Feng Ping

I wanted to say something, but I didn’t want to act as if I did everything by my mum’s guidance. Then I chose to keep silent.

“Wei Wei doesn’t change at all. Yuan Yuan has changed a lot,” Uncle Wang said. “There is a saying that women will change at the age of 18.”

I pursed my mouth, “I don’t change either.”

Qi Qi heard every word carefully. Her eyes winkled brightly when she listened. Dad made some jokes at the table, and Qi Qi laughed. When she laughed, her eyes shaped as crescent moon with long eyelash, very attractive indeed. The corner of her mouth would turn up when she disagreed with others, and all her face was written with despise. Her facial expression made me think of the bad women in the TV show, but generally speaking, I didn’t feel myself inferior to her, because she was not my challenge at all, though I admired her experience. Unlike me, she was a girl who stood firmly on the earth, and I was a girl who touched the sky. We were totally different. Her type was energetic, practical, and deep in passion. I was poetic, passionate, and tender. I loved peace, but she loved wars.

Wei Wei exchanged a few talks with the girl, and I could see that he was deep in love. He was also happy to see me because we shared a happy memory together. However, we didn’t talk too much together, because we had all grown up. We were strangers now.

I didn’t feel sentimental for the immeasurable barrier between us, because handsome as he was, I had no adult feeling towards him now. I just observed him quietly, just as I was observing a portrait of childhood before me. My skin felt the slips of the silky water of time. Long long way of life, it was really a good resting time.

“Xiao Feng, why don’t you eat anything? You just talk.” Aunt urged my father to have more food. Aunt was a sincere, simple woman, but she hadn’t received much education. She was vulgar and ignorant sometimes.

Uncle Wang married her because uncle was born into a poor family in a village. Aunt was recommended by a matchmaker, and they married without falling in love with each other.

“I haven’t seen Old Wang for a long time too. I have much to talk to him,” father laughed sincerely.

“No, you just met him several days ago.”

“We didn’t talk. That doesn’t count,” father said and laughed.

Uncle Wang laughed happily too. I could feel the sincere brotherhood between them. I was charmed by 20 years of friendship.

“Time flies. We don’t expect one year to pass so fast,” dad said.