By linking my account to the check-in system, I became a leisurely traveler.

Chapter 126 The Anxious Girl [6.2 thousand words]

This was certainly not the first time Chen Rui had heard of Li Younan's name.

Although I've been studying away from home and haven't had many opportunities to visit Li Younan's family, our mothers have such a good relationship that my mother often talks about her best friend and mentions Li Younan along the way.

However, her mother and Li Younan's mother are the same type of woman. When they talk about other people, they simply chat and tell interesting stories about that person. Most of the time, their goal is to liven up the conversation, and they don't bring up any comparative topics.

Moreover, Chen Rui herself is the "perfect child" in everyone's eyes, so her mother would certainly not say things like, "That brother Li Younan is so amazing, you should learn from him."

Overall, she didn't know Li Younan very well; he only had a few simple labels that left a deep impression on her.

Li Younan is a boy who lost his father at a very young age. He is a little older than her, but Chen Rui would never do that and calls Li Younan "brother".

He was raised by only one mother, which is quite pitiful.

His grades were good; he attended a prestigious university in China and spent a considerable amount of time developing his career in Shanghai after graduation.

The news I heard about him recently came from a brief conversation my mother gave him before he came here. She said he quit his job in Shanghai a while ago and is now traveling around in a car, but she didn't go into details.

That's all I know about Li Younan.

Chen Rui never labels a stranger or judges someone's character based on hearsay.

But before meeting Li Younan, I would subconsciously sketch out a simple outline in my mind... Boys who grow up with their mothers tend to have more feminine personality traits and habits... right?

However, after meeting Li Younan, her preconceived notions were completely overturned.

Li Younan could certainly not be described as rugged or full of masculinity, but he was certainly sunny, handsome, and quite approachable.

When Li Younan offered to cook her a bowl of noodles, she agreed, though she was still a little embarrassed.

Lately, she hasn't had a good appetite.

When her mother treated Li Younan's mother to dinner in the afternoon, she only ate two or three bites before she couldn't eat anymore.

At this moment, although she still didn't have much of an appetite, reason told her that she had to eat something, otherwise her mother would worry.

Just as Li Younan was eating that bowl of noodles, her long-dormant appetite was unexpectedly stirred. This physiological urge to eat really startled her... It had been quite a long time since she had experienced this feeling.

So when Li Younan went in to cook noodles, Chen Rui's mother glanced at Chen Rui with some surprise and a hint of joy in her eyes.

Noticing her mother's gaze, Chen Rui felt a pang of guilt.

I made my mother worry.

Around the beginning of this semester, Chen Rui realized that she had some psychological problems.

Before entering university, her life was relatively smooth sailing, and she had high standards for herself. Of course, this strictness was not imposed on her by others, but rather a standard she set for herself in life.

After arriving in the United States, I faced a completely new environment and many more cutting-edge fields, which presented many challenges and required me to adapt to them.

Her high standards and strict requirements for herself are like a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they help her overcome one difficulty after another, whether it is to get along with local students, socialize, or tackle one academic challenge after another.

But on the other hand, the situation is somewhat different...

At the beginning of this semester, she only had frequent insomnia.

However, as time went on, the situation not only did not improve, but gradually worsened in other places.

After leaving the dormitory, she often felt that the door was not locked and the tap was not turned off. She would often walk downstairs or even further away, and then turn back to check with a feeling of unease.

After confirming several times that the water and electricity were turned off and the door was locked, I went downstairs again.

Every time she goes to class, she longs to be able to sit in the same seat she sat in yesterday.

This is not an easy thing to do in college, so she often runs to the classroom just to grab the seat she sat in yesterday.

For example, she increasingly enjoys immersive thinking. Sometimes, while talking with friends, she can't help but think about something and becomes completely absorbed, to the point that she completely ignores what's happening around her until her friends call her a few times, at which point she suddenly comes back to her senses.

A while ago, on the eve of her return to China, she discovered that she seemed to have developed some kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder about cleanliness, and she had to wash her hands many times a day.

After sorting through these unusual signs... she felt a little palpitations, and it seemed that she did indeed have some symptoms of anxiety.

She consulted a psychologist, who confirmed that she did indeed show signs of anxiety disorder.

This kind of psychological illness can be corrected if it is detected early, but if it is left to develop, it may develop into frightening terms such as paranoia and schizophrenia.

When the psychologist described the situation to her, he certainly didn't exaggerate the consequences, but Chen Rui couldn't help but overthink things.

Some time later, taking advantage of an opportunity to return to China for an exchange program, she asked the school for a two-week leave, planning to come back to relax and adjust her mood.

She didn't hide her condition from her mother.

Although she knew her mother would worry if she told her, the good parent-child relationship they had built over a long period of time meant she wouldn't hide these things from her mother.

The doctor's advice is to communicate and chat with others more, release your emotions, and if possible, go out for walks more often.

That's why my mom brought her here today.

Chen Rui did try to interact and communicate with others more. She had a clear understanding of her own condition, and the doctor appreciated her positive attitude. However, some things are indeed beyond one's control.

Because I've been studying away from home for a long time, I don't have many friends or classmates I've kept in touch with since starting university, and at this time of year, there's not a single person I can make plans with.

They're either studying abroad or, if they're in China, they're definitely busy with their studies.

Besides that, there was something else that kept bothering her... she couldn't have a conversation with other people.

This feeling was a conclusion she reached afterward through analysis and reflection; it's difficult to perceive during actual conversations with others.

To be specific... she often finds other people's topics boring, and without realizing it, she completely loses her ability to focus on what others are saying.

The person talking to her can usually sense her state. Over time, the monologue without any feedback will make the other person feel tired, and such conversations often end unhappily.

She also tried to take the lead in the conversation, but when she started talking about things that interested her, although she was very excited and engaged, she would often be surprised to find that the listeners were starting to yawn and her mind was wandering off somewhere else.

What she was talking about wasn't of interest to others.

After a few times, she realized that she had indeed developed an unspeakable barrier in her communication with others.

This experience once caused her great distress.

For example, right now her mother and her best friend are chatting about gossip in the small county town. She listened patiently for a while, but before she knew it, her thoughts had already flown to the Big Bang.

Reason told her that to improve her anxiety, she needed to try to participate in their conversations, but this was physically difficult to achieve.

The repeated pulling only made her feel worse, and she sighed softly.

Just then, Li Younan came out carrying a bowl of noodles.

Somewhat surprisingly, it wasn't noodles, but a bowl of meat sauce noodles that looked very chewy, served on a large plate with a beautiful presentation, and a perfectly fried egg with a golden-yellow color.

Li Younan said, "We've run out of noodles at home, so I decided to make a Chinese-style fried sauce pasta using the Italian pasta making method. Give it a try."

Chen Rui had never seen noodles like this before, yet it whetted her appetite.

She nodded and said thank you, then began to eat.

The taste of freshly made handmade noodles is completely different from that of noodles made by industrial machines. The aroma of wheat is mixed with a hint of egg, which means that eggs were added.

The sauce used for the noodles was made by Li Younan himself; the meat was fragrant, bouncy, and had a rich aroma.

The eggs were fried to perfection; the egg whites had just formed a thin, crisp layer, while the yolks inside were soft-boiled and semi-liquid.

Chen Rui ate with great concentration, slowly and elegantly eating her noodles.

Before she knew it, she had finished the whole plate of noodles. When she looked up, she saw that the three of them were staring straight at her.

A slight blush appeared on her face. She put down her chopsticks and asked, "What's wrong?"

The three of them said together, "It's nothing, it's nothing."

The three men looked at her for different reasons.

Her mother was simply happy. Her daughter hadn't had a good appetite these past few days at home, barely eating anything. She had noticed but couldn't do anything about it. Of course, she was happy that her daughter had such a good appetite today.

Li Younan viewed Chen Rui through the eyes of a chef, for whom having their food eaten by diners is a very satisfying thing.

Li Younan's mother's reason for visiting Chen Rui was much simpler; she was just a little craving... This noodle looked delicious, and she wanted her son to make her a bowl tomorrow.

After finishing their meal, Li Younan cleared the plates into the kitchen.

Chen Rui thought for a moment and then followed her inside.

Li Younan was washing the dishes when Chen Rui walked in and said, "Let me help you."

Li Younan chuckled and said, "No need, you can just sit outside."

Chen Rui didn't say anything, but silently walked to the sink.

At this moment, Li Younan put the bowls and pots he had just eaten into the sink, turned on the hot water, and was about to squeeze out the dish soap.

Chen Rui stood silently by the sink and said, "Give me the dishes you've washed, and I'll rinse them with clean water. It'll be faster that way." Seeing Chen Rui's insistence, Li Younan didn't argue and let her help him.

It didn't take too long to finish the bowls.

Li Younan used hot water to wash away the grease, then handed it to Chen Rui to rinse off the detergent foam with running water before putting it into the disinfection cabinet next to her.

Chen Rui asked, "I heard from Auntie that you resigned."

Li Younan nodded.

"Do you also feel too much pressure?" Chen Rui tilted her head and asked out of the blue.

Li Younan paused for a moment, blinked, and then shook his head: "Pressure? It's alright."

"So why did you resign?"

"This is difficult to explain in just a few words."

"It's okay, I can listen slowly."

Chen Rui realized that she was interested in the topic and did not show any signs of losing concentration. She hoped that Li Younan could continue, but she did not want to show this emotion directly.

Li Younan thought for a moment: "There was definitely pressure at work, but there were other reasons that really made me decide to resign. But overall, it was probably because of impulsiveness." Li Younan pondered for a long time before coming up with a suitable word to describe his state of mind at the time.

Chen Rui was somewhat surprised: "You resigned just because of an impulse?" After a moment, she nodded, "But finding a new job should be quite easy for you."

“It’s really not something worth talking about.” At this moment, Chen Rui put the last bowl into the sterilizer, thought for a moment, and then asked, “I also heard from Auntie that you’re currently unemployed and just traveling around?”

Li Younan smiled, scrubbed the dish towel clean, and then wet the rag used to wipe the table. He began to carefully wipe the cabinets and stove, saying slowly, "You can't say that. I can still make money by shooting some videos."

Chen Rui seemed thoughtful, then suddenly asked, "Did you plan this from the beginning to treat it as your job?"

Li Younan paused for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh: "No, that's not true. I just want to quit my job, and I just want to travel. There's nothing planned." After a pause, Li Younan said seriously, "There are many things that don't have direction or goals. Once you're on the road, you'll find your direction and goals."

When Chen Rui heard this, her eyes were confused for a moment, then she pondered the words carefully: "Once you get on the road, you will find your direction and goal."

After a moment, she nodded silently.

At this point, Li Younan had wiped almost all the areas that needed wiping clean, but he still needed to sweep the floor a little more.

Chen Rui took the initiative to help Li Younan with a broom, and the two quickly cleaned up the kitchen.

When we came out, Chen Rui asked with some curiosity, "Do you often do housework at home?"

Li Younan shrugged: "It's just my mom, of course she has to share the burden." But then Li Younan laughed, "A few years ago, I wasn't very good at cooking, so my mom tried not to let me into the kitchen."

Upon hearing this, Chen Rui smiled with a somewhat strange expression.

……

The guests are still at home.

My mother's house was allocated by her work unit many years ago. Although it has all the necessary functions, it is indeed very small, with only two rooms.

The two mothers chatted happily, and Li Younan listened attentively from the side.

For Li Younan, listening to these boring middle-aged women talk about all sorts of messy gossip in the county town was quite an interesting thing.

After entering society, one becomes increasingly aware of the diversity of human beings.

A junior leader who appears impeccably dressed and dignified at a conference during the day might be seen entering a widow's house after get off work.

For example, a seemingly honest and unassuming young man, when pushed to the limit, actually dared to confront and verbally abuse the head of his unit. In the end, it was the leader who usually swore at anyone he didn't like who was the first to back down.

The two women chatted about nothing but trivial, petty things, and they seemed to be having a great time.

Although Li Younan wasn't interested in the main characters in these news stories, listening to them still brought him a lot of joy.

But compared to Li Younan, Chen Rui, who was standing next to him, was getting sleepy.

She was genuinely uninterested in these things and wouldn't listen to anything they said.

Sitting there, Li Younan didn't take the initiative to talk to her, so she became a little bored and started to daydream, thinking about a research topic.

Suddenly, she had a sudden inspiration and said to Li Younan, "Could I take a look around your room?"

Li Younan looked at Chen Rui and blinked: "Oh, this one too... is fine too..."

The two entered the room, and Chen Rui was surprised to find that Li Younan's room was unexpectedly tidy.

She smiled and said, "It really doesn't look like a boy's room."

Li Younan casually sat down on the bed, then pointed to the chair next to the desk, inviting Chen Rui to sit down, and said, "What should a boy's room look like? A messy one?"

Chen Rui paused for a moment, then shook her head: "That doesn't seem right either."

After Chen Rui sat down, she said, "The conversation between those two women outside is giving me a headache. Talking about these things is such a waste of time, and time is passing by too slowly."

Li Younan coughed lightly and said with a smile, "I think it's fine. Hehe, Einstein's theory of relativity is really true. Different people perceive the passage of time differently."

Chen Rui chuckled softly: "Where does the theory of relativity say that?"

Li Younan shrugged and said nonchalantly, "It's more intuitive for ordinary people to understand it this way."

Chen Rui sat down, her attention becoming focused again: "However, string theory posits that time does not exist."

Li Younan found it somewhat amusing: "Oh, I studied computer science in college, so I don't know much about this field, but I do know a little... String theory should be considered the forefront of theoretical physics, right?"

Chen Rui nodded and said seriously, "That's true. There are still many topics to study in this area. My plan is to specialize in string theory research during my graduate studies... But can you understand the statement 'time does not exist'?"

Li Younan thought for a moment and said, "There's nothing I can't understand about it."

As a qualified science and engineering student, Li Younan did not have a systematic study of theoretical physics courses, but he had a foundation in high school physics and occasionally attended some elective courses in college, so understanding these concepts was not difficult for him.

He chatted with Chen Rui using his limited knowledge, and gradually became surprised. The girl's knowledge and passion for physics were astonishing.

What's most interesting is that her eyes light up when she talks about theoretical physics.

Li Younan's experience wasn't exactly boring; he had a wide range of interests and could chime in on any topic.

They chatted for quite a while when suddenly Chen Rui seemed to realize something, abruptly stopping the conversation. She stared at Li Younan for a moment, as if she had just emerged from some state of mind, with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Li Younan asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

Chen Rui hesitated for a moment, then said somewhat embarrassedly, "I...I got carried away again, let's change the subject."

Li Younan's expression was a little strange: "Why do you suddenly want to change the subject?"

When Chen Rui heard Li Younan's words, her expression showed even more surprise.

However, he still didn't explain, shook his head, and then looked around until he saw a photo on the desk.

That was a photo of a national second-class protected rare plant that Li Younan casually took by the roadside during his last time traveling through the area.

Because his mother really liked these flowers and plants, Li Younan specially washed them. He forgot to give them to his mother last time and just left them on the table.

Upon seeing the plant, Chen Rui's gaze was clearly drawn to it, and she asked curiously, "What is this?"

"A species of Meconopsis rubra, belonging to the genus Meconopsis in the family Papaveraceae, grows on grassy slopes and rock crevices at high altitudes. It is one of the representative species of the Meconopsis family and is also a national second-class protected plant."

Chen Rui picked it up and examined it carefully, then asked curiously, "Do you usually like to study these plants?"

Li Younan blinked. After all, he had received rewards from the system before, which made him very knowledgeable about these flowers and plants. He could be considered a semi-botanist. So he nodded somewhat shamelessly: "It's alright. I know a little about them usually."

Then Li Younan said with a smile, "Because I like to travel around. If I ever get stuck in some remote mountain village, knowing these things will help me. I'll also know which herbs to pick and cook in the mountains."

Chen Rui was somewhat surprised; this reason was really... She smiled, put the photo back where it was, and then asked Li Younan some questions about the trip.

Li Younan's experience in this area wasn't particularly extensive by this point, but there was still a lot to talk about, especially his previous experience traversing western Sichuan.

Chen Rui listened attentively, and when she heard Li Younan say that the guy insisted on eating the poisonous mushrooms despite being advised against it, she couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat for him.

It wasn't until someone gently knocked on the door that Chen Rui was jolted out of her reverie. She glanced at the time and realized that almost an hour had passed since she arrived at the room.

The door opened, and Chen Rui's mother looked at the two of them with some doubt before saying, "Daughter, it's almost time, we have to go back."

Chen Rui nodded, stood up, and Li Younan and her mother saw them out.

Reaching the door, Chen Rui hesitated for a moment, then asked Li Younan, "Do you have anything planned for tomorrow? I mean, can I come over to visit you tomorrow?"

When Chen Rui's mother heard this, she glanced at her daughter with some surprise.

Li Younan smiled casually: "Sure, you're welcome anytime."

Chen Rui nodded, a smile that her mother hadn't seen in a long time blooming on her face: "Let's go, Mom."

(End of this chapter)