A Second Visit: Jiang Xu Buried Her Face in Liang Xiaoqing's Chest

Passing by Qingshui Bridge, the river below babbled clearly, its waters transparent to the bottom. The riverbed was layered with years of accumulated small blue stones, and a wisp of warm vapor rose from the surface.

Liang Xiaoqing had dressed warmly when she left home, but now she found herself growing hot. The things she carried were all clothes; thinking the weather had turned cold and Jiang Xu usually had little to wear, bringing them over would do her good.

Still, she'd overestimated herself—not only had she brought a big bag of clothes, she'd also hauled a carton of milk. It had felt fine when she left, but before she'd even made it halfway, she was already tired.

Glancing at the gray, overcast sky with its thick, churning clouds, Liang Xiaoqing freed a hand to tug at her tightly wrapped scarf. She panted softly, her cheeks flushed red from the cold. Her face was icy, but her hands were completely warm. Normally, Jiang Xu would have helped her—that child was always the most considerate.

She had to admit she regretted it again, along with a hint of guilt. Not that she felt terribly sorry, but her mood was like the faint mist over the water's surface—if she didn't think about it, it was fine, but once she did, she'd mull it over for a long while.

Today wasn't a good day to go out. She'd been restless all day, remembering the last time she'd seen Jiang Xu at the little shop. She hadn't looked well—the body she'd just begun to build up seemed to have thinned again after half a month, her face smaller than before.

More importantly, before Liang Xiaoqing could even exchange a couple of words with her, she'd walked off without looking back. She must have been angry. Liang Xiaoqing lowered her eyelids, catching her own clear reflection in the river. She set the milk on the ground, watched herself on the water for a while, and when she wasn't so tired anymore, picked the milk back up and continued uphill.

She'd been thinking about this all along—she had to come see her. And she had once promised Jiang Xu so solemnly; how could she go back on her word? Liang Xiaoqing felt uneasy at heart.

All the way, she kept thinking about Jiang Xu, and the mountain path didn't feel as hard as before. It was just that the things in her hands made her arms sore, and the ground everywhere was wet mud, so she couldn't set the heavier milk down—she could only stand and rest briefly.

After walking a stretch of gentle path flanked by dense, thick woods, Liang Xiaoqing's steps quickened. Soon she spotted a earthen house with green tiles and mud walls.

Xiao Huang, the watchdog, shot toward the yard with a whoosh, barking furiously at Liang Xiaoqing.

"Woof woof woof!" Its tail stuck straight up.

Liang Xiaoqing hadn't seen a dog the last time she came. Seeing it bare its teeth and charge at her, she stumbled backward in fright, lurching this way and that, nearly rolling into the mud.

"...Don't come near!"

Seeing that the person before it was afraid, Xiao Huang grew even more imposing and pressed forward.

Then a voice snapped from behind: "Xiao Huang!"

With a whimper, Xiao Huang tucked its tail and shot past Liang Xiaoqing. It had probably gone off to run wild somewhere.

But it had scared Liang Xiaoqing's face white. The moment she saw Jiang Xu, she cried out, "Xu, come here quick!"

Jiang Xu couldn't believe she'd see Liang Xiaoqing in this place—it seemed impossible. But as soon as she heard the familiar voice, her first instinct was to run over.

She arrived just in time. A moment later and Liang Xiaoqing would have fallen—the mud on the ground was still wet, and a fall would have left her covered in it. Jiang Xu caught her arm, and Liang Xiaoqing leaned her whole body toward her, her shoulder braced by Jiang Xu's hand, leaving a faint, lingering fragrance. Jiang Xu stood steady, and in passing, took the carton of milk from her to lighten the load. Liang Xiaoqing, in turn, hugged her to steady herself.

Jiang Xu swayed a little too, grabbing at Liang Xiaoqing's clothes with her other hand—she didn't want to fall into the mud; if her clothes got dirty, she'd have to wash them, and she didn't have many to change into. They wouldn't dry for ages either. Jiang Xu buried her face into Liang Xiaoqing's chest.

Liang Xiaoqing, her arms around Jiang Xu's neck, breathed against her ear as if still shaken: "Scared me to death! Scared me to death!"

It seemed spoken to Jiang Xu, yet also like she was muttering to herself, soothing her own racing heart. Jiang Xu leaned her ear against her chest and clearly heard every beat.

"Thump, thump."

They were no different from her own, yet they sounded so unlike hers, even tugging at her own heartbeat. Liang Xiaoqing usually didn't wear her hair down at school; she wore it loose more often on holidays. Jiang Xu noticed her hair had grown longer, falling past her chest, and now it was pressed beneath her.

Jiang Xu's face itched, and she rubbed against it almost imperceptibly, but for some reason she blushed. That soft touch made her freeze still.

Everything around her was steeped in Liang Xiaoqing's scent, carrying a faint fragrance. Liang Xiaoqing's embrace wasn't as solid as she'd imagined—it was thin, not enough to give full security—but it was warm, giving Jiang Xu a moment's peace. It was like being back in those days she'd lived with Liang Xiaoqing.

"...Sister Qing," she said in a weak voice, soft as a lamb, muffled in the embrace so no one could hear. But Jiang Xu didn't care.

Being held like this, it was as if she wanted for nothing. She nuzzled the fragrance on her, rubbing her nose until it turned red, and her hand, clutching Liang Xiaoqing's clothes, shifted. Gently, she wrapped an arm around Liang Xiaoqing's waist—carefully, loosely, afraid of being noticed.

Her heartbeat quickened unnaturally, but thankfully Liang Xiaoqing didn't notice her little gesture. She breathed long and deep in her embrace, waiting for Liang Xiaoqing to steady herself and calm down.

Her face grew warm from the breath, then suddenly, that soft touch vanished, and the sensation of air rebounding in the narrow space disappeared too. The white mist she breathed out rose slowly, and what met her was the cold air of the open.

Liang Xiaoqing had resumed her usual composed manner, standing face to face with Jiang Xu. She tugged at her scarf, revealing her whole face, her nose red from the cold, and smiled. "Xu."

As she spoke, the breath she exhaled blurred her features. Jiang Xu looked at those gently curved, softly smiling eyes and was yanked back into reality.

Like a kite suddenly losing its string and plummeting to the ground, Jiang Xu nearly jumped back into her current role. She wasn't the little girl still living in Liang Xiaoqing's home.

She really had become a burden to Liang Xiaoqing—dropping out of school early meant she had to work hard just to keep up with the teacher's pace, and it made Liang Xiaoqing worry about her grades.

Everyone in the world might have wronged her, but Liang Xiaoqing had never done her wrong.

She stepped back, lips pressed tightly together. When her face held no expression, it looked cold, as if she were on guard.

Her big, round eyes stared straight at you, as if scrutinizing everything about you.

Liang Xiaoqing's smile stiffened for a moment. "...Xu."

She spoke softly, brows furrowed, a little worried: "..."

She wanted to say something to lighten the mood, but looking at Jiang Xu's face, she couldn't get the words out.

Liang Xiaoqing's heart was uneasy, and she called again: "...Xu, you..."

She had thought through every angle and braced herself mentally, but seeing Jiang Xu revert to how she'd looked the first time they met, she was at a loss.

It hadn't been that long—how had they grown so distant? Liang Xiaoqing paused, brushed past Jiang Xu's aloofness, and said as she usually did, "Um..."

She pointed at the milk in Jiang Xu's hand. "Remember to drink it."

Jiang Xu looked down and only then remembered she was still holding the milk. She walked a step toward Liang Xiaoqing. Liang Xiaoqing's eyes lit up—she took it all in.

When they parted, Liang Xiaoqing's last words were still clear in Jiang Xu's mind.

Was she angry? Jiang Xu wished time would move slower now, so she could carefully recall her feelings from that day. If Liang Xiaoqing hadn't promised her so earnestly, she probably wouldn't have had any hope. The hardest thing was when promises were made but never kept.

Liang Xiaoqing wasn't all-powerful; she had things she wasn't good at too.

But Jiang Xu had never tried relying on someone in her life. With hope came expectation. Back then, she'd always thought she'd finish her studies, go to high school, even dreamed of university, and then she'd repay Liang Xiaoqing a hundredfold, a thousandfold.

But the cruelest thing was having her expectations dashed completely, falling silently to the ground and shattering into pieces, leaving her no room even for fantasy.

She lifted her eyes slightly and met Liang Xiaoqing's gaze. Only then did Jiang Xu realize that, since just now, Liang Xiaoqing's eyes had been on her. She raised her hand, lifting the milk.

Liang Xiaoqing smiled again, looking much more relaxed than before. "Xu, are you still holding a grudge against me?"

With that, she tapped Jiang Xu's nose.

But that unexpected gesture threw Jiang Xu off balance again. She felt a little embarrassed—in her view, Liang Xiaoqing wasn't much older than she was, and something about it felt strange.

She looked closely and finally caught a hint of awkwardness on Liang Xiaoqing's face. Liang Xiaoqing pouted and stepped forward. That was how it was—every time Jiang Xu took a step forward, Liang Xiaoqing would close the remaining distance.

"Xu," she said, not loudly. "...Are you still blaming me?" It sounded like she was asking for forgiveness, and to keep herself from feeling awkward, she let her tone rise at the end.

Jiang Xu felt her ears itch. That voice, carried on the wind, made her think she was imagining things. She could hardly believe it—it sounded like... like she was acting cute?

...Actually, no. It was just that Liang Xiaoqing's voice was a bit finer...

All sorts of nonsense flooded her mind—even words like "acting cute" popped up. Jiang Xu quickly cut off that train of thought, her ears turning slightly red.

Luckily, it was only her ears this time; her face showed nothing unusual. She blurted out, "...No... not..." The words tumbled around in her head, and when they came out, they turned into stuttering.

"..." She gave up speaking altogether.

Her cheeks were suddenly wrapped in something warm. Liang Xiaoqing had somehow come up close, cupping Jiang Xu's face in both hands. "You are, Xu." She stared straight at her, the distance closing abruptly.

Jiang Xu blinked guiltily, because before her was Liang Xiaoqing's enlarged face, those soft features swaying in front of her eyes.

She never would have imagined things reaching this point. What she'd pictured was Liang Xiaoqing leaving, and her own red-rimmed eyes watching her back.

Clearly, Liang Xiaoqing was much more relaxed now.

Jiang Xu, though, stayed sullen and silent like a gourd, protesting in a low voice, "I'm not. Not angry..."

Liang Xiaoqing shifted to pinching her cheek, leaning in very close, and, with a serious expression, whispered in her ear, "I'm sorry, Xu. Sister Qing was wrong."

"..."

Jiang Xu didn't want to speak—she'd simply forgotten how. She froze, and by her ear, she heard a long, slow breath, as if a weight had been lifted.

Liang Xiaoqing patted her shoulder, her tone quickly returning to its usual way of speaking. She lifted the big bag in her hand. "I also brought you some thick clothes, all for these colder days."

She naturally took Jiang Xu's hand and led her toward the main room. "Look how cold your hands are. You should put them on right away."

Liang Xiaoqing glanced at the big bag she carried, as if she wanted Jiang Xu to put them on that very moment. Stepping into the main room, she set the bag on the table with a rustle. She pulled out a black cotton coat that was a bit too big, fussing, "Forget it, put it on now—you must be freezing."

"It'll be inconvenient for work." Even now that Liang Xiaoqing had actually stepped into this real home of hers, Jiang Xu still felt a bit ill at ease.

But Liang Xiaoqing wouldn't listen. She draped the coat over Jiang Xu's shoulders. "Catching a cold would be worse."

"Who are you?"

The voice came from behind Liang Xiaoqing. She turned to see a young man standing at the door, hands in his pockets.