Heart Flutter

Chapter 56

While the matter with Tang Yawen remained unresolved, Tang Jun boarded a train back home on his own to take care of some business, leaving Hu Chunhua behind at the hotel to wait for his return. This arrangement was difficult for Tang Jun, but for Hu Chunhua, it was precisely what she wanted. In any case, at that stage, it was the only way they could attempt to save their son.

After that day, Tang Yan also found it strange. Under normal circumstances, her aunt would have pestered her uncle to visit the hospital every single day. Yet they came only once and then vanished without a trace; Tang Yan no longer received any harassing calls, nor did they come looking for trouble. It was truly puzzling.

Aunt Ji recovered quickly from her injuries. Apart from the cast on her leg, she was already able to use crutches to move back and forth between the restroom and the hospital’s inpatient building on her own. By that time, Tang Yan had been absent from school for over a week, spending most of her time in the hospital with her books and computer for self-study.

On the day before her discharge, Aunt Ji gathered everyone involved in handling the matter. Tang Yan brought a cup of water for each person, planning to eavesdrop on whether the topic of pressing charges would come up. She never expected the result that followed.

Everyone present was shocked without exception.

“Sister Yuqing, you could not be serious, could you?”

“Exactly, Old Ji. Were you really going to let that piece of trash go?”

Tang Yan gripped the rim of her cup tightly and could not help interjecting, “Aunt Ji, you cannot just let him off so easily…”

“You all must think I was very muddled to make this decision,” Aunt Ji said with a slight laugh, though it was unclear if she was mocking herself or smiling in understanding.

“Well, it was more than muddled. It was downright foolish!” Zhang Miya snapped. “If it were me, I would have loved to personally toss that little jerk straight into prison.”

“Sister, we really cannot just let this slide…” Peiwen added.

Tang Yan understood even less. She fiddled with her fingertips and said, “Aunt Ji, I still do not want you to forgive him. If you are doing it because of me, I do not wish for that either.”

Sweeping her gaze around at everyone, Ji Yuqing spoke calmly. “I made this decision after much deliberation. There is no need to dissuade me further. And as for you, Yanyan, I will explain it to you later.”

“But…” Tang Yan began, only to trail off. She simply could not understand why anyone would let Tang Yawen off the hook. Why should a person like him escape justice when he ought to pay the price for what he did?

Peiwen and Zhang Miya exchanged helpless looks. After all, Ji Yuqing was the victim, so it was not their place to overrule her. Whatever her choice, she must have had her reasons. They only hoped she would not regret it.

The mood in the hospital room hit rock bottom until Ji Yuqing broke the silence. “All right, I am getting discharged tomorrow. Could we all lighten up a bit?”

On the day of her discharge, Tang Jun rushed back from his hometown after finishing his business and brought Hu Chunhua along. Together, they got Tang Yawen released from the local police station, bringing numerous gifts to the hospital. Having been locked up for more than ten days, Tang Yawen looked noticeably thinner and rather dazed, yet he still strutted around with an arrogant air. When Tang Yan finished packing and came out with Aunt Ji, she felt a surge of anger just looking at him again.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded, her tone bristling with hostility.

Rolling his eyes, Tang Yawen said nothing.

Right then, Tang Jun kicked him hard in the shin. “Watch your attitude! Hurry and apologize to her. If it were not for her generosity, you would still be behind bars right now!”

“Sorry,” mumbled Tang Yawen, unwilling and insincere.

Sensing trouble, Hu Chunhua quickly smoothed things over. “We truly appreciate your kindness in letting her… I mean him… go. Our entire family is grateful. We really are.”

“Ugh,” Tang Yawen muttered, clearly unhappy.

Observing all of this, Ji Yuqing seemed unfazed. She cast a calm look at Tang Jun, who immediately understood, hurriedly took out an envelope from his bag, and approached her.

“All the items and paperwork are in here,” he said.

She opened the envelope, confirmed the contents, then smiled and carefully placed it into her own bag. Turning to Tang Yan, she said, “Yanyan, let us go.”

Tang Yan, a bit confused, simply nodded obediently, dragging the luggage behind her. As they passed Tang Jun, he called after her with evident reluctance, “Yanyan!”

She stopped, turning back just in time to see tears welling up in her uncle’s eyes. His lips trembled as he asked, “Could you call me Uncle once more?”

“Uncle? What is it?” Tang Yan asked, puzzled.

“Nothing, nothing,” Tang Jun replied with a relieved smile. “Study hard in Huadu, all right? Make us proud.”

Tang Yan nodded. “I will.” She pressed her lips together and glanced at the three of them. “I am leaving now.” She then turned and continued on her way with Aunt Ji.

Tang Jun quietly wiped at his eyes. Meanwhile, a disgruntled-looking Tang Yawen muttered, “What is so great about her anyway, that annoying girl…”

“Shut up!” Tang Jun barked at him. “Look at the mess you have caused! We are heading home right now. You are never coming back to Huadu again.”

“What for? Because of Tang Yan? Huadu is not her private property. Why can I not come here?” he retorted.

“Because she could still toss you back in jail,” Tang Jun said, utterly disappointed in him.

Given that she always favored her son, Hu Chunhua tried a gentler approach. “Your father is right. Let us all just go back. This city… it is not worth coming to. We have plenty of food and drink at home; there is nothing bad about that.”

Since Tang Yan did not drive, and Aunt Ji was still limited by her injured leg, they took a hired car back home. On the ride, Aunt Ji commented with a smile, “Yanyan, once you have time, you should get your driver’s license. I would like a chance to ride in a car you drive.”

Though she seemed to be in a good mood, Tang Yan still felt upset. She hated how arrogant and entitled Tang Yawen had looked, as though others owed him large sums of money, even though Aunt Ji was clearly the victim. What did he have to be so displeased about?

When they arrived home, they were surprised to find that Aunt Zhang Miya and Sister Peiwen had come over with a large group of friends to throw a welcome-back party for Aunt Ji. They bought plenty of food and planned a party at her place that night.

Tang Yan had thought Aunt Ji would dislike the noise, especially since she still had trouble walking. Unexpectedly, she turned out to be the happiest one there the entire evening. Though Tang Yan remained unconvinced about some things and could not understand her motives, she respected her decision nonetheless.

Once the party ended, the house became quiet. After sending off all the guests, Tang Yan stood by the door, waving goodbye to Sister Peiwen.

“Take good care of her,” Peiwen said.

“I will,” Tang Yan promised.

When Tang Yan came back inside, she found Aunt Ji sitting alone on the couch in the living room, holding a glass of red wine. Tang Yan dashed over at once, a bit miffed. “Aunt Ji, you are still a patient. How can you drink wine?”

Her cheeks slightly flushed from the mild intoxication, Ji Yuqing gazed at her with soft eyes. “I was in a good mood today, so I only drank one glass.”

Tang Yan sat down next to her, head lowered. “But I still do not understand. What exactly were you thinking, Aunt Ji?”

With a small laugh, Aunt Ji reached out and gently touched Tang Yan’s cheek. “I know you have been upset about me letting Tang Yawen go without punishment, but I had my reasons. I did it for your sake. You understand, right?”

Tang Yan looked at her, nodded once, then shook her head.

Placing her half-finished wine glass on the coffee table, Ji Yuqing said, “Go get some rest. You have missed a lot of school in recent days. Tomorrow afternoon, you should be returning to campus.”

Tang Yan watched as Aunt Ji used her crutches to go into her bedroom and shut the door. She herself did not linger in the living room. Instead, she returned to her room, sat at her desk, opened her diary, and began to jot down her recent experiences and inner thoughts.

[So many things have happened lately, and I have not had a chance to record any of it until now …]

The next morning, Tang Yan got up early to make breakfast for Aunt Ji. She assumed that, on her first day back home, Aunt Ji would sleep in. Unexpectedly, Aunt Ji was already awake, lightly dressed, and had even applied a bit of makeup.

While frying eggs in the open kitchen, Tang Yan asked in surprise, “Aunt Ji, are you going out?”

“Yes,” Ji Yuqing said, draping a silk scarf around her neck. “I am meeting Peiwen, and if all goes well, I should be back before noon.”

“Breakfast is almost ready,” Tang Yan said.

“It is all right. I will be back soon,” Ji Yuqing replied, leaning on her crutches as she walked to the door. Tang Yan quickly took a shortcut around the kitchen to help her.

“Is it work-related?” Tang Yan asked, acting casual while assisting her with the door.

“No,” she answered.

“Oh…” Tang Yan nodded and did not pursue the matter further.

Just then, Peiwen pulled up in her car, stopping at the door. Tang Yan helped Aunt Ji into the vehicle and watched them drive away before going back into the house.

She had made enough fried eggs for two, but it looked like she would be eating alone that morning. Sitting at the dining table with one hand on the plate, she realized she had no appetite. She could not help but wonder where Aunt Ji and Peiwen had gone so early.

Several hours later, Peiwen was driving Aunt Ji back, turning the steering wheel as she made a turn. She could not resist commenting, “Sister, you sure treat Tang Yan well.”

“If you were in my position, you would do the same,” Aunt Ji said, looking down at the bag in her lap and pressing on it lightly.

Tang Yan was cleaning the living room when she heard the beeping of the door lock. Immediately, she stopped and dashed over to greet them.

“Aunt Ji, you are back.”

“Yes.” With a slight nod, Ji Yuqing turned to Peiwen. “You should head home and get some rest. I have already taken up half of your day off.”

“Sister, what are you talking about? Anyway, I am heading off. Take care of yourself,” Peiwen said with a wave. “Tang Yan, I am leaving now.”

“Bye-bye!” Tang Yan waved in return.

“Yanyan.”

“Yes?”

When the door closed, Ji Yuqing took out a small booklet from her bag. It had a dark red cover, and the words on it read Household Register.

Tang Yan took it from her, looking confused. “Aunt Ji, what does this mean?”

“You have been wanting to know why I chose to forgive Tang Yawen so easily, right?”

Tang Yan nodded, because she truly had been curious.

“At first, I really did intend to send him to prison. But when I thought it through, I realized that would only treat the symptoms rather than the root cause. Think about your uncle and aunt’s behavior. If I pressed charges, would they really have left you in peace afterward?”

Tang Yan lowered her head and fell silent, biting her lip as she muttered, “But I do not care. He hurt you, Aunt Ji, and he should be punished. Nothing else matters to me, not even if my aunt and uncle kept bothering me every single day.”

“I know. You suffered a lot in that household, so I went ahead and did this on my own. Please do not blame me. Now, open the household register and take a look.”

Following her suggestion, Tang Yan flipped open the pages. The head of household was listed as Ji Yuqing, and on the main page, there was a new entry—Tang Yan.

In that moment, she was completely stunned and looked up at Aunt Ji in a daze.

Then Aunt Ji produced another document from her bag. “This is a letter your uncle personally wrote to sever ties. From now on, they will not trouble you anymore. Keep this copy for yourself. I have another one stored as backup.”

In the past, Tang Yan had always felt she had no real home. Now, it seemed she had finally found the sense of belonging she had yearned for, and it was right there in front of her.