Half an hour later, Xu Lize returned from his morning jog.
The housekeeping aunt had long grasped his daily routine. After Xu Lize took a shower and came downstairs, the steaming shepherd's purse and pork wontons were just out of the pot.
Su Yang filled a large bowl for Xu Lize and took a small one for herself.
When Xu Lize picked up the bowl, he felt his wrist sink. He couldn't help sighing, "Are you feeding a pig?"
Su Yang let out an "ah" and leaned over the long kitchen island to look at the wontons in his bowl.
"Too many? I only put fifteen wontons for you, which is just a bit over two taels."
Although she said so, she still scooped out a few wontons. "You've just finished your morning exercise. Isn't it just the right time to replenish carbohydrates?"
At this moment, the aunt walked over with a neatly packed lunch box, smiling. She said to Su Yang, "I said Mr. Xu couldn't eat that much. Mr. Xu is very health - conscious. He advocates eating small and frequent meals."
Hearing the word "health - conscious", Su Yang gave Xu Lize a meaningful look and swallowed back the words "Mr. Xu, how old are you this year?"
After breakfast, after Xu Lize helped Su Yang register her fingerprint for the lock, he asked if he should drive her.
Su Yang quickly shook her head. She picked up the backpack hanging on the coat rack in the entrance hall and started changing her shoes.
"The aunt told me this morning that the subway Line 2 station is just across the road. It's very convenient for me to take the subway to the hospital and back to school. Don't trouble yourself."
Xu Lize didn't insist either. He stepped back and opened the door for Su Yang.
As soon as Su Yang left, the room immediately fell silent.
Xu Lize saw that it was still early and planned to go back to his study to deal with some documents first.
When he was going upstairs, he happened to meet the aunt coming down after cleaning the upstairs bathroom.
"Miss Su has left?" The aunt was a local, and her speech had a bit of a pidgin accent.
Xu Lize nodded. Just as he was about to step aside to let the aunt pass first, he suddenly heard the aunt sigh.
"Mr. Xu, your little cousin is very capable. She can clearly distinguish shepherd's purse, chives and scallions. Her knife skills are also good. You can tell she knows how to do things. She's different from those delicate young girls these days."
Xu Lize paused in his steps, slightly raising his eyebrows. "She said she's my cousin?"
The aunt was confused by the question. "Ah, isn't she?"
Xu Lize clicked his tongue, hooked the corner of his mouth and went upstairs.
Su Yang had a busy day.
Early in the morning, she rushed to the hospital to accompany He Juan.
At noon, He Juan rarely said she wanted to eat noodle soup. So Su Yang ran outside to buy her a bowl of noodle soup with pickled mustard and shredded pork topping.
But the weather was too hot. The thin noodles had been soaked in the soup for too long. When they opened the container to eat, the noodles were already a bit mushy, and the taste was much worse.
After taking two bites, Su Yang said to He Juan, "Mom, if you want to eat something in the future, tell me one day in advance. I'll make it for you and bring it here."
He Juan shook her head with a smile. "Your small rental house doesn't even have a proper stove. You have to use an induction cooker for your own meals. It's so troublesome. Forget it."
Hearing this, Su Yang immediately thought of the open - style kitchen in Xu Lize's villa, which was so long and wide that it took up one - third of the living room area. She could only smile awkwardly.
He Juan was in a relatively good spirit today. After lunch, she chatted with Su Yang for about half an hour before feeling a bit sleepy.
After He Juan fell asleep, Su Yang left the hospital. On her way to school, she received a message from Xu Lize.
The message was very formal. It said that he had to rush to City B in the afternoon and would be away for two or three days. He told her to pay attention to safety when she was alone at home.
Su Yang replied with a simple "Okay". Just as she sent the message, the subway she was on arrived at the station.
The graduation ceremony for the senior students had been postponed to the end of the month due to the maintenance of the school auditorium. Su Yang was called back to school by the department head on short notice to do some work.
During her four years in college, Su Yang had always been the assistant of the department head.
She was serious, careful and well - organized in her work. As soon as the department head saw her, he sighed and said that the newly recruited young assistant was not good at work. He couldn't even format a Word document neatly.
While chatting with the department head with a smile, Su Yang helped him organize the documents. Halfway through the work, someone pushed the door open and came in.
Su Yang looked up. The person who came in was wearing a modified casual Chinese tunic suit and holding a black thermos flask, which he always carried. As he walked in, a scholarly air seemed to rush towards them.
Who else could it be but Feng Zhiyu?
"Yo, Young Master Feng. Back from the meeting?" The department head looked up and greeted Feng Zhiyu.
"Teacher Feng." Su Yang also stood up from her seat.
Feng Zhiyu was a bit surprised to see Su Yang. He nodded and asked her, "Why are you back at school?"
The department head put down the newspaper in his hand and said with a smile, "I've dragged her back to do some hard work."
Feng Zhiyu also laughed. "That's just right. I'm going to take your senior brothers and sisters out for a dinner later. You come along too."
Su Yang blushed and quickly shook her head. "Senior brothers and sisters are all doing postgraduate studies under you. I'm about to graduate. I don't want to go and make a nuisance of myself."
"How can it be making a nuisance of yourself?" Feng Zhiyu walked to the desk and put down his thermos flask. While organizing the letters and materials on the desk, he said, "These dinners near graduation are like farewell dinners. We'll have fewer chances to have them as time goes by."
Feng Zhiyu was Su Yang's main course teacher. Su Yang majored in literature during her undergraduate years, and Feng Zhiyu taught Chinese language and literature.
In her junior year, Feng Zhiyu was successfully elected as the deputy department head, becoming the youngest deputy department head in University A. Coupled with his outstanding appearance and gentle and modest personality, he was very popular among the female students in the college.
Since Su Yang was the assistant of the department head, she sometimes helped Feng Zhiyu with some errands.
During her four - year college life, Su Yang's academic performance had always been among the top. She had a particularly solid foundation in Chinese language and literature. Feng Zhiyu regarded her with some special favor. In her junior year, he started to hint that if she was willing, she could prepare to take the postgraduate entrance examination under his guidance.
However, in the first semester of her senior year, Su Yang still chose to graduate directly.
Because of this decision, Feng Zhiyu had a private and in - depth talk with Su Yang.
But at that time, Su Yang was extremely worried about He Juan's medical expenses. She felt that she didn't have any time to waste on academic research. Making money was her top priority.
After Feng Zhiyu knew about it, he said he respected her decision. But Su Yang knew in her heart that she had disappointed Teacher Feng.
After that, Su Yang was a bit afraid of seeing Feng Zhiyu. It was a natural sense of awe that a student has when she feels she has disappointed her teacher.
Moreover, to Su Yang, Feng Zhiyu was not only a respected teacher but also a spiritual guide. He was like a shining lighthouse that illuminated her obscure and hopeless future.
Su Yang still remembered that night when He Juan was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. She squatted by the roadside at the school gate and cried without a care in the world.
It was Feng Zhiyu who gently patted her on the shoulder and comforted her in a soft voice -
Never be afraid of the moments, thus sings the voice of the everlasting. ①