Peaches and Plums Don’t Speak – Chapter 91

Cold War and Farewell

Yan Xi went to find Anzhi and saw her coming out of the bathroom with red eyes, walking to the living room to drink water.

“Taotao, did the spice get to you… or?”

            

Or did you cry?

Yan Xi studied her. Her eyes were red, and her lips were red too.

Anzhi took a large gulp, swallowed, and looked up with a smile. “I’ve been craving those tiger-skin green peppers¹ for a long time.”

            

Yan Xi watched her without speaking.

Anzhi lowered her eyes.

Yan Xi felt the weight of frustration pressing down on her again—Anzhi’s refusal to communicate, her silent endurance.

            

Lately, everything in her life had been complicated and exhausting. Work constraints that kept her from doing what she wanted. An old flame who had returned. Aging parents with health problems. A teenager going through puberty who was impossible to understand. All these people, all these matters—she felt pressure like never before.

She sighed softly. “Is there anything you can’t tell me?”

Anzhi’s eyes instantly grew redder. She said nothing, only biting her lip hard.

            

Liu Yiyi, watching from behind Yan Xi, felt her teeth ache from the tension. She stepped forward to break the deadlock.

“What are you two talking about?”

Anzhi’s head snapped up. “Second Aunt, didn’t you say you were taking me to get my hair washed? Let’s go now.”

            

Liu Yiyi froze. Yan Xi turned and saw her too. She had to play along. “Oh… right. Let’s go. Yes, yes, I need to get my hair trimmed anyway. We’ll go together and get facials too.”

Yan Xi’s gaze moved between them. “At this hour?”

“Yes. Do you want to come?” Liu Yiyi asked casually.

            

Anzhi almost blurted out “no.”

Her eyes met Yan Xi’s. Yan Xi gazed at her, clearly understanding what she meant. Without any emotion in her voice, she said, “…You two go. I won’t.”

She turned and walked away, missing Anzhi behind her, covering her mouth as tears fell.

            

Liu Yiyi took Anzhi out. By nearly ten that night, she still hadn’t returned. Worried, Yan Xi called Liu Yiyi, only to learn she had taken Anzhi back to her own place because it was too late.

Yan Xi felt a knot of frustration in her chest. She didn’t know which of the two of them to vent her frustration at. They hadn’t even called or sent a message to let her know.

She put down her phone and went to chat with Grandfather and Grandmother Yan for a while. At eleven, she returned to her room to shower and sleep.

            

But once she lay down, she tossed and turned for over an hour without falling into deep sleep. She simply got up, pulled out a book, but couldn’t read it either. Her mind remained troubled.

Yan Xi stood and began pacing in circles, though she didn’t even realize she was doing it. She was thinking about dinner at the table.

In her anxiety, she discovered a problem: she had never considered what Anzhi’s life would look like when she grew up. Not just Anzhi—she didn’t even know how to adjust herself.

            

From Anzhi’s perspective, she had no home to begin with. Yan Xi was her home. The Yan family was her home. Any outsider would threaten her position, so her distress was understandable. But she couldn’t say anything, because…

Yan Xi suddenly remembered when Anzhi first came to them as a child. Back then, she didn’t even dare say she didn’t like boxed milk or bitter melon.

Perhaps in her heart, she had always felt like she was living under someone else’s roof. Add to that the sensitivity of puberty, and her emotions would be unstable—she was silently bearing it all on her own.

            

Yan Xi’s heart ached again, with a touch of helplessness. She could comfort her, hold her, like when she was little. But getting too close to her now… Yan Xi would feel like she was being inappropriate. From a rational perspective, children grow up and leave. She would have her own life.

Yan Xi was awake all night. She realized that over these ten years, she and Anzhi had formed such deep bonds that she couldn’t find a good way to adjust. She wanted to communicate properly with her tomorrow, but first Anzhi had to be willing to communicate with her.

The next evening after work, she came to Anzhi’s room.

            

Anzhi had just showered and was blow-drying her hair. Her mood seemed much calmer.

Yan Xi searched for an opening. “Did you cut your hair?”

“Mm…” Anzhi combed her hair. It fell softly at her shoulders, slightly shorter than before. “Summer is coming. I cut it a bit.”

            

Yan Xi studied her. “You dyed it too.”

Deep tea gray—the color at the crown and near her ears was a deeper tea brown, while the stylist had added a touch of gray at the ends. It had a gradient effect. Unlike the monotony of black hair, it suited Anzhi’s temperament—quiet yet lively.

“It looks nice. It suits you,” Yan Xi said.

            

“Mm. Second Aunt said the same thing. She told me to keep going to that stylist.” Anzhi smiled.

Yan Xi read her body language. “Taotao, I was thinking—you don’t need to take the college entrance exam. Do you have any plans for summer break?”

Yan Xi thought about how, since Anzhi started high school, they had never gone anywhere together. This summer Anzhi had three months. Maybe she could adjust her work schedule and free up half a month to take her traveling. They could talk properly, and she could understand what was on her mind.

            

Anzhi paused, then said, “Second Aunt already signed me up for a summer camp in Nanjing.”

Yan Xi blurted out in surprise, “You already signed up for a summer camp?”

“Mm. It’s a cultural history camp. This time we’re going to Nanjing, the ancient capital of six dynasties².” Anzhi thought for a moment, then added, “For twenty days.”

            

Yan Xi felt the frustration of being one-upped. She pressed her fingers to her temple. “…That’s fine too.”

Leaving her room, Yan Xi called Liu Yiyi. “Why did you suddenly sign Anzhi up for a summer camp? Is it reliable?”

Liu Yiyi’s end was noisy—she was probably watching an action movie. She told her husband to pause it first.

            

Then she said, “It’s reliable, reliable. You have to sign accident insurance to register. Don’t worry. The camp staff contacts parents every day to update them.”

“And I asked around—all the kids signed up are about Anzhi’s age. The team leaders and tour guides are all very experienced. Don’t worry.”

Yan Xi couldn’t think of anything else to say, only growing more frustrated. Couldn’t the two of them discuss things with her before deciding?

            

Liu Yiyi added, “Oh right, in July I want to take Anzhi abroad.”

“What? Abroad for what?”

“Fashion Week starts in July. This child has never been abroad. I want to take her to see the world. I’m going to New York and Milan this year. Japan is still up in the air—not confirmed yet.”

            

Yan Xi frowned. “You’re so busy. Why take her along? Can you even take care of her?”

“She can be my little assistant. She’ll come with me to shows, maybe even meet some Hollywood stars. I’m not busy all day every day… Oh, does she have her ID card?”

“She does, but…” Yan Xi was caught off guard. These arrangements had completely disrupted her plans.

            

“I already asked Little Anzhi last night. She wants to go with me.”

“…”

“But that’s after she gets back from camp. I’m telling you in advance so you don’t say we didn’t discuss it with you.”

            

Yan Xi had nothing left to say. Only one question remained: “…When did you two get so close?”

She went back to Anzhi’s room to ask her directly.

Anzhi looked at her. “Mm… I want to go.”

            

Yan Xi felt her chest rise and fall heavily. She wanted to say something, but in the end, she held back.

“All right…”

She looked at her silently and carefully for a few seconds, then turned and left the room.

            

Liu Yiyi tossed her phone aside and let out a long breath. She said to Yan Yixi, “I have truly bent my body and exhausted my energy³ for your Yan family!”

Yan Yixi looked at her in confusion.

Liu Yiyi pushed him and climbed over. “You’d better make it up to me tonight. My heart is nearly shattered from all this worry.”

            

Before leaving for the summer camp, Anzhi went to say goodbye to Xu Jia’er. She was heading to America first to join her parents, who were working there, before starting university. They went to the snack street near school first—hand-grabbed pancakes⁴, hot dogs, salty tofu pudding⁵—they ate their way through everything.

“I thought you’d at least consider going abroad…” Xu Jia’er said to her.

Anzhi murmured, “Because I still want to grow a bit taller.”

            

Xu Jia’er didn’t understand. Anzhi smiled. This height joke was something only she and Yan Xi understood.

After their last parting on bad terms, this was the first time Yan Xi had given her the cold shoulder. Anzhi bore it silently. She really did need this cooling-off period. She had to get used to the idea that Yan Xi would have a life beyond her. She needed this summer to think things through.

Anzhi changed the subject. “Will you come back?”

            

Xu Jia’er said, “Probably not for a while. I’ll likely live there in the future. I want to get married and start a family.”

Xu Jia’er always knew what she wanted and acted on it. She was always moving forward.

Anzhi saw her off at the airport.

            

“Little Class Monitor, I’m glad I met you. I hope we’ll meet again.” Xu Jia’er opened her arms.

Anzhi hugged her. “You’ll definitely become someone amazing.”

Xu Jia’er held her and laughed. “And I’ll have a beautiful girlfriend!”

            

Anzhi’s dimples appeared. “Of course. You’re so handsome.”

“So you finally think I’m handsome?”

“I always have.”

            

In the surging crowd, they embraced and parted.

Anzhi thought she would always remember Xu Jia’er—her confidence and pride, her openness and candor. In a corner of her heart, she would treasure the affection Xu Jia’er had once held for her.

Anzhi didn’t like farewell scenes, so she turned and left early.

            

She didn’t see Xu Jia’er look back at her one last time. The handsome girl gazed at the girl she had once liked, remembering their first meeting, that uncontrollable kiss, and the confession she knew would fail. She took a deep breath, said goodbye to her first love in her heart, and strode toward the boarding gate.

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