Ming You slept comfortably until she naturally woke up. She got out of bed, washed up, and ate the sandwich Yan Ningxi had left for her. She opened the fridge and glanced inside—there weren’t many ingredients.
What to eat for lunch? They hadn’t discussed it yesterday or this morning. She sent a message to Yan Ningxi: 【When will your class end?】
She sent the message at nine-thirty and received a reply at ten: 【What do you want for lunch and dinner? I’ll buy groceries after class. I’ll be home around eleven-thirty.】
The nearest large supermarket to both the school and the apartment was a kilometer away, but there was a farmers’ market between the school and the apartment. It was the most convenient, affordable, and fresh place to buy vegetables.
She decided to pick up Yan Ningxi after class, then go shopping for groceries and flowers together.
In the bathroom, that jar of body lotion had already been placed on the cabinet by Yan Ningxi. Ming You took off her robe and pajamas, then applied it generously all over her body. Winter was just too dry.
The clothes from yesterday reeked of hotpot, and it had been too late to wash them. If she wanted to go out, she had no choice but to borrow Yan Ningxi’s clothes.
She wanted to check Yan Ningxi’s closet for some winter clothes that might fit her, but she only pulled it open a crack before stopping. Though she had worn a few outfits already, Yan Ningxi had never said she could just help herself to her things.
If she asked, Yan Ningxi would probably tell her to pick whatever she liked. But that would spoil the surprise if she went out to meet her.
【Yan Ningxi: There’s a set of thickened hoodie and sweatpants on the coat rack. They’ve been washed—you can wear them at home.】
Ming You was holding yesterday’s down jacket, wondering how to get the smell out, when Yan Ningxi’s message told her clothes were prepared! The timing was perfect.
She hurried back to the bedroom. On the coat rack by the windowsill, near the corner by the bookshelf, she spotted the new clothes Yan Ningxi had bought for her! A pink hooded pullover hoodie, the thick, fleece-lined kind!
She hugged the clothes and flopped back onto the bed, covering her face. She was more excited than if she’d won the lottery.
If Yang Guishu saw her daughter grinning like an idiot over a new outfit that cost just a few hundred bucks, she’d probably die of anger. She’d bought her daughter so many clothes, shoes, bags, and jewelry worth thousands or tens of thousands, and never once seen her smile like this. Turns out it had all been a waste.
…
After the rain, the weather turned even damper and colder. Breath visible in the early morning air. This was still the city, and daytime temperatures had dropped to 8°C.
Ming You put on the new clothes, pulled up the hood, and took the down jacket to a nearby dry cleaner.
She was only wearing pajamas underneath, so it was a bit cold. She ducked into a random clothing store on the roadside and bought a creamy white lamb fleece vest.
Fluffy and much warmer.
At ten-forty, she walked into the drink shop across from the school gate and ordered a hot milk tea. She sat down and replied to Yan Ningxi.
【Ming You: I’ll eat whatever you make.】
【Ming You: The clothes fit perfectly. How did Sister Yan measure my size?】
At eleven, the person she was waiting for walked out of the gate, accompanied by another middle-aged woman. That person wasn’t from the office and didn’t have a teacher’s demeanor.
Across the street, Ming You couldn’t make out Yan Ningxi’s expression. They didn’t part ways but both turned left.
Ming You left the shop and followed them along the road. She saw them enter a teahouse, then backtracked dozens of meters to cross the crosswalk.
Go in, or not?
What if she got caught?
She didn’t want Yan Ningxi to think of her as a “stalker,” so Ming You sat down in the bank next door to the teahouse and waited.
After twenty minutes, Yan Ningxi still hadn’t replied to her message or passed by the bank entrance. Ming You tried calling with voice.
Yan Ningxi hung up without answering. She must be in an important discussion. Ming You didn’t call again.
Roughly guessing her age, was that woman her mother? Or a relative?
Reflecting on the past, Ming You suddenly realized that after all this time, Yan Ningxi had never once mentioned her family. What did her parents do? Were they well? Did she have any other siblings?
Nearly eleven-thirty, a message came: 【Something came up. I’ll be home around noon.】
Ming You looked up after reading it and saw Yan Ningxi walking past the bank’s glass door. She was alone now—the middle-aged woman was gone.
Ming You followed quietly on tiptoe. Instead of calling out first, she playfully patted Yan Ningxi’s right shoulder, then quickly stepped to her left side. Yan Ningxi reflexively turned her head right and saw nothing.
Before she could recover from the scare, Ming You called out: “Teacher Yan, what a coincidence.”
But the Yan Ningxi she saw had red-rimmed eyes. After meeting her gaze for a moment, she looked away: “Let’s go buy groceries.”
Yan Ningxi walked quickly, hands stuffed in her coat pockets, not caring if Ming You kept up.
The person who had come to “collect the debt” was her father’s sister-in-law—her aunt. They’d met a few times; the most recent was at her mother’s funeral.
The aunt didn’t have her phone number and hadn’t asked her father for it, so she’d come to the school.
—Back then, to treat your mom’s illness, your dad borrowed money from all of us. We agreed since we’re family, he could pay it back slowly. But we have our own troubles too. Your brother is almost forty, and he finally found a girlfriend who doesn’t mind the birthmark on his face. She’s the only child in her family—dowry money, wedding house, wedding ceremony, we can’t come up with that much all at once. You’ve been working for a few years now; you’ve got 100,000, right?
—I didn’t tell your dad I was coming to school. He borrowed 150,000, paid back 50,000, still owes 100,000. I brought the IOU. You recognize your dad’s handwriting, don’t you?
—The money was borrowed by him, but it went to your mom’s treatment. Whether he told you or not is his business, but you have a responsibility to repay this debt too, right?
—Auntie knows you’re a sensible child. You’re a teacher now—have some understanding for your uncle and aunt’s family. Your dad’s love for your mom was unquestionable; otherwise, he wouldn’t have taken your mom and you to live that quiet little life in the county as a family of three.
—Your dad doesn’t owe you, and neither do your parents. They worked hard to raise you, put you through school and grad studies. For you to repay some debt on behalf of your parents is only right and proper, isn’t it, Teacher Yan?
Children repay parents’ debts—only natural.
The aunt hadn’t haggled like a shrew. She’d chosen the weekend when there were few teachers and students, appealing to emotion and reasoning with her.
If it were Yan Ningxi unaware of her true origins, she might have felt heartbroken at being pressed for debt by family. But she had no right to feel that way. Their emotional distance wasn’t baseless; she simply wasn’t Yan Family blood to begin with. Expecting them to treat her like one of their own would truly be asking too much.
The aunt hadn’t spelled out that she wasn’t Yan blood, but every word urged her to be grateful to her parents. And how could she not know? The debt of rearing outweighed that of birth.
She knew a bit about her father borrowing money, so she sent him transfers every month. The aunt’s family was still owed 100,000—what about the other families?
They reached the intersection with the flower shop Ming You frequented. Yan Ningxi had pulled ahead. Ming You felt down too and turned into the shop alone, buying a few fresh flowers as quickly as possible.
Yan Ningxi was immersed in self-pity when, nearing the farmers’ market entrance, she realized there was no sound behind her. She looked back and suddenly panicked.
Ming You emerged from the side path and saw Yan Ningxi dozens of meters ahead, looking her way.
Her heart tightened. She jogged to catch up and tightly linked arms with her: “Sister Yan, look—the flowers today are pretty, right?”
Yan Ningxi grunted an “Mm,” turned around, and continued toward the farmers’ market.
…
Back home, Ming You picked ingredients for just two dishes. She cooked rice and washed vegetables while Yan Ningxi did the stir-frying. The simple meal—cooking, eating, washing—took only an hour total.
After tidying the kitchen, she came out to see Yan Ningxi staring blankly from the balcony.
Ming You hugged her from behind: “You got up so early and taught several classes. Take a nap? In dreams, all troubles vanish like smoke.”
“Dreams wake up.” Good or bad in dreams were illusions; troubles remained after waking.
“If dreams wake up, then don’t sleep? If your stomach gets hungry, don’t eat?”
Ming You rubbed her cheek against Yan Ningxi’s, comforting her. “You don’t have work tomorrow morning, right? To make the good dreams last longer, how about we sleep from this afternoon until noon tomorrow?”
Yan Ningxi elbowed her away: “What have you been learning? A bunch of crooked logic.”
She did need a nap.
She changed into pajamas and slipped into the cold sheets. She heard rustling behind her and turned to see Ming You undressing by the windowsill.
Ming You hung up the hoodie, drew the curtains, and sat on the bed but didn’t lie down: “I got up late—I’m not sleepy. Mainly, I’m warming the bed for you. Go to sleep; I’ll read some news. I won’t bother you.”
Yan Ningxi ducked her head so Ming You couldn’t see her face, but her hair got a gentle pat.
Only her mother had stroked her head like this, back in kindergarten and elementary school. Ming You doing it didn’t feel like an intrusion; instead, it warmed her heart.
Ming You tucked the quilt behind Yan Ningxi’s shoulders to keep out the cold, then took her hand and placed it on her belly: “You’ll have good dreams.”
Yan Ningxi closed her weary eyes.
She didn’t forget to add: “Don’t wear pajamas under your clothes next time. It’s uncomfortable. Any clothes in the closet that catch your eye, feel free to wear them.”
That morning, she had considered taking Ming You’s down jacket to the dry cleaners, but she left too early—they weren’t open yet—and bringing it to school wouldn’t do. When she got back, the clothes were gone, so Ming You must have washed them herself.
“Okay.” With permission granted, Ming You perked up. “If you don’t sleep soon, you’ll miss the best time to enter a dream.”
“What’s a good dream? What’s the best time?” Yan Ningxi asked.
“A good dream is one you don’t want to wake from.” Ming You’s left hand patted gently, rhythmically. “The best time is when you don’t want to sleep but can’t keep your eyes open.”
Cherished fully by the girl, Yan Ningxi’s awareness faded. She proactively wrapped her arms around the girl’s waist, drawing warmth. In this gentle embrace made just for her, what lingering dream awaited?
…
Yan Ningxi slept from one-thirty to two-thirty. When she woke, she found her foot draped over the girl’s leg too.
“Awake?”
Another head pat.
Ming You set down her phone, leaned over, and smiled at the person she liked: “Did you have a good dream?”
Dream… she had one, but also not. While still conscious, her mind conjured a paradise: slopes full of blooming pink peach blossoms and white pear flowers, ground covered in colorful wildflowers—the ones the girl had bought and raised, every kind she recognized, every name she knew.
She and the girl were there in person. The girl held her hand, walking step by step through the wondrous secret realm, telling her: Sister Yan, this isn’t a dream.
“No.”
Yan Ningxi sat up, propped by the girl’s embrace: “Then, let’s go find a good dream!”
Not understanding what dream they were seeking, the dazed Yan Ningxi found her breath stolen by the girl. Soft kisses, soft body, soft heart.
By the time she wasn’t soft anymore, they were already in a moving car. The girl had even buckled her seatbelt.
Full tank, onto the highway, soft pure music playing in the car.
During Yan Ningxi’s nap, Ming You had planned everything—researched, asked, packed. She wanted to escape with Yan Ningxi, experience a spur-of-the-moment adventure, make her laugh and chat, soothe her heavy worries.
“Where to?”
“To find a good dream for my Sister Yan.”
My Sister Yan.
Yan Ningxi blushed and turned to look out the window. Flashing by were fields, hills, rivers, trees and shrubs too blurry to make out.
The back seat held the girl’s backpack and her travel bag, packed with toiletries, changes of underwear, hats, scarves, and such. Looked like they were staying out overnight.
Though they’d shared a bed many times, sleeping at home felt worlds apart from sleeping elsewhere.
An hour later, they turned onto the winding mountain road: “Nearly half an hour of mountain driving left. If you’re prone to carsickness, close your eyes, rest, and think happy thoughts to the music.”
Yan Ningxi didn’t get carsick. But the heater in the car was turned up too high, making her dizzy. “Can you turn the heater down a bit? It’s a little stuffy.”
“That’s something that needs correcting.” The girl adjusted the heater while shifting her tone. “You should complain: ‘The heater’s cranked up so high—are you trying to roast me alive?'”
Complain? She wouldn’t.
No matter how bad her mood was or how wrong others might be, she never uttered a single complaint.
The girl had turned up the heater out of worry that she was cold.
“Let me feel your hand.” After setting the temperature, the girl’s right hand hovered in mid-air. “Hurry up—I’m driving here. Don’t distract me. This is a mountain road; it’s super dangerous.”
She sounded urgent, but there wasn’t a hint of impatience in her tone. Afraid of distracting her, Yan Ningxi obediently lifted her left hand and clasped the girl’s.
She clearly felt stuffy and hot, her face burning, yet her hand was still much cooler than the girl’s.
“Sigh, my Teacher Yan is the epitome of beauty that chills to the bone.”
“…” Yan Ningxi pulled her hand back, her face burning even hotter.
“Should’ve brought the goddess hot water bottle along. We left in such a rush, I forgot. Next time, I’ll make sure of it.”
“…” Had she picked up this chatterbox habit from Qi Xuexin? How had those “oh ya ah na” filler words started rolling off her tongue so smoothly? Whatever happened to the haughty, aloof personality that scorned everyone and everything?
“Sister Yan, are you finding me annoying again?”
Again?
When had she ever said the girl was annoying?
Just as she opened her mouth to say “No, not at all,” the girl asked, “Between me and Teacher Qi, who annoys you more?”
In the two-bedroom apartment in Block A of Yujiang Mingyuan, Teacher Qi—wrapped in a blanket and coaxed by someone into taking cold medicine—sneezed again. She kicked that someone’s leg and snapped, “Why am I the only one stuck with a cold, you damn it?!”
That someone took a sip of warm water, set down the cup, cupped the tsundere woman’s nape in her palm, and passed the water to her lip-to-lip. “Then let me catch it too, and keep you company.”
