The two of them returned to Wind Chime Alley, chatting and laughing.
The courtyard gate stood ajar, and warm light spilled from the main room.
"Grandma, we're back!" Pu Yu pushed the gate open.
Li Suhua was busy at the sewing machine. At the sound of their voices, she looked up, saw the cake box in Xu Suiran's hand, and immediately frowned. "Why waste money on that? Wouldn't a couple of steamed buns be better?"
But Xu Suiran had a sweet tongue. A few lines of "Thanks for all your hard work, Grandma," "It's only Pu Yu's birthday once a year," and "My mom specifically asked me to bring this for you to try" soon coaxed the old woman out of her displeasure.
The cake wasn't big, about six inches across.
Xu Suiran stuck colorful candles into it and insisted that Pu Yu make a wish.
The lights in the main room went out.
The candle flames flickered warmly, lighting up the three of their faces.
Pu Yu closed her eyes.
First wish: I hope Grandma stays healthy and lives to a hundred.
Second wish: I hope Yuan Su and Auntie Lu can have a better life and won't have to work so hard anymore.
Third wish...
She opened her eyes and blew out the candles.
"What is this pitch-black stuff?" Li Suhua grumbled, but she still ate almost half a slice. Xu Suiran ate until her mouth and teeth were black too, laughing as she told them funny stories from class.
While Xu Suiran and Pu Yu went to wash their hands,
the old woman quietly slipped twenty yuan into Sui Sui's schoolbag.
She didn't know how much the cake cost.
But twenty yuan was already a lot of money to Li Suhua.
It could buy several big bags of steamed buns.
She steeled herself and gritted her teeth.
It was her granddaughter's birthday. She couldn't let someone else pay for it.
It was late. Xu Suiran had gone home, and Grandma had finished washing up and was getting ready for bed.
Pu Yu packed the two slices of cake she had set aside into an aluminum lunchbox and put it on the windowsill. The winter night air was cold, so there was no need to worry about it spoiling.
"Go to bed early. You have the day off tomorrow. There'll be plenty of time to do your homework."
"Okay, Grandma."
Pu Yu worked on a practice paper in her room, but she couldn't settle down.
She glanced at the lunchbox on the windowsill, then at the darkness outside.
At eleven, she gathered her courage, picked up the lunchbox, and crept out like a kitten afraid of alerting a hunter.
The alley was quiet on that winter night, with only the occasional bark of a dog in the distance.
The hinges gave a barely audible creak.
Pu Yu had just poked her head out when she came face-to-face with someone outside-
Yuan Su wore his black outdoor jacket, zipped all the way up to cover his chin. One hand was in his pocket, while the other hovered in the air, his knuckles bent as though he was hesitating over whether to knock-or whether to turn around and leave.
Hearing the door open, he lifted his head.
Their eyes met.
The wind in the alley seemed to still at that moment.
He stood right at the boundary between light and shadow, the deep darkness behind him and her before him.
Yuan Su's hand froze in midair. Only after a few seconds did he awkwardly lower it and tuck it into his pocket. His gaze drifted away, then returned helplessly to her face.
"You..."
"You..."
They spoke at the same time, then stopped at the same time.
Pu Yu tightened her grip on the lunchbox, her heart racing wildly. She took a step forward and asked softly, "What are you doing here? It's so late..."
Yuan Su's Adam's apple bobbed. His face remained expressionless, and his tone was a little stiff.
"Passing by."
"Passing by?" Pu Yu's voice was soft. "But your house is across the alley. How did you end up passing right by my door?"
Yuan Su wasn't embarrassed at being caught out. He retorted with perfect confidence, "Can't I get lost on a walk?"
Pu Yu couldn't help pressing her lips together in a smile. She didn't expose his flimsy excuse any further.
She held out the lunchbox, her eyes shining. "Then you got lost at just the right time. Today... is my birthday. I saved two slices of cake for you and your mom. It's really good."
Yuan Su's gaze fell on the slightly worn aluminum lunchbox.
Instead of reaching for the cake, he suddenly stepped forward and caught her wrist.
The heat of his palm seeped through her sleeve.
"Come somewhere with me," he said.
"Huh? Where?" Pu Yu hadn't quite caught up.
Yuan Su didn't answer. Without giving her a chance to protest, he pulled her out through the gate.
His palm was warm, and the thin calluses on his fingers brushed against her delicate skin.
Pu Yu's heartbeat instantly fell out of rhythm.
They passed through the silent Wind Chime Alley and headed toward North Mountain behind the town.
North Mountain wasn't particularly high, but the path up was fairly steep, strewn with loose stones and dry grass.
Pu Yu had never had much stamina. By the time they were halfway up, she was already gasping for breath, her legs as heavy as lead.
"I can't... Yuan Su, I'm not going any farther."
Pu Yu braced her hands on her knees and gulped for air, her face red from the cold. "Let's go back... I really can't walk anymore..."
Yuan Su stopped and looked back at her, raising his brows slightly. "You're worn out already? What do you do in PE?"
"We don't climb mountains in PE," Pu Yu protested a little plaintively, still panting as she spoke. "I really can't climb any farther."
Yuan Su gave a quiet laugh and didn't tease her again.
He walked straight over, turned his back to her, and crouched down. "Get on."
Startled, Pu Yu waved her hands repeatedly. "No, no, I just need a little rest... You won't be able to carry me. The path is so steep."
"Hurry up."
The boy turned his head, his tone a little impatient but his eyes steady. "If you keep dawdling, it'll be dawn, and we won't get to see it."
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