TWOT Chapter 8

Ran Yuwei lived alone in a 100-square-meter house. She had bought it early on with a mortgage.

The interior was stylishly decorated, but it lacked the cosy warm atmosphere of a home. Ran Yuwei never cooked and mostly ate at her company’s cafeteria. Whenever Song Ran visited, they would either go out to a restaurant or order takeout to eat.

In the past, Song Ran had tried to cook once.

That day during the summer holidays, when she was still in the second year of junior high school, Song Ran had bought groceries by herself to prepare dinner . She knew that Ran Yuwei and her then boyfriend, who worked as a diplomat, had gotten off work late, so she had obediently waited for her mother to come back to eat the meal together.

After coming home and seeing the table full of dishes, Ran Yuwei didn't say anything for a long time. Later, she called Song Zhicheng and thoroughly scolded him, demanding to know why Ran Ran could cook at such a young age and how Yang Huilun had mistreated her daughter.

In actuality, Yang Huilun treated Song Ran very well, too well in fact, to the point that it was excessive.

All the residents living in the apartment building were either Song Zhicheng's colleagues or well cultured individuals. Large disturbances made from any of the residences would not escape the notice of the other families living nearby. Yang Huilun, who had not received much education to begin with, was an inwardly timid person. She was afraid that outsiders would accuse her of being a vicious stepmother, so she was particularly nice to Song Ran, as if she were a house guest. To counteract this, Song Ran knew how to act appropriately as well and would always take the initiative to please her stepmother. This subtle mindset seemed to have also quietly followed her to Dicheng. When she had shared the house with that diplomat worker, she felt compelled to prove that she was not some troublesome freeloader who came to eat and live for free. However, when she came back again the next year, her mother's boyfriend was nowhere to be found.

Ran Yuwei had gone through several relationships over the years, but none of them had ended well. She was still single to this day.

The two ordered Japanese takeout. Song Ran found several bottles of good quality grapefruit wine in the refrigerator. She took one out, then added ice cubes to it and took a few sips.

Ran Yuwei poured herself some red wine and asked, "What have you been busy with lately? You've been running all over the city these past few days.”

"I've been searching through some history related material. The ones from Dongguo have been very difficult to find." In reality, she had contacted the well-known, best-selling book editor, Luo Junfeng, but she didn't want her mother to know. "I've been frequenting the libraries around here. I previously couldn't find anything in Liangcheng.”

Ran Yuwei promptly returned to the previous topic of their conversation in the car: "The resources in Dicheng are really incomparable to those in Liangcheng. If you want to develop your career well, you should come over here."

Song Ran remained resistant, whether she was opposed to Dicheng or Ran Yuwei was unclear. Perhaps in her eyes, Dicheng was synonymous to Ran Yuwei. She said, "I don't have any big pursuits, things are fine as they are now."

"You're just like your father."

"I'm his daughter, so of course I have the same character as him."

Ran Yuwei raised her eyes to look up at her. The woman was in her forties; she had crow's feet at the corners of her eyes that no amount of makeup could conceal. She said in a cold tone: "You're his daughter, so you're not my daughter?"

Song Ran couldn't stand it anymore and whispered, "Can you stop acting like a child?"

Ran Yu chuckled: "I see your wings have fully fledged."

Song Ran was speechless.

Back then. when Ran Yuwei and Song Zhicheng were fighting for custody, Song Zhicheng had dragged his feet and refused to divorce. Ran Yuwei was so disgusted by her cheating husband that she couldn't tolerate it anymore. In order to get a divorce as quickly as possible and move north, she had no choice but to give up the division of property and Song Ran. At that time, little Song Ran was only two or three years old. She had supported herself by the base of the wall, running while crying loudly for her mother.

Ran Yuwei enunciated each word clearly and deliberately: "It was Song Zhicheng who betrayed the family."

This was the greatest pain and failure in her life.

In the beginning, despite her parents' opposition, she had married Song Zhicheng. A man with nothing to his name, except for some talent. Just after a little over three years of marriage, Ran Yuwei ignored her parents wishes again and resolutely left Liangcheng after the divorce. She had moved alone to Dicheng, empty handed without any property assets, to strive for a better life.

Due to her excessive arrogance, Ran Yuwei was unable to accept the failure of her marriage; it had trampled on her self-esteem. To this day, she remained unwilling to return to Liangcheng. Her relationship with her parents had also deteriorated to the extreme, up until they both consecutively passed away one, after another.

Although Song Ran knew from a young age that her father was a traitor, she had spent most of her life living with him. Her father had never treated her badly and loved her sincerely, so she could not hate him the way her mother did.

Ran Yuwei poured herself another half glass of red wine and asked, "If you wish to stay over there, then stay. Has Song Zhicheng mentioned when he will buy a house for you?"

Song Ran said nothing. She didn't understand why each and every word that her mother spoke seemed to stab into her painfully, like a thorn.

"Your maternal grandmother's house belongs to your uncle. Ran Chi is still studying, so you can still live there for a year or two. But when he grows up and wants to start a family, you will need to vacate it."

Song Ran said, "There's still some time left. In a few years, I'll be able to purchase my own place to live."

"With just your salary of four or five thousand? Can you really afford it?"

"If I can't afford a house, I can always rent one. It's not like I'll need to sleep on the street." She said, directly channeling out all the rebelliousness that she had contained within herself.

"Alright." Ran Yuwei said, "You have a backbone."

During the remaining days of her stay in the Dicheng, Ran Yuwei did not bring up the matter again.

Song Ran also met up briefly with Luo Junfeng during this period. He was a book editor that was well-known in the industry for producing dozens of best-selling books, ranging from humanities to fictional fantasy novels, as well as an assorted mix of discussions in the fields of psychology and history. His works were diverse in genre and of high quality, ranking first class in the country.

He was a man in his thirties, elegant and composed, wearing a white shirt and a pair of black-framed glasses. His elite temperament was well cultivated and carried a hint of sophistication.

"I've watched every episode of "Dongguo Pre War Records". I think this story is very worthwhile to write about. While documentaries have a more objective approach in presenting content, the subjective views and experiences of a book author are also very valuable in my opinion."

Song Ran readily agreed. While planning the show, she had omitted many of her own personal thoughts about the topic, and it was precisely because of this that she wanted to write it into a book.

"However, the title 'Dongguo Pre-War Records' is not very suitable."

"I originally wanted to name it 'The Life Records of Dongguo', but my supervisor changed the title."

"I like the title that you came up with," Luo Junfeng said. "In the literary publishing scene, books that cover war events are few and far between. If we launch some proper promotion for the book, it won’t be difficult to gain traction. Moreover, you're a war correspondent and also a female journalist, so your work will be very eye-catching. However, all things considered, its success still ultimately depends on the content of the work itself."

Song Ran lightly nodded: "Okay."

"Will you be going back to Dongguo again?"

"It depends on my workplace's arrangement. What's wrong?"

"From the standpoint of writing a book, the contents of the story feel incomplete without the second half. Do you understand where I'm coming from?"

Song Ran didn't tell her mother about her meeting with Luo Junfeng. Although she was looking forward to writing a good book, she was also afraid that her abilities were not up to the standard. It was better to keep it under wraps until the matter was finalised.

When they weren't discussing serious matters, the mother and daughter pair could peacefully coexist together. However, due to the nature of Ran Yuwei's occupation, she was generally a very preachy and strict mother. Whenever she had some free time to spend with Song Ran, she would talk and analyse, in detail, about everything related to her daughter's work, social life, and future plans. Had it simply been the case of casual conversation, it would have been fine, but she had too many opinions and conflicting views with Song Ran. Her personality was overbearing, causing her to have a strong tendency to control others. The two of them would always end up quarreling.

Four days later, Song Ran returned to Liangcheng. Ran Yuwei sent her to the departure area of the airport. Without even getting out of the car, she waved her hand, said her farewells and left.

Song Ran couldn't help but sigh as she watched her mother's white car disappear into the distance.

The rain had long since stopped, when she returned to Liangcheng.

Last week's heavy rainfall seemed to have finally drained out all the water from the sky’s atmosphere. Light from the scorching sun spread throughout the azure blue sky. There was not a single cloud in sight.

As soon as she stepped out of the airport, a gust of hot and humid air rushed past her face. It was as if she were walking along a windless sandy beach in the middle of the day.

This was Liangcheng, the place where she had lived for nearly 23 years. She would constantly leave, yet she would always return back here in the end.

It was already dusk by the time Song Ran returned to Qingzhi Lane after taking public transport.

The alley was bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun and filled with the sweet scent of honeysuckle flowers. When she arrived at her home’s doorstep, she saw that her neighbour next door was laying their floor, so she went over curiously and asked, "Grandma Wang, are you adding a moisture-proof layer to your house?"

"Yes. It won't rain again later. It’s best to do it as early as possible, before its too late."

Song Ran took a glance at the construction team working in the house and asked quietly, "Is their workmanship good?"

"It's pretty good. They also worked on Grandma Zhang’s and Grandma Xu’s houses. The price is fair and they have good conscience."

Song Ran said: "I’d like to get some work done on my house as well. Up till now, I haven't had much luck in finding a suitable construction team."

When Grandma Wang heard this, she immediately offered to help her arrange it with enthusiasm.

The leader of the construction team, Lao Li, was around fifty years old and had a kind face. Lao Li used to work as a construction quality inspection engineer at the Jiangcheng Branch of Central X Construction Group. He retired early, but had difficulties adjusting to an idle lifestyle, so he subsequently formed a construction team to take on projects. Lao Li was someone who had spent most of his lifetime working in the field of construction, so Song Ran naturally trusted his work, and soon made an appointment with him to come over during the weekend to start construction.

The next day was a weekday. At eight in the morning, the sun had already risen high up into the sky. Its bright rays casted down onto the trees in the courtyard, making the leaves shine with luster.

Before going out, Song Ran brought along the large black umbrella that Li Zan had given her. She liked the umbrella very much. It was large, sturdy with a simple design and had a solid reassuring feel to it.

As soon as she got off work after completing her tasks for the day, she took a bus to the military garrison area with the umbrella in hand.

It was early July. The lush vegetation on Luoyu Mountain grew wildly, blotting out the sky in large patches. Their vibrant green leaves were dense and heavy, seemingly sated after being exposed to the sunshine and rain.

Song Ran looked out at the thick carpet of greenery covering the mountain, feeling quite content.

After getting off the bus, Song Ran crossed the road and entered the military garrison. It was deserted inside with no signs of human activity. Only the setting sun hung over the low building outside the practice field, emitting the last few rays of residual heat.

Song Ran walked over to the open space. Most of the cars had left, but she discovered that there was still a military vehicle parked next to her car. It looked very imposing, and made her Alto look exceptionally small in comparison. She glanced at the license plate of the military vehicle; it was the same one that Li Zan drove last time. The car doors were closed, and no one was inside.

She made her way over slowly, looking around as she walked. The surroundings were quiet. There was no one around.

She walked under the shade of a tree and stood there for a long while. Her hands caressed the handle of the umbrella. Eventually, she placed it on the hood of the military vehicle.

She opened the door of the Alto and sat inside, leaning her head against the seat. Its surface was hot and burned against her backside. The temperature inside the car was very high, so she turned on the air conditioning to cool down the interior.

The blowing wind whooshed out from the car's air conditioning vents.

The facade of the greyish-white building in the distance, was bathed in the dying glow of the sunset, creating a very tranquil atmosphere. Behind the structure was a dense forest; its trees were covered with lush green leaves, reminding her of the vast, dust-covered olive groves of Dongguo.

The temperature in the car had dropped completely. She glanced at her watch and saw that nearly ten minutes had passed.

Song Ran couldn't wait for too long, otherwise the guard at the gate would become suspicious of her. She took a glance at the umbrella that she had placed on the vehicle next door, and finally sat up straight. She couldn't stay any longer. Just as she was about to fasten her seat belt, her peripheral vision spotted a figure emerging from the corner of the building.

The figure’s silhouette was very familiar: Short-sleeved combat uniform, belt, trousers, combat boots.

Song Ran immediately loosened her seat belt and reached out to turn down the air conditioner. She then pretended to have just gotten into her car.

Li Zan walked towards her direction, his eyes squinting slightly due to the backlight of the setting sun. As he approached closer, he noticed her inside the car.

Song Ran rolled down the car window and greeted, "Officer Li."

He nodded slightly and asked, "Did you come over to collect your car?"

"En." Song Ran said, "Sorry for the trouble. It's been here for a week now."

"Not a problem." He smiled.

Song Ran noticed that he would often laugh, but never too loudly or deeply. It was always gentle and mild, like a light breeze.

However it also seemed like... he was simply doing it out of politeness...and wouldn't get any closer.

"And the umbrella," she pointed, "I've brought it over as well."

The long umbrella on the car’s hood had been neatly folded up by her. The panels were orderly arranged, rolled up tightly, and securely fastened with the umbrella straps.

He opened the car door and placed the umbrella inside, then he bent over to search for something between the seats.

Around ten seconds later, he closed the car door, holding two books as well as two bottles of water.

He handed her a bottle. Taking advantage of this moment, Song Ran took a quick glance at the type of books he was holding. They were advanced physics and chemistry books that were written in English.

Seems like he enjoys reading a lot...

"Thank you." She accepted the water bottle and said, "And thank you for last time too."

"Last time?" Li Zan raised his eyebrows slightly.

Song Ran explained: "Boke tower."

"Oh..." He responded casually, then he placed the books on the hood of the car and took a sip of water after unscrewing the lid. When he tilted his head back, the strong curve of his jawline and the movement of his Adam's apple were especially evident.

Song Ran shifted her gaze away and looked at the small white bottle cap in his hand.

He had only taken a sip before he closed the lid. Then he looked over at her. His gaze was calm and peaceful, but it also held a subtle strength in them, due to his military background.

Song Ran spoke slowly, resuming the conversation: "I had to search for a long time before I managed to find any information related to the destruction of Boke tower. The subject matter is too unpopular. Have you previously done any research on Dongguo’s history?"

Li Zan tightened the bottle cap, smiled faintly, and said, "The locals there mentioned about it."

Song Ran paused for a moment.

He took the books off the hood of the car, then tapped it lightly, nodding his head in farewell: "I'll be going now."

"……En."

"Oh..." He had just turned around, when he remembered something and took a step back and asked, "Do you still have my rope bracelet?"

Song Ran: “Ah?”

He waved his hand: "If you lost it then forget about it."

"Ah. I still have it." She said quickly, "but it’s at my place."

She had lied. The red rope was currently in her bag.

She lowered her lashes, then raised them again and said, "I don't have it with me at the moment. Can I give it back to you next time?"

"Okay."

Song Ran asked: "How should I return it back to you next time?"

He thought for a moment and asked, "Do you have paper and a pen?"

"I do."

Song Ran lowered her head and rummaged through her bag for the writing materials, avoiding the red rope bracelet lying inside with a guilty conscience. She handed him the notepad and pen.

He walked over, placed the water bottle and books on the roof of her car, and received the items. Then he leaned over slightly, writing against the side of her car window. The man's figure momentarily blocked the sunlight that was shining from outside.

Song Ran secretly lifted her eyes and peeked at his lowered face. He had high brow bones, long eyelashes, and a healthy skin complexion, not too fair nor too dark.

He quickly wrote down a string of numbers, tapped the tip of his pen on the paper, and straightened up.

Her eyes naturally shifted over to the paper. The word "Li" was written on it, followed by a phone number.

He said, “Sorry for the trouble.”

She accepted the paper back and said, "It's the least I could do. It was my fault for accidentally pulling off your bracelet."

He smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying her words.

"Is the rope bracelet used for peace and safety?" she asked.

"En." He seemed to have remembered something and reached out for the paper again, "If I'm on duty, call the other phone number."

Song Ran handed over the paper and watched him lower his head to write the numbers down seriously. After a slight hesitation, she said, "Was the rope bracelet a gift from a loved-one?"

He didn't answer at first. It was only when he handed over the note back that he looked up at her and said, "En."

Song Ran came to a decision in her mind. She steeled herself before saying, "I'll also give you my phone number as well. That way, you can remind me in case I forget about it. After all, it’s an important item to you. Best to not lose it again."