Peaches and Plums Don’t Speak – Chapter 40
by Little PandaThe Gift
“Director Liao?” Yan Xi answered the phone at the turn of the staircase, somewhat surprised.
“Yan Xi, happy birthday.” On the other end of the line, the man’s voice was low and gentle.
“Thank you…”
“I’m guessing you must have questions. Zhou-jiejie gave me your number, and I asked around to find out your birthday.”
Zhou-jiejie… of course.
Yan Xi understood instantly. Since Zhou-jiejie would tell her about Liao Chengyu’s personal situation, she would naturally tell him about hers as well.
Liao Chengyu spoke unhurriedly on the other end. They occasionally ran into each other at work, sometimes in the cafeteria, and had even shared a brief meal together once or twice.
Yan Xi’s impression of him was quite good. He didn’t talk much, and his personality wasn’t flighty. He liked to read; she had seen him in the break room, engrossed in a copy of Yu Hua’s To Live.1 When he was concentrating, he would purse his lips, and his dimples gave him a somewhat childish air, making him seem more like a big boy still on campus than a working adult.
“I see…” Yan Xi nodded.
“If it’s convenient, may I treat you to a meal?”
If it weren’t for what Zhou-jiejie had said, Yan Xi would have agreed without a second thought. After all, Chinese society, with its emphasis on personal relationships,2 was inseparable from the back-and-forth of meal gatherings.3 But now, while she wouldn’t overthink it, she was afraid he would.
She hesitated. She felt that Liao Chengyu was a nice person, perhaps someone she could become friends with. But she had no intention of taking it any further for the time being, so she wasn’t sure if she should accept this meal.
Liao Chengyu seemed to sense her predicament. He chuckled and said, “Here’s the thing, my mother is coming to visit me soon, and I’d like to take her to try some authentic Beicheng cuisine. But I really don’t know much about food. Could I ask you to help me out?”
Although his words seemed a little stretched, they at least put Yan Xi at ease. She smiled and said, “No problem.”
“Great. I’ll set a time and then check with you to see if it’s suitable?”
Yan Xi had no objections. “Okay.”
After hanging up, she paused for a moment before finally saving his number to her contacts.
When she returned to the second floor, she found Liu Yiyi with her arms around Anzhi, teasing her. As she got closer, she realized something was off about Anzhi’s condition. Her cheeks were flushed bright red, and her eyes were glazed over.
“You gave her alcohol?!” Yan Xi exclaimed in shock.
“Oh, it was just a small cup,” Liu Yiyi said, poking Anzhi’s cheek.
Yan Yinan chimed in while chewing on a chicken skewer, “A one-cup-knockout.”4
“You’re messing around! How old is she…” Yan Xi touched Anzhi’s forehead and asked her gently, “Are you dizzy?”
“Hahaha, come, come, let Auntie give you a hug, you’re so cute…” Liu Yiyi pinched her cheek, pulling her into an embrace. Anzhi was clearly unhappy, scrunching up her face and protesting with muffled sounds, pushing at her and struggling.
“A weird auntie5 bullying a loli!”6 Yan Yinan remarked idly, continuing to eat his grilled eggplant.
Yan Xi really couldn’t watch anymore. “That’s enough, Liu Yiyi!” she said, reaching over to rescue Anzhi. “Taotao, come here.”
Anzhi swayed into her arms. Yan Xi supported her head and stroked her face. “This doesn’t look like just one cup. Third Brother, you didn’t try to stop them? Taotao has never had alcohol before.”
“Ah… isn’t she in the second year of junior high already?” Yan Yinan said dismissively. “You were already drinking with us when you were in junior high.”
“She’s only twelve!” Yan Xi retorted, annoyed.
“Oh…” Yan Yinan shrugged, not thinking it was a big deal.
Yan Xi looked at these two unreliable people. Yan Yinan was only focused on eating, his mind half-occupied by the running variety show on TV. Liu Yiyi was even more ridiculous.
Resting her chin on her hand, Liu Yiyi sighed dramatically. “I’m heartbroken… I failed at hitting on guys,7 and now I can’t even hit on a girl?”8
Looking at Anzhi, who was leaning obediently in Yan Xi’s arms, she added, “You can still recognize people, huh, little Anzhi…”
“It’s probably because your perfume is too strong!” Yan Yinan tossed out.
“I don’t wear strong perfume at all, what do you know!”
“That’s Guerlain’s limited edition Lily of the Valley. They release one every year.”
“Uh-huh.”
“It doesn’t suit you!”
“…”
“You gay!”
“Huh? Who told you I’m gay! I’m a bona fide straight man!”9
Anzhi’s head was spinning. The whole world felt like it was revolving, and there was a tightness in her chest. She felt like throwing up, but couldn’t. She couldn’t hear what the people around her were saying very clearly; it was all just a constant buzzing.
She felt awful, but she knew Yan Xi was holding her. She was very familiar with her scent.
She heard Yan Xi say to them, “Go, go, go! All of you, call a car and go home! Don’t be so noisy in my house!”
Then came another buzz of activity, the sound of people getting up and gathering their things.
Yan Xi let go of her, seemingly to help clean up. Anzhi took the opportunity to dizzily flop onto the carpet and fall asleep. She thought she felt Yan Xi’s hand gently pat her head. Then there were footsteps going down the stairs, and Liu Yiyi’s muttering: “I can’t believe we drank so much. Yan Yinan, you ate almost all the barbecue.”
Yan Yinan let out a laugh. “Here, here, Little Sister-in-law, give me all the trash.”
“…Ah! What did you call me?!”
“Aaaah!”
Yan Xi’s voice cut in, “Stop fighting, stop fighting.” After confirming they had both called for cars, she said, “You should head back soon…”
“Hahah, okay, okay, happy birthday!”
“Happy birthday, baby!” Liu Yiyi took advantage of the fact that Yan Xi’s hands were full with cups and bottles, leaving her unable to resist, and pulled her in for a kiss.
Caught off guard, Yan Xi was kissed on the cheek. “You two, hurry up and go outside to wait for your cars,” she said helplessly, then headed into the kitchen to wash things.
Yan Yinan and Liu Yiyi walked to the entryway12 to change their shoes and leave. Liu Yiyi’s gaze fell on the marker lines on the wall, tracking height.
From bottom to top, they were labeled 6 years old, 7 years old… all the way to 12 years old. The gaps between the first few lines were small, but the line for 11 years old was a huge jump from the one for 10. The highest line, Liu Yiyi measured with her eyes, should be Yan Xi’s height.
It was quite heartwarming.
Traces of their life together were everywhere.
After washing up, Yan Xi watched the two of them get into their cars and leave before closing the door. When she went back upstairs, Anzhi was still asleep on the carpet. Just as Yan Xi walked over to her, Anzhi shifted uncomfortably in her sleep.
Yan Xi went to the bathroom, wrung out a towel, and gently wiped her face.
“Feeling sick?”
“Mmm…” Anzhi blinked, her cheeks burning hot.
“Then why did you drink alcohol?” Yan Xi chided gently, but she bent down, intending to pull her up. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.”
Anzhi dazedly reached for her hand, but the image before her was overlapping and blurry, and she grabbed at empty air. She tried fuzzily to focus her eyes. Yan Xi chuckled softly, squatted down, and gathered her into her arms.
Ever since Anzhi’s height had shot up, Yan Xi hadn’t carried her. She didn’t know if she was still strong enough.
Anzhi rested her head obediently on her shoulder. Yan Xi sized her up and realized that lifting her straight up was no longer an option.
“Here, like this…”
Yan Xi awkwardly slid one hand under her shoulders and the other under the bend of her knees, intending to carry her horizontally.
In this position, Anzhi should…
“Hold onto my neck…”
Anzhi did as she was told, hooking her arms around her. Yan Xi applied a little force and lifted her up in one go.
Yan Xi laughed to herself. “Hey! Guess I’ve still got it.13 The strength is still there…”
Anzhi drifted off to sleep, feeling as if she were floating in mid-air, yet also nestled in a familiar, very safe embrace.
A light fragrance, and warmth.
She unconsciously tightened her arms around Yan Xi’s neck.
She felt so at ease.
The young girl’s body was as soft as a flower bud on the tip of a spring willow branch, dotted with morning dew. It was incredibly tender, like an unripe peach, green with a blush of pink at its edges.
For some reason, Yan Xi felt a little dazed.
Because of how Anzhi’s arms were hooked around her neck, the area under her arm was exposed. Yan Xi’s hand naturally slipped there to adjust her posture, but in doing so, she unintentionally pressed against… Anzhi’s softness…
…
Yan Xi’s heart skipped a beat.
“Auntie… dizzy…” Anzhi murmured.
Yan Xi snapped back to her senses. She carried her into the bedroom and placed her on the bed. The moment Anzhi touched the bed, she rolled over to grab a stuffed animal to hug, and a small box fell out.
Yan Xi picked it up. The small box opened as she fiddled with it between her fingers.
Inside was a delicate gold bracelet. It was a half-bangle, attached to a chain as fine as silkworm thread. It was slender, elegant, and tasteful.
The brand was Astrid & Miyu.
This must be the gift Anzhi bought for her.
Yan Xi tried it on. Her wrist was slender and pale, and the bracelet was a perfect, beautiful fit, complementing her temperament well.
A smile involuntarily lifted the corners of Yan Xi’s lips.
A gift is a token of affection, and no one can resist a surprise. When a surprise comes from someone you don’t expect, you feel delighted and pleased. When it comes from a person you couldn’t be more familiar with, it brings an extra layer of warmth.
On WeChat, there were several voice messages from Liu Yiyi: “Oh, little Anzhi spent all the prize money she’s won from competitions from elementary school to junior high on that, you know. Eight hundred silver dollars.14 Who knows how long that kid saved up… I didn’t want to take her money at first, but when she gets stubborn, she’s so stubborn you couldn’t pull her back with nine horses…”15
“That kid has good taste, she must have been influenced by me, la la la. I’m actually feeling like a daughter I raised has become so sensible. Mmm, so thoughtful. A little padded jacket16 in the winter, a little fan in the summer. I’m going to have a daughter with Yan Yixi in the future, too.”
“I think it’s really pretty, too. It’ll definitely look good on you. Ahh, I’m so jealous. If only Yan Yixi would think of me on my birthday…”
Liu Yiyi’s three long, rambling voice messages still managed to circle back to Yan Yixi, no matter the topic.
Yan Xi didn’t reply. The smile on her lips blossomed. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been this happy.
She gazed at the sweetly sleeping Anzhi for a while, left a wall lamp on for her, and gently closed the door as she left.
At that moment, Yan Xi didn’t know how much Anzhi had wished to be awake to see her joyful expression upon receiving the gift.
In the years since she had taken Anzhi in, raising her by her side, she had only ever hoped for her to grow up healthy and happy, with no other expectations. She had never thought she would receive such an unexpectedly warm surprise.
At that moment, Yan Xi didn’t know that what Anzhi would give her would always be beyond her imagination.
The author has something to say:
I really like this Astrid & Miyu bracelet… (but with rent and other expenses this month, I can’t afford it anymore, so I had to write it into the book)
It’s perfect for people with slender wrists. I posted a picture on Weibo, you guys can go take a look.
Footnotes
- Yu Hua (余华) is a contemporary Chinese author; To Live (Huózhe, 活着) is his most famous novel, which chronicles the struggles of a man through the 20th century.
- Rénqíng shèhuì (人情社会), lit. “human sentiment society,” refers to a society where social and business interactions are heavily based on a network of personal connections and reciprocal favors.
- Fànjú (饭局), a meal gathering or dinner party, is often a crucial venue for networking, building relationships, and conducting business in China.
- Yì bēi dǎo (一杯倒), lit. “one-cup-fall,” is a term for a lightweight drinker who gets drunk after just one cup of alcohol.
- Guài āyí (怪阿姨), lit. “weird auntie,” is slang for an older woman who shows an obsessive or over-the-top interest in younger people, often in a fandom context.
- Luólì (萝莉) is slang derived from the Japanese ‘lolita,’ referring to a young or prepubescent-looking girl.
- Liāo hàn (撩汉) is modern slang for flirting with or hitting on men.
- Liāo mèizhi (撩妹纸) is slang for flirting with girls. Mèizhi is a cute, stylized way of writing mèizi (妹子), meaning girl.
- Zhí nán (直男), lit. “straight man,” is modern slang for a heterosexual male.
- Niángpào (娘炮) is a derogatory slang term for an effeminate or unmanly man.
- Huāchī (花痴), lit. “flower idiot,” is slang for someone who is foolishly or excessively infatuated.
- Xuánguān (玄关) is the entryway of a home where shoes are typically removed, similar to a Japanese ‘genkan’.
- Bǎo dāo wèi lǎo (宝刀未老), lit. “a treasured sword is not yet old,” is an idiom meaning one’s skills are still sharp despite their age.
- Dàyáng (大洋), lit. “big ocean,” is old slang for silver dollar coins, now used colloquially to mean money or yuan.
- This is an idiom, 九匹马都拉不动 (jiǔ pǐ mǎ dōu lā bù dòng), used to describe extreme stubbornness.
- Xiǎo mián’ǎo (小棉袄), lit. “little padded jacket,” is a common and affectionate metaphor for a sweet, caring daughter who brings warmth to her parents’ hearts.
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