From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

"That's easy, you can just sleep on the floor."

I was speechless when my mother smiled and stepped forward to grab Su Qing's arm.

"Girl, come on, let me show you the room. This is the room Yezi has lived in since she was a child. I always lock it and keep it clean."

Su Qing nodded and obediently followed my mother into the inner room.

I could only helplessly follow behind the two of them, completely baffled by Su Qing, who had agreed without the slightest hesitation.

Pushing open the wooden door to the bedroom, I found that my mother had indeed tidied up the room thoroughly.

The sheets were laid out perfectly without a single wrinkle, and all the pillows had been replaced with clean, new pillowcases. A faint scent of soap wafted through the room, making it feel exceptionally cozy.

But I immediately saw the most awkward problem.

There was only one wooden bed in the entire room.

Su Qing stood at the doorway, her gaze falling on the bed, then turning her head to look at me, her eyes filled with a hint of helplessness.

My mom, completely oblivious to our embarrassment, smiled and told us, "You two get some rest. Just call me if you need anything."

"Okay, Auntie, you should go back to your room and rest too. You must be exhausted after a long day."

Su Qing smiled and replied, being unusually well-behaved.

"I'm not tired. Seeing you all makes me happy." My mother's eyes were full of undisguised joy.

Seeing her so content, I felt a mix of emotions, both warm and bittersweet.

As my mom turned to leave, I quickly reminded her, "Mom, don't forget to take your blood pressure medication before bed."

"Okay, you can rest easy."

After saying that, my mother gently closed the door, leaving only Su Qing and me in the small bedroom.

She looked up and our eyes met, then she whispered, "Is there only one bed in the room?"

I sighed helplessly and said, "How many more could you possibly have? I really don't understand you. You insisted on keeping them just now, and now you're in an awkward situation."

Su Qing quickly raised her hand and gestured for me to be quiet: "Keep your voice down, don't let Auntie hear, or she'll feel bad."

I could only lower my voice even further: "So what do we do now? We can't just squeeze two people into one bed."

Su Qing stared at the wooden bed, pursed her lips, and pondered for a moment. Then she raised her chin and pointed to the ground: "I'm afraid you'll have to make do with sleeping on the floor tonight."

"I have no problem sleeping on the floor, but the key is, when we're sharing a room, aren't you wary of me?" I looked at her and asked seriously.

She rolled her eyes and immediately started to belittle me: "What are you being wary of? Even if I let you sleep in my bed, you're so clumsy you wouldn't know what to do."

I was speechless: "Su Qing, you've gone too far!"

She chuckled twice, walked straight to the bedside, sat down, stroked the soft, brand-new quilt, and sighed softly:

"Your mom is so kind, she prepared everything for you, she's much more considerate than my mom."

I walked to the window, pulled back the wooden curtains, took out a cigarette, lit it, and leaned against the window frame to smoke quietly.

Behind her, Su Qing was still muttering to herself, "If only my mom were half as gentle as my aunt, how could the difference between people be so great?"

I chuckled and turned to look at her, saying, "Don't be ungrateful. If it weren't for your parents' hard work, you wouldn't have the comfortable life you have now."

"I would rather not have all this luxury and extravagance, and instead envy you."

She paused for a moment, then said with envy, "Look how much your aunt cares about you and worries about you in every word. It makes me so envious."

People are always like this: standing in their own quagmire, they always stare at the glory of others, envying each other, but they can't see the difficulties hidden in each other.

I didn't reply. I turned around, opened the wooden cabinet against the wall, pulled out a thick cotton quilt, and found a straw mat.

He squatted down on the empty space beside the bed and carefully laid out the mat, then placed a pillow at one end of the mat.

Su Qing sat quietly to the side, her gaze following my movements as if she were observing something new and interesting.

After laying out the bedding, I plopped down on the mat and looked up at her, saying, "Get some rest. We have to drive for several hours back to Jiangzhou tomorrow morning."

Su Qing looked at me, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "It feels quite cold in the countryside at night. What will you do if you get cold in the middle of the night?"

"I have thick skin and don't feel cold."

She didn't try to persuade her any further. She reached out and tugged at the corner of the bed sheet, then lowered her head and remained silent for a long while.

The chirping of insects came from outside the window. The countryside was especially quiet at night, and the sounds carried far; you could even hear the neighbor's dog barking occasionally.

"Lie down quickly, I'm going to turn off the light."

"Shut it down."

I reached out and pressed the switch on the wall. With a "click," the room was plunged into darkness.

In the countryside, there are no streetlights, and on moonless nights when the lights are off, it's truly pitch black.

The soft rustling of fabric against the bed could be heard; Su Qing must have already lain down.

Two seconds later, her light, airy voice rang out in the darkness: "It's so quiet here."

"That's how it is at night in the countryside."

"But this kind of quiet is especially comfortable. Listening to the chirping of insects outside is inexplicably soothing."

I didn't think there was anything to cure about this before, but after living in the city for a long time, I really do feel this way when I go back to the countryside.

People say that going back to your hometown is like seeing a therapist.

I used to live in my hometown all year round, and I never felt that it was anything special.

After spending too much time in the bustling city of Jiangzhou, surrounded by steel and concrete, I finally understood the feeling she was talking about when I returned to this mountain village.

People say that going back to your hometown is like giving yourself a psychological boost.

That's absolutely true. Only by staying here can I let go of all the pressure and completely empty my mind.

After a moment of silence, Su Qing's soft voice drifted from the darkness again:

"Don't be half asleep in the middle of the night and get so cold that you crawl right onto the bed."

I smiled helplessly and said, "Miss, you just said that even if we shared a bed, I wouldn't make any moves. Why are you worried about this now?"

"I was just joking with you."

She paused for a moment, then explained, "What I mean is, you were half asleep in the middle of the night, felt cold, and forgot I was still in bed, so someone came up to you. That's a possibility!"

I immediately denied it, saying, "That's impossible. You should just go to sleep."

She gave a soft "hmm," and the room fell silent again.

I lay on the cool mat, covered my stomach with my coat, and all I could hear was the continuous chirping of insects outside the window.

A moment later, the soft rustling of her turning over came from the bed above her head, followed by her voice:

"You're still awake, aren't you?"

"What's wrong now?" I asked, feeling a bit sleepy.

"I suddenly thought of something. Auntie likes me so much now. If she finds out one day that I'm not your girlfriend, she'll be so heartbroken."

I sighed softly, a headache running through me: "You still have the nerve to say that? Now you've saved the day, leaving me in a dilemma, unable to back down."

"Then why don't you just keep it a secret? When you finally find a suitable girlfriend, bring her home, and Auntie will gradually be able to let it go."

"You don't need to worry about this. Go to sleep, I'm so sleepy."