When Lillian and Robert returned, Robert’s parents had already left.
Her grandmother was sitting in the rocking chair and had fallen asleep.
Lillian locked the door, turned off the TV, and when her grandmother sleepily woke up, she asked, “Are you back?”
“Yeah.” Lillian closed the window. “Do you want me to help you to your room, or do you want to listen to some more music? Or should I read you a story?”
“How was that young man?”
Lillian didn’t know how to answer.
Her grandmother said, “I don’t think he’s right. Maybe it’s better if you don’t see him again.”
Lillian was confused. “But didn’t you ask me to meet with him?”
“His father is a good man, but his mother seems very sharp. She probably has high expectations. You’re just a girl. After I’m gone, it’ll be easy for you to be taken advantage of. I don’t think it’s a good match.”
Thinking about it made her grandmother feel a bit sad.
Lillian, with her background, might find it hard to find someone who truly cared for her. After all, as her grandmother, she wouldn’t be around forever to protect her.
Lillian said, “We got along okay, but as for being in a relationship, I think it’s better to just be friends.”
“Well, you’ve grown up. But it’s a pity I won’t be able to see you get married and have children. I’m really worried about you.”
Mentioning this brought a wave of reluctance in Lillian. Even though she felt deeply saddened, she could only hold her grandmother’s hand and comfort her. “Grandma, you’ll live a long life.”
What Lillian didn’t expect was that Robert would return the next day.
“I noticed the kitchen water pipes weren’t fixed properly yesterday, so I came by today to help.”
Lillian said, “Wouldn’t that be too much trouble?”
“No trouble at all!” Robert said, bringing in his toolbox.
“Hello, Grandma Kristin.”
“Hi, Robert, you’re here.”
“Yes, I’m here to help with the pipes.”
“Isn’t your house busy?”
“I’m still looking for a job, so I’ve got plenty of free time.”
Robert took his time fixing the pipes, and when Lillian came back, he was still there. She had no choice but to offer him lunch. She felt a bit awkward about giving him money, so she bought some fruit for him to take home instead.
When Robert returned home, his mother immediately approached him and asked, “Did that young girl give you that?”
“Yeah.”
“She’s quite polite. You should think about it.”
“Think about what? She’s in a great position.”
“What’s so great about her looks? Sure, she’s from a prestigious school, but I heard her father was dead, and there’s the issue with the debts. Why sell yourself short? We’re an honest family, and we’re worthy of her.”
“Mom, just leave the matters of young people to us. I’ll handle it.”
Robert’s mother muttered as she returned to her room, “Lillian sure has high standards.”
She had seen so many women come to the house to be introduced to her son, but none of them had caught her eye.
******
Every day, Lillian worked on her graduation project, and this small town became her material library. She wanted to capture a series of images showing the changes over time, so she went out every day.
She often bumped into Robert at the entrance to the alley.
Robert also had to go out, and over time, the two of them were often coming and going, so the village started to gossip that they were dating.
As for Lillian, who came home late and left early, she was unaware of this.
On Robert’s family’s side, the story was vague as well. In any case, the two kids were indeed meeting for an arranged marriage.
In the small town, this was already considered a done deal.
Every day, Robert would come to check on her grandmother’s health. Lillian felt more at ease every time she saw her grandmother’s condition improving day by day.
She would also invite Robert over for meals during her free time.
Life went on at a steady pace, and before long, a month had passed.
Lillian had fully adapted to life in the small town.
Recently, during the rainy season, it would often rain out of nowhere.
Lillian was in a hurry when she left, not expecting the rain to come so suddenly.
She stood under the awning of the local shop, shielding her camera, watching the heavy rainfall like strings of pearls.
“Lillian?”
Lillian turned around to see Robert walking toward her, holding an umbrella. Because the roads in the town were uneven and old, by the time he reached her, his pants were already soaked.
“I knew you hadn’t come back yet. Let me take you home.”
Lillian quickly moved under his umbrella. “What are you doing here?”
“I went to your house to drop off some food my mom made. Grandma Kristin said you weren’t home, and seeing how heavy the rain was, she got really worried. I told her I’d come to pick you up.”
“Then let’s head back quickly.”
The road was hard to walk on, and Lillian tried to keep some distance from Robert. Her coat was soaked on one side, and her trench coat was darkened by the rain.
“I wonder whose car that is.”
Lillian was paying attention to the road, but when Robert spoke, she glanced in that direction.
The car’s license plate was blocked by a road sign, so she couldn’t see it clearly. But when she saw the black car, she couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy.
Robert sighed, “I don’t know if I’ll ever get a chance to drive a car like that in my life. Even if I sold myself, I still wouldn’t be able to afford it.”
Lillian lowered her gaze and muttered, “Let’s just go.”
“Alright.”
She took a few steps and, almost instinctively, glanced to the side. But the car was already gone.
Lillian frowned and thought for a moment. She probably just overthought it.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I must have been mistaken.”
Robert hesitated before asking, “My mom said your car is parked in the parking lot on the other side of the town?”
“Yeah.”
“What kind of car is it?”
Lillian looked at him and casually said, “Just a regular car. I borrowed it from a friend. My grandmother can’t manage public transportation with her health.”
“Oh.” Robert seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “Then let’s hurry.”
By the time they got back, only the camera was still dry.
Her grandmother urged Lillian to go upstairs and take a shower quickly. She also thanked Robert and invited him to come over for a meal later.
“No need for dinner. I keep showing up for free meals. My mom even said that Grandma Kristin and Lillian should come to our house sometime. Oh, by the way, Lillian.”
“Yeah?”
“You mentioned wanting to visit our old library. I’ll be free tomorrow. How about we go together? I need to look up some materials.”
“Alright, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Robert left with a smile, his departure swift, his intentions clear.
Lillian thought for a moment; she knew she had to make things clear to him tomorrow.
For some reason, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the car from yesterday…
Could it have been him?
But he wasn’t the type to tolerate seeing her with another man.
Lillian thought some more, then quickly went downstairs to lock all the doors and windows, making sure not to turn on her phone.
Curled up in bed, she couldn’t sleep at all.