（一）
Spring rain always comes with flashes of lightning and peals of thunder.
In that pitch-black sky that looked like midnight, a streak of lightning would occasionally cut through the darkness, followed by a rumbling roar.
Raindrops pelted the surface of the lake, but the people fishing didn’t leave.
Some put on raincoats, others opened umbrellas—fishing in the rain seemed to have its own special charm.
Such heavy rain didn’t make people restless, perhaps because it came hard and fast, and would likely disappear just as quickly.
Three girls stood together under the same Osmanthus Flower tree. No one spoke. The atmosphere was a little heavy, but not oppressive.
“So fragrant.” Anjing’s voice broke the silence. She looked up, just in time to see a pale yellow Osmanthus Flower, weighed down by rainwater, fall onto her face. “Ah…! Osmanthus Flower?”
“Hm?” Zhu Ying looked up curiously too. “I was just wondering what smelled so nice—I thought it was Xiaojing’s perfume.”
“I’m not a walking bottle of perfume. How could my scent be that strong?” Anjing drooped her eyelids. “But… it’s the first time I’ve seen Osmanthus Flower blooming in spring.”
“Some Osmanthus Flower trees bloom in March or April.” Wang Xinru gently picked an Osmanthus Flower that had landed on Anjing’s hair. “But… the Four-Season Osmanthus is usually a small shrub. This big Osmanthus Flower tree blooming in spring—it’s my first time seeing it too.”
“It smells so good! It must taste amazing as Osmanthus Cake.” “Xiaoying, you’re just thinking about food…”
“Osmanthus Cookies! Xiaojing, do you want to try?”
“….”
“Chocolate cookies are delicious, right?” “They really are… That’s surprising.”
“What do you mean by that! The only reason I failed before was because I was inexperienced. Who could keep failing forever?”
“Maybe not….” Anjing scratched her head with a dry laugh. “Of course, being able to succeed through hard work is already a happy thing.” “Let’s pick a few!”
“What are you going to put them in…?”
“Hmm—” Zhu Ying’s eyes fell on Wang Xinru’s head. “Xiaoru! Your Sun Hat, can I borrow it?”
“Eh? You can, but… I wore it…”
“It’s fine!” Zhu Ying rose on tiptoe, took the Sun Hat off Wang Xinru’s head, and sniffed it like a kitten. “Mm—not much smell at all.”
“Maybe it gets a bit of scalp oil if you wear it long enough?”
“A-An’an! I—I’m not the oily type…!!” “Xiaojing, don’t say things like that. Girls can’t stand hearing those.”
Anjing swallowed the words on her lips, glanced at the nervous Wang Xinru, and smiled sheepishly.
Osmanthus Flower trees don’t usually grow that tall, so with a little effort, Zhu Ying could still reach some drooping branches.
If you shook them gently, the flowers would fall.
But to avoid wasting any, she picked them one by one as carefully as possible.
“Don’t girls love flowers?” “Of course.”
“Doesn’t picking them make you feel bad?” “Why would it?”
“Uh… not at all? Like in Red Chamber Dream.”
“Normal girls aren’t like Lin Daiyu!” Zhu Ying shot Anjing a sidelong glance. “Right, Xiaoru?”
“Mm, as long as you don’t pick all the flowers that decorate the scenery.”
“But if everyone thinks like that, won’t they all be picked in the end?” “So, if there aren’t many left, don’t pick any more.”
“Exactly. Besides, there are still plenty of Osmanthus Flowers—we’re just taking a little.”
“Speaking of which…” Anjing, tired of holding the Rabbit Plush, slung it over her shoulder. “What else can Osmanthus Flower make besides Osmanthus Cake?”
“Osmanthus Cookies!”
“That’s your new recipe…”
“You can also make Osmanthus Wine and other sweet liquors.” Wang Xinru started counting on her fingers. “There’s also Osmanthus Crisp, Osmanthus Congee, Osmanthus Rice Cake…”
“Is Osmanthus Flower really that tasty?”
“It’s mostly for garnish and adding fragrance—Osmanthus Flower doesn’t really have much flavor.” “But it smells so good, right Xiaojing? It’s so tiny but so fragrant.” “Yeah…”
“Yaaah!” “Careful!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. If I fall to the left, you’ll catch me. If I fall to the right, Xiaoru will catch me!” “What if you fall forward or backward?”
“You both catch me together!”
“Don’t count on our reaction speed too much…!”
◎
（二）
The rain stopped quickly.
The once-dry country road turned muddy, and the humid air was chased away by a mischievous breeze.
The clouds gradually parted, and the sunshine after rain always felt especially gentle.
“It shouldn’t rain again any time soon, right?” Zhu Ying hugged the Sun Hat now filled with Osmanthus Flowers and looked up at the sky.
“I don’t know—hard to say. It’s just a passing shower.”
“So, Xiaojing, are you heading back or going somewhere else?”
“Let’s walk along the road—I don’t want to step in the mud anymore. My shoes are already dirty.” “Pfft. What, worried Sister Huihui will scold you?”
“Sister Huihui wouldn’t scold me, but Fei-jie will nag me for sure—even though she doesn’t wash my shoes herself.”
“Feifei-jie always feels bad for Huihui-jie~”
“If she really cared, she’d help out more. She never does anything herself.” Anjing pouted.
“Have you guys ever been to Bailiu Mountain nearby?”
“Bailiu Mountain?” Anjing shook her head blankly. “Never even heard of it.”
“Uh… maybe only locals know about it.” “Where is it?”
“Go straight from here until you see a roadside Tire Shop, then turn left. Keep going straight until you reach a Bus Stop, then at the intersection ahead, turn right and you’ll be there… There’s a Stone Stele at the foot of the mountain, not very noticeable.” Wang Xinru gestured carefully. “Then just head up.”
“How’s the mountain path?”
“It’s stone steps.”
“What do you say, Xiaoying—want to go?”
“Let’s do it. But I need to put the Osmanthus Flowers away first. How about in the classroom? It’s not far to go back.” “Um… I can help take them and deliver them to your house later. Are your parents home, Yingying?” “They should be today. Hm? Xiaoru, aren’t you coming up the mountain with us?”
Anjing tilted her head, looking at the black Rabbit Plush on her shoulder, pretending she hadn’t heard anything.
“I’ll skip today.”
Wang Xinru’s face, which always seemed a bit bitter, wasn’t downcast at all. Instead, she wore a relaxed, cheerful smile. “I want to walk alone today. Besides, where I’m going is muddy—my shoes will get dirty.”
“Er… best to stick to concrete or stone roads,” Anjing looked down at her shoes. “Wait, that’s not right, I’m wearing Xiaoying’s shoes today—Sister Huihui doesn’t have to wash them…”
“If Xiaojing gets them dirty, Xiaojing has to wash them herself—!”
“Hey, hey!”
“Kidding! These shoes are yours now. I only wore them once, so you better not mind.” “How could I mind?”
“That’s more like it~” Zhu Ying grinned, poked Anjing’s cheek, and looked at Wang Xinru. “So, Xiaoru, I’m off to hike with Xiaojing?”
“Mm.” Wang Xinru nodded with a gentle smile. [Seeing them so happy together makes me happy too.]
◎
“Xiaoru isn’t an ordinary girl either.” “What?” Anjing looked confused.
“Nothing, let’s go, let’s go!”
（三）
Province Z is a wealthy region. Even the poorer small cities have wide asphalt roads running out into the countryside. The recent rain hadn’t made the pavement very wet; in fact, it was drying visibly by the minute.
“Xiaojing! The Tire Shop!” Zhu Ying popped a grape-flavored hard candy into her mouth. “Xiaoru said turn left here, right?”
“Should be. A Tire Shop on the outskirts—looks like they don’t get much business.” “Do you think the owner throws nails on the road and waits for people to get flats?”
“No way… Well, some bike repair guys do that.” “If there’s profit to be made, people will do anything!” “Not possible—this Tire Shop is my uncle’s.”
“Whoa!” Anjing jumped in surprise and spun around to see a tall boy behind her, blocking the sunlight. “You scared me, you—”
“Haha, it really is Anjing! Man, you’re even wearing girls’ clothes? Tsk tsk tsk, pretty cute actually. But hey, isn’t this a little too degenerate?”
“W-What are you talking about?” Anjing blinked furiously in panic. “I—I’m not—I’m not my brother!”
◎
：
“Huh?”
“I’m Anjing’s younger sister, An… An Yin!” “Who are you fooling? Since when does Anjing have a younger sister?”
“I mean it! It’s just that… I’ve been sick for a long time, so I’ve been recovering in the provincial capital!”
“You don’t look sick at all?”
Anjing quickly lowered her voice and said weakly, “You just startled me, that’s all…”
Zhu Ying stifled a laugh and changed the subject for her. “Fang Qiang, what are you doing here?”
“Heh, I bought a second-hand little Motorcycle, came to my uncle’s to change the tires.” Fang Qiang smiled proudly. “Got it for just over a thousand. Still needs a bit of fixing elsewhere.”
“Your own Motorcycle?”
“Yup.” Fang Qiang pointed to the faded white Motorcycle at the Tire Shop entrance. “That one.”
“Looks like an electric scooter.”
“It’s an old model, but very fuel efficient.”
“Why’d you buy a Motorcycle?”
“It’s too far to go home to the countryside every week. Riding a bicycle is exhausting and such a waste of time. Motorcycle is much easier and faster.” “Why not get an e-bike?”
“An e-bike that could make it to my hometown would be way more expensive.” “True.”
“So, Anjing, you—”
“She really is Anjing’s sister. Call her An Yin.”
“For real?” Fang Qiang looked suspicious. “You look just like him. Anjing never mentioned a twin sister. And why would you be hanging out with her? Shouldn’t it be Anjing with you?” “Xiaojing was too lazy to get out of bed today, so I brought her little sister instead. She rarely goes out in the city, so I thought I’d take her around~” “Oh? That’s how it is?” “Y-Yes… That’s right…”
“No way, who are you trying to fool! You’re totally Anjing yourself—put on girls’ clothes and don’t want to admit it, you think I’m an idiot?!”
“Pfft…” Zhu Ying doubled over, shaking with laughter.
Anjing stammered, trying to explain, but couldn’t get a complete sentence out.
This is bad…
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