Chapter 75: Cooling Down

(1)

Tuesday, December 1, 2009.

The days had finally reached the last month of the year, and the long zero-zero decade was about to come to an end.

Life was about to turn a new page, yet nothing seemed very different just yet.

Whenever looking back in memory, there was always a sense of “things are very different from before,” but when living in those moments that hadn’t yet become memories, everything to come always felt dull and slow to register.

In the silent room, suddenly the alarm clock rang.

Compared to the old one, this new alarm wasn’t very loud.

Anjing frowned quietly and kept her eyes closed for a long moment before suddenly as if some switch had been flipped, she jumped out of bed and dashed out.

Only when she was firmly seated on the toilet did she finally let out a breath.

She had wasted too much time in a dream and nearly wet the bed again.

Holding it in too long made going to the bathroom feel like needles pricking, causing Anjing to grimace and bare her teeth.

“But at least, I didn’t break my promise… phew… I was busy for too long in the dream, didn’t rest at all…”

Anjing muttered as she let out a big yawn, shivering slightly as an unexpected cold wind blew in.

Maybe it was because she just got out of bed, but today felt unusually cold; the walls seemed like mere decoration, offering no insulation at all.

The bathroom tiles were dotted everywhere with water droplets as if someone had just showered; the chill and dampness were almost visible to the naked eye…

“Freezing, freezing, freezing…”

Anjing shakily stood up, her fingers feeling stiff and uncooperative.

Finally reaching the washbasin, she ran her fingers under hot water for a while, feeling her body slowly warm again.

“Xiao Jing,” came Minghui Yu’s voice from outside the door, “wash your face properly, remember to use face wash.”

“Ah—got it!”

“Take your time, breakfast’s not ready yet.”

“Oh!”

٠٠٠]

***

(2)

Today’s breakfast was comfortingly ordinary—pan-fried and very plain white porridge.

There were the meat left over from the Mid-Autumn Festival stash, and the white porridge was just plain rice porridge with nothing added.

Don’t think this is trivial.

This kind of breakfast was rare at Anjing’s house.

After all, eldest sister Minghui Yu always liked adding strange and fancy things to breakfast…

“Huihui,” Anjing picked up another golden pan-fried meat with her chopsticks, “these aren’t the ones left over from Mid-Autumn Festival, are they?”

“Yeah,” Minghui Yu said as she came out carrying a tray, the TV was showing today’s weather forecast.

“Still not finished eating them…”

“They’re almost gone.”

“How many did Grandma make back then?”

“Lots of people didn’t come back to get theirs, so they all ended up with us,” Minghui Yu placed a plate of pan-fried dumplings on the table, gently pulled out a chair, and sat down slowly.

“Are you tired of them?”

“Not really, just a bit surprised,” Anjing mumbled, bringing the to her mouth and taking a bite at the corner.

It was crispy and crunchy with a hint of pork lard fragrance.

She actually didn’t like much, but preferred those that were fried or pan-fried, especially loving the outer layer which was crispy but also a bit soft and glutinous.

Every year before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Grandpa and Grandma would make a huge batch—specifically, at least two large baskets.

After all, the family had so many descendants, and everyone needed a share; if they made too few, it obviously wouldn’t be enough to go around.

As for money, Grandpa and Grandma didn’t lack it. With so many children, each given a little, it all added up over the year.

Back in the day, everyone lived in small cities or nearby towns; at Mid-Autumn Festival, the whole family would gather, and each person would get a few.

Not many, but it was a token of affection.

In recent years, however, everyone had drifted farther apart.

Some still lived in the province, but many had moved all the way to B City or G Province, making it much harder to come back.

This year was probably the quietest one yet.

Even those living in the provincial capital, including Anjing’s father, did not return.

Only some descendants still living in the small city came to pick up.

Anjing and her two female cousins took their father’s share.

She recalled how Minghui Yu had fretted over how to fit all these into the fridge.

“Phew… things from when we were boys sometimes feel like they happened in another life,” Anjing sighed involuntarily.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing… just feeling a bit nostalgic.”

“Hmm…”

“By the way, Fei Jie still not up?”

“She’s got a fever and took the day off.”

“Wow, she gets sick too?”

“Feifei’s human too.”

“Did she catch it at work?”

“Probably.”

In this post-SARS era, catching a flu and having a fever for two or three days wasn’t a big deal.

Most people didn’t even bother getting an IV drip, and many were too lazy to buy medicine from the pharmacy.

Some even felt better after a cold or fever than before.

Maybe it was because they got enough rest.

“Ugh—don’t pass it to me.”

“Xiao Jing, don’t you want to take advantage and rest a few days at home?”

“The Final Exams are coming up, Huihui, there’s a time for resting!”

Anjing slurped her white porridge.

“Oh, the Parents’ Meeting is in a few days, Huihui, are you going?”

“Yeah, I’ll go,” Minghui Yu said calmly with a smile.

“How have your grades been lately?”

“No big change. We’ll see how the next test goes… stuff like this is partly luck.”

“That’s okay, don’t pressure yourself too much.”

“How were you in ninth grade, Huihui?”

“Just normal studying.”

“I heard many in our class can’t sleep at night.”

“Sometimes, being able to stay calm under pressure is a kind of talent,” Minghui Yu smiled, taking a crisp bite of—the sharp crunch was especially appetizing.

“How do you feel, Xiao Jing?”

“Not bad. Just… less time to play games.”

“Hang in there a little longer. You can have fun during the summer vacation after junior high.”

“Too early.”

“Time passes fast.”

“Really? I feel it’s slow.”

“I thought so too when I was your age.”

***

(3)

Phone in pocket.

Earphones in ears.

This was Anjing’s daily routine when leaving the house.

She didn’t really like music all that much; she just liked being immersed in her own world.

Music was a wall, enclosing a world that belonged to her alone.

The weather was definitely much colder.

Small City No.2 Middle School didn’t have special winter jackets, so Anjing wore a down jacket over her uniform.

This jacket was bought after she grew taller, and now it was too large on her, even covering most of her legs.

What used to feel lightweight now felt heavy, like wearing a quilt outside.

The small city rarely got this cold.

After all, it was near the sea.

And when the occasional cold snap came, the locals were often caught off guard.

Especially when it snowed.

Anjing recalled the first time she saw snow; she didn’t even have a padded jacket then.

It was Jiu Bo who took her to the wholesale market to buy one on the spot, otherwise just wearing her autumn jacket would have frozen her stiff.

“It’s been a while since I went to see Jiu Bo… I should visit him soon, though I don’t know if he’s busy these days…”

Anjing muttered softly to herself, only to be startled suddenly by a small furry hand.

“Xiao Jing!”

“Ahh—!”

“Scared?”

“I was just thinking…”

Anjing turned to look, her gaze falling on Zhu Ying’s clear and bright eyes.

“Xiao Ying, we keep running into each other today…”

“Yeah.”

“You’re dressed so warmly…”

“Aren’t you cold?”

“Uh… not really?”

Anjing shrugged her shoulders.

“Only when the wind blows.”

Today, Zhu Ying was dressed especially warmly: a wool hat with two pom-poms, a cozy cashmere scarf wrapped around her neck, and a sheepskin coat—looking much warmer than Anjing’s down jacket.

On her feet were thick cotton shoes, and she even wore white wool gloves, making her look like a chubby little lamb prepared for winter.

“Today’s really cold.”

“It is… but don’t you think you’re overdressed? You could survive a Northeast winter like this.”

Anjing smirked.

“A bit hot, yeah,” Zhu Ying blinked and suddenly moved closer, half-unwrapping her scarf to drape it around Anjing’s neck.

“How is it? Warmer now?”

“Ah, eh?”

Anjing’s face instantly flushed red. She could clearly feel the warmth from Zhu Ying’s scarf on her cold neck, with a faint milky sweetness lingering.

“Y-Yeah, much warmer…”

“You’re wearing too much, it’s a bit hot.”

“Did you pick out your own clothes?”

“My mom made me wear them.”

“Of course… my sister also forced me to wear this coat. Look, it’s so hard to move.”

“Like a kid wearing adult clothes.”

“This used to be my coat! It still fit last year!” Anjing puffed out her cheeks, “Now it’s too big; what can I do…”

“Looks short-legged and short-armed, kinda cute.”

“Tch… who cares. Your scarf is really warm. Is it real cashmere?”

“Yeah.”

“Is your family rich?”

“Maybe. Parents usually treat daughters better?”

“My down jacket was mostly bought by my sister or my uncle.”

Anjing pouted.

“My dad always says the South isn’t that cold; wearing less builds willpower.”

“It’s cold, though.”

“My dad’s like that sometimes—but I’m used to it.”

“This year’s especially cold.”

“Yeah… it might snow. I love snow.”

“Build snowmen?”

“Mainly snowball fights! The last time I did that was in elementary school… Ah, I want to go to a place that snows every year for college!”

“It’s really cold there.”

“But Xiao Ying, don’t you think snow is fun?”

“If you’re used to it, maybe it’s not as exciting anymore?”

“Hmm…”