She was back to that cautious, timid look again.
Ning Ci deliberately teased her: “You always say sorry. Is it hard to be ‘worthy’?”
“Hmm, Cheng Xiaoman?”
When he spoke, his voice was neither high nor low, with a natural magnetism. Especially when he said her name, the clear syllables seemed to come with tiny hooks, lightly scraping her eardrum, leaving a tingling, itchy sensation that made her hold her breath to hear another word.
Sure enough, Cheng Buxi, like an offended Persian cat, lifted her chin to look at him. Her tone, whether coaxing or something else, said, “You’re so fierce.”
Ning Ci showed a trace of understanding, nodded, and calmly said, “I’m sorry.”
“…”
“!!!”
—
Niujie is famous for its food: tripe noodles, fried rice cakes, lüdagun (glutinous rice rolls with red bean paste)… many are century-old establishments. The oldest building is the mosque, built during the Northern Song Dynasty, attracting a steady stream of food lovers.
The glazed dome of the mosque shone with a holy light not far away. The street was ancient yet bustling, filled with people. As dusk deepened, the entire street was immersed in the rich aroma of beef bone marrow, like a pot of old soup slow-simmered for seven hundred years.
Cheng Buxi loved Baiji’s glutinous rice cakes. The chunky cake had layers of white and red: the red was bean paste, the white was jade-like sticky rice, topped with bright-colored hawthorn puree. The two stood at the stall, one on each side, patiently waiting for the master to pack the portion. Zongzi (rice dumplings) were only three yuan each.
Not far away was a newly opened handmade milk tea shop, with a long line forming in front of its small storefront.
Holding a fennel beef pie in one hand and a ceramic jar of yogurt in the other, after just taking two bites of the rice cake, Cheng Buxi’s eyes lingered on the crowded storefront for a few seconds. Not long, but still easily caught by Ning Ci, who asked, “Want a drink?”
She still had jujube paste at the corner of her mouth and nodded quickly: “Yes.”
It was late afternoon, and the long line hadn’t shortened. Ning Ci said there were too many people and told her not to go over. “Wait for me here.”
Cheng Buxi obediently agreed. He went straight to the queue, while she stood by the wall, quiet as a quail.
The street wasn’t very wide, lined with old buildings whose walls were painted yellow and green, with window frames showing some peeling paint. Looking up, she could see the iconic green glazed tile roof and crescent tip of the mosque, standing serene and solemn amid the surrounding residential buildings.
Ning Ci occasionally looked back at her. In the evening sky, she looked like a beautiful painting.
The sun slanted westward, bathing the entire street in warm light, rich with an inseparable atmosphere of everyday life. She was like a jade-colored butterfly pausing briefly.
Yes, a painting.
While she was absorbed in eating, Ning Ci quickly took out his phone, aimed it at her, and pressed the shutter. ‘Click’—from then on, another photo joined the collection that would accompany him for the rest of his life. Cheng Buxi remained unaware.
…
The evening temperature had dropped noticeably. The autumn wind carried a hint of chill, sweeping along the sidewalk. Cheng Buxi’s gaze was fixed on the glass door of the handmade milk tea shop, where light shone through, reflecting the swaying figures of people in line. Ning Ci was in that warm glow, scanning the QR code to pay, his tall figure steady and reassuring.
She unconsciously rubbed her fingertips, mentally figuring out where to go after eating.
Just then, “Chen Xi?!”
A sharp, piercing voice stabbed into her ears. Cheng Buxi’s spine stiffened. She turned her head toward the sound. A middle-aged woman initially didn’t believe her eyes, but after careful identification, she confirmed it was her. She stepped forward and grabbed her arm. “It really is you! Well, well, now that you’ve latched onto a sugar daddy, you don’t even recognize your aunt?”
Cheng Buxi recognized her in a panic. This mean, vicious face was unforgettable from her childhood—the aunt she briefly stayed with for two months after her mother died.
Memories of the past surfaced, all unpleasant. Cheng Buxi felt a cold numbness shoot from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. An invisible large hand squeezed her heart, and the visible hand gripping her arm practically dug into her flesh. The cold evening wind felt like a knife cutting her face.
“Tsk, tsk, who are you waiting for here?” Aunt Wang pressed closer, a strong mix of cheap perfume hitting her face, making Cheng Buxi’s stomach churn.
“Your mother gave birth to you in vain! You little slut, you have no manners at all. Don’t you know how to greet people?”
Ning Ci was still in line buying milk tea. Seeing this, he abandoned the order and rushed over, shielding Cheng Buxi behind him like a tall, impenetrable wall. He lifted his chin, frowned coldly, and demanded, “Who are you?”
“Young man, I advise you not to meddle. I’m her aunt, her real aunt!”
Aunt Wang then looked Ning Ci up and down with a naked gaze, then turned to Cheng Buxi, saying ominously, “At your age, you’ve already found a man? You little slut, just like your cheap mother, knowing how to seduce men at a young age!”
Ning Ci’s face darkened to an almost stormy expression.
“Worthless girl! The Chen family raised your mother, and she did such shameful things, bringing disgrace on my whole family. You have to compensate me for my mental anguish!”
In the end, it was all about money. Hadn’t she come to her father’s house and made a scene for a long time back then? Otherwise, her grandparents wouldn’t have given her the name “Buxi” (not liked). Buxi, it means dislike.
Later, whenever she returned to pay respects to her mother, this aunt would put on a show of crying, fussing, and threatening suicide. As for whether the aunt had ever visited the Lu family, Cheng Buxi didn’t know and didn’t dare to know. But one thing was certain: she couldn’t even get near the Lu family’s gate, let alone cause trouble.
Ning Ci’s aura was too strong. Around his brothers and friends, it wasn’t very noticeable. In a crowd, he always appeared lazy and relaxed, surrounded by admirers, turning a blind eye to many things, rarely making decisions but holding absolute authority. But in a different setting, the cold sharpness and unruly dominance radiating from within became impossible to hide. When he stood there, he naturally exuded an aura of inviolability.
Even Aunt Wang felt a bit intimidated after her tirade, but she didn’t care as long as she could squeeze something out of Cheng Buxi.
But the young man firmly shielded her behind him. Aunt Wang wanted to grab her, even just a piece of her clothing, but it was impossible.
A security patrol happened to pass by nearby. The leader seemed to recognize Ning Ci. Their eyes met from a distance, and they understood everything without words. Without hesitation, they took the hysterical aunt away on charges of picking a quarrel and causing trouble.
This place, which should have been warm, bustling, and full of life, quickly returned to normal.
Passersby moved on from the incident, as if nothing had happened.
“Chen Xi!”
“Chen Xi!”
“Chen Xi, you just wait!”
The aunt kept shouting as she was taken away.
Hearing the name “Chen Xi,” Ning Ci’s mind went blank. What did she call her?
Chen Xi.
Chen Xi.
—“That female student back then, her name was Chen Xi.”
—“Here’s the file.”
—“It’s been so many years. Why dig it up all of a sudden?”
The security patrol had already hauled away the frantic aunt. Cheng Buxi’s face was pale, still not recovered.
Ning Ci’s heart was racing, but he forced calm, his heart rate approaching 180. He ventured, “Cheng…Xi?”
She seemed very tired, sitting on the black-painted steps. Above her head was a deep blue sky, with a fuzzy moon showing a rough outline.
She seemed lost, saying dully, “That was my name before.”
“Later, after I went to live with my dad, I changed it to the current one.”
“The character Chen from the ear radical, and Xi meaning evening.”
Ear radical Chen.
He froze.
Before he could ask, she explained everything clearly and openly.
So, after all those years, looking for her, the girl who had turned his entire youth upside down had been right in front of him all along.
He looked up again, the bright moon and solitary stars entering his eyes. He took a deep breath, then exhaled.
He wiped his face heavily, then pulled her into his arms—
His breath was trembling, afraid of losing her.
“I really, truly
have no words.”
All the noise seemed to fade away. The words he had accumulated over so many days and nights, rolling on the tip of his tongue hundreds of times, all evaporated, leaving only one sentence: “I found you.”
--------------------
Author’s note: Sorry for the lateness. I’ll try to update four chapters a week from now on!
Writing the Niujie section made me hungry!