Lingxin watched him. After finally being able to leave the house, she could at least summon some patience for Jiahao. She squinted her eyes, and repeated the gesture to him, though certainly more practiced. Home?
She couldn’t stop the joy from earlier from leaving her. Home? Why? Her eyes flickered red as her hand drifted to her chest, where her heart would be. She didn’t want to go to Jiahao’s place, she wanted to find the man who killed her and have her revenge!
But she couldn’t. She had no choice. Lingxin tried to contain the rage smoldering in her. Not for the first time, she was struck by how unfair everything was. She did not respond, instead looking down.
As she followed behind Jiahao, she managed to calm herself. Everything felt so different now that she was out of that house. As she looked around at the street, the houses, the trees, it occurred to her that she had no way of knowing where Feng Qiang was. And what would she do when she found him? Even if it was unfair, Jiahao was her best bet for navigating and executing her desires.
Jiahao wasn't sure what to do next, but he wanted to go home. He's pretty sure that he needed to lay on the couch or the floor to process everything. What even is he supposed to do next? All he could remember, or think of really, was how Lingxin said she wanted someone dead. Not just her parents, but a man too. He wanted to ask her about it. Does she have a plan? How is he supposed to fit into all of this?
His home wasn't that far from Lingxin's parents' home. If he had started from there, it'd be much quicker than walking all the way from the bike repair shop. It's a small two story house with a black roof and an off white exterior. Jiahao was gifted it from an old friend of Uncle Da's. While it still needs a few renovations, it's perfect to him. It's quiet, comfy, and looks nice too. He desperately needed to be under a different roof from his parents. They both tend to come over pretty often but at the end of the day, it was just him all by himself. But now, it'll be just him and Lingxin, he guessed.
As he approached his front door, he swiftly unlocked it. Jiahao turned to face Lingxin after swinging the door wide open. Home, he tried to sign again then telling her to go in. He sat down on the doorstep to take off his sneakers then hopped right in, locking the door behind him.
Inside was comfy and cozy. It was clean but to be frank, it was a bit empty. He did furnish it and all yet it lacked decoration; he just never had time to despite being a goal of his. Dropping his backpack onto the floor, Jiahao pulled out the notebook and pen again. He flipped to a fresh new page then wrote, "Welcome home!", with a little smiley face. With a smile of his own on his face, he turned the notebook around to show Lingxin.
She wasn’t sure what to think when Jiahao began approaching one of the houses. It wasn’t too far away, but it looked quite different from the home she just left. Lingxin nodded when he signed, and tried to read his lips even if it was difficult. She was pretty sure he was letting her in, but she stayed while he took off his shoes, wanting to observe him. She followed once he took them off.
It was hard not to feel very out of place once she was inside. This home was certainly not like the one she had left. Her parents’ home was filled with memorabilia and photos, it smelled of old things. This house still had that smell of newness, though she got the sense that it had stood for much longer than Jiahao had lived in it. It was strange.
Catching movement in the corner of her vision, she turned and watched Jiahao write in the notebook. She pursed her lips when he showed it to her. She didn’t want to be mean, Jiahao has so far been quite decent to her. She just signed, Your home. It’s not home to me.
As he stared at Lingxin, his arms slowly lowered. Pulling the notebook to his chest, he hugged it while watching her sign. His lips made a small pout. Your home. That was all he could gather from it aside from not home and me.
Jiahao sighed. He got it, sort of. Lingxin was on a mission and it is very important to her. But now that technically she was here, wouldn't this be her home too? He knows it looks rather empty, but he can decorate it. Perhaps he can learn more about Lingxin and get her input so they can make it a home for her. While they go through her plan and afterwards, he will make it a home for her. He would even paint the walls whatever color she wanted. He really isn't opposed to much. The place was in dire need of character.
With a click of his pen, he wrote another message. Once he was done, he held it up to her. "I will make it home for you," It said, "Would you maybe want to talk about that and yourself for a bit or should we talk about that man first? It is up to you, Lingxin."
