Chapter 5: Hole in the Toe

From the moment the bathroom door closed to when it opened again, a full ten minutes had passed.

Cheng Wanyue was originally in the bedroom, but before Qing Hang came out, she had already sat on the sofa. There was a half-open drawer containing a pack of cigarettes—she didn’t know if they belonged to him or Zhou Heng.

Does he smoke now?

When she was studying in Baicheng, all the students in her grade knew her. She liked to have fun and could do everything except study. Many of her unruly friends smoked, and Cheng Yanqing had also secretly smoked in the restroom, maybe out of curiosity or because boys of that age often rebelled somewhat. He got beaten up after being caught.

Novels describe the faint scent of tobacco on a man as charming, but she thought it smelled terrible.

Qing Hang always had the scent of clothes washed with detergent and dried in the sun. It seemed like he always used Ariel detergent. Later, she tried to find a perfume similar to that scent, but none matched.

Some things are ordinary and cheap, yet irreplaceable.

Hearing the door open, Cheng Wanyue looked over. Qing Hang avoided her gaze, and she didn’t keep staring at him.

It was just a T-shirt and sweatpants. Why did it take him so long to get dressed? Perhaps it was the clothes he changed out of before bathing. If he had taken clean clothes, he wouldn’t have only wrapped a towel around his waist earlier. Moreover, the T-shirt was wet in several places, clearly put on without drying off his body.

What had he been doing in there for those ten minutes?

There was no sound at all. His clothes were still damp, and his hair hadn’t been dried.

“I’m here to get the keys,” Cheng Wanyue broke the silence.

Qing Hang paused for a few seconds. So, the keys were hers, and she was also the one who came over for dinner that night.

He pointed to the bedroom near the balcony. “Zhou Heng lives in that room.”

“Ah?” She had entered the wrong room? No wonder she couldn’t find the keys. “He said it was on the left.”

She still couldn’t tell left from right.

“There’s a red bell attached to the keys. Could you help me find them? I won’t go in.”

“Alright.” Qing Hang turned and walked into Zhou Heng’s room. The keys were sitting on the desk.

Cheng Wanyue only glanced inside—Zhou Heng’s bed was messy. After picking up the keys, Qing Hang closed the door again. That bell was part of a charm given to her by Zhou Yu and Cheng Yuzhou when they traveled abroad a couple of years ago. She thought it looked nice, so she hung it on her keychain. As he walked, the bell made a light, tinkling sound.

The closer he got, the clearer the sound became.

He could have handed it directly to her but instead bent down and placed it at the corner of the table, acting distant like a stranger.

“Do you want some tea?” He shouldn’t have asked.

“I am a bit thirsty. I’ll have a cup then.” She shouldn’t have answered either.

Since the words were already out, adding a few more wouldn’t make much difference. Cheng Wanyue added, “Put less tea in; if it’s too strong, I won’t be able to sleep at night.”

Upon hearing this, Qing Hang put the just-opened tea box back. “There’s no tea left at home. Shall I pour you a glass of water?”

Cheng Wanyue nodded. “...That works.”

Qing Hang had quickly cooked a bowl of noodles after coming back from work in the morning. There was still half of the boiled water left, which would be perfect to drink now. However, he poured all the water out and boiled a new pot.

In summer, tea cools slowly. Even after a while, it was still steaming hot.

The sofa was newly bought by the landlord. Though crowded, four or five people could still sit. Qing Hang silently sat on the right side, while Cheng Wanyue sat on the left, occasionally playing with the bell on her keys. Sometimes she leaned forward to blow on the hot water in her cup.

There was a considerable distance between them, and neither spoke.

It wasn’t exactly awkward or unfamiliar. If they were enemies meeting, it wouldn’t be to this extent—no glaring eyes, no harsh words.

Cheng Wanyue looked at the shadow broken by the table leg and remembered the first day she met Qing Hang.

...

During the summer vacation after the high school entrance exam, she played wildly, almost always returning late. Cheng Guo’an didn’t really manage her for two months because she barely made it into Baicheng No. 1 High School. If she had scored five points less, she would have had to attend the Second High School, 50 kilometers away from the county. Although Cheng Guo’an didn’t demand much from her, the Second High School was far inferior to the First.

Her admission to the First High School was purely due to luck. It wouldn’t take long after school started for her true colors to show.

She couldn’t possibly rank last in the first semester—that would be too embarrassing.

Therefore, before Qing Hang visited, Cheng Guo’an had already planned to hire him as a tutor for Cheng Wanyue. This would give him a good reason to give Qing Hang pocket money while improving Cheng Wanyue’s grades. Although Qing Hang studied in a town middle school where teaching conditions and faculty were not as good as those in the county, he was admitted to the First High School as the top student.

On that afternoon, Qing Hang and his grandfather brought fruits and gift boxes to thank Cheng Guo’an for his support. Qing Hang didn’t know that the Cheng family had moved to a new house.

The white floor was very clean, and the living room was brightly lit by the sunshine. They had to change shoes upon entering. He had run to three stores to buy fruits and walked a lot under the scorching sun. Fortunately, he only smelled a little sweaty, but summer slippers couldn’t hide the hole in his socks. He sat stiffly on the soft sofa, hands awkwardly unsure where to place. Despite the air conditioning, his palms were full of sweat.

Cheng Guo’an showed great concern. “Have you found a place to rent?”

Qing Hang politely nodded. “We’ve already talked to the landlord. We will rent it for three years.”

“What is that?” Cheng Guo’an looked at the black garbage bag by the door.

The old man hurriedly opened the bag. His hands were thin, rough, and wrinkled from years of farming, with dirt stuck in his nails that he couldn’t wash off. Afraid of being despised, he always wiped his hands on his clothes before touching anything.

“It’s a gardenia plant. Xiao Hang and I dug it up this morning on the mountain. This one blooms late and has two buds. It continues to bloom when planted in a pot.”

“No wonder. I thought there was a floral scent,” Cheng Guo’an also stood up. “This is a great thing. Uncle, how did you know I like to grow flowers?”

The old man smiled shyly. “Two years ago, I went to your old house and saw all kinds of plants on the balcony.”

The Cheng family had supported Qing Hang since he was in fourth grade, promising to continue until he finished high school. For college, he could apply for scholarships and grants, and by then, he’d be able to earn money himself. Both grandfather and grandson were very grateful to Cheng Guo’an. On Qing Hang’s first visit, other gifts seemed too humble to offer. After much thought, they decided to dig up a gardenia plant, carefully wrapping its roots and the moist soil in plastic bags to avoid dirtying the floor.

“Thank you so much. Let me find a pot to plant it,” Cheng Guo’an genuinely liked it. He held the gardenia in one hand and supported the old man with the other. “Uncle, teach me. I like growing flowers, but I always fail. I’ll learn from you.”

Both went to the balcony to deal with the gardenia plant. Qing Hang sat alone in the living room, finally relaxing a bit when he heard the door open.

Instinctively looking up, he saw a girl in a red dress walking out of the room.

She wore headphones and seemed unaware of the outsider in the house. Barefoot, she walked to the coffee table, grabbed an apple, took a bite, and comfortably leaned on the sofa to play games. Her music must have been playing in her ears, as her foot swayed with the rhythm. Her long hair spread smoothly across the sofa but couldn’t cover her exposed shoulders and neck in the strap dress. The hem only reached her knees, revealing mosquito bites on her ankles with obvious red marks.

Earlier, Cheng Guo’an wasn’t sitting where he could see Qing Hang’s feet. From her position, she could easily see them if she slightly lowered her head.

Qing Hang didn’t know what he was thinking at this moment. The toe peeking out from his sock curled up slightly as if trying to hide.

Gently rubbing his toe against the slipper wouldn’t make any noise, so he thought he wouldn’t be noticed. However, when he looked up, he caught the fleeting glance that the girl had just withdrawn, along with her slightly upturned lips.

Her shallow dimpled smile told him she had seen it.

It wasn’t disdain or mockery, but genuine amusement at his silly little movements, which only made him feel more awkward.

Laughter and conversation from the balcony drifted in, while Qing Hang in the living room felt increasingly uneasy and tense. The air conditioning couldn’t alleviate the heat rising in his ears, and the flush spreading down his neck became uncontrollable.

After about half an hour of tinkering in the sun, Cheng Guo’an and the grandfather came back inside, both drenched in sweat.

“Hello, Grandpa,” Cheng Wanyue had met Qing Hang’s grandfather before. She handed a tissue to the elder to wipe his sweat. “It’s too hot outside. Have a drink of water to quench your thirst.”

The grandfather quickly accepted it, smiling. “Thank you, Yueyue. Girls change a lot as they grow older; you’re getting prettier every day.”

“Qing Hang, this is my daughter, Wanyue. ‘Wan’ as in ‘to salvage,’ and ‘Yue’ as in ‘the moon.’” Cheng Guo’an introduced them. “You two should be meeting for the first time, right?”

For a moment, Qing Hang didn’t know whether to nod or shake his head, while Cheng Wanyue completely ignored him.

Cheng Guo’an frowned and criticized her. “Yueyue, what’s wrong with you? You sit improperly, stand improperly. We have guests at home, and this is very impolite.”

Cheng Wanyue nonchalantly pouted. “Oh, he’s polite? Then why didn’t he greet me?”