Peaches and Plums Don’t Speak – Chapter 118

Why Aren’t You Kissing Me?

Anzhi practically leaped from her bed, wearing no shoes and without even changing out of her pajamas, throwing the door open with a loud clatter. She lived on the second floor, and just a few steps around the corner were the stairs leading to the front door on the first floor.

Anzhi rushed down the stairs barefoot and opened the door. Yan Xi was standing right there at the threshold, wearing a simple white shirt and a long black skirt, with a beige trench coat draped over her arm. Her phone was still in her hand.

            

She seemed to be startled by Anzhi, just beginning to smile. “So fast?”

Anzhi let out a loud scream, throwing herself forward to hug her.

Yan Xi hurriedly raised her phone, while the trench coat draped over her other arm slipped off and her bag fell to the ground. Hugging her back, she finally managed to cushion the momentum of her rush.

            

Anzhi hooked her arms around her neck and bounced, her words incoherent. “Ah!!! Auntie! How—how did you suddenly get here?”

“Ah! Why didn’t you tell me!”

“I’m so happy!”

            

She was shouting and bouncing, her dimples filled with sweet smiles, never having shown her joy so visibly on her face before.

Yan Xi had no choice but to slip her phone back into her skirt pocket. Wrapping both arms around her, she also laughed because of her surprise. “My goodness, you…”

“What the hell?” The Black roommate on the first floor poked his head out, his dreadlocks a messy nest. “Ann!”

            

“We’ve disturbed him,” Yan Xi said softly.

Anzhi turned back and smiled at him. “Sorry!”

The Black roommate looked at the two of them hugging, a little dazed. He scratched his braids, shrugged, and went back inside. “Wow, girls are crazy…”

            

Anzhi ignored him, refusing to let go of Yan Xi. “Auntie, Auntie.”

Yan Xi smiled. “Alright, alright, I’m right here.” She glanced down; Anzhi was barefoot, wearing only thin pajamas. “Hurry up and get back inside.”

Anzhi let go of her, beaming with smiles.

            

“Oh.” She picked up Yan Xi’s bag, took her trench coat, and pulled her upstairs.

Anzhi’s dormitory was quite nice. On either side of the entryway, one side was the kitchen and the other was the bathroom. In the living room, she had found a gray three-seater sofa, a desk, and a bookshelf. In front of the living room was a small balcony.

The bedroom was very simple, with only a bed, white sheets, and a pillow.

            

Yan Xi nodded, fairly satisfied. There were few floors, and it was safe and quiet.

“It’s just too expensive…” Anzhi murmured. “I only have one pair of slippers. You should wear mine.”

Anzhi pulled her to the sofa to sit down, gave her the slippers, and went to the kitchen to pour her a cup of water, suddenly crying out, “I haven’t even brushed my teeth or washed my face yet!”

            

And she ran into the bathroom.

Yan Xi’s eyes were full of smiles. She took a sip of water and leaned back against the sofa. The long flight had made her a bit tired; she exhaled and closed her eyes.

With a sound of footsteps, the sofa sank. Yan Xi opened her eyes and saw Anzhi’s face—a slightly damp, fresh, and elegant face like a lotus glistening with morning dew.

            

Pleasing to the eye, it made her heart glad.

“Tired? Do you want to go sleep for a bit? Are you hungry? Oh, right, I’ll go make breakfast…”

Before Yan Xi could say anything, Anzhi ran back to the kitchen again.

            

Yan Xi covered her lips and smiled.

“No need to make mine, I ate on the plane,” she called out.

“Okay,” Anzhi replied.

            

A dozen or so minutes later, she brought over a bowl and a spoon. “Almond coconut milk. I added chia seeds, sliced nuts, and mango flesh inside; it shouldn’t taste bad.”

Yan Xi smiled and looked deeply at her. Taking the bowl, she couldn’t resist reaching out with her other hand to touch her face. “Then what are you eating?”

“Oh, it’s fine. I’ve toasted some bread, and I’ll go fry some ham.” Anzhi smiled at her and ran back to the kitchen.

            

This little rabbit…

Ever since she came in, the girl had been bouncing around without a pause.

She scooped a spoonful into her mouth. The texture was slightly cool. Mango was something she liked to eat; she had originally felt she had no appetite, but now, bite by bite, she easily ate it all up.

            

“Is this chia seed?”

“Yeah, it’s very good for you,” Anzhi came out carrying a plate, biting on her toast. “It’s just that you have to soak them well before eating.”

Yan Xi nodded. “It’s not bad.”

            

“But it’s not particularly delicious either.” Anzhi didn’t have a dining table, so she put her plate on the coffee table and took a sip of milk.

“Do you have to go to the laboratory this morning?” Yan Xi set her bowl down on the coffee table.

“Mnn…” Anzhi pouted.

            

“It’s fine, go ahead,” Yan Xi soothed.

Anzhi puffed out her cheeks, her eyes lighting up. “I’ll only go for the morning. I’ll be back this afternoon.”

“Okay.” Yan Xi stared at her, unable to tear her gaze away.

            

“Then you rest here for a bit. By the time you wake up, I’ll be back.”

“Okay.” Yan Xi yielded entirely to her arrangements. Anzhi chatted with her for a while, went to her room to change her clothes, and then took out a spare key to give to her.

“Ah, it’s late, I should go.”

            

Yan Xi sat on the sofa, watching her bustle about, and finally leave the house with half a slice of toast in her mouth.

Yan Xi blinked, slightly dazed, with a trace of indescribable disappointment: At a time like this, shouldn’t there be…

Just then, the door opened with a clatter. Anzhi ran in excitedly, her soft body and arms drawing close to Yan Xi as she gave her a tight hug, her sweet, tender cheek nuzzling against hers. “I’ll be back very soon, I’m really going to be late…”

            

Before Yan Xi could even react, she had run out again, her footsteps a rapid thump-thump-thump.

Yan Xi paused for a couple of seconds, unable to help but curl the corners of her lips.

While Anzhi was at the laboratory, Yan Xi finished washing the breakfast dishes and walked a circle around her dormitory. She had already slept a bit on the plane, but in Anzhi’s bedroom, under the blanket that carried her scent, Yan Xi slowly fell asleep.

            

By the time she woke up, it was already one o’clock in the afternoon, and Anzhi was already back.

She got up and went out with her to eat lobster, then strolled around the campus of Harvard University. The buildings in Harvard University looked like castles, and as evening drew near, the sunset was as splendid as a gold-powder painting.

“Tomorrow we can go downtown,” Anzhi planned excitedly.

            

Yan Xi looked at her and smiled. “I have to go back on Sunday afternoon.”

“Oh…” Anzhi lowered her head.

Yan Xi drew close to her and held her hand, sliding from her wrist down to her palm, and then their fingers intertwined tightly.

            

They had never held hands like this before.

Anzhi looked at Yan Xi’s profile, her cheeks flushing red.

In the early autumn evening, the two of them squeezed under the thin blanket. Yan Xi could only wear Anzhi’s clothes. Anzhi kept talking to her—about her schoolwork, her roommate, and the cultural differences—as if she wanted to make up for all the previous topics.

            

Yan Xi quietly watched her, listening with a smile.

Happy times always flew by, and soon it reached the sleep time of her biological clock, but Anzhi forced herself to stay awake, unable to bear parting with this precious time together.

Later, Yan Xi had no choice but to hug her, stroking her hair. “Alright, it’s time to sleep.”

            

“But…” Anzhi tried hard to keep her eyes open, but her eyelids had already drooped.

“Shh, sleep well. Tomorrow when you wake up, I’ll still be here.”

Anzhi looked up at her, her eyes hazy with sleep, her gaze looking soft. “Auntie…”

            

“Mn.”

When neither of them spoke, the room seemed to shrink, shrinking inside the blanket. The world seemed to become small as well, compressed into nothingness within their embrace, existing only between their breaths.

As long as their breaths mingled, the world disappeared.

            

Anzhi, however, had fallen asleep. She hugged Yan Xi’s waist with one hand, her head pillowed on her shoulder, sleeping very soundly.

Under the dim light, Yan Xi gazed closely at her, her fingers caressing her lips.

One step further, and she could kiss her.

            

Every time she wanted to take a step further, the childhood Anzhi would leap out, soft and in a tiny ball. Her sense of guilt was deep, so she tried her best to resist the temptation.

Anzhi had given her no hints. She needed a tiny hint—a hint from the present-day Anzhi.

She was very good to her, very considerate, but this was Anzhi; she had always depended on her, been close to her, and treated her as well as possible.

            

She was still afraid, afraid that doing something would scare Anzhi.

It was easy to be relatives and friends, but for lovers, sometimes one wrong step meant they could never go back.

Yan Xi gently bit her lower lip. They weren’t like before now; how could Anzhi still lie in her arms and sleep as if nothing had happened?

            

Was it that Anzhi simply didn’t understand what it should be like between lovers?

Or was it that her feelings toward her had not reached that step yet?

But what about the previous kiss across the fingers, the kiss on the back of the neck, and the kiss on her finger—what was all that about?

            

Yan Xi gently exhaled in the darkness. She went back and forth in her mind, worrying about gains and losses. Yet the girl in her arms was dressed lightly, her fair, smooth skin peeking out from her collar, sleeping very soundly, completely unguarded.

Yan Xi suddenly smiled, gently pinching Anzhi’s cheek. “This little rabbit.”

At the touch, Anzhi stirred slightly, nuzzling affectionately against her fingers and snuggling even closer. The softness of her chest rubbed against hers, and an electric current rose from her skin, going straight to her heart.

            

Yan Xi let out a breath, her face slightly warm. It took quite a while for her to calm down. She kissed her hair, unable to hide the helpless, doting smile in her eyes.

When Yan Xi woke up, the bright sun was shining outside, and she smelled the aroma of noodles.

She got up, threw on some clothes, and came to the outer room. Anzhi happened to come out carrying a small pot, her smile bright and radiant. “Awake? Eat noodles. According to Boston time, today is your birthday.”

            

Yan Xi washed up and came over.

Anzhi had cooked a small pot of noodles; they were instant noodles. She had added green vegetables, ham, mushrooms, and also cracked a poached egg into it, but it was very fragrant.

“I’m sorry, I can only feed you this…”

            

The dormitory, the plain yet abundant food, her smiling face—everything was already more beautiful than expected, Yan Xi felt.

She picked up the noodles with her chopsticks to eat; they were very delicious.

With a bite of the poached egg, the rich, fragrant runny yolk seeped out. Yan Xi let out a satisfied “Mmm,” took a bite, and fed the other half to Anzhi.

            

Anzhi bit into it, the smile in her eyes bright, the joy and happiness from the bottom of her heart impossible to hide. Yan Xi watched in a daze, sighing inwardly.

This was impossible to hide, with no need to confirm again; she only needed to let things take their natural course.

The two finished sharing the small pot of noodles, then snuggled on the sofa to watch a movie on a laptop.

            

“Ah, my gift should arrive tomorrow. If I had known you were coming, I wouldn’t have mailed it over,” Anzhi said, pouting.

“It’s fine,” Yan Xi said, her gaze staying on the movie screen.

Anzhi felt that Yan Xi’s embrace made her feel lazy and comfortable, so comfortable that she didn’t want to leave. But in just a few hours, Yan Xi would have to catch her flight.

            

She felt her embrace, stealing glances at her profile, neck, and lips. It was strange; the years had not left any obvious marks on Yan Xi’s face, only softening her profile and polishing her temperament. On the contrary, time endowed her with a richer, more precious charm that no youthful age could ever reach, seeping from her hair, her eyes, her smile lines, her expression, and her every single move.

Anzhi’s gaze stopped on her lips, wondering if they were as soft as she had imagined.

In her memory, Yan Xi had never proactively kissed her, only having kissed her forehead perfunctorily, but that was completely different.

            

Anzhi wanted to so badly.

But she didn’t dare.

Nor did she know how.

            

She had separately asked Yang Mengmeng and Xu Jia’er what kissing felt like and what techniques there were, and their answers were largely identical:

“When you kiss, your body’s instincts will tell you.”

But the problem was, she didn’t even dare to kiss…

            

And Yan Xi didn’t seem to have that intention either…

Could it be that in her heart, she had no charm?

Or was she still a child in Yan Xi’s heart?

            

Anzhi felt depressed in her heart, but she didn’t dare to show it. With great difficulty, Yan Xi had stayed on the plane for so long to come see her; she couldn’t have negative emotions.

So agonizing.

Time quickly passed. At dusk, as night fell, Yan Xi was going to catch her flight. She refused to let Anzhi send her to the airport.

            

“No, it will be too late when you come back. I won’t be at ease.” Yan Xi’s tone was even a bit heavy.

Anzhi said very reluctantly, “But I…”

“No.”

            

Anzhi was startled, lowering her head slightly aggrieved. The sky was grey and beginning to darken; a hanging lamp at the porch cast a warm light over them. A slightly cool breeze blew over, seemingly carrying a few drops of rain.

Anzhi raised her head, deciding to express her feelings directly: “I can’t bear to let you go. I want to stay with you a bit longer.”

As she spoke, some grievance flooded her heart, her eyes becoming wet.

            

Yan Xi was slightly startled. She stepped closer to stroke her head. “Be good.”

It would have been better if she hadn’t said it, but once she did, Anzhi felt even more aggrieved—as if for so many years, she was the only one indulging in fantasies and longings, unable to extricate herself, while Yan Xi was always so calm.

She was almost crying.

            

Yan Xi noticed something was wrong. “Taotao?”

Anzhi’s lip had been bitten to leave a mark. She grabbed the corner of Yan Xi’s clothes, staking everything on a single throw: “Am I not cute? Why aren’t you kissing me?”

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