Peaches and Plums Don’t Speak – Chapter 8

Xiao Wu and Tao Tao

Yan Xi picked up the towel wrapped around her body and began drying her hair. After the bath, both her hair and skin carried a sweet, fragrant scent. The shampoo and body wash shared the same smell—the very same fragrance Anzhi had noticed on the woman earlier.

She didn’t know what kind of flower it was.

As Anzhi dried her own hair, she looked around. The bed was large, fitted with a white sheet, a light gray duvet, and dark gray pillows. A tall, black lamp that looked like a probe stood beside the headboard.

There were picture frames on the bedside table. She recognized Yan Xi in one of them, standing with three men. They were all equally tall. Yan Xi wore a high ponytail, her gaze fixed straight ahead, her smile brilliant, with bright eyes and fond glances¹.

Meeting that gaze made it feel as if all the flowers in the world had bloomed at once.

When Yan Xi came out, she found Anzhi’s small hands gripping the photo frame, studying it with intense seriousness.

“That’s me and my brothers.”

Anzhi turned. “Three?”

Yan Xi walked over and sat down, taking the frame from her. She shook her head. “I have four brothers. Third Brother and Fourth Brother were twins…”

She paused for a moment. “When I was five, Fourth Brother and my parents passed away.”

She had just finished her shower and was wearing a nightgown. Her semi-wet hair draped over her shoulders, and she smelled just like Anzhi. Her long lashes lowered slightly, and she didn’t continue.

Anzhi’s little heart tightened. Suddenly, she felt lost.

“That… smell,” Anzhi flushed before squeezing out the words.

Yan Xi was distracted from her thoughts. “What?”

“The hair wash, and… the bath stuff. What flower smells like that?”

“Oh… it’s this…” She brought over a white bottle. It had light green lettering that read “Kai²“. She squeezed out a little lotion and rubbed it in. “We use this brand for everything, shampoo and body wash. It’s gardenia.”

Anzhi didn’t know this flower, so Yan Xi smiled again. “It’s a type of white flower. It was a brand my mother really liked, and I love gardenias.”

She frowned slightly in concentration, seeming to recall a past event. Her gaze turned a bit ethereal, but only for an instant before she smiled at the girl. “There are some planted downstairs, actually. But the flowering season is over now. I’ll show you later.”

It wasn’t really Yan Xi’s bedtime yet, but while she was blow-drying Anzhi’s hair, the little girl was so sleepy she couldn’t keep her eyes open. Her small head bobbed, slowly, slowly tilting toward her. Yan Xi caught her, stroked her hair, and settled her into bed.

She wasn’t used to sleeping with people, let alone sharing the same covers. She grabbed a large blanket and wrapped the little girl up tight, tucking in the corners.

She had intended to watch some video material from the station but decided against it. She was afraid the light would disturb the girl’s sleep.

Lying down beside her, Yan Xi rested one hand behind her head. Her body was relaxed, but her mind was not.

What am I thinking… bringing someone else’s child home…

Did you think clearly about what you’re going to do after this? Her parents are unreliable, but… is it up to you to decide? Are you really going to keep her by your side?

How is that even possible…

Yan Xi had been interning as a director-editor these past few days, running in circles behind the directors. Last week they finalized the topic, and filming was set for next week. The position of director-editor didn’t just require excellent writing, good communication skills, patience, and attention to detail—most importantly, it demanded physical stamina. It was extremely high-intensity work, at least 12 hours a day. working through the night until dawn was a regular occurrence. Several of her fellow interns survived on coffee and Bull³ energy drinks, simply living in the dorms assigned by the station.

She couldn’t even guarantee her own rest time each month. How could she raise a child?

How is that possible…

Yan Xi pressed her temples and turned sideways to look at Anzhi. The little girl was asleep, very quiet, her breathing thin and soft.

Yan Xi didn’t understand the world of children at all. Her two nephews were loud, acted like bears⁴, and loved to be clingy. Her second and third brothers were unable to withstand the disturbance and had moved out. She didn’t dislike them; she just felt that “children are too much trouble, especially boys.”

If her sister-in-law had given birth to twin girls, that would have been better. They surely would have been well-behaved and cute; a little naughtiness wouldn’t have mattered. Yan Xi had thought this before.

She never expected to meet Anzhi.

“I have nowhere else to go.”

Yan Xi remembered that sentence again. Such a small child, speaking such desolate words in a voice full of milk breath⁵. She needed more care and protection than other children.

I might not be able to do it…

To be honest, Yan Xi somewhat regretted the impulse to bring her home. She hadn’t thought through what would happen next at all; she just felt at the time that she couldn’t let her go back alone.

Every child has a park inside their heart that belongs to them. Perhaps for most children, like her bear children⁶ nephews, that park is full of sunshine, swings, rocking horses, and Ferris wheels, filled with the laughter of accompanying parents.

But Anzhi… perhaps those things existed in the park of her heart, but she stood on the perimeter, just quietly watching other families play.

Yan Xi didn’t know why she had this feeling, but just thinking about it made her heart feel astringent.

She hoped the act of bringing her home would make her happy, yet she faintly worried the girl would have too many expectations of her.

Because she didn’t want to disappoint her.

Yan Xi didn’t have a better solution at the moment.

Whatever… let her stay home for now… at least with Auntie Xin taking care of her, I can rest easier.

Let’s just leave it at this for now.

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When Anzhi woke up, for a split second she didn’t know where she was…

Was she in the small bed back in her hometown, or at Tao Zhenzhen’s place, or in that big, cold house where no one paid attention to her?

She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and scanned her surroundings before vaguely remembering that this was Yan Xi’s room.

She touched the blanket covering her, then looked at the neatly folded light gray duvet next to her, stunned for a moment. She sat on the bed spacing out for a little while before reaching for the clothes folded at the foot of the bed.

She got out of bed, went to the bathroom, and observed carefully. Finding a toothbrush and towel laid out for her, her heart settled. Standing on tiptoes, she brushed her teeth, washed her face with cold water, and combed her hair.

She waited in the room for a short while, but seeing no one come, she didn’t know what to think, so she had to open the door and go out.

The third floor was completely silent. She stood at the doorway for a moment, recalling the direction of the stairs.

Yan Xi had just walked up to the third floor when she saw the little girl standing there in a daze, wearing light yellow clothes and pants. Seeing her, the girl let out a soft breath and smiled, looking a bit timid.

“Come,” Yan Xi couldn’t help but soften her voice. “Are you hungry?”

Breakfast was fragrant—millet porridge, soy milk, fried dough sticks, meat buns, egg pancakes, and side dishes.

The first-floor kitchen had a very long, wide wooden dining table and large floor-to-ceiling glass doors. Outside the doors, you could see a large stretch of green lawn.

This was a strange environment. Anzhi felt apprehensive and sat at the table without moving. The food carried a warm aroma. Her gaze swept over it briefly, but she didn’t actively ask for anything to eat.

Yan Xi’s brows furrowed inadvertently, then relaxed. She proactively scooped a bowl of millet porridge for her and pushed the fried dough sticks and egg pancake in front of her.

“Can you use chopsticks?”

Anzhi hesitated for a second, then nodded.

Yan Xi got her a pair of children’s chopsticks and a spoon. Her small hand grabbed them, and she said thank you, then, as if remembering something, asked, “Auntie Xin, Grandpa, and Grandma… have they eaten?”

Yan Xi looked at her. “Yeah, they’ve all eaten. Me too.”

Anzhi went silent, then whispered, “I woke up late…”

Yan Xi rubbed her hair. “No, Grandpa and Grandma don’t eat in the dining room anyway, they wake up early. Auntie Xin too…”

“Eat quickly, or the frogs in your tummy will start croaking.”

Anzhi finally relaxed and began eating in small bites. Her table manners were very well-behaved. She scooped a spoonful of porridge, blew on it, held it in her small mouth, and swallowed. Took a bite of the egg pancake. Then more porridge.

Like a little rabbit, even her chewing sounds were tiny.

And she only ate the food placed right in front of her eyes.

Just this seemed to make her very happy. Occasionally she looked up, her small dimples rising as she smiled at Yan Xi.

Waves of emotion surged in Yan Xi’s heart for an instant. She didn’t know how to tell her that she had to return to the city for work today. But she had to be honest with her.

After she finished eating, they sat in the living room.

“Anzhi…” She attempted to start speaking, but the little girl heard her tone and sat up straight, two eyes staring pitifully at her, ears perking up just like a startled rabbit.

Yan Xi stroked the side of her ear. “You stay here peacefully, it’s okay. Auntie Xin and my grandparents welcome you very much. Also, my nephews will be back in a few days. They’re about your size, you guys can play together…”

Anzhi pursed her lips, the dimple on her right cheek sinking in dismally. She asked, “You aren’t going to be here?…”

Yan Xi: “I work in the city. I’ll be quite busy and can’t come back every night…”

Anzhi looked at her.

Yan Xi: “I’ll be back next month… um… the week after next.”

Anzhi still looked at her. Being this close, she could see that Yan Xi’s skin was very white, her double eyelids deep. Her eye shape was long and narrow, the ends naturally turning up slightly—a born pair of smiling eyes.

Anzhi’s small shoulders slumped, her fine, soft hair sticking to her cheek. She lowered her eyes. Yan Xi was wearing a gray oversized sweatshirt and wide-leg jeans at home. Anzhi stared at her cuff; there was a circle of white stitching.

Suddenly, her ears were covered by warm, creamy hands. Anzhi was forced to look up. Yan Xi’s gaze was gentle and clear. She curved her lips, her voice clear and mild: “Anzhi, I’ll come back next week. I promise you.”

On the road back to the city, the sky suddenly darkened. Clouds were dense, looking like it was about to rain. Yan Xi’s mood was inexplicably low.

When she left, she chatted with Auntie Xin a bit longer, asking her to please take extra care of Anzhi.

There wasn’t really anything to worry about. Auntie Xin had taken care of her and her brothers growing up; she had rich experience raising children.

But Anzhi…

After listening to her finish speaking, that little girl had suddenly asked her, “I want to know how to write your name…”

Yan Xi was slightly stunned. Although she didn’t understand why she asked, being able to distract her was good enough. “Yan, the Yan for language. Xi, this character is a bit difficult…”

She brought over paper and a pen, writing as slowly as possible for her to see. “It means a small path.”

Her handwriting was elegant and calm, carrying that uprightness and discipline adults use when writing for children. Anzhi observed it closely, clutching the paper in her palm.

She asked again, “Why are you called Xiao Wu?”

Yan Xi: “Because I’m the fifth child in the family. Xiao Wu is my nickname.”

Anzhi’s small mouth opened slightly in an “Oh,” her ink-black pupils rippling with amusement. Yan Xi took the opportunity to tease her. “Then do you have a nickname?”

Anzhi said, “I do. Grandpa calls me Tao Tao.” Her voice was soft and glutinous. “…Only Grandpa calls me that.”

A few large raindrops smashed onto the glass, pulling Yan Xi back from her thoughts. The sky began to drift with dense threads of rain. The first rain of autumn had arrived, pattering down ceaselessly.

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The author has something to say:

Thanks to a certain little angel for the recommendation.

This story is currently updating every other day.

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