(I)
The Cemetery was not so deathly silent that only the wind could be heard; in the corners of the grounds, music could still be heard drifting from the large loudspeakers.
The sound quality was not good to begin with, and it became even more blurred and indistinct in the continuous drizzle.
But one could still vaguely make out that it was a song by Teresa Teng.
Wang Xinru tucked her right hand behind her back and squeezed her arm tightly with her left hand, softly humming along: “Huhu… let~ it~ come gently, let~ it—go properly… dengdeng… dada…”
“That sounds so familiar. What song is this?” Zhu Ying asked curiously, tilting her head.
“Probably one of Teresa Teng’s,” An Jing said, scratching her head.
“Anyone could tell that! I mean, which song is it?”
“Just Like Your Tenderness.”
“Right, that’s the name… it’s so familiar.” An Jing couldn’t help but follow the melody and hum softly as well, “This is not an easy thing, yet neither of us cried.”
“To this day, year after year, I cannot stop reminiscing~” Wang Xinru’s lips curled up slightly as she inadvertently leaned a bit closer to An Jing, her fuzzy checkered sweater gently tickling An Jing’s arm. “Reminiscing about you, reminiscing about the past…”
Zhu Ying bit her lip lightly, appearing as if she wanted to say something, but it vanished into nothingness with a faint sigh.
—
(II-1)
This time was somewhat rare.
The way there hadn’t felt long, but the return journey felt endless.
Even though they knew where the destination was, it felt as if the road would never end.
The yellow flowers by the roadside were becoming a tiring sight, and the drizzle showed no sign of stopping. The damp sensation all over made them lose interest in admiring the scenery along the way—at a time like this, it would be much more comfortable to go home and take a nice hot bath.
An Jing couldn’t help but quicken her pace. Zhu Ying followed closely, while Wang Xinru, who seemed a bit distracted, trailed behind.
“Mmm… An-An, wait for me.”
“It’s a bit cold, Xiao-Ru. How about we go to your house to sit by the fire?”
“Sure.”
“We can use that earthen stove to burn wood! We’ll warm up in no time if we toast ourselves for a bit.”
“Mhm. For lunch… is there anything you want to eat?”
“I don’t think I’m particularly hungry.”
“Want to try some Qingming Guozi?”
“Qingming Guozi?”
“Mhm, it’s a specialty from my grandmother’s hometown. It’s different from the Qingming dumplings here.” Wang Xinru gestured with a smile, revealing a small tiger tooth hidden on the side that was rarely seen. “They’re green, flat, and shaped like a pancake. Inside, there’s diced bamboo shoots and meat.”
“I’ve never seen Qingming dumplings like that.”
“It’s Qingming Guozi.”
Zhu Ying, her head slightly tilted, blinked her bright and clear eyes. “Oh~ I just noticed for the first time that if Xiao-Ru smiles really wide, her dimples show!”
“Eh?” Wang Xinru blushed slightly. “Do I look a bit silly if my dimples show?”
“Not at all, it’s very cute!”
“It is a bit silly…”
“See, even An-An says so…”
“The silliest person is clearly her, okay!” Zhu Ying shot An Jing a sidelong glance and grumbled irritably, “Xiao-Jing has some nerve talking about others.”
“Psh, the silliest one among us is Xiao-Ying!”
“What, you think your wings are strong enough now? You want to die, don’t you?”
“Bleh, bleh, bleh!! Mph-wa!! Ah-oh-wei-ah-wu-la (her tongue was caught)!!”
“Pfft…” Wang Xinru covered her mouth and laughed out loud. “Be careful, the road is slippery in the rain…”
—
(III)
The sky was a hazy grey-blue. Outside the half-closed wooden window, the light rain fell diagonally.
A few ants were hauling the carcass of a centipede, and the firewood in the stove made soft cracking sounds.
Faint water vapor permeated the room. Unlike the cold green smoke outside, it brought a reassuring warmth.
Zhu Ying and Wang Xinru were looking at a magazine that analyzed people of different zodiac signs from the perspective of interpersonal relationships.
Of course, An Jing didn’t believe in this kind of thing at all. After all, so many people were born in a given month; how could everyone born in that month have the same personality?
But the girls were still fascinated by it. When they got excited in their conversation, they even ignored An Jing, leaving her to boredly cup her face in her hands and watch the flickering flames in the stove.
“Xiao-Jing and I are both Libras, and Xiao-Ru is a Cancer, right?”
“I still feel like Libra sounds better.”
“If you could choose for yourself, which sign would you pick, Xiao-Ru?”
“Aquarius or Gemini, maybe. They both sound quite nice.”
“But Cancer is also very good. It’s the first sign of summer. Xiao-Ru, you are the messenger who brings the summer!” Zhu Ying’s finger moved slowly across the magazine, reading word by word. “Cancer: quiet in the eyes of strangers, but enthusiastic and lively in front of acquaintances. Beneath a plain exterior hides an exceptionally fiery heart…”
“Fiery, huh…” An Jing nodded thoughtfully, which caused Wang Xinru’s fair face to instantly turn a deep crimson.
“Hey—Xiao-Ru is thinking strange things again!”
“I-I am not!”
“I heard it all, your inner voice.”
“Mmph!!”
“It’s no use covering your mouth.” Zhu Ying lowered her eyelids helplessly. “The sound comes from inside your head…”
“T-That… the Qingming Guozi should be ready. L-Let’s have a taste!”
—
(IV)
The color of the Qingming Guozi was similar to Qingming dumplings, both being a lush green. The diced bamboo shoot and meat filling was a bit salty, but it was still delicious.
Moreover, unlike the sticky skin of Qingming dumplings that clung to one’s teeth, the Qingming Guozi was quite crisp. It could be chewed and swallowed in a few bites without having to struggle with a sticky mess for a long time.
“Have some tea. Eating just Qingming Guozi might be a bit dry.”
“You even have bamboo tube cups? Did you make them yourself?” An Jing held the warm bamboo cup with some curiosity, watching the tea leaves gently swirling with the current. “What is this? Longjing tea?”
“How could I make them myself? I bought them, of course. Occasionally, elderly people come to the village carrying poles or riding tricycles to sell things. Those handmade trinkets are very cheap. I liked how they looked, so I bought a few.” Wang Xinru picked up her bamboo cup and took a small sip of the clear tea. “This is Willow Leaf Tea. They’re the most tender willow leaves, brewed directly after being picked without being dried.”
“There’s actually tea like this?” Zhu Ying found it quite novel, but after just one sip, her small face crumpled into a ball. “So bitter…!”
“Theoretically, as long as the leaves aren’t poisonous, they can be used to make tea.” Wang Xinru tilted her head slightly. “If you aren’t used to the taste, it really does feel a bit bitter. But once you get used to it, it feels very refreshing.”
“Yeah, I think it has a fresh minty fragrance, but it’s not quite the same as mint.” An Jing took another sip. “It actually tastes quite good…”
“Can neither of you taste the bitterness?”
“It’s a little bitter, but it feels quite comfortable, this kind of bitterness.”
“Are you serious?”
“Maybe it’s because my sense of taste has been ravaged too many times by Sister Huihui, so my tolerance is higher…” An Jing twitched the corner of her mouth. “At any rate, this tastes much better than the Lard Bitter Melon Peanut Tea she made back in seventh grade…”
“Lard what?” Zhu Ying looked shocked.
“Lard Bitter Melon Peanut Tea.”
“Does Sister Huihui actually make such bizarre things?”
“Sister Huihui just likes researching these things. Who knows, you might have a chance to be her guinea pig in the future.”
“I couldn’t tell. I thought Sister Huihui was the kind of gentle and steady older sister.”
“Gentle… not necessarily. Steady… definitely not necessarily.” An Jing smacked her lips. “Especially when she’s driving.”
“What happens when she’s driving?” Wang Xinru blew “huhu” on the hot steam in her cup and asked with a puzzled tilt of her head.
“Her? She always has to compete with others, and then she’ll drive incredibly fast. Driving on mountain roads at night, her speed is so fast it feels like she’s going to smash through the guardrail and fly off. You guys have no idea how terrifying it is…”
“I think… I can imagine how terrifying it is.” Zhu Ying’s face suddenly went a bit pale. “It was scary enough during the day, okay.”
“Wang-Wang will know once she hitches a ride.”
“I might not get the chance.” Wang Xinru shook her head with a light laugh. “Is eating this enough? There are also some dried fruits and snacks…”
“Sure. Sitting here watching the rain and drinking tea is one of life’s great fortunes.” An Jing swayed her head back and forth, putting on the air of an ancient scholar. “How many times in life can one find such leisure…”
“What are you acting all sophisticated for?”
“Ahem! I just wanted to say this feeling is great. You have to cherish times like this, you know?”
“Don’t go preaching like a Chinese teacher, okay?” Zhu Ying glanced at her. “Since it’s a rare visit, let’s play something fun.”
“What thing?”
“Paper Housekeeping. Have you played it, Xiao-Ru?” Zhu Ying asked, cupping her cheeks.
“Paper… Housekeeping?” Wang Xinru tilted her head, intrigued. “How do you play that?”
“First, you draw a room, roughly like this.” An Jing dipped her finger in some tea and drew two horizontal lines on the table. “Like this, and then, the back is—”
“The back should be like this so it looks like a cross-section of a room.” Zhu Ying added a few lines to An Jing’s drawing. “Then you draw various furniture, dolls, or little trinkets in the room in order until it’s filled up.”
“It’s a bit like a collaborative drawing.”
“Yeah! I taught Xiao-Jing in a dream. I didn’t expect Xiao-Jing to actually remember.”
“I told you, I recovered some fragmented memories…”
“Ten years in a dream is the same as ten years in reality, right?” Wang Xinru smiled gently and took another sip of the tea, then suddenly stood up. “I’ll go get a blank notebook. What colors of pens do we need—”
In the next second, Wang Xinru’s body toppled backward. An Jing and Zhu Ying, sitting on the other side of the table, had no time to react. They could only watch helplessly as she hit the ground with a “thud,” knocking over the chair beside her.
“Xiao-Ru!?”
“Wang-Wang!!”
But lying on the ground, her eyes were tightly shut, and she gave no response…
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.