Peaches and Plums Don’t Speak – Chapter 59
by Little PandaLiking the Same Sex
After entering the office, Yan Xi identified herself and then requested to see the security footage.
“These days, schools have cameras installed in the classrooms and hallways,” she said coolly. “We’ll know just by looking who started the trouble and who was truly at fault.”
She stood there, her voice composed and steady. The other parent was acting like a squawking, molting mother hen, and the two teachers were frazzled and exhausted. But Yan Xi, despite having worked a full day, stood with her long legs straight, her aura serene and tranquil under the bright fluorescent lights of the office.
On the security footage, the boy was the one who had approached them. His posture was aggressive, and though there was no sound, he was clearly cursing at them.
Yan Xi’s eyes suddenly narrowed. At first, they were just arguing. Then Anzhi stood up and said something, and the boy suddenly yelled something at Anzhi that made her jump in fright. Only then did Xu Jia’er push him.
“See? You see that? She hit him first, not my son!” the other parent cried out.
But her voice died in her throat the very next second. Xu Jia’er had only given her son a shove, but it was her son who had thrown the first punch.
The corner of Yan Xi’s lip curled up.
Xu Jia’er and Anzhi were called in.
“I cursed at them first. Xu Jia’er is a deviant! She’s a lesbian…” the boy, unable to withstand everyone’s gazes, stuck his neck out and yelled.
The room fell silent for several seconds. The two teachers looked awkward, Xu Jia’er sneered, and Anzhi’s expression froze.
The boy’s mother gasped. “This… this, that’s just being a deviant…” Her gaze instantly turned to one of disgust.
Just as Xu Jia’er was about to speak, Yan Xi calmly sized up the other party, gently raising a hand to stop Xu Jia’er. “What’s wrong with being a lesbian?” she said. “Anyone with a bit of culture knows it’s not an abnormality. It’s like how some people are born left-handed and some aren’t, or how some people like cats and others like dogs. You can express your opinion, but you cannot slander the character of someone who is different from you. Our child will not be apologizing.”
As she spoke, Yan Xi took a step forward, shielding Anzhi and Xu Jia’er behind her. Xu Jia’er cast a sidelong glance at Yan Xi, then turned back to look at Anzhi, whose little face was glowing as she gazed at Yan Xi.
“You… you, you…” The other parent was stuck, unsure how to respond. She turned to the two homeroom teachers. “You… your school accepts students like this?”
Teacher Pang spoke up then. “Student Xu Jia’er was admitted with the top score in her grade. She’s currently in the top three of her grade, she won the 1500-meter race at the sports meet, and she’s on the basketball team. She excels in both character and academics, and is well-rounded in morals, intelligence, physical education, aesthetics, and labor.1 Why wouldn’t our school accept a student like this?”
“T-Teacher…” The parent was dumbfounded. She turned to the other homeroom teacher. “Is this how you’re going to handle it?”
The two homeroom teachers exchanged a look. “Both students will receive a warning and one demerit.”
“That’s it? But she pushed him first…”
“It was your son who started cursing first, and he hit first, too,” Anzhi couldn’t help but say.
The boy pointed at them. “You two are in a puppy love relationship!”2
Yan Xi’s brow twitched sharply. Anzhi shot a quick glance at Yan Xi, her face flushing red as she retorted, “We are not!”
Xu Jia’er looked at him coldly. “I heard you were having trouble chasing the belle of the Key Class, so you decided to take it out on me. Who’s the one who wants to be in a puppy love relationship?”
“Our Little Class Monitor and I are just studying. That’s why we did well on this month’s exam. And you? What’s your rank? If you have this much free time to come looking for a beating, you’d be better off memorizing a few more vocabulary words!”
The boy was speechless, his expression shifting as he clenched his fists.
“What, you want to hit someone again? You were the one who started it, the one who slandered others, and the one who threw punches.”
At this, Yan Xi’s composure deepened. She spoke slowly and methodically. “Teachers, I’m not comfortable having a student like this around my child. School is a place for learning knowledge and learning how to be a decent person, not a place for fighting and slander. I don’t think a warning and a demerit are sufficient. I require more concrete measures to ensure safety. Otherwise, I will have my child transfer to another school.”
“I’ll transfer to another school, too,” Xu Jia’er said.
“How can you let a homosexual like this be in the school…”
“Neither Chinese law nor the school’s rules and regulations stipulate that liking the same sex warrants punishment…” Yan Xi’s gaze swept over the faces of the mother and son. “On the contrary, for instigators who disrupt order, refuse to heed admonishment, use provocative language to stir up trouble, and harm others through various means, a severe warning should be issued. If they fail to reform after repeated instruction, the school has the right to expel them.”
“Am I correct, Teachers?” Yan Xi asked the two homeroom teachers.
The two teachers nodded in agreement.
“This… how could it lead to expulsion…” Only then did the mother and son truly panic. He had only gotten into the Affiliated High School as a sports specialty student.3 If he were expelled, he didn’t know if he could get into such a good school again.
“Fine… I’ll just stay far away from you from now on.”
Some people can never learn to respect others. Only when their own interests are threatened will they know when to be sensible and make concessions.
Xu Jia’er snorted.
“Isn’t that enough?” the parent said resentfully.
A faint smile played on Yan Xi’s lips. “The teachers have already decided on the punishment for your child and Student Xu. That’s not for me to manage. However, he must apologize to my child.”
Anzhi had never seen this side of Yan Xi. Her eyes weren’t smiling at all, and though her expression remained gentle and her words were calm, the protectiveness in her tone was unmistakable.
She stared at Yan Xi’s profile and was suddenly struck by a feeling—perhaps Yan Xi had defended her like this on many other occasions she knew nothing about, protecting her, unwilling to let her suffer the slightest grievance.
Anzhi reached out and quietly tugged on the sleeve of Yan Xi’s clothes. Following the gesture, Yan Xi took hold of her wrist.
She held her just like that, all the way until the matter was resolved.
After everyone had left the office, the two homeroom teachers finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Wait, that parent looked a lot like a TV host.”
After the mother and son came out, the son looked dejected. The mother frowned, then clapped her hands suddenly. “So it was that host…”
“Mom? Who…”
“Son, you really better not provoke those two again. Who cares if they’re lesbians? They’re the ones with a problem, not us. That woman just now definitely has connections… We can’t afford to offend them…”
“And another thing, you really need to put some effort into your studies…”
Coming out of the office, Anzhi looked back at Xu Jia’er. “How are you getting home?”
“I’ll go by myself.” A bruise was forming on one side of Xu Jia’er’s fair face, and her lip was swollen. She glanced at Yan Xi, then at the fingers holding Anzhi’s wrist, and a smile spread across her face. “Thanks, Auntie…”
Yan Xi turned her head to look at her. She stiffened for a second when she heard the form of address, then nodded, acknowledging the thanks.
Anzhi, on the other hand, shot Xu Jia’er a dissatisfied glare.
“Shall we go back?” Yan Xi asked her softly.
Anzhi nodded her little head. “Mm.”
By now, the city lights were as bright as day; the long night was not yet over.4 Yan Xi turned the steering wheel, guiding the car onto the road home.
Anzhi sat in the passenger seat, feeling inexplicably happy, a smile playing on her dimples.
“Auntie! You were so cool!” Anzhi said, sucking up,5 her eyes sparkling.
Yan Xi glanced at her and couldn’t help but let out a few soft laughs. She was about to say something when Anzhi said, “Huh? That person is still here?”
Yan Xi followed her gaze and saw Xu Jia’er walking alone up ahead, looking a bit unsteady.
She sighed faintly to herself.
Three minutes later, Xu Jia’er was sitting in the back seat, saying with a smile, “Thanks, Auntie.”
Yan Xi’s face stiffened again, almost imperceptibly.
Anzhi turned around and glared at her. “Your face doesn’t hurt anymore, huh?”
“It hurts. Hey, look at my mouth, has the swelling gone down…?” Xu Jia’er leaned her face forward. Anzhi moved closer, peering at the corner of her mouth in the dim light. “No. And this side of your face is all bruised…”
“Ah… no wonder it hurts so much.”
“Then why were you trying to act tough? To look cool?”
The two of them were very close, seemingly without noticing.
Yan Xi’s eyes darted over. “Taotao, sit properly,” she said flatly.
“Oh, okay.” Anzhi obediently turned back around.
Yan Xi lifted her eyes and met Xu Jia’er’s somewhat probing gaze in the rearview mirror.
The barrier at the school gate lifted, and the car drove smoothly out of the school.
Xu Jia’er was quiet for a moment, then leaned forward to talk to Anzhi again, asking things like, “Have you done the English speaking homework?” and “Maybe I should just take tomorrow off,” and “Where do you live?”
Anzhi answered her sporadically without turning around.
Yan Xi remained silent, driving steadily and quickly until she dropped Xu Jia’er off at her home.
Night had already fallen. Anzhi was nestled in the passenger seat. She raised a hand to cover her mouth and yawned.
“Tired? You can sleep for a bit,” Yan Xi said, checking her watch.
“Mm… not sleepy. I’ll sleep when we get home.” Anzhi smiled at her.
Yan Xi’s words from earlier were still ringing in her ears. “Being a lesbian is just a personal choice, just like how some people are left-handed and some are right-handed. It couldn’t be more normal.” That was how she saw the matter of “liking the same sex.” Anzhi’s thoughts twisted and turned, and she finally felt a little more settled.
She looked at Yan Xi’s profile, outlined by the faint light from outside the car window. She thought that maybe she could be a little braver, take one more step and ask Yan Xi her opinion on “girls liking girls.” Could she accept it? Had she ever encountered it?
She had said before that she liked people who were “sincere and gentle.” Did that mean those qualities were more important, and gender didn’t matter at all?
Anzhi stirred restlessly. Should I ask? Should I not ask? Just ask bravely, maybe just one question…
Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest.
“Taotao…”
“Ah?” Anzhi jumped, startled. Her train of thought scattered in an instant, and she quickly sat up straight.
Yan Xi had been wrestling with her own thoughts. She asked tentatively, “Do you still need to stay for self-study every day from now on?”
Hearing her words, Anzhi thought Yan Xi was still worried about the boy from earlier causing them trouble. She thought for a moment. “It’s not necessary. I can study at home, too.”
“…It’s also fine if you want to spend more time with your classmates.” Yan Xi once again reminded herself that Anzhi needed friends her own age, and that she couldn’t be too restrictive.
Anzhi blinked, a little unsure of what Yan Xi really meant.
Yan Xi sighed, almost inaudibly. She freed her right hand and gently patted Anzhi’s head. After editing her words down, she ultimately landed on the same old line: “Focus on your studies, you know?”
For a moment, Anzhi thought Yan Xi was about to say something else to her, but after that sentence, she fell silent.
Anzhi felt that Yan Xi still saw her as a child, and a sense of disappointment washed over her.
And yet, she really was still young.
That was something she was, for the time being, powerless to change.
Footnotes
- Morals, intelligence, physical education, aesthetics, and labor (dé zhì tǐ měi láo) are the five pillars of a well-rounded education in the Chinese system, emphasizing holistic development beyond just academics.
- Puppy love (zǎoliàn) refers to romantic relationships among students, typically before university. It is often discouraged in the Chinese education system, which prioritizes academics.
- A sports specialty student (tǐyù tèchángshēng) is a student admitted to a competitive school based on their athletic abilities rather than solely on academic scores.
- Original: cháng yè wèi yāng. From the ‘Book of Odes,’ this literary phrase literally means ‘the long night has not yet ended.’ It can suggest that the night is still young or that a period of darkness or difficulty is ongoing.
- ‘Sucking up’ is a translation of gǒutuǐ, literally ‘dog leg,’ a slang term for a sycophant or a toady. Anzhi is using it self-deprecatingly to describe her own fawning praise.
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