Chapter 58: Gentle, Virtuous, and Well-Mannered

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Liberation Park.

It was noon, and the sunlight was at its strongest. Slanting through the gaps between the leaves, it scattered countless tiny pieces of gold across the park’s bluestone paths.

“Rustle, rustle…”

“Chirp, chirp…”

The wind stirred the leaves and carried with it the low calls of swallows from the south.

Beneath the shade of the trees, Cheng Kaiyan and Liu Xiaoli walked side by side along a path, taking a leisurely stroll.

Chen Shanshan had tactfully found an excuse to go home, leaving the two of them to chat as they wandered and let their lunch settle.

“Let’s go back. I’d like to see where you’re living now,” Liu Xiaoli suddenly said.

“Sure. Weren’t you hoping to read the manuscript? You can do that while you’re there.”

They left the park, and Cheng Kaiyan rode his bicycle with Liu Xiaoli seated behind him, returning to the guesthouse behind the editorial office.

In the little booth by the entrance, the old caretaker was taking an afternoon nap, a radio resting beside his pillow.

“So this is where you’re staying. It really is close.”

Liu Xiaoli looked around. The bicycle ride had taken less than five minutes.

“Yes, I didn’t expect it to be so close either. I only realized it yesterday, when I went out to eat with the others after finishing the revisions,” Cheng Kaiyan said with a smile.

The Fragrant Grass editorial office’s guesthouse consisted of only two six-story buildings. They stood directly behind the office, with a courtyard between them.

In the courtyard, a young male editor was drying his cups. When he saw Cheng Kaiyan enter with Liu Xiaoli, he froze for a moment, then greeted him warmly.

“Teacher Cheng, you’re back? Have you eaten?”

“Yes, I have, Teacher Huang.”

“See you around.”

The two of them turned and went upstairs to Cheng Kaiyan’s room. When he opened the door, sunlight streamed in through the window and flooded the room with brightness.

“Here we are. Sorry it’s a bit messy. I’ve been so busy revising the manuscript these past few days that I haven’t had time to tidy up.”

Seeing the state of the room, Cheng Kaiyan felt somewhat embarrassed. He had indeed been extremely busy.

More than a dozen discarded pages still lay on the desk, held down by an ink bottle and snapping in the breeze.

“It’s all right. Sit down for a while. I’ll straighten things up for you.”

Liu Xiaoli took in the obviously disordered room, shook her head, and spoke softly.

Before he could say anything else, she rose and began tidying.

First, she arranged the bedsheets, quilt, and pillow, making the bed neat and orderly. Then she put everything on the desk back in its place and closed the window, leaving only a narrow gap for ventilation.

Her movements were quick and practiced. Cheng Kaiyan could not help sighing in admiration.

“Xiaoli, you’ll certainly make a wonderful wife and mother someday.”

“Thank you. Kaiyan, do these clothes need washing?”

Liu Xiaoli gave a faint smile. Holding the clothes he had changed out of in a red plastic bucket, she habitually brought them close and sniffed. There was no unpleasant odor; instead, they carried the unmistakable scent of a man.

“I’ll wash them myself later, Xiaoli.”

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“You might as well let me do it. Since the sun is so strong, they’ll be dry in no time.”

Without giving him a chance to object, Liu Xiaoli turned and carried the bucket to the washroom at the end of the corridor.

Living in a guesthouse was much like staying in a hotel in later generations. Washing clothes was nowhere near as convenient as it was at home.

There was no detergent, washboard, clothes rack, or drying pole—not a single one of them.

Cheng Kaiyan followed behind her.

“I’ll fetch the water. Men and women working together make the job easier.”

“All right.”

…

After fetching the water, they returned to the room.

Liu Xiaoli sat on the bed, bending over as she diligently scrubbed the thin garments in her hands. Dense white suds clung to her fair, slender arms. Sitting there, she possessed an air of quiet gentleness and grace.

Though she was only a twenty-year-old girl, her character and manner of dealing with people revealed remarkable maturity.

She was steadfast in her devotion to dance, and when it came to life and family, she was a serious and responsible woman.

Sitting nearby, Cheng Kaiyan noticed a strand of hair falling beside her ear. He gently brushed it back behind her fair, tender ear.

“Be careful. Don’t touch your wound.”

“Mm.”

Liu Xiaoli pressed her lips together. A shiver ran through her, and a flush rose across her cheeks. She did not understand why, although this was only their first meeting, it felt as if they had known each other for many years.

Fortunately, his touch had been entirely unintentional.

After washing the clothes, the two of them carried the garments and quilt downstairs to hang them out to dry.

Back in the room, Cheng Kaiyan said, “You must be tired. Lie down and rest for a while.”

“…Mm.”

Liu Xiaoli hesitated when she heard this, but in the end she lay down beside Cheng Kaiyan across the bed, her legs still resting on the floor.

Filtered once through the window and curtains, the sunlight fell warmly across their faces, lulling them toward sleep.

Before they knew it, their breathing had slowed. Bathed in the gentle sunlight, they lay upon the soft bed, their bodies gradually sinking into sleep.

“Tick-tock, tick-tock…”

As afternoon passed, the sunlight slowly shifted, and the warmth faded with it.

A trace of coolness crept into the room. Half asleep, Liu Xiaoli felt a warm coat draped over her.

“You’re awake?”

“Mm. What time is it?”

Her face still held a touch of confusion. She propped herself up, sat down, and rubbed her eyes.

“Half past three. There’s still plenty of time. Oh, by the way, I brought the manuscript over earlier. Would you like to read it?”

Cheng Kaiyan handed her a wristwatch.

“I would.”

Liu Xiaoli took it from him. The design looked strangely familiar.

“Isn’t this my aunt’s watch?”

“It is. When you travel far from home, not having a watch turns out to be rather inconvenient.”

“I see.”

Liu Xiaoli gazed at the watch, her dark eyes flickering as if she had begun to form some plan.

Then she stood and noticed the thick stack of manuscript pages on the desk.

Was this the new novel?

The girl pulled out the chair, sat down, and began reading with complete concentration.

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After a while, Cheng Kaiyan fetched some hot water from the washroom and poured her tea into a clean cup. The tea was premium Wuyi Rock Tea he had brought back from Ye Shengtao’s place.

One of them read the manuscript while the other continued reading Gone with the Wind. Both were wholly absorbed.

They remained that way until the sun began to slant toward the horizon.

The room was utterly quiet. Outside the window, they could hear birdsong and the soft rustle of pages as the girl turned them.

“Xiaoli, it’s five o’clock.”

“Huh?”

Only after Cheng Kaiyan tapped her on the shoulder did Liu Xiaoli emerge from the world of the book.

She looked up at the sky and then at the watch on the desk, finally realizing that she had been reading for more than an hour.

“How far have you gotten?” Cheng Kaiyan asked.

“To the part where the epidemic breaks out in the village… Kaiyan, your novel is truly wonderful. No wonder Chief Editor Yang praised it so highly. I really like the educated youths’ life in the countryside—their fearless youth, their boundless energy, the way they throw themselves into the construction of rural society.”

Liu Xiaoli thought for a moment before answering earnestly.

In that hour or so, she had already been moved by the characters and events in the novel. The youth of the educated youths sent down to the countryside, Xiaofang’s secret love, and the vitality of young people all seemed to seep from the pages, inspiring longing.

It was clearly a theme entirely different from scar literature.

“Thank you. It’s getting late. I’ll take you back.”

Cheng Kaiyan smiled. She had not yet reached the later chapters, so it was no wonder she had not cried.

“All right.”

The girl reluctantly set down the manuscript, though she was too embarrassed to ask whether she might take it back to the dormitory.

“You can’t take the manuscript away. A few copies have already been printed, but the original is extremely valuable.”

“Then… if I have time later, may I come and read it here?”

Liu Xiaoli lifted her lovely face, anticipation shining in her eyes.

“Of course. As long as you’re not worried about being alone in the same room with me.”

“I’m not afraid! You’re not that sort of person. Besides…” She raised her chin slightly and gave a soft snort. “We’re dating, after all.”

Cheng Kaiyan rode the bicycle and took Liu Xiaoli back. Along the way, they came across a vendor selling candied hawthorns, so he bought several. Then he went into a shop and purchased some snacks girls liked, including cloud-slice cakes, peanut brittle, and White Rabbit candies.

“Ring, ring…”

The bicycle bell sounded outside the women’s dormitory of the Jiangcheng Song and Dance Theater.

After Liu Xiaoli climbed off, she stood at the entrance and waved goodbye to Cheng Kaiyan. She watched until his figure disappeared from sight, then went upstairs to rest.