Soon Jiang Yuyan and Lu Lijun reached the familiar place where Jiang Yuyan hadn't come for a long time. She looked around and then looked at Lu Lijun in surprise, who stepped out of the car and went to her side to open the door for her. Her sight followed his movements as if she was in a daze.
Seeing the place, so many memories surged in her mind, and she didn't know what to think or feel as she looked lost and her eyes turned moist.
Lu Lijun opened the car's door for her, but she still looked at him as if she didn't know what was going on and why he brought her here. Lu Lijun leaned down and unlocked the seatbelt for her. She didn't stop him, as her sight was still fixed on his face even when it was closer to her when he leaned down.
Click!
The seatbelt unlocked, and Lu Lijun turned his face to look at her as she stared at him closely with her lost-looking eyes.
Lu Lijun moved back and offered her his hand to help her step out. "Let's go. We can't be late."
Jiang Yuyan accepted his hand as they walked along the street, which was familiar to both of them. Jiang Yuyan looked at the bench under the tree on one side of the road, which was still there after so many years. The blurred images of the past when she sat on that same bench with important people in her life while having fun with them flashed in front of her eyes one by one. With those images, sounds of their talk and laughter rank in her ears.
When she was busy remembering all those memories, they reached one small street-side shop, and she heard Lu Lijun. "Thank god we could reach before it was closed."
Jiang Yuyan looked at Lu Lijun and saw him talking to someone. "That pink one."
She observed this familiar shop as the old-looking shop owner handed him over one pink big-sized cotton candy out of so many different colors he had in his shop.
Before she could understand what was happening, Lu Lijun offered it to her. "For you."
Subconsciously Jiang Yuyan accepted it as she stared at the cotton candy. Her moist and dazed eyes showed as if she felt like it was just a dream. The surge of so many memories at a time confused her mind between memories and reality.
Still holding her hand, Lu Lijun took her towards that particular bench under the three and made her sit on it as he sat beside her.
She sat and just looked at the cotton candy in her hand, and Lu Lijun looked at her. "I hope you still like it."
Jiang Yuyan nodded slightly as the tears rolled down her eyes. Words couldn't make their way out of her throat as she felt it choked suddenly.
Silently sitting beside her, Lu Lijun put his hand around her shoulder as he caressed her arm to console her. When her tears still didn't stop for a while, Lu Lijun spoke, "I am sure you still like sugar candy sweeter and not salty."
It puzzled her, and she looked at him with her teary eyes. Lu Lijun looked back at her and wiped her tears with his free hand as he spoke. "Your tears might make it salty."
Jiang Yuyan understood and looked back at the cotton candy in her hand as she heard him say, "Eat it. I don't mind if you put on some weight after eating lots of sweets."
Not replying to him, she quietly had a bite and felt the same familiar taste in her mouth, which added to those past memories. She looked at him. "You didn't get one for you."
"Hmm, as you asked, I won't mind one bite," he said and held her hand that held sugar candy and had a small bite.
Jiang Yuyan said nothing and continued finishing what was in her hand and heard Lu Lijun talking.
"I came here with elder brother often in the past. I mean, even before you came into our lives. He used to bring me here, and we spent time together while sitting in this same place and eating these cotton candies. The last time I came here was with you after he was gone."
Jiang Yuyan heard him quietly, and at the last line, once again, her finally dried eyes couldn't help but turn moist.
Lu Lijun continued. "He used to think I loved cotton candy and brought me here, but he didn't know I never liked it."
She gave him a questioning look, and Lu Lijun explained, "I came here with him for his sake because I understood he liked to be here and spend time while sitting in the same place. At that time, I didn't know what was so special about this place, but later, I understood the reason."
She looked back at him to know what he would say.
Lu Lijun looked back at her as he stared into her eyes, "You were the reason, Yuyan."
Hearing it, the tears she held back couldn't stop making their way out as she started crying. Finally, Lu Lijun hugged her and let her cry while she buried her face in his chest.
"I didn't mean to make you cry. I just wanted to bring you here to buy you what you like," he spoke as he patted the back of her head.
Jiang Yuyan turned calm after a while as she stopped crying, which ended up with light sobs. She moved back as Lu Lijun settled her loose hair strands behind her ears.
She looked at him with her moist eyes. When Lu Lijun thought she would say something emotional, something unexpected happened.
"You don't like cotton candies?" she asked.
Lu Lijun shook his head, saying No.
"When you were a kid?" she asked again.
"I never liked it."
Jiang Yuyan, who was still closer to him, moved back and said, "But when I brought you here in the past, you ate lots of them every time."
"It's because you liked it," he replied.
She looked at him feeling surprised, and he explained, "I wanted you to come here often to buy it for me, and you too can have it."
It surprised Jiang Yuyan even more. "You were crafty even when you were a kid."
"The one whose craftiness is out of love for someone," Lu Lijun countered.
Jiang Yuyan ignored what he said, and Lu Lijun smiled lightly. Once she finished the cotton candy, they returned home.