The old lady smiled: "My husband made these double-fish pendant for me when he was alive. Over the years, I couldn't bear to wear them, so I kept them in this box."
"So they're not dirty." As she spoke, she took out the pendants to show Ye Qingli the details. Ye Qingli didn't know much about these things. After the old lady explained for a while, all she remembered was that they were exquisite and beautiful, and the meaning: "One person, one pendant; twin fish, one heart."
Since it was made by the old man, and he had passed away, these pendants were among the few keepsakes she had left. Ye Qingli understood this and said, "I can't take this," then put the pendants back in the box and returned it to the old lady.
But the old lady seemed determined to give them to her. Pretending to be a little angry, she urged Ye Qingli to accept them. She held her hand and said earnestly: "You can't buy this kind of handmade jewelry in the city. Even if you do, it might not be genuine. Take it. Someday, you can give it to someone you love and wear them together."
She really liked the girl in front of her—she was delicate and had a good personality. Others had only wiped things down perfunctorily, but Ye Qingli was willing to work hard and even chatted with her with a smile.
It was time to leave. Ye Qingli couldn't refuse and had to accept it. Looking at the old lady's weather-beaten face, she told her to take care of herself and call her if anything came up. Then she got on the bus, looking back every few steps.
The bus started. Ye Qingli waved to the old lady through the window and returned to her seat from the morning.
She pondered over the wooden box in her hands, then couldn't help opening the lid again. She picked up one of the pendants and examined it in the light. The pendant was exquisitely made, bright in color, smooth to the touch, and the details were top-notch.
It was clear the old man was very skilled. As the old lady said, you couldn't buy this outside.
After admiring it a little longer, Ye Qingli carefully put them back and tucked the box into her pocket.
Just then, she turned her head and saw the jacket lying on the seat beside her.
Ye Qingli paused. She reached into her pocket for her phone and pressed the power button. It was off.
Luckily, she had brought a power bank. She connected the charging cable and turned it on immediately. As soon as the home screen appeared, she hurriedly opened WeChat.
She was extremely anxious, but there was not a single message.
Maybe the signal was bad here? She refreshed the chat window a few times, but still nothing.
Xiao Yu hadn't replied to her.
Ye Qingli had only sent two messages. The first was right after he left, asking where he went.
The second was before lunch, asking if he had made it back to school.
She would have been fine with even just one reply.
Feeling a bit down, Ye Qingli suddenly had a start. This was a suburb with many small roads. Could he be in danger going back alone?
She realized she didn't have Xu Qingsong's WeChat, so she messaged Xu Yan instead, briefly explaining the situation and asking Xu Yan to check with Xu Qingsong if Xiao Yu had returned to school.
After about two minutes, Xu Yan replied: "No."
Ye Qingli's heart raced. She was about to say that Xiao Yu wasn't with her either, but before she could finish typing, Xu Yan sent another message: "He went home."
"..." Ye Qingli deleted the words she had typed.
Why did she speak in such a suspenseful way?
Xu Yan then asked when she would be back. Ye Qingli glanced at the time and said about twenty minutes. The other replied with an OK emoji, and they stopped chatting.
Ye Qingli put away her phone, leaned over, picked up the jacket from the seat, and held it in her arms.
It was so cold, and Xiao Yu hadn't even taken his coat.
He had already been angry. Now he must be even angrier.