the distance between screen
1246 Words
Chapter seven
Morning came softly after the rain.
Not bright enough to feel cheerful.
Not gray enough to feel sad.
Just quiet light spreading slowly across Wuma Street in Wenzhou while leftover rainwater shimmered faintly between the stones outside.
Shop owners dragged open metal shutters one after another.
Scooters passed through damp roads with soft splashing sounds.
Steam drifted upward from breakfast stalls at the end of the street, carrying the smell of buns, fried dough, and warm soy milk through the cool morning air.
---
Inside the shop, soft music hummed quietly from the old speaker near the counter.
The sound blended gently with the rustling of fabric and the occasional clink of coins.
Warm light spilled through the half-open doors, touching the wooden floor in uneven golden shapes.
---
Simu stood near the shelves folding fabrics slowly into neat piles.
Her oversized sweater kept slipping past her wrists, forcing her to push the sleeves back every few minutes absentmindedly.
But her movements kept slowing.
Drifting.
Stopping halfway before continuing again.
---
"You folded the blue ones with the green pile."
He Lifen's voice came gently from nearby.
---
Simu blinked before looking down.
"Oh."
A faint embarrassed smile tugged softly at the corner of her mouth.
"I didn't notice."
---
"You haven't noticed anything since yesterday," Zhang Meilu muttered while arguing with a supplier through speakerphone.
"No, listen carefully," she continued firmly into the phone while grabbing a calculator dramatically. "If the fabric tears after two washes, then what exactly am I paying for? Emotional disappointment?"
---
Simu lowered her head immediately, laughter escaping before she could stop it.
Warmth spread softly into her cheeks while she pressed her sleeve briefly against her mouth.
---
"You're laughing," Zhang Meilu accused instantly without even turning around.
"I'm not."
"You absolutely are."
---
Even He Lifen smiled now while organizing receipts beside the register.
"Your aunt has been fighting that supplier since seven this morning."
"Because he's testing my character development," He Meilu replied seriously.
---
That made Simu laugh again.
Properly this time.
The sound slipped out bright and light, making both older women glance toward her automatically.
And for one brief second—
He Lifen's chest loosened quietly with relief.
Because lately, every genuine laugh from her daughter felt precious.
---
Outside the entrance, sudden shouting broke through the peaceful morning.
A young couple hurried beneath the shop awning just as rain started drizzling again unexpectedly.
The girl shook water dramatically from her sleeves while glaring at the sky.
"I told you we should've brought an umbrella."
"And I told you weather apps are emotionally manipulative," the boy argued.
---
Before she could answer—
SHHHHHK.
A passing car sped directly through a puddle beside them.
Dirty rainwater exploded upward instantly.
---
The couple froze completely.
Water dripped slowly from the boy's jeans.
The girl stared down at herself in absolute betrayal.
---
Then very calmly—
too calmly—
the boy whispered:
"…I'm choosing violence today."
---
Simu nearly doubled over laughing.
Her hand flew immediately to the counter for support while breathless laughter escaped her chest in short bursts.
Even He Lifen had to turn away to hide her smile.
Meanwhile Zhang Meilu leaned halfway outside the doorway yelling:
"CHASE THE LICENSE PLATE!"
---
The soaked girl pointed furiously down the road.
"He drove away emotionally!"
---
That completely destroyed whatever composure Simu had left.
She laughed so suddenly her eyes watered slightly, warmth rushing fully into her face while she bent forward trying to breathe properly again.
And for those few moments—
nothing heavy existed inside her chest.
Only laughter.
Only warmth.
Only ordinary life.
---
Her phone buzzed loudly against the counter.
Xiaoyu.
Of course.
---
Still smiling faintly, Simu answered immediately.
"You always call during chaos."
"Because chaos respects me," Xiaoyu replied proudly.
---
From somewhere nearby, Yuna sighed softly.
"She means she has nothing productive to do this morning."
"I'm emotionally available," Xiaoyu corrected confidently.
---
Simu tucked loose hair behind her ear while smiling into the phone.
The warmth from laughing still lingered softly inside her chest like leftover sunlight.
---
"What are you doing?" Xiaoyu asked.
"Working."
"Boring."
"You say that every day."
"And every day I remain correct."
---
Before Simu could answer again, Xiaoyu suddenly gasped dramatically loud enough to hurt ears.
"WAIT."
---
Simu pulled the phone slightly away from her face immediately.
"What now?"
"Li Xun airport photos just dropped."
---
Her fingers paused instantly against the folded fabric in her hands.
Only for one second.
Still enough.
---
Xiaoyu made the loudest victorious sound imaginable.
"AHHHH THERE IT IS."
---
Simu covered part of her face immediately out of pure embarrassment.
"You're impossible."
"No," Xiaoyu corrected proudly. "You're emotionally predictable."
---
Even Yuna laughed quietly this time.
The soft sound drifted through the speaker gently.
And somehow hearing both of them react like this no longer filled Simu with panic the way it used to.
Only embarrassment.
Warm embarrassment.
The survivable kind.
---
A few seconds later, the photos loaded slowly onto her screen.
Airport candid shots.
Gray skies.
Security barriers.
Staff members walking nearby.
---
And in the middle of all of it—
Li Xun.
---
He wore a dark hoodie beneath a long coat, a black cap pulled low over slightly messy hair like he hadn't fully fixed it before leaving.
A mask rested beneath his chin while speaking quietly to a staff member beside him.
---
He looked tired.
Not styled-tired.
Not actor-tired.
Actually tired.
The kind that softened people around the edges and made their smiles look gentler somehow.
---
Then Simu's eyes caught one specific photo.
A little girl stood nervously near the barrier holding out a notebook with both hands.
Tiny.
Anxious.
Almost trembling.
---
Li Xun had stopped walking completely.
Bent down slightly toward her level.
Accepted the notebook carefully with both hands instead of one.
---
And in the next photo—
he smiled at her.
Small.
Patient.
Soft enough to make something ache quietly inside Simu's chest.
---
Not because it felt romantic.
Not because she imagined herself there.
But because kindness like that always reached her too deeply.
---
"He has dangerous levels of soft energy," Xiaoyu announced dramatically.
"That sentence doesn't even mean anything."
"It means women lose emotional stability when tired men smile politely."
---
Simu lowered her head immediately, laughter slipping softly out again while heat spread into her cheeks.
This time she hid behind the sleeve of her sweater completely.
---
From nearby, He Lifen watched her daughter carefully for a moment longer.
The tiny smile.
The softened eyes.
The way warmth slowly returned to her face whenever she laughed with her friends.
---
Then quietly—
almost too quietly—
she murmured to Zhang Meilu:
"She looks lighter today."
---
Zhang Meilu glanced toward Simu briefly before answering softly:
"Maybe her heart rested a little."
---
Outside, rain continued tapping gently against the streets of Wuma Street.
Inside the small family shop, warm light wrapped quietly around fabric shelves, tea cups, soft laughter, and ordinary conversations.
And somewhere far away—
inside airports, schedules, cameras, and another unreachable world entirely—
Li Xun continued moving through his life without knowing someone in a tiny shop in Wenzhou kept finding warmth in the smallest pieces of his kindness.
Still—
for now—
that feeling alone was enough to make the distance feel less lonely.
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