Civil Engineering in the Mortal World: Ten Years Without Knowing Today's Events

Chapter 8 Meeting

At 1:30 pm on Saturday, I stood in front of the mirror in my dormitory and looked at myself for a full three minutes.

The mirror was one of those cheap wall-mounted mirrors that cost ten yuan each. The edges were already curled up, and the reflection was a bit distorted, but it was clear enough to see clearly—a thirty-three-year-old man, shaved, with washed hair, wearing a navy blue polo shirt.

I bought this polo shirt last year at a supermarket in the county town. It was on sale for 49 yuan. The collar is a bit frayed, but at least there are no holes or the words "XX Construction" on it.

Xiao Liu peeked out from the top bunk, a toothbrush dangling from his mouth.

"Brother Chen, you look good in this."

"You said that white one looked good last time."

"That one won't do, it's too see-through," Xiao Liu chuckled. "This one makes you look fairer."

I rolled my eyes at it and turned to look behind me. There were no obvious stains. Then I looked at the shoes—a pair of black sneakers, not work shoes.

I've had these shoes for three years, but I've worn them less than ten times. The soles are a bit hard, making them uncomfortable to walk in, but they look better than work shoes.

"Brother Chen, don't be nervous." Xiao Liu jumped off the bed. "Just think of it as going for a walk around the construction site."

"Are there girls on the construction site?"

"Then consider it a meeting with the client."

"I'm more nervous about being the client."

Xiao Liu laughed. I ignored him, picked up my phone, keys, and wallet, and walked out of the dormitory.

The electric scooter had been baking in the sun all morning, and the seat was burning hot. I got on, started the engine, and rode towards the county town.

A gust of wind blew in from the front, making my polo shirt stick to my body. The weather at the end of April was neither too hot nor too cold, and the poplar trees on both sides of the road had already turned green, their leaves rustling softly.

The county park is on the east side; it's not big, but the greenery is decent. I rode for twenty minutes and arrived at exactly 1:50. Aunt Wang said it would be 2:00, so I arrived ten minutes early.

I parked my electric scooter at the park entrance, went inside, and found a bench to sit down.

The park wasn't crowded. A few elderly men were practicing Tai Chi, a young mother was pushing a stroller slowly, and two magpies were hopping around on the grass. I sat on a bench, my hands on my knees, watching the two magpies.

I started to get nervous.

It wasn't the nervousness you feel when meeting someone you like; it was an indescribable nervousness—like taking an exam, like an interview, like waiting to be judged. I didn't know what I was nervous about. The other person was a girl with the mental age of a nine-year-old. What could she possibly judge me for? She probably didn't even understand the meaning of the word "judgment."

But I was just nervous.

My phone vibrated. It was a WeChat message from my mom.

"Little one, have you arrived yet?"

"arrive."

"Let's have a good chat, don't rush off."

"understood."

I put my phone in my pocket and took a deep breath.

At exactly two o'clock, Aunt Wang arrived.

She was wearing a floral shirt, had her hair permed, and waved to me from afar. A girl followed behind her.

"Chen Mu! You're here pretty early!"

I stood up and forced a smile. "Aunt Wang."

"Come, come, let me introduce you." Aunt Wang turned around and took the girl's hand. "Xiao Hui, this is Chen Mu, whom I told you about."

The girl walked out from behind Aunt Wang.

My first reaction was—not high.

He's about 1.55 meters tall, a head shorter than me.

She was thin, very thin, her wrists as thin as dry twigs. Her skin was pale, almost unnaturally pale, the kind of paleness you get when you don't go out much. She wore a pink coat, dark pants, and clean white canvas shoes.

His face was expressionless; it wasn't that he was unhappy, he was just expressionless. His eyes were fixed on the ground, not on anyone.

"Xiao Hui, call him Brother Chen." Aunt Wang gently nudged her.

The girl looked up and glanced at me.

Just one glance.

A word suddenly flashed through my mind—emptiness.

It wasn't empty, it was hollow. Her eyes were clear, as clear as a mirror that had never seen anyone. There was no curiosity, no nervousness, no shyness, nothing at all. She just glanced at me, and then lowered her head.

"Brother Chen," she said. Her voice was soft, like a mosquito's buzz.

"Hello," I said.

Aunt Wang tried to smooth things over, saying, "Xiao Hui is a little shy, but she'll be fine once she gets to know you. You two chat for a bit, I'm going to buy some water over there." With that, she left.

Only Xiaohui and I remained on the bench. There was a person's distance between us.

I sat down, and Xiao Hui sat down after me. She sat very properly, with her back straight and her hands on her knees, like a primary school student in class.

I opened my mouth, but didn't know what to say.

I'm usually good with words—swearing at the workers, arguing with the supervisors, and reporting to the boss on construction sites. But right now, facing this girl, I find all my language skills have failed me.

I remained silent for a long time.

In the end, Xiao Hui spoke first.

"How old are you?" she asked, her eyes still fixed on the ground.

Thirty-three.

"Oh." She thought for a moment, "Older than me."

"Um."

Silence fell again.

I glanced at her. Her profile was serene, with long eyelashes, a low nose bridge, and slightly dry lips. If it weren't for the emptiness in her eyes, she would have looked like an ordinary, somewhat thin young woman.

"What do you like to eat?" I asked.

Xiao Hui thought for a moment, then looked up and looked at my face this time.

"strawberry."

"strawberry?"

"Mmm, strawberries." Her voice was a little louder than before. "Red, and sweet."

"Where do you like to go for fun?"

"Play?" She thought for a moment, then said, "The park. Here."

"Besides parks?"

She thought for a long time, then shook her head.

"I haven't been anywhere else."

My heart skipped a beat.

I'm twenty-six years old and have never been anywhere else. I suddenly remembered what my mother said—"Don't run around." At the time, I found that word jarring, but now I know that it wasn't about a dog, but about a person locked in a cage.

I suddenly felt a little soft-hearted.

It's not that I feel sorry for it, it's that I'm soft-hearted. It's like seeing a cat locked in a cage. You know it won't bite, you know it can't do anything, but when you look at it, you feel like something inside your heart has been pinched.

"Then we can go somewhere else," I said. "There's a movie theater in the county town. Have you ever been to a movie theater?"

Xiao Hui shook her head.

"I'll take you to see it next time."

Xiao Hui didn't say anything, but the corner of her mouth twitched. I wasn't sure if it was a smile.

Aunt Wang came back, carrying two bottles of water.

"How did the chat go?" she asked with a smile.

"That's great," I said. "Aunt Wang, how about we have lunch together?"

"Okay, okay. Xiao Hui, are you hungry?"

Xiao Hui shook her head, then nodded. Aunt Wang laughed, "That's just how she is; she always shakes her head and nods at the same time, no matter what you ask."

I stood up, and Xiao Hui stood up too. She stood there, head down, her hands clasped together, like a sapling bent by the wind.

"Let's go," I said, "there's a dumpling restaurant nearby."

I walked in front, with Aunt Wang and Xiao Hui following behind. I heard Aunt Wang whispering to Xiao Hui, "How was it? Is Brother Chen a good person?" "Yes." "Speak to him properly, don't always keep your head down." "Yes."

The dumpling restaurant wasn't big, but it was clean. I found a seat by the window and handed the menu to Aunt Wang.

"Aunt Wang, please order."

Aunt Wang took the menu, flipped through a couple of pages, and handed it to Xiao Hui: "Xiao Hui, what would you like to eat?"

Xiao Hui glanced at the menu, then glanced at me.

"Dumplings," she said.

"What kind of filling?"

Xiao Hui shook her head.

"Pork and cabbage?" Aunt Wang asked.

Xiao Hui nodded.

I called the waiter over and ordered: "Two plates of pork and cabbage, one plate of chives and eggs, one bowl of hot and sour soup, and three bottles of water."

While waiting for the dumplings, Aunt Wang started talking.

"Chen Mu, you've seen Xiao Hui yourself. She's well-behaved, doesn't cause trouble, and can do housework at home. She can cook noodles and fry eggs. She just can't cook anything too complicated, in case she forgets to turn off the gas."

I listened without replying.

"Her parents are both retired workers with pensions, so you don't need to support them. If you two get together, her parents said they can help you with the down payment for a two-bedroom apartment in the county town."

I picked up a peanut and chewed it for a long time.

"Aunt Wang, let me and Xiao Hui see how things go."

"Okay, okay, you two can give it a try." Aunt Wang grinned from ear to ear. "I'm not in a hurry, but your mom is, hahaha."

Xiao Hui sat to the side, head down, drawing circles on the table with her chopsticks.

I looked at her.

She suddenly looked up at me. Just one glance, then looked down again.

But this time, I felt differently.

I can't quite put my finger on what was different. Maybe it's because in those eyes, in that instant, I saw something else. Not emptiness. Something else entirely. I can't quite put my finger on it.

When the dumplings were served, Xiao Hui ate very little. Of the six dumplings, she ate two and gave the rest to Aunt Wang.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Aunt Wang asked.

I'm full.

"You're full after just two?"

Xiao Hui nodded.

As I looked at the plate of leftover dumplings, I suddenly remembered what my mother had said—"She can do housework and cook at home."

One meal, two dumplings.

I don't know if it's because she has a small appetite or because she's afraid to eat.

After lunch, Aunt Wang said she would take Xiao Hui home for a nap. Xiao Hui takes a nap every day at noon without fail; if she doesn't, she gets fussy in the afternoon.

"Let's meet again next time," Aunt Wang said. "Chen Mu, could you add Xiao Hui on WeChat?"

I took out my phone, and Xiao Hui also took out a phone from her pocket—an older OPPO model with two corners of the screen cracked and held together with transparent tape.

I scanned her QR code and added her as a friend.

Her WeChat profile picture is a cat, and her Moments are empty.

"Xiao Hui, say goodbye to Brother Chen." Aunt Wang held her hand.

"Goodbye, Brother Chen," Xiao Hui said, her voice a little louder than before.

"goodbye."

I stood at the entrance of the dumpling restaurant and watched Aunt Wang lead Xiao Hui away. Xiao Hui walked very slowly, taking small steps, and Aunt Wang had to pull her along several times before she could walk a little faster.

As we reached the corner, Xiao Hui suddenly turned around and glanced at me.

Then Aunt Wang dragged him away.

I stood there, hands in my pockets, clutching my phone.

My phone vibrated.

I took it out to look—it was given out by Xiaohui.

Two words: "Brother Li".

I don't know what to say.

After thinking for a long time, I typed two words: "Mmm."

Send it out.

Then I put my phone in my pocket, got on my electric bike, and rode towards the construction site.

The wind blew in from the front, making my eyes sting.

One image kept replaying in my mind—Xiao Hui turning around and looking at me.