(1)
March 21st, 2010.
4 a.m.
The early spring sky was still dark, and the streetlights outside the window glimmered faintly through the morning mist.
An Jing sleepily climbed out of bed and opened the bedroom door.
The living room was already lit with a warm orange glow. Yu Mingfei was crouched in front of the TV, rummaging through the cabinet and pulling out a big pile of DVDs.
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“Haa… hoo… morning… Fei-jie…” An Jing yawned widely, stumbling into the bathroom.
Today, the bathroom was much cleaner than usual. There were no clumps of hair in the corners, the tiles on the wall were so shiny they could reflect light, the mirror was free of the usual stray toothpaste bubbles, and the slightly yellowed sink was now a spotless white.
None of the three living here were neat freaks. Though Yu Minghui cleaned every day, it was mostly just sweeping, mopping, and wiping tables. Over time, grime inevitably took root in the house, so having the occasional ‘family gathering’ was important—in a way, it was just a Big Cleaning.
“The toilet’s all cleaned up already, huh…”
“Huihui did it early this morning.” Yu Mingfei stuffed the messy pile of DVDs back into a cardboard box. “Xiao Tu Zaizi, you still need to clean your own room today. And you’re in charge of wiping down the outside doors, too.”
“What’s Fei-jie doing today?”
“I’m cleaning the living room, obviously, idiot. It’s way more tiring than your job, so quit whining. Finish washing up and get to work. Decided what movie to watch today?”
“How about Léon: The Professional?”
“And then?”
“Then we can watch Spring in the Northern Country again.”
“Oh—I haven’t seen that one yet.”
“I bought the whole set on DVD, you know. Used to watch it on videotape, but DVDs are so much clearer.” Yu Mingfei, sitting cross-legged on the floor, picked up a cup from the coffee table and took a big gulp. “Huihui—has the water boiled?”
“It’s ready!”
“OK~! I’ll pour it myself!”
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(2-1)
It was a family gathering rule for An Jing and her two cousins to finish the Big Cleaning before sunrise.
Maybe it was to avoid slacking off and wasting time, or maybe because when the work was done, seeing the sun rise made everything feel wonderful.
Anyway, An Jing was seriously cleaning now.
Normally, Yu Minghui kept the house in decent shape with a broom and mop, just enough to look presentable.
But on Big Cleaning days, you needed a rag.
Wiping tables and cabinets—with a rag. Even the floor was scrubbed with a rag.
“Heh… heh—ah!” An Jing stood on tiptoe, legs taut, stretching her arm to wipe the top of the cabinet.
There was a spider web up here, and a layer of dust that blackened the rag with just one wipe.
After cleaning the top of the cabinet, she moved everything off the table, including the computer tower, wiped the table thoroughly, then put everything back—somehow, after doing this, everything looked so much tidier.
And it wasn’t just the tabletop; the underside and the legs had to be wiped, too. Even the posters on the wall were carefully wiped with a wrung-out rag—if she found a corner peeling up or a poster that wasn’t sticking properly, she’d fix it with some double-sided tape…
“Ah, when did the wardrobe drawer’s roller come loose? No wonder it was so hard to pull out.” An Jing muttered, using a pen to fish the roller out from the crack. “How do I put this back in… uh… should be fine without screws… Ah, maybe it does need them.”
An Jing preferred fixing old things over buying new ones.
Everything in the house felt like an old friend after a while.
She wiggled her body, pulling the drawer in and out to test it. “Finally, it’s fixed! No problems! Next up—mopping the floor!”
Her bed was a wooden folding one, not heavy, the wood cheap, but the upside was it was light and, best of all, dirt cheap when they bought it.
There was a lot of space under the bed, where she kept some cardboard boxes and a suitcase—the suitcase was a gift from her mom after elementary school graduation, but she’d only used it once. Since then, it just sat under the bed, empty.
“Heave-ho… not as cramped as I thought.” Rag in hand, An Jing crawled under the bed. There was way more dust under here than outside, but since it was the Big Cleaning, it all had to go—otherwise, dust from under the bed would just float out again, and the cleaning wouldn’t really count.
Her small frame had its advantages now. When she was still a boy, crawling under here was tough, but now she could move around freely, even taking the time to wipe down the stuff stored beneath the bed.
“Huh…? So that’s where the cap to that pen went. I looked everywhere for it! Too bad I threw the pen out ages ago.” An Jing muttered, tossing the dusty cap into the trash can beside the bed. Lying under the bed, she flipped the rag to a clean side, then slapped her forehead as she remembered something. “Crap, I forgot to wipe the window glass… I’ll do it later…”
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٠٠٠
(Chuan-1)
The sky glowed a rosy red.
As the first rays of dawn appeared, An Jing didn’t see the sun itself—just the sky, painted crimson by its light.
She wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand, leaning leisurely against the railing and watching the city slowly wake up.
This was probably the most enjoyable part of getting up early for a Big Cleaning.
She was in such a good mood, she even wiped down the railings outside the door, so leaning against them wouldn’t leave her hands covered in dust.
“Xiao Tu Zaizi~!” Yu Mingfei’s voice floated out from the room. “Breakfast time!”
“Coming!” An Jing swapped her outdoor slippers for the pair she wore indoors, quickly washed out her rag in the bathroom, and hung it out to dry on the balcony.
By the time she sat at the table, Yu Minghui had already brought over a big porcelain bowl filled with breakfast.
Meanwhile, Yu Mingfei was grunting as she carried the now sparkling-clean color TV, setting it against the wall by the table. “Hey, kid, lift your feet—you’re stepping on the TV cord!”
“Huh? Oh, oh.” An Jing quickly raised her legs, watching as Yu Mingfei plugged the TV in and set the DVD player on top.
The house was spotless, and knowing that nothing else needed to be done today put An Jing in an especially relaxed mood.
It was nice to do this once in a while—even waking up early turned into a happy thing.
Yu Mingfei pressed the remote. The TV made a “ka-tsz” sound, and the DVD began to whirr and spin.
They were watching Léon: The Professional this morning. An Jing had seen it once already, back in first year of junior high, but it was still worth a rewatch. Besides, the good thing about old movies was everyone knew the plot, so you didn’t have to pay too much attention—you could enjoy breakfast and chat about life with your sisters at the same time.
“Wow, Seafood Porridge this morning!” An Jing picked up her metal spoon, stirring the porridge gently in the bowl. “So fancy!”
“Mm, and Steamed Gaozhuang Buns.” Yu Minghui smiled as she set a plate of milky-white buns on the table. “Eat first, if you can’t finish, we’ll toast or fry them later.”
“Is that all for breakfast?”
“Yeah, today’s breakfast is simple,” she said. “As long as we have grilled fish for lunch, it’s fine.”
“Fei-jie’s been craving grilled fish for ages.”
“Of course! Huihui’s grilled fish is so good. Last time it was Grass Carp—full of bones. This time I bought Bass, so we can eat to our hearts’ content!”
“I could eat two bowls—no, three bowls—of this Seafood Porridge! Huihui-jie, is there more in the pot?”
“There’s plenty left.” “Yay~!”
Yu Minghui’s Seafood Porridge was filled with shrimp, oysters, squid, and sea cucumber, topped with chopped scallions and goji berries. It looked delicious and smelled even better.
Though this small coastal city had a tradition of eating seafood, buying fresh seafood here wasn’t much cheaper than in the provincial capital.
Sometimes, the especially fresh catch cost even more than frozen fish sold in the city.
“A bowl of Seafood Porridge after cleaning in the morning—there’s nothing better in the world!”
“You sure have a lot of ‘best experiences’,” Yu Mingfei shot her a sidelong glance.
“They’re all the best!” An Jing laughed, biting off a big mouthful of bun. “Whoa—Huihui-jie, these buns are extra springy this time!”
“I learned a new method. The dough rose even better this time.” Yu Minghui smiled with her lips pursed. “Eat more if you like them.”
“I think I still prefer the Seafood Porridge…”
“Buns with porridge—carbs on carbs…” Yu Mingfei grabbed a bun, too. “Aren’t you afraid of getting fat?” “Fei-jie, just give up already. Your face will never slim down, might as well enjoy good food!”
“Brat, who asked you! Then I’ll just eat half a bun—Huihui? Want the other half?” “Sure.” The eldest took the bun, spread a little jam on top, and took a small bite. “By the way, Xiao Jing, you need to go to the research institute for a checkup next month, first Saturday.”
“Oh, they notified you?”
“Yeah, called me last night.”
“Is it really necessary? I feel fine.” An Jing shrank her neck. She really didn’t want to lie in that white room, being stared at like a lab rat.
“No way out, you have to go.” “Ugh, do I have to take the boat?”
“Yeah, still have to catch the boat at the Wharf.”
“Can’t they just send a helicopter to pick me up on the Apartment Building roof…?”
“If I got the chance, I’d want to ride in a helicopter, too.” Yu Mingfei dipped her bun in the porridge. “But I’ve never even flown in a plane.” “Try it next time.”
“Too expensive. One trip costs a month’s living expenses—do you know how little I make a month?”
“Next time, work at a big company, and they’ll pay for your business trips!”
“Big companies? In this little city? Not a chance…”