Chapter 22

Early autumn.

The sky was high, the clouds pale, the breeze crisp.

Xu Xiaoyan sat on the practice field’s lawn fuming, winding a blade of grass around her fingertip. “What is Teacher Qin thinking? Why change seats? One look at that Liang Zhixing and you can tell he’s bad news!”

The early autumn sun still held some heat.

Flower scent drifted on the wind; not far off, boys shouted over their basketball game.

The girl beside her smiled helplessly. Sunlight fell on her fair cheek; she wore the blue-and-white school uniform, slender and clean, her voice clear and ethereal. “Xiaoyan, Teacher Qin said it’s because when we’re together you get distracted — you always want to talk to me — so she changed your seat. Don’t be angry.”

Xu Xiaoyan huffed a few times. “I am angry!”

But her expression had clearly softened. She had already asked for the reason in Teacher Qin’s office. Reluctant as she was, she had to admit Teacher Qin had a point. Her new deskmate was a wooden post; she had no desire to talk to him. But whenever she was with Yu Mian, she always wanted to drag her off to play — holding back her own studies was one thing, but she couldn’t hold back her best friend’s.

Having thought it through, she stood, brushed the grass off her trousers, and reached out a hand to pull Yu Mian up. “Fine. Class is about to start. Let’s head back.”

Yu Mian nodded with a smile and walked back with her.

Back in the classroom, Xu Xiaoyan pouted her way through moving her books. Only after Yu Mian coaxed her a bit and they agreed to see a movie together on the weekend did she finally brighten.

Her new deskmate…

Sitting at her desk, Yu Mian glanced sideways and happened to meet the boy’s gaze. She smiled at him; he gave her only a cold look and, as the class bell rang, pillowed his head on his arms and lay down to visit the Duke of Zhou.

Yu Mian was a little surprised but said nothing, taking out her textbooks.

The last period — the teacher was on leave and didn’t come. She read for a while; near the end of class a small restlessness stirred through the room. Not in the mood for homework, she took out her sketchbook and began drawing the school’s clock tower.

When the bell rang she still hadn’t finished, so she stayed in her seat a while longer — and unexpectedly someone slapped the back of her cap and quickly yanked her braid.

Yu Mian set down her pen and looked back. Seeing her group member standing behind her, she touched her hair. “Zhou Yang, what are you doing?”

Zhou Yang was a bit chubby, with an honest-looking smile, but he was a bit mean. He grinned roguishly at her and darted off.

Yu Mian sat back down, annoyed at the interruption. “So strange.”

She picked up her pen to finish the last bit — and before long her braid was yanked hard again. She turned around and saw Zhou Yang’s grinning face once more, and a spark of anger finally kindled.

A faint irritation crossed the girl’s clear, clean features, but her words remained polite and refined. “Zhou Yang, may I ask if you need something?”

Seeing her frown, the boy seemed to panic slightly, stammered something, and ran off again.

Yu Mian shook her head.

She thought of the news she’d seen on TV lately about school bullying. She had a feeling this tendency had crept into her class as well — boys who liked to pick on girls, flipping their caps, pulling their braids, sabotaging their jump rope… What a little nuisance!

She didn’t feel like drawing anymore and packed up her sketchbook, homework, and books.

The great bell on campus struck five. Her hands paused — she suddenly remembered: Auntie Pei was coming to pick her up at five!

She’d almost forgotten!

The earlier annoyance dissolved instantly; she couldn’t stop her lips from curving up. Slinging her backpack on, she headed out — and discovered her new deskmate hadn’t left, still lying asleep on his desk.

She lowered her voice, a little hesitant. “Liang… Liang Zhixing, I’m leaving. Could you stand up for a moment?”

The boy lifted his head from the crook of his arm, bleary-eyed, gave her a flat look, then stood without a word. With a somewhat slouchy air he hooked his uniform jacket over one shoulder, grabbed his bag, and walked out.

Yu Mian didn’t take her new deskmate’s aloofness to heart. Backpack bouncing, she rushed out and ran all the way to the school gate, where she spotted a tall, graceful figure in the distance. She laughed out loud. “Auntie Pei!”

The woman standing in the sunset’s afterglow wore a beautifully tailored couture shirt, sleeves loosely rolled, her long black hair tied back behind her ears. Autumn mist seemed to gather in her brows and eyes, light and quiet — but at the sight of the girl running toward her, her features softened, and the mist dispersed.

She watched Yu Mian run to her, smiling.

Time passed so quickly — six years gone in a flash.

The first time she’d come to this school, Mianmian had still been a soft little dumpling speaking in a whisper, clutching her hand tight. Now Mianmian had grown into a slender, lovely girl whose smile was without a single stain, pure and bright.

Yu Mian ran up, panting. Now that she was bigger she couldn’t always be hugged outside, so she only tugged at her sleeve and tilted her head up. “Did you wait long?”

Pei Songxi shook her head, took her backpack, and slipped an arm around her shoulders as they walked. “No.”

Her car was parked ahead. She pressed the key twice, and Yu Mian happily climbed into the passenger seat. Pei Songxi called to her, “Mianmian?”

Yu Mian clicked the seatbelt shut quickly, her voice bright. “I’m thirteen by traditional counting, twelve by birthday counting — in Tang poetry that’s called ‘doukou’! Auntie Pei, I can sit in the front seat now!”

Pei Songxi had never allowed her in the front seat — not until she turned twelve not long ago, when she finally gave in to her pestering and nodded yes.

Her lips curved. She started the car, her voice mellow and calm. “In a good mood, are we? Something happy happen at school?”

Yu Mian shook her head and held up two fingers. “There are two unhappy things. I’m in a good mood because you came to pick me up.”

“Hm? Why unhappy?”

“First, because of Xiaoyan. We’ve been deskmates for six years, and now the teacher separated us. I’m actually fine, but Xiaoyan’s really upset. The second thing is… so annoying!”

As she spoke she clenched her little fist, rather like a puffed-up kitten.

Pei Songxi watched her at the red light, suppressing a smile. “And the second thing?”

Yu Mian fumed. “There’s this classmate… he came and pulled my hair after school. It hurt…”

“A boy or a girl?”

“A boy!”

“Have you two fought before?”

“No. We’re in the same study group, and I’ve even explained math olympiad problems to him… It’s so weird. Out of nowhere. I don’t get it.”

Pei Songxi paused, then smiled as if in sudden understanding. “He…”

She began, then stopped. The girl looked at her curiously. “What about him?”

“If he… picks on you again, remember to tell me.”

Yu Mian shook her head. “It doesn’t really count as picking on me. It’s not like the school bullying on TV — probably just playing around. Don’t worry, Auntie Pei.”

Pei Songxi nodded faintly.

She understood perfectly, and wanted Mianmian to understand too — yet she wasn’t willing for her to understand.

Probably because… Mianmian was still too young.

The little episode was quickly forgotten. Home at last, she tossed her backpack aside and ran to the table. “Wow! We have Oil-Braised Prawns and cola chicken wings today! Both my favorites!”

Pei Songxi loved watching her eat — the child ate with such appetite. She served her some food. “Mianmian, your appetite seems to have grown lately.”

Yu Mian’s chopsticks paused over the chicken wings, and she said, a little aggrieved, “I’m not fat…”

Pei Songxi smiled and put the wing in her bowl. “I didn’t say you were fat. You’re at the age when you’re growing. I know.”

Yu Mian nodded hard. “Right, I’m growing…”

But as she spoke, her face flushed, and something seemed to occur to her.

That night, Pei Songxi had just showered and was sitting against the headboard reading when she heard a knock. Her door was never locked; it pushed open at a touch.

Yu Mian came in carrying a glass of milk and set it on the cabinet.

“Mianmian, something wrong?”

“…Nothing. I finished my homework and wanted to chat.”

She had just showered too, wearing cotton loungewear. She sat on the edge of the bed, kicked off her slippers, her fair feet swinging in midair.

The girl had her back to her and said nothing for a long while.

Pei Songxi sensed something off and sat up, moving closer, brushing away the hair that had fallen against her slender neck. “What is it? Is there some little worry you can’t tell me?”

The tips of Yu Mian’s ears quietly reddened. She drew a breath. “Um… it’s just… I… I think I’ve… grown up a little.”

Pei Songxi didn’t understand. “You have grown up. What about it?”

Yu Mian didn’t turn around. She was shy by nature, and she was now; she lowered her head, fingers marching little people across the bedsheet. “It’s… it’s there, it seems… it seems to have grown.”

The girls in her class had started wearing bras in fourth or fifth grade, and some very, very nasty boys had even begun discussing the marks of girls’ bra straps.

In PE class, Xu Xiaoyan had pulled her aside to discuss it too — some girls wore cotton camisoles, some training vests, and some had already switched to the hooked kind that grown women wore… Xu Xiaoyan was carefree and sometimes even wanted to look; Yu Mian, thin-skinned, always covered her face and dragged her away.

She still wore those cotton camisoles.

They seemed… not quite enough anymore. When she ran, she put on her uniform jacket over them, but she still felt like she had a pair of little bunnies hidden in her chest, hopping and hopping, impossible to hide.

Pei Songxi realized her own negligence, and even her usually cool, pale cheeks flushed slightly.

She had been abroad on business all summer. Over that one summer, the body the child’s clothes had covered had quietly matured, and she hadn’t even noticed.

Guilt washed over her. She gently drew Yu Mian’s shoulder in, her clear voice a little rough. “…I’m sorry, Mianmian… I didn’t notice. This… this weekend, we’ll talk it over together and pick out which kind to get, okay?”

Having finally said what she’d wanted to say, Yu Mian mocked her own awkwardness inwardly, then finally turned around and nodded earnestly. “Okay. It’s fine… you don’t need to apologize.”

Pei Songxi’s brows drew together slightly. “I’m sorry, Mianmian. If anything like this comes up again… don’t be embarrassed. Just tell me directly.”

Yu Mian pressed her lips into a smile. “Mm! I told you, it’s fine!”

Her gaze landed on Pei Songxi, and suddenly curiosity sparked. “Auntie Pei, which kind are you?”

Pei Songxi blinked. “I… which kind?”

It took her a moment to understand the question, and she answered carefully. “The grown-up kind… you know?”

Yu Mian nodded blankly, her gaze staying fixed on her. “Do they all get this big… will I too?”

Though she’d learned some basic facts in health class, the teacher hadn’t gone into detail, and with the boys in class jeering she hadn’t caught much — there was a lot she still didn’t really understand.

Pei Songxi was stumped by the question, her voice slightly strained. “You will… slowly, slowly, little by little.”

Yu Mian nodded — she had always been a diligent, inquisitive student. “Oh, got it!”

Pei Songxi was silent for a few seconds, then tipped her head back and finished the milk. “Mianmian, I’m going to sleep. Go back to your room.”

She was simply too afraid she’d ask more questions she had no idea how to answer.

Her little orange… had already grown into a young doukou.

Yu Mian wondered why she was sleeping so early, but nodded obediently all the same. “Oh. Okay.”