During the meal, Sun Jingcheng went out to take two phone calls, returning with his expression unchanged to continue eating. At the table, Ke Yu asked Sun Yuyi with longing what university life was like. Sun Yuyi replied: “It’s okay, just that interpersonal relationships are far more complex than high school.”
“I think high school is already very complex.” Ke Yu said.
“High school’s social circle is narrow—people you’re not familiar with are still from within the province, there’s no discrimination.” Sun Yuyi said: “University has talented people from all corners of the country. You think high scores mean excellence, but others not only have high scores but are also multi-talented. You think rich people are all like the spoiled brats shown on TV, but they’re not only rich and talented but also well-informed.”
“Southerners think northerners are crude, northerners say southerners are pretentious weirdos. On the surface everyone is very polite and harmonious—fifty-six ethnic groups, one family—but actually there’s a lot of implicit discrimination.”
“What’s implicit discrimination?” Ke Yu asked.
“For example, Shanghai students only hang out with local students.” Sun Yuyi looked at him. “Behind this is unlimited superiority and implicit discrimination. They don’t regard any province as equal—only local students can stand shoulder to shoulder with them.”
“I’m not saying Shanghai students are bad—it would be the same in any province. Local students going to Shanghai would definitely only hang out with Shanghai students too. It’s the deeply rooted class consciousness behind this behavior. This fortress is very difficult to break…”
Zhou Yu and Sun Jingcheng didn’t respond—this was the younger siblings’ worry. They were at this stage—guidance was useless, they had to learn to accept and overcome it themselves. Sun Yuyi picked up food and continued: “This implicit discrimination has no malice either. Many people are unconscious about it, completely influenced by adults.”
“Then open discrimination would be better!” Ke Yu peeled sugar garlic for her.
“Exactly.” Sun Yuyi said while eating the sugar garlic: “If you really discriminated against me I’d feel better. I most dislike that kind of deliberately protecting my self-esteem with a sense of superiority—so fake it’s deadly. You’re fake, I’m fake, everyone’s fake together!”
“Me too!” Ke Yu agreed.
“You discriminate against me, I discriminate against you—tearing off the facade and ignoring each other would be so much better than forcing some value correctness, everyone being so hypocritical!”
“Exactly!”
Zhou Yu propped up her chin, wanting to laugh but not daring to—the ignorant young age was really interesting. Her gaze swept over and she saw Sun Jingcheng sitting across from her also looking at her.
The two looked at each other for a while. Sun Jingcheng glanced his head toward the door. Zhou Yu didn’t understand, picked up her chopsticks to eat. Sun Jingcheng kicked her under the table, then said: “You two take your time eating, I’m going to the restroom.”
Zhou Yu thought for a moment, also put down her chopsticks. “No rush, you two chat slowly.” After speaking, she also got up and went out.
The hotpot restaurant was on the fourth floor of the mall. Coming out, Zhou Yu saw the person sitting on the waiting seats by the door. She leaned against the railing and asked: “Finished eating?”
“Mm.” Sun Jingcheng responded lazily. Actually he’d barely eaten two bites—his palate had become picky, this place’s sesame sauce wasn’t good. While eating he’d wanted to complain—the sesame sauce had lumps in it, not pure at all. Thinking this, he saw the comment book at the door, walked over, flipped it open and wrote: Sesame sauce not pure, too fake.
Returning, he didn’t sit either, standing side by side with Zhou Yu leaning against the railing. Zhou Yu asked: “What did you write?”
“Praising him, five-star review.” Sun Jingcheng moved his neck and asked: “Was the massage he gave you comfortable?”
“Not bad. Pretty good technique.”
“Let’s go often in the future.”
“Forget it, second sister-in-law won’t dare host us anymore.”
“I’ll get a membership card, I’m not freeloading.”
“Okay.” Zhou Yu nodded.
Sun Jingcheng looked at her, wanting to touch her eyebrows.
“Don’t touch, they haven’t scabbed over yet.”
“Does it hurt?”
“A little.”
“Looking for trouble when there’s none.” Sun Jingcheng said to her. “Your eyebrows looked so good before.”
Zhou Yu ignored him.
Sun Jingcheng leaned on the railing looking down. There was a protective net on one level with a few scattered beverage bottles on it. He said this protective net was a败笔—it affected the aesthetics.
“Mainly it prevents people from falling down.” Zhou Yu said.
“How could anyone fall from this high?” Sun Jingcheng pointed to the protective railing that reached her chest.
“You’re so silly—it’s to prevent people from jumping down.” Zhou Yu said.
…
“My wife is so smart.” Sun Jingcheng praised.
“Should we go look around over there?” Zhou Yu pointed to a home textile store on the third floor.
“Okay.” Sun Jingcheng followed her down.
The two rode the escalator one after the other. Zhou Yu looked back—he was looking up at the decorations on the ceiling, then pointed and said: “Later let’s also install little stars on our bedroom ceiling.”
“So tacky.” Zhou Yu said.
“Didn’t you say tacky is good, easy to be happy.”
“You’re tacky enough already.”
“I’m tacky and proud of it.” Sun Jingcheng took pride in it.
Zhou Yu looked at his slender hands, pulled one over to compare with her own, then held it. Sun Jingcheng was like he’d discovered a new world, his voice so loud it made everyone on the escalator turn to look. “If you want to hold my hand just say so—who taught you to feint then grab…”
…
Zhou Yu brushed back nonexistent stray hairs, got off the escalator, headed straight for the home textile store, ignoring him completely.
After dinner they first sent Sun Yuyi home. She’d bought two satisfactory spring outfits—not expensive, around a thousand yuan. Sun Jingcheng wanted to pay, but she absolutely wouldn’t let him—she insisted on paying herself.
On the way back to the clinic, Sun Jingcheng talked about Sun Yuyi—before she was still a little kid, now in the blink of an eye she’d become a young woman. Ke Yu criticized him: “Uncle, you’re like my mom—everywhere you go you love to show off wealth.”
“When I want to secretly buy underwear myself, my mom takes them out and holds them up to my waist, then fights to pay.”