Peaches and Plums Don’t Speak – Chapter 86
by Little PandaDeep Winter
As the year drew to a close, the city was once again swept by wind and snow.
Anzhi had been waiting at the entrance to the Foreign Language University for thirty minutes. Her face was nearly frozen stiff. She stamped her feet in the cold, rubbing her hands together and breathing into them for warmth. She had come out early, and her phone, unplugged, had already run out of battery.
Yan Xi hadn’t come to pick her up yet. She didn’t know how long she had been waiting, and she had no way to notify her.
She glanced at the snowflakes drifting in the air and tucked her hands into her pockets. Traffic might be backed up. She would wait a little longer.
The training camp had lasted over forty days, gathering the most formidable high school students from the best schools across the country. Some schools had dedicated competition classes; some students had been preparing since their first year of high school.
In the end, she was not selected to go abroad for the ICHO competition. She hadn’t performed well in the final practical test. The team leaders, considering overall strength, had chosen another student instead, sending that student along with three others to represent the national team. Four were chosen from fifty. Anzhi placed fifth and returned in defeat1.
The teachers still thought very highly of her. They made a point of speaking to her to offer comfort, saying this was just one exam and she shouldn’t take it too hard. A broader future awaited her; she would achieve even greater things.
Anzhi breathed on her frozen hands again.
The final week had been exam week, filled with tests. It was understandable that her performance hadn’t been ideal—perhaps she had simply been too confident.
A snowflake drifted into her eye, a cold, piercing intrusion.
Anzhi sighed. She pulled her small suitcase along, the dead phone silent in her pocket. It wouldn’t ring again. Yan Xi must have been delayed by something. She left the university gates, dragging her luggage behind her.
Anzhi walked step by step, pulling the suitcase. A few days ago, Liu Yiyi had let something slip during their phone call. Anzhi knew that Yan Xi’s ex-boyfriend had returned.
She had never met this person; she had only heard about him from the Yan family growing up. After falling for Yan Xi, she had secretly asked Liu Yiyi about him. She learned that he was the person Yan Xi had liked, and that they had been together for over two years.
Like a monster in a fairy tale—you think it exists only in fantasy, never expecting it to one day appear in reality.
She waited for the light at a crosswalk. She wasn’t dressed warmly enough; her limbs felt stiff. She could hear her own ragged breathing. It was so cold.
The light turned green. She pulled her suitcase across the road, passing other pedestrians who were also hurrying through the crosswalk. Anzhi suddenly stiffened, patting her pocket, and spun around. All she saw were the backs of strangers.
Her phone was gone.
The snowy roads were slippery, making driving difficult. Yan Xi’s car had been scraped by another driver on the way. Seeing her car, the other party had been unreasonable and pestered her endlessly2. Yan Xi had furrowed her brow and handled the matter with patience. Just as she was about to return to her car, she saw Gao Jiming across the street.
Yan Xi frowned. At the wedding, their encounter had been brief and lukewarm3. It was nothing more than:
“Long time no see.”
“What a coincidence.”
“I received an invitation and came back for the wedding.”
“I received an invitation too.”
To be honest, Yan Xi had been completely unprepared at the time, so she hadn’t known how to react. Fortunately, someone had come over to pull Gao Jiming away to chat. She had let out a breath of relief and found an excuse to leave early.
Later, she laughed at herself. He was just an ex. Handling it that way made her seem a bit petty. She put the matter aside. The next day, Gao Jiming called her.
“Lucky your number hasn’t changed.”
Yan Xi replied, “It’s convenient. I’m used to the old number.”
“It’s rare for me to come back. I’d like to visit Grandfather Yan and Grandmother Yan.”
Yan Xi paused.
Back when they were deeply in love, the happiest discovery was that their grandfathers actually knew each other and had a history. During that special period when the older generation of intellectuals faced persecution, Grandfather Yan had tipped off Gao Jiming’s grandfather in time. His grandfather had taken his wife and fled to Hong Kong, later going abroad.
The old man never returned to China. Instead, Gao Jiming’s mother returned, met his father, and they married and raised a family in Beicheng.
“My grandfather passed away the year before last,” Gao Jiming said on the phone.
Yan Xi was moved. “My condolences.”
With things having reached this point, Yan Xi couldn’t refuse. Gao Jiming visited the Yan Family Old Residence. He had grown into his looks—he had been charming in his youth, and now his manner was gentle. He smiled before he spoke, humble and polite. Grandfather Yan and Grandmother Yan liked him as always. Even Auntie Xin went happily to the kitchen to order extra dishes to keep him for dinner.
Even Yan Xi was dazed for a second or two, as if she were back in the scene where she first brought him home to meet her family.
Only, time did not age, but the past was far away.
Yan Xi thought it was just a chance encounter and a visit. She hadn’t expected to run into him again today.
Gao Jiming walked over. In the deep winter4, with snow filling the sky, he wore a long down jacket and a scarf. From any angle, he looked like a male lead walking out of a romance movie.
He stopped in front of her and flashed a smile that showed his teeth.
Yan Xi felt a headache coming on. What was it this time? It was cold, and she didn’t have time to banter with him.
“Are you just passing by again this time?” she asked.
“No, I came to find you.”
“I don’t have time. I have to go to the Foreign Language University to pick someone up.” Yan Xi checked the time.
“The Foreign Language University? Hmm, there’s a traffic jam over there. If you drive now, you’ll just get stuck. Give me a moment.”
Yan Xi took out her phone to check the traffic, dialing as she asked, “If you have something to say, say it here.”
“It’s too cold. Look, your face is pale. Let’s find a place to have a hot drink.”
Yan Xi couldn’t get through. She looked up at the snow, which was falling harder, and nodded.
They found a nearby coffee shop. Yan Xi’s expression relaxed as her hand touched the warm cup. The shop was toasty. She tucked her hair back and took a sip.
Then, as if remembering something, she checked her phone and dialed again.
Gao Jiming watched her series of actions and expressions, chuckling softly. “Someone important?”
Yan Xi frowned, muttering to herself, “Why isn’t she picking up?” She hadn’t noticed what he had just said. “Hmm? What?”
Gao Jiming smiled. “A boyfriend? Or… a husband?”
Yan Xi shook her head. “Neither. It’s…”
She suddenly hesitated, unsure how to define Anzhi’s identity.
“Is something wrong?” She sent a text message and temporarily set the phone aside.
“This trip back, there’s an opportunity. Shengda Games wants me to come develop a game.”
“Hmm? You want to come back?”
“I’m considering it. My dad is getting older, and…” Gao Jiming’s gaze fell on her face. His gentle, deep eyes held a smile. The implication was clear.
Yan Xi glanced at him. “What about your wife?”
“Wife?” Gao Jiming froze, then laughed. “Since when am I married?”
Yan Xi saw that his expression didn’t seem fake. She was surprised. “I heard your girlfriend proposed to you, and then you got engaged…”
Gao Jiming seemed to recall, then smiled. “Alex? She’s the only one who ever proposed to me. But actually…”
His smile was a bit helpless. “Alex did propose to me, but a week later she felt it was too rushed. She wasn’t ready, so she cancelled the wedding.”
“Huh?”
“Yes!” He looked embarrassed. “She proposed to me in public, and then she cancelled it in public, saying she’d been bewitched by the beauty of an Eastern man and lost her rationality, which made her want to get married. Fortunately, she woke up in time.”
Yan Xi burst out laughing.
“Embarrassing, right?” Gao Jiming shook his head with a smile.
“Back then, all our classmates and friends here heard the news that you were married. What happened then?”
“What could I do? I was far away. I explained the situation to my parents. As for everyone else, I let it go… trying to clarify would have been even more humiliating.”
Yan Xi lowered her eyes. Her fingers shifted around the coffee cup. She pursed her lips and didn’t respond.
“Back then, I was single-minded about going abroad. Aside from wanting to see the world, I wanted to prove myself. I gave up a very precious relationship.”
Yan Xi felt this statement was somewhat unfair. She shook her head. “I was the one who broke up with you.”
“No, Yan Xi.” Gao Jiming reached out, wanting to hold her hand, but pulled back, afraid she would mind. “It was I who didn’t give you enough security.”
Yan Xi froze. She turned to look at him, surprised to hear those words from his mouth. They looked at each other for several seconds. Yan Xi looked away. “I have to go!”
She walked and dialed her phone. A mechanical, sweet voice came from the other end: “The subscriber you have dialed is powered off.” Yan Xi frowned, hung up, and dialed again, walking faster toward her car.
“Yan Xi,” Gao Jiming caught up. “I have more to say to you…”
“I don’t have time right now.” Yan Xi checked the time and checked her messages again. No reply. Her anxiety grew.
“Yan Xi!”
“Sorry, I’m really in a rush.” Yan Xi had reached the car. She took out her keys.
Just then, Yan Xi’s phone vibrated. She answered it quickly.
Anzhi didn’t have any cash on her, and her phone had been stolen. Fortunately, she still had her transit card. At the subway entrance, pedestrians hurried past. Anzhi entered the carriage and found a seat. She sat down wearily. She had walked a long time to find the subway entrance.
There was no direct subway to the house. She rode five stops, exited the subway, and went to Liu Yiyi’s company.
When Liu Yiyi came out to get her, Anzhi was curled up on a chair in the reception room, huddled into a ball. As soon as she saw her, she said, “Call Auntie.”
Liu Yiyi put it on speaker. After the ring, Yan Xi’s voice sounded. “Yiyi?”
“Where are you? Xiao Anzhi is with me. Her phone was stolen.” Anzhi called out to her from the side.
“Taotao? Good. If she’s with you, I’m relieved. I’m here…”
Just then, a magnetic, gentle male voice sounded from Yan Xi’s end. “Yiyi, hello. Long time no see. When can we get together?”
Liu Yiyi and Anzhi heard every word clearly. Liu Yiyi paused. She glanced at Anzhi and spoke slowly. “Oh… you’re there too?”
Anzhi’s eyelashes trembled. She lowered them, casting a dark shadow over her pale little face. She unconsciously hugged her shoulders. She felt that today was truly too cold.
Footnotes
- Lit. 'to return with drooping feathers.' An idiom describing a defeated return, originally referring to a bird with broken wings.
- To pester or entangle someone unreasonably; to act shamelessly and refuse to let a matter drop.
- Lit. 'neither salty nor bland.' Used to describe a conversation or relationship that is indifferent, perfunctory, or lacking in substance.
- Lit. 'cold winter, twelfth month.' Refers to the coldest days of winter, specifically the twelfth lunar month.
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