Noodles: Jiang Xu, Don't Worry

"Okay."

Jiang Xu watched Liang Xiaoqing's furrowed brow gradually relax. That simple "okay" seemed to make her happier than anything.

Liang Xiaoqing patted her shoulder, took her hand, and led her up the stairs, talking as they went. "Don't worry, treat this place like your own home. If you need anything essential, just tell me, and we'll go into town to buy it."

Her steps grew lighter as she spoke, matching the increasingly cheerful tone of her voice.

Liang Xiaoqing brought Jiang Xu up to the third floor, walked down the left corridor, and stopped at the room at the very end—her residence.

From pulling out the keys to unlocking the door, Liang Xiaoqing kept chatting nonstop. Once inside, she showed Jiang Xu where the kitchen was, where the bathroom was, and where the bedroom was.

The apartment was a small one-person unit, visible at a glance: living room in the middle, kitchen on the left, bedroom on the right. A string of beads hung at the bedroom doorway, clinking as they swayed—made of some material Jiang Xu couldn't identify, but they looked pretty.

Behind the living room was a narrow balcony, where a few potted plants sat.

Every room had an electric lightbulb.

Electrical appliances weren't common back then; owning a television was proof of a family's wealth. Jiang Xu's family had one only because Jiang Lun had casually mentioned it would be nice to have a TV at home.

Jiang Xu had never left her hometown and didn't know what the city was like. In an era when appliances were still rare, Liang Xiaoqing's dormitory—she was a teacher at Shuiqing Middle School—had a television and a refrigerator Jiang Xu had never even seen before.

Though Liang Xiaoqing later said they were all secondhand goods, they still shocked Jiang Xu when she first arrived.

After explaining everything one by one, Liang Xiaoqing had Jiang Xu sit on the sofa.

"Jiang Xu, sit for a bit. If you want water, help yourself—see, the kettle's over there. The cups are on the coffee table, got it?" Liang Xiaoqing pointed to where the kettle sat beside the sofa, then picked up Jiang Xu's cloth bag and headed into the bedroom.

Jiang Xu didn't drink any water, preferring to stay thirsty. New to an unfamiliar place, she sat stiffly at the corner of the sofa, clutching the hem of her clothes.

Sounds occasionally drifted from the bedroom. Jiang Xu's gaze followed to the doorway, where she caught a glimpse of Liang Xiaoqing's back—she lifted the beaded curtain with a light hand, sending the beads clattering together with a sound like breaking jade.

She let her eyes rest on the swaying curtain, listening to the patter like raindrops.

Liang Xiaoqing didn't seem to treat her as an outsider. She didn't mind that a stranger had suddenly appeared in her home, and the room hidden behind the beaded curtain kept emitting gentle clinking sounds. Jiang Xu listened, unmoving. The sound went on for a long time—so long that Jiang Xu began to doze off.

She thought of home, where she couldn't even sleep as she pleased. Every day when Wang Cai woke up, Jiang Xu was expected to be up too. At home, she had to stay on alert constantly, but now she leaned into the soft sofa—she'd never leaned against anything this soft—and thought she'd just close her eyes for a moment.

Whether it was the sofa's softness or something else, her heavy head gradually sank into it. Her consciousness began to blur, and she felt as though she were lying on a cloud.

Something gently touched her head, a very soft sensation. She instinctively nuzzled into it, curling her body into a small ball. A familiar fragrance lingered at her nose, and she felt safe, though hazy enough that she didn't know where she was.

The taut string in her mind slowly loosened. If she were in a safe, reliable environment where no one pushed her to get up at a fixed hour, where there was no sound of Jiang Daguo beating her and Wang Cai, and where there were no bruises large or small on her body—then she could sleep well.

Jiang Xu was exhausted. So exhausted that she hadn't slept properly in a very long time.

"Jiang Xu. Jiang Xu. Wake up..."

Someone seemed to be calling her. The voice sounded familiar. Jiang Xu dragged herself out of sleep and opened her eyes—the world around her was no longer bright; it was dim and dark.

In the murky darkness, a vague figure was outlined, sitting beside her. Jiang Xu's heart suddenly pounded. She bolted upright, but fell off the sofa entirely, landing hard on her rear.

The unexpected pain made her whimper—a small sound. She blinked, and her eyes welled up with tears, actually making her cry from the pain.

"Are you okay?"

The high-pitched voice made Jiang Xu realize who was sitting before her. After the initial surge of tension passed, a wave of exhaustion washed over her, leaving her drenched in sweat. Tears of pain still clung to her lashes. She sat frozen on the ground, dazed.

Quick footsteps sounded beside her.

A soft click, and the room flooded with warm yellow light, dispersing the darkness. Only then did Jiang Xu see clearly: a small blanket draped over her, which had fallen to the floor along with her.

Liang Xiaoqing, who had turned on the light near the door, hurried over, closing the distance in two or three steps. She crouched in front of Jiang Xu and helped her up. "Did you hurt yourself anywhere?"

Up close, the soft lamplight fell on the woman's thin, fragile shoulders.

Liang Xiaoqing had changed clothes, now in what looked like loungewear. Her hair was freshly washed, half-damp, loose over her shoulders, with a strand tucked into the hollow of her neck. The ends glistened faintly with moisture, making her skin look even fairer. A faint, clean scent soothed the heart.

This was someone else's home, unfamiliar to her—yet it was a place where she could sleep well.

The woman, worried about her, leaned in too close.

Jiang Xu shook her head, murmuring, "No."

Liang Xiaoqing still wasn't reassured. She reached out, placed her hand on Jiang Xu's head, and rubbed it out of habit, also smoothing the hair on Jiang Xu's forehead.

"It's already seven in the evening now. You've slept since morning, and I didn't wake you. But you didn't eat lunch or dinner, and if we wait much longer, your stomach will start growling, so..."

Liang Xiaoqing explained patiently, and seeing Jiang Xu's still-dazed expression, she found it a little amusing, her voice even gentler than before. "You should eat something now, got it?"

The warm lamplight wrapped around Jiang Xu too, and awake at last, she looked far better than her weary self from that morning. To avoid disturbing Jiang Xu's sleep, Liang Xiaoqing hadn't even turned on the living room light. A girl Jiang Xu's age should be eating well and sleeping well, but from what she'd just seen, Jiang Xu hadn't been getting enough sleep.

Liang Xiaoqing had let Jiang Xu sleep, but the way Jiang Xu had woken up startled had startled her in turn. Perhaps Jiang Xu simply wasn't used to a new environment yet.

"Jiang Xu, don't worry," she reassured.

Her reassurance didn't help. Jiang Xu lowered her head, curling into herself.

"I'll protect you." Liang Xiaoqing's hand gently touched Jiang Xu's cheek below her eyes, wiping away her tears.

Finally, Jiang Xu reacted. She raised her head and looked at her with slightly widened eyes.

Liang Xiaoqing withdrew her hand and asked tentatively, "Did you have a nightmare?"

Jiang Xu nodded but kept her head down.

Liang Xiaoqing let out a small sigh of relief and didn't press further.

In truth, she'd been afraid Jiang Xu was upset. The day before, she'd discussed Jiang Xu's situation with Wang Cai, but for Jiang Xu, it was a decision made on her behalf. And more importantly, having a sudden extra person in the house could easily leave someone at a loss.

Luckily, Jiang Xu was sensible. Liang Xiaoqing stood up and helped Jiang Xu to her feet.

"Sit on the sofa for a bit. I'll make you some noodles."

Liang Xiaoqing headed toward the kitchen, but halfway there, she stopped with a soft "oh," and turned back. She saw Jiang Xu picking up the blanket from the floor with a look of remorse, folding it in her hands, standing there a little awkwardly.

Liang Xiaoqing paused, finally seeing a different expression on Jiang Xu's face.

She caught Jiang Xu's unease and said considerately, "It's fine. That blanket needed washing anyway. We'll just wash it later—set it aside."

Jiang Xu sat back down on the sofa.

Liang Xiaoqing opened the refrigerator, took a look, and asked with a smile, "Can you eat tomatoes? Seems like there's nothing else in the house. How about tomato noodles?"

In all her life, no one had ever asked Jiang Xu what she wanted—not about school, not even small things like what to eat. She turned her head to look at Liang Xiaoqing, whose body was hidden behind the open refrigerator door, only her head visible. Jiang Xu curled her fingers slightly and said, "Okay."

"Alright then." Liang Xiaoqing drew out the last word a little. From the sound of her voice, she was in a good mood.

For the rest of the time, Liang Xiaoqing didn't bother Jiang Xu. And Jiang Xu, having slept so much during the day, was now completely alert. She had never felt this clear-headed. And when the mind is clear, it tends to overthink things—even the most trivial matters.

She sat upright, occupying only the corner of the sofa, staring at the floral blanket she'd folded and placed on her lap.

The anxiety of anticipating danger had become her way of adapting to life.

She'd intended to wash the blanket herself, so she wouldn't be a burden. But even though Liang Xiaoqing had thoughtfully shown her every corner of the apartment, Jiang Xu still wasn't familiar with the place and didn't dare touch anything. So the blanket she'd dirtied just lay quietly on her knees.

Jiang Xu kept thinking about what to do, wishing she could have handled it beforehand.

At a young age, anything beyond one's ability was a monumental matter.

Especially for someone as quiet as Jiang Xu.

From the kitchen came occasional sounds. Jiang Xu could see Liang Xiaoqing's back from where she sat—busy and bustling, the clatter of pots and pans forming a chorus. Jiang Xu's brows knit slightly as Liang Xiaoqing's figure passed the doorway again.

She stayed silent, looking down at the blanket neatly folded on her lap. It was slightly faded from washing, printed with little pale yellow flowers. She ran her fingers over the flower pattern. The fabric felt soft against her skin, and when she brought it to her nose, a faint fragrance drifted in—exactly like the scent she'd smelled on Liang Xiaoqing a moment ago.

The bright colors kept catching Jiang Xu's eyes, and her brow loosened a little. The blanket was clean, she thought, with no trace of dirt at all. With that thought, her brow relaxed a bit more.

"Time to eat."

The sudden voice broke Jiang Xu's thoughts, and she could no longer dwell on the blanket. She set it on the sofa and stood up as Liang Xiaoqing came out of the kitchen, her gaze fixed on her.

Liang Xiaoqing held a bowl of noodles in each hand, steam rising from both, blurring her face. She walked over quickly and set the two bowls on the coffee table.

"Phew—almost burned my hands."

After placing the bowls down, Liang Xiaoqing touched her ears.

"I'm not as good a cook as your mom, so don't be picky."

Perhaps seeing how tense Jiang Xu was, Liang Xiaoqing tried to joke.

Jiang Xu didn't know why she always felt so nervous. She replied dryly, "I won't."

Liang Xiaoqing teased, "You haven't even tried it, so how do you know you won't?"

The next moment, Jiang Xu's stomach growled.

Rumble...

Liang Xiaoqing froze for a second, then laughed. "Eat up, before the noodles get soggy."

Jiang Xu's face turned bright red.

The whole room filled with the scent of tomatoes.

The atmosphere lightened considerably. Liang Xiaoqing casually sat down cross-legged on the floor, leaned over to pick up the remote, turned on the TV, and tuned it to the eight o'clock soap opera. Only then did she finally get around to eating, but seeing Jiang Xu still standing, she tugged at her hand. "Sit down, Jiang Xu. I told you, you don't need to be so formal at the teacher's house. How can you eat standing up?"

Jiang Xu didn't speak, just looked down at her, the flush on her cheeks not yet faded.

Liang Xiaoqing looked at her, then seemed to remember something. She picked up the fleece blanket that Jiang Xu had been agonizing over.

She placed it on the floor and tugged Jiang Xu's hand again. "Use this as a cushion. Sit on it. Hurry up and eat, or the noodles really will get soggy."

"Treat this place like your own home. Teacher Liang is easy to get along with, don't worry."

Jiang Xu wanted to ask why she was sitting directly on the floor, but she didn't. She slowly sat down, looked at the steaming noodles in the bowl, picked up her chopsticks, and ate in small bites, while stealing glances at Liang Xiaoqing, who was eating and watching TV.

Realizing Liang Xiaoqing wasn't paying her any attention at all, Jiang Xu's tensed body gradually relaxed, and she turned her attention to the noodles in her bowl.

The truth was, she was really hungry.

The blanket had been meant as a cushion for her—she'd been overthinking everything just now. But she'd noticed one of Liang Xiaoqing's bad habits: she liked sitting on the floor.

Midway through her noodles, Jiang Xu spotted the poached egg in her bowl, like discovering a surprise.

She froze, then tilted her head slightly to look at Liang Xiaoqing. At home, even eggs weren't something she could eat just because she wanted to.

Liang Xiaoqing was still absorbed in her soap opera, no time to notice. Jiang Xu slowly turned back, took an incredibly small bite of the egg, then another small bite. Bite after bite, the egg was gone. A moment later, the noodles in her bowl were gone too.

Jiang Xu licked her lips and found Liang Xiaoqing looking at her.

Their eyes met. Liang Xiaoqing smiled, her eyes curving like crescents, and reached out to rub Jiang Xu's head.

"If I'd known you liked poached eggs, I would have cooked you another one."

"..." It was as if Jiang Xu had been caught keeping a secret. She tensed up. "...Thank you, Teacher Liang." She felt the warmth radiating from Liang Xiaoqing's palm, and this full meal gave her an unprecedented sense of security.

This seemed to be the first time she'd eaten her fill, her stomach warm.

Something flowed slowly in her heart. Under the orange lamplight, the older one and the younger one leaned slightly into each other.

Years later, when Jiang Xu lacked neither food nor clothing, she still couldn't figure out why she always missed the extra poached egg Liang Xiaoqing had added for her.