Chapter 7 — The Day She Returned, I Left

"Husband?" The old lady frowned, "Tieu On said she doesn't have a husband."

Luc Han Chau's heart felt like it was stabbed by something.

“She said she doesn't have a husband?”

"She said she was single. She came here alone, lived alone, ate alone. No one has ever come looking for her." The old lady looked at him, “Are you her ex-husband?”

Luc Han Chau said nothing.

“Boy, I'm telling you something sincere.” The old lady said, "This girl, Tieu On, has lived here for half a year. She is the most diligent tenant I have ever met. She is not noisy, does not cause trouble, and does not owe rent. Every day she leaves early and comes home late. When she returns, she often buys a bouquet of flowers to put on the windowsill."

"One time, I went upstairs to collect utility bills and saw her arranging gardenias on the windowsill. I asked her if she liked gardenias. She said, gardenias are the only flowers that don't remind her of anyone."

The old lady looked at him:

“Boy, what do you remind her of?”

Luc Han Chau stood in the staircase, looking at that mottled iron door, looking at that piece of paper with a small flower drawn on it, he couldn't say a word. He remembered Wen Wan's four years at the Luc family. She never said "I eat alone". She just finished cooking the rice, couldn't wait for anyone, and then ate it all herself. She never said "you called me by the wrong name". She just pretended not to hear, then continued working at hand. She never said "I'm not happy". She just sat quietly in the living room, waiting for someone who wouldn't return. She is not without pain. She just didn't speak. Luc Han Chau did not knock on the door. He went downstairs, bought a bag of tangerines from the fruit stand downstairs, and placed it in front of On Van's door. Then he left. What he didn't know was that Wen Van worked very late that day. When she returned and saw the bag of tangerines in front of the door, she was stunned for a moment. She picked up the bag of tangerines and saw the label on the bag. This is a fruit store in Giang Thanh. On Van stood there, holding a bag of tangerines in his hand, for a long time. Then she placed the bag of tangerines on the shoe cabinet outside the door and did not bring it into the house. She doesn't eat. A month later, Luc Han Chau came again. This time, he didn't wait downstairs. He came under Wen Wan's company. At eight o'clock in the evening, On Van walked out of the office building. She wore a floral dress, her hair was loose, and she wore flat sandals. She is thinner, but her face is very good. His skin was exposed to the color of barley by the southern sun, and there was a light in his eyes that he had never seen in Giang Thanh. She didn't go alone. She was accompanied by a young man. The man was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, black-framed glasses, and looking elegant. He is saying something to On Van. On Van laughed. Laughed very happily. Luc Han Chau stood there, looking at On Van smiling at another man. That smile, he has never seen before. It's not because he didn't have a chance to see. It's because Wen Van in front of him has never smiled like that. In front of him, On Van's smile is gentle, restrained, careful little by little. Like the smile of a subordinate to a superior. But at this moment, her smile was generous, happy, and without any defense. She laughed so much that she bent her waist. The other man also smiled, reaching out to help her adjust the bag strap on her shoulder. Luc Han Chau's hand tightened. He wants to step forward. But him unmoved. Because he has no stance. He is her ex-husband. Not her husband, not her boyfriend, nor “her person” in any sense. He's just someone who signed the divorce agreement. On Van and the other man walked over. She saw Luc Han Chau. Her steps stopped a bit, the smile on her face disappeared. Not grief. Not a surprise.