Whose youth isn't capricious

In my junior year of college, I got to know Sister Lan while working as a tutor. That day, she was wearing a maroon knitted sweater and sunglasses, leaning against a red BMW. Her long hair was flowing gently, attracting the curious glances of students passing by. From a distance, I caught sight of her, but wasn't quite sure it was her. So I made a phone call. Seemingly having spotted me too, she waved at me while answering the phone, wearing a sweet smile like the warm sunshine in spring. If there truly exists love at first sight in this world, then the encounter between Sister Lan and me was destined. "Hey, you're Wang Yu, right?" Sister Lan greeted me very generously, her voice sweet. "Yeah, you must be Sister Xia Lan, right?" I was a poor student and felt extremely nervous in the presence of a beautiful woman. "Hehe, come on. Let's find a place to have a chat over a meal." Sister Lan was a noble - looking woman, which was evident from her speech and mannerisms. She had a sister in the second year of high school whose academic performance wasn't satisfactory. The reason Sister Lan met me was to find a good tutor for her sister. That was the first time I had a meal with Sister Lan. We talked a lot. Mostly, she asked questions and I answered, and occasionally I would volunteer a few words. She seemed quite satisfied with me and said, "Students from Ocean University are the pillars of the country. It's really an over - qualification for you to be a tutor for her sister." I smiled, feeling a bit embarrassed at her compliment. Then I changed the topic and said, "Sister Lan, where are your parents? Usually, it's the parents who come to find a tutor." Upon hearing this, Sister Lan's hand trembled slightly, and her face turned a bit pale. But she quickly regained her composure and smiled, saying, "My parents are doing business in other places and can't spare the time." I nodded and didn't ask further. Sister Lan fell silent, looking a bit sad. Then we both buried our heads in eating, and the atmosphere was rather awkward. When we were almost done eating, Sister Lan suddenly asked, "Hey, you're so good - looking. Your girlfriend must be very pretty, right?" I didn't expect her to ask me such a personal question on our first meeting. Later I learned that she had taken a fancy to me. At that time, I lowered my head, blushing, and said, "I don't have a girlfriend yet." Puchi... Sister Lan covered her mouth and laughed, saying, "I don't believe it. With your looks, how can you not have a girlfriend?" I said, "It's true." Sister Lan, seeing that I didn't seem to be lying, said that I was too picky. I was quite speechless. It wasn't that I was picky. The real reason I didn't have a girlfriend was that I was poor and lacked confidence. Before we parted, Sister Lan left me her address and asked me to come over after school the next day. The note was scented, exactly the same as the fragrance on Sister Lan. After separating from Sister Lan, I was in a good mood for the whole afternoon. My dormitory buddies asked me, "What makes you so happy?" At night when I was going to bed, I held the note given by Sister Lan in my hand, as if possessed. Somehow, my mind was filled with her figure. The next day in class, I was absent - minded, always fantasizing that if something happened between me and Sister Lan when I went to her house in the afternoon, it would be worth dying for. But fantasies are just fantasies, typical thoughts of a loser. After school in the afternoon, I didn't even have dinner. I bought a baked sweet potato by the roadside, stuffed it into my schoolbag, and then rushed to take the bus to Sister Lan's house. Sister Lan lived in a villa area by the sea. It was easy to find. The one with a red BMW parked at the door was her place. At that time, Sister Lan was standing at the door, waving at me from afar. Seeing her, I felt warm inside. It was rare to find such an approachable woman among the rich ladies. When entering the door, Sister Lan asked me if I had eaten. I said, "Yes." Sister Lan frowned and said, "Nonsense. You finish school at 5:30. It takes 20 minutes from the school to here. It's not even 6 o'clock yet. Where did you have time to eat?" She was really an observant woman. Being exposed like this, I blushed. Sister Lan's house was decorated luxuriously and was extremely clean. The TV in the living room was on. A girl was sitting on the sofa, with short burgundy hair, her long legs propped up on the coffee table, and a bag of snacks in her hand, munching away with gusto. Sister Lan changed into slippers and shouted to the girl, "Xia Yu, Teacher Wang is here. Come and meet him quickly." "Okay." The girl replied, still holding the snack bag in her hand as she stood up from the sofa, but her eyes were still fixed on the TV. "You girl, can't you stop watching for a while?" Sister Lan complained. The girl stuck out her tongue playfully. When she turned to look at me, she was stunned, and so was I. I was shocked because Xia Yu looked so much like Sister Lan, as if they were twins. She was clearly a beauty. Xia Yu stared at me blankly, but the playfulness on her face was instantly replaced by anger. Before I could react, Xia Yu threw the snacks in her hand and stormed into the bedroom angrily. With a "bang", the bedroom door was slammed shut. "What the..." I was a bit stunned. Sister Lan's face also turned ugly. She muttered, "What's wrong with this girl? She was fine just now. You have a seat first. I'll go and see what's going on." I sat on the sofa. There was a youth idol drama playing on the TV, but I couldn't focus on it. I had a feeling of "dying before achieving anything". Soon, there came arguing from the bedroom. "Didn't I say I want a good - looking tutor, like those Korean stars?" "Wang Yu is good - looking. I think he's no worse than those Korean stars." "Country bumpkin. He's clearly a country bumpkin! Look at his outfit. He looks like a farmer. He's so annoying!" "You're looking for a tutor, not a boyfriend. Wang Yu is a top student from Ocean University. It's already good that he condescends to teach you." "Hmph! Who cares? He reeks of the countryside. Which village did he crawl out of? Sister, you go and keep an eye on him. Be careful he steals something from our house." Hearing this, I was really fed up! I didn't offend anyone. Why did she say that about me? At that moment, I wanted to rush into the bedroom and have a good argument with her. But as soon as I stood up, I gave up. Sister Lan was nice, and I couldn't break the relationship. I picked up my schoolbag, planning to leave. Just then, another round of arguing came from the bedroom. "Sister, don't bring just anyone home. That guy doesn't look like a good person at all." "Xiaoyu, don't talk nonsense. Wang Yu is a decent person. Don't slander him." "Hmph, poor people are all despicable! He comes to our house with who - knows - what purpose." "Shut up!" Sister Lan was angry, her tone icy cold. Xia Yu, that wild girl, stopped shouting. The bedroom was quiet, and the huge house felt extremely empty. I thought it was time for me to leave. I was such a spineless person at that time. Being insulted a few words, I started to shed tears. I picked up my schoolbag and walked towards the door. My steps were heavy. When I opened the door, it made a "squeak" sound. The air by the sea was a bit humid, hitting my face and drying my tears. Many images flashed through my mind: the village where I lived, my parents who worked in the fields, and the simple - hearted villagers... They were kind and honest, neither stealing nor robbing. But why did they seem "thievish, dirty, and bad" in the eyes of the rich? I was a weak - willed man. Facing insults, I didn't resist but just slunk away. I didn't even dare to look back, for fear that they would chase after me. But sometimes, what you fear will come true. The more you don't want to face something, the more likely it will appear in front of you. Just a few steps out of the villa, I heard a sharp shout from behind. "Stop!" I quickly wiped away my tears and turned around. I saw Xia Yu running towards me menacingly with a baseball bat in her hand. "Xia Yu, what on earth are you doing?" Sister Lan was chasing after her, shouting as she ran. I turned around and stared at Xia Yu, not knowing what she was up to. Xia Yu held the stick and prodded my schoolbag, saying, "You want to leave after stealing something?" I said coldly, "I didn't steal anything! Don't go too far." Xia Yu was relentless, yelling that she wanted to search me. Sister Lan, out of breath and angry, ran over. She raised her hand to slap Xia Yu but couldn't bear to do it. Instead, she pushed her hard and said, "Xia Yu, that's enough!" Then she said to me, "Wang Yu, I'm really sorry. I didn't expect things to turn out like this. It's all my fault." Although I was angry, it wasn't directed at Sister Lan. Seeing her full of guilt, I couldn't bring myself to get angry. But just then, Xia Yu grabbed my schoolbag, unzipped it, and dumped all the contents out. Coins of one - jiao denomination scattered all over the floor, textbooks were rustling in the wind, and the baked sweet potato was smashed into a mess... Xia Yu poked at the things with the stick, mumbling, "Dare to say you didn't steal? If I find something, I'll send you to jail." I clenched my fists, trembling with anger. Although I oppose hitting women, in special circumstances, I won't promise not to use force. Seeing me clench my fists, Sister Lan was immediately scared and hugged my arm, patting my back to calm me down, while scolding Xia Yu for being a brat and telling her to put my things back. Xia Yu ignored her. After searching for a long time without finding anything, she was very angry and used the stick to smash the sweet potato into pieces. "Putting a sweet potato in the bag. You're such a dirty dog, a poor loser!" Xia Yu left a word, picked up the stick, and walked away without a trace of guilt. Even a clay figurine has some temper. Looking at her arrogant back, I suddenly rushed towards her. But Sister Lan hugged my arm tightly and cried, "Wang Yu, I'm sorry. If you want to hit someone, hit me..." I said it had nothing to do with her and told her to get out of the way. Sister Lan held onto me tightly, saying that Xia Yu was her sister and that as an elder sister, she should take responsibility for her mistakes. I was so angry at that time that I shouted at Sister Lan, "Get the hell away from me!" Sister Lan held on tightly. I exerted a sudden force, and Sister Lan was thrown to the ground. Seeing that Xia Yu was about to enter the house, I rushed forward. Just then, I heard Sister Lan crying out, "Hitting a woman, what kind of a man are you? Are you trying to bully us sisters?" I stopped abruptly. My mind went blank, and I looked at Sister Lan with a complicated expression. I really didn't expect her to say that to me. At that moment, I felt as if my face was ashen. My resentment towards Sister Lan even exceeded that towards Xia Yu. I had thought she was a reasonable person, but I didn't expect her to be so unjust! Sister Lan lowered her head, sitting on the ground and wiping her tears. My mind was in a mess. I mechanically walked back to pick up the things on the ground. Soon, Sister Lan stopped crying. She came over and helped me pick up the coins on the ground. "Um..." Sister Lan wanted to talk to me, but I turned my head away. "Um, this is your phone, right? The screen seems to be broken." Sister Lan came in front of me, holding my shanzhai phone with the battery popped out. It was covered just now, so I didn't notice. I was both ashamed and angry. I snatched the phone back, feeling extremely embarrassed. At that time, most college students used Samsung, Nokia, etc. I was too embarrassed to make calls in public with my shanzhai phone. After packing up my things, I picked up my schoolbag and left. Sister Lan tried to grab me, but I gave her a fierce glare. She was a bit scared but still followed me. After walking two steps, I suddenly stopped, took out two crumpled 50 - yuan notes from my pocket, and said, "Here, for yesterday's meal. We don't owe each other anything." Puchi... With tears still on her face, Sister Lan covered her mouth and laughed, "Childish!" I said she should take it. I wasn't in the mood to joke with her. Sister Lan said I shouldn't be so childish, like a kid. "Take it or leave it." I threw the money and left without looking back. After that, I swore never to see Sister Lan again. She and her sister were both bad women. I hated them to the core. In the first few days, I deliberately controlled myself not to think about her. Because whenever I did, I would get angry. But as time passed, Sister Lan's every smile and expression emerged in my mind like a nightmare. I thought I was really despicable. She hurt me so much, yet I still thought about her. I must be crazy. However, I thought I would never see Sister Lan again. The situation was so tense that I was trying to avoid her. Although sometimes I also fantasized about having an encounter with her, resolving our differences, and then living happily together, having a baby and all that... But such thoughts only occurred when I m*********d at night. But fate is wonderful. No one can guess what will happen next. It was the afternoon of the second Saturday, and Sister Lan actually came to me on her own initiative. ****