It wasn't until he got on the tram and looked at the rapidly receding street scene outside the window that Wen Jianning's mood slowly calmed down.

Although she was a little annoyed that she was not calm enough, she had already come out, and it was useless to regret it.

Wen Jianning touched the outer pocket of the velvet shirt, although she came out in a hurry, but fortunately she was not completely carried away by anger just now. Before leaving the villa, she took with her the letters she had just retrieved from the post office, as well as most of the money she had saved over the years. If she completely breaks with Wen Jingshu this time, at least for a short time, she will not be on the streets.

As for what happens after that, we can only take one step at a time.

When the tram stopped again, Wen Jianning got off the bus after the crowd and wandered aimlessly through the streets.

As it gets dark, the streets of the city are thinning with pedestrians in the evening, some shops are closed, and only the rickshaw driver on the road still pulls customers past her. When he came back to his senses, Wen Jianning found that he had unconsciously walked to the door of the bookstore he usually came to, but the store was already closed today. The café next to it was still open, and the aroma of coffee mixed with baked bread wafted from inside. At this time, there are still many guests dining inside.

Wen Jianning touched his stomach, walked in and sat down by the window.

After ordering a cup of coffee with the waiter, she took out the letter in her pocket and opened it.

In the last letter, she asked Feng Yi about studying in the United States, and she thought that this letter should have the answer she wanted.

When I opened the letter, the familiar handwriting came into view.

Feng Yi's handwriting is as upright and rigorous as ever, and there is never any scribbling.

"Jianning: In your last letter, you asked me about American schools, and I asked a few American classmates, and I searched for some information, which are attached below for your reference, hoping that it will be beneficial to you. ”

As soon as he saw this beginning, Wen Jianning couldn't help but think of the beginning of the correspondence between the two, and they were very distressed about the names they called each other.

Nowadays, people write a variety of letters, some of them still use the old custom of calling each other brothers, some learn from the Japanese, whether they are men or women, they must call each other Jun and San, and there are also people who learn from the Western language, and at the beginning they say that they are dear, or Miss Mies is called Mr. Mister, which is really tooth-souring.

They were only a few faces, and they had no relationship with each other, and they might not even be friends. It is nondescript to call brothers and sisters, and the strange names of the East and the West are even more embarrassing for this pair of young girls who are also restrained and conservative. However, they simply call each other Mr. and Miss, and the two who are not too old only feel awkward.

After three years of letters, the two of them gradually became friends so that they could calmly write each other's names in the letters. Thinking of this, Wen Jianning couldn't help but shake his head, came back to his senses, and continued to watch.

In the letter, Feng Yi answered Wen Jianning's questions in detail, and also compared the advantages and disadvantages of literature majors at several American universities. It wasn't until the end that he turned his pen around and wrote like this for the first time:

“…… Since you asked me about this, I think you should be interested in studying in the United States in the future. In the past three years, although I have been abroad, I have also heard that the Japanese army has repeatedly invaded Pingjin, with the intention of infiltrating North China and even sweeping the whole country. Although Hong Kong is located in a remote area, there is no guarantee that the flames of war will not reach the southeast coast in the future. As your friend, I should have supported your decision. However, there are some words that are really not unpleasant. ”

There were a few traces of smearing on the back, and it was obvious that the person who wrote the letter originally wanted to say something, but after getting up, he felt that it was inappropriate, so he could only hurriedly scribble, and the next sentence turned the words bluntly: "...... In fact, I have a plan to temporarily suspend my studies and return to China if the situation worsens. After all, now that the national crisis is at hand, how can the young people of our generation really stay out of the matter. ”

“…… Seeing this, I hope you won't misunderstand that I am trying to force you to stay in the country with the righteousness of my family and country. If you are obsessed with literature, you may become a scholar in the future, go abroad for further study, and also leave a useful body for the country. I just hope that when the war dies down in the future, you will succeed in your studies in the United States, and don't forget this humiliated and ravaged ancient country behind you, which is eagerly awaiting the return of its wanderers. ”

Wen Jianning kept seeing this, and finally moved slightly. This is the first time Feng Yi took the initiative to inform Wen Jianning of his future plans in the letter, and made advice as a friend - he hopes that whether Wen Jianning wants to study in the United States or not, he can remember to return to China in the future.

She put down the letter and fell into deep thought.

Originally, she had made a preliminary plan to save up the salary for the past three years, and as soon as she finished her high school studies, she would leave Hong Kong and completely escape from Wen Jingshu's control. After that, I followed Wen Baiqing's advice and went to a university in the United States or the United Kingdom to study literature for four years to avoid conflicts, and then returned to China if the situation stabilized after completing my studies.

But Feng Yi's words woke her up from another aspect.

If it was just to read literature, there was no need for her to go abroad at this stage. After all, the discipline of literature is not as good as science and engineering, and it also needs to rely on foreign instruments and equipment, and there are also enough excellent scholars and professors in domestic universities;

And if it is to escape the war, it is clear that four years is not enough time to calm the current chaos in the country. Although she is in Hong Kong, she also knows that the Japanese housing is pressing step by step, and once the war officially starts, no one knows when it will stop. However, if it is said that after leaving Hong Kong, he has stayed in the United States or other places abroad and never returned, Wen Jianning has never had this idea. Not to mention the customs of a foreign country, I am afraid that it will be difficult for her to get used to it, and her few relatives and friends are staying in the country, how can she escape alone.

Wen Jianning's roots are here, and he can't do without them, and he can't escape.

But if she doesn't go abroad, then she can only set her sights on universities in the mainland.

Wen Jianning was bowing his head and pondering, when a waiter came over and said, "Miss, this lady said that she is your friend who is waiting for." ”

She looked up and saw a woman standing behind the waiter.

The other party was still wearing the cheongsam with a black background and green back then, but the velvet trim on the hem was worn, and it looked even more embarrassing than back then. The person who came was Meng Li, she seemed to be aging very quickly in the past few years, her eyes were dark, the skin and flesh on her face were becoming more and more relaxed, and the smile on her face was flattering with greed: "Miss Wen, we haven't seen each other for a long time." When the old people are reunited, won't you invite me to a meal?"

Wen Jianning stared at her for a while before retracting his gaze. She didn't speak, Meng Li knew that she agreed, sat on the opposite side, and hurriedly beckoned the waiter to order.

Back then, Wen Jianning promised Wen Baiqing not to communicate with Meng Li again, but then naturally kept his promise and never dealt with this person again. On the contrary, it was Meng Li's side, and after the incident, he asked the bookstore owner to send messages to borrow money from Wen Jianning several times, and he was repeatedly entangled, and he also squatted outside the bookstore for more than half a month. Fortunately, the owner of the bookstore had greeted Wen Jianning in advance, and she had been passing by for three or five months to avoid this place, so Meng Li stopped coming.

I didn't expect to be bumped into by her here today.

As soon as the food was served, Meng Li didn't even say hello, and ate it first, as if he had been hungry for a long time.

After a while, she hiccups contentedly and finally regained some energy. She looked at Wen Jianning carefully, and said with a smile: "Miss Wen didn't come home so late, could it be that she ran away from home in anger with her family." ”

Wen Jianning didn't want to say more to her: "You're full, you must be able to leave." ”

Meng Li didn't care about her cold face, and said with a smile: "Miss Wen, although I haven't seen you for a few years, you have been so beautiful. But the girl's personality is too bad, and with this face, I'm afraid that I won't be able to find a good in-law in the future. ”

Wen Jianning got up directly to check out, turned his head and walked out the door.

Meng Li hurriedly followed behind: "Miss Wen, Miss Wen, don't go, if it weren't for the meal you just invited me, I wouldn't have said these words to you." ”

The two walked out of the café one after the other, Wen Jianning walked quickly in front, and Meng Li chased after him.

In order to get rid of her entanglement, Wen Jianning almost turned the corner at a rushing speed, but almost bumped into someone from the opposite side. However, before she could apologize to the other party, she looked up and saw Yan Tingchen standing in front of her.

He smiled and said, "Seeing that they have been looking for you for a long time, it turns out that you are here." ”

Wen Jianning pursed her lips slightly, and her face turned away unnaturally.

In the past three years, the relationship between the two has not been as stiff as it was at the beginning. Yan Tingchen and Jianxiu kept an appropriate distance, and also put away their cynical habits. In addition, Yan Tingchen and the Wen family villa have close contacts, so Wen Jianning is not good at always keeping a straight face to people, and the two have become ordinary friends. But it's just ordinary friends.

Being known by an outsider about these things, Wen Jianning still felt a little embarrassed.

Meng Li, who hurriedly followed behind her, saw this young man who stopped in front of Wen Jianning, although she had the heart to go forward to ask for a bargain, but she was coldly glanced at by the other party, and immediately knew that the other party was not easy to mess with, so she could only mumble and pretend to pass by and walk away. After she left, Yan Tingchen lowered his head and stretched out his hand to Wen Jianning, and said patiently: "Go back with me." ”

Wen Jianning was still silent, and even took half a step back, looking down at the tips of his shoes.

She lowered her head like this, revealing a slender and white back of her neck behind her short black hair, as if a stubborn little beast was silently fighting.

Yan Tingchen couldn't do anything about her, so he could only persuade her gently: "It's just a quarrel with your aunt, where is it worth not even going home." It's getting late, and it's not safe for you to be alone with a girl. Listen to me, go back first, your sister and they are worried about you. ”

Wen Jianning hesitated for a long time, and then took a slow step.

Yan Tingchen gracefully opened the car door for her, and waited for her to sit down before going back to the front to drive. Along the way, Yan Tingchen was still teasing the girl in the back seat as usual.

Maybe he saw that Wen Jianning was in a bad mood, so he laughed at his bad luck, which was nothing more than going to ask his family for money and being scolded by his old man. Wen Jianning has also heard more or less that Yan Tingchen's life in the Yan family has not been easy in the past three years.

He messes around with a group of fox friends all day long, and he sees that graduation is imminent, but the whole person is still idle and does not seek progress. His father, Yan Cheng, looked down on him in the first place, thinking that he was unproductive, and even let out his words, and when he finished college, he would cut off his financial resources. If it was before, Yan Tingchen naturally didn't take this to heart.

In the past three years, the Yan family has suddenly added several men one after another, and his status in the family is not as good as before. Wen Jianning originally just listened casually, but as Yan Tingchen said today, the topic gradually became more and more wrong: "The old man is becoming more and more reluctant to give money now, I often think, you and I might as well get together, so that your aunt can avoid trouble with you again, and second, I can also advance my marriage fund from my father." Wouldn't it be nice for the two of us to take this money and be happy, and no one can control us?"

For the children of families like him, the family will set aside a trust fund for them, and they can only withdraw it after they get married and start a business, as their capital to leave the family. Yan Tingchen has been really nervous recently, and he actually hit the idea on this.

Wen Jianning frowned: "If you make this kind of joke again, I will jump out of the car." ”

Now she really doesn't hate Yan Tingchen as much as before, but this doesn't mean that she can tolerate him making such jokes about her.

If it were in the past, Yan Tingchen would soon say a few more words and come back, and this joke would have been revealed. But this time, he was silent, drove the car to the side of the road and stopped, and suddenly asked Wen Jianning: "Do you mind if I smoke?"

The man in the back seat didn't say anything, so he took his own hands and pulled out the cigarette case and lighter.

But after lighting a cigarette, he suddenly lost interest and threw it out of the window.

In the darkness, a little spark fell to the ground in an arc, not extinguished at first, until the cigarette butt that was left behind slowly cooled after the car drove away.

On the way back, there was silence in the car, and the two never said a word again.

It wasn't until the car stopped at the foot of the steps outside the Wen family's villa that Yan Tingchen suddenly said again: "Jianning, I said, if I say it, I didn't joke with you just now, will it scare you." ”

There was some imperceptible tension in his voice. However, Wen Jianning's voice was always sober and calm: "No, that's your idea, it has nothing to do with me." After she finished speaking, she opened the car door and went down, looking up at the villa in front of her.

It was already completely dark, and the electric lights illuminated the doorway, attracting mosquitoes to buzz around overhead, and Wen Jianning's heart was also in chaos with this sound. At the moment, she doesn't have the heart to deal with Yan Tingchen's playboy's sincerity or falsehood, everything in the Mid-Levels Villa is the real problem she has to face.

Yan Tingchen in the car paused for a moment, then got down and leaned on the front of the car, quietly looking at the petite figure under the street lamp in front of him.

Mei Shan and Jianwan were waiting in the living room, and when they heard the sound of the car and the maid's announcement, they hurriedly greeted them.

As soon as they saw someone, they all surrounded Wen Jianning and asked. In and out of the words, they all blamed her for her temperament, but after a few words, she ran out and didn't come back, which made everyone worry about her.

Wen Jianning stood motionless in the middle of them, looking indifferent.

It was Mei Shan who spoke up first: "Okay, okay, since the person is back, let's go to the house first." ”

Only then did the girls react and pushed Wen Jianning to the villa.

Seeing that Xiu took a few steps before he realized that something was wrong, he looked back and found that Yan Tingchen was still leaning on the side of the car, and couldn't help but ask him with his eyes why he didn't go in and sit together.

Yan Tingchen stood up straight and said with a smile: "You go in first and slowly persuade her, I'll smoke a cigarette outside." ”

Seeing Xiu, he could only turn his head first and walk slowly behind everyone.

It wasn't until she was about to enter the door that she finally couldn't help but look back again. The distance is too far, and the silhouette of the person behind him is not very clear in the shadows.

Jianxiu could only see him leaning lazily in front of the front of the car, first taking a hard puff of cigarette, and then tilting his head slightly to swallow the clouds, as if some kind of yokai mentioned in the Japanese Monogatari, trying to draw strength from these ethereal smokes.

Seeing that Xiu's heart was slightly strange, but she finally turned around and followed everyone into the living room first.

(End of chapter)