Heart Flutter

Chapter 29

Early in the morning, the air was hazy with fog. A pair of white sneakers had appeared at the entrance of a ground-floor unit in the Xishan Shuyu complex. Their owner was a young girl with bright golden hair.

Aunt Zhang, who lived upstairs, was carrying a small bamboo basket as she prepared to head out for groceries. She spotted the girl immediately and, true to her usual warm-hearted and helpful nature, walked over and asked, “Young lady, young lady, were you here looking for the people who live in this apartment?”

Hearing a voice behind her, Shen Yuyin turned around in surprise and took in the sight of the elderly woman before her. “Auntie, were you talking to me?”

Aunt Zhang froze for a moment, studying the girl’s appearance. “You look just like Little Ji. Of course, you could not be her daughter—she could never have a daughter your age.”

Finding Aunt Zhang’s behavior odd, Shen Yuyin made as if to leave.

Aunt Zhang, still eager to help, hurried to catch up. “Little Ji was not home. She left for a trip a couple of days ago with a friend’s child, who appeared to be about your age.”

“Oh, I was not here to see her,” said Shen Yuyin, nodding briefly before quickly walking away. She did not want to linger there even a second longer.

Aunt Zhang stood in place, holding her basket and watching the girl’s figure disappear. She was puzzled—they looked so alike, more like sisters than anything else. Yet Little Ji had lived there for a long time, and that girl had never visited before.

Meanwhile, an old man with a head of white hair lay in bed, visibly weaker than he used to be. A middle-aged woman sat by his bedside, watching over him. She still dressed fashionably, wore makeup, and was covered in expensive jewelry.

Speaking softly, she offered him a bowl of medicine. “Dajun, do not worry,” she said, spoon-feeding him. “I already told Yuyin to go find her. You just needed to rest and focus on getting better. There is a whole team at the company waiting for you to return.”

The old man sighed deeply and gazed at the ceiling in a frail manner. “I know… I do not have much time left. The one I cannot stop thinking about is Qing’er. It has been so many years, yet she still will not… will not forgive me…” With that, he was overtaken by a bout of harsh coughing.

The woman set aside the bowl and patted his chest to calm him. “Please do not speak like that. Your health was fine. The doctor said so on his last visit—an old ailment flared up, but it was nothing uncontrollable. Rest well, and do not worry so much.”

Just then, the phone in her pocket rang. She glanced at the screen to see that it was Yuyin calling. Shooting a quick look at the old man, she said, “I will step out to take this.”

He immediately asked, “Was that Yuyin calling?”

She smiled. “She only just left, so I doubt she found anything yet. It is probably the company calling. I will go answer it.”

Outside, the woman’s smile faded. “What happened? Any news about Ji Yuqing?”

Driving with her earpiece in, Shen Yuyin replied, “I ran into her neighbor upstairs. She was not home.” She paused for a second, sounding distinctly unwilling. “Mom, could you please not ask me to do this again? It felt really awkward. Our relationship is already strained; we even ran into each other at school once…”

“At school? How did you two end up at the same school?”

“I have a junior classmate who enrolled there and is staying at her place temporarily.” Unwilling to go into unnecessary details, Yuyin said, “Mom, I really would rather not do this again.”

“Your father is in poor health right now. This is his wish,” the woman explained quietly, discreetly checking that no one inside could hear her. “If she is not home, she is not home. It is not urgent. I suspect your father is so anxious to see her because he wants to talk about the inheritance.”

Rolling her eyes, Yuyin stomped on the brakes just before the red light. “If he wants to split the inheritance, let him. What does that have to do with me? Besides, that woman is still Dad’s daughter—giving her a share makes sense.”

“You silly girl, she is an outsider now. Do you not know the saying about keeping it all in the family?” The woman took a deep breath. “Never mind; just come back for now. We will wait on finding Ji Yuqing. The longer it takes, the more we stand to gain.”

“I already made plans with a friend.” With that, Yuyin hung up.

Beep, beep, beep… Only the dial tone remained on the other end of the line.

The woman felt annoyed. Yuyin was getting more and more defiant. Still, she was young and did not fully understand the situation. As her mother, she simply had to worry on her behalf.

In truth, Yuyin had few opinions about Ji Yuqing. She neither liked nor disliked her. Yet she knew that her half-sister bore significant resentment toward their family, and she saw no point in trying to be friendly when the other person was certain to reject her. From an early age, she had been aware of having a half-sister somewhere in the world.

Dwelling on it would achieve nothing. All she wanted was to live freely, leaving the older generation’s problems to them.

That same morning, Ji Yuqing had risen early. Tang Yan woke up later to find herself alone in bed. She sat up, still half-asleep, and rubbed her eyes. The glass balcony door stood open, letting the white curtains flutter in the breeze. Sunlight shone across the wooden floor, creating shifting patterns of light and shadow. It looked like a beautiful day, but where had Auntie Ji gone?

After a moment, Tang Yan got up, dressed, washed her face, and noticed a new text message on her phone.

Auntie Ji: I am downstairs. Come have breakfast.

She slipped on her slippers and headed down. Beneath a patio umbrella in the inn’s courtyard was a small round wooden table laid with two plates of beautifully arranged food. Auntie Ji arrived with two cups of juice, smiling. “The innkeeper was kind enough to let me use the kitchen.”

Tang Yan bit her lip, eyeing the plates hungrily.

“Sit and eat,” said Auntie Ji. “I am taking you somewhere afterward.”

Tang Yan pulled out a chair and sat down. “Where to?”

“You will see soon,” Auntie Ji answered warmly. “I am keeping it a surprise for now.”

It was only ten minutes past eight, and the island was just waking up. Restaurants were flipping their signs from “Close” to “Open,” and only a few people dotted the beach. Several local children in shorts were kicking a soccer ball around.

The sea looked calm, the sky bright blue and cloudless.

The morning air felt cool and moist. That day, Auntie Ji wore a light-blue plaid V-neck top paired with a white skirt, her hair done in a playful braided style. Tang Yan, trailing behind in her simpler attire, could not help wondering how Auntie Ji managed to dress so gracefully, always striking the perfect balance of poise and charm. There had to be an art to it.

They arrived at a shop with an intriguing name: “Time Post Office.” Its vintage exterior, with hanging potted plants everywhere, gave the impression of stepping into a medieval European flower shop. The main color scheme was rustic wood.

A wind chime hung by the door, chiming crisply but pleasantly whenever someone came or went.

They were the shop’s first customers of the day, just as it opened. A young woman in her twenties, wearing glasses, stepped forward. “Welcome to Time Post Office.”

This place had stood for many years. Seventeen years earlier, when she was traveling alone, Ji Yuqing had visited this same shop. But the proprietor had been someone else back then, so she felt a bit surprised. “The original owner is no longer here?”

The girl smiled. “You must mean my mother. She was unwell these past two years, so she went inland to recuperate. She was worried about the shop, so she had me come manage it.”

Tang Yan looked at Auntie Ji in surprise. “You have been here before?”

Nodding, Auntie Ji said, “Yes, when I was eighteen—right after the college entrance exams. I wrote a letter here, and it arrived when I turned twenty-eight.”

“Wow, that is amazing,” Tang Yan said. She had never heard of such a thing.

The girl explained, “Our shop is called Time Post Office, which means you can write a letter to your future self or to someone else. We seal it away and mail it out at the specified time.”

Tang Yan nodded to show she understood.

“Were you both here to write letters?” the girl asked.

“Yes,” said Auntie Ji. “I wanted to write a letter to myself five years in the future.” She then turned to Tang Yan. “How about you?”

Caught off guard, Tang Yan came to her senses. “I will do the same as you, Auntie Ji!”

“Wonderful,” Auntie Ji said with a gentle smile.

They chose their favorite stationery, and the girl led them to a writing area tucked away in a display section. It was a quiet corner with a neat little table. Multiple pen holders stood ready, each containing pens in different colors.

Tang Yan and Auntie Ji sat far enough apart to have privacy. Tang Yan stared at the blank page for a while, unsure where to begin. She stole a glance at Auntie Ji, who was already writing.

Unbeknownst to Tang Yan, however, Auntie Ji had quietly asked the shop girl for two envelopes and two sheets of paper. In addition to writing to her own future self, she planned to write another letter addressed to Tang Yan.

[Writer: Ji Yuqing

Recipient: Tang Yan, Five Years From Now

Hi, Yanyan, you must have already graduated from college by the time you receive this and probably have a job you like. There is something I think you have the right to know…]

Tang Yan mulled over her own letter for a long time before putting pen to paper.

[To the Tang Yan Five Years in the Future: Greetings from the past. By now, you should have finished college and started working, which also means you probably moved out of Auntie Ji’s home…]

At this point, Tang Yan stopped writing. She was not sure why, but the mere thought of a future in which she and Auntie Ji would inevitably go their separate ways made her chest tighten with sadness. That pang lingered for a good while before she forced herself to continue.

[No matter what happens, please promise you will stay by Auntie Ji’s side…]

She did not want them ever to be apart.