OS - 2

The footsteps gradually faded, leaving only the hum of the air conditioning unit in the alley.

Zhou Yu was still leaning on Yan Ci’s shoulder. If no one had passed through the alley just now, Yan Ci might have truly strangled her.

As Zhou Yu’s hands gripping his wrist fell limp, he stepped back half a step. Her body lost its support and slid down the wall, collapsing onto the damp ground.

A light flickered on in a nearby window, casting a glow behind Yan Ci that obscured his expression.

He walked out of the alley, his lips still unnaturally pale.

After recovering from the dizzy spell, Zhou Yu slowly stood up, supporting herself against the wall. She bent down to pick up her backpack, brushed off the dust, and left through the other end of the alley.

Every day, Liu Fen waited for Zhou Yu to return before going to bed. Today, Zhou Yu was ten minutes later than promised, so Liu Fen had already gone outside the gate to wait by ten o’clock.

Zhou Yu went inside to take a shower. In front of the mirror, she noticed the distinct marks on her neck.

Her summer clothes couldn’t conceal them, and the bruises took two days to fade.

Zhou Yu was working the mid-shift today, and dinner was ready just in time.

Liu Fen had gone to buy a new pot, so Zhou Yu set aside portions of each dish and went outside to call the elderly woman to eat.

In the courtyard stood an apricot tree laden with fruit. The early-ripened ones had already been sold by Liu Fen, and neighbors had picked some as well. What remained were higher up in the tree, while the fully ripened ones had fallen to the ground. The grandmother collected them one by one, muttering about saving all the apricots for “Ah Yu” to eat.

“Grandma, it’s time to eat.”

The grandmother looked at Zhou Yu and asked, “Who are you?”

Zhou Yu replied, “I’m your granddaughter.”

The grandmother thought for a moment, then shook her head. “I don’t recognize you.”

“If you don’t recognize me, that’s fine. Come inside and eat,” Zhou Yu took the overripe apricots and discreetly threw them into the trash when the grandmother wasn’t looking.

Seeing the bowl of plain rice porridge on the table, the grandmother frowned slightly. “Porridge again? I don’t like porridge—it has no flavor.”

“There’s sugar added; it has flavor.”

Zhou Yu had cooled the porridge beforehand. After taking a couple of sips, the grandmother complained that the sweetness was too subtle.

“Add more sugar.”

Zhou Yu added another spoonful, but the grandmother wanted even more.

“That’s enough. No more.”

With only a few teeth left, the grandmother could only eat soft foods like tofu and eggplant that didn’t require much chewing.

After the grandmother finished eating, Zhou Yu prepared to go to the supermarket. It was scorching hot, so there weren’t many customers in the afternoon, and she didn’t need to organize goods. She decided to bring her book to read at the store.

But she forgot her water bottle, so she spent three yuan on a can of orange soda.

She preferred glass bottles, but the store only had the last canned one, which had been chilled in the refrigerator. After paying, she didn’t open it immediately, intending to let it warm up before drinking.

The draft paper was blown to the ground by the fan, and she bent down to pick it up.

“How much is a bottle of Bingfeng?”

“Three yuan.” When a customer came to buy something, they naturally had priority. Zhou Yu bumped into the counter and awkwardly held her head as she stood up. “Three yuan.”

“Can I pay by scanning a code?”

“I’m sorry, temporarily…”

Before she could finish, the customer had already opened the can with one hand. He used his left hand, wearing a red string bracelet.

Zhou Yu’s gaze moved from the red string upwards. He tilted his head back to drink the soda, and a drop of sweat slid down his Adam’s apple, disappearing into the collar of his white T-shirt.

He was back for summer vacation.

At this moment, Zhou Yu couldn’t hide the joy in her heart, though she tried her best to be cautious, not letting him see it.

He seemed very hot, so Zhou Yu handed him a tissue, quietly hiding her own left hand, which also wore a red string bracelet, behind her back.

“Thank you.” Cheng Yuzhou didn’t take the tissue, instead holding the can to cool himself. “How do I pay?”

He didn’t recognize her.

Silently, Zhou Yu crumpled the tissue in her hand, her abnormally fast heartbeat slowly calming down. “We can’t accept QR code payments today—only cash.”

Cheng Yuzhou held the half-finished can of soda, showing no trace of embarrassment on his face. “Sorry, I don’t have any cash. I’ll call my sister to bring some over.”

Zhou Yu nodded. “That’s fine. There are chairs inside—you can sit and rest for a while.”

Cheng Yuzhou walked closer to the air conditioner to call his sister, Cheng Wanyue. Cheng Wanyue hated the sun and reluctantly agreed to come after much persuasion.

A girl entered the store to buy cigarettes. Knowing that it would take at least half an hour for Cheng Wanyue to arrive, Cheng Yuzhou asked the girl if she could exchange three yuan in cash—he would transfer the money via Alipay.

“Can I use WeChat? I’ll add you.”

“I don’t use WeChat.”

“…Alright,” the girl hesitated but eventually helped him pay.

Cheng Yuzhou transferred five yuan to her, and Zhou Yu put the originally intended change for the girl back into the drawer, giving him two coins as change.

After the girl left the supermarket, Zhou Yu heard Cheng Yuzhou send a voice message saying there was no need to come.

Cheng Yuzhou finished the remaining soda, casually tossing the empty can into the trash bin by the entrance. Out of the corner of his eye, he unintentionally caught sight of the knitted orange keychain on the counter, next to a workbook.

That night in the alley had been dark, with air-conditioner condensation dripping incessantly. He hadn’t been interested in watching young lovers.

While waiting for Zhou Yu to give him his change, Cheng Yuzhou glanced at her twice more. Her skin was fair, and there were faint red marks on her neck.

Quite pretty.

Zhou Yu looked up, meeting Cheng Yuzhou’s gaze. She had smiling eyes.

“Here’s your change.”

“Thank you.” Cheng Yuzhou pocketed the coins and walked out of the supermarket.

Cheng Wanyue was playing video games in the air-conditioned room. She hadn’t come to the grandmother’s house knowing Cheng Yuzhou had returned to the county town—she came because she wanted to avoid her parents’ nagging. Her grades were terrible, and she was too lazy to do homework. The grandmother’s place was the quietest.

“Why didn’t you bring me an ice cream?”

Cheng Yuzhou picked up the fallen cushion and threw it at her. “Find somewhere else to play.”

“Why don’t you find somewhere else to watch the game?” Cheng Wanyue refused to budge from her spot, kicking him as she turned over. “You’re blocking the air conditioner—move over.”

She suddenly asked Cheng Yuzhou, “Are Uncle and Aunt really getting a divorce?”

The next second, she was lifted and thrown onto another sofa, nearly falling headfirst onto the floor, knocking over a plate of apricots in the process.

These apricots, bought by the grandmother from the supermarket, tasted terrible.

…

When Zhou Yu got off work, she passed by a fruit shop and bought half a watermelon. With only three people at home, half a melon was more than enough.

Summer rain arrived abruptly. Zhou Yu didn’t carry an umbrella or use a hat to shield herself from the rain. A neighbor saw her walking briskly, a smile on her face, and asked, “Ah Yu, did something good happen today?”

Zhou Yu shook her head. “No.”

“No? Then why are you smiling so happily?”

Was she smiling?

Zhou Yu instinctively touched her face. “No.”

“Hurry home; don’t catch a cold.”

Zhou Yu carried the watermelon home. Liu Fen was cooking in the kitchen, and the grandmother sat by the door, muttering something. Zhou Yu called out to her, put down the watermelon, and went to take a shower.

She ate half a bowl more of rice that evening.

The torrential rain lasted less than forty minutes before stopping. Apricots were scattered all over the ground, many still edible. Zhou Yu picked up the good ones and washed them clean.

The ones on the tree were too high to reach.

In the past, Yan Ci could climb the tree and pick them all.

“Ah Yu, there’s a phone call for you.”

“Coming,” Zhou Yu wiped her hands and went inside to find her phone.

After answering the call, she first heard Cheng Wanyue’s loud wail.

After retaliating with a punch, Cheng Wanyue ran away. “Ah Yu, I want to come to your house tomorrow to pick apricots. Do you still have any?”

“Yes, plenty.”

“Then I’ll bring a basket. Also, I’ll copy your homework.”

“You can come before it gets dark in the evening—it won’t be as hot.”

“Alright.”