BSS - Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Xu Wei stood rooted to the spot, her head slightly lowered. The long hair tucked behind her ear slipped forward, hiding her face.
Deng Chuan didn't look at her, casually replying to Su Mian, "Let's get a meal. You can cook for me." Then she changed her mind. "Forget it. I don't dare eat your cooking. We should eat out."
Su Mian scoffed. "Fine," she said, "we'll eat out. We can go see Qingyu while we're at it."
Pei Qingyu was another friend of theirs. She was an art student, currently in intensive training at a studio.
"Okay," Deng Chuan said.
Su Mian nodded twice, "Mm-hm," then turned and dashed off like a gust of wind.
Deng Chuan watched her run off. Her gaze swept to the side; the person at the teacher's desk was gone, though she didn't know when she had left.
She didn't pay it any mind. Returning to her seat, she sat down, feeling no particular anticipation. Perhaps everyone was like this. As a child, you'd eagerly count down the days to your birthday, but after growing up, it no longer felt special. The day would just pass by like any other. It didn't really matter, though.
Deng Chuan's last vivid memory of a birthday was from the first semester of ninth grade. Su Mian and a large group of friends had stood with her at the school gate, watching as her mom, taking a rare break from work, sped to the school, opened the car door, and handed her a cake. The whole group was stunned by her mom's powerful aura. Only after she left did they all start chattering at once, "Deng Chuan, your mom is so cool!"
Deng Chuan thought her mom was cool in that moment, too. Explosively cool.
Unfortunately, her mom was later promoted to department director and became increasingly busy. Her dad got a promotion too and was often away on business trips. They both felt their child was old enough to need her own space. Every year, they would just give her money and let her and her friends go out and have fun on their own. Birthdays slowly lost their appeal for her.
But whether she looked forward to it or not, her birthday arrived right on schedule.
The sky was a little late to brighten that morning. When Deng Chuan got up, it was just dawn, and a trace of the moon was still visible in the distance. The moment she opened her eyes, her roommates wished her a "Happy Birthday." When she got to the classroom, before she could even sit down, she saw a large box on her desk, tied with a bow and long ribbons. She opened it for a peek; it was a gift from Su Mian, a camera lens she had wanted for a long time. It was rare for Su Mian to be up so early. Deng Chuan tried to put the box into her desk cubby, but it wouldn't fit. She looked down and saw that the cubby was also filled with gifts.
There were even more handwritten postcards than gifts. This seemed to be the preferred way for high school students to express their feelings these days. A postcard had limited space, making it just right for conveying emotions; whether one wrote a lot or a little, it never seemed awkward.
Deng Chuan gathered the postcards and put them in the gift box.
Other than that, her birthday was no different from any other day. She attended class and did practice problems as usual. Su Mian, however, was very excited, running over to tell Deng Chuan not to forget to wait for her after school. Deng Chuan knew she was eager to see Pei Qingyu. The three of them had grown up together. Deng Chuan was the quieter one, while the other two were boisterous. They had even had a fight in middle school because Pei Qingyu was hanging out with another girl. During their cold war, they had both called Deng Chuan to complain about each other. Deng Chuan had listened absently before hanging up as soon as they were done.
It wasn't that she didn't care; Deng Chuan just subconsciously felt that they would definitely make up.
Sure enough, they made up not long after. That fight became fodder for countless instances of teasing each other later on. The target of their criticism, however, shifted to Deng Chuan. They said she had been too perfunctory on the phone, and her attitude had taken all the fun out of it for them, so they had just decided to reconcile.
Of course, as a consequence, Pei Qingyu never hung out with that other girl again.
She only found out later that Su Mian liked Pei Qingyu. Pei Qingyu probably knew, too, but the feelings were never spoken aloud. Su Mian was going abroad, and Pei Qingyu was preparing for the Art Proficiency Exam. Saying anything wouldn't change the situation. So the three of them continued to get along as usual, meeting up to hang out whenever they had a break.
The most special thing about today was probably the two periods of math with Xu Wei in the afternoon. Even though it would just be the usual going over tests and reviewing, Deng Chuan was still eager to see her.
When Xu Wei stood at the front and looked out over the class, she saw the pile of gift boxes next to Deng Chuan's legs, and a clear smile appeared in her eyes.
Deng Chuan noticed. So, the next time Xu Wei's gaze swept over, she bravely looked up, and their eyes met perfectly.
Her gaze was open and frank. It held its usual determination, clean and sincere, yet mixed with a hint of pride, her chin slightly raised. It was like a self-display, and also like a friendly overture.
Xu Wei was clearly taken aback when their eyes met, but a smile quickly followed. It was a subtle smile that settled at the corners of her mouth. In the vast classroom, only Deng Chuan understood why she was smiling.
The two of them held each other's gaze in silence for a moment. Xu Wei was the first to react, gesturing for her to look at her test paper. She then turned her back to write on the blackboard. Deng Chuan watched her back, the strands of her hair swaying gently behind her.
The evening sun slanted down. The light shone on her hair, making her ears look so white they seemed transparent. The classroom was exceptionally quiet. Deng Chuan's restless heart calmed down. From the distance came the clamor of the younger students getting out of school and the shouts from the basketball court. Xu Wei's writing gradually filled the entire blackboard. Time flowed on. Deng Chuan sat quietly in her seat, gazing at the moment Xu Wei turned her head, feeling as if this instant was eternal.
After class, Xu Wei was surrounded by a group of students with paper and pens, asking questions. Su Mian darted over with her schoolbag to find Deng Chuan. The two of them borrowed a bicycle and, using Su Mian's pass, slipped out of school and rode toward Pei Qingyu's art studio.
As Su Mian pedaled, she spoke to her, "Pei Qingyu and I ordered a cake for you. Remind me to pick it up later-"
It was a downhill slope. The bicycle rushed down. Her voice, mixed with the whooshing of the wind, was hard for Deng Chuan to hear clearly. The wind whipped in through her jacket and filled her mouth.
The art studio wasn't far from the school. It was on the roadside, made up of a few small storefronts with a shop out front. The two got off the bike, straightened their wind-tousled hair, and walked inside.
The owner was sitting at the cash register, playing on his phone. Large paintings of various styles, mostly student works, hung on the walls. The shop was empty. It was the off-season; during the summer and winter breaks, the place would be packed with children learning to paint, each with their own small easel, seriously sketching a pile of fruit or a plaster sculpture.
The owner glanced up at them, recognizing they were there to visit someone. He nodded at them and said, "Upstairs."
The two headed upstairs. The upper floor was where Pei Qingyu and the others had their classes and lived. The main hall was a classroom, filled with easels. The inner room was a dormitory, and there was a small balcony outside for drying clothes.
It was dinnertime, so the hall was mostly empty. Only a few people were still painting. When they saw the two come in, they all looked up.
Pei Qingyu was among them, looking the same as always. She wore a set of work clothes, the pant legs loosely rolled up to reveal her pale ankles. Her hands were stained black with pencil lead, and there were a few dark smudges on her face. Seeing them, she went into the back room to wash her hands and gather her things. A moment later, she came out looking refreshed. Her face was clean, but Su Mian pointed at her hands. Pei Qingyu shook the water droplets from her hands and said nonchalantly, "It won't wash off completely. It's fine."
Su Mian asked worriedly, "Won't you get poisoned when you eat?"
Pei Qingyu laughed. "Of course not!" She put on her jacket and threw an arm around Deng Chuan. "Birthday girl, let's go! What delicious food are you treating us to today?"
Su Mian raised her hand and cheered, "Hot pot!"
Pei Qingyu chimed in, "Hot pot!"
"Okay, hot pot it is," Deng Chuan agreed. The three of them clattered down the stairs. They parked the bike at the studio entrance and walked toward the plaza, where there was a street full of hot pot restaurants. From a distance, they could already smell the aroma of beef tallow hot pot base drifting over.
Since it was dinnertime, it was crowded. Many restaurants had a wait. They finally found one where they could be seated immediately. Deng Chuan let the others order while she took out her phone to check her messages. In the family group chat, her parents had wished her a happy birthday early on and had also sent her money. People she couldn't see in person had left her messages on QQ and WeChat.
Everyone was telling her, "Happy birthday."
Deng Chuan replied to them one by one. Hearing Pei Qingyu call her, she put her phone away and leaned over to study the menu as well.
Halfway through the hot pot, Su Mian got a call from the cake shop and took a taxi to pick up the cake. She returned in a flurry, placing the cake on the table. It was a six-inch mango mousse, not too big and not too small, just enough for the three of them. On top was a small chocolate plaque that read "Happy Birthday." Pei Qingyu carefully inserted the candles. Candles had evolved, too; there was no need to stick in eighteen of them anymore, just ones shaped like the number "18."
The two of them looked at her together, their eyes sparkling, and sang to her:
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
They blew out the candles together.
Su Mian busied herself with cutting the cake. Pei Qingyu raised her cup, using Coke in place of wine. "Happy eighteenth birthday to our Deng Chuan. Another year has passed. I don't know if we'll be able to celebrate together next year..." Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Anyway, wishing you success on the Gaokao seems a bit insincere, haha, so I'll just wish you a smooth life, and a bright future for all of us."
"Damn," Su Mian said. "Don't be so sentimental. It's not like we'll never see each other again."
Pei Qingyu was still looking at her. Hearing Su Mian, she retorted, "Well, at least I won't see you next year." Deng Chuan understood what she meant, smiled, and gently clinked her cup against hers.
After dinner, she returned to the classroom. Not everyone was back yet.
Deng Chuan walked over. From a distance, she could see something piled on her desk.
She had already received all the gifts she was expecting. Who else would give her one?
She quickly realized what it might be, and her heart began to pound.
As she got closer, she saw a pile of colorful candies on her desk, like a small mountain. Tucked under the candies was a note. The handwriting was very familiar.
Deng Chuan pulled it out and read it. It said:
Little Friend.
Happy eighteenth birthday. Happy adulthood.
Eat the candy, and you'll understand that life is always sweet.
May every place you go be a land of passion. May every person you meet be kind.
It was signed. Xu.
The surroundings were silent. Only the sound of her own heartbeat echoed quietly. In that moment, it was as if someone, through Xu Wei's words, was letting Deng Chuan tell herself: You are eighteen. You are an adult now.
So this was the ritual of a birthday. Once this day passed, you were a year older. This was the meaning bestowed upon you by time, something no one could change.
Deng Chuan tore off a sticky note and wrote on it very seriously: Thank you. She added a few more strokes to draw a smiley face, then tucked it into the homework notebook she was turning in.
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