(1)
The time was nearing 6:30 PM, but the pinkish-blue sky had yet to fade completely into darkness. The sunset was already hidden behind the mountains, leaving behind only the faint reflection of the evening glow. The village river flowed slowly, bringing with it the tranquility of the approaching night.
A red rural motorcycle roared as it turned onto the village road, its tires rattling and clacking against the stone-brick path. Meanwhile, a taxi stopped at the entrance, and several junior high school students in uniforms stepped out. The shortest one among them was yawning incessantly. After walking only a few steps, he slumped against the wooden fence of someone’s front yard.
“Ugh… I really can’t handle car rides today. My head hurts.”
“You were so energetic when school let out, so how are you already down for the count?” Sun Wei laughed and teased, “If you’re a man, you have to be a bit tougher!”
“You… shut the hell up,” An Jing said, rolling his eyes. “Phew, as expected, the air in the countryside is much fresher.”
“Zhou Chao is already at the door. Let’s hurry over.” Fang Qiang patted his empty schoolbag and stuffed the change from the taxi into his pocket. “If there’s nothing else, let’s head back early. If An Jing stays up late again today, I’m afraid he won’t be able to get out of bed tomorrow.”
“I need sufficient sleep — *yawn*… those little naps during the day just can’t compare to a full night’s rest.” An Jing covered his mouth and let out a huge yawn. “I was only sleepy in the car, though. Now I’m starting to feel energized again.”
“Don’t go and find yourself unable to sleep tonight.”
“Don’t curse me, Sun Wei! If I can’t sleep, I’ll go to your house in the middle of the night and wake you up!”
“Holy crap, for real? Come over if you have the guts.”
“Tch, forget it. It’s more effective to harass you over the phone.”
“It’s fine; yours truly will just turn his phone off!”
“Tch.” An Jing curled his lip. Just as he stood up straight, he felt his arm being pulled by Zhu Ying.
“Little Jing, are you going to be okay? Don’t go falling over while you’re walking.”
“An Jing, a man can’t say he isn’t okay!”
“When did I say I wasn’t okay?” An Jing shot a sideways glance at Sun Wei and pulled his hand away from Zhu Ying as if throwing a tantrum. “I can do it my — !”
“Careful!” Fang Qiang quickly caught him. “Didn’t you see the slope right in front of you?”
“This slope is built almost like a step…”
“It’s a mini-slope specifically designed to punish people who don’t look where they’re going.” Sun Wei had a look of pure schadenfreude.
“Idiot.” An Jing irritably flipped him off with one middle finger.
“I-d-i-o-t — !” Sun Wei sang back, dragging out the word.
“Are all you boys like this? You start chatting and immediately descend into this childish behavior.” Zhu Ying massaged her forehead helplessly. “Sometimes I really can’t stand it…”
“Ahem, only the two of them are childish. Most guys aren’t like that.”
“Idiot Fang Qiang.”
“Fang Qiang is an idiot.”
“Dammit, both of you are idiots!”
Zhu Ying sighed. “And you call others childish…”
(2)
The wooden door downstairs was unlocked. With just a little bit of force, it swung open.
Zhou Chao had already stepped over the threshold and entered. He didn’t rush upstairs but instead placed the cooked food he had bought on the way onto the stove.
The light was getting dim, so An Jing pulled the hanging cord by the door, turning on the only incandescent lamp on the first floor. “Wang Wang should still be lying upstairs. Sister Huihui must have gone back.”
“The car isn’t nearby, so she’s probably gone.” Zhou Chao sat naturally behind the stove. “I’ll cook some millet porridge. You guys go up and see her first. I’ll head up once it’s ready.”
“Is it that urgent?” Sun Wei looked at the fresh flowers sitting on the dining table. “Should I take the flowers up for you?”
“It’s already dark, so it’s time to eat. Cooking porridge takes a long time, so there’s no harm in being quick.” Zhou Chao lit the fire and stuffed a few small pieces of wood inside. “Yeah, you guys take them up first. Just put them on the table.”
“Let’s go. Let’s see how she’s doing first.” Fang Qiang actually seemed like the most anxious one. “In case something else happens, maybe we’ll still be in time.”
“Fang Qiang, can’t you say something positive…?” An Jing’s eyelids drooped. “She had an IV drip yesterday; she’ll definitely be fine today.”
“That’s not necessarily true. When it comes to being sick, there are always plenty of ‘what-ifs’.”
“Let’s go, Little Jing.” Zhu Ying held a gold box of Ferrero chocolates as she stepped onto the wooden stairs. “Haven’t you been worried all day?”
“Huh…? No, I wasn’t… I wasn’t actually that worried…”
“Is that so?” Zhu Ying turned her head with a light laugh. “There’s no need to pretend in front of me, right? Everyone can tell.”
“Ahem, I didn’t say anything.” Sun Wei quickly waved his hands.
“You’re just making it more obvious…”
“It’s normal to feel concern for a friend. If you really blocked out that feeling entirely, An Jing, that would be the scary part.” Zhou Chao, who was adding water to the pot, said with a smile, “In fact, you being like this makes Zhu Ying happy.”
“Mhm… I’ll occasionally admit that you’re right.” Zhu Ying chuckled. “Don’t feel so much psychological pressure. I’m not that heartless.”
“No… I didn’t think that.”
“He’s playing dumb.”
“He’s definitely playing dumb,” Fang Qiang’s voice drifted down from the second floor. “This kid, An Jing, always likes to use playing dumb to muddle through.”
“Damn it, I do not!”
“You do, all the time.”
“Is that so? Really? I thought this kid was actually stupid…” Sun Wei looked surprised. “Holy crap, he was faking it the whole time?”
“Cough, cough-cough!”
“Although playing dumb can make everyone feel a bit more comfortable, there are some things you can’t escape by playing dumb.” Zhou Chao slammed the lid onto the pot with a *clack*. “Especially when facing a sincere person.”
“Hey, hey, you’re making me sound like some kind of villain.”
“Alright, Little Jing, hurry up.” Zhu Ying grabbed An Jing’s hand and stuffed the box of Ferrero chocolates, which she had spent quite a bit of her allowance on, into his arms. “You give this to Little Ru in a bit.”
“You bought it, so you should give it.”
“Is there any difference between me buying it and you buying it?”
“Uh…”
(3)
Wang Xinru was actually already awake — right when the door downstairs was pushed open.
However, she remained staring blankly at the evening glow outside the window and did not sit up. But the lack of expression on her face did not mean her heart was just as calm.
In reality, she was thinking… about how to greet everyone when they pushed open the door.
Her pupils trembled slightly as she pursed her lips and took a deep breath.
Noisy sounds drifted from the hallway. Fang Qiang was the loudest, and An Jing’s voice was the most recognizable.
“Hey, go in.”
“An Jing, you open the door.”
“Does it matter who opens it?”
“Wouldn’t it be great if you were the first person she saw when the door opened?”
“Aren’t you afraid Zhu Ying will get jealous if you say that?”
“I’m fine with it!”
“Eww…”
Then, the door was pushed open very slowly and gently, as if the person opening it was worried about waking Wang Xinru if she were still in a deep sleep.
The moment the door swung wide, the curtains billowed up. The wind swirled in from the hallway, brushing against Wang Xinru’s slightly warm cheeks.
A group of people flooded in, followed by a series of hurried footsteps as Zhou Chao squeezed into the room last.
The spacious bedroom was still far from full, but the air felt much warmer.
Wang Xinru forgot the many words of thanks she had planned to say. She only had time to offer a wide smile — one as sweet as a spring breeze carrying the scent of flowers and fruit.
In truth, just like An Jing, she also liked lively crowds. But what she liked even more was the feeling of someone caring about her.
(4)
Seeing that Wang Xinru was awake, everyone stopped lowering their voices and crowded around her.
Fang Qiang held the large bouquet of flowers in front of her to show her. “How is it? Is it pretty? Zhou Chao bought it. He even remembered that Golden Globe Flowers are your favorite.”
“Haha, of course I remember the preferences of an old friend.”
“Thank you… it smells lovely.” Wang Xinru took a deep, intoxicated breath. “I haven’t seen a Golden Globe Flower in a long time.”
“They aren’t common, after all. Not many flower shops sell them.” Zhou Chao tilted his head, signaling for Fang Qiang to place the flowers directly on the nightstand.
Zhu Ying sat directly on the bed and pinched Wang Xinru’s bitter-looking face with both hands. “Little Ru! Your health is the most important thing! After hearing from Little Jing today, we were all worried sick.”
“Mmm… ugh…”
“Stop pinching, her face is going to lose its shape.” An Jing’s mouth twitched.
“A girl’s room smells so good…”
“Can you restrain your perverted side for a second?” Fang Qiang pressed his elbow onto Sun Wei’s shoulder with one eye closed, then simply took the opportunity to sit at the desk.
“Should we open the window? I heard you need good ventilation when you have a cold.”
“Open it for a while,” Wang Xinru said with a gentle smile. “The evening breeze is very comfortable.”
“Speaking of which, the teacher covered a lot of important points today. I specifically brought my notes for you.” Zhu Ying patted her schoolbag. “I’ll give them to you in a bit. Copy them when you have time.”
“If you aren’t feeling well, you should rest first.” Zhou Chao sat directly on the nightstand, leaning right next to the large bouquet of flowers.
“Oh, right. Didn’t the teacher say the Mid-term Exam is tomorrow?”
“Damn, there’s going to be a parent-teacher meeting then too. That’s going to be the death of me.” Sun Wei looked miserable.
“For the parent-teacher meeting, how will Wang Wang… uh.” An Jing covered his mouth because he realized the others didn’t know about her situation.
However, they at least knew that Wang Xinru’s parents were often away. “Yeah, for the parent-teacher meeting, Wang Wang’s parents won’t be able to come, right? They seem busy as hell.”
“C-Can I go by myself?”
“By yourself?”
“That’s probably not allowed.”
“I think an adult has to go.”
“Not necessarily. Our current homeroom teacher is Mrs. Ye. she’s very easy to talk to. It definitely won’t be a problem if you discuss it with her.”
“That makes sense…”
“Speaking of Mrs. Ye…”
The group’s conversation suddenly veered elsewhere. Wang Xinru didn’t interject much; she just listened silently with a smile. The feeling of so many people surrounding her and chatting made her feel very secure.
“Holy crap, I almost forgot! The porridge is still cooking. It’s probably done. Let’s go, let’s go, hurry downstairs!”
“Shit, what time is it?”
“It’s been one hour!”
“The firewood must have all burned out, right?”
“I don’t know!”
“Go down and check!” An Jing took the lead and ran down, with the other boys following close behind.
The lively room suddenly became quiet.
“Little Ru.”
“Hm?”
“Let’s go down together. Zhou Chao cooked porridge and bought a lot of prepared food.”
“Mhm…”
“Oh, right. Borrow this… if you feel unwell tonight, listen to it while you sleep. But if you don’t feel bad tomorrow, you have to return it to me!”
“What is it? A cassette player… and tapes.”
“The tapes Little Jing recorded for me. They’re all songs he sang himself.”
“I can’t take this…”
“I’m just lending it to you! You have to give it back to me eventually!”
“Mmm… thank you…”