(1)
Winter in the south, after all, wasn’t as harsh as in the north.
Lately, the small city had been warming up a bit; the morning breeze was no longer biting but carried a hint of freshness.
But with that came the worry—would it still snow on Christmas?
Anjing quietly fiddled with her compact Nokia 3250, turning the camera toward the sky and snapping a photo of the clouds.
Unfortunately, the picture was blurry; the clouds and sky seemed to blend into one, indistinguishable.
Saturday, a day for extra classes.
As for the point of these classes… well, they did help a little.
After all, English was Anjing’s weak subject among the few she was good at.
She slipped her earphones in and was about to hum along to Teresa Teng’s “Small Town Story” when she heard a familiar shout.
“Xiao Jing~!”
It was a girl riding a pale yellow bike, her hair freshly grown to her shoulders, loose and dancing in the breeze like a morning performance.
“Xiao Ying? When did you get a bike?”
“A neighbor moved away. We’re pretty close, so they gave it to me. Pretty new, right?”
“Not bad, the basket looks sturdy too. But you live so close to school—do you really need to ride?”
“If the weather’s nice, it’s pretty comfortable!”
Zhu Ying pedaled over to Anjing’s side.
“Want me to give you a ride?”
“You’ll carry me? Can you handle it?”
She smiled lightly and stood in front of Anjing, using her palm to gauge height.
“Hmm—I’m a bit taller than you.”
“…So you rode here all the way from the Greenhouse Shopping Street?”
Anjing awkwardly changed the subject.
“Yeah, I figured this must be your route.”
“Is that okay… or should I carry you?”
“No~! I’ll carry Xiao Jing, just hop on.”
Anjing scratched her head, adjusted the backpack on her back, then slowly lifted her leg and sat on the slightly cold bike’s rear seat.
Though the bike was fairly new, it was the common style seen everywhere—many mothers picking up their kids rode bikes like this.
“Hold on tight?”
“It’s just a bike; I can’t really go fast anyway.”
“But there’s a downhill ahead.”
“Eh? Wait!”
Yet Zhu Ying didn’t seem to wait; she pedaled hard and sped down the slope.
Walking, the hill didn’t seem steep, but on a bike, the incline felt quite sharp.
Anjing panicked and grabbed Zhu Ying’s waist.
Before she could say anything, Zhu Ying gently wobbled the handlebars.
The whole bike felt like it might lose balance any moment, making Anjing uneasy.
“Don’t don’t don’t don’t—!!”
“Pfft, Xiao Jing’s reaction is just as cute as the first time.”
“What first time…?”
“In my dream, the first time I rode carrying you.”
“A dream world, huh? You remember so much? So clearly?”
“Yeah, maybe after getting this ‘special ability,’ my memory improved? Learning’s been easier lately.”
“Your power’s really useful.”
Anjing looked envious.
Whether it was mind reading or dream entering, they all had side effects with no lasting positive impact.
“What—didn’t hear that—”
The downhill wind was strong and blew away Anjing’s words.
“Nothing—!!” Anjing shouted back.
“Gonna speed up now—”
“Speed up!?”
***
(2)
By the time they arrived at school, Anjing’s short hair was already a mess.
Right, because of the wind.
It wasn’t a strong wind today, just—
She hadn’t expected Zhu Ying to ride so fast.
Where did so much energy come from such a petite body?
The pedals were practically on fire from her force…
“Here we are.”
“My head hurts.”
“What’s wrong?”
“The wind blew it…”
“A kiss and it’ll be fine.”
“Don’t—”
“I’ll go park the bike.”
“Okay, I’ll wait upstairs…”
The bicycle parking at Small Town No.2 Middle School was underground, quite spacious. In the deepest corner were many dusty bikes, some of which Anjing had seen since she entered seventh grade.
Now in ninth grade, nearly graduating, those bikes were still there—not knowing how long their owners had graduated.
Anjing ran her fingers through her hair, which had been carefully combed by Yu Minghui before leaving home that morning, and walked toward the security office.
At the simple entrance, Uncle Security Guard was playing with a skinny ginger cat.
Getting a bit too playful, the half-grown cat was pawing at his tightly clenched palm, trying to dig out the food inside.
Uncle Security Guard laughed heartily, finally opening his hand to reveal some broken pieces of rice cake in front of the cat.
The cat eagerly ate from his palm, letting out soft “meow meow” sounds.
The small city was truly a “rice cake city”—even the cats loved rice cake here.
Anjing liked cats.
More accurately, she loved all kinds of small animals.
She used to keep a few in the countryside but hadn’t raised any since moving to the city.
She wondered how the calico cat at her hometown was doing.
Last year, during Lunar New Year, it was still lively enough to catch a big rat in front of everyone.
After finishing the rice cake, the ginger cat showed no lingering affection, circled Uncle Security Guard once to make sure there was nothing left, then darted away.
“Ungrateful little thing,” Uncle Security Guard teased with a smile.
Anjing’s gaze followed the cat as it disappeared into the bushes and then onto the wall…
“Xiao Jing.”
Zhu Ying naturally popped a hard candy into Anjing’s mouth, who opened slightly in response.
“Hmm… today it’s orange flavor again.”
“Yep.”
***
(3)
“Damn it, why drag me along? What’s your problem?”
Zhou Chao was being pushed out of the classroom by Anjing, waiting outside with Zhu Ying and Zhang Qiqi.
“Everyone’s bringing their girlfriends, so of course I’m bringing you! And it’s just for a meal; why are you acting like I’m only dating Zhu Ying?”
“Come on, Zhang Qiqi, don’t you feel awkward interrupting others’ dates?”
Zhou Chao adjusted his school jacket, disheveled from Anjing’s pushing, looking helplessly at the tall girl.
“What’s there to be embarrassed about?”
“What should we eat today?”
Zhu Ying subtly stood beside Anjing, slipping her hand into Anjing’s pocket and pulling out a bubble gum.
“Huh?? When did you put that in my pocket…”
“During class.”
“I didn’t even notice…”
“Because you were almost asleep.”
“I was just a bit out of it, not asleep! Ugh, the Chinese teacher’s lecture on how to write essays is seriously boring.”
“Treating essay writing like a formula is really dull, but do you get high scores?”
Zhang Qiqi playfully smacked Zhou Chao’s back.
“Let’s go, Zhou Chao, it’s my treat today!”
“You actually treat people?”
“What are you saying? I’m generous!”
“Ha ha, fine, I want a feast.”
“No money, just treating you for five yuan.”
“Damn, so stingy, you don’t have to treat me then.”
“Better hurry or there’ll be a long line again.”
Anjing put her hands in her pockets, putting on a cool expression.
“Where are we eating?”
“Grab something at the school gate, then eat by the riverbank. The view’s nice there.”
“The grass on the riverbank is all withered.”
“Doesn’t matter, it’s about the river.”
Though Small Town was a coastal city, water management wasn’t great.
Many small rivers smelled bad and had floating garbage.
A clear river like the one next to the school was rare in the city.
“Luckily, the sun’s shining today.”
Zhang Qiqi nodded.
“Alright, that’s settled!”
***
(4)
Since learning that No.2 Middle School had classes on weekends too, one or two food stalls with tricycles had appeared at the school gate selling lunch.
Today there were two: one specialized in boxed meals, the other in stir-fried noodles, rice, and rice cakes.
The latter had a long queue, while the former sold hot dishes quickly, so almost no line.
The four bought four boxed meals—each with two vegetables and one meat dish, chosen themselves.
The riverbank had a long set of steps; the four sat midway—Zhou Chao and Anjing on a lower step, Zhang Qiqi and Zhu Ying above.
The scenery was beautiful and undisturbed; the sun shone freely, making it the perfect spot for lunch.
A long-legged water bird stood at the shore, preening with its beak.
Anjing habitually took a bite of her rice, savoring its sweetness.
Beside her, Zhou Chao was already biting into a lion’s head meatball.
“After school, want to come help me with something big?”
“What big thing?”
Anjing asked between bites.
“My cousin runs a ham sausage stall. Business was slow today. He’s planning to close early, but I want to keep it open for fun. The profits are mine. How about you help me watch it, and we split the earnings?”
“Sure, sounds like a good way to make some pocket money.”
Anjing’s eyes lit up.
“Lately—”
“Lately you’ve been spending a lot with Zhu Ying, right?”
“I’m the one treating her, okay?”
Zhu Ying pouted.
“Exactly, so I want to make some money, or she’ll always pay. That’s awkward.”
“Freeloaders aren’t happy either, haha.”
“No way, a man can’t freeload!”
“Xiao Jing, I want to set up a stall too~”
“Ah… but then the money…”
“Won’t take yours, okay?”
Zhu Ying put on a pitiful look.
“Th-then that’s fine…”
“Is Qiqi coming?”
“It’s Saturday, no plans at home. Since weekend classes started, I don’t go to T City anymore—no time to rest.”
“Seven days of classes a week?”
Anjing widened her eyes.
“You don’t rest?”
“You get used to it.”
Zhang Qiqi suddenly smiled slyly, snatching two pieces of sweet and sour pork from Anjing’s bowl with her chopsticks.
“Hey, my sweet and sour pork!!”
“You don’t like it; I’m just helping you finish it off. You should thank me.”
“I save the best for last!”
Anjing almost ‘cried.’
“Ha ha ha—”
“Pfft…”
“You two stop laughing! So annoying!!”
“I’ll share half my lion’s head with you.”
“And my braised pork~”
“Damn, Zhang Qiqi, you just took half my lion’s head!”
Now it was Zhou Chao’s turn to complain.