A Stone

Liu Xinyu endured a tumultuous night. Even though the music stopped and the noises no longer reached Liu Xinyu, it still did not give her the peace that she desired. Once her sleep was disturbed, restoring it to its former serenity required hours of effort. And because of that, Liu Xinyu spent the whole night tossing and turning; ensnared in the cycle of restlessness.

As morning dawned, instead of feeling rejuvenated, fatigue weighed upon her even more heavily. With a weary sigh, she pushed herself off the bed, smoothening the sheets into place before proceeding to wash up. After freshening up, she changed into a simple pair of black trousers and a red blouse that she acquired just yesterday. Then meticulously arranged her lustrous tresses into a braided bun, an elegant yet practical style.

The mirror was too small but she still managed to make do with it. But she thought of getting a full-length mirror. Even if she had been a sportswoman most of her life, she loved dressing up no less than others around her. Maybe it was the influence of her mother but Liu Xinyu had always been known for her impeccable fashion sense. 

Seeing the slightly dark shadows under her eyes, Liu Xinyu was distressed. 

She went out of the bedroom and found Yi Qin looking around the house with a contemplating look. Hearing the sound of the door, he turned around to face her as he asked, "Last night the lights were off so I didn't even notice that you cleaned the whole place up. It looks almost unrecognizable."

"That's an exaggeration," was Liu Xinyu's response as she walked towards the kitchen. Taking a lemon from the fridge, she cut it into slices and put it into a glass of warm water before letting it sit for a while.

"You've worked hard," said Yi Qin feeling a bit embarrassed and guilty. It was his place and even if he said he was renting it to Liu Xinyu, first he came to share the space and then he let her work all alone too. He really felt like he was wrong. It was a fact that Liu Xinyu had yet to recover from all the injuries but this girl didn't seem to take those wounds seriously at all.

"It wasn't hard," answered Liu Xinyu honestly as she observed his face and could very well understand his state of mind too. He was just too easy to read with everything written on his face so vividly. "You can just say that I'm a restless person. I just can't sit still for long. Besides, since I'm living here, it's my house for now. I have to make an effort to make it into a home."

Yi Qin's lips curled up at her words and he mentioned, "There is a bed in my room."

"Oh, that. I just bought it yesterday. It did not fit well with me to let you sleep on the floor. Besides, I got a bargain. It was just 800 yuan. How could I miss it?"

"What?" asked Yi Qin excitedly. "You mean, that bed is only 800?"

"Yes," she replied.

Yi Qin looked deflated as he sat down on the sofa and pulled at his own hair as he mumbled, "How could that be? I bought the single bed for over 1000 yuan."

Liu Xinyu touched her nose and glanced around wondering where Yiyi was. Throwing that thought to the back of her head, she instantly started to console Yi Qin with, "It must be because you bought from a famous furniture store. I on the other hand asked around with the neighborhood aunties. You see, they are the most well-informed about everything. So, I spent a little effort sweet-talking with them and found an old carpenter who lives not far from here. But he only makes furniture at this age because he can't sit idly and become a burden to his children. This single bed was ordered by someone but they never came to take it. It was just taking space in the old carpenter's yard so I bought it. You see, he was so happy that he even helped me get the mattress."

Yi Qin's spirits were lifted upon hearing this from her. Indeed, he went to a big showroom to get a single bed. Yet, he couldn't help but admit that she had struck a remarkable deal. Despite her getting the bed from an old carpenter, it boasted solid wood construction and impeccable craftsmanship. Clearly, the old carpenter possessed genuine talent, as Yi Qin discerned the sturdiness of her bed surpassed that of his own purchase.

He resigned himself to another loss, as he had done countless times before. After all, he had grown accustomed to such setbacks. Who was to blame but himself for failing to discern the true worth of things? His vision was poor, a fact he had long accepted. Presented with a genuine gem and a mere attractive stone, there was a high probability Yi Qin would choose the latter out of empathy. Yet, he could still defend his choice with conviction, saying, 'There are plenty of discerning individuals who recognize the value of gems and will cherish them accordingly. The stone, no matter how appealing, remains just a stone. Its value will go unnoticed by most.'

His reasoning was always solid even if it didn't align with most people. 

"You spent all the money I gave you," he suddenly thought about the money problem that they both had. "You did not have to buy the bed. It wasn't urgent."

"Money is for spending. It's still early spring. It's chilly at night and in the morning. You can get sick sleeping on the floor. That'd not be good. I'll solve the money issue. Don't worry about it." Liu Xinyu didn't look concerned about this at all. She was too carefree about something like money. Even if she was a pauper now, she was not panicking at all.

Her wallet was once stolen when she was traveling abroad. She still managed to earn enough money to book a flight back home. How could she be panicked at this time? There was no way, she'd panic over something like this. 

"Do you need my help?" asked Yi Qin. "I might not be very useful or resourceful but I can still get you a job in a company. Even if I don't ask my dad or brother, I have plenty of friends too. They'll give me enough face."

Liu Xinyu shook her head, "There is no need for that. Not for now. If I need your help, I'll let you know. Thank you for your offer though." Leaving aside the fact that she didn't have any identity documents with her or her degree to prove anything, the job at a company was not something for her. Not in this era where she didn't know how long she'd stay. She'd have to work for a whole month to earn a measly sum and that was not what she wanted at all.

If she spent the whole day working, when was she gonna explore this era and learn more about her parents? She needed quick money to settle her matter. But she wouldn't let him know that.

"That's okay then. You are an adult, you know what you are doing. I won't ask too much. But just be careful since it's an unfamiliar city," he advised her very sincerely. Liu Xinyu smiled at him gratefully and nodded her head in response. Yi Qin got the urge to touch her head when he saw her well-behaved appearance but held himself back. He could actually tell why she managed to use her glib tongue and get herself a bargain everywhere. Her appearance was too deceiving. That's why even he didn't doubt her when she said she had amnesia. "I'm going to buy something for breakfast. You didn't eat fried dough sticks yesterday. Don't like it?"

"I don't like deep-fried things," answered Liu Xinyu.

"Don't like it?" he was shocked to know that someone didn't like the fried food.

"My meal plans never allowed excessive use of oil. Over the years I got too used to that so, now I can't really eat deep-fried things."

Yi Qin gave her a nod and took the keys before leaving.

Liu Xinyu took a glass of water with lemon slices. She opened the door of the balcony and stepped out. Feeling the morning air, she took a deep breath and drank the water slowly. Listening to the chirping of birds, seeing the trees swaying slowly with the morning wind, the clean sunlight of the morning, and such a clear sky brought an infinite sense of relaxation to Liu Xinyu. This atmosphere even allowed her to forget all about the restless sleep of last night.

Such clean air was a luxury. The air wasn't yet polluted with too much construction or cutting of trees. The roads were that congested with traffic too. The cars or other vehicles were far less than the future. She could even loud sounds of a mother yelling at the children to get ready for school from the floor below and above. 

Liu Xinyu was in a good mood and started humming a tune unknowingly. She turned to look at the balcony right beside hers to see if she could find her mother again but to her surprise, when the door of the balcony opened, the person who came out was, Qi Yuze.

Qi Yuze looked at her while Liu Xinyu looked back at him, both of them froze in shock at that moment when they faced each other.