(1)
The small river flows, Stone arch bridge stands, White walls and black tiles reflect the setting sun.
Pebbled paths wind, Leaves, withered and yellow, Thoughts scatter as shadows stretch long.
The short-haired girl walked slowly along the small river.
The road that wasn’t far on the way here now felt a bit long.
It was like those things that had passed.
While experiencing them, every minute and second felt so clear, but looking back later, the hazy time seemed to have been squeezed into clusters of light and shadow, leaving only blurred outlines.
She hadn’t even grown up yet, but she already felt old.
Those innocent childhood days were truly simple and beautiful.
An Jing felt a strange melancholy, as if something had finally been lost.
When she came back to her senses, she realized that the Jiangnan village by the river had been left far behind.
Before her eyes, there were only bare rocky mountains and rough, cold roads.
She felt a surge of frustration that she wanted to vent, but when she remembered that she could no longer wield the scepter of desire, it only made her feel even more depressed.
“Ahhhhhhh—”
“What are you screaming about?”
“Holy cow!”
An Jing was startled. She turned around and saw Zhou Chao, who had somehow followed behind her.
“Why are you out so early?”
“You… are you a ghost?”
An Jing patted her chest.
“You scared the hell out of me.”
“Get on.”
He patted the back seat of his motorcycle.
“Didn’t expect to run into you on the road.”
“Is this even a motorcycle? Do you even have a license, you punk?”
“Who needs a damn license to ride a beat-up motorcycle in the countryside!”
“Damn it, don’t you dare get us both killed later.”
“Can’t you say something auspicious, damn it?”
Zhou Chao cursed with a laugh.
“You’re thinking about a car accident before you even get on?”
“Nonsense, I want to live.”
Although her words were full of distrust, An Jing jumped onto the back seat of the motorcycle without any hesitation.
It was an old red motorcycle, very common in the countryside.
The people who usually rode them were scraggly middle-aged uncles.
“Ready?”
“OK!”
“Hold on tight!”
Zhou Chao slowly twisted the throttle.
The speed wasn’t fast at all; the wind, carrying residual heat, gently brushed their faces.
“Why are you riding a motorcycle today?”
“Bro, I ride a motorcycle to and from school every day, alright? I just usually park it a street away from school.”
“Holy crap, since when?”
“Haha, only since this semester started.”
“I knew it, no wonder I didn’t know.”
An Jing smoothed her wind-blown hair.
“So, you should have gone back, why are you coming from the countryside direction again?”
“I remembered I didn’t grab my homework, so I drove out from the village again, you know.”
“Holy cow, you actually do homework?”
“When the hell have I not done it? I only copy it occasionally when I’m too lazy, alright?”
“Occasionally?”
“A bit more than occasionally!”
“Tch!”
“What about you? Just came out of Wang Xinru’s place?”
“Yeah.”
“So early? Wasn’t she home alone? I thought you’d at least stay until evening.”
“Why would I stay until evening…?”
“She invited you to her house and even specifically said no one was home. Don’t you have any sense? If it were me, I’d definitely stay overnight. I’d just cuddle up and sleep with her at night!”
“Do you think everyone’s like you?”
An Jing’s eyes almost rolled into the back of her head.
“What’s the big deal? You’re childhood sweethearts, you’ve known each other since you were little. Now she’s back looking for you, and you’re not accepting it?”
“Before was before…”
An Jing, feeling a bit flustered, sighed.
“Now that we’re grown up, it’s naturally different.”
“Does growing up mean you don’t like old things anymore?”
“It’s just… anyway… I can’t explain it!”
An Jing punched Zhou Chao’s back.
“Holy cow, why did you suddenly start driving so fast?”
“Only—eighty kilometers an hour—not fast!”
“Not fast? I feel like I’m about to fly!”
Haha.
The motorcycle took a turn, and its speed suddenly slowed down again.
The river embankment was not far away, and a little further, the school.
It would take almost half an hour to walk there, but the motorcycle reached it in an instant.
“Should I take you home?”
“No, it’s fine. You can drop me at school; it’s about the same distance to walk from there.”
“Anyway, the motorcycle’s quick.”
Zhou Chao pulled the bike to a stop, moving it onto the sidewalk beside the river embankment.
“Let’s park the bike here for now, so the teachers don’t spot it and give me grief or a demerit again.”
“Illegal driving, you punk. I’ll report you later!”
An Jing said jokingly, stretching her foot to reach the ground, but found she was always just a bit short.
Finally, she had no choice but to hop off somewhat helplessly.
“Haha—then no one will help you with girls, you know.”
***
(2)
“What girls? Why do you need to step in?”
“I’m the relationship guru here! I can help you get any girl you like!”
Zhou Chao patted his chest confidently and locked his motorcycle.
“Just tell me if you believe in my skills!”
“Alright, relationship guru, if you’re so capable, help me get Zhu Ying!”
“Holy crap, seriously? You really like her? If it’s just that typical kind of liking, I advise you to give up.”
Zhou Chao swung his keys, tilting his head to look at An Jing.
“That kind of girl might seem well-behaved, but trust me, she’s absolutely not someone you can handle.”
“Are you looking down on me?”
“You just don’t have what it takes.”
“Damn it!”
“There are tons of guys who like Zhu Ying; you’re nobody special. When she gets to high school and college, even more people will like her. You need to think about it: even if you get her now, there’ll be rivals everywhere in your life, and you’ll be on edge every day. What’s the point of that?”
Zhou Chao patted An Jing’s back, speaking earnestly.
“I think Wang Xinru is better. She has a good personality, she’s gentle—a classic virtuous wife and loving mother. She’ll tolerate all your flaws. Most importantly, you’re childhood sweethearts, you’ve known each other since you were little, plus she’s being proactive now…”
“By that logic, it’s the same, isn’t it? Wang Xinru is getting prettier and prettier; she might be as beautiful as Zhu Ying someday. Won’t she have a lot of admirers too?”
“It’s different. Do you really think being good-looking automatically means a ton of admirers? The key is personality and aura, understand?”
“No.”
An Jing shook her head, turning to ask very sincerely, “Please, Master Zhou, enlighten me.”
Zhou Chao slowly stretched his long legs and cleared his throat.
“Ahem—let’s put it this way: Zhu Ying has a likable personality and gets along well with everyone around her. Wang Xinru, on the other hand, isn’t as socially adept, so her social circle is much narrower. Therefore, she won’t meet as many people—that’s one point.”
“Second point?”
“The second point is, Zhu Ying always makes people feel like she has a good impression of them, while Wang Xinru is very clear in how she expresses herself in that regard, you know what I mean? This implicitly rejects a lot of people.”
“That actually seems right…”
An Jing’s eyes widened.
“Impressive, Master Zhou.”
“You should call me Brother Chao, got it?”
“Now you’re showing off.”
An Jing teased.
“Today, mainly, it’s because her mom suddenly came back, so I left.”
“Hmm—looks like you’re not entirely hopeless yet.”
“Hey, is just staying overnight at a girl’s house considered ‘hopeful’?”
“You don’t get it. When dealing with girls, you have to be direct and decisive. If you’re indecisive, no girl will like you.”
“You really are a relationship guru…”
“So, what do you think, considering what I said?”
Zhou Chao put his arm around An Jing’s shoulder.
“Trust your brother; you won’t go wrong.”
“Why does this feel like a blind date? I’m only in junior high. Dating is still a long way off. It doesn’t matter whether I date now or not.”
“Tsk tsk tsk—what do you even like about Zhu Ying? Just her looks?”
“Are you talking about me?”
A girl’s voice came from behind them.
“Wow—how is everyone so sneaky today!”
An Jing stammered frantically.
“I didn’t say anything, I said absolutely nothing, Zhou Chao was just talking nonsense on his own!”
“Yo! Zhu Ying!”
Zhou Chao laughed loudly, as if he hadn’t said a word just moments ago.
Zhu Ying smiled faintly, “Zhou Chao, you haven’t gone home yet? An Jing, why are you at school?”
“I came to get my homework.”
“I just, just about to head back!” An Jing looked flustered.
“Shouldn’t you be having a birthday party?”
Zhou Chao stood with his hands in his pockets.
Facing the school beauty, he always appeared at ease—completely unlike other boys.
“I was going to, but for some reason my dad was very angry today and kicked everyone out.”
She was still smiling, as if her mood hadn’t been affected in the slightest.
“Ah? How could he do that…?”
An Jing scratched her head.
“So everyone… everyone went home?”
“Yeah.”
“You could have had it outside, you know. Find a restaurant, everyone goes Dutch, it’s not expensive.”
Zhou Chao shook his head.
“We could have, but—”
Her smile became a little forced.
“Let’s just forget it.”
“So—you came out to clear your head?”
“I was seeing others off, and now I’m planning to go home too.”
“Oh, that’s a shame. This birthday doesn’t seem very pleasant.”
Zhou Chao said indifferently.
“It’s alright, you’ll have many more birthdays to celebrate.”
“Then Zhu Ying, you…”
“Cough, alright, An Jing, come with me to get our homework. Bye, Zhu Ying!”
“Goodbye.”
She smiled again, but a hint of loneliness flickered in her eyes.
An Jing was dragged into the school by Zhou Chao.
The two remained silent until they reached the classroom door.
“I should have comforted her more just now. It’s her birthday, and something like this happened…”
“It’s fine. It’s precisely at times like these that people don’t need company.”
“If it were me, I’d be miserable.”
“People are different.”
Zhou Chao had a look of someone who understood human nature completely.
“Zhu Ying, she’s actually a very strong girl. If you break through the mask she uses to protect herself, it will only make her feel worse.”
“You talk as if you know what others are thinking…”
“Experience, understand? You still have a lot to learn, kid!”