(1)
Wang Xinru’s front door was still as empty and desolate as ever, unlike the doors of others which had cured meat hanging, and orange peels or tea leaves set out to dry.
A calico cat was lying on her windowsill, eyes half-closed in a nap. The sunlight spilled over it, making its smooth fur look as clean and neat as a stuffed toy.
An Jing tried knocking on the heavy wooden door. The thump thump echoed softly in the stillness, and for some reason, the sound of the river behind them became exceptionally clear.
Thump thump…
“Xiao—Ru! Are you home—?” Zhu Ying, seeing no response, simply tilted her head up and shouted.
Whoosh— The upstairs window suddenly slid open, and half of Wang Xinru’s body leaned out, looking down.
The expression on her bitter-melon-like face seemed surprised: “Hey, Yingying, and… An’an too?”
“It’s summer break, so we came to hang out! Got time?”
“Yes, I’ll come down to open the door…” Then the half-body withdrew, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps on a wooden staircase.
From behind the heavy door came the sound of something heavy being set down, then an especially long creak—for a moment, the passage of time seemed to slow down.
Wang Xinru behind the door wore a loose short-sleeved top, and the trousers on her lower body seemed hastily pulled on, the style looking mismatched.
Her slightly curly hair was messily draped over her shoulders, as if she had just woken up and hadn’t had time to wash up yet.
“Just woke up?” An Jing asked doubtfully.
“It’s already afternoon, how could I have just woken up?” She brushed aside the hair at her temples and gently smoothed the wrinkles on her top. “I’m just not going out today, so I didn’t bother tidying up.”
“Oh—we only woke up at noon.” An Jing nodded. “We stayed up late last night playing around.”
“When summer break comes, of course you have to let loose!” Zhu Ying placed her hands on her hips with righteous indignation. “Xiao Ru, what are you doing at home?”
“Not really doing anything, just cleaning my room.”
“Finished cleaning? Want to go out for a stroll?”
“Sure. Let me change clothes.” Wang Xinru nodded lightly. “Do you want to come upstairs and sit?”
“No need. Aren’t you going to change in your room?”
“Mhm… then sit downstairs for a bit. Would you like some tea?”
“No, no, just go change.” An Jing waved her hand. “Why suddenly being so polite?”
“Exactly, we’re family.”
“Then wait for me downstairs for a bit…” Wang Xinru smiled faintly and slowly walked upstairs. Just as she was about to turn the corner, she suddenly looked back. “There are two cans of Sprite in the fridge that I never drank. If you’re thirsty, help yourselves.”
“Sure!” An Jing didn’t stand on ceremony at all. She walked straight to the fridge and pulled it open with a click.
The fridge was as clean as if it were brand new. Apart from the two cans of Sprite, there was nothing inside—not even any grime…
“Uh, why is it suddenly so clean?”
“Maybe something went bad in there before?”
“Huh? Why do you say that?”
“Once something in my fridge went bad, and my mom cleaned it just like this.” Zhu Ying took the Sprite An Jing handed her but didn’t drink it right away. Instead, she pressed it against her cheek and rubbed it vigorously.
“Wow, so cold! What are you doing?”
“Hehe—cooling you down~”
“It’s freezing, okay? Stop messing around.” An Jing gave her a dirty look, closed the fridge door, and leisurely sat down on the rattan chair in the living room. “Did you do a big cleaning? The room feels so clean.”
“Yeah, it looks much tidier than before.”
Wang Xinru was wearing a Pikachu-patterned shirt, and a pair of summer shorts that reached mid-thigh.
Even though it was just a casual outfit, it made Zhu Ying take a second look.
“Um… Xiao Ru, the neckline is too low.”
“Huh? Mmm… I think it’s designed that way.”
“Seeing something big making you jealous?” said An Jing.
Zhu Ying didn’t reply. She just pinched the soft flesh on An Jing’s butt and twisted hard.
The latter immediately jumped up, covering her butt as she rushed to the door: “Sneak attack is against the rules!”
“Hmph, little Jing dares to say that?”
Wang Xinru shyly pulled the neckline up a little, but that only made the fabric across her chest tighter.
Zhu Ying sighed helplessly, then suddenly leaned close and whispered in her ear: “Xiao Ru, what size are you now?”
“Mmm… a C cup bra is a bit tight, but D is slightly loose…”
“Tsk… so it’s because the rest of your body is so slender that it looks especially big?” Zhu Ying pouted.
“If Yingying likes them so much, I’ll share some with you~?” Wang Xinru also joked.
“Tch… forget it, I prefer a more natural look.”
“Hey—you two—” An Jing, standing by the door, couldn’t help shouting. “What secrets are you whispering? Are we going or not?”
“Coming!”
—
Since there was no specific destination, the three simply held umbrellas and walked leisurely along the river.
This was a natural village formed along the river. Looking at the map, it was a long strip stretching far ahead until it was blocked by a range of continuous mountains.
Whether it was psychological or not, An Jing felt that the further they walked, the clearer the river water became, and the air grew more humid as well.
“So this village is that big.” Zhu Ying curiously turned her head to look at the houses on the left side of the road. The further back they went, the more the styles of the houses varied; generally speaking, the ones further in were older.
Wooden cabins were already considered new; many were even adobe houses. And they weren’t all uniformly white-walled with black tiles—there were all sorts of messy color combinations, revealing the owners’ personalities and representing different eras.
“So long—” An Jing dragged out her voice. “Hey, look, there’s a house over there with really black walls.”
“Yeah, it looks like it’s been burned.”
“Maybe it caught fire?” Wang Xinru followed their gaze and glanced twice.
In the village stretching along the river, there were not only residential houses but also many small shops.
Most of these shops were concentrated in the middle, so it would be convenient no matter which end you came from.
There was a relatively modern barbershop with a rotating barber’s pole at the door; there was also a tavern that looked like it came from a historical drama, with a flag hanging in front embroidered with the character ‘wine’; there was a hardware store that, even in daytime, looked pitch black inside, with shelves of various sizes cramming the space; and there was even a general store bearing the sign of a supply and marketing cooperative, the red characters on the pillar reading ‘No abusing customers’ not yet faded by time. The layout inside was similar to the old cooperatives, but it was no longer as lively as before.
An Jing had never actually experienced the era of supply and marketing cooperatives, but when she saw it, she inexplicably felt a sense of nostalgia. Subconsciously, she took out her phone, clicked the lens open, and then with a snap, took a picture.
“My dad said that when he was little, going to the cooperative to buy things meant having to read the salesclerks’ faces.”
“My dad said the same…”
Wang Xinru also stopped to take a closer look: “It looks all old and shabby.”
“After all, those times are long gone…”
The three resumed walking, following the river forward. The road gradually became steeper, feeling like an uphill climb.
Finally, they reached the end of the village. Beyond it was a stretch of endless rolling mountains.
In a small city like this, there wasn’t much else, but plenty of mountains.
An Jing looked up along the mountain body, feeling that the bright sunlight seemed to become much softer and dimmer within the dense forest.
From the forest came restless cicada cries, their voices converging into a chorus with electronic undertones.
“Ah… the feeling of summer.” An Jing couldn’t help muttering, recalling many summers from her childhood.
In her memories, summer always seemed wonderful.
Perhaps because summer was the time for summer vacation.
Even though there was homework, because it was so long, they could go out and play with abandon.
And sometimes, her parents would take her to the city to experience a summer of provincial capital life.
Although life in the provincial capital wasn’t as free as in the countryside, the bustling city was full of oddities, and every time she went out, she could experience all sorts of novelties.
Sometimes she could make friends who had lived in the city since childhood, but every time they would part ways at the end of summer break.
Even though they said ‘see you next summer,’ even if she went to the provincial capital again the next summer, she often couldn’t find that person anymore.
What’s more, she didn’t go to the provincial capital every summer.
Cheap snacks in the countryside, friends running around everywhere, the unrestrained hot wind, and the cicada cries that were much livelier than in the big city—this was the summer An Jing was most familiar with.
“Suddenly I want to stay in the small city for high school…”
“Xiao Jing, why are you suddenly getting sentimental?”
“Just got emotional… remembered some childhood things.”
“Running around, it felt like there was always something to play.” Wang Xinru also couldn’t help curving her lips. “In the years I left the small city, I always thought about coming back…”
“How does it feel to be back?”
“Very good, and… it’s like putting a full stop to many things, even if it’s not entirely perfect.”
Wang Xinru’s words made An Jing a little silent.
Zhu Ying beside her broke the silence half a minute later: “So… Xiao Ru, have you decided? To go to Canada with your father?”
“Yes, but before that, I want to travel around the country by myself for a while.”
“Huh, you alone? Travel?”
“I do have some relatives, you know. When I go to different cities, I’ll stay with different relatives for a while.”
“I see…”
An Jing, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke: “Consider it a souvenir before going abroad. So, where’s the first stop?”
“I’ll go to Yangcheng first.”
“Oh… far away.”
“Yeah, tomorrow’s plane.”