Branches across the car window blocked the light, and shadows pooled inside.
Xie Anqing sat motionless in the seat, as if time had stopped. Her body and mind had gone utterly still. Only the brief, gentle touch on her head remained, exploding into sensation. It raced through the dense web of nerves at her roots and straight into her brain.
She really didn’t like passing judgment on someone too quickly.
Now she didn’t dare.
But why did Chen Li keep making her intentions clearer each time, coming closer with every move?
That hand was a weight tipping her balance, a gust scattering clouds and clearing the air, a tsunami crashing into the pool of water she was trying so hard to keep still. It surged through her, intent on sweeping away her reason.
Her stiff limbs began to loosen. Her neatly positioned legs crossed—
“Auntie, were you scared?”
Xie Beibei’s worried voice came from behind her without warning.
Every instinctive reaction abruptly stopped.
Xie Beibei anxiously pushed down the seat belt she’d just buckled and leaned forward.
She’d been so caught up talking to Chen Li that she’d forgotten her aunt was afraid of this kind of thing.
She really was an idiot!
Chen Li immediately heard that something was wrong. She turned to look at Xie Beibei.
Their eyes met. Xie Beibei blurted out, “Two years ago, a trainee cadre fresh out of college came to our village. He—”
“I have to take a call.”
Xie Anqing cut her off. She pulled her ringing phone from her pocket and answered it.
“Little Qing.”
Xie Anqing’s voice sounded perfectly calm.
Xie Xiaoqing was in a hurry. “Secretary, I finished the air-pollution inspection log. Could you take a look at it for me? I haven’t done one of these before, and I’m not sure about a few parts.”
“The Party Secretary called just now,” Xie Xiaoqing went on. “They said they got word during the town meeting that it has to be submitted tomorrow. I was going to ask you about it then, but I’m afraid I’ll run out of time. That’s why I’m calling now.”
“Send it to me.”
“Okay. Thank you, Secretary.”
As the call ended, Xie Anqing’s phone buzzed. The file had arrived, and she opened it.
Silence fell in the car without warning.
Xie Beibei glanced at Xie Anqing, who was looking through the file, then at Chen Li, who was watching Xie Anqing. She swallowed the words she’d been about to say.
The rest of the drive passed in near silence.
About ten minutes later, Chen Li pulled up outside Xie Anqing’s house.
Xie Anqing had just sent Xie Xiaoqing her suggested edits when she looked up and spotted Teacher Huang Huaiyi, her left-hand neighbor, sitting on a stone bench at the gate. Three female students assigned to stay with her sat opposite, and the four seemed to be getting along.
Xie Anqing put away her phone and got out of the car. “Teacher Huang.”
Teacher Huang, who was over seventy, waved a fine bamboo fan that shimmered like brocade. “You’re back.”
“Yes.”
“You know I don’t cook at home. I eat all three meals at Teacher Wei’s. What are we going to do about meals for these three girls?”
“I’ll cook.”
“Good. Take them home with you for now. Bring them back after dinner.”
Xie Anqing agreed, bent down to help Teacher Huang up, and escorted her home.
By the time she came back out, Chen Li had already driven into the courtyard, and the three college students were still waiting at the entrance.
Xie Anqing briefly introduced herself and brought them inside.
In the back courtyard, Xie Huaixia was doing her summer homework at the stone table. A plate of plump, juicy grapes sat beside her. When she saw a stream of strangers come in, she stared for a long moment before asking Xie Beibei, who’d already helped herself to several grapes, “Who are they?”
“Good people. They’re here to paint murals for the village.”
“Like the walls in Xie Xiaomei Village? With little bees and butterflies?”
“That’s right.”
Xie Huaixia snatched the grapes from Xie Beibei and carried the plate over to the visitors. “Have some grapes, Sisters!”
Back in the spring, she’d fallen in love with the walls in Xie Xiaomei Village and asked her aunt why their village didn’t have anything like that.
Her aunt had said to wait until summer.
Xie Huaixia had thought she was only saying it to humor her. She hadn’t realized it would really happen!
Her eyes shone so brightly that none of the three girls dared take a grape.
Xie Anqing had just finished a call with Xie Xiaoqing. She came over and said, “Her eyes are big, that’s all. She won’t eat you.”
Xie Huaixia nodded. “Mm-hmm!”
The three girls finally thanked her and took the plate.
Now that her hands were free, Xie Huaixia immediately wrapped her arms around Xie Anqing. “Auntie, you were the one who found them, weren’t you?”
Xie Anqing had her bandaged left hand in her pocket, which gave her a cool air. “What are you going to give me in return?”
“I’ll take care of you when you’re old!”
“Thanks for that.”
Xie Huaixia hugged Xie Anqing tighter and buried her face against her stomach, giggling nonstop.
Xie Anqing thought it was too hot. The more she tried to pry Xie Huaixia off, the tighter the girl clung, so she gave up and let her rub against her.
The courtyard, which had felt cool before, filled with people and grew warm. The flowers perfumed the air.
Chen Li leaned against a tree, looking steadily at Xie Anqing as if trying to find even the slightest sign she’d been frightened.
There was nothing.
The rigidity Chen Li had felt in that instant when she’d touched Xie Anqing seemed to have been no more than a vivid illusion.
Chen Li glanced down at her open palm. Lu Yu, the most extroverted of the students, grabbed her and asked who she was.
In the end, Xie Anqing gave Xie Huaixia the job of greeting the guests, and only then managed to get her to go away. She went into the kitchen to cook.
The food she made was nothing like she was. Sour bamboo shoots stewed with chicken, beef meatballs, braised pork hock… There was a generous variety, and just looking at it told you it would be kind to the stomach. Then there was a plate of cream-filled steamed buns shaped like little pig faces, made especially for Xie Huaixia—
Chen Li lifted her eyes and looked Xie Anqing over.
Her eyelids were thin, her features sharply defined. There wasn’t a trace of softness in her face; she had a very cool look.
And yet she could make food this cute.
Lu Yu, one of the three students, was equally impressed. She hurried into the kitchen. “Secretary Xie, you’re an incredible cook! These dishes look delicious!”
“Thank you. Take them out to the table.”
“Sure!” Lu Yu leaned out the window and called, “Zhuang Miao! Kuang Mei! Come help carry the dishes!”
Lu Yu carried out two plates. When she reached the stone table, she hesitated. “Xiaxia said her mom will come over later. Won’t it be a little cramped with eight people around this table?”
“Upstairs,” Xie Anqing said.
“Hm?”
Xie Huaixia and Xie Beibei, who’d stayed behind to get a free meal, both pointed toward the terrace. Xie Huaixia spoke first. “There’s an Eight Immortals table up there. It’s just big enough for us!”
The others followed their fingers and finally noticed that the line of steps built into the west wall wasn’t decorative. They led straight to the terrace. Like the house, the steps were made of wood, and flowers of varying heights partly obscured them. Banyan branches spread over the steps, while coral vines climbed the wall. They were easy to miss.
Xie Huaixia carried her plate of cream buns and ran ahead to show everyone the way. The others followed close behind.
Xie Anqing was still checking on the soup, so Chen Li took the chopsticks and spoons and went up before her.
“This place is beautiful!” Lu Yu exclaimed.
Layered mountains rose and fell in the dusk. The fields stretched wide and quiet, and Qingshui River ran past within ten or so meters of the house, flowing east and west alongside the mountains as far as the eye could see. It was six forty. A blazing sunset hung overhead, reflected in the water, and along the banks—
“Peach trees,” Xie Anqing said, bringing up the soup to settle the argument between Zhuang Miao and Kuang Mei.
“Told you I was right!” Zhuang Miao said triumphantly.
Kuang Mei refused to give in. “The one closer to us is definitely a pear tree!”
“I think it looks like an apple tree!”
“Then you’re just making things up!”
…
The two of them bickered almost loudly enough to drown out the cicadas.
Xie Anqing put down the soup and told Xie Huaixia, “Call your mom and ask her to come eat.”
“Okay, Auntie.”
Xie Huaixia promptly opened her Xiaotiancai watch and called Xie Yun.
Five or six seconds later, Xie Yun appeared in the neighboring courtyard.
“I’m not eating. I’ve been in meetings all afternoon, and I have a headache,” she said.
Xie Huaixia hurried to the edge of the terrace. “Does it hurt a lot?”
“It’s all right. You eat nicely and don’t give your aunt trouble.”
“I know. Go home and get some sleep.”
Xie Yun turned and headed inside.
After watching her go in, Lu Yu said, puzzled, “Secretary Xie, I thought the policy about the Village Director Dual-Role System had just come out. Wasn’t the point to strengthen the leadership and improve decision-making? How does your village have two Party Secretaries?”
“Two?” Kuang Mei asked. “Isn’t one the Party Secretary and the other the branch secretary?”
Lu Yu was older than the other two students and had already taken part in a social-practice program. She knew how the Village Two Committees worked. “Xie Yun is also called Secretary Xie. It’s the same position.”
Kuang Mei nodded, still confused.
Xie Huaixia came back and sat beside Xie Anqing, looking wise beyond her years. “They’re different. Mom says my aunt is the Village-Resident Party Secretary, sent by the county. She’ll go far one day. Mom is the Village Party Branch Secretary, elected by everyone. If you don’t take the exam, you’re stuck in the village your whole life.”
The explanation came out like a tongue twister, but she seemed to understand it perfectly.
Xie Beibei couldn’t help praising her. “You know quite a lot.”
“Of course. I take after my aunt.”
Xie Beibei laughed. Her aunt had been one of the top students in school. Xie Huaixia couldn’t even count past the numbers on her fingers. There was no comparison.
She kept that to herself, though. She didn’t want to start a fight.
Lu Yu had already understood the first part, but soon thought of another question. “Doesn’t a Village-Resident Party Secretary only serve a two-year term?”
But before dinner, Xie Beibei had clearly said Xie Anqing had been back for nearly six years.
Lu Yu looked at Xie Anqing, puzzled.
“I applied for an extension,” Xie Anqing said.
An extension of almost four years?
How many opportunities for promotion had she missed?
Lu Yu was astonished and wanted to ask why, but Xie Huaixia, who was slower to catch on, beat her to it. “Auntie, where will you go when you leave? Will you come back?”
The little girl’s eyes welled with tears as soon as she finished speaking.
Xie Anqing turned her head. “Your brain’s barely walnut-sized. Don’t spend all day thinking about nonsense.”
Xie Huaixia hugged Xie Anqing’s arm, tears rolling like peas. “But are you going to leave or not?”
“I’m not leaving.” Xie Anqing poked one of the cream buns into Xie Huaixia’s mouth. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Swear it.”
“I swear.”
Xie Huaixia cheered up immediately. She chomped on the pig-face bun, keeping her eyes fixed on Xie Anqing as if she wanted to nail her to the spot.
Xie Anqing ignored her. She also ignored how surprised Lu Yu looked when she said she wasn’t going anywhere. She lifted her teacup, and dinner began.
Xie Anqing was a good cook, and everyone at the table enjoyed the meal. Only Xie Beibei, who’d just learned that Xie Anqing herself had applied to extend her term, remained glum.
She’d always thought the county had kept the best Village-Resident Party Secretary from that year in their village because the village was hard to manage. Once the problems were solved, her aunt would surely be promoted straight away.
That was what she’d always believed.
How could her aunt have applied for the extension herself?
Four years. Had she given up on her future?
Wasn’t she afraid of danger?
Xie Beibei couldn’t understand. Meanwhile, Lu Yu rambled on. “There are endless forms to file and systems to enter information into. Civil affairs, disability services, pensions, health insurance, fraud prevention, anti-drug and anti-gambling campaigns, environmental inspections, the Four Fixed Measures and One Oversight for Safeguarding Funds—there’s no end to the work. The town and county assess you every month and rank you every quarter. One bad ranking and you lose points. It’s as if they’re trying to work you to death.”
Kuang Mei was shocked. “It’s that bad?”
“That’s only part of it. Teacher Huang said the main flood season is almost here. Then we’ll have to stand watch on the levee for forty-eight hours over three days. Grassroots work is incredibly hard.”
“It’s more than hard,” Xie Beibei said quietly. “Sometimes one mistake can cost you your life.”
Her hushed words came out of nowhere. The three students paused and looked at her together.
Chen Li had been watching the peach trees along the riverbank. Every now and then, she’d thought about the terms she hadn’t quite understood: “Village-Resident Party Secretary,” “two-year term,” “applied for an extension.” At Xie Beibei’s words, her gaze shifted back.
Xie Beibei stood and looked down at the courtyard. Once she’d made sure Xie Huaixia was still clinging to Xie Anqing, and that Xie Anqing was still helping Xie Xiaoqing with a ledger she couldn’t figure out, she sat back down and lowered her voice.
“Two years ago, a trainee cadre who’d just graduated from college came to our village. He was eager to learn. Wherever my aunt went, he followed along, and she was happy to teach him.”
She paused. “My aunt doesn’t say much, but she’s a good person.”
Then she continued. “Once, they had to report to the county. My aunt asked him to bring along the files she’d organized. He said he would, but halfway there, he suddenly told my aunt he’d brought the wrong version. She had to make changes at the last minute. He volunteered to drive and said he was a great driver, so my aunt sat in the passenger seat. Then…”
Xie Beibei glanced quickly at Xie Anqing, her hands curling into fists. “A car lost control and came toward them in the wrong lane. It was going incredibly fast. The trainee kept trying to move closer to my aunt so he could save himself. The mountain on my aunt’s side was being repaired. They’d just put up scaffolding. She looked up, and a length of rebar sticking out beside the mountain went straight through the windshield, right toward her.”
“Oh my God!” Lu Yu exclaimed.
Chen Li’s hand tightened where it rested on her leg. The image sprang into her mind at once.
Xie Beibei slammed a hand on the table, furious and shaken. “My aunt was only twenty-three then. She was still just a young woman. The rebar scraped right past her neck. How scared must she have been? And that bastard didn’t even apologize. The next day, his family used their connections to get him transferred! What a piece of trash!”
Lu Yu joined in. “That son of a bitch!”
Chen Li’s knuckles went pale. Her thoughts and gaze both sank toward Xie Anqing beside the stone table.
Xie Anqing sat across from Xie Xiaoqing. She seemed to have memorized the entire ledger. Without looking at the screen, she knew what Xie Xiaoqing was asking and answered concisely and clearly. Anyone new to the work would find her advice useful.
She leaned back in her chair, looking a little lazy.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Xie Huaixia fidgeting so much she nearly toppled off the stone stool. Without changing her relaxed posture, she reached out casually and caught the girl, pulling her into her arms.
“Do you have a spring under your butt, or a pin in your chair?”
Xie Huaixia grinned. Her voice was bright and clear. “Auntie, I love you.”
Xie Anqing looked down at her. There was only indulgence, carefully stripped of coddling; not a trace of tension or fear.
Chen Li drew back her gaze, rubbed her thumb over her index-finger knuckle, and asked Xie Beibei, who was still furious, “Could someone who isn’t a college student take part in this program?”
By the time Xie Anqing finished her work and came upstairs, the others had nearly finished eating. Xie Huaixia could still fit in a few more bites of pig-face bun. Xie Anqing pulled over a chair and sat by the terrace railing.
At eight o’clock, Dongxie Village wasn’t completely dark yet. After dinner, villagers wandered to the river in small groups.
Xie Anqing leaned back quietly, watching them. Her profile gradually blurred in the hazy, peaceful dusk, making her seem far away.
Chen Li’s lashes stirred. She blinked a faint glimmer into her eyes, pressed her thumb against her index-finger knuckle, and stood. She walked over to Xie Anqing, raised her hand, and tried to touch her neck with the outside of her knuckle—the way she had the night she’d helped with Xie Anqing’s IV, a way that wouldn’t intrude.
The air was moving. The warm breeze drifting over was cooler than the heat rising from Xie Anqing’s neck.
Chen Li looked down at the clean line of her neck and moved closer, little by little…
At the last instant, Xie Anqing turned her head and dodged. Chen Li’s hand stopped in midair.
She looked up at Xie Anqing.
Chen Li withdrew her hand. If it hadn’t been for Xie Xiaoqing’s phone call, Xie Anqing’s look in the car would have been exactly like the one she wore now: a dark streak, almost gone, flashing through her eyes, leaving nothing behind. No displeasure at being touched. No happiness at being comforted. Her reaction was strangely calm.
“Did you need something, Miss Chen?” Xie Anqing was the first to break the silence.
Chen Li slipped her hand into her pocket and looked into Xie Anqing’s eyes. “I’m sorry about what happened this afternoon. I didn’t know you’d been through something so frightening.”
As soon as Chen Li said it, Xie Anqing knew who had told her. She leaned back, tipping the chair onto its back legs. “I was distracted. It wasn’t your fault, Miss Chen. And you’ve already apologized.”
“That wasn’t enough.”
Thump.
The chair’s front legs hit the ground.
Chen Li stepped forward and sat backward on the terrace railing, turning slightly so she faced Xie Anqing, who was watching her. She braced her hands on the railing and said, “Xie Anqing, I’m good at painting. I want to paint a wall for you—as compensation for scaring you.”
