Peaches and Plums Don’t Speak – Chapter 6

The Frog in My Stomach

They were sitting by the window. Outside, the curtain of night was falling, the inky blackness rolling into the orange glow of the streetlights that blended together at the horizon. Pedestrians walked by in twos and threes.

A gugu¹ sound came from Anzhi’s stomach. She blushed and covered her belly. “The frog in my stomach is croaking.”

The frog in her stomach?

When she saw Yan Xi looking at her, she seemed a little embarrassed. She gestured over her stomach with her small hands. “There’s a frog living in my tummy. When I’m hungry, he’ll… gugu… croak…”

Seeing the smile on Yan Xi’s face deepen, her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke. “…Grandpa said so.”

Yan Xi hid her smile, putting on a look of sudden realization. “So that’s how it is.”

Only then did Anzhi pick up her little spoon and start digging into the mashed potatoes, eating with great relish.

It’s pretty cute how kids look like they’re enjoying their food so much, Yan Xi thought. An undisguised smile filled her eyes. After finishing her hamburger, she didn’t eat anymore, just quietly watched the little girl eat.

It felt like she’d grown up a little.

Yan Xi asked, “Do you know where you live?”

Anzhi took a sip of her juice. “Mhm, I know the bus stop.”

Yan Xi froze for a moment, her brow furrowing slightly. “You take the bus?”

Anzhi bit down on the straw. As she applied a little pressure with her lips, the dimple² on her right cheek deepened. She mumbled, “Sometimes… no one comes to pick me up…”

That day, she’d been taken back by the man called Father to a big house with a driver and servants. Then she was enrolled in kindergarten, and she never saw him again after that.

At first, someone would take her to school and pick her up. But after a few days, seeing that the master of the house didn’t care about her, they started talking behind her back. “She doesn’t have the Chen surname anyway… Why go through so much trouble? Just making sure she doesn’t get lost is good enough…”

Kindergarten let out at four-thirty. Many parents would wait at the gate ahead of time, all wanting to be “number one”³ to pick up their child. Anzhi was always the last one. In the beginning, her teacher would wait with her, but slowly, as it got later and later, the teacher started complaining between the lines about not being able to get off work on time.

Anzhi understood everything. Later, she started walking out of the school gate on her own. She knew no one would come for her, and she didn’t want to go back too early anyway. Going back just meant returning to a big, strange house.

The old sir⁴ at the gate would talk to her. He was the one who taught her how to ride the bus and recognize the bus signs. The first time she got on, the driver thought he was seeing things and stared behind her, assuming an adult would be getting on. All the adults on the bus stared at her, their faces showing expressions of pity. Luckily, the route wasn’t hard to remember. She took the 218 bus, got off at the very last stop, walked three thousand steps, turned around, then walked another thousand steps, and when she counted to the fifth house, she was there.

Anzhi remembered those looks, and her eyes instantly started to sting. She lowered her head slightly. I can’t cry, she told herself. Someone was nice enough to take you out to eat, you can’t cry…

She buried her head even lower, reached for an egg tart⁵, and stuffed it in her mouth, taking big bites.

Yan Xi took a deep breath but couldn’t stop herself from standing up, the movement so large it scraped the chair.

Anzhi heard the sound and looked up, her little mouth trembling as tears threatened to fall. She quickly wiped them away with her small hand and hurriedly looked back down.

Yan Xi’s movements paused. She didn’t know how to comfort a child, so she could only reach out and pat her on the head.

“Wait for me here. I’m going to make a phone call.”

She didn’t want the child to see her angry, so she walked a few steps away and dialed Chen Muqi. When the call connected, Yan Xi took several deep breaths and gave him the gist of the situation. Even with her excellent upbringing, at this moment, she really wanted to punch someone.

Chen Muqi was silent on the other end for a long time before he finally said in a muffled voice, “Well… I don’t know what to do either…”

Yan Xi let out a breath. She looked up and saw the little girl staring at her, a hint of cautious hope in her eyes.
When their gazes met, the girl looked down and started eating her fries.

This little girl was like a tiny seed that had quietly taken root and sprouted in her heart, and now it had grown into a little tree sapling⁶ that couldn’t be ignored. It made her worry.

“How about I send her to a relative’s house? They have kids… They should know how to take care of a child, right…?”

Without a second thought, Yan Xi said, “That won’t be necessary…”

After hanging up, she returned to the table. The kids’ meal⁷ had been nearly finished.

“Are you full?”

Anzhi picked up the last little fry. “I’m full.” She licked her pinky finger. “The frog isn’t croaking anymore.”

Yan Xi’s lips curved into a smile. “I’ll bring you here to eat again sometime.”

The lights in the KFC were dazzlingly bright. Anzhi looked up at her, her dimple deepening slightly as she said, “I have to go back now.”
She adjusted the straps of her backpack.

Yan Xi looked down at her. “You still want to go back?”

Her voice was truly beautiful. This time, her shirt was gray, the sleeves rolled up to reveal slender, pale wrists and a white watch. She was very tall, so she had to bend down to talk to her. Her eyelashes were long, and her face looked soft and gentle under the lights.

Of all the adults she had met, Yan Xi was the gentlest and the nicest to her.

She clutched the straps of her bag and said, “I don’t have anywhere else to go…”

The little tree sapling in Yan Xi’s heart instantly sprouted branches and forked leaves⁸, growing numerous vines that wrapped tightly around her heart, causing it to ache.

After a few seconds of silence, she held out her hand to her. “Come.” She gestured for Anzhi to take it. Anzhi dazedly reached out, and the moment their fingers touched, a soft warmth enveloped her as she was pulled along for a few steps.

Anzhi looked up at her questioningly. The strands of hair by Yan Xi’s ear swayed slightly as she walked. She led her out of the KFC’s main entrance and into the cool night wind, a scene of splendid lanterns first being hung⁹, streets with carriages like flowing water and horses like a dragon¹⁰, and the sound of human voices boiling like a cauldron¹¹.

Anzhi flinched a little, and the hand holding hers tightened. She looked up, and Yan Xi’s gentle, clear gaze met hers. “Anzhi, since you don’t have anywhere else to go, why don’t you come to my house?”

Everything around them seemed to go silent. It felt just like a dream from a fairy tale.

Anzhi got into Yan Xi’s car. The interior was spacious, and the front passenger seat was so wide her legs couldn’t even touch the floor. Buckled in with the seatbelt, she looked like a frightened little animal that had been tied up.

Yan Xi’s lips curled up slightly. She ruffled the girl’s hair and slowed the car down. Seeming to sense the child’s nervousness, she pointed out the car window for her to see.

Anzhi turned her head. Outside the window was a sky full of colorful lights. Looking down from the overpass, they seemed to be floating in mid-air.

With a waaa¹², Anzhi pressed her face against the glass, her eyes wide.

Yan Xi’s eyes curved into a smile. She’d noticed that when this child was surprised, her eyes would go wide, as if she couldn’t think of any words and could only manage a single waaa.

So cute.

Yan Xi’s home was in the suburbs. They hit some traffic, and by the time they reached the residential community, it was already past eight o’clock. The night was deep, the wind stronger. As the car drove into the garden, the long, lush branches of the trees swept past quickly. By the time they reached the garage, Anzhi had already fallen asleep, slumped over in her seat.

She unbuckled her seatbelt, got out, and opened the door on the other side. She carefully lifted the girl into her arms, letting her head rest on her shoulder, and hung the little bunny backpack on her other arm.

So light, so soft.

Much easier to carry than those two little piglets¹³ of my twin nephews.

They passed through a quiet, open-air corridor, past green climbing vines and the faint, fresh scent of chrysanthemums.

As they entered the house, a woman in her fifties with gentle features and a kind smile came out to greet them.

“Xiao Wu¹⁴, you’re back.” She saw Anzhi in Yan Xi’s arms and showed a surprised expression. “Whose child is this?”

“Auntie Xin,” Yan Xi said, “she’s a friend’s child. She’ll be staying with us for a while. Can you see if you can find any clothes for her to wear…?”

The woman called Auntie Xin thought for a moment. “I’m afraid that’ll be difficult…” She said with a hint of helplessness, “We don’t have many girls in the family. Oh. Your childhood clothes are still here, I’ll go look for them…”

“What about my sister-in-law, and Yan Da Pang and Yan Xiao Pang¹⁵?”

Auntie Xin smiled. “Your sister-in-law took them to her parents’ house for a few days. Her parents were missing the kids.”

“That makes sense… It’s about time they went to go wreak some havoc over there…”

Anzhi had woken up while they were talking. Being held felt very comfortable and warm. Having her feet off the ground was normally a very insecure feeling, but she could smell that indescribable fragrance again. It was a soft embrace, and she didn’t want to move; she wanted to be held for a little longer.

Listening to the adults talk, she grew a little curious and unconsciously nuzzled her cheek.

The person holding her noticed. “You’re awake?” she asked softly.

Too embarrassed to turn away, she opened her eyes to look at the “Auntie Xin” standing in front of her, who was watching her with a kind smile.

“Auntie Xin, this is Anzhi.”

Feeling a hand gently pat her back, Anzhi immediately understood and said obediently, “Hello, Auntie Xin…”

Auntie Xin seemed to pause for a second, then broke into a smile again. “Good girl, you should call me Grandma… What an adorable little girl…”
She reached out to pat her head, and Anzhi liked her instantly.

“Xiao Wu, you’ve had a long day too, and you have to go to work tomorrow. Give Anzhi to me.”

She reached out as if to take her, but Anzhi shrank back almost as a reflex, wrapping her arms around Yan Xi’s neck.

Yan Xi laughed. “It’s okay. I’ll take her to see Grandpa and Grandma. Where are they?”

“Oh…” A flicker of surprise crossed Auntie Xin’s face, and then she said, “They’re watching TV on the second floor.”

As she spoke, she tried to take the small backpack hanging from Yan Xi’s arm. Just as Anzhi was about to say something, Yan Xi sidestepped Auntie Xin’s gesture. “I’ll head up then.” She continued carrying her toward the staircase.

Behind them, Auntie Xin smiled thoughtfully. “It seems Xiao Wu really likes this little girl…“

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