Lin Zhixia had attended a total of seven weddings, each time receiving wedding candies, Red Eggs, and Brown Sugar Steamed Buns.
Lin Zhixia knew that her brother really liked Brown Sugar Steamed Buns. She accurately recalled the scene from back then: "On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year in 2002, the afternoon of our uncle's wedding banquet, you alone ate three Brown Sugar Steamed Buns, Brother..."
Lin Zeqiu immediately put on a stern face: "I don't like them now. They're chewy and tasteless. Wouldn't it be better for you to rest at home these two days? Which friend's uncle is having a wedding that you absolutely have to attend?"
Lin Zeqiu's somewhat serious tone sparked Lin Zhixia's rebellious streak.
Lin Zhixia argued confidently: "My friend is Jiang Yubai, and I've already promised him. I know his uncle and want to see his aunt too. What's wrong with that? Can't I?"
"No, you can't!" Lin Zeqiu said sharply. "Who said you could get so close with their family?"
Lin Zhixia declared with full conviction: "I allowed myself! I'm a university student. I have the ability to distinguish right from wrong."
Lin Zeqiu thought of his own status as a high school student and couldn't help feeling irritable, depressed, and ashamed. His sister wouldn't turn fifteen until September this year, while he was already eighteen yet still a grade below her.
Even though Lin Zhixia wounded his pride like this, he still couldn't break his habit of caring about her. During the half year Lin Zhixia had been studying in Beijing, Lin Zeqiu worried every day that she wasn't comfortable there.
What was most infuriating was that Lin Zhixia rarely spoke to Lin Zeqiu.
There were several times when Lin Zeqiu deliberately waited by the telephone for Lin Zhixia's call. When he answered her call, he even used his gentlest tone: "Hello, Lin Zhixia, are you looking for me?"
Each time, Lin Zhixia would answer: "I miss Mom so much. Where's Mom? I want Mom."
Mom, Mom, all she ever thinks about is Mom!
She's fourteen years old! Still such a Mommy's cling-on!
These past events vivid in his mind, Lin Zeqiu's expression shifted unpredictably. He clenched his fist and slammed it against the doorframe: "There will be all sorts of strangers at the wedding banquet. How can a young girl like you go without an adult accompanying you? If you absolutely must go, you have to go with me."
But Lin Zhixia said: "Let me ask Jiang Yubai first."
Lin Zeqiu issued an ultimatum: "If he doesn't agree, then you're not going."
Lin Zeqiu desperately hoped Jiang Yubai would refuse Lin Zhixia's request. Unfortunately, Jiang Yubai once again disappointed Lin Zeqiu. Jiang Yubai told Lin Zhixia that as long as she was happy, she could bring anyone to the wedding without restraint, just treat it as coming for a meal.
Jiang Yubai's words made Lin Zhixia very happy again. Lin Zhixia couldn't help sighing with emotion: "He really trusts me, the purest trust between friends."
Lin Zeqiu couldn't voice his bitterness.
That night, Lin Zeqiu was sitting on the sofa reading a copy of the Morning Daily. When Lin Zhixia passed by him, she suddenly bent down and read word by word: "According to reports, world-renowned musician Jiang Shaoqi will hold his wedding with his fiancée in our city in the coming days..."
Lin Zhixia raised a hand and placed it on Lin Zeqiu's shoulder: "The news about Jiang Yubai's uncle's wedding made the newspaper."
Lin Zeqiu closed the newspaper: "His uncle is Jiang Shaoqi? The one who plays the violin?""Yes," Lin Zhixia admitted frankly, "it's Jiang Shaoqi, the youngest concertmaster in history who has won numerous awards. He has performed solo at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Vienna's Golden Hall, and Carnegie Hall, and he's also an honorary member of the Chinese Musicians Association."
Lin Zeqiu asked, "Do we have his violin solo DVD at home?"
"Right," Lin Zhixia opened the small drawer of the TV cabinet. "This DVD was given to me by Jiang Yubai."
Lin Zeqiu had listened to that DVD before. Originally, he quite liked it, but now he felt nothing for it. He put down the newspaper, walked back to his bedroom, turned on the desk lamp, and buried himself in doing exercises.
Lin Zhixia brought a chair and placed it beside Lin Zeqiu. She said, "Brother, this winter break is crucial—it's the final sprint for your college entrance exams. Whenever I'm free, I'll come keep you company while you study."
"I'm fine, you do your own things," Lin Zeqiu responded dismissively.
When Lin Zhixia asked about his class ranking, he avoided answering. She guessed, "Did you fall out of the top ten in your class?"
Lin Zeqiu muttered, "Mind your own business."
Holding his pen, he started working on a mock science comprehensive exam from the six-school joint examination. The novel question types on the paper stumped him. He concentrated deeply but still couldn't figure them out.
Lin Zhixia wrote out equations on scratch paper, but Lin Zeqiu urged again, "Go back to your room and sleep. I don't need your help."
"Why?" Lin Zhixia asked in surprise. "You're about to take the college entrance exams. Why are you picking a fight with me now?"
Lin Zeqiu made up an excuse: "The more you talk, the more annoyed I get. Let me have some quiet."
Lin Zhixia fell silent.
Lin Zeqiu pushed her chair: "Hurry up and leave. Don't just sit here foolishly."
The chair wobbled slightly. Frowning, Lin Zhixia said seriously, "Everyone in my dorm praises me for being gentle and patient. Under my tutoring, their grades have steadily improved. Lin Zeqiu, you're the only one who, after receiving my guidance, still treats me harshly. I don't want to argue with you, and I don't want to waste time. If you really find me annoying, I won't say a single word to you all winter break. My patience has its limits."
When they were children, if Lin Zeqiu angered Lin Zhixia, she would puff up her cheeks and say: If you keep this up, I'm going to get mad!
But now, Lin Zhixia seemed to have grown up. She actually dared to say: My patience has its limits.
Lin Zeqiu didn't react immediately. He was stunned by Lin Zhixia. After a few seconds of silence in the room, he retorted, "Why are you so angry?"
"Learned from you," Lin Zhixia said furiously.
Lin Zeqiu didn't reply. Under the soft glow of the desk lamp, he lowered his head toward the light and carefully read the questions.
Lin Zhixia handed him a piece of scratch paper. Following the method on the paper, he finally solved that difficult physics problem. He breathed a sigh of relief, then opened a notebook and diligently summarized his problem-solving ideas.
The window was slightly ajar, letting in cool air. The moonlight outside filtered through the tree shadows, casting a dim and hazy light. The night wasn't quiet—Lin Zhixia could hear neighbors talking on the community street, the sound of spatulas stir-frying, and the rustling of her brother's pen.
Resting her chin in her hands, she murmured to herself, "Your thoughts are so hard to guess. Brother's heart is as deep as a needle in the sea."
Lin Zeqiu's writing hand paused.He began lecturing his sister: "If you don't listen to your brother, you'll suffer the consequences. Stop arguing with me—no matter what, I'm older than you."
Lin Zhixia struck right at his heart: "Brother is eighteen and I'm fourteen, yet Brother is in twelfth grade while I'm a college freshman."
Lin Zeqiu shot her a sidelong glance: "Get out, don't make me throw you out."
Lin Zhixia pushed back her chair and ran off with a series of "tap-tap-tap" footsteps.
The night breeze drifted in, stirring the curtains as Lin Zeqiu's mind grew restless. Recalling their earlier exchange, he regretted his harsh attitude and poorly chosen words that had caused another conflict with Lin Zhixia.
He walked to Lin Zhixia's bedroom door and gently pushed it open, only to find her already asleep. The faint light from the living room spilled into the bedroom, illuminating her curled up tightly around the plush penguin, lying peacefully in bed as if she'd never left home.
On the morning of January 17, 2010, Jiang Yubai called Lin Zhixia to ask when she planned to depart, offering to send a car for her.
But Lin Zhixia declined Jiang Yubai's offer.
Since she was bringing her brother along to the wedding banquet, she worried that if he started making comments about Jiang Yubai in the car, it would put the driver in an awkward position.
After thorough consideration, Lin Zhixia and Lin Zeqiu took the bus to their destination. Just as Lin Zhixia had anticipated, throughout the journey, Lin Zeqiu had nothing good to say about Jiang Yubai.
Lin Zeqiu even asked her: "When you were in Beijing, did that guy ever bother you?"
Lin Zhixia insisted firmly: "No."
Lin Zeqiu said: "I don't believe you."
Lin Zhixia laughed heartily: "You only believe what you want to believe."
She pulled an exquisite wedding invitation from her backpack. Holding the invitation in her left hand and gripping her brother's wrist with her right, she dragged him toward an extremely luxurious five-star hotel.
The hotel stood tall and majestic, its grand entrance flanked by a square featuring a fountain where clear water rose and fell, dotted with floating pink roses that hinted at the day's wedding theme.
The entire hotel had been reserved by the Jiang family. Aside from the bride and groom's relatives, friends, and entourage, no other guests were being accommodated. All attendees received personal escorts, the parking lot was filled with various luxury cars, and several broad-shouldered security guards stood watch at the hotel entrance.
This was the first time Lin Zhixia had ever witnessed such an impressive display.
She tightened her grip on her brother's hand and presented the wedding invitation to a staff member in a suit.
The staff member promptly greeted them: "Hello."
Lin Zhixia explained frankly: "My brother doesn't have an invitation, but I've already spoken with Jiang Yubai about it."
The staff member smiled: "Yes, we've been informed."
Under his guidance, Lin Zhixia and Lin Zeqiu entered the hotel and arrived at the grand hall where the wedding banquet was being held—or, more accurately, it wasn't just a banquet hall but a dreamlike fairyland, a mysterious realm entirely crafted from roses that surpassed Lin Zhixia's wildest imagination.
At the hall's entrance stretched a broad glass pathway with pink roses blooming beneath the transparent surface, flanked by six-meter-tall bronze tree-shaped lamps adorned with roses. Further ahead, an ingeniously designed indoor artificial waterfall came into view, partially enclosed by glass panels and surrounded by rockeries, silver lamps, crystals, and rose bushes.A clear stream extended from the base of the waterfall, shaped into a shallow creek about four meters wide that flowed throughout the interior of the auditorium. The auditorium floor was divided into two types—completely transparent glass partitions and polished lightweight white panels. The ceiling, surprisingly, was black, adorned everywhere with vine-like chandeliers, their interlaced lights casting an extraordinarily beautiful radiance.
Lin Zhixia stood dumbfounded at the entrance, unable to utter a word. Lin Zeqiu reacted exactly the same way, the siblings frozen as if time had stilled before their eyes.
Lin Zhixia still carried two red envelopes in her pocket. Each envelope contained one hundred yuan—her sincerely prepared gift money.
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