Chapter One Hundred Forty-One: Jiaxuan's Call

“The university student has arrived! If it weren’t for your call, you’d probably have forgotten my house entirely!” Xiaomei said with a look of displeasure.

“Sis, that’s on you. If I hadn’t come, you wouldn’t have come to my place either! I’ve been wanting to come for a while, but just the thought of your little Black Dog scared me. It even startled me a moment ago,” Dong Yanyan said coquettishly with a smile.

No sooner had she finished speaking than Black Dog glared fiercely and started barking again. Dong Yanyan quickly dashed inside and shut the outer door.

Xiaomei chuckled, teasing her for being so timid.

Dong Yanyan hurried into the inner room and saw the village chief’s family eating on the kang. The village chief was a man in his fifties, commanding in presence. His relationship with the villagers wasn’t particularly close, but the village had a good custom: no matter what differences existed among the adults, the children were never affected. The village chief was always kind and gentle towards the younger generation.

“Uncle, Auntie, are you having dinner?” Dong Yanyan greeted them obediently.

“Yanyan, you’re here! Go answer the phone quickly,” the village chief nodded and smiled.

Dong Yanyan rushed to the telephone, heart pounding with excitement, and picked up the receiver. “Hello, this is Dong Yanyan.”

“Yanyan, you finally arrived! I’ve been waiting for ten minutes,” Ren Jiaxuan’s impatient voice came through.

Hearing this, Dong Yanyan was displeased. “Classmate, while you were waiting by the phone for ten minutes, I was already running here.”

Ren Jiaxuan laughed happily on the other end. “Hey girl, so eager! Have you missed me these past few days? Hmm?”

Dong Yanyan glanced discreetly at the village chief’s family and smiled. “I’m at the village chief’s home right now. Uncle is having dinner, and his daughter is peeling an apple for me.”

“So you’re talking to me right under their noses! How old-fashioned and inconvenient!” Ren Jiaxuan chuckled. “Maybe I should help install a phone at your place. Then it’ll be easier for us to talk.”

“That’s not something you can fix just with money. Our village is deep in the mountains—like a hidden paradise. To install a phone, they have to string lines first. You can’t just string hundreds of kilometers of telephone wire wherever you want. But it’s coming soon. Next year, the village will get unified phone service,” Dong Yanyan said with a smile.

Ren Jiaxuan laughed. “Every time I talk to you, I feel like such an ignoramus. That’s not good.”

“You’re a delicate flower raised in a greenhouse. It’s only natural that you don’t know these things. As long as you don’t expect to eat meat paste, your intelligence is fine,” Dong Yanyan teased. “Hurry up, though. This is a public phone; we shouldn’t hog it too long.”

Ren Jiaxuan sounded anxious. “No way! You’re already worried after only two sentences? I’m upset now.”

“Today’s my birthday, and you’re mad at me?” Dong Yanyan feigned anger.

“Then—happy birthday.” Ren Jiaxuan’s voice softened. “Yanyan, from today on, you’re finally mine. I’m really happy.”

Dong Yanyan’s cheeks flushed as she smiled sweetly.

“Did you get the birthday gift I sent you?” Ren Jiaxuan asked with a laugh.

“Wait, I’ll check.” Dong Yanyan covered the mouthpiece and turned to the village chief. “Uncle, do you have any parcels for me?”

“Wait a moment, I’ll look. Your parcel arrived yesterday afternoon, along with several letters. I’ve been keeping them safe for you. You’d better check often from now on. Many people come and go here, and if something gets lost, it can’t be found,” Xiaomei said, rummaging through the cabinet. After a while, she found several letters in a drawer and handed them over.

Dong Yanyan glanced at the envelopes—some from Xiaohan, some from Xinran, and Yuxia, all from her dorm mates. There was even one from Li Hui. She felt the stiff envelope, held it up to the sunlight, and saw a beautiful greeting card inside. Another envelope bore handwriting she immediately recognized as Jiaxuan’s, causing her heart to leap with joy. She carefully put the letters away, planning to read them at home.

“Your parcel is here too. It’s quite heavy,” Xiaomei said, pointing to a brown paper-wrapped package on the table, smiling at Dong Yanyan.

She looked at it and realized his gift was quite substantial.

“Yeah, I see it. Thank you. What’s inside?” Dong Yanyan asked.

“You’ll find out when you open it,” Ren Jiaxuan said happily. “It’s your birthday—did you have cake?”

“Yes, and lots of delicious food,” Dong Yanyan said with a blissful smile. “These past few days at home have been heavenly—painless and effortless. I haven’t felt this comfortable in ages!”

“Just a few days and you’re already reluctant to leave? Watch out or you’ll eat yourself into a little pig,” Ren Jiaxuan teased.

“I still miss you, little mouse,” Dong Yanyan chuckled softly. “Having fun during the holiday?”

“No fun at all. When I go out drinking, I miss you. Singing, I miss you. Chasing girls, I miss you. When I can’t get a girl, I want to chase you,” Ren Jiaxuan said shamelessly. Dong Yanyan could easily imagine him holding the phone, tilting his head lazily.

Suddenly, a faint clicking sound came through the phone. Dong Yanyan stayed quiet, then heard Ren Jiaxuan’s displeased voice. “Mom! Put the phone down. No eavesdropping!”

A charming female voice replied calmly, “Whose call is so mysterious that even Mom can’t listen?”

“That’s not about mystery! It’s about human rights! I’m an adult now, give me some privacy!”

Dong Yanyan listened to Ren Jiaxuan’s loud protest, then a jumble of door sounds and footsteps rang out. After a moment, his voice returned. “Yanyan, are you still there?”

“I’m here. If it’s inconvenient, I’ll hang up now and call you next time,” Dong Yanyan smiled.

“All right then, we’ll talk next time. Happy birthday. I miss that little mouse so much—really miss you. I have a show Sunday night at 7:30. Be sure to watch,” Ren Jiaxuan said before hanging up.

Reluctantly, Dong Yanyan put down the receiver, feeling a twinge of melancholy. Just a few days apart, yet time and distance had woven a barrier, making even a simple conversation difficult. Longing was a mysterious thing—it could grow wild in the heart, drowning all other thoughts with a single word.

“Uncle, how much for twenty minutes?” she asked, turning to the village chief. Normally, receiving calls was free, but now the rule seemed to be twenty cents per minute.

“Give me four yuan,” the village chief said with a smile.

“Thank you.” Dong Yanyan handed him the money and then turned to retrieve her parcel.

“Yanyan, was that your boyfriend on the phone? He has a nice voice,” Xiaomei teased.

“Not my boyfriend, just a classmate,” Dong Yanyan replied, picking up her things and smiling at her. “Sis, I’m heading off now. Thanks so much.”