Hello! This is a courier company. I have a package for you. Could you please come downstairs to sign for it?"
"Oh! Thank you, just a moment! I'll be right down."
...
It was a flat, gray cardboard box. The address on it was No. 0063, Bailu Street, Luya City. The contact number was a landline, like a home or work number. There was no sender's signature. I rushed into the room and opened it. When I saw the contents, I realized everything.
There were three items in the box: a group photo of the three of us when we were about to leave military academy after graduation, a gray-brown wooden bracelet, and a letter that wasn't in an envelope and was simply folded.
Yu Jian:
Hello, this is Yi Mei. We haven't been in touch for a long time. I heard from Ji An that you've transferred to a local job. This is the address he gave me, asking me to send these things to you. Also, I have something else to tell you: Ji An passed away at 9:10 PM on the 20th of last month, gone forever! In the last few hours before he passed away, I stayed with him. During his lucid moments, he mentioned you several times, saying he missed you terribly! Regarding the photo and the bracelet, Jian said it was something we had discussed beforehand!
I'm sorry, Yujian! Jian's situation happened very suddenly. When I arrived at the hospital, the surgery was already over, and the doctor had issued a critical condition notice! I didn't tell you about these things in time, please forgive me! Thank you! Wishing you
all the best!
Yimei,
December 25, 2013.
After reading this short letter, I was stunned! I looked at it carefully again from beginning to end, and it was indeed true! I really didn't want to believe it was real. I picked up the photo. In the photo, Jian was standing between me and Yimei, one arm around my shoulder and the other around Yimei's waist. I clearly remember that we were laughing very exaggeratedly at the time. Later, because I reported to the unit before them, I didn't get this photo of the three of us. In addition, other things delayed things, and this matter was delayed again and again until now.
After graduation, I met Jian twice, once at the Donghai* training ground and once when I received a mission at the anti-terrorism command base. We were both in a rush and didn't exchange many words, but I still clearly remember all the banter we had in that very limited time.
"Yu Jian, don't forget your best buddy while you're working for the higher-ups. Help Yi Mei out if you get the chance; she can't stay in the combat unit forever!"
"Ji An, what are you saying! I, Yu Jian, will always keep you guys in my heart. I'll never forget a single word you told me! Oh, and next time you go to the US, remember to bring me back a small gift! Don't forget your brother who can't go abroad! Hehe..."
I picked up the bracelet, and a mellow, lingering fragrance wafted over, like the scent of sandalwood. I didn't have time to pay attention to that; I quickly put it on the table and looked at the delivery address and phone number. "Ring ring... ring ring..." The phone number I left didn't answer. Undeterred, I dialed again. "Ring ring..."
"Hello! Who is this? What can I do for you?" I recognized the voice of a middle-aged woman on the other end.
"Hello Auntie! Is Yi Mei home? I'm her classmate Yu Jian," I asked tentatively.
"Oh, Auntie heard about you from Yi Mei. She's on leave at home recently, and she's not feeling well. She just went out!"
"Thank you, Auntie, I understand. Please tell her to take care of herself when she gets back. I'll call her tonight if I have time!"
The next day, I took a week off, bought a train ticket, and went directly to Luya City.
Er
Ji'an and I were classmates in the same cadet team, very close, definitely old buddies! Yi Mei was a year below us, studying at the same military academy. The three of us actually met at the school sports meet during our sophomore year. It was because Yi Mei found Ji'an's lost meal card, and when she returned it, Ji'an, to express his gratitude, invited me to treat Yi Mei and another classmate to a meal. That's how we got to know each other. Of course, as Ji'an's old buddy, I knew everything that happened afterward! Ji'an pursued Yi Mei for two whole years, but Yi Mei neither accepted nor rejected him! Things only took a turn for the better when Yi-mei received Ji-an's twenty-third love letter in the last month before we graduated and left school. Yi-mei agreed to be with Ji-an! After that, we went our separate ways. Ji-an went to the fleet, and Yi-mei, who graduated a year later than us, went to a communications base station on the island according to orders.
After
leaving the station, with the help of a taxi driver, I quickly found No. 0063, Bailu Street, Luya City. Each house on this street had a separate courtyard, and most of the houses were two-story buildings, like old-fashioned villas, mostly hidden among the dense foliage of camphor trees. I gently pressed the doorbell, and after a while, an auntie of about fifty years old came out of the building. She came to the door and asked through the crack in the iron gate, "You are...?"
I hurriedly said, "Auntie, I'm Yu-jian!"
"Ah! Yu-jian, why didn't you tell me you were coming! Come in quickly... come in quickly!" The auntie said as she opened the iron gate.
"Child, it's so good you're here. Please try to comfort Yi-mei for me. She's lost so much weight and doesn't say a word all day, locking herself in her room. It's driving me crazy!" The auntie ushered me into the yard, her voice choked with emotion as she whispered to me.
"Auntie, I understand, don't worry! That's why I came. Don't be too upset, everything takes time, it'll pass slowly. I know Yi-mei is very sad." I comforted the old woman, reminding myself, "Yu-jian, Yu-jian, you mustn't show your sadness and grief on your face." Once
in the living room, the auntie softly told me again, "It's on the second floor, in the south-facing room!"
I looked at her; she nodded, as if to say, "Go up yourself, I won't go up!"
Knock...knock... I knocked on the door. There was no sound from the room. I knocked twice more and called softly, "Yi Mei, are you in your room? It's me, Yu Jian."
I heard her voice as if she were hurriedly getting out of bed, the sound of a chair being moved, followed by hurried footsteps towards the door. The door was only slightly ajar, and as the footsteps stopped, it opened.
She had changed a lot compared to a few years ago. Her once fair skin was now a light wheat color, her once happy and carefree eyes were now dim and sad, her short hair was a little messy, and she had lost a lot of weight.
"Come in quickly! Don't just stand there like an idiot. Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I could have picked you up at the station! This is your first time visiting my home, and I've been so rude, it's really embarrassing!" Yi Mei seemed a little surprised by my sudden arrival, but also a little delighted. She smiled, took my
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