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Xiang Yuanqiu's family is a prominent household in the local Tujia ethnic community, well-respected and influential. Her father started a lumber business in town early on, so their family owns houses both in town and in Xiangjia Village. Her father lives in town with her older brother and sister-in-law for business, while her mother stays in the village with her brother's child and her younger brother. During school, she sometimes stays at school for meals and lodging, other times she goes to her father's place in town. During holidays, she returns to her mother in Xiangjia Village.
Not only does Xiang Yuanqiu come from a well-off family, but she also excels academically among the girls in her class. She believes that the only girl who can compete with her is Qinglan, although Qinglan has never surpassed her in grades because everyone knows that Xiang Yuanqiu works harder than Qinglan.
Since entering junior high, Qinglan's personality has remained unchanged; she is still as talkative and cheerful as she was in childhood. She is sociable and well-liked among classmates, generous with her resources, and always willing to help others both academically and in daily life, making her popular with both boys and girls. However, classmates and teachers believe that Qinglan only puts in a fraction of the effort.
In contrast, Xiang Yuanqiu is a shy, quiet, and introverted girl who prefers solitude and avoids crowds. Therefore, both in personality and academics, she feels somewhat envious of Qinglan, especially regarding her carefree nature. Sometimes she admires Qinglan's freedom, while other times she mocks her as a wild mountain girl lacking refinement.
However, Qinglan does not mind this; she continues to show warmth and generosity around Xiang Yuanqiu.
"Brother Shaojie not only has good grades but also helps out with everything at home."
Although Qinglan knows that Xiang Yuanqiu likes An Shaojie, she does not hesitate to praise him in front of her. Whenever asked about An Shaojie, Qinglan feels that she knows him better than anyone else—she can recount amusing stories from his childhood and remember every little detail about him. This familiarity often makes Qinglan feel sweetly connected to An Shaojie.
Whenever Xiang Yuanqiu sees Qinglan's innate confidence as if she were An Shaojie's closest person, it ignites disdainful anger within her, often curling her lips into a sneer. "Hmph! Who doesn't know that An Shaojie never pays attention to her? Calling him 'Brother Shaojie' so affectionately."
Xiang Yuanqiu has thin lips, soft fine hair, and slightly pale skin. She tends to squint when speaking softly and appears to be a sensitive girl who studies hard but rarely engages in conversations with classmates or roommates. She belongs to the type that prefers to observe quietly but occasionally speaks with a sharp tone.
Indeed, she is right; when Qinglan enthusiastically shares stories about An Shaojie among the girls, An Shaojie tells other boys in the dormitory or elsewhere that he doesn't know Qinglan well.
"Aren't you from the same village? How could you not know each other?" asked a chubby boy with thick eyebrows and big eyes.
"I have no dealings with her," An Shaojie replied coldly.
"Oh."
Seeing An Shaojie's icy demeanor made everyone feel he wasn't interested in talking to them, so they dispersed.
Since the beginning of school, An Shaojie has rarely spoken to classmates; he always buries himself in books. This does not pique anyone's curiosity since there are many diligent students who also keep quiet during class breaks—either focused on calculations or memorizing English vocabulary or reciting texts. However, they occasionally lift their heads to share a joke or playfully tap their classmates' shoulders.
But An Shaojie is different; he maintains a cold expression almost all the time. He never jokes around or participates in extracurricular activities with classmates. Whether on the basketball court, at the ping pong table, during morning runs on the field, or near the pull-up bars during gym class—places where all the boys gather—he is never seen.
Every night, after returning to the dormitory and climbing up to his upper bunk, he would take out a sky-blue diary from under his pillow and write in it.
One time, a classmate raised his head and leaned on his bed, curiously asking him, "An Shaojie, what do you write in bed before sleeping every day? It can't be the Secret of the Sunflower, right? You think during the day, write it down at night, then close your eyes before sleeping and secretly practice it in your heart. No wonder your grades are so good! When will you lend it to me so I can practice too and improve my skills?"
The classmate was joking, thinking it would just be a laugh among friends. However, An Shaojie's expression darkened, and he replied sullenly, "Who said we are brothers?"
After saying that, he closed the diary, stuffed it back under his pillow, covered himself with the blanket, and lay back with his eyes closed, ignoring the classmate.
"Hey, what's going on? I didn't say anything wrong, did I?" The classmate pointed at An Shaojie lying on the bed and shrugged at the other roommates with a smirk. "Is it really that serious? It's just slightly better grades; what's so impressive about that?"
The other roommates shook their heads and chuckled dismissively.
Not long after, rumors spread among the girls that Qinglan liked An Shaojie, but An Shaojie did not like her; in fact, he even disliked her.
"How do you know An Shaojie doesn't like her?" The girls surrounded Xiang Yuanqiu and asked.
"All the boys know. An Shaojie said he has never interacted with her; she is just being overly sentimental," Xiang Yuanqiu said with lowered brows and drooping eyelids, appearing indifferent while a hint of a cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"But I heard from the boys that although An Shaojie has good grades, his family is very poor. Qinglan's family is the richest in their village, so he feels inferior," one girl countered.
"Yeah, don't you know? An Shaojie's mother comes to school every Wednesday. Do you know why?" A chubby-faced girl wearing a blue cloth shirt and a blue floral scarf asked mysteriously.
"What for?" Many girls immediately gathered around.
"She brings rice on Mondays to exchange for meal tickets. It's not enough for him to eat for a week; every Wednesday, his mother comes to bring him meal tickets."
"What's so special about that? If the rice brought on Monday isn't enough, it's normal to get more on Wednesday," one girl said with disappointment as she walked away.
What was mysterious or curious about this situation? Many classmates often brought insufficient rice on Mondays and went home to get more in between.
"No, that's not it. The problem is that on Wednesdays she doesn't bring rice but only meal tickets," the chubby-faced girl continued mysteriously.
"How can we exchange meal tickets without bringing rice?" The scattered girls were drawn back by the words of the Chubby-Faced Girl.
"Don't you know? The meal tickets that his Mother sent on Wednesday are from Qinglan."
"From Qinglan?" The other girls widened their eyes in astonishment.
Sitting aside and observing coldly, Xiang Yuanqiu suddenly froze, stopped reading, and cast a skeptical glance at the Chubby-Faced Girl.
From An Shaojie's attire, every classmate knew he was definitely a child from a poor family. It was said that he had lost his Father, and his Sister was still in the ninth grade at this school, so it was normal for the family to struggle with food, making it possible for them to accept help from others.
But how could it be from Qinglan? She hated Qinglan so much that she wouldn't even admit to knowing her.
"Yes, didn't you see?" Seeing her words piquing everyone's interest again, the Chubby-Faced Girl became even more intrigued, her eyes filled with mystery and her smile turning strange.
"See what?" Everyone leaned in closer, wearing mischievous smiles.
"Every Monday, Qinglan's Father comes to school to bring her rice. Qinglan always takes a few meal tickets from her stash to give to her Father. The meal tickets that An Shaojie's Mother sends him on Wednesdays are those few that Qinglan took out." After saying this, the Chubby-Faced Girl displayed a look of triumph, picked up a plate from the edge of the table, and puffed out her chest. "You all think about it; I'm going to eat now."
"Oh! So that's how it is?" Originally a group of girls who should still have some childish innocence now wore expressions of worldly sophistication.
"She really is a vixen; her methods of seduction are truly unique." Once everyone had gone to the cafeteria for lunch, Xiang Yuanqiu forcefully tossed the book onto the desk by the bed.
As autumn turned to winter and cold gave way to warmth, another year passed in the blink of an eye.
In the summer of 1994, Shaw Min graduated from middle school and was admitted to an ordinary high school in the county, attending the same school as Jiawei. At this time, Jiawei was a Sophomore, while Qinglan and An Shaojie had also advanced a grade into the second year of middle school.
Jiawei and Shaw Min studied in the county town, taking a break at the end of each month to return home.
During Shaw Min's first month back home after school started, it happened to be a weekend when An Shaojie was also home on break. Shaw Min noticed An Shaojie following closely behind her; wherever she went, he followed.
"An Shaojie, do you need something?" Shaw Min asked curiously.
"Hey hey." An Shaojie rubbed his hands, standing awkwardly in front of Shaw Min, shyly and unnaturally smiling to please her.
"What's wrong, An Shaojie?" Shaw Min looked at the unusually behaving An Shaojie, asking with more confusion.
"Hehe, Sister." An Shaojie scratched his head and grinned, saying, "Ah Jie, have you seen Lin Xi in the county town?"
"Oh, Lin Xi? My silly little brother, how big is the county town?" Shaw Min waved her hands. "From the east side to the west side of the county town, it takes a long bus ride. It's even farther than going to the town, so it's not easy to see Lin Xi. Besides, there are so many people on the streets of the county town; even if I ran into her, I wouldn't recognize her." Shaw Min smiled.
"Oh." An Shaojie lowered his head and smiled shyly. "I thought that if I went to the county town, I could see her."
"Not really." Shaw Min patted An Shaojie's head. "The county town is very big; even if you know someone, you can't see them every day. However..."
"However what?" Before Shaw Min could finish her sentence, An Shaojie eagerly asked.
"However, when you go to the county town for school in the future, you might have a chance to see her. You might even be in the same class."
"Really?" An Shaojie widened his eyes, sparkling with excitement.
"Of course! You and she are in the same grade. As long as you both get into the same high school, it's very likely you'll be in the same class. Even if you're not in the same class, you'll still be at the same school and can see each other every day."
"Yeah, right!" An Shaojie nodded vigorously, as if he was just realizing this now.
"However, Lin Xi's dad is a teacher; her grades must be very good. She will definitely get into County No. 1 High School. County No. 1 High School is the best high school in Wufeng County." Shaw Min gently nodded her head, looking at An Shaojie with a teasing gaze.
"Sister, what kind of look is that? Do you think I can't get into No. 1 High School? I'm definitely going to get in!" An Shaojie's tone was stubborn yet silly, completely different from his usual gloomy demeanor.
Shaw Min was waiting for An Shaojie to say that. Looking at his spirited expression, she smiled with her lips pressed together.
Like An Shaojie, at Qing Shusheng's house, Liu Jiawei returned home from the county town every month during holidays. Qinglan would tug at Liu Jiawei's sleeve and ask about Lin Xi.
Ever since Jiawei went to study in the county town and returned home once a month during holidays—especially on weekends—Qinglan would also take time off to stay home. She would hold Liu Jiawei's hand and continuously inquire about things in the city, always asking specifically: "Brother, have you seen Lin Sister?"
"No." Liu Jiawei was not concerned about the matter, so his answer was always casual.
"How come you haven't seen Lin Sister even once?" Qinglan pouted, somewhat disbelieving Liu Jiawei's words. Since childhood, Liu Jiawei had been accustomed to brushing off Qinglan's questions, and she was aware of it.
Liu Jiawei glanced at Qinglan with a disdainful look. "Do you think the county town is as small as our Liu Family Village? When I step out, I don't run into everyone in the village. The county town is quite large; I don't even know where she lives, so how could I see her?"
"Oh." Qinglan let go of Liu Jiawei's hand, feeling a bit disappointed.
Just then, Liu Xiuzhen came in from outside. Liu Jiawei stopped her and said, "Mother, look at this silly girl Lanlan. Every time there's a holiday and I finally come back, all she does is pull me to ask about Lin Xi. She never asks how her brother is doing outside. Lin Xi has been living in the county town for years and probably doesn't even remember her anymore, but she still keeps thinking about her."
Liu Xiuzhen glanced at Qinglan and said to Liu Jiawei, "That just shows our Lanlan is sincere. If Lin Xi has forgotten her, then that's Lin Xi's fault."
Seeing that Liu Xiuzhen finally didn't defend her brother this time, Qinglan proudly stuck out her tongue at Liu Jiawei and made a silly face, saying, "Hehe, what do you think?"
Looking at Qinglan's mischievous and charming face, Liu Jiawei shook his head helplessly and gently tapped her smooth forehead. "You girl, you're just too sincere with people; you'll definitely suffer for it in the future."
Qinglan pouted in defiance.
"But luckily you have me as your brother. If anyone bullies you in the future, I'll definitely take revenge for you. That An Shaojie kid—one day, I'll deal with him," Liu Jiawei said, patting his chest as he spoke to Qinglan.
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