Peaches and Plums Don’t Speak – Chapter 75
by Little PandaAccident
Anzhi did not know how long she had been sitting alone in the dining room. Slowly, she finished the slice of cake Yan Xi had left behind. She mechanically cleared the table and washed the utensils, scrubbing every inch of the kitchen and dining room until they were completely spotless.
After that, she could find nothing else to do. She went to the living room and turned on the TV. She did not want to go up to the second floor; she wanted to wait on the first floor for Yan Xi.
But she wasn’t even sure if Yan Xi would come home tonight. Yan Xi hadn’t said. Isn’t it normal for people in love to spend the night together?
The moment the thought surfaced, it felt like a blade dangling over her head. Anzhi hurriedly shoved it away.
Her gaze kept darting to the wall clock. She didn’t dare truly keep track of the time, yet every passing minute and second clung tightly to her mind, impossible to scrape away. Once it passed nine-thirty, she grew even more restless. She couldn’t absorb a single thing playing on the TV.
This thick, suffocating anxiety was truly stifling. Anzhi got up and went to the kitchen, thinking she would cook something to eat. Not knowing what to make, she simply started boiling water, intending to cook a bowl of noodles.
However, she stood there in a daze. The water in the small pot boiled, the steam completely fogging up the transparent glass lid. She sighed. Suddenly, she didn’t want to eat anymore. She wanted to pour the water out. She carried the pot to the sink before realizing she hadn’t taken the lid off.
The pot was too heavy. Her left hand trembled slightly as her right hand reached over to lift the lid. Scalded by the rush of steam hitting her face, she flinched. It happened too fast—more than half the pot of boiling water splashed directly over her right hand.
The searing agony struck instantly.
Anzhi screamed in pain and threw the pot aside.
In the chaos, hot water splashed onto her left hand as well. Anzhi gasped in terror, not even daring to clutch her injured hand. The entire back of her hand was scalded red and swollen. Before long, a dense cluster of blisters bubbled up.
The pain pierced through her skin and lungs. The only thing she could think to do was turn on the tap and run cold water over the wound to temporarily lower the temperature. It burned furiously, and tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She was terrified, and there was no one else home.
She ran to the living room and found her phone, both hands shaking.
Swiping open the screen, the contact right at the bottom was Yan Xi’s number.
A single tear suddenly fell onto the screen.
Anzhi stared blankly for a few seconds.
She couldn’t call her.
Fighting through the pain, she struggled to find another number. Liu Yiyi didn’t answer. Sniffling and holding back her sobs, Anzhi dialed a different number.
Thankfully, the call connected. “Third Uncle,” she choked out.
In critical moments, Yan Yinan was exceptionally reliable. He quickly asked a few questions about the situation over the phone and told her in a steady voice, “It’s okay, don’t cry. I’m coming to pick you up right now. I’ll have an ambulance sent over. Don’t be afraid. Keep your hand soaking in cold water, or keep it under the running tap.”
Half an hour later, Yan Yinan brought Anzhi to the hospital’s emergency department. He watched as the attending doctor disinfected the burns. One blister was so large that the doctor had to drain the fluid from it. During the disinfection process, they had to be extremely careful when handling the scalded, wrinkled skin.
The doctor’s hands were already swift and dexterous, but Anzhi was still in so much pain that her small face went deathly pale. Tears fell with a patter, patter. Yan Yinan kept talking to her to distract her so she wouldn’t look at the wounds.
“Alright, alright, where’s Xiao Wu? Is your auntie not home?”
The doctor was applying burn ointment to her hand. Anzhi gasped, the physical sting compounded by the ache brought on by Yan Yinan’s question.
“It’s okay, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid.” Yan Yinan observed the surface of the wound. The scalded area was quite large. Specifically, the back of her right hand and a section of her wrist were red and swollen. Against the young girl’s snowy, tender skin, the injury looked especially gruesome. Fortunately, it wasn’t overly severe; it was a shallow second-degree burn.
Her left hand was fine, just a few red spots.
Yan Yinan happened to be on call tonight. Taking the burn ointment, he brought Anzhi to his on-call room. He poured her a cup of warm water and handed her some tissues.
“Don’t touch the wound, and make sure to reapply the burn ointment promptly.”
Anzhi’s eyes were as red as a rabbit’s. She sobbed, “Will it leave a scar, Third Uncle?”
Yan Yinan offered her a comforting smile. “Don’t worry. Your Third Uncle specializes in exactly this. I guarantee it won’t scar. Even if it does, don’t be afraid—I’m here.”
Sniffling, Anzhi looked up at Yan Yinan to gauge if he was telling the truth. Wearing his white coat, Yan Yinan stood tall and elegant as a jade tree1. His skin could rival that of female stars in television commercials, and the curve of his profile when he smiled looked strikingly similar to Yan Xi’s.
She felt a wave of relief.
“It’s just going to hurt a little. By the way, it’s already ten-thirty, why isn’t Xiao Wu home? Isn’t today her birthday? I even sent her a red envelope2. She hasn’t replied to my WeChat yet.”
Anzhi lowered her head.
Belatedly realizing the implication, Yan Yinan said, “Oh, she went out on a date.”
He stroked his chin, pondering. “Then you should just stay here. If you’re sleepy, go inside and sleep, or I can take you over to the nurse’s station to sleep.”
“There’s no one at home anyway, and I still need to keep an eye on your wound.”
“Don’t tell me Xiao Wu isn’t coming home all night…”
He babbled on for several sentences before noticing that Anzhi hadn’t said a word, her head still bowed.
Just then, a nurse came to call for him. He answered, then said to her, “Anzhi, drink some water. I need to step out for a bit.”
Anzhi remained completely motionless. Puzzled, he walked out the door.
A while later, Yan Yinan finished his rounds and returned. Reaching the office door, before he even stepped inside, he peeked in and saw Anzhi secretly wiping away tears.
Yan Yinan froze for a moment, then walked in. “Anzhi?”
Startled by his voice, the young girl clumsily wiped away her tears using her left hand, which didn’t have as much ointment on it.
“It hurts a little.” Anzhi forced a smile. Her eyes were red, her small face was pale, and both hands were slathered in brown burn ointment. She looked a bit disheveled, a sight that made one’s heart ache for her.
Yan Yinan fell silent. He figured the little girl had probably been badly frightened. “Do you want me to call Xiao Wu?” Anzhi had left in such a hurry that she hadn’t brought her phone.
Anzhi bit her lip tightly and shook her head, her expression panicked and unsettled. Yan Yinan had never seen a girl her age make such an expression before.
She stared blankly, then shook her head again.
Yan Yinan pondered for a moment. “Then do you want to go inside and sleep? Don’t worry, I changed the bedsheets today. When I’m on call, I’m not used to sleeping in other people’s bedding.”
Anzhi squeezed out a faint trace of a smile. “I’m not sleepy.”
That smile was worse than not smiling at all, Yan Yinan thought to himself.
Yan Yinan stared at her. “Are you sure you don’t need me to call her? Oh, what if she goes home and can’t find you?”
“I left a note,” Anzhi said softly, keeping her head down.
She had time to leave a note, but forgot to bring her phone? Do kids these days even forget their phones?
Yan Yinan was thoroughly perplexed, feeling as if he had missed some crucial piece of information.
Checking the time, he needed to go round the wards again. He walked out, thinking as he went: That expression… so strange. So strange. So strange.
Deep in thought, he finished checking on his patients and paced the corridor, stroking his chin.
Suddenly, he shuddered, then immediately shook his head. He muttered to himself, “Yan Yinan, although you are a Women’s Friend3, although your mind is delicate and considerate, and every woman wants to date you… you must remember: you are a straight man. A pure straight man. A 24-karat pure gold straight man! Therefore, your instincts might be wrong. Yes! They are definitely wrong.”
He scratched his head and let out a breath. He still felt that this phone call had to be made. When Yan Xiao Wu lost her temper, it was absolutely terrifying.
On Yan Xi’s side, she had finally spoken all the words in her heart. It had taken a long time. Liao Chengyu frowned, also speaking his piece—saying things like giving him a little more time, or that he truly liked her.
But once Yan Xi made up her mind, she would not waver. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think continuing this holds any benefit for either of us. We are colleagues. I don’t want us to feel awkward or unhappy when we see each other in the future.”
Liao Chengyu fell silent for a moment. “Do you really not like me at all?”
Yan Xi felt somewhat awful inside. She regretted her hasty decision from that night; after all, she hadn’t wanted to hurt him.
She paused, her silence an implicit agreement.
Liao Chengyu’s complexion turned ashen, a stark contrast to his expression during dinner earlier that evening.
“I’m sorry.” Yan Xi felt terrible. It was far too awkward.
Liao Chengyu waved his hand, offering a self-deprecating smile. “If I say any more, I’ll just be even more…”
Yan Xi let out a long breath.
The two stood facing each other in utter awkwardness. Fortunately, Yan Xi’s phone rang right on cue.
Yan Xi had originally wanted to finish talking with Liao Chengyu and hurry home, but since he wasn’t speaking, she didn’t know what else to say either. The phone rang multiple times—it had to be urgent. What time was it now? Anzhi was still home alone. Disregarding politeness, she answered it.
She barely listened for a few sentences before her expression drastically changed. “What? I’m coming over right now.”
She didn’t care whether Liao Chengyu agreed or not, stating directly, “I’m sorry, I have an emergency and have to leave right now… Yes, from now on, let’s only see each other in work settings. Goodbye.”
She hurried away, not even waiting to hear Liao Chengyu’s reply, nor caring about his reaction.
She really doesn’t like me. Watching her retreating figure, Liao Chengyu let out a helpless sigh.
Yan Xi nearly ran another red light before arriving at the hospital. She rushed straight to Yan Yinan’s on-call room, frantic beyond belief. “How is she? Where is she?”
Yan Yinan was organizing medical records. He looked up at her. “Oh, you got here fast.”
Yan Xi couldn’t even catch her breath. The fine hairs at her temples were messy, and beads of sweat glistened on the tip of her nose. “Where is she?”
“She’s fine, she just fell asleep. It was rough on her, though; it hurt so much she couldn’t sleep at first.” Yan Yinan led her over and opened the inner door. Yan Xi walked in.
Her gaze landed on the young girl lying on her side. Her hand dangled off the edge, her brows tightly knitted, sleeping very restlessly.
Yan Xi’s eyes swept over her hand, and her own eyes stung. Her fingers twitched, and she pulled back her outstretched hand.
“Is it serious?” she asked softly, drawing a breath.
What did this level of injury amount to? Working in plastic surgery, Yan Yinan had seen far too many cases of accidental disfigurement—missing ears, lost eyes. This was light-years away from being ‘serious.’
But looking at Yan Xi’s expression, he didn’t dare say such things. “It’s fine, it’s not serious. It’s just quite painful…”
“But this wound looks so…” Yan Xi couldn’t even finish the sentence.
Yan Yinan glanced at it. It was fine, merely child’s play.
Yan Xi’s gaze locked onto Anzhi’s hand and face. “Third Brother! Don’t let her scar…”
“I know, I know. Girls all love to be pretty. Alright, you go home first. Let Anzhi sleep here for the night; it took a lot for her to finally fall asleep.”
Yan Xi frowned. “I’m staying here.”
“You have work tomorrow. Oh, right, you’ll need to ask for a few days off for Anzhi too. I’ll write her a medical certificate. And the ointment, the precautions—you need to pay attention to all of it…” Yan Yinan instructed. Seeing Yan Xi merely staring at Anzhi, he wondered if she had absorbed a single word.
He called her name, and Yan Xi finally reacted, nodding. “I know everything.”
A strange feeling welled up in Yan Yinan’s chest, but he didn’t have time to delve into it. “Hurry back. Come pick her up tomorrow. She’ll be fine with me watching over her. You, on the other hand—it’s too late now.”
Yan Xi finally nodded. Just as the two were about to walk out, Anzhi suddenly let out a soft sob from the bed. Yan Yinan watched as Yan Xi immediately halted in her tracks, turned back to the bed, observed her closely, and reached out to stroke her head. Yan Xi lingered for nearly another half an hour, only leaving once Anzhi was deeply asleep.
This action between them was as natural as it could be, carrying an unparalleled tacit understanding.
But watching them, Yan Yinan found it somewhat ambiguous.
Yan Yinan considered himself highly knowledgeable about women’s hearts. He was a pure straight man, but he absolutely possessed the level of understanding required to be a gay best friend4.
But now, he found he didn’t quite understand anymore.
The author has something to say:
I don’t know if the treatment described for burns is accurate. Corrections are welcome.
Footnotes
- An idiom (yù shù lín fēng) describing a man who is exceptionally handsome, tall, and refined, literally meaning 'a jade tree facing the wind'.
- A digital version of the traditional Chinese red envelope (hóngbāo) containing money, sent via the WeChat app as a gift for birthdays or holidays.
- 'Fùnǚ zhī yǒu' is a slang term for a man who gets along exceptionally well with women, often serving as a trusted confidant or platonic best friend.
- 'Gay-mì' is a slang portmanteau of the English word 'gay' and 'guīmì' (best female friend), referring to a woman's gay male best friend.
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