I’ll listen to you
Due to illness, Lin Xian didn’t attend the student council and debate club meetings on Monday and Tuesday, but by Wednesday, her cold had gotten much better. Contemplating the dazzling red bills of her tutorial fee, and considering the approaching birthday of Xiao Wanqing, she decided to bow to the necessity of money. Yet, unwilling to forgo the evening’s tender moments with Xiao Wanqing, she had to endure the pain of giving them up.
Xiao Wanqing, concerned that Lin Xian might catch a cold again by riding her little sheep in the night breeze, suggested picking her up and dropping her off. Lin Xian, stumbling over her words, lied that an elective course might end with a club organization activity and she wasn’t sure what time it would finish, refusing to let Xiao Wanqing come for her. Xiao Wanqing, seeing her insistence, was worried but respected her decision, not insisting too much.
After 9 p.m., Lin Xian didn’t head back to school, but got a ride home with Xia Zhijin instead of riding her little sheep.
Just like Xiao Wanqing, Xia Zhijin was considerate of Lin Xian’s cold that was just starting to improve and didn’t want her to ride her little sheep in the wind.
Xia Zhijin seemed to have a worse cold than Lin Xian, wearing a mask, and Lin Xian would occasionally hear her cough softly twice.
The car window next to the driver’s seat was rolled down by a large margin, and Lin Xian watched as the night wind mercilessly toyed with Xia Zhijin’s dark hair, revealing her slightly haggard and weary sickly appearance. She suggested, “Sister Zhijin, why don’t you roll up the window?”
Xia Zhijin’s voice was somewhat hoarse as she expressed her concern, “Are you cold?” She added apologetically, “I’m worried that if I close it completely, the air inside the car won’t circulate, and it would be bad if I accidentally infected you.”
“There is a blanket in the back seat. If you feel cold, can you make do and drape it over yourself?”
Hearing this, Lin Xian was somewhat surprised, and then touched. Sister Zhijin was just so nice! She had offered to drive her home because she was afraid Lin Xian would catch the wind, and now she was the one enduring the chill.
Unbuckling her seat belt, Lin Xian turned around, pulled a blanket from the back seat, and gently placed it over Xia Zhijin. She spoke softly, “It’s okay to roll it up. I’m not cold; you’ve been blocking the wind for me.”
Xia Zhijin did not heed her suggestion but turned to her with a gentle smile in her eyes and said a soft “Thank you.”
Lin Xian spoke a few more words, but Xia Zhijin remained indifferent. Understanding that Xia Zhijin was determined not to roll up the car window, Lin Xian chose not to pursue the matter further. She looked at the two clay figures placed in the car, one of Xia Zhijin and the other obviously of Shi Man. Hesitating for a moment, she still couldn’t help but ask, “Sister Zhijin, have you and Manman… made up?”
These past few days, Shi Man’s complexion changed from morning to afternoon. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. Lin Xian, always astute in reading people, did not dare to broach the subject since Shi Man looked troubled and had not taken the initiative to talk about it, so Lin Xian hadn’t dared to ask either.
Xia Zhijin let out a muffled laugh, tinged with a bit of bitterness: “We were almost okay, but today I insisted on coming to tutor, and it got bad again.” She sighed, as if to ease Lin Xian’s worries, and perhaps also to console herself, reassuringly said: “Don’t worry, Manman is not one to hold a grudge, her anger doesn’t last long. I’ll coax her well when I get back, it’ll be okay.”
She and Shi Man seemed to have entered a dead-end alley with no visible exit. The difference between them objectively existed; as long as she still cared and Shi Man remained indifferent, their divergence was inevitable, leading to arguments. Sometimes she too felt at fault, wondering why she couldn’t let go of these troubles.
The atmosphere inexplicably turned a bit heavy.
Lin Xian sensed it, she almost imperceptibly bit her lip, then laughed to lighten the mood, teasingly saying, “Manman’s temper is distinctive, but it seems to me she doesn’t really show much temper toward Sister Zhijin.” She looked at a small box in the car and asked curiously, “May I ask, what is that?”
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Xia Zhijin glanced at it and answered, “It’s a pair of couple phone charms.” It was as if she thought of something amusing, and her voice carried a doting smile, “I saw them in the evening and thought they were quite cute, so I picked them up. Manman really likes these kinds of things, especially those that come in pairs.” She flipped her phone over, “Did you notice something?”
Lin Xian looked closely at the phone case for a moment and felt… it was familiar! “Isn’t it just like Manman’s? Manman’s is red, and yours is white.”
Xia Zhijin nodded, “Yeah. There are many more at home, ranging from large suitcases and clothes to small things like toothbrushes and cups, all in matching couples’ designs.” She suddenly turned her face away, with a barely perceptible sweet tone, “This mask is part of a set too.”
Lin Xian’s gaze gradually became vacant. Xia Zhijin, normally so cool and reserved, couldn’t help but flaunt her relationship! This was practically dog food on a grand scale! But that wasn’t right, she wasn’t single either, sobbing quietly to herself.
Her thoughts slowly drifted to Xiao Wanqing.
She thought mournfully that she and Auntie Xiao didn’t have any matching items.
On Saturday afternoon, Xiao Wanqing went to the supermarket to stock up on groceries. Lin Xian, staying in her room playing games, heard Xiao Wanqing calling out to her before leaving, “Xianxian, I’m headed to the supermarket and will be back soon.”
Lin Xian suddenly became nervous and subconsciously spoke out to keep her company, “Wait, I’ll go with you.”
She deserted her friends in the middle of the game, as if forgetting the ongoing team competition in the arena. Resolutely, she quit the game and casually told her friends Chen Zhi and Tang Mo, “Oops, my game crashed.” Then she planned her escape.
From her laptop, Tang Mo’s annoyed voice came through: “Baldy Lin, we all heard that, alright? The enemy was just a sliver away from death, couldn’t you have waited a moment?” Lin Xian had recently started playing a Shaolin character in the game, so they had given Lin Xian a new nickname. Every time Lin Xian heard this nickname, she couldn’t help but touch her thick hair, feeling a shiver run down her spine.
As Tang Mo complained, Chen Zhi’s voice overlapped: “Ahhh, Momo, revive me, quick, ah, don’t hit me, I’m dead… #$% Lin Xian, I’m gonna smash your…” Before she could finish, Lin Xian closed the voice chat app YY, put her hands together with a mischievous smile, and chanted, “Travel well, dear patron.”
She turned around, quickly jogged over to Xiao Wanqing, took her hand without a hint of guilt, and cheerfully said, “Let’s go.”
Xiao Wanqing stood at the door, having witnessed the whole scene, and couldn’t help but chuckle: “Actually, you didn’t need to rush; I could have waited a while, no problem.”
Lin Xian leaned towards Xiao Wanqing, resting her chin on Xiao Wanqing’s shoulder and half-draping herself over her, cooing with a smile, “It is urgent. You are my most important matter.”
Xiao Wanqing’s heart softened further with the tender voice. She looked at Lin Xian with softened eyes, tightened her grip on the hand interlocked with Lin Xian’s, and suddenly lifted her free hand to gently pull at the black hair that fell over Lin Xian’s shoulder, teasingly retorting, “Let’s go then, Little Baldy Lin.”
“Wow! Xiao xiaowan, how can you be just as mean as them!” Lin Xian whined, clinging to her in feigned distress. Xiao Wanqing was amused by her behavior, her elegant face always wearing a light smile.
Upon reaching the supermarket, the two leisurely picked out ingredients together. Suddenly, Lin Xian made a request, “Auntie Xiao, I want to switch to a new toothbrush.”
Xiao Wanqing reflected for a moment; she had specially changed Lin Xian’s toothbrush for her before going on a business trip, and it didn’t seem like it was time to replace the toothbrush yet. However, she suspected that perhaps the toothbrush wasn’t suitable for Lin Xian, maybe Lin Xian wasn’t comfortable using it, which is why she wanted a new one. So, without any doubts, she agreed: “Sure, they are over there. You can go pick one out.”
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In fact, she remembered that Lin Xian used a soft-bristled toothbrush, so the one she had replaced for her was also soft-bristled. It’s just that the nearby supermarket didn’t carry the same brand as the one Lin Xian had brought with her, so the brand was not the same.
She stood by Lin Xian at the shelf, patiently watching her as she sifted through the choices. Eventually, Lin Xian picked out a blue toothbrush with a small frog on the handle. Xiao Wanqing silently took note of the brand and model of the toothbrush, thinking that she shouldn’t make a mistake next time. However, Lin Xian suddenly turned her head, pursed her lips tentatively, and asked with some hesitation, “Auntie Xiao, would you like to buy one too?”
Xiao Wanqing was taken aback for a moment. She was about to refuse since she still had unused ones at home. But upon seeing the unspoken anticipation in the girl’s clear, shining eyes, she swallowed the words of refusal.
She blinked, curved her lips into a slight smile, and agreed with her: “Okay.”
And so, Lin Xian’s bright and charming face was instantly illuminated by a radiant, unhidden smile. Her voice light and teasing, she asked, “Do you want one just like it? Pink?”
Xiao Wanqing glanced at the two toothbrushes in the girl’s hand—noticing they were identical in design but different in color—and then at the girl’s curved, smiling eyes. Suddenly, she had an epiphany, understanding the subtle shyness behind the girl’s actions.
Her smile grew wider as she turned away, playfully flicking the fine hair behind her ear. Pretending to browse, she deliberately picked out a toothbrush with stiff bristles, a stark contrast to Lin Xian’s usual preference. With a casual chuckle, she said, “I’ll take this one.”
Lin Xian’s smiling face collapsed in an instant. Her eyes drooped; she pouted, expressing her discontent: “That one’s particularly hard; it can easily make the gums bleed.”
But seeing that Xiao Wanqing seemed set on her choice, Lin Xian bit her lip, resolved to keep her company to the bitter end: “Then I’ll take this one too.” With that, she put back the toothbrush she had first chosen and reached out for another of the same model but a different color.
A faint sweetness fluttered in Xiao Wanqing’s heart, and she couldn’t help but laugh softly. She pressed down Lin Xian’s outstretched hand, her voice gentle, “I didn’t look carefully just now; this is a hard bristle.” She reached for the toothbrush that Lin Xian had just put back and took another pink one, under Lin Xian’s soft gaze, she placed both toothbrushes into the shopping basket. “Let’s get these two then.”
Her eyes, gentle as water, gazed at Lin Xian. She lifted her hand, playfully stroked Lin Xian’s nose, and with a smile, she asked, “How about we also switch out the tooth mug and towels?” Her laughter was tinted with an unmistakable teasing, yet it was very tender.
Lin Xian stared blankly at Xiao Wanqing, seeing herself in her lover’s eyes, embarrassed yet joyful, terribly coy. She belatedly realized that earlier, Auntie Xiao had clearly been teasing her.
Her little schemes must have been utterly transparent.
But in Xiao Wanqing’s eyes, there was an obvious fullness of doting tenderness and affection.
She was willing.
She was willing to accompany her and indulge her, allowing herself to childishly overflow with girlish sentiment.
Lin Xian’s eyes met hers, their fingers intertwined, slowly blooming with joy, her face alight with smiles.
She blinked, her eyes brimming with laughter, nodded in agreement with Xiao Wanqing, and said, “Okay, let’s change them all.” She thought for a moment and then, becoming a bit greedier, added, “I want to change the drinking cups too.”
“I’ll listen to you,” the woman’s voice, clear and gentle, responded softly to her.
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“Xiao xiaowan, how can you be so nice?” The girl couldn’t suppress the joy in her heart and crashed into Xiao Wanqing’s embrace, saying these words softly and tenderly by her neck. Holding onto Xiao Wanqing’s waist, she lifted her head, her beautiful eyebrows and the corners of her eyes showcased the youthful charm that lay between a girl and a woman.
In her eyes, there was an affection so deep it could drown someone, and the slightly parted delicate lips were sensually enticing, prompting a desire to…
In that moment, Xiao Wanqing’s heart pounded like a drum.
She unconsciously swallowed, moving her gaze down to the shopping basket, focusing on the pair of couple’s toothbrushes, one blue and one pink. She daydreamed that later, they would also have couple’s drinking cups, couple’s towels, couple’s water bottles…
Much later, they might even have couple’s shoes, couple’s clothes, and even couple’s pillows…
Lin Xian would occupy her heart just as she was gradually filling Xiao Wanqing’s emotional life in reality.
It seemed that the fact Lin Xian was already her girlfriend was slowly, bit by bit, becoming a tangible reality.
