Memory inheritor

Chapter 206 Scars

Chapter 206 Scars (Part 1)

Wei Hongsi took out his backpack from the bamboo basket, slung it over his right shoulder, and went to the front desk to pay.

Zhang Shuqiu followed behind and said, "Let me do it."

Wei Hongsi turned and glanced at her: "Wait for me at the door."

"Oh." Zhang Shuqiu nodded, then walked out with her head down.

After paying the bill, Wei Hongsi looked around but didn't see Zhang Shuqiu. After a while, he saw Zhang Shuqiu come out of a small supermarket not far away, so he quickly walked over.

"You bought alcohol?" Wei Hongsi asked, looking at the black plastic bag she was carrying.

"Yes." Zhang Shuqiu opened the plastic bag to show him, "I only bought one pack, not many."

The "pack" she referred to was a six-can pack, consisting of six aluminum cans sealed together. Besides that, the bag also contained many other snacks.

Seeing that she had already bought it, Wei Hongsi didn't say anything more.

"Let's go." Zhang Shuqiu picked up the bag in her right hand and walked ahead first.

Her home was nearby; otherwise, she wouldn't have been seated at the hot pot restaurant less than ten minutes after agreeing on a place with Wei Hongsi. They walked a short distance before turning into the residential area.

Before going to university, Wei Hongsi lived in this neighborhood and was very familiar with the environment. However, it had been almost seven years since he last stepped into this place, so he couldn't help but feel a sense of familiar strangeness, especially when he saw the old facilities in the neighborhood, as if he could see the passage of time.

Zhang Shuqiu walked around unsteadily for a while, carrying a plastic bag, then suddenly turned around and said, "Do you remember where my house is?"

Wei Hongsi thought for a moment, then pointed: "That building, the second unit from the left, on the third floor, on the right."

Zhang Shuqiu smiled and said, "So you really do remember."

Wei Hongsi smiled and said, "Otherwise what?"

In his newly recovered childhood memories, there was an experience of visiting Zhang Shuqiu's house, so he naturally knew where her house was.

However, that memory was from a rather long time ago, and if Zhang Shuqiu had asked him at the dinner table, he might not have been able to answer it. But after entering the residential area and seeing the familiar surroundings, recalling the relevant details became easier.

The two walked into the stairwell, went up to the third floor, and Zhang Shuqiu took out his key and opened the door.

"Please come in!" She stepped aside, inviting Wei Hongsi to enter first.

Wei Hongsi glanced at Zhang Shuqiu, stepped into the room, and looked around at the furnishings in the living room. They were still just as he remembered them, as if the furniture hadn't been changed in more than ten years.

Zhang Shuqiu followed him into the house, closed the door behind him, and gave Wei Hongsi a nudge on the back: "Come in and sit down!"

"Don't you need to change your shoes?"

"No need, no need, I haven't mopped the floor for half a month."

Wei Hongsi went inside and sat down on the sofa in the living room.

Zhang Shuqiu placed the plastic bag on the coffee table, took out the beer first, then turned the bag over and poured out all the snacks, including sunflower seeds, pistachios, potato chips, shrimp crackers, and so on.

Wei Hongsi then noticed that the beer she bought was in 500ml cans. Six cans didn't seem like much, but considering she had just drunk five bottles of beer, it was quite a lot.

Zhang Shuqiu took a low stool and sat opposite Wei Hongsi. She opened a beer bottle and placed one in front of Wei Hongsi.

Wei Hongsi said, "I'm not drinking anymore. Didn't you say I'd only drink one bottle?"

"Fine." Zhang Shuqiu pouted, picked up the can of beer, opened it, and raised it to drink.

"Wait a minute!" Wei Hongsi waved his hand at her.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Shuqiu asked Wei Hongsi in confusion.

"Even if you're not going to use the cup, shouldn't you at least wipe the rim of the jar clean?"

"You're such a hassle," Zhang Shuqiu muttered, putting down his beer, taking out tissues from under the coffee table, wiping his face with two tissues, and then gulping down a large mouthful.

Wei Hongsi looked at her and asked, "Are you addicted to alcohol now?"

"No, I rarely drink alone," Zhang Shuqiu said, opening up the snacks on the table and gesturing for Wei Hongsi to eat with her.

Wei Hongsi rarely eats snacks, especially since he had just finished eating, but seeing Zhang Shuqiu keep offering him more, he took a few pistachios to eat.

Zhang Shuqiu quickly finished one can, and when he was halfway through the second can, his eyes had become somewhat blurry.

Although Wei Hongsi rarely drinks, he knew she was close to getting drunk, so he said, "Drink slowly."

Zhang Shuqiu said, "Anyway, we're going to drink a lot, so what's the difference between drinking fast and slow?"

Wei Hongsi looked at her and asked, "Why do you have to drink so much?"

Zhang Shuqiu suddenly stood up: "Would you like to take a look at my room?"

"Okay." Wei Hongsi stood up and walked inside with her.

He didn't think he could find any valuable clues at Zhang Shuqiu's house, because his older brother and colleagues had just been there a couple of days ago; they were the experts in this area. They were just coming to check on things and try to ease Zhang Shuqiu's drinking pace.

Zhang Shuqiu's room was very different from what she remembered. Her old desk was gone, replaced by a large table with a laptop, two monitors (one horizontal and one vertical), and a uniquely designed keyboard, which must have been her writing desk.

To the side of this table is a large bookshelf filled with books, and another shelf is filled with keyboards, at least six or seven.

The spot opposite the table where the bed used to be has been replaced with a soft sofa. She must have used her father's old room as her bedroom, turning this room into a workspace.

Zhang Shuqiu asked, "How are you feeling?"

Wei Hongsi said, "It's very good; it has a great atmosphere for writing."

"I sit in this chair for an average of ten hours a day," Zhang Shuqiu said, patting the ergonomic chair in front of him.

"It seems writing isn't easy either," Wei Hongsi nodded, his gaze falling on a corner of the room.

A small, square wooden table stood in the corner, with two small chairs beside it. These items seemed out of place with the rest of the room, yet they were some of the most familiar things to Wei Hongsi.

Zhang Shuqiu walked over, pulled a chair out from under the small wooden table, sat down, and patted the table: "You still remember this?"

Wei Hongsi said, "When you taught me to play the recorder, it was right next to this little table, wasn't it?"

Zhang Shuqiu turned to look at him: "So you really do remember!"

"It's alright," Wei Hongsi said vaguely. "Where's your recorder?"

Zhang Shuqiu sighed, "It's been so long since I've used it, and I haven't taken care of it. It's cracked and unusable." After saying that, she put the can she had been holding to her mouth, tilted her head back, and drank it all in one gulp. Then she squeezed the can flat with her fingers.

"I have no family or friends in Xicheng. I'm happy that you came to see me today, but I'm also very sad." She threw the crumpled jar on the small wooden table. "But seeing that you haven't changed much makes me even happier."

Wei Hongsi pulled out another small chair and sat down next to her: "Do you think there's anything about me that's different from before?"

Zhang Shuqiu said, "We've been together for at least two hours since we met for dinner, haven't we? Have you asked me what I've been doing all these years? Have you asked me why I went abroad to study? Have you asked me how I was doing abroad? No, because you don't care about these things at all; you care about other things."

Wei Hongsi remained silent, because what Zhang Shuqiu said was true. He hadn't come to see Zhang Shuqiu to reminisce with his childhood friend, and he didn't have many memories of their past together.

The fact that the other party was Uncle Zhang's daughter made it impossible for him not to be wary, let alone trust her. Moreover, it was obvious that Zhang Shuqiu had been testing him, which only made him more cautious.

Zhang Shuqiu continued, "If you don't care, then don't care. As long as I know you're still you, that's enough. But if you really want to know anything from me, then please get me another can of beer."

Wei Hongsi stared at her for a while, then got up, went to the living room, grabbed a can of beer, and handed it to her.

Zhang Shuqiu took the package, opened it, took a big gulp, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and asked, "Do you remember when we last met?"

Wei Hongsi said, "I don't remember."

Zhang Shuqiu's lips curled into a smile as she said, "So, you only recently remembered me, right?"

Wei Hongsi pondered for a moment, then said, "Yes."

"I've been back in China for over three years, you know that?"

"I only found out recently."

"The 'recently' you're referring to, is it yesterday?"

Wei Hongsi was somewhat speechless, but still answered, "Yes."

Zhang Shuqiu smiled and said, "You know what? In these three years, I've visited you at Yuecheng University three times. After you started working, I even saw you once more in the alley where you used to have breakfast—that was our last meeting."

Wei Hongsi was very surprised. He thought about it carefully, but he had no recollection of it at all.

Zhang Shuqiu said quietly, "It's normal that you can't remember. To you, I'm just an ordinary passerby. How could you remember everyone you see every day?"

Wei Hongsi asked, "Did you bring that mentally unstable man, Han Tao, to Yuecheng?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Zhang Shuqiu rolled her eyes at him, picked up her beer, and took another big gulp.

Wei Hongsi didn't try to persuade her any further. He felt that even if his speculation wasn't the truth, it wouldn't be too far off.

If Han Tao truly inherited some of Uncle Zhang's memories and can remember him, then he must also remember Zhang Shuqiu. From any perspective, the bond between father and daughter is undoubtedly deeper.

Zhang Shuqiu had been living in Xicheng for the past three years without moving, so Han Tao had no difficulty finding her. It's unknown what Zhang Shuqiu's reaction was when she first met Han Tao.

Zhang Shuqiu finished his beer in one gulp, threw down the can, and breathed heavily.

Wei Hongsi had seen people vomit after drinking too much, and he felt that Zhang Shuqiu's situation was quite similar, but he didn't know how to deal with her.

Zhang Shuqiu paused for a moment, then suddenly stared at Wei Hongsi: "Why didn't you listen to me when you were little?"

"You mean, make me a little dumber?" Wei Hongsi also looked at Zhang Shuqiu, feeling that her gaze was rather strange at this moment.