Chapter 28 Part 2

Chen Nian clutched the broom tightly. “I’m minding it. If I don’t, who will?”

Fang Zhi shot back, “I don’t need you to.”

Chen Nian’s temper flared, and just like these little brats, she started repeating herself. “I’m minding it. I’m minding it.”

Fang Zhi lunged for her arm. Chen Nian dodged. Then she went for her hand, and this time Chen Nian couldn’t get away.

Fang Zhi’s nails raked across the back of her hand. It stung.

She froze in the middle of their tussle, head bowed, staring fixedly at the back of Chen Nian’s hand.

Chen Nian wiggled her fingers. “It’s fine.”

Fang Zhi balled her fists. “Then go mind everyone else’s business!!!”

Chen Nian began, “You—”

Fang Zhi kicked her in the leg. It didn’t hurt much, but then she turned and ran.

Chen Nian gripped the broom, itching to give chase, but Lin Tianyi held her back.

“The Sports Committee Member told us to go dump the trash.”

“You go dump it,” Chen Nian said.

Lin Tianyi looked ready to burst into tears. “It’s too heavy. I can’t do it by myself…”

Chen Nian sighed. “…”

What kind of lucky day was this? Every little kid had to pick today to cry at her.

“Go on, go on.” She waved him away. “Hurry up and dump the trash!”

Lin Tianyi clutched her sleeve, terrified she’d bolt.

Even though this period was for big cleaning day, the time wasn’t up yet. Students still weren’t allowed to leave campus.

Once they finished cleaning, they’d head back to the classroom to pack their bags and wait for the dismissal bell before charging off to their joyful weekend.

Time was running short now. Chen Nian’s plan was to dump the trash, return to pack her bag, and sprint to Class 1 at the first ring of the bell.

But the plan hit a snag. The trash bin she and Lin Tianyi were hauling had a hole in the bottom, and garbage had spilled everywhere along the way.

Preoccupied with her own troubles—and Lin Tianyi being a total space case—they didn’t notice until they were heading back.

Chen Nian stared. “…”

Lin Tianyi wailed, “Wahhh, what do we do?”

What else could they do? Sweep it up.

The two of them ran back to the classroom for brooms and dustpans, sweeping the whole trail clean. In the process, they ended up tidying other classes’ cleaning areas too.

By the time they turned back toward the building, the bell had already rung.

“Fuck…” Chen Nian muttered under her breath, then took off sprinting.

Lin Tianyi trailed behind at a slower pace, yelling at the top of his lungs, “Wait for me—!”

Chen Nian didn’t have time to wait. By the time she grabbed her bag and dashed to Class 1, Fang Zhi was nowhere in sight.

Du Tiantian was still hanging around, though. Chen Nian asked her, “Where’s Fang Zhi?”

Du Tiantian twisted away with a huff. “Hmph!”

Chen Nian blinked. “…”

Someone nearby piped up, “She left a while ago.”

Chen Nian bolted downstairs again, chasing all the way out of the school gates. Across the street, she watched helplessly as Fang Zhi climbed into a car.

Chen Nian: “…”

A torrent of curses flooded her elementary-school mind.

Chen Nian caught the next bus, a class behind Fang Zhi. By the time she got home, Fang Zhi was already seated at the dinner table.

“Why are you two coming home one after the other today?” Liu Chunhua emerged from the kitchen with a dish. “Go wash your hands.”

Chen Nian glanced at Fang Zhi. She sat with her head down, clutching her bowl, silent.

“I got held up with something,” Chen Nian said. “Zhizhi went on ahead.”

Fang Zhi’s leg, dangling from her chair, swung a little.

The family of four sat down to eat. Chen Nian didn’t shatter the cozy atmosphere, nor did she plan to tell their parents about what had happened at school.

Problems between kids were for kids to sort out first. Running to the parents now would just be tattling.

Still, she didn’t stop staring at Fang Zhi across the table—staring openly and deliberately.

She wanted Fang Zhi to know. She wanted her to notice. She wanted her to understand that they needed to open up and have a real talk later.

Then Fang Zhi lifted her bowl and chugged the rest of her half-full porridge in one go. She wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Uncle, Auntie, I want to go do my homework.”

What parent could say no to a child eager to study? Chen Junjie chuckled warmly. “So diligent! Got a lot of homework?”

“Mm.” Fang Zhi nodded and stood up.

Chen Nian kept staring. Liu Chunhua said, “You two should finish early. Then you can enjoy the weekend.”

“Okay.” Fang Zhi turned and headed to her room.

Chen Nian: “…”

Liu Chunhua tapped her bowl. “Eat up. Then go do your homework.”

“Mom! Weekends are for resting,” Chen Nian protested. “I’m not in a hurry to—!”

Bang. Fang Zhi slammed her door shut.

Chen Nian: “…………”

The door didn’t just close—it locked from the inside.

After finishing dinner, Chen Nian knocked on Fang Zhi’s door three times and fell into thought.

Liu Chunhua passed by and nudged her arm. “What’s wrong? Did you two fight?”

Chen Nian managed a bitter smile.

Liu Chunhua patted her head. “It’s okay. Make up after the fight, and your relationship will grow even stronger.”

Chen Nian’s smile was starting to falter.

Fang Zhi never opened the door, so Chen Nian retreated to her own room.

Just thinking about Fang Zhi doing her homework made her unable to resist opening her little schoolbag and pulling out her workbook.

Fine, at least a single wall separated them as they both worked on the same thing.

Chen Nian still had homework left when the light in Fang Zhi’s room went out.

Their rooms faced the same direction, windows close enough that a soft glow from next door always filtered through.

When that light vanished, Chen Nian felt like a chunk had suddenly been torn from her heart.

She stayed up, finishing every last bit of homework before finally climbing into bed.

That night, Chen Nian slept poorly.

Visions from her past and present lives flickered through her dreams, leaving her soaked in sweat.

The next morning, Chen Nian rose early.

Fang Zhi’s door, along with her parents’, remained shut. After washing up, she headed downstairs and bought breakfast favorites for everyone.

On the way home, passing Bookstore Street, she noticed one shop already open and slipped inside to pick out a book.

Back home, she set down the breakfast and took the book to the balcony. Morning light bathed the pages in a serene glow, even as her mind churned noisily.

She’d read about halfway through when her parents stirred.

The house came alive with noise, and soon Fang Zhi’s door finally creaked open.

Chen Nian glanced over. Fang Zhi stood there in a white cotton nightgown, hair tousled and loose, looking every bit the little angel freshly descended to earth.

All of Chen Nian’s pent-up grievances, resentment, confusion, and sorrow evaporated in an instant. She smiled warmly. “Good morning!”

Fang Zhi pursed her lips and stared at her for a long moment before turning toward the bathroom.

Chen Nian called after her. “Come eat after washing your face! I got your favorite shrimp soup dumplings!”

Water rushed from the faucet as Chen Nian shouted again. “Read with me after breakfast! This book’s amazing!”

It was something they used to do all the time: sharing a single book, turning the pages together, chatting about the fun parts.

Chen Nian waited patiently, like the little plant in the flowerpot before her—branches already stretching out, buds poised to bloom.

Fang Zhi washed her face, slipped on a jacket, and sat quietly at the table, finishing her dumplings.

Dad tinkered with a chair whose leg had broken, while Mom grabbed her vegetable basket to head out. Fang Zhi carried the empty plate to the kitchen, washed it spotless, then walked slowly over to Chen Nian.

Chen Nian patted the stool beside her. Fang Zhi sat down.

Chen Nian slid the book closer. Their shoulders touched, heads nearly bumping.

“This is The Little Prince,” Chen Nian said. “It’ll be hugely popular someday—everyone will own a copy. Let’s get a head start on it…”

Fang Zhi said nothing, reading quietly.

They read for ages. Eventually, Chen Nian went to help Mom hold fabric for cutting, leaving Fang Zhi to read on her own.

She was still at it during lunch, and in the afternoon, when Mom suggested she go play outside, she waved it off and kept turning pages.

So engrossed, Chen Nian didn’t reclaim her spot beside her. Sharing was cozy, but it forced Fang Zhi to crane her neck awkwardly.

Not until the sun dipped below the horizon did Fang Zhi finally set the book down.

Chen Nian had washed a big red apple and sliced it neatly onto a plate. She’d been watching Fang Zhi closely, and the moment the book closed, she hurried the plate over, hoping for a bit of praise.

But when she looked up, tears were streaming down Fang Zhi’s face.

Each drop landed like a hammer on Chen Nian’s heart. She panicked, reaching for Fang Zhi’s cheek. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying…?”

Fang Zhi dodged her touch and shot to her feet, still clutching the book. She marched into the bedroom and retrieved Chen Nian’s art notebook.

It was the rose Chen Nian had drawn in art class a few days earlier. She’d left it on Fang Zhi’s desk while she slept.

These past days, she’d been so busy reining in her urge to hang out with Fang Zhi, so consumed by the ache of watching her make other friends, that she’d forgotten to ask if she’d seen the drawing.

She thought it had turned out beautifully, so she’d wanted to give it to her.

“Your notebook was in my room,” Fang Zhi said.

Chen Nian nodded. “Right. There’s a drawing in there—for you.”

Fang Zhi flipped to that page and held it up. In her other hand, she raised The Little Prince, open to a specific page. From a distance, Chen Nian couldn’t make out the words.

“You went off to other planets. Now you have so many roses,” Fang Zhi said, her voice choked with sobs, tears streaming down her cheeks. “You don’t like me anymore.”