(1)
The neon lights outside the window flickered, and from the covered arcade came the dull thumping of music, though it was impossible to make out what kind—though it sounded pretty rock and roll.
Zhu Ying took a deep breath, pulled on her oven mitts, and opened the oven.
A rush of hot air tinged with the smell of burning wafted out, making her wave her hand in front of her face.
“Wow, it’s burnt!”
“Seems like the oven’s too hot this time. Let’s try turning it down next time.”
“But I followed the recipe exactly…”
“Maybe your oven is newer? Or just a different model?”
“Xiaoru, what temperature do you think is better?”
“How about changing it from two hundred and twenty degrees to one hundred and eighty?”
“One hundred and eighty?”
Zhu Ying picked up her notebook from the kitchen counter and quickly jotted down the numbers with her cute, petite ballpoint pen.
“Anything else you think might be a problem?”
“Should add a bit more sugar. I tasted a piece that didn’t bake well just now—it was a bit bland.”
“Add… more… sugar.”
Zhu Ying muttered as she wrote down the words.
“Phew, let’s call it a day. Otherwise, it might get too late.”
“Okay, I should head back anyway.”
“I’ll walk you downstairs~”
“No, no need, I can go by myself…”
“It’s fine! Let’s grab dinner together on the way, my treat.”
“Mm.” Wang Xinru hesitated for a moment. Her bitter expression softened with a small smile. “Well, all right.”
“What do you want to eat? Anything’s fine~”
“Noodles is good.”
“So simple?”
“Mm…”
“How about rice with toppings?”
“That’s good too…”
“Rice with toppings it is!”
***
(2)
March 16th, 2010. Tuesday.
The sun hung high overhead, not casting much of a shadow behind Zhu Ying and An Jing.
A sparrow fluttered lazily overhead, as if it too was enjoying the leisure after a busy day.
“Xiao Jing, Xiao Jing? You seem a bit out of it?”
“Ah? No, not at all…”
“Ever since we changed homeroom teachers, English class has gotten way more enjoyable.”
“Yeah, Teacher Ye is really great—efficient, friendly, and everything’s easy to understand.”
“She does tell some weird jokes, though~”
“I think she just uses especially fitting examples, that’s all…”
“Oh~”
Zhu Ying grinned mischievously, tilting her chin up.
“Xiao Jing likes that kind of thing, huh?”
“Hey, don’t get the wrong idea! I really do think they’re appropriate!”
Zhu Ying pursed her lips, then suddenly sped up, walking ahead of An Jing.
“Want to hang out together this Friday?”
‘The arcade?’
“Not there—I meant, let’s go to the New City District. It’s much livelier.”
“Uh, I might be busy…”
“Got other plans again?”
Zhu Ying bit her lip.
“No, just maybe, something might come up.”
An Jing scratched her head awkwardly.
“Hmph… better not have plans.”
“I’ll try my best… Ah, why are you walking so fast today?”
Zhu Ying turned sideways, tilting her head back at An Jing, the words she wanted to say swallowed down. She smiled with sparkling eyes.
“Because I’m hungry, and I want to get home to eat as soon as possible.”
“Oh, who’s cooking tonight?”
“My dad has to work late, so my mom’s cooking.”
“What does your mom usually make?”
“Something good to eat? Hmm… frozen dumplings, noodles, fried rice or stir-fried rice cakes, stuff like that. She usually doesn’t cook anything fancy.”
“I see…”
“My mom’s kind of lazy, but I totally get it. Running around the kitchen is really exhausting.”
Zhu Ying stretched her arms in a big yawn, stopping beneath her apartment building and glancing up.
“All right, here we are. You should hurry home too, don’t stay out too late, or something might happen.”
“Cough, don’t worry, really. Besides, there are police cars everywhere lately, so it should be fine.”
“Let’s hope so, Xiao Jing. If anything happens, you run, got it? Don’t try to be brave.”
“Of course, I’m not that kind of person.”
“Really~?”
Zhu Ying raised the end of her sentence, laughing as she messed up An Jing’s hair.
“Okay, bye! See you tomorrow!”
“See you tomorrow!!”
An Jing turned around, walked a few steps slowly, then gradually sped up until she was running full speed.
Zhu Ying put her hands on her hips, exasperated.
“Seriously, what’s Xiao Jing been so busy with lately?”
***
(3)
March 17th, 2010. Wednesday.
It was an ordinary day as always, afternoon sunlight streaming warmly through the classroom windows, and the dust motes dancing in the rays were quickly thrown into chaos by the sound of the bell.
A few boys in the class, as usual, grabbed their bags and charged out the door.
Ye Wen clicked her tongue, annoyed.
“These little rascals, really… All right, all right, school’s out. The students on duty, remember to clean up. Everyone else can go home, don’t hang around!”
An Jing packed her bag and stood up, as usual waiting for Zhu Ying to sling her bag on and leave the classroom together.
She scratched her head, hesitating several times, wanting to say something but stopping.
“What’s up, Xiao Jing? Didn’t shower last night?”
“Cough, no… um, I’ve got something today…”
“Going to the arcade with your besties? Aren’t you getting too addicted to games lately?”
“N-no, not games…”
“Then what?”
“It’s just… just… ah, it’s games!”
“…Xiao Jing, if you look in the mirror right now, you’d see such a silly face.”
“Ah, eh?”
“All right, go on, go on.”
“Ah?”
“Didn’t you have something to do?”
“T-then I’ll get going? Sorry, just busy this week, but next week for sure—”
“It’s fine! I actually made plans to have someone over today anyway, everyone’s got their own friends.”
“Ah, I’m off then!”
An Jing waved hurriedly and dashed down the stairs—well, to be precise, more like she jumped down gripping the railing.
It looked exactly like a chase scene from a Jackie Chan movie.
“Yingying, An’an, she…”
“Addicted to fun—she’s going with her buddies to play like crazy.”
Zhu Ying hummed, “By the way, Xiaoru, do you have time today? My parents won’t be home again, want to come over and try making the cookies again? We’re bound to get it right this time.”
“Okay…”
“You think Xiao Jing will come back?”
“Mm. She probably… won’t?”
“Hm?”
“She’s totally oblivious.”
Phew, forget it, I forgive her…
***
(4)
March 18th, 2010. Thursday.
Spring rain tapped steadily on the plastic awnings of the shops along the street.
Walking with an umbrella beside Zhu Ying, An Jing was humming absentmindedly, lost in the melody of “Summer Fragments.”
She walked with long, sweeping steps, each one kicking up little splashes of water.
“Still as boyish as ever, huh…”
“Ah?”
“Nothing.”
“Oh, right, Xiaoying, today I’ll treat you—and Wangwang—to ice cream! That Häagen-Dazs one, the one where you pay five yuan per scoop!”
“So expensive! What’s gotten into you?”
“B-because… uh… mm, not really.”
“Oh~ Did Zhou Chao say something to you today?”
“Cough!!!”
An Jing actually wanted to say it was yesterday, but she didn’t dare, so she just nodded vaguely.
“Then I want strawberry!”
“I knew it… Wangwang, blueberry?”
“Mm.”
“What’s this about? I heard someone’s treating us to Häagen-Dazs!”
Zhang Qiqi ran over, splashing across the puddles with her old red umbrella.
“Hehe, how can you leave me out?”
“Hey, shameless!”
“An Jing, I’m your girlfriend’s best friend. It’s totally fair for you to treat me, right? You’re already treating Xiaoru!”
“N-no, that’s not…”
“Oh~ Is it—”
“W-what?”
“Mm—I won’t say, just treat me!”
“What a shameless woman…”
“What’s a face? Can you eat it?”
“Anyway, we’re all friends, aren’t we?”
“All right then… treat it is…”
“I want two scoops, one chocolate, one vanilla.”
“Two!?”
“What, can’t I?”
“Whatever… Hope you get a stomachache from it.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got a stomach of steel!”
Inside the arcade, An Jing looked at her nearly empty wallet and sighed deeply.
Four scoops of Häagen-Dazs had cost her twenty yuan.
Converted to the city’s usual snack, the “regular version of steamed cake,” that would buy about twenty, and with soy milk, enough breakfast for ten days.
“Xiao Jing, aren’t you having any?”
Zhu Ying’s curled lashes quivered as she gingerly dug her spoon into her massive ice cream scoop.
“Ah… I, I don’t really like ice cream. Once a guy hits middle school, he just doesn’t go for that kind of thing anymore.”
“Eh—? Really? Not even in summer?”
“Old popsicles are better in summer!”
“What a shame… I wanted to share some with you…”
“Ah, eh, ehhh?!”
“An’an, want to try blueberry?”
“Just eat mine! Strawberry is amazing!”
“Mmph!!”
An Jing’s mouth was stuffed full, unable to fit both spoonfuls of ice cream being shoved in at once.
“What a lucky girl,” Zhang Qiqi giggled, cupping her cheeks.
“Hiss… Is ice cream just too cold this time of year?”
***
(5)
March 19th, 2010. Friday.
“Friday’s the best, school ends so early~”
Zhu Ying stretched cutely and slung her backpack on.
“Xiao Jing.”
“Uh… this, that.”
“Oh~? So this is the ‘might be busy’ you mentioned before—so you’re busy after all?”
“Y-yeah, got something. Next time.”
“No worries, you don’t have to make it up to me. Xiao Jing has her own life too.”
Zhu Ying put her hands on her hips.
“If you’ve got plans, then go—don’t keep your friends waiting.”
“O-okay! I’m off then?”
“Mm, school ends early today, so you can really have fun~!”
“I-it’s not about playing!”
“Hmph, like I believe that.”
Zhu Ying made a face at An Jing’s back and called to Wang Xinru, “Xiaoru, today—”
“I brought chocolate, so we can try making chocolate chip cookies today.”
“Awesome!”
“What, baking cookies? Count me in~!”
“Qiqi—you can come, but you can’t eat them all! After we finish, we still have to save some to give to Xiao Jing tomorrow…”
“A little surprise, a little gift?”
“Mm~”
Zhu Ying’s voice was cheerful.
“All right, my parents will be home late tonight, so let’s head back early and get started! Since we’ve got extra chocolate, the steps might be a little different this time!”