Ripples

They did not have to wait long before footsteps came thudding down the stairwell, announcing her arrival before she appeared.

Chen Zhu looked over. First, the silhouette of a tall, slender figure emerged from the darkness.

In the blink of an eye, that figure stepped out of the apartment building.

The pale moonlight seemed to work magic. The instant the silhouette touched it, his vision flickered, and suddenly there stood the lovely Yu Xian.

"How long have you been waiting, Director Chen?"

The corners of Yu Xian's lips lifted slightly, happiness sparkling in her eyes.

Ever since her mother had died, she had visited the grave alone every year. She had never expected someone to accompany her this year.

To Yu Xian, going alone was perfectly fine.

But if someone else was going to come along, it could only be Chen Zhu.

Her grandmother was getting old.

Her father had remarried.

Wu Yu had offered to accompany her, but Yu Xian had refused. It was too early in the morning, and she did not want to trouble her best friend.

Yu Xian was independent by nature and disliked owing people favors. Yet, for some reason, she never really wanted to turn down Chen Zhu's help. It was as though she wanted more ties between them.

If he ever comes to me for something, I'll just do everything I can to help him!

That was how Yu Xian reassured herself.

Perhaps Wu Yu was right. Girls with love on the brain could not stop their feelings from spreading. They really would find excuses for themselves.

"I only just got here."

Chen Zhu stamped his feet as he answered, then pointed to the two bags, one large and one small, in Yu Xian's hands. "Are those heavy? Want me to carry one?"

"Okay! Sorry for the trouble, Director Chen!"

Yu Xian held the larger bag straight out to him.

As Chen Zhu took it, he said, "Has it occurred to you that I might just have been being polite?"

"Has it occurred to you that I might not understand that at all?"

Yu Xian planted her hands on her slender waist, looking as though being clueless gave her every right to do as she pleased.

Chen Zhu smiled. The big bag looked bulky, but it was actually very light. He guessed it contained joss paper and other offerings.

"Come on. Let's get a taxi first."

Chen Zhu led the way out of the residential complex, though he cut a rather ungainly figure.

He held the large bag in both arms and walked slowly because it blocked his view. His shadow on the ground resembled a potbellied Donald Duck, nothing like the usual calm, confident "Director Chen."

After a few steps, Chen Zhu realized Yu Xian, who only had the small bag, had not followed him. He could not help turning around and calling, "Hurry up!"

"Coming~"

Yu Xian drew out the last syllable, her wine-red hair bouncing playfully where it hung loose around her waist.

"Hmph! You're always acting like an old man. Now you finally look like a teenager."

Once they left the complex, the sky was still dim with early dawn. Here and there, sanitation workers in orange uniforms were sweeping up rubbish.

Chen Zhu glanced at the digital watch on his wrist. It was only five.

There were no buses at this hour, and even taxis would probably be hard to find. Still, Yuecheng was a first-tier city. If they waited a little, an empty cab would come along.

They stood side by side at the roadside. Seeing Chen Zhu keep stamping his feet and shaking his shoulders, Yu Xian could not help asking, "Are you that cold?"

"Aren't you?"

Chen Zhu sounded surprised. The gauzy fabric of their school uniforms was far too thin. Whenever a breeze blew past, he felt as though he had nothing on at all.

Yet Yu Xian really did seem unaffected. We're both wearing school uniforms, so why can she leave her collar open and show her collarbones while I want to tuck my whole head inside my zipped-up jacket?

"You boys really can't handle the cold."

Yu Xian pursed her lips. "I can wear short skirts with my calves bare even in winter. And mind you, I don't mean winter in Eastern Guangdong. I mean winter back home in Sichuan-Chongqing."

Chen Zhu was not pleased to hear that. He put down the large bag and reached to pull off Yu Xian's jacket. "Come on, then. Be generous and give me your jacket..."

Naturally, Yu Xian refused to let him do that out on the street. Still, their bickering kept them entertained, and before long they managed to hail a taxi.

Only after they settled into the back seat did Yu Xian open the small bag. Inside were eggs, corn, and soy milk for breakfast.

She had worried they would get cold if she opened it outside.

"When did you go buy breakfast?"

Chen Zhu asked, puzzled.

"I made it myself, you know!"

Yu Xian rolled her eyes and handed Chen Zhu an ear of corn.

Only then did Chen Zhu remember that Yu Xian could cook, and very well at that. Her glamorous, flirtatious appearance really could be misleading.

Chen Zhu was genuinely hungry. He picked up the corn and started munching, polishing it off in no time. Then he noticed Yu Xian holding a peeled egg, though she had not eaten it.

"Why aren't you eating?"

Chen Zhu gestured toward it with his chin.

"Oh, this one's for you."

Yu Xian answered casually.

She did not seem to think there was anything wrong with it. Perhaps, given the way she thought or how she had grown up, peeling an egg for a boy she was this close to felt perfectly normal.

Chen Zhu paused, then immediately pushed his luck. "Then feed me."

"Don't you have hands?"

Yu Xian initially refused. Chen Zhu had perfectly good hands and feet; it was not as though he was disabled.

Chen Zhu raised his right hand to show the soy milk he was holding, then his left to show the corn. Then he leaned his mouth toward Yu Xian and went, "Ah..."

"You're impossible!"

Left with no choice, Yu Xian stuffed the peeled egg into Chen Zhu's mouth.

But the instant his lips accidentally brushed her fingertips, Chen Zhu distinctly felt her fingers jerk back.

Suddenly, she no longer wanted to talk. She turned to watch the street grow brighter outside, quietly finishing the breakfast Chen Zhu had left.

The cemetery was over by Daguan Road. Traffic was light this early, so they arrived quickly.

At the entrance, however, the taxi could go no farther. Private cars lined the road outside the cemetery, and everyone carried bags or flowers.

Yu Xian had returned to normal by then. She led Chen Zhu through the winding cemetery paths until they reached a set of steps. Taking the large bag from him, she said, "My mom's down there. Wait here for me."

"Okay."

Chen Zhu nodded.

He was still only a "friend," so it would certainly not be appropriate for him to go down with her to pay his respects. Yu Xian probably wanted to speak to her mother from the heart, too, and his presence would make things awkward.

Chen Zhu stood up above. Now and then, he saw well-dressed, successful-looking middle-aged men and women kneeling on the ground, pouring out their grievances.

Perhaps people still felt like children before their parents, even after those parents had passed away.

About twenty minutes later, Yu Xian came back up.

She smelled faintly of smoke, and her eyes were red. Chen Zhu knew nothing he said would be quite right at a moment like this. All he needed to do was stay beside her.

Everything lay in that shared silence.

Only after they left the cemetery and stepped into the rising sun, its rays bringing a little warmth to their bodies, did Yu Xian let out a long breath.

Chen Zhu knew he could speak now.

"It's almost seven."

Chen Zhu raised his watch. "Are you going back to school now, or heading home to wash up first?"

Yu Xian lifted her uniform and sniffed it, wrinkling her rounded nose. "I'd better go home first. Otherwise, I'll stink up the whole classroom."

"Then I'll head back for morning study."

Chen Zhu had figured she would probably need to go home.

"Oh..."

A trace of reluctance crossed Yu Xian's face. But remembering that she would see him again at school, she nodded. "Okay."

Chen Zhu walked a few steps, then something stirred in his heart, and he turned back.

Yu Xian was still standing there, watching him. The reddened corners of her eyes looked as though they had been touched with brilliant April peach blossoms. She was breathtakingly beautiful.

Chen Zhu smiled gently. How could he put it?

An encounter between two people

was a tiny ripple,

slowly spreading outward.

(Another chapter at eight tonight. Please vote, please vote!)

(End of chapter)