own nose as a hint. Then, absentmindedly, she asked, “Oh, so are you classmates with Zhang Yuqing?”

Maybe she had just mistaken him for someone else.

Maybe it was just a similar sports jacket.

“You’re kinda dumb, you know that?” Luo Shijin smirked. “Qing-ge was just messing with you. He’s the real Normal University student.”

Qin Han’s eyes widened instantly.

She was surprised to hear that Zhang Yuqing was a university student, but at the same time, not entirely.

Mostly, Zhang Yuqing didn’t seem like someone who had only graduated from kindergarten and become a tattoo artist.

Like that time when he casually mentioned ‘snowy footprints of a swan.’

Her mind was spinning.

Zhang Yuqing used to be a student at the Normal University?

Could he have been in the same class as that brother from her memory?

She thought about it—if Zhang Yuqing were to wear that white sports jacket, stand in a crowd, and maybe even shoot some arrows…

He would definitely be even more eye-catching than that brother!

Luo Shijin sneezed twice and pulled out another tissue to wipe his nose.

He spoke in a proud tone, as if showing off. “Qing-ge doesn’t like talking about it, but I really think he’s the most responsible man I’ve ever met. No matter how old someone is, none of them can compare to him.”

Qin Han listened attentively. She liked hearing things about Zhang Yuqing.

“Back then, considering the environment he grew up in, it’s already incredible that he got into a top university.”

Luo Shijin let out a heavy sigh. “But then something happened at home, and he had no choice but to drop out.”

Qin Han stunned and lifted her head. “Dropped out?”

She wanted to ask more, but just then, the sound of Zhang Yuqing’s footsteps came from the doorway.

Both Luo Shijin and Qin Han fell silent on the topic.

Zhang Yuqing walked in carrying a plastic bag. When he saw the clothes Luo Shijin was wearing, he paused for a moment and smiled. “Where did you dig that out from?”

“The shipment from Qixia arrived—three truckloads of apples. They got off the highway at 3 o’clock in the morning. After I picked up the goods, I caught a cold. When I felt cold, I was looking for something to wear and saw this one with two stripes on the sleeves. Thought it was some fake Adidas.”

Luo Shijin lifted his sleeve for a look. “When did you buy this, Qing-ge? I’ve never seen you wear it.”

“It was my old class uniform.”

The plastic bag in Zhang Yuqing’s hand had a pharmacy logo on it. He checked the time and handed the bag to Luo Shijin. “Take this to my grandma. I have a client coming in soon to finalize a tattoo design, so I can’t leave.”

“Got it. I’ll be back in ten minutes. I’ll bring some apples for Grandma too.”

Luo Shijin said, “After I come back, let’s think about what to eat for lunch.”

“Okay, go ahead.”

Qin Han still wanted to hear more about Zhang Yuqing. In a moment of urgency, she blurted out, “Luo Shijin, I’ll go with you!”

Zhang Yuqing gave her a suspicious look. “You want to go too?”

Qin Han wasn’t usually this impulsive. When he asked, she hesitated. “What…the…”

Luo Shijin glanced at her. “You’re supposed to be a good student. Why are you cursing?”

Realizing she had been misunderstood, Qin Han hurriedly corrected herself, speaking more clearly this time. “I mean, is it okay for me to go? I want to go too.”

“Sure, come along.”

Qin Han followed Luo Shijin outside and climbed into the back of his three-wheeled cart, squeezing in with three baskets of apples.

She scratched her head awkwardly. “I didn’t know it was a tricycle. Sorry for making you pull me along—I weigh over 80 pounds, you know.”

“That’s fine.”

Luo Shijin turned around and saw her sitting there, casually dressed in a skirt. He stopped mid-sentence.

For a moment, he was confused.

Wait, wasn’t this girl supposed to be a pampered rich kid? Why did she just sit down without even dusting off the seat?

This tricycle was used for hauling fruit—it was covered in dust!

Qin Han sniffed the apples. “Luo Shijin, you’re amazing. Not only do you pick the sweetest watermelons, but these apples smell incredible too. I’ve never seen such fragrant apples before.”

“Uh… yeah, they’re Red Fuji apples from Qixia. They are pretty fragrant.”

Being praised so much, Luo Shijin’s face turned red, and he coughed awkwardly. “Do you want to put something down to sit on?”

“No need. Let’s get going.”

“The apples are for eating. Help yourself—pick the big, red ones.”

“Okay, thanks!”

When Zhang Yuqing stepped out of the shop, he saw Qin Han sitting in the back of the tricycle.

The girl was nestled among three baskets of apples, holding a slightly misshapen one. She casually wiped it on her skirt and took a crisp bite. “Luo Shijin, your apple is so sweet!”

The sunlight shone on her face, highlighting her rosy lips and bright teeth. She puffed her cheeks as she chewed, eyes wide with pleasant surprise. Noticing Zhang Yuqing standing at the shop entrance, Qin Han waved at him enthusiastically.

Zhang Yuqing smiled slightly and looked away.

This girl was intriguing—she had both energy and quiet depth.

She was… kind of cute, he thought.

With an apple in her mouth, Qin Han didn’t forget her real purpose for coming along. She mumbled, “Luo Shijin, tell me more about Zhang Yuqing?”

“Why?”

Luo Shijin suddenly became wary, then quickly relaxed. “Oh, right. To you, Qing-ge is just a substitute, after all.”

Qin Han opened her mouth but said nothing, swallowing her bite of apple.

And Luo Shijin thought, Qing-ge’s life has been so tragic—if Qin Han found out, maybe she’d just give up and walk away.

Nowadays, girls were so pragmatic. How many would be foolish enough to face difficulties?

So, Luo Shijin sighed and began, “Qing-ge’s story… sigh, even TV dramas wouldn’t dare to write something this tragic…”

Zhang Yuqing’s real surname wasn’t Zhang—it was Yu.

His real name was Yu Qing.

When he was three years old, his mother ran away with someone else. After that, Zhang Yuqing’s father, Yu Yong, seemed to go insane. He stopped working, stopped taking care of his child, and locked himself in his room all day.

Zhang Yuqing was raised by his grandmother.

His grandfather had passed away early, and his grandmother made a living selling socks and insoles. She didn’t earn much, but she still had to support both Zhang Yuqing and his useless father. Because of this, Zhang Yuqing learned to be self-sufficient from a young age. By the time he was in elementary school, he was already cooking for himself and helping his grandmother with the stall.

But when Zhang Yuqing was in middle school, his mother suddenly returned once.

No one saw her in person—only the neighbors noticed that she had left a basket at the Yu family’s doorstep before disappearing again.

Inside the basket was a baby girl. She was tiny and white, like a little glutinous rice dumpling.

Zhang Yuqing’s cowardly father insisted that the baby was an illegitimate child his mother had with another man. He wanted to throw her into the river to drown or strangle her on the spot.

In the end, it was Zhang Yuqing’s grandmother who saved the baby. She said that no matter whose child she was, she was still a life, and she had the right to see more of the world.

Grandmother declared that since they now had another person in the family, Yu Yong needed to go out and find a job.

But the next day, Zhang Yuqing’s good-for-nothing father disappeared. No matter how they searched, they couldn’t find him, and he never returned.

The only ones left in the family were Grandmother and the two children. Grandmother named the little girl Yu Dan.

Later, perhaps out of disappointment with her son, she simply changed both children’s surnames to match hers. And so, they became Zhang Yuqing and Zhang Yudan.

“Why did he drop out of school?”

The road on Yaonan Alley was uneven and full of potholes. As the tricycle rode over them, Qin Han wobbled left and right with the bumps.

The half-eaten apple in her hand had already turned brown from oxidation. She asked in a soft voice, “Was it because of financial difficulties?”

She spoke so gently, as if afraid that a louder voice would disturb Luo Shijin’s storytelling.

It felt like as long as she kept her voice low, Zhang Yuqing’s tragic past would only exist within a story. And the real Zhang Yuqing could remain the carefree boy with the scent of bamboo in the wind.

“Yeah, financial difficulties.”

Luo Shijin pedaled up a short slope, took a breath, and continued, “Qing-ge was already working so hard. He juggled school and part-time jobs every day. He thought things would get better after graduating from university. But in his freshman year, his grandmother suddenly fell ill, and now she’s in a wheelchair. And Dan Dan… she was diagnosed with a disease too. She needs medication every month.”

Qin Han suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.

A tightness so overwhelming that she could hardly breathe.

“He didn’t even finish a year before he dropped out and came home.”

The tricycle came to a stop. Luo Shijin turned around and saw Qin Han’s face covered in tears.

“Holy crap, what happened? Are you choking on the apple?”

This was the first time Luo Shijin had ever made a girl cry. He panicked, jumping off the tricycle in a hurry. But he had no idea why she was crying.

Qin Han shook her head.

She couldn’t even explain why she suddenly felt so sad.

Zhang Yuqing was so outstanding. He had even been accepted into a top university. He only had to graduate, get a job, and things would get better.

But life didn’t give him the chance to graduate. He had no choice but to leave school.

Back in high school, teachers always said, “Once you get into college, everything will be okay. You’ll finally be free to enjoy life.”

On the day of their graduation, everyone believed that. They threw away their exam papers and old textbooks, eagerly looking forward to college life. Even Qin Han had been excited about it.

But Zhang Yuqing never got to experience that kind of carefree university life.

Life never gave him the chance.

Qin Han was crying so hard it was unbearable. Luo Shijin even thought she might’ve chipped a tooth on the apple.

He scratched his head in frustration, then finally called Zhang Yuqing.

He put the phone on speaker. “Qing-ge!”

“Hmm?”

Zhang Yuqing’s voice came through the cheap phone, slightly muffled, probably because he was wearing a mask. His voice had a rough, weary tone.

Qin Han’s nose tingled again, and more tears streamed down her face.

Luo Shijin yelled, “Qing-ge, I’ve got you on speaker. Talk to Qin Han—she might’ve choked on an apple or something!”

“What, finished digging into my past now?”

Zhang Yuqing’s voice carried a hint of laughter, as if he weren’t the one who had almost been crushed under life’s weight.

He was like the ocean, vast enough to accept everything, enduring all hardships without a single ripple.

With a tearful voice, Qin Han suddenly blurted out, “Zhang Yuqing, why hasn’t Yaonan Alley been demolished yet? Why won’t it be demolished?”

She sounded just like those bitter old ladies who grumbled about redevelopment plans. She rubbed her eyes and mumbled under her breath.

If it got demolished, he wouldn’t have to struggle like this!

On the other end of the phone, Zhang Yuqing actually chuckled. “Hold it in. What are you crying for? Luo Shijin, did you exaggerate my story again?”

“Hey, I didn’t! I don’t even know why she’s crying! I turned around, and she was just like this! Scared me to death—I thought she broke a tooth or something. But I checked, and there’s no blood!”

“And we didn’t even talk about demolition. Why did she suddenly think about demolition? Qin Han, do you have property on Yaonan Alley or something?”

“Qing-ge, what do I do? Should I take her back to your shop first?”

As Luo Shijin rambled on with his sincere questions, Qin Han slowly wiped away her tears.

Her gaze was firm as she suddenly declared, “Zhang Yuqing, I will stay by your side from now on.”

There was a brief pause on the other end of the call. Then, he chuckled and said, “Silly kid.”