Your Distance

57-XD

Your birth year(1) is filled with misfortune, this saying was true.

On his thirty-sixth birthday, the great Professor Bai learned what it meant to be middle-aged. You had both older and younger people to take care of, and life was difficult.

Ting Shuang was a confident little boy, and from home in the morning to when they ate lunch outside in the afternoon, he never stopped complaining. “He always frightened me by acting like a professor” here, and “he said if I can’t pass my exams in early August, he won’t take me out to play during the autumn vacation, and will leave me alone at home” there.

Bai Changyi had lived for 36 years, and had never received more criticism and education than he had today.

In the afternoon, the great Professor Bai thought that going shopping with his parents and the little kid Ting Shuang, only involved driving a car and carrying bags, so there would be no disasters, but little did he expect—

“Ting Ting, it’s both your and Changyi’s birth year this year. Didn’t you want to go to the beach during autumn vacation? Each of you should buy a pair of big red swimming trunks.” Su Ping touched the fabric of the swimming trunks on the male model, thinking that it didn’t feel bad.

“I have swimming trunks.” Bai Changyi looked away.

Ting Shuang was also unwilling to wear red swimming trunks, so he followed Bai Laoban’s example and shied away, “Me too—”

“He doesn’t,” Bai Changyi said.

Shit.

Ting Shuang was angry. He didn’t want to wear red swimming trunks alone.

His mind churned, and he said to Su Ping particularly obediently, “Auntie… I want to wear matching swimming trunks with Changyi.”

Bai Changyi: “…”

Five minutes later, Bai Changyi held an additional shopping bag with two tight red swimming trunks of different sizes inside it.

After shopping all afternoon, Ting Shuang received a pair of red swimming trunks and new clothes that he could wear for at least three autumns, while Bai Changyi only received a pair of red swimming trunks.

In the evening, Su Ping and Bai Zhongyan were going back to Berlin. Before leaving, Su Ping wanted to speak to Ting Shuang alone.

The two of them walked up beside a fountain sculpture. Not far away, there was a roadside performer playing the guitar and singing a German folk song “The Final Night”.

The water gurgled. Strings were plucked softly. The song resounded strongly.

The lyrics went: “You are my treasure, you will always be my treasure…”

“Ting Ting.” Su Ping sat on the stone benches arranged in a circle around the fountain, the sun illuminating the wrinkles in the corners of her eyes, the few strands of white hair that had just grown on her head, and the sincerity in her eyes.

“Mm,” Ting Shuang sat beside her.

“In the past two or three years, today is the day I’ve been the happiest.” Su Ping said with a smile, “Changyi really is lucky to have met you.”

“No, no…” Ting Shuang shook his head again and again, feeling as if he was not worthy of such a big compliment, “I am really lucky to have met him… I mean it, I’m not just being polite.”

“I’m not just being polite too.” Su Ping glanced at Bai Changyi, who was waiting under a tree in the distance. “He’s my son, I know all of his good and bad points. I’ve always been worried about how he has no care and passions in life.”