Peaches and Plums Don’t Speak – Chapter 15

Dumplings on a Rainy Night

“Xiao Wu, is everything alright?” Grandmother Yan asked, a little worried before she went to sleep.

Grandfather Yan chuckled. “Didn’t we agree not to meddle in the children’s affairs?”

“How can that be the same? Xiao Wu is still a child… and a girl, at that…”

“And how is it any different? Have you forgotten our kids’ nickname? The Four Tyrants of the Yan Family. Xiao Wu is one of them…”

At that, Grandmother Yan started to laugh.

“Anyway, I’m not getting involved in the children’s business anymore. Even if they make mistakes, they have to be the ones to make them, hahahaha….”

In the dead of night, the kitchen light cast a lonely glow. Yan Qi took some dumplings out of the refrigerator.

“Do you like dumplings?” Whenever she was busy, she would tie her hair up. This time, she’d fashioned it into a meatball bun.¹ She blinked, thinking for a moment before saying, “Oh, you probably don’t eat dumplings much where you’re from.”

“Mm… I’ve had them here before…”

“Auntie Xin is especially good at making them. My favorite is the Three Fresh Delicacies² filling.” Yan Qi squinted her eyes in a smile. “How about we have these?”

“What’s Three Fresh Delicacies?”

“Mm, there are many kinds. They can have shelled shrimp,³ winter bamboo shoots, wood ear fungus,⁴ pork, chives, and so on. The main thing is to pick three of them. They’re delicious.”

“Can you make them?”

“Ah…” Yan Qi’s smile turned a little awkward. She crinkled her eyes at Anzhi. “I only know how to eat them… and boil them…”

Yan Qi found a milky-white enamel pot, filled it with water, and turned on the stove. Turning to Anzhi, she said, “Want to see how to cook dumplings?”

Anzhi nodded. She was genuinely curious. But she was just too small; even on her tiptoes, she couldn’t see.

Yan Qi caught sight of her movement and didn’t hide her smile. Anzhi’s wine nests⁵ danced shyly on her cheeks.

Yan Qi pulled over a stool, placing it at a distance where Anzhi could see clearly into the pot but wouldn’t get splashed. She lifted her up and stood her on the chair, not forgetting to remind her, “Remember, you can’t get this close to the stove by yourself.”

“Mm,” Anzhi nodded, delighted.

“Anzhi,” Yan Qi said, staring at her with a smile, “are you really six years old?! You don’t really look it…”

Anzhi: …

Having made fun of the child’s height, Yan Qi laughed as the water came to a boil and she dropped the dumplings in.

“Look… after the water boils, you put the dumplings in. Wait for them to float to the top, then pour in about half a small bowl of cold water. Repeat that two or three times, and they’ll be ready to eat!”

“Water boils?”

“Oh, that’s when the water starts bubbling. That’s when it’s boiling. Right, you can’t boil water by yourself, understand?” Yan Qi stressed again.

Yan Qi lifted the pot lid. Steam billowed out, and the dumplings looked like tiny clouds, floating in little clusters. They were utterly adorable.

Anzhi let out a soft “wow.” She looked at Yan Qi again. In the swirling steam, her side profile seemed to be cast in a soft light, her features deep-set, exquisite, and charming.

Charming. Anzhi suddenly understood how to use that word.

Her grandfather used to teach her words and explain their meanings, but she never quite understood. The sentences she made were always stiff and meaningless. Her grandfather would just smile and say it was okay, that she would master them when she encountered the right context.

Yan Qi scooped the dumplings out and divided them into bowls.

Anzhi got down from the chair, pushed it back to the dining table, and then sat down obediently.

“Here, be careful, it’s hot,” Yan Qi said, sitting next to her and handing her a pair of chopsticks.

The glass door of the kitchen was slick with rain, and the faint sound of wind lashing against it could be heard. On a night like this, a bowl of steaming hot dumplings brought a sense of warmth and comfort to the heart.

Yan Qi was truly hungry. These were her favorite Three Fresh Delicacies dumplings, and this time the filling was winter mushroom,⁶ wood ear fungus, shrimp kernels, and minced pork.⁷ This was also the version Auntie Xin made most often.

The winter mushroom was smooth and tender, the wood ear fungus was crisp, the shrimp kernels were savory, and the minced pork added a meaty fragrance. She dipped them in vinegar and ate several in a row. Though she ate quickly, her movements were still graceful. After eating a few, she turned her head to look at Anzhi, only to find the little girl looking pained, struggling mightily to pick up a dumpling.

Yan Qi let out a snort of laughter.

Anzhi was using children’s chopsticks. The freshly cooked dumplings were plump and slippery, and her skill with the chopsticks wasn’t good enough, so she hadn’t managed to eat a single one yet.

Yan Qi grabbed another pair of chopsticks, reached into Anzhi’s bowl, and picked one up with a steady hand. She brought it to the girl’s small mouth. “Ah… open up.”

Anzhi flushed, embarrassed by her own clumsiness.

Yan Qi smiled. “It’s okay. Here, take a bite. Careful, it’s hot.”

“Blow on it first.”

Anzhi blew on it with her little mouth, then took a small bite. The skin, which looked like it could be broken by a mere flick,⁸ gave way to the rich filling, and the flavors burst open in her mouth.

Her eyes sparkled. Leaning toward Yan Qi’s chopsticks again, she took another big bite.

Yan Qi suddenly felt like she was feeding a pet.

She blinked. A mischievous thought suddenly struck her. She took the remaining little piece, dipped it in the small dish of aged vinegar, and brought it to Anzhi’s mouth again.

Suspecting nothing, Anzhi opened her mouth and swallowed it in one go with an omph. After chewing twice, she let out a little “mngh,” and her little face wrinkled up, almost becoming a little soup dumpling.⁹

Yan Qi couldn’t hold back her laughter. Her smiling eyes reflected the light, making them exceptionally bright.

Anzhi finally managed to swallow the dumpling. She looked at Yan Qi, her little mouth pouting in silent condemnation.

Yan Qi barely managed to suppress her smile and, feigning seriousness, picked up another one to feed her. Anzhi stared at the dumpling warily.

“No vinegar this time. Eat up,” Yan Qi said, nearly bursting into laughter again.

Only then did Anzhi relax and take a bite. But just as she was about to take a second, Yan Qi suddenly moved the chopsticks away, and she bit down on empty air.

Yan Qi’s clear, crisp laughter rang out once more.

Frustrated, Anzhi puffed up her apple-like cheeks.

After they finished the dumplings, Yan Qi washed the dishes. Anzhi stood by the glass door, watching the rain outside.

The downpour had weakened, now just a pitter-patter against the eaves and the glass. It was cold outside, but warm inside the house. The contrast created a sense of security, of being sheltered under a roof.

This is an unforgettable night, Anzhi thought.

Unforgettable. She had memorized the word. She knew how to use it now. Her dimples bloomed.

“Anzhi, come here,” Yan Qi called from behind her.

Anzhi walked over to her.

“Sit here. I have something to tell you.”

Anzhi immediately detected the seriousness in her tone. She couldn’t help but nervously clutch her clothes, her expression turning cautious.

Yan Qi stroked her head and looked into her eyes. “I have an apartment in the city. My parents left it to me. Would you be willing to come live there with me?”

Anzhi’s eyes widened, her heart starting to beat faster.

“But not right now. No one has lived in that apartment for a long time, so there might be things that need repairs. It’ll take a little time.”

Anzhi asked blankly, “Together? Just us?”

“Yes, just the two of us. I was originally going to get everything ready before telling you. I’ve just been so busy, I couldn’t find the time.”

Yan Qi paused.

Anzhi suddenly lowered her head. “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have just run off.”

“I caused you trouble…”

Yan Qi’s gaze softened, and she spoke to her in a gentle voice. “It’s no trouble.”

She pulled Anzhi onto her lap. “I was just a little sad, Anzhi… It feels like you don’t trust me at all.”

Sad?

Anzhi grew alarmed. In her young heart, that was a very, very serious word.

“I, I… it’s not…” she stammered, trying to explain.

“Look, you fell down and didn’t tell me, you were sad and didn’t tell me, and you even secretly ran away from home. Don’t you think that would make me sad?”

Anzhi’s eyes grew moist, on the verge of tears.

“Anzhi, I think it was fate that we met. I want you to grow up by my side, until you’re older, until you have your own life, career, and family.”

“You don’t have to feel like you’re troubling me, and you don’t need to feel embarrassed. I have a job and savings; raising you isn’t a problem. Or I can just lend it to you for now.”

“I’ve already spoken with your father on the phone. He’s willing to cover your living expenses, so you don’t have to worry about any of that.”

As Yan Qi murmured to her, she stroked her hair. A wave of emotion washed over her. In her heart, she didn’t have much of an impression of her parents, who had passed away early. Her childhood and youth were spent under the care of her grandparents. As a child, she never realized what immense pressure they must have been under.

She only remembered that they were very good to her, much gentler than they were with her brothers, though she was still punished when she made mistakes. But most of the time, they doted on her. She remembered when she was nine or ten, her grandparents would still carry her on their backs, hold her, and coax her when they went out.

Her two elders believed that children needed more physical touch to give them a sense of security. Head pats and shoulder pats were especially common.

She needed to be more meticulous and patient with Anzhi. Could she do it? She would do her best.

Anzhi felt dazed under the soft warmth of her palm. The Yan family’s great-grandfather, great-grandmother, and even Grandmother Xin all loved to stroke children’s hair. Yan Qi must have learned it from them. She was a really, really good person. Her eyes swam with tears as she pressed her lips tightly together.

“Hm? Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Anzhi nodded, and a tear plopped down.

Yan Qi looked down at her. “Then I need you to promise me that you’ll never run off so far by yourself like you did today again.”

Anzhi nodded again.

“Good. I believe you. Whether it’s an adult or a child, the people I dislike the most are those who don’t keep their promises. People whose words spoken don’t count.”¹⁰

Anzhi nodded vigorously. She sniffled and held out her pinky finger.

Yan Qi smiled and hooked her own pinky around it.

“Do you have any questions for me?”

“Is that apartment far from where you work?”

Yan Qi smiled. What a thoughtful child.

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The author has something to say:

I was curious if any old readers from my previous work came over. When I first started serializing this, the comments were so pitifully few that I even had to wear a vest¹¹ and leave comments for myself. Sometimes it gets really, really lonely… especially for someone like me who isn’t talented or diligent, is super prone to turtle hair¹² fussiness, and can’t write popular genres.

Life is really hard sometimes. Just sighing a bit.

I asked the little friend Cang Zai¹³ for help with the dumpling boiling process. Everyone has their own method, as long as they’re cooked, it’s fine. Don’t pinch.¹⁴

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