Meng Yan's Transformation

Chapter 576 A Heart-wrenching Reluctance

Hearing his colleagues in the kitchen urging him to prepare the ingredients, Zheng Huaiyong took the opportunity to escape.

When Zheng Huaiyong turned around, he found Zhan Mengyan staring blankly at the two small bowls of mixed vegetables.

Zhan Mengyan's searching gaze swept over him. Zheng Huaiyong was intently wiping the already clean stove, his neck bent into a stiff arc. When he heard the light clink of Zhan Mengyan's spoon against the porcelain bowl, Zheng Huaiyong's tense shoulders finally relaxed. A slight, involuntary smile appeared on his lips. The falling forsythia petals from the branches outside the window seemed to mirror his own unspoken thoughts, swirling gently in the spring breeze.

When Zhan Mengyan returned from the cafeteria, she saw Zhan Yue carrying large and small bags and walking towards the school gate at the corner of the teaching building.

"Sister Yue'er, where are you going?!"

As Zhan Mengyan spoke, she ran towards Zhan Yue.

“Mengyan, your third aunt is sick, and I have to go home to visit and take care of my mother. Your little sister Liuchun can’t manage on her own, so she just sent someone to tell me to come home. I’m in a hurry, so I can’t say much more to you. I left you a note under my pillow in the dormitory.”

As Zhan Yue spoke, she hurriedly ran towards a four-wheeled vehicle at the school gate.

Zhan Mengyan also ran over to help Zhan Yue load things onto the four-wheeled vehicle.

"Mengyan, you should go back to your self-study class. I might have to drop out of school. You can use my bedding for now, and you can return it to me when you have it. There's a truck coming to pick up seeds in the village, so I'm off. We can meet again when you're on vacation."

As Zhan Yue spoke, she released Zhan Mengyan's hand, which she had been holding tightly, and her eyes welled up with tears: "Driver, please drive quickly!"

The morning breeze, carrying the chill of early spring, brushed against Zhan Mengyan's cheek, causing her to shiver slightly. Standing at the school gate, Zhan Mengyan watched Zhan Yue sitting on the four-wheeled vehicle, its body swaying gently on the uneven road, gradually blurring into the mist.

The wheels of the four-wheeled vehicle made a regular rumbling sound, each thud seeming to measure the ever-growing distance between them. Zhan Yue glanced back; the wind blew her hair down. She raised her hand to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. This familiar gesture reminded Zhan Mengyan of countless midnights when Zhan Yue would pick hawthorn seeds, her forehead strayed, the lamplight casting a soft halo around her profile. Now, Zhan Yue's figure gradually shrank in the morning light, becoming a black dot on the horizon.

Zhan Mengyan could still feel the warmth in her hand, the lingering warmth of Zhan Yue's tight grip on her hand before she left. Zhan Yue said with a smile that they would meet again soon, but the glistening tears in her eyes revealed the truth.

The moment the four-wheeled vehicle turned the corner, Zhan Mengyan felt a lump in her throat, a sour feeling spreading from her nose to her eyes. The faint scent of soapberry still lingered in the air, a fragrance Zhan Yue always liked—fresh and simple.

The willows and forsythia along the roadside swayed their branches, a few withered yellow leaves and forsythia petals swirling and falling onto the tracks left by the four-wheeled vehicle. These tracks would soon disappear, just like Zhan Yue's traces at school, which would also fade slowly with time. In her classroom, her seat would be empty. The lights in the midnight cannery would dim a little.

Zhan Mengyan remained standing in the same spot, letting the morning breeze lift her corner. A few birdsongs drifted from afar, clear yet tinged with loneliness. The sky gradually brightened, and the morning glow dyed the eastern clouds red. Yet, Zhan Mengyan felt as if her world had lost its color. A tearing pain spread through her heart. She knew that the holidays were over and her sisters would reunite, but she could not suppress this deep-seated reluctance to part.