(1)
The thick curtains were drawn, blocking out the scorching summer sunlight.
A small blue electric fan sat on the desk, its slightly loose oscillation louvers clattering clang-clang every now and then as they turned. It was pointed directly at An Jing and Zhu Ying, who were squeezed together in front of the computer.
The two of them were currently playing a two-player mini-game on 4399. Even though the graphics were crude, they were having a blast, shouting and hollering, keeping the room from ever cooling down. Even with the curtains drawn, the air still carried a stuffy, sweaty heat.
“Pick me up! Quick, pick me up!”
“I’m coming, I’m coming…”
“Oh no, I fell off!”
“Slow down, you need to cooperate, alright…”
“Then I’ll come get you!”
“Hold on, um… I’m gonna jump now.”
“Waiting, got you! How do we eat this crystal?”
“Don’t rush, let me think…”
“More monsters just spawned!”
“Ah, kill them first. Um… how should I jump? That spot… there should be a switch there…”
Knock knock. The sudden sound of knocking made An Jing and Zhu Ying both turn their heads in perfect sync. Yu Minghui’s voice came from outside.
“Xiao Jing, Xiao Ying, pack up a bit and get ready to go out, okay?”
“Huh? Go out? Where to?” An Jing frantically manipulated her character, but still got ambushed by a monster.
“To Grandpa’s for dinner.”
“What’s the occasion?”
“Just an ordinary day, I think it’s just us going.”
“Oh… okay.” An Jing gave up struggling, letting her character die on the ground. “Fei Jie is back?”
“Yeah, she just got back. She’s showering now. We’ll head out once she’s done.”
“Do your sisters do this often? Decide to go somewhere on a whim like this?”
“Not really…” An Jing scratched her cheek. “Just occasionally. No idea if it’s a spur-of-the-moment thing today.”
“Well, we’ve been playing at home all day anyway. A car ride sounds nice. Xiao Jing hasn’t been to the new village yet, has she?”
“Right, I haven’t. I heard it’s all really neat and tidy there, like a villa district.” An Jing nodded slightly. “Let’s go, let’s go. I’ll bring my game console so I’m not bored.”
“We can go exploring at night!”
“You sure about that? The village is pitch black at night. Even a flashlight won’t light up much, and there are no streetlights.”
“Maybe the new orderly countryside has streetlights? You haven’t been there, Xiao Jing, how can you be so sure?”
“Tch… who pays for the electricity for those streetlights? The other villagers probably wouldn’t like it.”
“Hmm—solar powered?”
“If solar-powered streetlights existed, they’d be popular in the city first…”
“Well, we’ll see when we get there. If we go now—it probably won’t be fully dark yet by the time we arrive.”
“Then it depends on how far it is.” An Jing tilted her head to look at Zhu Ying. “Xiao Ying, you’re bringing that little crossbody bag, right?”
“Of course, I always bring it when I go out. Just in case. Mine should be coming around soon.”
“Ha~” An Jing’s voice carried a hint of schadenfreude. “Mine should be over by tonight.”
“Tch~ I curse you to have it twenty-nine days out of thirty!”
“Wow, you’re so vicious!”
“I’m leaving you one day to rest! And if it’s a 31-day month, you get two days off. Aren’t you touched?”
“Yes, yes, I’m so touched… Hey, can I stuff my game console in your bag?”
“Why don’t you just bring your rabbit plush bag, Xiao Jing? That should be big enough for your console.”
“A guy carrying a stuffed animal? Grandpa and Grandma will think there’s something wrong with me.”
“It’s fine if you coordinate it with a skirt!”
“…No matter what, I’m still a guy to everyone else.” An Jing sighed helplessly.
“Still a guy? Remember that day at Xiao Ru’s house when we said goodbye? Everyone saw you in a skirt, right?” Zhu Ying teased with a grin. “Even if we exclude Zhou Chao and Xiao Ru, Fang Qiang and Zhang Qiqi had no idea.”
“Don’t bring that up…” The corners of An Jing’s mouth twitched. “I got teased so much by Zhang Qiqi at dinner yesterday. Just thinking about it makes me wish I’d passed out on the spot…”
“Fang Qiang didn’t make a big deal of it, though. Just a couple of jokes. Maybe because he’d seen me before?”
“In their eyes, I’m probably just a guy with some weird fetish now—” An Jing grabbed her hair in anguish. “It’s all your fault, Xiao Ying!”
“You wanted to try it too, didn’t you? You can’t blame me entirely. I’ll take at most sixty percent of the responsibility!”
“How about ninety percent!”
“Ahem!” An Jing quickly changed the subject. “Anyway, it’s better to dress more normally. Even if I have a surface-level excuse, explaining it to elderly people is a pain.”
“What’s that… what’s it called? That… intersex thing?”
“Intersex condition. Born a girl… The research institute used that diagnosis to change my identity and gender.”
“Alright, then I’ll help you pick out a set of clothes that’ll make you look like a real pretty boy!”
“What are you trying to do…”
“Just pick an outfit.”
“The men’s clothes in my closet don’t have the style you want.”
“We’ll look around. I’m sure we can find something.”
(2)
“What kind of outfit is that? Red and green, all messy?” Yu Mingfei, already changed into her own clothes, looked at An Jing walking into the living room with a puzzled expression. “Did you bump your head on the door?”
“Xiao Ying picked it.” An Jing’s eyelids drooped.
“Xiao Ying picked it? Hmm…” Yu Mingfei cleared her throat, immediately changing her tune. “The color scheme is quite visually striking—”
“That’s way too forced!”
“Is it that bad?” Zhu Ying pouted. “A red plaid shirt, green cropped ankle pants… they were the brightest men’s clothes in Xiao Jing’s closet. The rest are either black or gray. Super boring.”
Yu Minghui, who was packing the remaining half a jackfruit into a bag, looked up and glanced over. “The shirt is pretty thin, but it’s hot out. Wearing it will look a bit stuffy. You could try unbuttoning a few buttons at the collar…”
“Oh right, why are you wearing it so buttoned up, Xiao Jing?”
“I’m used to buttoning up shirts fully…”
“Then, um… unbutton two from the bottom too.”
“Like this?”
“For the pants, switch to jeans. Blue and red go together a bit more naturally.”
“I’ll try…” An Jing ducked back into her room, found a pair of thin summer jeans from her closet. Actually, she had bought them before, but she’d grown out of them after wearing them only a few times. Now, though, they fit her current body perfectly.
In fact, they were even a bit loose on her.
“How does it look…?”
“Whoa, it actually looks much better.”
“I told you your pairing was off…” An Jing grumbled in annoyance.
“Roll up the sleeves, Xiao Jing, don’t align them evenly. That might look fresher and more relaxed.”
“Like this?”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
“Wow, suddenly you look like a pretty boy!”
“Cough… even if you call me handsome now, I won’t be too happy…” An Jing licked her lips sheepishly, but Zhu Ying grabbed her arm.
“Hehe, so cute. A short pretty boy is pretty good too~”
“So hot…”
“Ahh, this is summer… The sun outside is about to set, but inside, two little suns are rising…” Yu Mingfei teased, fanning herself with her hand as she lazily walked to the door. “Let’s go. Otherwise, we’ll miss dinner.”
“Yeah, let’s go.” Yu Minghui handed the bag of fruit to Yu Mingfei, then gently pushed An Jing and Zhu Ying’s backs, smiling as she walked with them to the door.
Yu Mingfei pushed open the door. The bright sun was still hanging high, showing no sign of setting even though it was already half past five.
(3)
The silver Fukang sedan was spotless inside. The air freshener on the center console had been replaced—the old one smelled like a bathroom air freshener; this one was much more pleasant, like real flowers.
The rear seats were a bit cramped, not enough room to stretch out. An Jing and Zhu Ying ended up squeezing together behind the passenger seat—Yu Mingfei had moved her seat forward quite a bit, making more space than the driver’s side. Even though it wasn’t that hot outside, the car was like a sauna. The moment they got in, they had to turn on the AC and roll down all the windows at the same time. After airing it out for a while, it finally started to cool down.
Yu Minghui gripped the steering wheel, slowly pulled out, then stepped on the gas, speeding toward the countryside.
The wind blowing in their faces made An Jing squint. The sweat that had just formed on her cheeks was now evaporating, taking away body heat and feeling incredibly refreshing.
The windows slowly rolled up, and the cold air began to fill the sealed cabin. Yu Mingfei and Yu Minghui chatted in the local dialect about things back in their hometown. An Jing and Zhu Ying shared a pair of earbuds, listening to songs stored on their phones.
“—Feeling sleepy now that it’s cooled down.” An Jing yawned.
Zhu Ying wrapped an arm around her, letting her head rest on her chest. “If you’re tired, lean on me and sleep for a bit?”
“I haven’t gone for a drive in a long time. I want to see the scenery along the way. When we go to the provincial capital, the view will be different.”
“Different how?”
“Going to the countryside, it gets more and more remote, and the plants get thicker. Heading toward the provincial capital, it should get busier and more bustling the closer you get. I don’t know why, but I feel like even though the capital has more people, it doesn’t feel as lively as the countryside.”
“Lively?”
“Or… human warmth?”
“Probably because you’re not familiar with it?”
“I can’t quite explain it.” An Jing yawned again, rubbing the tears from her eyes.
“Sleep if you’re tired. I’ll wake you when we get there.”
“I’m okay… Actually…”
An Jing’s words trailed off. Zhu Ying waited for a while, then looked down to find that she had already fallen asleep, drool running down her chin.
A gently swaying car can be very hypnotic sometimes.