Chapter 342: Everyone Has a Past
Xiao Kang left the study, while Yang Haoran turned his gaze back to the woman before him.
"Please, make yourself at home," Yang Haoran said with a smile. Then he stood up, took out a tea set, and brewed a pot of tea.
The woman sat down opposite Yang Haoran. Watching him take out the tea set, she said with a smile, "So you like to indulge in such refined pursuits now? But tea ceremony is quite particular. You didn't even finish middle school, can you really manage something like this well?"
The woman's tone held no trace of mockery, nor did her expression betray any disdain. She seemed merely to be voicing a genuine query from her heart.
Yang Haoran chuckled, and asked, "What does that have to do with education?"
"Of course it does. A person's character, their way of dealing with others, their perspective and knowledge—none of it can be separated from their education. The higher one's education, the more outstanding they are in all aspects. The lower one's education, naturally, the worse they are in all aspects, even to the point of being zero," the woman said with a smile, as if in her mind, everything she spoke was absolute truth.
"Heh heh, is that so?"
Yang Haoran retorted with a chuckle, while pouring two cups of tea. He placed one in front of the woman and one in front of himself.
"Don't disbelieve it. Just look at how you poured the tea, and your brewing process. It's obvious at a glance you haven't read many books. You don't understand tea ceremony at all. This makes people think you're feigning knowledge, and it's easy to make a fool of yourself," the woman said earnestly.
"Since you don't understand, then you should spend time properly studying the tea ceremony. Make yourself a true connoisseur of tea. That way, as long as you don't say anything, no one will know you haven't read many books, and you won't be regarded as a bumpkin," the woman advised.
"Heh heh, I just want a cup of tea. Does it really need to be this complicated? " Yang Haoran asked with a laugh.
Upon hearing this, the woman shook her head with an expression of profound disappointment, saying, "It's been so many years, and you haven't changed a bit. You're still just as unmotivated."
Yang Haoran took a sip of tea, and said with a smile, "This tea is quite good. A friend gave it to me. Have a taste."
The woman shook her head, and said, "Never mind, there's nothing good to drink. The process was completely wrong. Even the best tea leaves would be ruined. It's no longer fragrant. You might even get an upset stomach if you drink it."
The woman didn't drink, and Yang Haoran didn't insist. He asked with a smile, "Do you mind if I smoke a cigarette?"
The woman frowned, and immediately replied with displeasure, "Of course I mind! Don't you know you can't smoke in public places?"
"This is my home. When did it become a public place? " Yang Haoran asked with a laugh.
"Even if it's your home, you can't. Am I not still here? No matter what, I'm your guest. Are you considering my feelings, smoking in front of me? " the woman asked.
Yang Haoran chuckled, and retorted, "I feel terrible if I don't smoke. Have you considered my feelings then?"
As his words fell, Yang Haoran ignored the woman's displeased expression, took a cigarette from the nearby pack, and put it in his mouth.
The moment the cigarette entered his mouth, the woman burst into a violent cough, as if she had choked on the smoke.
Yang Haoran wore an exasperated expression. He hadn't even lit the cigarette yet. Not a wisp of smoke had appeared, yet the woman was practically coughing her lungs out, which truly gave him a headache.
Nonetheless, he lit the cigarette. He didn't let the woman's theatrics deter him from his intention to smoke.
"Look at you. This is character, this is cultivation. Sigh, never mind. I don't want to argue with you about this. After all, you probably don't even understand what cultivation means; it's pointless to talk about it."
Yang Haoran took a drag from his cigarette, then asked with a smile, "Then teach me, what is cultivation? Is it like you?"
"The circles I move in are different from yours. There are many things about me that you can't learn. Even if I taught you, you wouldn't be able to learn them. I didn't come here today to chatter about these things with you. I just wanted to see if you're doing well," the woman said.
"I'm doing great," Yang Haoran replied with a smile.
"Your study is well-decorated. Everything in here is branded. They're probably high-quality fakes, right? Even high-quality fakes cost a good amount of money. It seems you're really doing quite well for yourself. " The woman's gaze once again swept across Yang Haoran's study, and she commented with the air of an expert.
Yang Haoran smiled but remained silent, only shaking his head involuntarily. He genuinely didn't know if the various items in the room were branded goods, as he wasn't familiar with such things.
But if they were fake, high-quality counterfeits, he truly didn't believe it. Knowing Old Master Wu, he would certainly not use any high-quality counterfeits, and it was even less likely he would use them on Yang Haoran.
However, seeing the woman's 'I've already seen through everything' expression, he couldn't be bothered to explain to her. Even if he explained, she wouldn't believe him, and would still think he was 'swelling his face to look fat'.
Some people are just like that. They always like to treat their own ignorance as a source of pride. Others are just a joke in their eyes, but they don't know that they, too, are a joke in the eyes of others.
Seeing Yang Haoran shake his head, the woman asked with a smile, "Heh heh, you're shaking your head. Did I say something wrong?"
"Both the upstairs and downstairs are rented by me," Yang Haoran said with a smile. "So, I'm not really sure if the items are genuine."
"Rented? I thought you bought it yourself. Sigh, I didn't realize you weren't doing as well as I imagined. Still as poor as ever, huh? " The woman's face showed disappointment.
Yang Haoran didn't speak, but continued smoking, and watched the woman's performance.
"Since it's rented, I should warn you then. All these things are fakes. You'd best clarify it with the landlord in advance. Otherwise, if you break them, you'll be made to compensate at full price. I'm afraid you won't be able to afford even one. In the few years since I married my husband, I've seen plenty of good things. I still have that much discernment. These things aren't genuine."
When Yang Haoran heard that the woman was married, his eyebrow twitched slightly. He asked with a smile, "Oh, you're married? How's your husband treating you?"
"How to put it? He's alright. Not as good to me as you were, but what I wanted, you couldn't give, and he can," the woman said with a smile, her face brimming with happiness.
"Oh, hearing you say that, he must be quite good then," Yang Haoran said with a smile.
"Like you, he hasn't read many books. But in my eyes, he's a very capable man. He's also very good at making money. There are many things about him worth learning from. Back then, to pursue him, I put in no small amount of effort. I only succeeded after defeating several rivals," the woman said with a proud expression, as if she herself felt immensely proud of how far she had come.
"Heh heh, didn't you just say education was very important? " Yang Haoran asked with a laugh.
"Education is very important, but my husband is indeed capable. He just didn't have the opportunity back then. If he had had the chance, his education level would certainly be higher than mine now," the woman argued forcefully.
Yang Haoran chuckled, saying, "It's been years since we last met, and you've become funnier and funnier. No, more like increasingly humorous. By the way, how did you find your way here? We haven't been in touch for many years. You shouldn't have known I was here, right?"
"I heard it from an old friend of yours. He knew you were here. He said you opened a sundry shop. This year I'm spending Chinese New Year at home with my husband, so I came back early to see my parents. I'm planning to stay for a while before leaving. And I thought I'd drop by and see you."
Here, the woman paused, then chuckled, "I was quite touched when I heard you opened a sundry shop. You know, when I was in university, the one thing I wanted most was to open a sundry shop. It could be small, but the variety of goods had to be extensive. Because then I could eat whatever snacks I wanted, drink whatever beverages I craved, and use whatever things I liked."
"I remember telling you about this back then. I never thought you'd actually keep it in mind all this time. It's just that I was ultimately too young back then, and too naive. Only after entering society did I realize, a small sundry shop truly amounts to nothing."
Yang Haoran showed no hint of sadness on his face, nor any anger. His face still held his usual gentle smile. Drinking tea and smoking a cigarette, it was as if everything the woman was currently saying had nothing to do with him.
Seeing no fluctuation in Yang Haoran's expression, and no intention of saying anything, the woman was somewhat surprised. She said, "You've become quite a bit more composed now. The old you would have been extremely agitated. I remember the day I left you, you chased the bus, running wildly all the way, crying and shouting. Even now, when I recall it, it's as clear as day."
"After we broke up, I heard from friends we used to share that you drowned your sorrows in alcohol every day, tormenting yourself until you were barely recognizable. You even clamored about wanting to find me. Now I'm right here in front of you, so why are you acting so calm instead?"
Hearing this, Yang Haoran smiled as he snuffed out his cigarette, and said, "When I was young, I was quite ignorant. When I encountered problems, I didn't think about how to solve them. Instead, I thought about how to torment myself. Drinking the strongest liquor, singing the most melancholic songs. Looking back now, I find it both regrettable and amusing."
At this point, Yang Haoran looked at the woman, and continued with a chuckle, "You are no longer the you of the past, and I am no longer the me of the past. The 'you' of yesterday is already dead. The 'me' of yesterday is also dead. Anything you say now only makes me laugh."
"Since that's the case, why did you still open this sundry shop? " the woman asked.
"Opening this sundry shop, I merely wanted to fulfill a promise I once made to myself, and at the same time, it's a memorial to the 'you' who died. It has nothing to do with the 'you' of today," Yang Haoran explained with a smile.
The woman paused, stunned for a moment, then nodded, and a smile also appeared on her face.
"It's best that you think this way. I was also worried you hadn't given up on me yet. If you were to cling to me endlessly, it might touch me, but it would be very difficult for me to handle, and might even affect the relationship between me and my husband. But now, I'm relieved."
As her words fell, the woman suddenly took a bank card from her bag and placed it on the table, then said, "I want to thank you for supporting me through university back then. I, Ren Min, am not an ungrateful person. I've always remembered this kindness. There's money in this card, more than enough to cover my tuition and living expenses from that year. I've already written the password on the back of the card."
Yang Haoran glanced at the bank card the woman placed on the table, then looked back at the woman. He wasn't enraged or humiliated, nor did he break the bank card, much less slap it directly onto the woman's face. Because he wasn't that childish. The current him had long since learned how to control his emotions, rather than letting emotions control him.
There were certainly still people and things that could make him lose control of his emotions, but this woman in front of him was absolutely not one of them.
"Heh heh, I also have something I want to give you. Please wait a moment."
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