For The Rest Of Our Life – Chapter 4

If I Got Married, What Would That Little Girl Do?

Once inside the supermarket, they headed straight for the household section to pick out slippers.

Xiao Wanqing looked over the rows of slippers on the shelves, then turned to Lin Xian. “What style and color do you like?”

            

Lin Xian casually took a pair off the shelf and shot back with a sly grin, “Auntie Xiao, you guess. What color and style do you think I’d like?”

Xiao Wanqing smiled softly, gave her a quick once-over, then reached up to the highest shelf and took down a pair of flat slippers printed with the anime character Totoro. She held them up in front of Lin Xian and laughed. “I’m guessing you like these.”

Lin Xian stared at the slippers in her hand, genuinely surprised. She took them and said delightedly, “These are so cute! Auntie Xiao, how did you guess?”

            

Seeing the childlike joy on Lin Xian’s face, Xiao Wanqing felt happy too, so she didn’t play coy. “When you were little, I asked your mom what you liked for your birthday, and she said you liked Totoro. And just now, when we were putting your clothes away, I noticed you still have a few T-shirts with Totoro on them, so I figured your tastes probably haven’t changed.”

Lin Xian hugged the slippers to her chest, amazed. “You still remember something from that long ago.”

Xiao Wanqing hummed softly in affirmation, then blinked, her smile deepening with meaning. “I remember more than just that about you.”

            

As if suddenly reminded of something, Lin Xian’s smile froze on her face. She quickly snatched the shopping basket from Xiao Wanqing’s hand, tossed the slippers inside, and strode briskly forward, trying to act natural as she changed the subject. “Auntie Xiao, let’s go buy the other stuff.”

Xiao Wanqing watched her hurry off and couldn’t help but laugh.

They lingered a while longer in the household section, picking up teacups, shampoo, body wash, sanitary pads, and the like, before moving on to the produce and fresh food area.

            

Lin Xian felt a little shy buying the sanitary pads. Even though she’d been using them for years, her mom, Zhou Qin, had always stocked them for her—this was her first time buying them herself. She glanced furtively at the strangers browsing nearby and couldn’t shake the awkwardness.

Xiao Wanqing, on the other hand, was perfectly at ease, carefully examining the different brands and sizes. Standing beside Lin Xian, she noticed the girl’s hesitant movements and, without needing to think twice, understood what was going through her mind. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and asked gently, “What brand do you usually use? Cottony soft or mesh?”

Lin Xian’s small, fair ears flushed bright red. After a moment’s hesitation, she lowered her voice and answered, “Sofy. Mesh.”

            

Xiao Wanqing’s expression was tender and considerate. “Got it. I’ll buy them from now on.” She studied the shelves carefully, then grabbed a few packs of daytime pads, a few of nighttime, and some extra-long overnight ones, placing them in the basket Lin Xian was holding. Then, she smoothly took the basket’s handle and said with a warm smile, “Let me carry this.”

Lin Xian wanted to hold on, but one look at those bright pink Sofy packs exposed to everyone’s view, and she reluctantly let go, handing the basket over to Xiao Wanqing. After a moment’s thought, she suggested, “I’ll grab another basket later for the groceries we’re buying.”

Xiao Wanqing nodded with a smile. “Good idea. I think there are extra baskets near the fresh food section. The fruits and vegetables might be a bit heavy, so I’ll leave that to you.”

            

The girl’s dark eyes sparkled with clear, bright laughter. “No problem. I’m strong.”

When they reached the produce section, Xiao Wanqing asked seriously, “Is there anything you don’t eat? Anything you really like?”

Lin Xian frowned almost imperceptibly at the dazzling array of items—aside from the fruits and a few easily recognizable vegetables, she could barely match the raw ingredients in front of her to the cooked dishes she was used to. After thinking it over, she said, “I eat everything except cilantro and durian. But I can’t handle anything too salty or too spicy.”

            

Xiao Wanqing’s brows curved in approval. “Not a picky eater—that’s good.” She spotted some nice-looking eggplants and reached for them, but Lin Xian quietly interrupted, “I… I’m not really a fan of eggplant.”

Xiao Wanqing paused mid-reach, silently redirecting her hand toward the water bamboo next to the eggplants.

Lin Xian hesitated, then mumbled, “I don’t think… water bamboo is all that great either…”

            

Xiao Wanqing stopped again. She withdrew her hand and looked at Lin Xian with soft, gentle eyes. Embarrassed, Lin Xian dropped her gaze and quickly stepped closer to Xiao Wanqing, pointing at the tomatoes. “I think these look good.”

The tomato section was crowded with shoppers, leaving no room for Xiao Wanqing to stand. So she moved to Lin Xian’s left-rear side, close to her, and reached out to pick the tomatoes. As she sorted through them, she spoke naturally into Lin Xian’s ear. “Xianxian, don’t be shy. We’re family. You can think of me as a close aunt. Just tell me straight what you like and need.”

Lin Xian felt a soft, warm breath brush past her ear, and her heart felt like a feather had lightly grazed it—tingling and ticklish. The next second, as if Xiao Wanqing had also sensed something, she subtly shifted back, putting a little distance between them.

            

Lin Xian noticed the movement, and Xiao Wanqing’s breath faded away.

She nodded and answered softly, “Mm.”

Most of the shoppers were middle-aged women in their thirties and forties, some with children, a few with their husbands in tow. Xiao Wanqing’s looks stood out anywhere, and here, she seemed almost too refined and ethereal, like she didn’t quite belong.

            

She bent her head slightly, focused on picking apples, a strand of hair slipping down to partially veil her lovely face—only adding to her subtle, veiled beauty.

Lin Xian noticed several pairs of male eyes lingering on Xiao Wanqing, rudely raking over her again and again.

Without a sound, she stepped to Xiao Wanqing’s side, blocking those leering gazes. Frowning, she glared back at the men until they guiltily looked away.

            

She turned back to gaze at Xiao Wanqing, at her gentle, graceful features, and thought of those men’s entranced yet sleazy expressions. A small laugh escaped her.

Xiao Wanqing heard her and looked up curiously. “What are you laughing at?”

Lin Xian helped lift the plastic bag of apples and smiled. “I was just thinking about how my mom worries over nothing.”

            

Xiao Wanqing was puzzled. “What do you mean?”

Lin Xian explained, “She’s always worried that you haven’t found someone at your age, always trying to set you up, afraid that if you wait a few more years, it’ll be harder to find a match. I think she’s worrying over nothing.” Her smile deepened, and she added sincerely, “Auntie Xiao, you’re so gentle and beautiful. Whoever marries you would be the luckiest person alive. How could it be hard for you to find someone? It’s you who gets to pick—who wouldn’t want to marry you?”

Even Xiao Wanqing, usually so composed, felt a little embarrassed by the praise. “Did you just sneak someone’s honey? Your mouth is so sweet.”

            

Lin Xian grinned, showing a row of adorable little white teeth. “Every word I said came straight from the heart.”

Xiao Wanqing let out a soft laugh, helpless and fond. “Smooth talker.” She turned and headed toward the grape stall, but after a couple of steps, she stopped and turned back to face Lin Xian, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “A long time ago, a little girl cried and made a scene in front of a crowd, saying she wanted to marry me. If I got married, what would that little girl do?”

Ever since she’d seen Xiao Wanqing again, Lin Xian had been dreading her bringing this up. Now that Xiao Wanqing had asked, she was so embarrassed she wanted to crawl into a hole. But she refused to show weakness, so she cleared her throat and said with forced composure, “I think that little girl probably forgot about that a long time ago.”

            

Xiao Wanqing neither agreed nor disagreed, just let out a soft, “Oh?” with an unreadable smile.

Under her gaze, Lin Xian felt her face grow hotter and hotter. Finally, unable to bear it, she stomped her foot and whined, “No more talking about this!”

Seeing this, Xiao Wanqing couldn’t hold back her laughter, her warm eyes rippling like water.

            

Lin Xian didn’t hold back on the sajiao¹. She grabbed Xiao Wanqing’s arm and pleaded softly, “Auntie Xiao, let’s both forget about it, okay? You have no idea how long everyone made fun of me for this.”

Xiao Wanqing couldn’t resist her sajiao. Her expression softened again and again until she finally surrendered. “Alright, I won’t bring it up. From now on, whoever mentions it is a dog, deal?”

Lin Xian was satisfied. She hugged Xiao Wanqing’s arm and rubbed against it vigorously, chirping happily, “Auntie Xiao, you’re the best.”

            

Xiao Wanqing laughed. “You little clever one.”

Seeing the opportunity, Lin Xian’s eyes darted, and she pressed her advantage. “Auntie Xiao, when we’re in private, can I call you by your name? Calling you ‘Auntie’ makes you sound old.”

Xiao Wanqing didn’t mind and smiled. “But I am an old auntie already.”

            

Lin Xian pouted in disagreement. “That’s not true. My mom is the real old auntie.”

Xiao Wanqing was amused. “If you talk about your mom like that, I’ll have to tattle on you.”

Lin Xian played along sweetly. “I know you won’t. So, can I? Can I call you by your name?”

            

Xiao Wanqing helped adjust the slipping strap of Lin Xian’s bag back onto her shoulder and answered softly, “Call me whatever you like. It’s fine.”

Having gotten her wish, Lin Xian beamed, her eyes curving into crescents—a look that was both clever and adorably silly.

Xiao Wanqing finished picking the grapes, took the shopping basket from Lin Xian, and carried it along with all the items that needed weighing toward the scale station. Lin Xian didn’t follow. Halfway there, Xiao Wanqing suddenly heard someone call her name from behind: “Xiao Wanqing…” The voice was clear and bright, uniquely a young girl’s.

            

For a moment, Xiao Wanqing felt an inexplicable string in her heart plucked gently, then it faded without a trace.

She turned around and saw Lin Xian standing a few steps away, head tilted, watching her with a grin.

“Xiao Wanqing… your name is so beautiful.” She walked step by step to stand before Xiao Wanqing, her smile warm enough to melt a thousand miles of ice.

            

Xiao Wanqing looked at her, infected by her joy, and inexplicably felt a warmth rise in her own heart.

She let Lin Xian hook her arm, gave a tender smile, and said, “Come on, let’s get these weighed and then check out. Time to go home.”

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The author has something to say:

            

What stirred Auntie Xiao’s heart—maybe it was Lin Xian’s innocent, shoeless charm O(∩_∩)O

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