39. Qiu Shishi
At the end of May, the strawberry harvest was nearing its end. Unexpectedly, walking down the mountain, a dilapidated greenhouse at the foot of the mountain still had a sign outside its entrance announcing "Pick 10 yuan/person, take away 8 yuan/jin." There were a few tourists there. There were almost no food stalls around. He stumbled across a cold noodle stand, but he didn't dare buy any for Tang Sizhuo. Finally, he found a house steaming homemade cakes outside. It looked clean. He approached and asked how much it cost. The cook, seeing Tang Sizhuo timidly following behind, was delighted and gave each of them a large piece without asking for money.
Tang Sizhuo naturally couldn't finish it. Zeng Xiasheng saw that she seemed to like the steamed walnut kernels inside, so he broke them off and gave them to her, and then he just ate the rest. With some time left before leaving, Tang Sizhuo curiously peeked into the greenhouse. Zeng Xiasheng asked, "Want to go in and pick some? But the strawberries are almost out of season now, so I guess there won't be many left."
To be honest, Zeng Xiasheng couldn't understand why anyone would pay for farm work. The price was obviously the same as at the market, yet they insisted on going to the fields to pick the fruits themselves. It was simply too much money to burn. However, Tang Sizhuo was a little interested, so he took out twenty yuan and followed him in.
As soon as he stepped inside, Zeng Xiasheng realized they'd been duped. All he could see were dead branches and fallen leaves, not a single glimmer of red. At most, the air lingered with a faint sweet fragrance. Someone had already begun clearing the garden from the corners, uprooting and throwing away the trees. Furious, he turned to confront the person who'd collected the money. Just as he was about to take a step, he heard Tang Sizhuo's surprised voice behind him, softly calling him.
“It’s amazing.”
Zeng Xiasheng turned around and saw Tang Sizhu squatting on the ground, holding a strawberry the size of a quail egg in his hands. He was even reluctant to pick it, but just raised it slightly to show him, and said with a smile: "It seems that it hasn't received the notice of being out of season. It just grew out."
The heat in the greenhouse was intense, and Tang Sizhuo was sweating lightly, which only made her skin appear smooth and supple, her lips rosy. Zeng Xiasheng's gaze flicked across her features, then awkwardly averted, his anger having long since dissipated. He then inexplicably squatted down, accompanying the undistinguished rich young lady in her search for any fish that had slipped through the net. Tang Sizhuo didn't pick them, much less eat them. She simply dug through them like a treasure hunt, examining them as the farmers, rooting and removing the stems, drew nearer, as if giving them a final farewell.
Zeng Xiasheng read little and had good eyesight, but when he couldn't find the right one, his eyes kept glancing at Tang Sizhuo. He was still thinking about Tang Sizhuo's question, but he couldn't come up with an answer.
What could he ask her for? He didn't dare ask for anything.
I am just a seedling grown in a barren land, how dare I ask for anything in return?
He watched Tang Sizhuo creep away like a duckling, knowing full well she was feigning cheerfulness like she had in childhood. When she was truly relaxed, she wasn't so lively, nor did she deliberately act cute to please others. It was because he couldn't give an answer that Tang Sizhuo hesitated, hoping this would make him feel that his day off was worthwhile, that playing with her wouldn't be unbearable.
Unsure how to offer comfort, Zeng Xiasheng straightened up and sighed quietly. As the gardener approached, he helped Tang Sizhuo stand farther away, afraid the dirt they'd kicked up would splash onto her. Tang Sizhuo hid behind him, peeked out, and observed the person working. She was likely a woman, likely young, and surprisingly agile. Holding a small hoe in her right hand, she pulled and pried, bending forward, never pausing.
Zeng Xiasheng looked at her and suddenly felt that she looked familiar. She was wrapped up tightly, but her high ponytail didn't completely cover the hat, and the ends swung back and forth, shiny and glossy.
When the woman turned around, her eyes happened to meet his. It was Qiu Shishi.
Her clothes were almost soaked, her waist was so sore that she couldn't stand up straight. She lifted her mask to drink water, revealing her pale purple lips.
Zeng Xiasheng was shocked. He had brought Tang Sizhuo here thinking no one would notice, but he hadn't expected to run into a classmate. Tang Sizhuo had just been mumbling something to him, and even from a distance, Qiu Shishi would have surely heard it. His mind was in a tizzy, and he was just about to send Tang Sizhuo away when he noticed her reaching out to Qiu Shishi, pulling out two chocolate balls from some pocket, and asking, "Are you low blood sugar?"
Tang Sizhu rarely spoke to strangers, especially in unfamiliar places. But with Zeng Xiasheng around, she felt less intimidated. Her housekeeper, thinking about the sports day, had slipped a few chocolates into her shirt pocket, but she didn't sneak out to see Zeng Xiasheng. Even at school, Tang Sizhu had no chance to participate and wasn't even allowed to eat.
Qiu Shishi looked at her, then glanced at Zeng Xiasheng calmly. After saying thank you vaguely, she took the two candies, unwrapped them and put them in her mouth.
Zeng Xia snapped back to his senses, realizing he couldn't pretend he didn't know her anymore. He just didn't know if she would buy his excuses, like working part-time or taking his boss's daughter on a trip. Before Qiu Shishi could notice anything more, he stepped aside to separate the two of them and hurriedly ushered Tang Sizhuo out. "It's getting late, and we'll have to walk a bit to get a taxi."
Qiu Shishi didn't show any abnormality, as if she didn't know him. She quickly bent down and continued working.
After there were no more tourists, the woman collecting money at the door lifted the curtain, came in with a frown, and looked around with a critical eye.
"Your brother wants to go swimming in the river tomorrow. I'm worried. Please go with him."
Qiu Shishi threw the rhizome she had just pulled out heavily to the ground and said, "I'm not going. I want to go back to school."
"I gave you a little benefit, and you're taking advantage of me, aren't you?" The woman spat and cursed, "You're so educated that you don't even know your own last name. I told you I should have found someone to marry you off long ago, so your children can live a peaceful and stable life, and not have to eat free meals at home and talk back to your parents."
"You're not my mother." Qiu Shishi spoke calmly, but she pounded the hoe into the soil fiercely. "We agreed that I could leave after I cleaned the garden. This is all I've done."
Zeng Xiasheng vaguely heard someone arguing behind him, and not wanting Tang Sizhuo to get involved in the city's verbal battles, he walked with her at a brisk pace. Tang Sizhuo was a little puzzled, but she didn't ask anything. Finally, when she couldn't walk anymore, Zeng Xiasheng carried her on his back and walked another two miles into the city.
Thinking about Qiu Shishi, Zeng Xiasheng was distraught. He wanted to send Tang Sizhuo away so he could go back and talk to her. He didn't even notice when Tang Sizhuo put something in his trouser pocket. Only after the taxi drove away did he realize there was something in his trouser pocket. He pulled it out and found a palm-sized envelope, the kind sold at the stationery store at the school gate, light blue with a few frosted flowers.
When he felt the thickness, Zeng Xiasheng had a hunch that there would be money inside. After opening it, he found five 100-yuan bills.
Inside the envelope was written Tang Sizhuo's elegant handwriting: "Dad hasn't been home recently, so these are all I have. Thank you for staying with me. I'm sorry if this affects your work."
Zeng Xiasheng's heart sank, a mixture of emotions. Even as a child, he'd scavenged trash for money, never asking for a cent. He clung to this one thing with his remaining dignity, trying to distinguish himself from beggars. But staring at the money in his hand, his mind didn't drift into the humiliation he'd imagined. Instead, he worried about Tang Sizhuo.
When they played together as children, they didn't feel the need to calculate the cost. But as she grew older, learning in various situations that favors were valuable, Tang Sizhuo's words and actions became tinged with nervousness. She even felt embarrassed to eat the steamed cakes given by the old woman, feeling that she couldn't thank someone for their kindness after only meeting once. Today, because she had been beaten for the pre-admissions, she couldn't hold it in any longer, so she finally told him. However, Zeng Xiasheng couldn't give her an answer, couldn't convince her that she wouldn't lose this kindness inexplicably one day.
After standing on the roadside for a long time, Zeng Xiasheng put the money back intact, pretending not to notice it, and sent a text message as usual, asking Tang Sizhuo if he had arrived home safely.
He walked back to the bus stop to wait for the bus. After the sun set, he saw Qiu Shishi coming from the direction of the greenhouse. She walked and rested for a while, and finally moved to the side of the platform.
There was daily gossip about her in the men's dorm, and Zeng Xiasheng knew a thing or two, even if he didn't want to hear it. Qiu Shishi had previously been stuck at home raising her stepmother's two children, and her junior high school education had been sporadic, scraping together money from odd jobs. As a result, she was a few months older than him, nearing adulthood. He could imagine how she'd persuaded her parents, saying it was just that the school was cheap and she could get a job straight away, or that a high school diploma would allow her to command a higher bride price later. But Qiu Shishi disdained to profit from Li Zhiheng, and Zeng Xiasheng had long suspected she was aiming for university.
Qiu Shishi was so tired that she couldn't stand up, so she sat down on the asphalt road and glanced at Zeng Xiasheng.
"I knew she was your girlfriend. I'd memorize my lessons on the rooftop at night, and every day I'd see you scrolling through your text messages in the playground." She spoke weakly, but didn't give Zeng Xiasheng a chance to interrupt. "That's why I didn't go to you directly to thank you. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
Zeng Xiasheng was stunned for a few seconds, slowly digesting the information in her words, and whispered, "Thank you."
"But I have a request," she said, then, as if realizing it was inappropriate, she changed her words and said, "A request. Is your girlfriend in high school?"
Zeng Xiasheng didn't say anything. He didn't want to reveal too much information about Tang Sizhuo. He looked over quietly, waiting for her to say the next words.
"Is her school a good one? Could you ask her to give me some information? Test papers, notes, or some supplementary materials she doesn't need anymore? Anything will do."
If someone else had asked, Zeng Xiasheng would have flatly refused. He knew Tang Sizhuo wouldn't be willing to give something written on it to a stranger. However, Qiu Shishi's expression was overly sincere and eager, and he figured they'd met and heard him mention her on the phone, so they weren't completely unfamiliar. Since she offered Qiu Shishi chocolate, perhaps instinctive kindness overcame her fear of the unknown.
"She's not my girlfriend," Zeng Xiasheng corrected. He paused, then said stiffly, "I can ask for you. She won't start high school until the second half of the year. You have to promise not to tell anyone, otherwise I'll come after you anytime."
Despite promising to ask, Zeng Xiasheng returned home to think about it, but he didn't know how to bring it up. This happened to coincide with a sensitive moment in Tang Sizhuo's relationship, where she was feeling unequal. Anything he asked for would be granted, even if it wasn't something she truly wanted. Fortunately, there was still plenty of time, so Zeng Xiasheng didn't reveal that Tang Sizhuo had almost finished her high school coursework with her family. This led Qiu Shishi to believe she was following the school's progress and planned to wait a few months to find an opportunity to broach the subject, just to gauge Tang Sizhuo's attitude.
As June arrived, the temperature soared dramatically. The dormitory was breathless at night, the heat unbearable. The crowded room felt like a steamer, and many people, unable to sleep due to the heat, moved their bedding outside to sleep in the playground or the teaching building. The women didn't travel as far, but they couldn't sleep indoors either. They rolled up their mats in the evening and went out to grab a cool, ventilated spot in the dormitory corridor or around the staircase to rest.
The night before the high school entrance exam, Tang Sizhuo went to bed early, but Zeng Xiasheng couldn't fall asleep. He knew Tang Sizhuo's abilities well, and he didn't know why he was so nervous, but he couldn't help but worry that if she didn't do well, Xiao Tong would definitely settle all the grudges, blaming her daughter for her incompetence.
He tossed and turned, thinking, when suddenly there was a commotion outside the house, many people were arguing, and there were girls screaming.
The boys were startled awake one after another, scrambling to the hallway to check. They realized the noise was coming from the girls' dormitory. In the darkened building, the beams of flashlights flickered, as if a teacher were shouting, angrily telling them to get back inside. Soon, the boys were also sent back. The patrolling teacher, with a sullen expression, berated anyone who hadn't gone to bed. He then went room by room to count the number of people and lock the windows.
Vocational high school teachers are weak, and boys are especially not afraid. They whisper to each other or send text messages to girls they know to ask what happened.
Before they could find out the reason, a sharp siren suddenly sounded outside, and it roared closer as everyone looked at each other in confusion.
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