Azhe
The early summer rain fell lingeringly, pattering against the orange tree leaves in the corner of the yard, creating tiny splashes of water. Yunheng squatted in the vegetable patch, setting up a trellis for the newly emerged cucumber seedlings. She twirled the bamboo sticks in her hand and firmly inserted them into the moist soil.
"Is anyone home?"
A familiar voice echoed from outside the courtyard gate, a hint of tentative excitement. Yun Heng paused, and when he looked up, he saw Ah Zhe standing on the bluestone pavement, smiling at him, carrying a large paper bag. His white T-shirt was slightly wet from the rain, sticking to his arm.
"Why are you here?" Yun Heng stood up, patted the mud off his hands, and the surprise in his eyes could not be hidden.
"I missed you." Ah Zhe squeezed in and put the paper bag on the stone table. "I just finished filming and had a little vacation, so I came here. You know, your place is really hard to find. I took three buses before I found the alley entrance."
As he spoke, he glanced around the yard, his eyes landing on the loofah vines climbing up the bamboo racks, then glancing at the firewood piled in the corner, and finally landing on Yunheng's muddy trouser legs. He suddenly laughed out loud, "Great! You really have become a farmer?"
Yun Heng also smiled and turned to walk into the house: "Wait, I'll make you a pot of new tea, last year's pre-rain Longjing tea."
Azhe was a friend Yunheng had met during training camp. Back then, they lived in neighboring dorms. Neither contestant had a strong background, but they often shared instant noodles and grumbled about the production crew's boxed lunches. Even after Yunheng was "signed" by Yu Xiao, Azhe kept in touch, frequently sending messages when no one was around to ask how he was doing, his tone tinged with cautious concern. During the height of the online backlash, Azhe was one of the few in the industry who dared to post on Weibo, "Yunheng is a very nice person," though the post was quickly drowned out.
"Grandma is resting in the inner room," Yun Heng came out with tea and lowered her voice, "She's a light sleeper."
Ah Zhe nodded, took the teacup and took a sip, his eyes lighting up. "It's quite good, much better than those 'expensive teas' I used to drink on set." He put the cup down and fished something out of a paper bag. "I brought you some food, some pineapple cakes from that place you love, and two boxes of face masks. Look at your face, it's all rough from all the wind and sun."
Yun Heng watched him busying around, feeling warm inside. After leaving that circle, he had almost severed all contact. Ah Zhe's appearance was like pushing open a dusty door a crack, letting in some light from the past.
"Your house is really nice," Ah Zhe leaned back on a bamboo chair, dangling his feet and watching the rain. "It's much better than my pigeon coop. Waking up to the sound of the river every day? It's like a fairyland."
"That's just like that," Yun Heng sat across from him. "I go to the market every day to move vegetables, and come back to take care of these seedlings. Compared to before, it's more stable."
"Isn't it good to be down-to-earth?" Ah Zhe raised an eyebrow. "You have no idea how frustrating this drama of mine is. The director changes the script like flipping through a book, and the third female lead the investors inserted can't even speak her lines clearly, so she relies entirely on post-production dubbing. Every day after work, I want to retire right where I am and come grow loofahs here with you."
Yun Heng laughed: "Are you really coming? I can open up another piece of vegetable garden."
"Come on, I'm just saying." Ah Zhe waved his hand and suddenly moved closer. "Honestly, are you... okay?"
He didn't mention Yu Xiao, nor did he talk about those troubled things, but the worry in his eyes couldn't be hidden. Yun Heng looked at him, thinking of the cold seaside, the lights of the ICU, and finally the rain curtain in front of her eyes. She hummed softly, "It's fine."
It really is nice. No need to fake a smile for the camera, no need to guess what others mean, no need to stare at your phone screen late at night, reading those toxic comments. Every day I wake up to the rooster's crow, and follow the sun's rhythm. Grandma's laughter is more real than any applause.
"That's good." Ah Zhe breathed a sigh of relief and drank the tea in one gulp. "By the way, let me tell you something. My gay drama is going to be aired next month."
"Oh? Is that the one you filmed last year?" Yun Heng remembered that Azhe had sent him a script clip at the time and said, "This character is like me, tough on the outside but soft on the inside."
"Yeah," Ah Zhe scratched his head, a little embarrassed, "I didn't want to mention it because I was afraid it would bother you. After all... you've been bothered by these CP-binding issues before."
Yun Heng shook his head: "It has nothing to do with you, it's my own business." He looked at Azhe and said, "That's good. Danmei dramas are very popular now. Maybe you can become famous with this."
"It doesn't matter whether it's a hit or not," Ah Zhe laughed. "The main thing is that I like this role. And..." He lowered his voice, "The film crew wanted me to hype up a couple, but I refused. It's too tiring. I'd better focus on acting. Like you, only by letting your work speak for itself can you be stable."
Yun Heng was stunned for a moment, then smiled. Ah Zhe was still the same, looking carefree, but understanding more than anyone else.
"Come to think of it," Ah Zhe suddenly remembered something, "I ran into Brother Li from my old training camp a few days ago. He said that Yu Xiao...seems to have stopped all the projects related to you in the company, and also sued several marketing accounts that were always slandering you."
Yun Heng paused with the teacup in his hand and said nothing.
"He seems... to really know that he is wrong?" Azhe asked tentatively.
"Whether I'm right or wrong, it has nothing to do with me now." Yun Heng poured out the tea leaves at the bottom of the cup and said softly, "Azhe, he and I have moved on a long time ago."
The rain gradually subsided, and sunlight shone through the clouds, shining brightly on the wet bluestone slabs. The orange tree leaves in the corner of the yard were covered with water droplets, which, caught by the sunlight, looked like a string of diamonds.
Azhe looked at Yunheng's profile. The other person's features were thinner than before, and his skin was tanned to a healthy wheat color, but something in his eyes had changed - there was no longer the cautious timidity of the past, nor the despair of being forced into a desperate situation. Only a kind of calm certainty remained, like a vegetable seedling that had taken root in the yard, standing firmly in the soil.
"Okay, let's move on." Ah Zhe stopped talking about it and turned to talk about the interesting things that happened on the crew. "Let me tell you a funny story. The second male lead in our group secretly goes to dance in the square after work every day. He is even named the 'little prince of lead dance' by the aunties. Hahahaha..."
Yunheng was amused by him and laughed out loud. The laughter fell in the yard after the rain, as light as a newly sprouted vine.
Grandma came out of the house, holding a plate of freshly steamed locust flower cakes in her hands. Yunheng had made them that morning using the locust flowers she had picked in the yard. "Xiaozhe, are you here? Come and try some, they're hot."
"Hey! Thank you, grandma!" Ah Zhe took it, took a big bite, and gasped because it was so hot. "It's delicious! It's even more delicious than what my mom makes! Yunheng, you are so lucky!"
Grandma's eyes narrowed into slits as she smiled. She sat on a stone bench and listened to their conversation, occasionally interjecting a sentence like "Eat more" or "Speak slower." The sunlight fell on her silver hair, bringing warmth.
In the afternoon, Yunheng took Ah Zhe for a walk by the river. The water was dyed golden red by the sunlight. Fishermen rowed their sampans toward the shore. Traffic thrummed on the bridge in the distance, but it didn't disturb the tranquility here.
"Are you really planning to stay here forever?" Azhe asked while kicking the stones under his feet.
"Yeah." Yun Heng looked at the river. "When grandma feels better, I'll clean up the yard and try planting some rice." He paused and turned to look at Azhe. "Occasionally, I'll write some songs and sing them in the teahouse. That's enough to eat and drink."
"That's good." Azhe nodded. "It's better than the intrigues in the entertainment industry." He pulled out his phone. "By the way, I saved the audio of your new song, 'Under the Orange Tree,' the one you sang at the teahouse last time. I played it to my agent, and he said he could help you launch an independent musician platform. You don't need to sign with a company, just sharing it. What do you think?"
Yun Heng was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "Okay."
He didn't want to completely break away from the past, he just wanted to change his approach - not for traffic, not for capital, but for the spark in his heart that had not yet been extinguished.
As the sun set, Ah Zhe was leaving. Yun Heng walked him to the alley entrance, carrying a bag of oranges her grandmother had given her. They were all grown on the trees in the corner of the yard, green with yellow.
"Come again next time." Yun Heng said.
"I'll definitely come!" Ah Zhe took the bag and waved at him. "I'll send you an autographed photo after my drama airs! Also, don't always keep yourself to yourself. If you need to talk to someone, feel free to call me."
Yun Heng stood there for a long time, watching Ah Zhe's back disappear into the alley. The evening breeze blew by, carrying the dampness of the river and the fragrance of oranges, and a certain tense part of her heart seemed to slowly relax.
It turns out that leaving is not the end, letting go is not forgetting. Just like the river always flows eastward, it will also leave gentle ripples at a certain bend.
He turned and walked back. The lights in the yard were on, and his grandmother was calling him, "Come home for dinner." The loofah flowers on the bamboo frame were in full bloom in the twilight, their lavender petals still stained with the afternoon raindrops.
Everything was slowly getting better, like the scenery in the yard and like himself.
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