Chapter 114: Green and Red Apricots
Chapter 114: Green and Red Apricots
The air conditioner is working silently, and the heat here has been completely dispelled.
Fang Yuenian quieted down, burying her head in Cheng Bing's arms like a well-behaved child, listening to Cheng Bing speak.
"Do you remember your diary from elementary school? It was full of stories about your family, how each argument started, who started it, what you said and did, and how it was resolved in the end."
The diary was filled with entries detailing the astonishing family disputes, dramatic developments, and all sorts of vulgar language within the small Fang family household, as well as the arduous process of Xiao Fang Yuenian trying to mediate between the conflict.
The notebook was crumpled and torn, with tear stains, revealing the various emotions of the recorder—but when he showed this notebook to Cheng Bing one day in junior high school, all he felt was discouragement and exhaustion.
That was a childhood trauma that Fang Yuenian could never erase.
“From such a young age, you wouldn’t allow yourself to stand idly by. You always had to do something to ease the tension in your family. So every time there was a fight at home, whether they listened to you or not, you had to step in to mediate, resolve misunderstandings, and then find an opportunity to analyze who was right and who was wrong, hoping that such a thing would never happen again. Although you always wrote ‘It’s finally over’ at the end of every incident, in my opinion, it was just over, not resolved. And you gradually became like we were pulling lotus roots before, stuck in the mud, unable to get out. Every day when you opened the door, all you saw were those petty problems, and your life was bleak.”
I am ashamed of this diary from the year it was written to me.
Back then, I spent all my time figuring out how to speak and how to mediate disputes. I naively hoped that harmony in the family would bring prosperity, that my mother-in-law and daughter-in-law would get along well, and that my husband and I would be loving. I switched back and forth between questioning life and being mindlessly optimistic, like a little fool.
So when he heard this, it sounded jarring to him, and he started to struggle. Cheng Bing kissed his hair a few times to comfort him, and then he stopped moving.
"I think we all realized later that how they behaved was due to their own personality, and had nothing to do with you. Since they didn't become so bad because of you, it's not something you can easily change."
"For example, the reason why your grandfather and your father treat their family the way they do today is because that's just who they are. You crave peace, demand affection, and complain about being ignored, but they probably just find you annoying. As for your grandmother, you weren't even born when she kicked my mother and sister out. The way she treated my second sister later wasn't because she was biased towards you, but because she didn't like Jun-jie, and she didn't like anyone else. As for you, your appearance just happened to give her some psychological comfort. This comfort is fine as it is. Whether you're good-looking or not, whether you're happy or not, doesn't matter."
At this point, Cheng Bing rubbed Fang Yuenian's back a few times with her palm. "Niannian, she's old now, her temper has changed, and she might be nicer to your mother and to you, but I can't forget what she did. She mistreated my mother, my sister, and my second sister. She even hit you when we were so young. She would hit you with a broom, a hoe, a paddle, all sorts of things. Don't tell me that every child in the village was beaten by adults, that no one beats children like she did, and that she loves you, her precious grandson whom she finally got. It's ridiculous."
Fang Yuenian stopped crying, looked up at him blankly.
His red eyes made him look inexplicably aggrieved. Cheng Bing wiped away the tear stains at the corners of his eyes and leaned down to kiss his eyelids a few times.
“I hate them, but like you, I can’t change anything. When I get annoyed, I wonder why your family doesn’t send you to my house too. But then I think, that won’t work either. We can’t be legal brothers.”
Fang Yuenian, who had been obediently accepting the kiss, paused upon hearing this, and after a long while, said dryly, "...That's really, thank goodness."
The topic seemed to have gone a bit off track. Cheng Bing fiddled with the two tufts of hair on his head. "Anyway, you did nothing wrong. Don't blame yourself, and don't be afraid that you'll end up like them. You definitely won't."
"Really?" Fang Yuenian asked, suppressing her voice.
“Of course,” Cheng Bing said gently, “Our Nian Nian has always been the best child in the entire Shui Bi Wan.”
Fang Yuenian sniffed, her voice heavy with nasal resonance: "That's just your opinion."
“Because I know you best, better than anyone else in the world—this time, we don’t need to exclude your mother and sisters.” Cheng Bing said this with a hint of a smile in her eyes, then cupped his face and examined it for a while. “I really want to kiss you, but I’m afraid you won’t be able to breathe later, what should I do?”
Fang Yuenian stood there for a while.
He always felt a bit dizzy and lightheaded after crying, especially someone like him who hadn't cried in years, so he had been feeling a bit dazed since earlier.
However, Cheng Bing was right in front of him, looking at him with such clear eyes. As Fang Yuenian looked at her, he forgot everything else and stared at Cheng Bing's thin lips. The lingering lustful thoughts that had been in his mind before this outburst resurfaced.
He moved with incredible speed, not even bothering with his usual hook around her neck, and went straight for a kiss.
Following his movement, Cheng Bing wrapped her arms around his waist.
His lips were burning from being rubbed together, and Fang Yue began to feel a little anxious. The aftereffects of his emotional outburst were still lingering. Although he felt good, he also felt a little embarrassed—even in front of Cheng Bing, crying was still something that would make a boy who was about to turn eighteen feel ashamed.
So, as if in retaliation, before anything had even happened, he grabbed Cheng Bing's shirt hem and slipped his hand inside, lingering on his waist and back, which, though somewhat thin, already showed some muscle definition.
He stroked Cheng Bing's prominent spine, gradually increasing the force of his touch, and his kisses became increasingly forceful.
The two had always kissed passionately, and no one had ever been so fierce before. Cheng Bing's brows furrowed as he bit her tongue several times.
After being bitten again, Fang Yuenian's unbridled provocation finally made Cheng Bing lose her temper.
Cheng Bing reached behind her and grabbed his hand as it moved lower and lower. At the same time, she retaliated by biting his lip, making him let out a muffled groan of pain.
The fierce kiss finally stopped. Fang Yuenian was panting, her hand was held, and she glared at him: "Why did you bite me?"
"You..." Cheng Bing had witnessed what it meant for the villain to accuse first. She gripped his hand, wanting to scold him but reluctant to do so, and said in a less authoritative tone, "Don't move."
Both of their lips were a vibrant red, and Fang Yuenian was completely captivated by Cheng Bing's appearance at that moment.
Struggling to break free from his grip, she scrambled forward, squeezing herself onto his lap and clinging tightly to him. "I didn't move, I just..." A strange light flickered in his eyes, a hint of shyness mixed with irresistible urges, her voice a cacophony of coaxing and cajoling, "You, you let me..."
Cheng Bing felt as if she were being placed on a fire, with him sitting on her lap and rubbing against her.
He didn't know where to put his hands. He was torn between reason and emotion. He knew he should comfort Fang Yuenian now, since she had cried so pitifully just now. But now it was broad daylight and the window was right in front of him. Even if no one could see them from the water, he still felt very threatened.
"Fang Yuenian," Cheng Bing said, controlling his body, "stop shaking him."
"But……"
A sudden knock on the door snapped them back to reality.
Almost instinctively, Fang Yuenian jumped off Cheng Bing's lap, her face changing color.
Although Cheng Bing was calmer than him, her heart sank when she saw his reaction.
They didn't discuss this, which is really inappropriate.
How to tell my family the truth.
But she couldn't think about that now. Cheng Bing composed herself, stood up, and the two of them opened the door with solemn expressions.
Cheng Junjun held a plate of green apricots in one hand and fanned herself with the other. She opened the door and asked, "I knew you two would be here. What are you doing? The door was locked."
She knew nothing, yet thought she understood.
“Oh, I see,” she said with a smile, her gaze falling on the bookend on the table. “You’ve hidden such a small thing so well; you’re quite thoughtful.”
Lin Guohui had to go into seclusion every time he needed to draw a new design. If he wanted to take it to the factory to make, the drawings had to be kept confidential. This can be considered an early and rudimentary awareness of intellectual property rights.
Cheng Junjun sat down calmly, but only after sitting down did she realize that the atmosphere seemed a little strange.
Cheng Bing's face was a little stiff, and Fang Yuenian's was even more so, with red eyes.
She stood up again, casually shoving the green apricot she was about to put down into Cheng Bing's hand, and walked over to Fang Yuenian. "You...you've been crying?"
Fang Yuenian opened her mouth, "Uh, I, I'm fine..."
Cheng Junjun's expression darkened slightly. She pulled him over to sit down and asked in a low voice, "Were you arguing fiercely again? Did you fight? Did you get hit?"
Several questions were thrown at her, and Fang Yuenian felt a mix of emotions. She couldn't help but glance at Cheng Bing next to her.
Why are you looking at him? I'm asking you, where did he hit you?
Fang Yuenian hurriedly said, "No, I'm a grown-up, who would hit me? I wasn't hit."
Cheng Bing said, "Sister, we just finished talking, let's not talk about this anymore."
Cheng Junjun was skeptical. Looking at the two of them, she thought that the boy had his own way of dealing with things and that he would be fine after crying, so she nodded and said, "Okay." She took the green apricot back and shoved it in front of Fang Yuenian, "Here, it's so sour it's unbearable."
Fang Yuenian held the fruit platter and looked at the fruit. This fruit was called "Jiaxin Zi" (夹心紫), or it might be Jiaxing Zi (嘉兴子), or even a fake apricot. In any case, it didn't look like a proper apricot. This kind of fruit was small and round, and when it ripened, it was a mix of green and red, with a sweet and sour taste.
This plate looks like it was specially selected; it's even been washed, it's beautiful and glossy.
He was a little touched and grinned, "Thank you, Sister Jun."
Cheng Bing: "They're all his?"
Cheng Junjun: "Yeah, you want to eat it? There isn't any left."
Fang Yuenian glanced at Cheng Bing, a sense of triumph over winning favor in the process. "He won't eat it. He finds even the red stuff sour."
“I also think it’s sour,” Cheng Junjun said, this time siding with Cheng Bing. “It’s not just me, you can see how many fruits are on that tree, but the sparrows don’t even come to peck at them.”
Fang Yuenian laughed heartily, "But I think other people's food isn't as good as yours."
Cheng Junjun rolled her eyes at him. "Then eat more, okay? Oh right, I asked you two when you're planning to go. She said the rooms are all ready. Although students are on summer vacation now and many tourist attractions are crowded, you two have nothing to do and no homework, so it's okay to play for a few more days. There are also some small town attractions nearby that you can visit. She also said you're not little kids anymore and should go out and get some exercise—that's what she said, I didn't say that."
Both of them laughed. Fang Yuenian took a bite of an apricot and looked up at Cheng Bing.
Cheng Bing said, "I think either way is fine. Fang Yuenian needs to talk to her family first. Sister, you're not coming with us, are you?"
“I just got back, I’m going to stay home and eat watermelon for a couple more days,” Cheng Junjun said, clasping her hands together. “I’ll stay home happily for a few days first. You guys go first, have some fun for a while, and then I’ll go. We’ll play together again on a day when I’m off. Fang Yuenian, you should talk to your family properly. If all else fails, just say you’re going on a trip. Don’t mention me, it’ll only bother you. I heard you emptied your savings buying a phone. I said I can sponsor your travel expenses and tickets.”
Fang Yuenian hurriedly said, "I still have money, I'm very rich."
Cheng Junjun was taken aback at first, then couldn't help but laugh, "How rich?"
"Anyway, a graduation trip is still possible," Fang Yuenian coughed, realizing she had previously told Cheng Bing she was broke and now felt embarrassed, "but it won't be much."
"Alright, you two discuss it—wait, what's wrong?" Cheng Junjun, who had a poor eye for detail, only noticed the candy wrapper box next to the book stand at this moment, and was immediately surprised, "Why, why are there so many candy wrappers here?"
Fang Yuenian: "Ah, that's mine."
"ah?"
Cheng Bing: "Oh, he collected them and now he wants to make something to give back to the book stand."
Cheng Junjun's gaze shifted several times.
"Oh, I see. Well, that's good," she smiled. "Keep it up. I'm leaving now. You two have fun."
"Okay, take care, sister."
Cheng Junjun clapped her hands and went out the door, then closed the door behind her.
Once she stepped out of the carpenter's shop, the sweltering heat outside instantly wiped the smile off her face.
A locked door, strange noises, reddened eyes... and lips, eye contact, candy wrappers...
She was bewildered and confused, but a vague idea was forming in her mind—something else entirely. (Author's note:)
Thank you for reading. This book
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