Chapter 43 – Settling in a New Place
Novel Title: 一屋暗灯 (Ephemeral Light)
Author：麦香鸡呢 (McChicken)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 宋谨 (Song Jin -MC), 宋星阑 (Song Xinglan -ML)
*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
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It seems that the rainy season has finally passed. Sunny days are becoming more frequent and the temperature has also risen a bit. Song Jin thoroughly cleaned the house, packed a suitcase, and planned to return to the city to prepare for exams.
Song Xinglan had called him a few times. It’s quite absurd when you think about it — these two biological brothers hadn’t exchanged contact information for over twenty years. When Song Xinglan first called Song Jin, Song Jin saw the unfamiliar number, and noticed it was from abroad. He thought it was Song Xiangping. He took a few deep breaths before answering, wondering what Song Xiangping could possibly say to him.
However, it seemed that the caller hadn’t expected Song Jin to pick up either. After a few seconds of silence, a voice finally spoke, “Ge.”
Song Jin was momentarily stunned. “What’s up?”
“When are you coming back to the city?”
“In a few days,” Song Jin replied.
“Where will you be staying?”
“I’ll stay at Tang Min’s place for a few days first. And then I’ll find a place.”
There was no response on the other end of the phone. Song Jin nestled on the sofa, stroking Grapefruit lying on his lap. He asked, “Under this situation, are you going to come to Tang Min’s place again?”
Song Xinglan didn’t lie. He said, “Yes.”
Looking back, Song Jin still felt very sorry for Tang Min. Initially, Song Xinglan, without distinguishing right from wrong, had someone hit him with a car. Last time, he had inexplicably shown up at his house again. Song Jin really couldn’t let Tang Min be the only one to suffer from this anymore. He didn’t want to end up with no friends.
Song Jin pinched the bridge of his nose and said, “Then, I’ll stay in the apartment you gave me.”
Who knew Song Xinglan would be silent for a few seconds before asking, “Do you care about Tang Min that much?”
“…” Song Jin suddenly didn’t know how to continue the conversation. He said, “Song Xinglan, be reasonable. He’s my friend. I don’t want him to be implicated by me again. Is there a problem with that?”
“No,” Song Xinglan replied.
Song Jin was once again at a loss for words.
“When you’re ready to move, I’ll have Zhao Shushu come pick you up.”
“No need. I don’t have much stuff,” Song Jin said. “I…-“
“-Our family has a driver, there’s no reason to take someone else’s car.” Song Xinglan interrupted him. Using the same phrase Song Jin had just used, he asked, “Is there a problem with that?”
Song Jin tugged at the grapefruit’s ear and said, “No.”
Grapefruit: “Meow!”
***
The weather was great on the day he returned to the city. Zhao Hai came to pick up Song Jin, helping him load the suitcase into the car. Song Jin carried the cat carrier with Grapefruit inside and sat in the back seat.
“That neighbourhood is really expensive. I thought Xinglan bought it for himself,” Zhao Hai said while driving. “But then he said it was yours.”
He smiled and glanced at Song Jin through the rearview mirror. “Xinglan has really grown up, knowing how to treat his older brother well.”
Grapefruit lay on his lap, dozing off. Song Jin looked down, stroking the cat’s back, without saying a word.
“The neighbourhood is upscale, so the security is good. The guards recognize people by sight and only allow residents to enter. They won’t let unfamiliar faces in. You can feel safe living there alone.”
Song Jin’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. He seemed to realise why Song Xinglan wanted him to live there.
If the security was adequate, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about Song Xiangping suddenly showing up. As Zhao Hai said, he could live there with some peace of mind.
Outside the car window, the early spring scenery sped by, transitioning from fields to the city. Song Jin leaned back in his seat, not exactly feeling happy. But he was certainly more at ease than before.
***
Zhao Hai had probably been there with Song Xinglan before. He rolled down the window and greeted the guard, who saluted him and then looked at the back seat. Zhao Hai laughed, “The real owner is here.”
The guard understood and smiled, nodding at Song Jin.
The car drove down a tree-lined path. The houses inside were not arranged in neat lines but scattered irregularly, looking like a cosy little village with trees and streams. It was very quiet.
The moment he pushed open the door, Song Jin immediately noticed that the layout of this place was very similar to his house in the countryside. There was a yard, a standalone building, and even a wooden swing set under a tree in the yard, just like at home.
Grapefruit had been a bit nervous. But as soon as he saw the swing set, he suddenly poked his head out and meowed, seemingly eager to move.
“It looks like this little cat likes it here too,” Zhao Hai laughed. “I thought this place resembled your countryside house. I told Xinglan that you would definitely feel at home here.”
Song Jin nodded. “Mm.”
Having spent the past few years in the countryside, he was used to the vast and open scenery. Suddenly returning to the city was a bit of an adjustment. But this place might really be the most comfortable spot for him in the city.
It wasn’t as cramped and dark as his previous attic, nor as empty and cold as Song Xiangping’s villa.
***
After consulting with the university’s specialised teachers and discussing with Yuan Ya, Song Jin finally decided to apply for architecture. He chose the same university he had attended before, as it was one of the top universities in the province. Besides, Song Jin no longer wanted to start over in a new place alone. All his memories, all his experiences, both good and bad, were in this city. They were intertwined yet familiar, deeply rooted in his life. Song Jin didn’t have the strength to tear them apart. And now it seemed there was no need to do so.
Life wasn’t much different from how it was in the countryside. Song Jin bought groceries and cooked for himself, went to the library in the afternoon to read, and worked a bit in the evenings. Sometimes, he would wonder how his vegetable plot in the countryside was doing. Before returning to the city, he had given the usage rights to a neighbour, who said that the next time Song Jin visited, he could take whatever was growing there.
Since Song Jin had returned to the city, Song Xinglan had only called him once to ask how he was settling in.
Song Jin said, “It’s okay.”
Then the conversation fell silent. Song Xinglan was quiet for a moment before saying, “Then I’ll hang up.”
Song Jin: “Mm.”
Song Jin never deliberately tried to capture those subtle emotions. Before this, he had already said as much as he could, as much as he should. If they could maintain this balanced state, even if it was awkward and strained, it didn’t matter as long as it wasn’t like before.
Forgiveness wasn’t possible, truly not possible. The misdeeds could never be erased. Song Jin just wanted to let go for his own sake. His life was starting to have some direction again, like preparing for the graduate exam, thinking about the future. He wanted to move forward slowly.
***
Today, Song Jin left the library early. The early spring breeze was cool. He sat on the lounge chair on the balcony with a blanket over him, reading a book. The sun was about to set, casting a hazy and gentle light. Grapefruit was curled up, sleeping at the edge of the chair.
A breeze blew through. Song Jin pressed down a page that had been lifted by the wind. Suddenly, Grapefruit lifted his head, looking through the glass railing of the balcony, staring at the gate of the courtyard below.
It was a black, wrought-iron gate, and not very big. Song Jin looked through it and saw someone standing outside.
Through the gate and the shadows of the surrounding trees, he couldn’t see the person’s face clearly. But Song Jin knew it was Song Xinglan.
Song Jin put down his book, picked up Grapefruit, and went downstairs.
He opened the front door, walked down the steps, crossed the path in the yard, and approached the gate. Through the bars, he saw Song Xinglan standing there in a black coat. His face was obscured by the intricate ironwork, looking somewhat weary.
“Ge.” Song Xinglan stood outside, calling to him.
“You said you wouldn’t disturb me.” Grapefruit struggled in his arms. So Song Jin set him down on the ground as he spoke.
“Just came to check on you,” Song Xinglan said. “I was planning to leave after standing here for a bit.”
“Grapefruit noticed you.” Song Jin looked down at the chubby orange cat trying to squeeze through the gate to meet Song Xinglan and said, “I never realised he had such sharp eyesight before.”
Song Xinglan squatted down, extended his finger, and gave Grapefruit a little high-five through the gap. Then he stood up. His eyes looked through the patterned gate bars at Song Jin as he asked, “Have you had dinner?”
“No.” The weather was a bit chilly. So Song Jin pulled down the sleeves of his sweater a bit and said, “I’ll eat later. I’m not hungry yet.”
“Okay.” Song Xinglan took a step forward, reached into his coat pocket, and took out a very small item. He passed it through the gate. “A kid on the plane gave it to me. He said it was very sweet.”
It was a small, exquisitely wrapped candy, reflecting beautiful light in the dim evening glow.
Song Jin remembered that when they were young, he and Song Xinglan both loved candy but never fought over it because Song Jin would always share more with Song Xinglan. They would sit on the carpet in front of the room’s floor-to-ceiling windows, eating candy while watching the birds fly by outside. Occasionally, Song Jin would use a tissue to wipe Song Xinglan’s drool.
Children seem to really like candy. The sweet taste of childhood can easily fade over the years, making one think it never existed. But when you recall carefully, you can remember at least some of it. The pure joy from back then was never fake.
Song Jin raised his hand to take the candy and asked, “Aren’t you going to eat it?”
It seemed a bit childish—it was just a piece of candy, yet treated so ceremoniously. They were like two children secretly meeting to share sweets.
“When we were kids, you always gave them to me,” Song Xinglan said, gazing at Song Jin’s downcast eyes. “From now on, everything is all yours.”
Song Jin squeezed the candy wrapper, producing a crisp sound. He smiled. But his eyes stung with tears.
Song Xinglan remembered just as much as he did. In their few childhood memories together, every little detail became unforgettable due to their subsequent separation. The past Song Xinglan had wrapped those memories in hatred, whether out of blindness or twisted obsession. It pushed them further apart, filling the space between them with blood, tears, and animosity.
What was wrong was still wrong. Song Jin had always believed this. Yet he couldn’t help but fantasise about how great it would have been if Song Xinglan hadn’t done those things.
“You have to stay true to your words,” Song Jin said, lifting his head and looking into Song Xinglan’s eyes through the black patterns of the gate.
“I will,” Song Xinglan replied.
A thin crescent moon hung in the sky and a cool breeze rustled the early spring leaves. They stood there, looking at each other. Though still separated by a gate, it was truly a close distance.
Grapefruit stood between them, suddenly looking up at a shooting star streaking across the starry sky and meowed.
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Next update: -Daily-
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