Soup Pot 1: Be a good girl

Jiang Xu had known disappointment too many times herself, and she didn't want anyone else to feel that way.

Ever since Liang Xiaoqing had said those words last time, Jiang Xu felt that Liang Xiaoqing didn't talk to her as much as before—though of course, it could just be her overthinking. After all, when evening self-study ended, Liang Xiaoqing would still wait for her at the school gate and walk home together.

The road home was pitch-black. Liang Xiaoqing held her hand, shining a flashlight toward the teacher dormitory, always asking about her studies. When it came to the important parts, Jiang Xu would carefully explain what classes she'd had that day, what had been taught, and which parts she hadn't understood...

While she talked, Liang Xiaoqing listened quietly, and by the time she finished, they'd already reached the teacher dormitory.

With company, walking in the dark wasn't so scary—especially when Liang Xiaoqing was holding her hand.

Observant as Jiang Xu was, she still couldn't tell whether Liang Xiaoqing had actually been angry. It was Liang Xiaoqing who had first supported her education, brought her out of her home so she could go to school. Jiang Xu felt she should say sorry to Liang Xiaoqing, to express her apology.

But she hadn't noticed anything unusual about Liang Xiaoqing either. Still, Jiang Erya had said that if you didn't voice your thoughts and needs, the other person would never know.

Jiang Xu also felt that some things couldn't be solved just by talking—more importantly, she had to take real action.

Back inside the house, Liang Xiaoqing hung her canvas bag on the hook behind the door. Jiang Xu took out both her and Liang Xiaoqing's slippers from the shoe cabinet. When Liang Xiaoqing turned around and saw the slippers on the floor, she'd pat Jiang Xu's head.

"Good girl."

Liang Xiaoqing said that, and Jiang Xu felt that Liang Xiaoqing wasn't angry anymore. So she put the matter aside.

Relieved, she walked into the bedroom. Liang Xiaoqing changed into her loungewear and asked, "Want to eat something more?"

Teenagers had astonishing appetites, and with the intense daily studying, getting hungry quickly was normal. Jiang Xu had gone from not being used to Liang Xiaoqing's thoughtful care to being accustomed to it, but most of the time, she didn't want to trouble Liang Xiaoqing.

"No need, Sister Qing."

Her voice carried a softness unique to Jiang Xu as she set her backpack on the chair.

The small desk was divided into two sections—there was only one desk in the bedroom, so Liang Xiaoqing had cleared some things away, making space and leaving half for Jiang Xu. Jiang Xu switched on the desk lamp with practiced ease and sat upright in the chair, studying late into the night.

Liang Xiaoqing would always cut a plate of fruit and place it beside Jiang Xu, then wash up and sit at the desk just like Jiang Xu, preparing lessons or grading student assignments.

Quiet and peaceful, time flew by. When Liang Xiaoqing grew too sleepy to keep her eyes open, she'd pat Jiang Xu's arm and yawn as she reminded her, "It's late, Xiao Xu. Go to bed soon."

"Mm." Jiang Xu, focused, finished the last bit of her exercise book, closed it after writing the final answer, hurried to the bathroom to wash up, and when she returned to the bedroom, Liang Xiaoqing was usually already asleep, leaving the desk lamp on for her.

The warm, dim light slowly pushed back the darkness. After washing up, Jiang Xu wasn't sleepy anymore—she was still wide awake. She tiptoed around, neatly stacking Liang Xiaoqing's lesson plans or the student notebooks she'd graded, put her own books in her backpack, turned off the lamp, and made her way to the bed in the dark.

Back home, they were so poor that even turning on a light drew Jiang Daguo's scolding and fury. Over time, Jiang Xu had gotten used to seeing in the dark.

Every night, lying on the soft single bed, she'd turn on her side to face Liang Xiaoqing's floor mat, her hands folded together under her cheek, feeling a calm and security she'd never known before. Listening to Liang Xiaoqing's long, gentle breaths, she'd close her eyes and quickly sink into a deep sleep.

When she opened her eyes, it was morning, and she'd repeat the previous day's routine without tiring.

That's how Jiang Xu lived until the last test before the final exams.

Qing Middle had a rule: before final exams, there would be an assessment test to gauge the students' academic progress in advance, then fill in the gaps and reinforce the basics.

Jiang Xu had gotten used to being overlooked at school, and she'd also go to morning exercise with Jiang Erya. Whenever Erya didn't want to go, Jiang Xu would even joke with her, "Erya, if you don't exercise, you won't be able to run soon."

Erya wouldn't get mad; she'd puff out her cheeks and say, "Run then, run. If I can keep up with my studies, I can definitely keep up with running."

Jiang Xu would smile. "I'll run with you, Erya."

Jiang Erya wasn't exactly a friend, but she was someone Jiang Xu could actually talk to at school. In fact, she really did find Erya more and more agreeable.

The days of the past were drifting further and further from Jiang Xu. After being called out by Jin Xiao, she later became the obedient student who could answer any question when Jin Xiao called on her. In her student days, Jiang Xu firmly believed that you reaped what you sowed.

The day the end-of-month test ended, walking with Jiang Erya on the soggy playground, Jiang Xu felt a sense of ease, as if she'd put all her knowledge to good use.

A light rain had just fallen from the gray sky. Qing Middle's playground was still dirt, now wet and sticky underfoot, mud splattering onto her pant legs with each step.

One autumn rain brought a spell of cold. The damp, chilly air crept into her collar, making Jiang Xu shiver and tuck her neck in.

The test ended just in time for Friday's break. Crowds of students streamed out of the teaching building, shrinking their necks as they discussed answers. There were so many people on the playground that Jiang Xu and Jiang Erya were swallowed up in the crowd.

Listening to snippets of answers float past her ears, Jiang Xu carried a big backpack, hands stuffed in her pockets, and turned to look at Jiang Erya. She was a bit taller than Erya, so she had to lower her eyes slightly to look at her.

"Erya, how did you do?"

Jiang Erya seemed distracted: "Ah..."

She met Jiang Xu's eyes, then quickly looked away, head drooping as she stared at the ground. "...It was, uh, just okay."

Jiang Xu could see that Jiang Erya didn't want to talk about the exam, so she dropped it and changed the subject: "Then let's—"

Jiang Erya had been nagging her about the baked flatbread stall at the village entrance, going on about it until Jiang Xu got tired of it, and sometimes she'd go buy one with Erya.

Jiang Erya's grades weren't top-notch in the class, especially in subjects like math. The last exam today had been math, and Jiang Xu didn't want to dampen Erya's spirits, so she thought about going to buy some flatbread with her—that way, Erya might not be so upset.

"Jiang Xu."

But before she could say it, Jiang Erya said loudly, "I have something at home. I'm heading back first."

Her usually round, chubby face was sour and grim. Jiang Erya forced a smile, waved at her, then stepped onto the muddy ground, making a "tap-tap" sound as she trotted off, until Jiang Xu could no longer see her back.

Jiang Xu's small face had gone pale from the cold, a flicker of confusion in her eyes. She pressed her lips together and headed toward the school gate too.

"Xiao Xu."

When she reached the gate, the crowd had thinned.

A person stood under the big tree by the flower bed, waving at her—it was Liang Xiaoqing. Beside her stood a man with glasses, a black jacket, black pants, and a pair of half-worn leather shoes covered in mud splatters.

Jiang Xu walked over to Liang Xiaoqing, sizing him up without showing it, her dark eyes wide.

The man was plump, handing Liang Xiaoqing a stack of test papers, grinning in a very honest way: "I'd promised Teacher Jin I'd grade Class 5's papers, but then Teacher Ding also asked for my help, and now I've got ten classes of math papers to grade—even with ten hands I couldn't manage. Teacher Liang, thank goodness you're willing to help. You've really saved me. Thanks, thanks..."

The man clasped his hands in a gesture of gratitude.

Liang Xiaoqing took the papers. "Don't worry, Teacher Zhang. You still have to grade the high school papers, so you must be swamped. The answer key's inside, right?"

"I've handwritten the answers and attached them inside. Don't worry, Teacher Liang. I'll double-check everything later."

"Alright then." Liang Xiaoqing agreed readily.

Zhang Qing glanced at Jiang Xu beside her and smiled at Liang Xiaoqing. "I'm off then. Sorry for the trouble."

Liang Xiaoqing: "It's nothing."

After Zhang Qing walked off, Liang Xiaoqing noticed Jiang Xu had come up beside her and took her hand. "Come on, let's go home."

The rainy weather was bone-chillingly cold. Liang Xiaoqing had brought a linen-colored scarf, pulled it up a bit higher, and held Jiang Xu's hand a little tighter. "Why is your hand colder than mine?" As she spoke, she tucked Jiang Xu's hand into her own pocket.

The warmth slowly spread from her fingers through her whole palm, then along her entire arm. Jiang Xu's hand, which had gone numb from the cold, stirred, feeling Liang Xiaoqing's grip.

Liang Xiaoqing's chin was tucked slightly into her scarf. Her hair was loose—maybe she'd just washed it—and the half-length locks lifted in an arc from the biting wind.

"It's getting colder. Remember to bundle up."

The cold wind howled. Jiang Xu walked side by side with Liang Xiaoqing, and she noticed she seemed to have grown a bit taller—she'd used to reach Liang Xiaoqing's chest, and now she was level with her neck.

In the wind, Liang Xiaoqing's words seemed scattered, hard to catch. Jiang Xu squinted against the cold wind and hummed in acknowledgment.

Liang Xiaoqing added, "What do you want to eat tonight? You have to reward yourself after a test."

Jiang Xu didn't particularly want anything, but the sudden suggestion caught her attention. Last time Liang Xiaoqing had suggested something, Jiang Xu hadn't agreed, and after Liang Xiaoqing asked a few times and saw she was insistent, she'd dropped it.

So her meals with Liang Xiaoqing were few and far between. Somehow, she felt that the sense of safety she had when eating with Liang Xiaoqing was something she didn't feel with anyone else.

Jiang Xu thought it over and said, "Tomato and egg noodles."

If she said things like "whatever" or "anything's fine," Liang Xiaoqing would definitely think she was being perfunctory—that had happened before when she'd said such things, and Liang Xiaoqing had taken it that way. Besides, she really did like eating that, so she'd come up with an answer she thought was acceptable.

"Ah, that's too simple," Liang Xiaoqing mused. "Hmm... how about we have a hot pot stew? It's perfect for this cold weather."

She tilted her head to look at Jiang Xu. "Hmm?"

Having spent enough time with Liang Xiaoqing, Jiang Xu could tell when she was happy and when she wasn't.

She looked away, pressing her lips together. "Okay. I can help out."

Liang Xiaoqing ruffled her hair. "Then let's hurry." With that, she quickened her pace, and Jiang Xu sped up too, keeping in step with Liang Xiaoqing.

The drizzling rain blurred the distant mountains into a wash of green.

Mist clung to Jiang Xu's lashes, her cheeks damp. Her lashes trembled slightly as she tilted her head up to look at Liang Xiaoqing. Without watching her step, she stumbled, and felt her hand tightly squeezed by Liang Xiaoqing's.

"Careful, don't fall," Liang Xiaoqing said, slowing down.

Jiang Xu steadied herself with Liang Xiaoqing's support, her head still resting slightly against Liang Xiaoqing's shoulder, the familiar scent mixed with the wet smell of rain.

She lifted her head and suddenly asked, "Who was that man just now, Sister Qing?"

The girl's voice held a hint of tentativeness and caution. Liang Xiaoqing kept walking, seeming not to quite catch Jiang Xu's meaning. "Who are you talking about?"

Jiang Xu frowned slightly. "The one who gave you the test papers..."

"Oh!" Liang Xiaoqing's face lit up in understanding. "Him. He's called Zhang Qing, a fellow townsman of Jin Xiao. He's one of the few teachers here who teaches both middle school and high school math."

Qing Middle was desperately short of teaching staff—there weren't enough teachers, and since there weren't many kids in high school either, the entire high school student body only made up a few classes. Since they couldn't hire anyone else, the burden fell on Zhang Qing. The school leaders also valued him, urging him to do well.

"..." Jiang Xu had more she wanted to ask, but seeing how flat Liang Xiaoqing's reaction was toward Zhang Qing, she dropped it.

Deep down, she didn't know why she wanted to ask at all. It was just that whenever she saw Liang Xiaoqing talking warmly with someone else like that, something in her chest felt unsettled—a sense of loss at realizing Liang Xiaoqing wasn't the only one she cared for and looked after.

It was like the possessiveness between close friends—when someone else butted in, there was no sense of security. In Jiang Xu's sparse world, the only person she could rely on seemed to be Liang Xiaoqing.