(1)
When was the first time she met An Jing?
At that time, it seemed she hadn’t even started kindergarten yet.
Wang Xinru, whose health had never been good since she was a baby, could often only stand to the side and watch others play.
Even a slight scrap or bump would result in injuries far more serious than those of other children.
And among children playing together, it was practically impossible to guarantee that no one would get hurt.
So, most of the time, she played by herself.
The Small Town Park wasn’t large, but it was filled with greenery. There were several small slides that had long since been worn smooth and clean by the children.
As the sun was setting, the golden-red afterglow spilled over her. A tiny figure sat perched at the very top of the slide, gripping the handrails beside her tightly.
She had always wanted to play on this, but most of the time, it was occupied by other children. Moreover, this kind of slide game was somewhat dangerous for her—if she were to fall…
She would get hurt.
She was afraid of bleeding.
Because every time she bled, she would remember her mother’s panicked and reproachful face.
But she still couldn’t suppress her desire to try.
And so, she sat there, imagining the posture of sliding down countless times, before finally letting go of the rails with a determined heart.
The slide was used frequently, so it was very smooth; it wouldn’t get stuck halfway like some others.
But because of that, the speed was a bit hard to control.
It was so fast.
The wind crashed against her face.
Wang Xinru couldn’t help but close her eyes.
She had never played such a thrilling game before; she didn’t even dare to do more than gently sway on the swings.
The slope of the slide felt so long, as if it had no end.
But it did have an end eventually.
“Ugh!”
Lacking any experience, Wang Xinru failed to brake. She stumbled forward and immediately fell to her knees.
Her knees scraped against the rough ground, sending a searing pain through her.
Her young self couldn’t help but cry out. It wasn’t just because of the pain, but also because she had played a dangerous game in secret and got hurt; she was going to get scolded by her mother when she got home…
Although care would follow the scolding, for a child, it was much easier to remember the reproach that came before the care.
***
(2)
When he was a child, An Jing would occasionally be taken to his parents’ workplace to play.
Usually, his older cousins would take him out, but after playing for half the day, they would find him too much of a hassle and “dump” him back with his parents.
His mother’s office was full of women, and An Jing didn’t much like the smell of perfume that filled the air.
His father’s office was full of busy men. Although they would play games like “airplane” with him when they had time—games children loved most—they were usually too busy.
At that time, his father was still just a low-level clerk, bowing and scraping to people all day. Just watching it made An Jing feel uncomfortable.
So, he would always run off to the nearby park to play by himself.
An Jing was someone very good at making friends, even though most of the children playing alone were much older than him—he couldn’t help it; he just loved being where the action was.
Wherever there were a lot of people, he would squeeze in and loudly shout that he wanted to join. He was quite thick-skinned…
Today’s game of hide-and-seek had just ended, and the children had all gone home for dinner. Only An Jing had to wait until dark to eat, so he was currently wandering the park out of boredom. He played with the air walker, then the waist twister, and finally stood in front of the slide.
Just as he walked over, he saw a little girl with a sour face take a deep breath, let go of the rails as if making a momentous decision, and slide down from the very top.
Immediately after, she fell with a “thud.”
Children falling while playing on the slide was a common occurrence. Most would just pat themselves off and keep playing, while some might crack a joke to lighten the mood.
An Jing was just about to make a joke and “praise” her for the standard form of her kneeling posture when he heard a burst of sobbing.
“…Did it hurt when you fell?” An Jing walked forward wobbling and asked in a milky, childish voice.
The sour-faced little girl looked up for a moment, then buried her head back into her arms.
“It hurts… wooo… hmph…”
“Is your mommy here?”
“She went to… buy groceries… she told me, told me to stay in the park…”
“Oh oh, I knowed it. Your mommy told you to wait for her, right?”
“Nn…”
“Don’t cry anymore, okay? Your mommy will be back soon.” An Jing reached out and gently patted her back. “Does it hurt a lot?”
“It hurts… and Mommy will scold me…”
“Let me see, where is it?” Young An Jing used his small hand to gently push aside Wang Xinru’s lower leg.
“Here…” The sour-faced girl sat on the ground, supporting herself with both hands. “It’s bleeding.”
“It’s a big wound, you scraped off a lot of skin.”
“Don’t, don’t touch it…”
“Wait a minute. My grandma said if you get a scrape, you have to wash it with water and then wrap it with a clean cloth.”
“Mm…”
“I have water!”
An Jing grabbed the plastic water bottle hanging from his shoulder. After clumsily twisting off the cap, he poured out the small amount of water left inside, drenching both her knees to wash away the tiny bits of sand and gravel.
Her knees looked much cleaner now, but they were still bright red.
“Let me see… I have Band-Aids in my pocket!” An Jing pulled out a small box of Band-Aids. “Ah, Sister Huihui put these in this morning.”
“When my mommy takes me out, she usually brings a lot of medicine and… Band-Aids too.”
“You can bring them yourself from now on! Just in case!” An Jing spoke like a little adult, peeling open a Band-Aid and carefully placing it over the wound. “It doesn’t look big enough…”
“Put… put another one on?”
“Each side should have two Band-Aids.” An Jing nodded and clumsily began peeling more Band-Aids. It wasn’t a very difficult task, but it took him quite a while to finally finish.
“There, all done. Does it still hurt?”
“Much better.” The sour-faced girl blinked and studied An Jing carefully. Then, her face suddenly flushed red, and she lowered her head. “Thank you…”
“When you see someone in trouble, you have to help!” An Jing puffed out his chest importantly. “Do you want to play on the swings?”
“No… maybe not…”
“You won’t fall. We’ll just sway slowly.”
“Mm…”
“I’ll push you! You just hold on tight!”
“Then… then just for a little bit.”
***
(3)
“Oh wow—!”
“Wheee—”
“Heave-ho—!!”
“Wah!! It’s too high!!”
“It’s not high, it’s only this much! Don’t worry, I’m not using much strength!”
“I, I don’t want to play anymore, I want to get down!”
“Okay, okay, stop!” The boy, who had acted like an old friend from the start, used all his strength to grab the swing’s ropes, finally bringing it to a slow halt.
Wang Xinru let out a breath and hurriedly jumped off the swing, but immediately after, her legs went weak, and it looked like she was going to fall on the ground again.
But that soft, fair little face suddenly appeared in front of her. He scrambled to catch her but ended up being knocked over by her instead.
Only this time, she wasn’t hurt, because there was a human cushion beneath her.
“Ouch…”
“I’m, I’m sorry… does it hurt?”
“It’s fine, it doesn’t hurt at all.” The boy laughed brightly. “Ah… but can you stop pressing down on me now?”
“Mmph! I’m, I’m sorry.” Wang Xinru’s face turned bright red. She could feel his heartbeat and his warm breath. Her heart was beating much faster at this moment than it had while she was on the slide.
“It’s fine, it’s fine!” The latter waved his hands repeatedly.
Wang Xinru stumbled up off of him and took a breath. Just as she was about to help him up, she saw him roll on the ground and stand up with practiced ease.
Although his face looked quite fair, all his actions seemed like those of a country child—and a particularly rural one at that.
“Xiaoru, time to go home with Mommy. Why are your clothes so dirty?”
“She accidentally tripped while walking!” The little boy quickly answered for her. “But I’ve already put Band-Aids on her, so you don’t have to worry, Auntie!”
“Oh… you have to be careful when you walk, okay?” The young woman gently stroked Wang Xinru’s head and looked at An Jing with a smile.
“Thank you. Are you in kindergarten yet?”
“Not yet, I start next year!”
“So smart even before starting kindergarten. How impressive. Xiaoru, say thank you.”
“Thank you… I already thanked him just now.”
“Hehe… where are your parents?”
“I’ll go back by myself in a bit.”
“So capable? You can go back on your own?”
“Of course, I remember the way!” An Jing lifted his chin proudly.
“Then you must be careful and stay safe.”
“Don’t worry, Auntie!”
“Xiaoru, say goodbye to your friend.”
“Goodbye…”
“My name is An Jing, see you next time!”
“My name is… Wang Xinru.” she whispered indistinctly.
When she looked up, she realized she had already been picked up by her mother and carried some distance away.
That boy named An Jing was waving his hand vigorously in the distance, his smile more brilliant than a blooming flower.
She was on the side where the sun was setting, while he was on the other side where the white clouds drifted.
It was as if he was standing at the other end of the sky, feeling so very far away in that moment…
***
(4)
“So hot.”
“Wangwang, how are you feeling? Can you walk on your own?”
“It looks like she can’t. Let’s carry her down. Xiaojing, come help dress her first.”
“Are the clothes she wore during the day okay?”
“A windbreaker would be best. Go look in the closet.”
“Oh!”
“Did you find the coat?”
“Is this one okay?”
“Yes, that’s the one. Cover her with it first, then let’s carry her down. Be careful.”
“Okay!”
Wang Xinru felt a burst of blurry, noisy sounds near her ears, and then her whole body seemed to vibrate along with them.
Amidst a wave of nausea and dizziness, she slowly opened her eyes and saw a small face filled with anxiety and concern.
It was An Jing.
Even if the gender had changed, even if the appearance had changed, it was still him.
That indefinable essence allowed her to overlap this person with the An Jing from the past.
“Wangwang, how do you feel right now?”
“Cold…”
Wang Xinru squeezed a single word from her mouth; she didn’t even seem to have the strength for any other movement.
“But your hand is burning up.”
An Jing looked even more nervous.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be at the hospital soon. Very soon.”
“Mm…”
A forced, ugly smile appeared on that sour face.
She closed her eyes again, her words like the murmur of fine rain.
“With An-an here… I’m…”