Chapter Eighteen: Peaceful Bamboo Flute

  The fourth period in the morning was history class, and the teacher only taught for half a period. The rest of the time was spent letting classmates read on their own. Due to staying up too late last night, Liu Ya spent the entire morning class in a daze. At this point, she really couldn't hold on anymore, so she put her head down on the desk and went to meet Zhou Gong with reckless abandon.

  "Aya." Liu Ya heard someone calling her name and turned around to see her old dad! Liu Ya took a serious look at the environment around her, it was in front of their home in Long County - that familiar apple tree, that familiar bamboo forest, that familiar home. Looking at her father who was standing right in front of her, he was holding the bamboo flute she got for her tenth birthday, smiling at her. "Dad..." Liu Ya couldn't help but feel a surge of sadness from the bottom of her heart, ever since leaving home, she always pretended to be nonchalant in front of others, but actually, she was always thinking about the parents who raised her for over ten years. "Dad, I miss you and mom so much, are you guys doing okay?"

  "We're all good, we're all good." Dad smiled at her. "Xiao Ya, when you left, you forgot to bring this with you. You once promised Dad that no matter what happened, you would always carry the safe bamboo flute with you. Look, you got confused again and forgot to bring it with you." As he spoke, Dad handed over the bamboo flute in his hand, and Liu Ya happily reached out to take it.

  Suddenly, a "bang" sound woke her up. It turned out that she was dreaming. Just now, when she subconsciously stretched out her hand, she knocked over the book on the desk, and the book fell to the ground. In the quiet classroom, due to this slight movement, everyone looked at Liu Ya. Liu Ya quickly picked up the book and continued to pretend to read. The teacher on the podium just glanced at her and said nothing, continuing to let everyone read.

  "Aya, what's wrong?" Huang Ying felt Liu Ya's abnormality and asked her with concern.

  "There's nothing," Liu Ya smiled faintly and said to Huang Ying, "Maybe I slept too late last night, today I'm a bit sleepy, my spirit can't concentrate."

  "I'm sorry," Huang Ying said with a guilty conscience, "Last night, the sisters in the dormitory were too troublesome, making you sleep so late and having no energy today."

  "It's okay." Liu Ya still smiled and said, "At noon, I'll take a nap and be fine. Read a book."

  Huang Ying wanted to say something more, but seeing Liu Ya's serious expression, she could only continue reading. And Liu Ya, on the surface, looked serious while reading, but after a while, she began to daydream again, slowly recalling her dream from earlier, which was so realistic in the dream. "Could it be that 'the thoughts of the day are reflected in the dreams of the night'?" Liu Ya silently asked herself.

  At this time, Liu Jia-wei, who was sitting at the next table to Liu Ya, turned his head and looked at Liu Ya, finding that Liu Ya's expression seemed a bit sorrowful. "A Ya, what's wrong? You look like you're feeling sad about something. What happened?" Liu Jia-wei thought to himself quietly. At this time, Xiao Yu, who was sitting at the same table as Liu Jia-wei, and Li Jin-yi, who was sitting at the next table behind them, were also looking at Liu Ya, seemingly having the same thoughts as Liu Jia-wei.

  Ding dong ding... Ding dong ding...

  Finally, the bell rang, and after saying goodbye to the teacher, the classmates packed up their homework on the table and prepared to leave.

  "Aya, wait for me, I'll go to the restroom and be right back." Zi Qing hadn't even finished speaking before she rushed out with a whoosh. Lei Zhengzi was indeed Lei Zhengzi, her overbearing personality was just too much, even in a public place like this, she had to loudly announce that she was going to the restroom. Liu Ya looked at Zi Qing's retreating back with a smile on his face and shook his head helplessly.

  "Wow, this Lei Zhengzi, wants to strike people dead!? Don't let her walk with me next time!" Lu Xuan furrowed her brow, flicking the hair hanging on her shoulders, and said discontentedly: "Even going to the toilet is so unglamorous, did you drink too much last night and get constipated? Hmph, after all we're beauties, image is very important!"

  "You've never been stifled!" Huang Ying was amused by Lu Xuan and couldn't help but say a sentence.

  "It's just that, Xiao Xuanxuan, you should be considerate of others." Haiyue took over the conversation, "If you were also stifled, I reckon it wouldn't be much better than Lei Zhenzi either."

  "I agree." Liu Ya stared at Lu Xuan's face, saying: "Sister Xuan's strength is not something that Lei Zhengzi can compare to. Lei Zhengzi has a domineering air about him, but Sister Xuan should be completely overflowing with it, obviously not on the same level." Then, each of the beauties imagined the scene where Lu Xuan was holding back, and they all laughed uncontrollably.

  "What's wrong with you guys?!" Lu Xuan glared at them and couldn't help but laugh too.

  "What's so funny? What's so funny?"

  Without seeing the person, I first heard her voice. Zi Qing rushed into the crowd of beauties with quick steps, scanning everyone, hoping to see the answer she wanted. However, this answer, probably no one would give it to her, otherwise, who dares to guarantee that she wouldn't electrocute someone to death?

  Seeing that no one gave an answer, Zi Qing pouted and pulled Liu Ya's hand: "Little princess, if you have something fun, tell sister too, let me have some fun too."

  "It's nothing." Liu Ya smiled and said, then saw Zi Qing holding a package in her hand, and asked: "Lei Zhenzi, you're so fast? Not only did you go to the WC, but also took the package? This is the excellent tradition of your Lightning Family?"

  "What's up!" Zi Qing saw Liu Ya change the subject and had to give up, "Just ran into Luo Xiao Xi, he helped pick up this package. Oh, right, this package is yours." After saying that, she handed the package over to Liu Ya.

  "Mine?" Liu Ya was surprised and thought silently, "Who could be sending me a package?"

  "Yes." Zi Qing said very affirmatively, "It's still from Long County, look."

  Liu Ya heard Zi Qing say this, and as a result, she carefully looked at the long package box, her heart suddenly trembling, "It can't be..."

  "Let's go, let's eat first, I'm so hungry." Zi Qing patted her little belly lightly, "I'm almost starving to death."

  "Hey, Leizhenzi, at least have some image, okay?" Lu Xuan glared at her.

  "Man is iron, rice is steel, one meal missed and you're weak. Haven't you heard that before?" Zi Qing retorted bluntly.

  "You all go eat first, I'll be right there." Liu Ya said to the crowd of beautiful sisters, carrying her bag and walking out of the classroom.

  "Aya..." Huang Ying called out to her, but was pulled by a seagull and didn't speak again.

  "Let her go, we'll go eat first." Seagull had been observing Liu Ya earlier and saw that she looked a bit sad when she took over the package. After speaking, Seagull turned around and walked out of the classroom, Lu Xuan and Zi Qing as well as Huang Ying looked at each other and also walked out of the classroom.

  Liu Ya sat down on a large stone by the creek behind the school teaching building, slowly unwrapping her package. As expected, it was the Ping'an bamboo flute. She quietly listened to the sound of the water flowing in the creek and gently stroked the flute, unable to hold back tears that silently dripped onto the flute.

  This bamboo flute was made by her father with a special kind of bamboo called "Ping'an Bamboo" from their hometown. He had taken her to a nearby clear stream and spent an entire day selecting a white creek stone that had been washed and polished by the water for years, resembling white jade. To find this stone, her father had fallen into the water many times and picked up countless stones before finally choosing it.

  Later, he had even gone to a processing plant in town to grind and drill holes in the stone to make it into a pendant. Her father had once told her that he hoped she would always be safe and pure like the white creek stone, no matter what happened. This bamboo flute was a symbol of her father's love for her.

  It was with this flute that her father had taught her how to play music when she was young. Although she often played wrong notes at first, her father never scolded her but instead patiently taught her note by note and posture by posture. When she finally learned her first song, her father took out his own flute and played a duet with her in front of their family.

  At that time, the whole family was filled with joy. Liu Ya treasured this bamboo flute from the moment her father gave it to her and always carried it with her, even when she went to school. However, on the evening before returning to Su City, her parents' words had made her very sad and heartbroken. The next day, when leaving Long County, Liu Ya left the flute on the bed where she used to sleep and didn't take it with her.

  Now, the bamboo flute is back in her hands, recalling all sorts of scenes from before. Liu Ya sat with her legs crossed, hugging it tightly and couldn't help but sob silently. After a while, Liu Ya calmed herself down and looked into the package again, thinking there should be something else inside. Indeed, there was a folded letter inside. Liu Ya took it out and unfolded it, and her father's handwriting jumped into her eyes, causing her tears to fall silently once more.

  "Xiao Ya, the day has finally come. Daddy's decision made you very sad and heartbroken, daddy knows. If possible, try to forgive daddy. Daddy hopes you can be happy forever, safe and sound."

  "Dad, are you wrong? How can I forgive you?" Liu Ya gently wiped away her tears, picked up the bamboo flute and played "Spring of the Northern Country". This was the first piece that Dad had learned in the army camp and taught her. The flute sound was lingering, filled with nostalgia for her hometown.

  "Dad, I will definitely be happy!" Liu Ya said firmly to herself as the song came to an end.

  Digression

  Liu Ya: (in a stern tone) Chen Yue, come here!

  What's wrong?

  Liu Ya: Where have you been all this time? Forgotten about me?

  Brother, sister is working overtime... working overtime... infinite overtime...