(1)
Zhu Ying held a black parasol, shielding both herself and An Jing under its wide canopy.
The concrete road outside the city reflected the sunlight, making it almost blinding. Not far away, the river sparkled, and a faint mist seemed to rise from its surface.
They had just left the school behind them, and beside them was a grassy riverbank.
On normal school days, Zhou Chao would park his motorcycle here, then walk two or three hundred meters to the school.
On weekends when there were extra tutoring sessions, small stalls would set up here around noon, selling snacks like wontons or noodles.
An Jing turned around dazedly, looking at the school she had only seen yesterday.
For some reason, it felt as unfamiliar as if she hadn’t seen it in ten years.
Vines had somehow crawled up the side of the teaching building, reaching the fifth floor, which they hadn’t last year, now their territory.
The green leaves swayed in the hot wind, as if silently saying goodbye to An Jing.
“Suddenly remembered a joke.”
“What?” Zhu Ying, who had stopped with An Jing, tilted her head slightly.
“Someone woke up late on the first day of high school, rushed to school in a panic, and burst into the classroom to find a bunch of unfamiliar faces. Then they realized—they’d gone to the wrong school.”
“To the middle school?”
“Yeah.”
“Pfft, do people like that really exist?”
“There’s always someone who’s confused…” An Jing lightly scratched her cheek. “It’s such a strange feeling. I was studying there just yesterday, but today it feels like it doesn’t belong to me anymore.”
“We graduated.”
“Graduated… It feels so unreal.” An Jing smoothed the hem of her skirt, which was gently lifted by the wind. “It doesn’t feel any different from a regular summer break.”
“You’ve said that several times since last night~”
“I can’t help it. Cough… Three years went by pretty fast.”
“Then I hope the three years of high school go fast too—whoosh—and then we’ll finish the college entrance exam and have an even freer summer break! We should be adults by then, right? We can go wherever we want!”
“Pfft, when that time comes, we’ll probably wish time would slow down instead.” An Jing turned around and suddenly pointed at the riverbank. “Oh! A frog!”
“Where?”
“Over there! Ah, it ran away.”
“I didn’t see it.”
“Should I try to catch it? There are lots of frogs by the river in summer.”
“Don’t—you’ll get your dress dirty. You’re wearing a white dress today, remember?”
“I told you dresses are a hassle…”
“But they’re cool!”
“Not that cool…”
“I said you should have worn the shorter one!”
“That’s not the point at all!!”
…
(2)
The asphalt on the provincial road felt sticky underfoot, as if it had melted.
Cars whizzed by one after another, leaving a strong smell of rubber.
Most of the roadside was farmland, with occasional houses or ponds built by the edge, adding a bit of novelty to the slightly monotonous scenery.
“So hot.” Zhu Ying wiped the fine sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand and couldn’t help muttering.
“You’re the one who wanted to go out… I told you it was hot.”
“And I’m starving—”
“What about that place up ahead… want to try it?” An Jing pointed forward. There was a red signboard by the roadside. Under the sunlight, every hole in it was clearly visible, and the broken wires stuck out like dead branches, tangled inside. It probably couldn’t light up at night anymore.
But luckily, it was daytime, so the words “Stop Here to Eat” were still clear.
Restaurants like these by the highway weren’t too rare. They usually served long-haul truck drivers.
When An Jing rode with her dad, she’d eaten at one before. The food didn’t look amazing, but it tasted good, and the portions were huge.
If two girls with small appetites shared, one portion would be enough.
Zhu Ying followed An Jing’s pointing finger and looked toward the concrete path behind the sign.
The restaurant wasn’t right by the road. You had to walk thirty or forty meters to get to the door, and that path looked like it was poured by the owner himself—rough and uneven.
A big yellow dog was lying by the roadside, lazily sunbathing. When it sensed the two approaching, it gently wagged its fluffy, bushy tail, as if welcoming them in its own way.
“It’s not going to bite us, is it…?”
“Probably not? Dogs around here see lots of people. They usually don’t bite.” An Jing greeted it. “Hey, Big Yellow! Mind moving aside?”
The big yellow dog drooped its thick eyelids, wagged its tail twice more, and then stood up weakly, lifted its head to yawn, and jumped into the nearby field.
It didn’t bother going far. It just flopped down on the weeds in the field, using its tail to shoo away a bee trying to collect pollen from its fur.
“So well-behaved.”
“Right?” An Jing puffed out her chest proudly. “I’ve seen plenty of dogs. This one is clearly a good dog.”
“Even if you’re complimenting it, it kind of sounds like you’re cursing it.”
“Come on, come on, I’m starving. I haven’t even had much water today.” An Jing tugged at Zhu Ying, who wanted to bend down and take another look at the big yellow dog, and quickly headed toward the restaurant door.
The door was wide open. The boss was lying in a recliner, his face covered with a newspaper, apparently taking a nap.
The reed curtain beside him swayed slightly in the wind, causing the glass beads hanging from it to clink together with a crisp, pleasant sound.
There was a spacious open area in front, probably for parking. A few tables and chairs were set up under a bamboo awning, with some uncollected bowls and chopsticks still on them.
It seemed the guests hadn’t left yet, but the boss had already fallen asleep from drowsiness.
“Looks like… they’re not serving right now?”
“Should we try calling out…?”
“Wouldn’t it be rude to wake someone up?”
“If the shop’s open, they do business.” An Jing pursed her lips and cleared her throat loudly. “Ahem! Boss!”
“Huh?!” The legs of the boss lying in the chair suddenly twitched, and he sat up with a start. The newspaper slid off his rough face, revealing a pair of eyes still heavy with sleep.
“Still serving?”
“Yeah, what do you want to eat?” The boss let out a big yawn, wobbled to his feet, and almost tripped over a stool on the ground. He stumbled a few steps before finally regaining his balance. “Menu’s on the wall, take a look…”
“Mm-hmm—lots of options. Xiao Jing, what do you want?” Zhu Ying closed her parasol and took a few steps inside.
“Me…” An Jing rubbed her neck and looked up. “Iced mung bean soup to start, and then… a pork chop rice bowl, please.”
“Okay.”
“Then I want Yangzhou fried rice!”
“Such a basic choice.”
“I just suddenly felt like eating green peas.” Zhu Ying chuckled. “And~ red bean soup!”
“Alright, coming right up.” The half-asleep boss walked to the well by the door, pumped the handle seven or eight times, washed his face with the clear well water, then turned and walked into the kitchen.
The kitchen was next to the restaurant, semi-open-air. Firewood was neatly stacked against one wall, forming a windbreak background.
Besides the clay stove, there was also a gas stove. It looked like he mostly used the gas stove for cooking, while the clay stove was probably for braised dishes.
“Inside or outside?” An Jing tilted her head toward Zhu Ying.
“Outside. Inside might be a little cooler, but it feels stuffy.” Zhu Ying fanned herself gently. “Boss—could you clean up this table?”
“Alright, I’ll wash the rag and be right there!”
(3)
Not far away was the provincial road. Cars flew by one after another, and even the big trucks sped by like rockets.
The ground vibrated at different intensities depending on the weight of the vehicles. At its strongest, it even made the bowls and chopsticks on the table rattle.
Both the pork chop rice and the fried rice were quick dishes. In no time, two steaming hot meals were placed in front of Zhu Ying and An Jing. The mung bean soup and red bean soup, freshly scooped from the fridge, were still giving off cold air.
“Hmm… the red bean soup is so refreshing… Summer really needs this kind of thing to whet the appetite!”
“Delicious.” An Jing’s evaluation was simple. She was famished. The moment she smelled the rice, she could barely hold back, and now she had no time for extra words.
The pork chop rice came with a thick pork chop and freshly stir-fried bok choy. The braising sauce was poured over the rice, releasing an irresistible aroma.
An Jing eagerly shoveled a mouthful of sauce-soaked rice into her mouth, then, before she even swallowed, took a small bite of the braised pork chop.
“Gulp gulp…”
“How is it?”
“Delicious.”
“Pfft, that’s all you can say?”
“Try it yourself.”
“Alright~ I’ll share some of my fried rice with you later.”
“Sure…” An Jing’s eyes suddenly widened. She pounded her chest with a thump thump sound, taking a moment to fully swallow.
“Choked? Take it slow.”
“The parts without sauce are a bit dry…”
“Drink some mung bean soup!”
“Drinking something cold while eating is just so satisfying—hah—!” An Jing nodded and scooped a big spoonful of mung bean soup into her mouth.
The mung bean soup was a bit watery—one spoonful had only a few beans—but it was perfect for washing down the rice.
“It tastes better than any soda…”
“Right. And now I suddenly really want a red bean popsicle.”
“If we see a store on the way, let’s buy one! I want a mung bean popsicle too!”
In the sweltering summer, being able to enjoy the coolness of food—at times like this, even the slight sweat on the skin made it feel all the more satisfying.
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