Chapter 35: So, You Are Married

The old apartment building before us felt steeped in the atmosphere of the new millennium. Its exterior walls were covered in white tiles with blue stripes, and every window was fitted with rusted, old-fashioned security bars.

There were hollow-patterned windows at the stairwell corners on every floor. The entire sight gave me a strong sense of dissonance—as if one foot had stepped into the past while the other remained firmly in the present.

"Does Tianhai really still have places like this? Why hasn't it been demolished yet?"

"There are plenty of these old buildings around the Third Ring Road. Don't let the 'old, dilapidated, and small' look fool you; the property values here are several times higher than my place. Everyone is just waiting for the eventual demolition compensation and the relocation housing."

"Lin Lin is quite capable to have found a place here, but how are we supposed to get in?"

The apartment building looked decrepit in every way. The entrance door was covered in rust, and the building plaque was so faded that the characters were barely legible. The door featured an old-fashioned intercom lock; the plastic buttons were coated in grime, and some were stuck, sunken into the panel, refusing to pop back out.

I grabbed the door handle and gave it a pull. It rattled with a clanking sound, and a few flakes of rusted metal fell off, but the lock didn't budge.

"Didn't Lin Lin tell you which unit she lives in?"

"601. Press the pound key after."

Once I entered the code, a noisy buzzing rang out from the lock. A moment later, two beeps signaled the connection.

"Is that Second Brother?"

"It's me. Open the door."

"Alright."

The lock clicked open. The hallway was dim, filled with concrete stairs that looked perpetually dirty no matter how much they were scrubbed, and wooden railings coated in layers of peeling paint—the sense of age was overwhelming.

Carrying the fruit, Lin Xingfan and I were both breathing heavily by the time we climbed to the sixth floor. I knocked on the security door of 601, and the sound of a latch being released followed.

The door opened, and a delicate, gentle-looking woman leaning on a single crutch appeared before me. For a moment, I didn't know what to say.

"Lin Lin, do you recognize me? It’s Jiang Xiao Si."

Lin Lin was stunned for a second, staring at me intently. Then, she curled her lips into a faint smile. "Brother Jiang Jian, it’s been so long. Come in and sit."

I nodded blankly and followed Lin Xingfan inside.

The interior was a stark contrast to the building's exterior. The decor was in the latest modern style, and the furniture and appliances looked brand new; it seemed to have been renovated recently. A fragrance wafted toward me as I entered—not overpowering, but I couldn't quite place the scent.

"Lin Lin, did you buy an air freshener?"

"No, the landlord left it. They told me to use whatever I liked. I thought it smelled quite nice, so I put some in the living room, bedroom, and bathroom."

Lin Lin limped over to the sofa and picked up a kettle to pour us water.

Seeing her struggle, I took the kettle from her hands. "Thanks, we can help ourselves."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. You came to visit, and here I am just sitting."

We hadn't seen each other in many years, and given the history between us, we both seemed quite reserved. Lin Xingfan stepped in to break the awkward silence.

"Your landlord is quite kind. How is your knee injury?"

Lin Lin lifted the hem of her skirt, revealing the bandage wrapped around her left knee. "It feels okay. There’s no discomfort. I’m supposed to go get the dressing changed tomorrow."

"Are you going to take a taxi by yourself?"

Lin Lin shook her head. "Taxis are too expensive. I'll take the subway."

Watching her look so thin and fragile, like a willow swaying in the wind, and imagining her hobbling onto a crowded subway with a crutch, my brow furrowed.

I hesitated for a long moment before finally speaking up. "I have a car. I'll take you to get your dressing changed tomorrow."

Lin Lin looked up at me instantly, her eyes filled with surprise, delight, and a hint of confusion. A faint blush rose on her fair skin. "Would that be too much trouble for you... Brother Jiang Jian?"

"It's nothing. We're both away from home; we should look out for each other."

Lin Lin bit her lower lip, her gaze darting away as if she didn't dare look at me, and she nodded.

Lin Xingfan’s eyes darted between the two of us. "Lin Lin, you've really changed. You used to have the nerve to pull down Jiang Jian's pants, but now you're acting all shy?"

"Oh, Second Brother! That was all in the past!"

Before I could react, Lin Lin gave Lin Xingfan a playful, reproachful glare, then looked at me tentatively, her face still flushed. "So many years have passed, Brother Jiang Jian has forgiven me, right?"

I didn't know how to answer, but to give her an out, I just offered an awkward smile. "It wasn't a big deal. I haven't kept it in mind for a long time."

"I wonder who it was that used to start clutching their waistband in fear the moment they heard the name 'Lin Lin'."

The kid Lin Xingfan was actually undermining me. I moved closer to him and gave his waist a subtle, firm jab.

"Sss!"

"Fan-zi, if you don't have anything to say, no one will mistake you for a mute. If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll find some medicine to strike you dumb when we get back."

The look of wanting to kill someone is hard to hide, and when Lin Xingfan turned to meet my eyes, he subconsciously swallowed hard.

"Where's the kitchen? These apples look great, I'll go wash a few. You two keep chatting."

Lin Xingfan was so flustered he couldn't even tell the difference between apples and oranges. He grabbed a few at random, stood up, and looked around.

"Go through that small door."

The small living room was left with just the two of us, and we both felt noticeably constrained.

"I..."

"You..."

We spoke at the same time, and the awkwardness made me want to find a hole to crawl into.

"Cough, cough. Lin Lin, you go ahead."

"Brother Jiang Jian, how long have you been in Tianhai?"

"About a dozen years, since my freshman year of college. What about you? Just arrived?"

Lin Lin nodded. "I just got here recently. I wanted to try my luck in the big city and see the world."

"You're a girl out here on your own; isn't your mother worried?"

"I did it first and told her later. By the time Mom wanted to talk me out of it, it was already too late." Lin Lin stuck out her tongue playfully.

"How are Uncle Jiang and Aunt Jiang?"

At the mention of my father, I fell silent for a moment, trying to keep the tone of the conversation from becoming too heavy.

"My father passed away from illness a few years ago. My mother is still living in the village, but I’m planning to bring her to Tianhai once the mountain roads back home are cleared."

"I'm sorry, Brother Jiang Jian. I didn't know..."

I shook my head dismissively. "It's fine. Life, aging, sickness, and death—no one can stop that."

Lin Lin clasped her glass with both hands, seeming to want to say something but holding back. Finally, she said, "My condolences."

Seeming to want to lighten the heavy atmosphere, Lin Lin asked with forced casualness, "Does Brother Jiang Jian have a girlfriend?"

Just then, Lin Xingfan walked out of the kitchen with the washed fruit and placed it on the coffee table.

"Your Brother Jiang Jian has been married for several years now. When are you planning to find a boyfriend?"

Although Xu Zhixia and I were currently on the verge of divorce, I felt it was strange to bring that up, so I chose to let Lin Xingfan’s comment stand.

Lin Lin looked surprised at first, then her expression turned unnatural, as if she wanted to smile but couldn't.

"So, Brother Jiang Jian is already married. Your wife must be very beautiful, right?"