SEE YOU MORNING

Do I still exist without my memories?

Li Haojun stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, gazing out into the courtyard. The glass faintly reflected his cheeks, his eyes deep and focused.

The early morning drizzle had already moistened every corner of the small courtyard. The dark green brick walls, the dripping banana leaves in the corners, the moss on the soil—everything was soaked in the morning drizzle. The rain soaked the bricks on the ground, clear water slowly flowing past the floor-to-ceiling windows, while the whole glass pane was misty, the drizzle soaking the sky, and through the glass, Li Haojun’s figure could be vaguely seen standing by the window.

The door of the inner room opened, and Tan Wenjing walked out. Li Haojun saw her through the reflection of the glass window, dressed in dark green silk pajamas, like the banana leaves in the rain this morning, and this solemn contrast highlighted her fair skin even more.

Li Haojun turned around and greeted her without making more eye contact.

“Did you sleep well last night?” Tan Wenjing asked, while tidying her hair with both hands, tying a simple ponytail.

Li Haojun could only smile bitterly, “I don’t even remember what it feels like to sleep well.”

Tan Wenjing just smiled and turned to walk away, saying, “Wait here, I’ll make some breakfast.” Li Haojun originally wanted to follow and help out, but looking at Tan Wenjing’s back, her fair shoulders, graceful waist, he couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward. So he turned aside and went to the dining area next to the kitchen, silently arranging the table and chairs, sitting down and waiting.

The upper half of the partition between the dining area and the kitchen was made of hollow wooden decorative patterns, some of which Tan Wenjing had utilized, placing red wine, tea canisters, various spices. It seemed that they had been living in this house for some time. Li Haojun surveyed these details of the room, trying to find traces of his lost memories, but what caught his eye was still Tan Wenjing’s busy figure, the straps of her pajamas, the softness and sheen of the silk, the ponytail swaying with her movements, sometimes resting on her shoulder, sometimes covering her cheek, sometimes swaying as she turned her head, through the partition, her hazy figure reminiscent of his memories of her.

Before long, Tan Wenjing brought a plate of burgers in front of Li Haojun, with beef and butter. She herself brought oatmeal porridge and fried eggs, plus a glass of milk.

“Thank you,” Li Haojun said when Tan Wenjing sat down.

“Eat up, don’t be polite,” Tan Wenjing said, giving a slight tug to the hem of her pajamas as she sat opposite. The dining table was not large, and although the burgers tasted good, the aroma of milk also wafted into Li Haojun’s nose, prompting him to glance at the delicacies across from him.

Tan Wenjing gently stirred the porridge with a spoon, still a bit hot. She said lightly, “You can’t drink milk in the morning, you’re lactose intolerant.” Then she calmly gazed into Li Haojun’s eyes.

“Thank you for taking care of me all this time, what else can I say,” his memories only start from here, “I,...”

“Don’t be so polite,” Tan Wenjing’s lips twitched slightly, wanting to smile but freezing, looking down at the stirring spoon, “You and I are just in a relationship, we’re not married.”

“But I’m like this, and you...” Li Haojun didn’t know what to say, so he gently held her left hand on the table, her fingers feeling a bit cold.

After a while, Tan Wenjing gently withdrew her hand.

“Let’s eat, I have to go out and do something today, you’re coming with me.”