(1)
Time had flown by, and now it was the last day before the Zhong Kao.
The rain outside the window varied in intensity, the layers of rain curtains blocking out the noise from the streets, leaving only the rustling sound of writing in the room.
Actually, the last day was supposed to be for relaxing and adjusting one’s state of mind. But when it really came down to it, An Jing couldn’t relax anymore. She felt that even reviewing one more knowledge point could come in handy tomorrow.
The continuous drizzle made it impossible to sense the passage of time. Only when they occasionally looked at the clock did they know how much time had passed, so much so that sometimes time felt terrifyingly fast, while other times it felt so slow that every second was crystal clear.
Sitting beside An Jing was Zhu Ying, who was also buried in writing something. However, what she was writing wasn’t a practice exam paper but the story about the two of them.
“Where are you writing to?”
“Hmm… I got to the fifth time we met in the dream, when you kissed me.”
“Huh? I kissed you? I… do I have that much courage?”
“Exactly. You weakly fell to your knees, collapsed into my arms, and then your lips just happened to touch my face.”
“… That was purely accidental, you know.”
“Hehe, I don’t care. That still counts as a kiss.”
“You sure remember it clearly…”
An Jing twitched the corner of her mouth and buried her head in silently reciting classical Chinese passages. Reading comprehension and composition were not stable for scoring in Chinese, so she wanted to ensure she didn’t lose points on these basic questions.
Actually, she had already mastered these, but she was still worried that she might forget them on the spot. After all, the first exam tomorrow was Chinese, and repeating it a few more times couldn’t hurt.
Zhu Ying seemed to be in the middle of her writing fervor, the rustling sound almost never ceasing. Only very occasionally could she hear the sound of correction tape.
Vaguely, she could also hear the sound of cooking from the kitchen. Although the door was tightly shut, she felt she could already smell that faint aroma.
The front door was slammed open with a bang, and the sound of rain outside seemed to become clearer for a moment.
Immediately after, Yu Mingfei’s shout rang out in the living room: “Overtime again today! I don’t want to do this damn job anymore!”
An Jing’s expression didn’t change much, because this was Yu Mingfei’s daily routine.
It would be strange if she came back one day without complaining about something at work.
There was no need to comfort her either, because she was just venting her emotions. Perhaps it was precisely because she had a warm harbor called home where she could complain about her grievances every day that she could stick with it for so long.
After all, even if they didn’t express any opinions, An Jing and Yu Minghui never blamed Yu Mingfei for those troubles as her own fault.
Here, everyone was equal. There was no high-and-mighty patriarch who would say nonsense like ‘You’re still not strong enough,’ ‘Can’t handle such a small setback,’ etc.
After Yu Mingfei came back, the house immediately became lively. The two cousins were chatting in the living room about something. Although she couldn’t hear clearly, it felt very reassuring.
No one disturbed them. Although the door wasn’t locked, it was like a small world away from the mundane.
It wasn’t until the sky grew dark enough that they needed to turn on the light that An Jing walked to the door, casually flicking the switch while stretching.
“Eh, it’s dark already?”
“You only just noticed?”
“Phew—time flies so fast.”
“Yeah, the Zhong Kao is tomorrow, how could it not be fast…” An Jing yawned, swaying as she pulled open the door.
The liveliness of the living room suddenly became clear.
The kitchen had a “tuk-tuk-tuk” chopping sound, while the living room had the sound of an urban emotional drama. At this moment, it was showing a group of people having a dinner party at home. All kinds of sounds mingled together, as if bringing the atmosphere inside the show into reality.
An Jing glanced at the pile of boxed DVDs stacked like a small mountain on the coffee table and couldn’t help but click her tongue. “Bought another pile?”
“Clearance sale, all old TV series and movies. Grabbed them while I was at it.”
“How are they sold?”
“By weight.”
“…You can sell these by weight?”
“This whole pile was only fifty bucks. Cheap, so I bought them. Several boxes look pretty nice too.” Yu Mingfei tossed a small tomato into her mouth. This was her favorite appetizer fruit before meals, not because it tasted good, but because it was said to have weight-loss effects…
“What are you watching?”
“A Japanese drama, a Japanese drama.”
“What’s the name?”
“Can’t read it.”
“You just realized it’s all Japanese without even subtitles? Can you understand it?”
“Nope.” Yu Mingfei answered very frankly. “Just listening to the noise.”
“Only you…”
“Whatever. Just by looking at their facial expressions, actions, and scenes, I can mostly guess what the plot is. It’s all about the atmosphere, you know? Atmosphere!”
“Then why do you watch so seriously…”
“I’m staring at the cat on TV. Sigh, such a cute cat. What do you think about getting one?”
…
“Ask Huihui Jie. Since you’re not home most of the time, if we do get one, she’ll probably be the one feeding it.” An Jing picked up the cold water jug from the coffee table, slightly tilted her head back, let the spout hover above her mouth, and poured a big gulp directly into her mouth. She swished it around in her mouth, making a gurgling sound like mouthwash, then swallowed it all in one go.
“Having fun?”
“Hehe.”
“Using a glass would be better. Unhygienic.”
“This is faster, okay.” An Jing slid into the bathroom in a few quick steps. Within half a minute, a very angry curse came out. “Damn!”
“What happened? Did you break the toilet?” Yu Mingfei lazily leaned on the sofa and glanced at the shabby bathroom wooden door.
“What? Crap, I got my period!”
“Isn’t there sanitary napkins in there…”
“The problem is I have an exam tomorrow!”
“There’s no way around it. Just tough it out.”
“Phew… I feel cold all over.”
“Bullshit, it’s all in your head. You were drinking cold water just fine before you noticed.” Yu Mingfei teased. “Did you get your pants dirty?”
“There’s a little blood.”
“Go change! I’ll get you a clean pair.” Yu Mingfei said, then got up and walked into An Jing’s room. Her eyes met Zhu Ying’s, and she nodded lightly. “Oh—Xiao Ying is here.”
“Feifei Jie~ What’s up? Looking for something?”
“Getting An Jing’s period boxers.” Yu Mingfei yawned tiredly. “Hmm… that unlucky girl got her period.”
“Eh… then she might not be able to sleep very soundly tonight.”
“Hope the kid gets some rest. Falling asleep during the exam tomorrow would be bad.” Yu Mingfei familiarly opened the wardrobe, pulled out a large pile of underwear from a small drawer. They popped out like blooming flowers, but she quickly shoved them back in. “Why aren’t they folded? Such a mess…”
“Xiao Jing doesn’t have that habit yet~”
“Mm, you should teach her.”
“No problem!” Zhu Ying immediately straightened up as if receiving a royal decree.
“Hey—you little brat, I’ve brought you clean ones—”
“Don’t shout so loud…!”
“What are you shy about? There’s no one else here…”
“The neighbors can hear!”
“There’s no way they can hear…”
“You’re too confident in the soundproofing, aren’t you?”
“I just believe the kitchen range hood is louder than me.”
“Uh…”
(2)
A simple dinner was soon brought to the table. They didn’t go out of their way to eat anything especially nourishing just because of the exam tomorrow.
On the contrary, it looked very plain and light.
But in summer, perhaps such light food was more appropriate.
The rain outside continued to fall, as if taking advantage of the rainy season to pour out all of summer’s rain at once.
Zhu Ying sniffed around An Jing like a restless puppy, her fluffy hair brushing against An Jing’s cheek again and again.
“What are you doing…”
“Xiao Jing on her period is different from usual. Sitting up straight like that, it’s so cute.”
“I just don’t want to move around and end up bleeding everywhere.” An Jing sighed helplessly, picking up a small chopstick-full of greens and placing them on the half bowl of rice. “I don’t have much appetite.”
“Want me to steam a corn for you later?” Yu Minghui smiled gently.
“Later… I’ll decide later.” An Jing shook her head, chewing the greens in small bites, eating with unusual elegance. “Today’s Xiao Jing feels like… a proper young lady.”
“Huh…? Really?”
“Because her movements are slow and gentle. See, she’s even eating more elegantly than usual.”
“I’m just a bit low on energy…” An Jing shook her head helplessly. “Comes before the exam, not after. Figures.”
“Don’t worry about it. You have to take it no matter what. There are plenty of girls in the same situation as you.”
“By the way, what’s the usual routine for times like this?”
“Sleep early. That way even if you wake up often, you still get enough sleep. Don’t eat too much in the morning, and make sure to go to the bathroom before each exam. That should be enough—actually, it’s no big deal. Your flow isn’t that heavy, is it? Unlike Xiao Ru, wow, she’s something else…”
“Ahem, we’re eating.” Yu Mingfei cleared her throat. “Let’s talk about something else.”
“Right, after the exams, you’ll rest at home for a few days. Any plans after that?”
“I might go straight to the provincial capital? I’m not sure…”
(3)
An Jing ate her rice and greens slowly, had a little tomato soup, and didn’t touch anything else.
While she was listening to her two cousins and Zhu Ying chatting, the phone in her bedroom suddenly vibrated and rang.
Zhu Ying enthusiastically jumped off the dining chair and quickly brought the phone over.
An Jing looked at the name on the caller ID, and for a moment, she felt a bit dazed.
Come to think of it, even though she had a phone, she didn’t contact her father very often. If nothing happened, once a month was already good.
Having gotten used to not living with her parents, would she really be able to get used to being back with them?
Thinking this, she subconsciously pressed the answer button. “Hello…?”