I Heard You're Hard To Chase - Chapter 23

It was the early morning of the next day. Jiang Xu had promised Xie Huai that he would continue the story today. However, everything remained the same.

His arms ached and felt numb from holding Xie Huai, but it was as if he couldn’t feel anything.

“Baby, it’s the next day, I’ll continue to tell you that story, okay?” Jiang Xu’s voice was the same as usual, without any big fluctuations.

The person in his arms seemed to be in a deep slumber. No matter how many times Jiang Xu called his name, there was no response.

“Xie Huai, you told me to keep telling you the story, didn’t you?” Jiang Xu’s voice wavered as he spoke. “Xie Huai, why…why are you not answering me?”

Jiang Xu lowered his eyes. He leaned closely against Xie Huai, his throat tightening: “You yourself promised me…but you lied to me…”

Jiang Xu hoped that this was a joke played by Xie Huai on him. Xie Huai couldn’t bear to see him in pain, right? He would surely open his eyes, smile, and say, “Jiang Xu, I was just kidding. Don’t cry, or I’ll feel bad.”

But there was none of that.

What Jiang Xu received was Xie Huai’s death certificate.

Xie Huai never made it past the last day of late summer.

Xie Huai’s funeral was simple, with very few people in attendance.

Jiang Xu didn’t cry. His face bore no expression. He was so calm that even Jiang’s parents felt uneasy.

After the burial, many people had left, and only Xie Huai’s parents, Jiang Xu, and Jiang Xu’s parents stood in front of Xie Huai’s tombstone.

Mrs. Zhao and Father Xie’s eyes were red from crying. In order to prevent Mrs. Zhao from being further stimulated, Father Xie led her away.

Jiang Xu’s mother came closer, holding her son’s hand, wanting to console him but not knowing what to say: “Xuxu…”

Jiang Xu’s voice was suppressed and hoarse: “Mom, you and Dad go ahead. I want to stay alone with him for a while.”

Jiang Xu’s father patted him on the shoulder, then took his wife away.

After a while, Jiang Xu was the only one left in the entire cemetery.

Jiang Xu stared at the black and white photo of Xie Huai with a bright and sunny smile on the tombstone for a long time, and finally slowly sat down next to the tombstone.

Then he took out the storybook from his bag and turned to the last story.

The one he hadn’t finished reading to Xie Huai.

Jiang Xu promised Xie Huai that he would finish the story as promised.

Jiang Xu slowly read it.

“At last, the Labrador named Douqi survived, but its owner sacrificed his life to save it in that avalanche. It was left without a home. Douqi would stay by its owner’s tombstone day and night because its owner told it that where he was, there would also be a home for Douqi.”

“Day after day, year after year, Douqi would bring some food to place in front of its owner’s grave. It remembered that its owner used to feed it first, so it wanted to do the same. But it didn’t understand why its owner didn’t eat the food, just watched it rot, and brought more food again. This continued for three years.”

“On a day in the fourth year, Douqi suddenly saw its owner waving to it. Douqi hadn’t seen its owner in so long, so it wagged its tail excitedly and rushed over. Then it left the graveyard with its owner.”

“Douqi died by its owner’s tombstone.”

This is probably a story about a loyal dog.

Jiang Xu finished reading, placed the storybook aside, and leaned his head against Xie Huai’s tombstone.

“Baby, I’ve finished reading. Can you hear it?” Tears welled up in Jiang Xu’s eyes. “In the next life, you can’t break your promise again, okay?”

In the end, Jiang Xu couldn’t hold back anymore and burst into tears.

He didn’t know how long he stayed in the cemetery, but it was already the next morning when Jiang Xu returned home.

Jiang Xu didn’t sleep a wink all night, and he didn’t feel tired. All he could think about was Xie Huai. He looked very decadent, like a soulless walking zombie.

He opened the door and walked in, and saw Xiao Huaihuai running towards him wagging its tail. Little Huaihuai had grown very big, and was no longer the small puppy it once was.

Xiao Huaihuai slipped around in front of Jiang Xu for a few times, then sat at the entrance and looked out the door.

Seems to be waiting for someone.

After waiting for a long time, Xiao Huaihuai didn’t see anyone come in again.

It turned around, bit onto Jiang Xu’s pants, and pulled him to the door. It then extended its tongue and raised its head to look at Jiang Xu before glancing at the door again.

Over the past year, Xiao Huaihuai has basically been raised by Jiang Xu’s parents, but he remembered that the person who picked him up was not them, but Xie Huai.

He also remembered that his father Xie Huai often went home with his father Jiang Xu, but he did not see his father Xie Huai today.

Little Huaihuai didn’t know how to express itself, one person and one dog just stood there at the entrance hall.

At this moment, Jiang Xu’s phone vibrated and the screen lit up. The lock screen showed a picture of Xie Huai smiling at the camera.

Xiao Huaihuai saw it and immediately went to grab Jiang Xu’s cell phone. Jiang Xu couldn’t hold it firmly and dropped the cell phone on the ground.

Xiao Huaihuai tapped the phone screen with his foot, and then motioned Jiang Xu to look at it.

Its eyes seemed to be asking Jiang Xu, “Where’s my other daddy? Why didn’t he come back with you?”

Jiang Xu knelt down and hugged Xiao Huaihuai.

“Your father doesn’t want me anymore,” Jiang Xu put his forehead against Xiao Huaihuai’s and couldn’t help but choke, “Your father doesn’t want us anymore.”

He closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face, his heartache threatening to burst, “Xie Huai doesn’t want me anymore…”

Xiao Huaihuai didn’t know whether he understood or not, but he didn’t eat a grain of dog food or even take a sip of water for three days in a row.

So, Jiang Xu took it to Xie Huai’s cemetery. Xiao Huaihuai looked at the photo of Xie Huai on the tombstone. A few minutes later, Xiao Huaihuai lay quietly in front of the tombstone.

Later, Xiao Huaihuai started to eat again.

But it would run to Xie Huai’s grave every week, and then lie down quietly for a while. It would rub its head against the tombstone, but its father, Xie Huai, would never stretch out his hand to hold it like before-

It was the third year of high school when school started, and the seat next to Jiang Xu was always empty. Lu Yi noticed that their class monitor was becoming more and more silent and less talkative, but he would always stare at the desk next to him in a daze.

Lu Yi thought that Jiang Xu missed Xie Huai who was far away in a foreign country, so he comforted him: “Xie Huai will come back in the future.”

Jiang Xu was silent for a long time. When Lu Yi thought Jiang Xu wouldn’t speak, he heard Jiang Xu say “hmm” in a low voice.

It was a math class. After Jiang Xu took notes, he subconsciously turned his head to see if Xie Huai was wearing his school uniform while sleeping, but he only saw an empty seat.

Obviously Xie Huai has not been in school for a long time, but Jiang Xu still wasn’t used to it. His awareness often lingered on the times when Xie Huai was sitting beside him.

Jiang Xu tightened the pen in his hand and continued to listen to the lecture with an expressionless face.

One time after physical education class, Lu Yi stuffed a lemon candy into Jiang Xu’s hand.

Jiang Xu stared at the lemon candy for a long time.

He tore open the wrapping paper and took it into his mouth.

It was sour, incredibly sour, and not sweet at all.

It wasn’t the same as the lemon candy he shared with Xie Huai.

Jiang Xu had never tasted lemon candy this sour before, and it brought tears to his eyes.

Lu Yi was dumbfounded and thought to himself that the candy wasn’t sour at all, but Jiang Xu was crying.

After school, Jiang Xu always took a route through an alley with yellow oak trees. When he reached the entrance of the alley, he would stop and look inside.

There was no familiar noise coming from inside, and he didn’t see any familiar faces either.

That evening, when Jiang Xu returned home, he found that his mother had already come back and prepared a table full of dishes.

“Mom, let me help you,” Jiang Xu walked over and set the dishes on the table.

He felt a bit thirsty; he hadn’t had any water all day. He walked to the automatic water dispenser, intending to pour himself a glass, and noticed a half lemon pattern on the cup.

It was a couple’s cup that Xie Huai had bought with him. The other half was set aside, though it looked clean, it hadn’t been used in a long time.

Jiang Xu stood there holding the cup for a long time until his mother came over.

“Xuxu, what’s wrong with you?” Mother Jiang asked worriedly.

Jiang Xu turned his head, his eyes were red, and the red bloodshot eyes could be clearly seen.

“Mom…” Jiang Xu suddenly called her.

His mother rushed up and embraced her son, patting his back gently.

“Mom, I miss Xie Huai,” Jiang Xu lowered his hands, his fingertips trembling, and his shoulders shaking slightly, “I really miss him.”

Jiang’s mother had never seen her son cry like this. When Jiang Xu mentioned Xie Huai, her heart ached as well.

Mother Jiang said with red eyes: “It will get better, Xu Xu, everything will be fine.”

Living up to expectations, Jiang Xu took first place in the city in the final college entrance examination-

Ten years later.

Jiang Xu had just finished work and left the office building, dressed in a suit. In the midst of chattering colleagues, he got into a Rolls-Royce.

Jiang Xu was used to commuting alone, so his car didn’t come with a driver. He drove it himself back home.

Today was a special day, and he didn’t drive straight back. He parked his car near the Jialing River and got out.

After getting out of the car, he walked towards the river.

There was a stall by the river, and Jiang Xu walked over to it as he did every year.

The stall’s owner was an elderly man in his sixties, and he recognized Jiang Xu, as he came there every year.

“Child, are you here to buy that candy again?” the old man asked him with a smile.

Jiang Xu nodded: “Yes.”

The old man shook his head and said regretfully: “That type of candy is no longer available. The last store of the sugar factory was closed in October last year, so we can no longer stock it.”

Jiang Xu paused for a few seconds. He felt a sudden sense of loss, realizing that even the candy Xie Huai loved the most was no longer available.

Seeing Jiang Xu’s expression, the old man quickly handed him another bag of candy. “Child, these lemon candies are sweet too. But this one is hard, not as soft as that one, so I’ll give it to you.”

Jiang Xu accepted it, quietly thanked him, and left five hundred yuan there when he left.

He slowly reached a bench and sat down, placing the lemon candy to the side.

The night wind carried a faint scent of the river, making the back of his neck feel cool.

Jiang Xu covered his eyes for a long time, as if he couldn’t hold back anything anymore, a sob escaped from his lips.

“Big brother, are you crying?”

A little girl asked.

Jiang Xu slowly put down his hand but didn’t look at her, fearing he might scare the girl.

“Big brother, here’s a candy for you. My mom said eating candy makes sadness go away.”

The girl offered the candy to Jiang Xu.

Jiang Xu raised his eyes and saw it was the same dolphin-shaped candy. His eyes welled up again.

He reached out and took it, his voice trembling. “Thank you.”

The girl left. Jiang Xu didn’t know how long he sat there. Eventually, when his legs had gone numb, he stood up and walked back to where he parked the car.

Jiang Xu drove the car to the cemetery. The cemetery was very quiet at night, but it didn’t look eerie. Jiang Xu got out of the car and walked inside.

Xie Huai’s grave had many flowers. Jiang Xu walked over and gently placed the dolphin-shaped candy on Xie Huai’s tombstone.

“Happy birthday, baby.”

—End of Main Story—