The Scorching Sun - 11

Fang Zhuo felt like a frog sitting in a pot of warm water, her limbs and even her thoughts slowly numbed as the temperature crept higher.

Seeing the beam of light, Ye Yuncheng knew it was her. A flicker of excitement crossed his face, though he kept it under control. "I thought you weren't coming. It got dark and you still weren't here, so I headed back first. What kept you so late?"

Fang Zhuo didn't respond. She stood up, hitched her backpack straps, and angled the flashlight beam toward the ground.

Ye Yuncheng said, "The nearest streetlight is a long way off, and it's been broken for months. Can you even see the road? It must've been scary walking here by yourself."

Fang Zhuo swallowed. After a couple of seconds, she answered, "No."

Ye Yuncheng stepped closer and took the flashlight from her. His fingers accidentally brushed hers, the touch was ice-cold. She must've been so scared and was just putting on a brave front, but he chose not to call her on it.

He hung the flashlight on the handle of the pushcart and said gently, "Your classmate called, asked if you'd made it home yet. That's how I knew you were on your way. It's my fault. I never confirmed what time you'd arrive. That was careless of me."

Fang Zhuo blinked, the numbness slowly beginning to leave her body. "...Yan Lie?"

Hearing the chicks chirping, Ye Yuncheng crouched to look at the box on the ground and smiled. "You bought chicks? Planning to raise chickens in the yard?"

Fang Zhuo nodded. "Mm."

"That's nice. They'll lay eggs." Ye Yuncheng lifted the box with one hand, "Here, give me your backpack. I'll put it on the cart."

Ye Yuncheng tested the bag's heft and found it packed with books, at least ten pounds' worth. Behind her was another sack holding forty pounds of rice.

He squeezed Fang Zhuo's arm, unable to fathom how those thin limbs had managed to carry everything this far. His heart ached. "Next time you come, tell me when you're arriving. I'll wait for you at the village entrance."

Fang Zhuo said, "It's fine."

"Don't be polite with me. Walking that little distance isn't tiring." After gathering his courage for a moment, he added, "I want to come pick you up. We're family."

After a long silence, Fang Zhuo answered quietly, "...Mm."

With Ye Yuncheng leading the way, the road ahead suddenly didn't seem so endless. 

Fang Zhuo trailed behind with the cart, lost in thought, and before she knew it, they were standing outside the house.

Ye Yuncheng turned on the main light, flooding the room with brightness.

The place was nothing like the cluttered, dilapidated mess she'd seen before. Every surface had been thoroughly cleaned. The curtains had been replaced with new pale blue. The furniture were rearranged. Under the high-wattage bulb, everything looked bright, tidy, and airy.

The damp, mildew smell was gone too, replaced by a faint sweetness, something like osmanthus. For a fleeting moment, Fang Zhuo even wondered if Ye Yuncheng had actually put on cologne.

The thought startled her. She stole another glance at him and only then noticed he'd deliberately dressed in a crisp new outfit today. His overgrown hair had been neatly trimmed, and unlike the last time she'd seen him, he looked clean, well-kept, and far healthier.

He practically looked like a different person.

The light illuminated both their faces. Catching Fang Zhuo stealing glances at him, Ye Yuncheng grew self-conscious. Leaning on his crutch, he walked over, lifted the mesh cover from the table, and said, "Have you eaten yet? You must be hungry by now. I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I just threw a few dishes together. Go wash your hands. I'll heat everything up."

The food on the table had long gone cold, but they were plated carefully, untouched. It was obvious he had been waiting for her and hadn't eaten yet. Seeing her just standing there, he nudged her gently. "Go on. The bathroom's over there."

Fang Zhuo didn't own a watch, she couldn't know the exact time, but she estimated it had to be past eight.

Every little detail of care was completely unfamiliar to her. Together they became gentle ripples, lapping over and over against her chest. Like waves soaking a rough stretch of sand, they slowly smoothed away every ridge and crease until only calm remained.

She stood in front of the bathroom mirror. Half a meter away, her reflection stared back, lost and bewildered. Her movements and thoughts had all gone sluggish. It took a hard blink before she could connect the person in the mirror to herself.

She bent over the sink and splashed her face, holding her breath, letting the cold water carry the heat from her skin.

Ye Yuncheng's care wasn't like Fang Yiming's.

It was gentle, thoughtful, and utterly sincere.

He poured out so much kindness that he seemed ready to empty his whole heart before her. But Fang Zhuo's bottle could only hold so much. She had never known this much care before. She was afraid it would overflow, and even more afraid of owing someone feelings she didn't know how to repay, of failing his kindness.

Her lungs began to ache with the need for air. Fang Zhuo shut off the tap, lifted her head, and drew in a deep breath before looking back into the mirror.

Realizing she'd left her towel outside, she pulled a tissue from the dispenser, wiped the water away, then carefully smoothed the damp strands at her temples back into place.

By the time she slowly made her way out of the bathroom, steam was already rising from the dishes again.

Ye Yuncheng had set out the bowls and chopsticks and was leaning against the wall while ladling soup into a bowl.

"Tofu and carp soup. Good for the brain. Look at you, you're too thin." His hands trembled a little, so he kept his eyes fixed on the task. "Even if you don't like it, drink a little. You're just too thin."

Fang Zhuo accepted the small bowl and set it on the table. She was about to help him, but he had already stepped back on his crutch and lowered himself into a chair.

It was as though both their mouths had been sealed shut. Every sentence shrank into a single word by the time it reached their lips. "Sit." "Eat." "Here."

It was a lavish meal. Fish, meat, vegetables, and even a small cake in the center.

Probably made without a proper mold, the cake was oddly shaped. The cream was spread unevenly, but you could see the care someone had put into it.

Fang Zhuo wanted to say he shouldn't have spent so much money, but seeing Ye Yuncheng's eager, hopeful expression, she thought better of it. Instead she asked, "Did you make the cake yourself?"

"Yes. Steamed though, not baked." Ye Yuncheng smiled sheepishly. "It's not much to look at, but it tastes alright. I've made some for the school before. They said it was decent."

Fang Zhuo glanced toward the neatly arranged books in the corner and asked, "Do you like reading?"

"I do. Not like I have much else to do. But it's all just random stuff. Whatever people send me, I read." He added, "Some of them aren't very good."

Fang Zhuo took a sip of soup, "This is delicious."

"Glad to hear it."

Ye Yuncheng cradled his bowl, watching her with a radiant smile.

His gaze was calm and distant, and a soft light gradually bloomed within his pale brown eyes.

Unable to meet that look, Fang Zhuo lowered her head and concentrated on eating.

She was genuinely hungry. And with both of them struggling to find things to talk about, eating was her only escape from the awkwardness. She lost track of herself and ended up overeating.

When the quiet meal was over, Fang Zhuo got up to clear the table. Ye Yuncheng tried to stop her, but she wouldn't be deterred, so he simply let her be.

By the time she finished washing the dishes and came back, Ye Yuncheng had made up the bed in the inner bedroom.

He was bent over, one hand braced on the headboard, smoothing the corners of the sheet in an awkward posture, then looked back at Fang Zhuo. "You can sleep in this room tonight. The blanket's new. I aired it out in the sun already. The light switch is this string. Just give it a tug."

Fang Zhuo nodded and slowly looked around the room.

Old wooden furniture filled the space. Against the wall stood a dark vanity, along with several decorative ornaments that looked like things a young woman would treasure.

Ye Yuncheng lived alone, and he was a man. These didn't seem like his taste. Which meant this room...

Seeing the expression on her face, Ye Yuncheng guessed what she was thinking. He forced a faint smile and explained, "This was your mother's room. I've left her things exactly where they were."

Fang Zhuo's lashes trembled, she slowly lifted her eyes to look at him.

But Ye Yuncheng showed no intention of elaborating. He changed the subject abruptly. "The water for the shower should be heated by now. Go wash up first. I'll be in the room next door. If you need anything, just call."

After finishing his instructions, he picked up his crutch and headed out. He had only just stepped through the doorway when the phone in his pocket rang. Pulling it out to check the screen, he turned back and handed it to Fang Zhuo. "Want to let your classmate know you've arrived? He seemed pretty worried about you."

Fang Zhuo took the phone. On the lit screen, she saw a message asking if she was okay.

It was a smartphone, but the glass over the screen was shattered, and the touch response wasn't great.

Fang Zhuo saved the unfamiliar number with a name, then sent a reply.

Fang Zhuo: I'm home.

The response came almost instantly.

Yan Lie: I'm home too.

Fang Zhuo thought for a moment and sent another.

Fang Zhuo: I ate dinner.

Yan Lie: I ate too.

It was her first time texting anyone. She racked her brain and managed to squeeze out one more.

Fang Zhuo: Oh. Goodnight then.

Yan Lie: ......

She'd heard a single text cost ten cents. Yan Lie had already cost her thirty, and these six dots weren't worth replying to.

Making friends, Fang Zhuo thought, was way too expensive.

Ye Yuncheng had been quietly watching her expression the whole time. Once she set the phone down, he asked with amused curiosity, "Is he your boyfriend?"

Fang Zhuo froze before blurting out in shock, "What? Of course not. He's my deskmate."

"Oh." Ye Yuncheng said, "You and your deskmate are really close."

Something about that sounded oddly off, but Fang Zhuo didn't dwell on it. She followed up with a compliment. "He's a nice guy. He walked me to the bus station today."

Ye Yuncheng had been about to leave, but stopped when he heard that. "Isn't he going home?"

Fang Zhuo said uncertainly, "There's no one at his place, I think?"

Ye Yuncheng asked, "He's spending the Mid-Autumn Festival alone too?"

"Yeah."

Ye Yuncheng paused. "Then why didn't you invite him over?"

Fang Zhuo frowned, her gaze drifted sideways. She thought hard for a moment, then drew a sharp breath, her expression one of dawning shock.

She had never invited a classmate to her home before. First, she never had any say in the house, and second, she never was on good enough terms with anyone for the question to even occur to her.

Now, thinking back over Yan Lie's behavior, all the hints and cues, the broken circuit in her mind finally clicked back together.

Had he wanted to spend the holiday with her?

Ye Yuncheng asked, "What's wrong?"

The lightbulb in Fang Zhuo's head went dark just as quickly as it had lit up.

Forget it.

There was no room, no spare blanket.

Ye Yuncheng would have to set everything up again.

She shook her head. "Nothing."

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