Chapter 11 — Don't Run Anymore, Hua Tri Hoa

That was the text message I sent while hiding in the bathroom after a self-study session at night in grade 12. That day, my grade was dropped in the mock test. I didn't dare cry out loud, so I just bit the back of my hand to type. I said: Brother, in the future I want to go to Shanghai, I want to stand in a place with lots of bright lights, without having to bow to anyone. He answered me: Then come, I'll wait for you. I thought you forgot. I thought I was the only one who remembered. I looked down at an ant crawling on the cement ground and spoke softly.

“Okay.”

On the other end of the line, Luong Nghien Chu's breathing slowed down.

“Is this also true?”

I'm not scolding you.

“It's true.”

That night after hanging up the phone, I couldn't sleep. Outside the window there was the sound of a dog barking, the sound of the wind blowing through the rattling metal roof, and the sound of the neighbor's TV echoing intermittently. I turned on the phone screen, then turned it off, and finally opened Luong Nghien Chu's chat box. He sent a new photo. Not a meeting room. That was the riverside bookstore that I accidentally mentioned before. He photographed the light in front of the door. 「Waiting for you to come.」 I placed the phone against my chest, the string that was always tense in my heart seemed to have just been lightly plucked by someone's fingertip, vibrating every beat, making me unable to sleep. * 【Chapter 7】 The day the admission results came out, my mother was cooking noodles in the kitchen, my father had just finished a long drive home, and Tran Mat was sitting on my counter munching on ice cream. My hands kept reloading the website, shaking. The website lags for a long time, the spinning circle makes me want to smash my computer. Tran Mat was even more urgent than me: "This broken life, can't you respect future university students a little!" The next second, the website appeared. Shanghai, a key university, has been admitted. I stared at those words, mist suddenly flowing out, blurring my eyes. My mother heard Tran Mat scream, picked up the bowl and rushed out: "What's wrong, what's wrong?" Tran Mat hugged me, almost suffocating me.

"Miss, Hua Tri Hoa has passed the exam in Shanghai!"

The patch in my mother's hand fell to the ground. My father stood at the door, still carrying his luggage, his eyes were bloodshot. He stepped forward, placed his rough hand on the top of my head, and gently patted me twice.

“Good, very good.”

I wanted to laugh, but my lips trembled. The phone on the table vibrated. Luong Nghien Chu. I stared at the caller, my heart pounding. Tran Mat quickly looked up and put the phone in my hand: "It's the first person, hurry up." I quickly ran to the back alley to answer the phone. As soon as I picked up the phone, his voice came through.

“Can you look it up yet?”

I leaned my back against the wall, tears finally falling, falling on the back of my hand.

“Okay.”

“Which school?”

I read the name of the university. The other end of the line was silent for two seconds. Then I heard him laugh. Not the usual oppressive laugh, but a very light laugh, as if coming from the chest.

“Hua Tri Hoa, you did it.”

I used the back of my hand to wipe my tears, the more I wiped, the more they flowed.

“Luong Nghien Chu.”

“It's me.”

“I'm really going to Shanghai.”

“Yes.”

“It's not On Le.”

“I know.”

"It's Hua Tri Hoa."

He said: "The person I am waiting for is Hua Tri Hoa." The wind in the alley suddenly stopped blowing. I held the phone tightly, my back leaning against the mottled wall, tears rolling down his chin and falling into his collar. Inside the house, Tran Mat was calling me again, telling my mother to prepare to burn incense to report to her ancestors. I said softly: "I'll hang up first." Luong Nghien Chu asked: "Are you free tonight?" I was immediately alert: "For what?"

“Celebrate.”

“No need.”

“I went to Thanh Ngo.”

I stood up.

“Aren't you in Shanghai?”

“The job is done.”

“Are you coming again?”

“Yes.”