'SEE YOU MORNING' 053 Spring's Footsteps

After finally getting through the first week of work in the new role, though surrounded by beautiful women during office hours, Li Haojun’s thoughts kept drifting back to Kesiya. Every work report she sent stirred his emotions—to the point where he could no longer calm himself, and a kind of unfocused anger would rise up. Of course, it wasn’t directed at Kesiya.

On Saturday morning, before breakfast, under a drizzling rain, Li Haojun silently picked up a pair of scissors and began pruning the roses planted in the small front courtyard of their home. It seemed that this mechanical action could clear the tangled thoughts from his mind.

“Time to eat,” Qin Wenjing had finished preparing breakfast and called to him through the glass door of the living room.

“Coming,” Li Haojun answered, looking up at Qin Wenjing.

She was wearing a pair of emerald-green skinny pants, a small round-necked, button-up crimson quilted jacket embroidered with childish depictions of the twelve zodiac animals—pig, horse, cow, sheep, dog, rabbit, snake, and so on. Her hair was casually styled into a loose braid draped over her left shoulder. Watching her turn and walk away, the restlessness inside him made it impossible for Li Haojun to truly appreciate her.

He washed his hands and sat at the table. Qin Wenjing ate with her head down, ignoring him, so Li Haojun ate by himself as well. Occasionally he glanced up at her, but she showed no sign of wanting to speak.

When he finished, he looked up to find Qin Wenjing already done, sitting there playing with her braid. Still silent. Every now and then she would dart a glance at him, but say nothing. So Li Haojun asked,

“What’s wrong? Why are you fiddling with your braid?”

“Oh,” Qin Wenjing sighed, then deliberately drew out her voice in a coquettish tone,

“Look at this braid. Three strands, but two are missing. How can it be braided well?”

Li Haojun leaned over to look and said,

“Aren’t there three strands there?”

Hearing that, Qin Wenjing pouted and rolled her eyes, looking quite displeased.

“Oh dear, of these three strands of hair, aside from one that still belongs to me, one has long since gone to Malaya and one to Kesiya. I braid and braid by myself, but they just won’t come together.” She pouted and shot him a sidelong glance.

At her words, Li Haojun quickly went around the table, knelt on one knee in front of Qin Wenjing, wrapped his arms around her thighs, and said,

“You noticed? I’m sorry. I guess I can’t hide anything—is it all over my face? I’ve made you unhappy too.”

“Nonsense. Your old lady here is nearly a hundred years old. What can’t I see?” With that, Qin Wenjing giggled and poked his forehead with her finger.

Without hesitation, Li Haojun buried his face between Qin Wenjing’s legs, pressing in so hard he could barely breathe. Then, in a muffled voice, he confessed,

“I’m so sorry. Who knew how this damn company would arrange things? I mean, even if a little cat or dog dies, people grieve for a while. And here’s a living person, torn away just like that. My heart is made of flesh too. I’m not trying to be bad to you.”

Qin Wenjing let out a laugh, shaking his head as she said,

“Alright, alright. How about we go see her?”

Li Haojun instantly looked up at her with a shocked expression.

“Consider it a weekend getaway for you and me,” Qin Wenjing added.

Li Haojun kept staring at her, not knowing what to say.

“Aren’t you going to ask if she’s free today? What if some other guy has already asked her out?”

Li Haojun chuckled and finally found his line,

“If she’s taken, then I’ll just give up. Wouldn’t that be better?”

“Go on, don’t be so dramatic in front of me,” Qin Wenjing said with a smile and gave him a push.

Li Haojun sent a message. At first, Kesiya was a bit confused, replying perfunctorily. But when she heard it was Qin Wenjing’s idea and that the two of them would come together, she took it seriously. They set a time and place.

Li Haojun did not choose the newly purchased flying car. He wasn’t yet familiar with it and didn’t want Qin Wenjing to share any risk. Instead, he opted for a commercial flight.

Flying over the land touched by spring felt completely different from going alone to work in Kalispell. With his partner by his side and his beloved waiting at the destination—ah, it was pure enjoyment from start to finish. Throughout the flight, Li Haojun hardly looked out the window. His eyes saw only the person beside him, and his heart held only the one ahead.

Soon they arrived at the meeting place. Since it was noon, they had agreed on the food street. From a distance, he saw Kesiya already waiting there. Still short hair, a black tight jacket, still light blue jeans. Only up close could he see clearly: her jacket was a smoke-colored leather one with an asymmetrical zipper and oversized collar. She wore no scarf, but the freshwater pearl necklace.

Qin Wenjing took the initiative, holding Li Haojun’s hand as she walked up.

“Hello, Kesiya. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Hello, Emily. It wasn’t long, really.”

Qin Wenjing opened her arms and gave her a hug, then a polite kiss on the cheek. When they let go, Kesiya turned to Li Haojun, about to embrace and kiss him as well, but then hesitated, frozen for a moment, unsure of what to say.

Seeing this, Qin Wenjing turned her head slightly to the other side, smiled, walked ahead alone, and gave Kesiya a gentle push on the back. Li Haojun took the cue and pulled her into his arms, pressed his cheek against hers, breathed in her scent—compensating for his own longing, comforting her yearning. But he said nothing. Qin Wenjing was only a few steps away, and he didn’t want to go too far.

That brief embrace felt like it had already made everything worth it. Eventually, Kesiya gently pushed Li Haojun away, took his hand, and turned to catch up with Qin Wenjing.

Qin Wenjing walked slowly ahead on her own, browsing the shops along the food street. When she saw them catch up, she asked Kesiya,

“What would you like for lunch? My treat.” Then she took Kesiya’s hand and continued,

“We came all of a sudden, the two of us. I hope we’re not disrupting your normal routine.”

“No disruption at all. I don’t have any plans on weekends anyway.”

Just then Li Haojun caught up and interjected,

“No, no, Emily. Let me pay for today.”

Hearing that, Qin Wenjing glanced at him, then leaned close to Kesiya’s ear and whispered,

“If he’s paying, let’s order the expensive stuff.”

Kesiya burst out laughing and looked at Qin Wenjing.

“Why don’t you try the local specialties?” Kesiya recommended softly.

“Sure,” Qin Wenjing replied with a smile.

Li Haojun, beaming, just looked from one woman to the other without interrupting.

Kesiya led them to a place that served a grilled trout platter—the same ingredient prepared in different ways, perfect for people with different tastes to share.

Kesiya took Qin Wenjing’s hand and sat with her on one side of the table. Li Haojun dutifully sat opposite. Both were people he cared about, and it seemed two eyes weren’t enough. Qin Wenjing kept smiling at Li Haojun, while chatting with Kesiya,

“Busy with work lately?”

“A bit, actually. Running between factories all the time. Spring orders,” Kesiya answered, glancing at both Qin Wenjing and Li Haojun.

“Yes, I heard Ethan mention you too. You used to go together; now you have to solve problems on your own. He’s a little worried. So since we were free this weekend, we came to see you.” After saying this, she looked at Kesiya, who blushed, smiled back, and lowered her head.

Seeing Kesiya silent, Qin Wenjing turned back to Li Haojun, smiling but saying nothing.

Li Haojun thought to himself, I never said that. You’re the one who suggested coming to see her. But he couldn’t explain all the details in front of Kesiya. After a pause, he said,

“Right. Even though the procedure includes a smart robot companion, it’s not the same as a real person.”

Kesiya kept her head down, looking up at Li Haojun through her lashes with a charming, shy smile. Her big eyes under those fluttering lashes were utterly captivating.

Qin Wenjing watched Li Haojun’s awkward expression for a while, then turned back to Kesiya.

“We haven’t seen you since Christmas. I missed you too.”

“Thank you for thinking of me, sister,” Kesiya said, looking into Qin Wenjing’s eyes, then lowered her gaze to the table. After a moment, she glanced at Li Haojun opposite, then looked away.

“Too bad Malaya isn’t here today. Ethan told me she went for training.”

“Yes,” Kesiya responded casually.

Qin Wenjing, however, fixed her eyes on Li Haojun. She very much wanted to see how greedy his gaze would become at the mention of Malaya. She wanted to see him squirm. The subtext seemed to be: Is one sister enough? Or do you need the younger one too?

Li Haojun just grinned back, as if knowing she was teasing him.

After a while, the food arrived. Kesiya was a bit reserved at first, but Li Haojun and Qin Wenjing worked together to get her to try everything. After a bit of fuss, Qin Wenjing looked up, pursed her lips, and cast a sly smile at Li Haojun.

When they had eaten their fill and he had admired the two women before him enough, Li Haojun finally looked around. It was a small, traditional shop with wooden construction, likely not just decoration—the doors and windows were clearly handmade, the walls wooden planks with beam supports, no paint, all natural wood, showing the marks of age. The glass in the windows and doors seemed old, slightly uneven with a green tint. The spring sunlight, still low in the sky, scattered and refracted through the glass, casting dappled light and shadow on the tables, chairs, and floor, full of nostalgia. And the beautiful woman sitting opposite him, bathed in that light—Li Haojun so wished she were his wife and daughter. How perfect life would be then.

Leaving the food street, they strolled to a nearby park. The poplars and pines had sprouted new leaves, and the air was thick with the vitality of spring plants.

They came to a children’s playground with swings, slides, and climbing frames of various colors. No one was playing. Qin Wenjing’s interest was piqued.

“I want to try the slide,” she said cheerfully and ran over.

“Don’t you want to try?” Li Haojun asked Kesiya beside him. She answered with a gentle gaze fixed on him, her short hair swaying in the breeze as she walked, strands occasionally lifting.

By the time they reached the slide, Qin Wenjing had already gone down. The scale was mismatched—her bottom almost filled the slide, and her body rose well above the handrails. She slid to the bottom, then got up and clumped back up the ladder.

But by then Li Haojun was standing at the top of the slide. Seeing Qin Wenjing still recklessly sliding down with unabated enthusiasm, he glanced at the bottom of the slide and predicted she would land hard on her rear again. So as she started to descend, he reached out and stopped her.

“We just ate. Slow down. Don’t jostle your stomach.”

This time, after sliding down, Qin Wenjing fell silent. Her earlier excitement vanished. She walked off on her own.

Li Haojun glanced at Kesiya, wondering what was wrong with this woman. He hurried after her and asked,

“What is it? Why are you upset?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing.” Qin Wenjing turned her face away.

Li Haojun looked at Kesiya again—do you see what’s wrong? But Kesiya said nothing, just looked at him silently.

He quickened his pace, got in front of Qin Wenjing, and looked at her face. She was silently weeping, biting her lip to hold back sound.

Li Haojun grabbed her arm, held her shoulders, and faced her.

“Tell me. What’s wrong?”

“I… I remembered when I was little, playing on the slide with my dad…” Before she could finish, she burst into a loud cry.

Li Haojun finally understood. He wiped her tears and tried to soothe her, but how could he calm her down? He pulled her into his arms, patted her back gently, and comforted her.

Just then, Kesiya came up and wrapped her arms around both of them. She too wanted this warmth and love.

Li Haojun turned his head toward her and drew her into his embrace as well.

On the return flight, only the last streak of crimson sunset remained on the horizon. In the dusk, it was about to be swallowed by the blue-purple sky and the darkening earth.

Qin Wenjing sat quietly by the window. The sunset glow outlined the contours of her cheeks. The bloodshot redness from crying was still faintly visible in her eyes. Li Haojun stepped over silently, pulled her head—and the sunset with it—into his embrace, and gazed out the window alone, watching as darkness consumed the last trace of light.

Stroking Qin Wenjing’s hair, watching her nestle peacefully in his arms, Li Haojun could not help but think about the coming year, 2095, and how he would face it.