The Eleventh Orange

The weather was clear, with light clouds drifting in the sky, and nameless little birds chirping away.

Shen Qiancheng and Liao Xue stood facing each other.

The brilliant smile on Shen Qiancheng's face instantly fell. She squinted and caught sight of the basket on Liao Xue's back—in the sunlight, she could clearly see it was full of mushrooms.

Liao Xue was also looking at Shen Qiancheng, cautiously sizing her up, only daring to steal a few glances upward when Shen Qiancheng's gaze was on the basket.

When Shen Qiancheng's gaze shifted away, it never returned to her. Liao Xue felt this and, in a panic, looked up to see Shen Qiancheng turning around and walking off as if nothing had happened.

Liao Xue called out anxiously, "I'll pay you back for the medical expenses."

Shen Qiancheng turned a deaf ear, not even pausing her steps, as if Liao Xue behind her didn't exist.

Bad luck. Shen Qiancheng secretly rolled her eyes. How did she run into that troublemaker Liao Xue again?

Every encounter with her was doomed to bring misfortune, as if she were born to jinx her. Better leave quickly.

Shen Qiancheng turned and walked away without touching the ground, taking a wide detour around where they'd met, heading toward the direction Liao Xue had come from.

She refused to believe she'd run into Liao Xue again.

On and on she walked. Under the increasingly scorching sun, her mouth grew parched, and she'd long lost any intention of finding a rabbit. She found a random tree, sat down, and leaned against its trunk to rest.

Shen Qiancheng let out a long sigh. Why did she feel a little reluctant to leave Liao Family Village?

She'd packed her things last night, planning to leave today, but something in her heart kept nagging her—something unresolved.

What wasn't resolved?

Getting revenge on Liao Xue?

Hadn't she already stumbled enough because of Liao Xue? She'd lost ten thousand yuan, plus two thousand in medical expenses, a dress, and a bottle of ointment...

In just half a month, she'd suffered more setbacks than in her entire life.

Liao Xue was as tiny as a mung bean sprout—she looked like easy prey. So why couldn't Shen Qiancheng get the better of her?

Furious, Shen Qiancheng yanked at the weeds around her. Not satisfied, she kicked the tree.

"Bang—"

"Who's that? How dare you hit me!"

Something heavy struck Shen Qiancheng's head. For a moment, pain blurred her vision with stars. Looking down, she saw a very pretty fruit.

She was hungry anyway...

Shen Qiancheng picked it up, squinted at it, thought for a moment, and sighed. She'd take it home, wash it, and eat it.

Suddenly, her hand stung, and the fruit flew out of her grasp, rolled three times on the ground, stopped at someone's feet, then shattered into several pieces.

"Who is it? Are you sick?"

Shen Qiancheng stood up, hands on her hips, glaring at the troublemaker.

She hadn't looked before, but look at that—she got even angrier.

"Liao Xue, why do you keep haunting me?"

Liao Xue bent down, picked up the fruit, examined it in her palm, and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Miss Shen. I thought that fruit was poisonous."

Shen Qiancheng snorted. "So is it poisonous?"

The fruit, shattered into pieces, lay pathetically in Liao Xue's palm.

"I'll wash it for you—it's still edible."

Shen Qiancheng crossed her arms with an expression that said, "Let's see what you do," as Liao Xue pulled a plastic water bottle from her basket and carefully rinsed the bits of grass and dirt off the fruit. After using the whole bottle of water, she held out the now bright red, gleaming fruit to Shen Qiancheng.

"Miss Shen, it's very sweet."

Shen Qiancheng stayed silent, but looking at Liao Xue's face already extinguished most of her anger. She picked out a fairly large piece of the fruit, but just as she was about to eat it, she stopped and held it out to Liao Xue's lips instead.

"You eat first."

Liao Xue froze, holding the fruit in both hands, biting her lower lip and shaking her head.

Shen Qiancheng's gaze sharpened. "Eat or not? Are you trying to poison me?"

Liao Xue shook her head even faster. "No, no."

Shen Qiancheng pushed the fruit closer, her tone brooking no refusal. "Eat."

Liao Xue hunched her shoulders, lowered her head, and took a bite. The juice burst between her lips and teeth, so dizzying she couldn't taste anything.

Shen Qiancheng watched Liao Xue for any reaction, and when there was none, she felt relieved and picked up the fragmented fruit, ready to eat it—until Liao Xue slapped it out of her hand.

Speechless and furious, like two out-of-control lions, they were doing a tap dance in Shen Qiancheng's heart.

"I may treat you badly, but you don't have to take revenge like this, Liao Xue."

Liao Xue scratched her head and said sheepishly, "Miss Shen treats me... very, very well."

Shen Qiancheng: Ha, flattery. Truly a native of this province.

"Alright, I won't eat. I'll just starve to death."

Shen Qiancheng just wanted to get away from Liao Xue. She started to leave, but her arm was caught.

"Got another trick up your sleeve already?" Shen Qiancheng said with exasperation.

Liao Xue: "No, no. It's just... the fruit is sour. It makes my teeth ache."

Shen Qiancheng: What a strange habit. She stammers whenever she lies.

She didn't believe the fruit was sour, nor did she believe Liao Xue thought she was good.

She preferred being a jerk.

"Enough, enough," Shen Qiancheng cut Liao Xue off, like a teacher who, when challenged by students, chooses not to let them explain. "I'm heading down the mountain now. Don't follow me again, got it?"

Shen Qiancheng raised her arm over her head. The sun in early July was already scorching. After half a month in Liao Family Village, her face and neck had darkened a few shades, and there was nowhere around here to buy sunscreen.

"Miss Shen, I'll repay you for the fruit."

Liao Xue stood in front of Shen Qiancheng, spreading her arms wide, guilt brimming in her eyes.

Shen Qiancheng: Ha, this wasn't her doing—the other party willingly offered herself up.

Shen Qiancheng raised an eyebrow and gave Liao Xue a once-over. Back in her old clothes from Liao family, she was swallowed whole by the drab, shabby outfit.

What could Liao Xue possibly repay her with? She didn't have a single thing of value on her.

Until Liao Xue pulled out an aluminum tin, its lid dented and battered, still stamped with red lettering from First High.

"You can have my lunch as repayment."

As the lid opened, a delicious aroma drifted out, wafting insistently up Shen Qiancheng's nose.

Cabbage wrapped in soy-colored broth, with vermicelli threading through it—no meat in sight.

Two little people in Shen Qiancheng's heart were arguing, about to come to blows.

"That's too shabby. Can it really be good? Shen Qiancheng wouldn't eat food this cheap."

"Shen Qiancheng is a jerk. Jerks do whatever they want. What's the big deal about eating? She wants to eat, and even if the King of Heaven came, she'd still eat."

Under the big tree, the breeze rustled the leaves, and warm sunlight filtered through the gaps between branches, casting light on two figures sitting side by side.

Liao Xue rested her chin on her knees and watched Shen Qiancheng as she held the tin, chewing slowly, picking at the vegetables with great satisfaction, her eyes curved into crescents.

Just a fist's distance away, Liao Xue watched quietly, without a word.

It had been nearly a week since Shen Qiancheng had had Liao Xue's cooking, and once she started, she couldn't stop. It was so delicious she wanted to swallow her own tongue. It wasn't until she was almost done that she remembered this was Liao Xue's meal. She looked down and saw that the food was more than half gone.

"Ugh, I'm full, not eating anymore," she said.

Shen Qiancheng casually tossed the chopsticks into the tin and handed it back to Liao Xue.

Liao Xue, who had been staring in a daze, snapped back to attention. A tin was shoved into her arms with some food still in it. She asked, "Did it not suit your taste? We're out of salt at home, so it might be a bit bland."

"Tsk." Shen Qiancheng impatiently but firmly pushed the tin back to Liao Xue. If someone gives you something, just take it. With all this needless talk, don't your lips get tired? "You're really a bit noisy."

Told she was noisy, Liao Xue fell silent and put the tin back into her basket.

Shen Qiancheng was annoyed. "Hey, you're not eating? Disgusted by my leftovers?"

What nerve!

Liao Xue waved her hands so fast it was like lightning. "No, no, no... I'm just not hungry."

Whether she was hungry or not—she should've eaten it all.

The mushrooms in the basket were coated in a shiny gloss by the sunlight. Shen Qiancheng pointed at the basket. "You picked quite a lot of mushrooms."

Liao Xue: "It's fine, not too many."

Shen Qiancheng: "Give them all to me. Consider it repayment for the medical expenses."

Liao Xue glanced at the basket full of mushrooms. How could these possibly cover the medical bills?

"Not giving?" Shen Qiancheng raised an eyebrow. Would she even pass up a bargain like that? How much could a basket of mushrooms be worth?

"No," Liao Xue refused. "It's too little."

Stubborn as a mule. Shen Qiancheng fumed inwardly, irritated.

Liao Xue's eyes were resolute and brooked no refusal. Knowing how stubborn she was, Shen Qiancheng realized she'd never convince her.

Shen Qiancheng sighed. "Fine. I want some rabbit. Can you at least catch me a rabbit?"

Liao Xue shook her head. A light bulb went off in Shen Qiancheng's head, and she wore an "I knew it" expression. "You can't catch one, can you, you dummy, Liao Xue."

Liao Xue shook her head. "No. I'd need to catch thirty of them, and there's not enough time."

Her one clever remark earned her speechlessness.

Shen Qiancheng really wanted to crack open Liao Xue's head to see if it was filled with concrete and rebar, so thick-headed was she.

"Then you can teach me to catch rabbits. That can count as my tuition."

Never in her life had Shen Qiancheng racked her brains so hard to avoid taking money. Ever since she met Liao Xue, everything about her had been turned upside down.

Liao Xue carried the basket on her back and personally delivered the mushrooms to her door.

From a distance, the Village Chief's Wife, who acted like the village intelligence agency at the entrance, spotted Shen Qiancheng and, bracing herself for battle, was about to run home. But then she squinted and noticed someone following behind.

The two figures cast long shadows in the setting sun, with a spectacular evening glow behind them.

It was Liao Xue. The Village Chief's Wife's eyes widened, full of hope, and she rushed up joyfully.

"Xiaoxue! It's been so long since I've seen you."

Walking along just fine, Liao Xue was suddenly grabbed by the sleeve by the Village Chief's Wife. She looked up in confusion and saw a face split into a wide smile. At the same time, a cold, hostile gaze from behind landed on her arm. She quickly pulled her arm free and forced a smile. "Auntie."

The Village Chief's Wife peered into the basket and gasped. "So many mushrooms! You should hurry home."

Liao Xue nodded with a smile, keeping half an arm's distance from the Village Chief's Wife, and the three of them headed home amid the Village Chief's Wife's chatter.

As soon as they entered, the Village Chief's Wife helped Liao Xue set down the basket, beaming. "Xiaoxue is so capable, picking so many mushrooms. You must be exhausted."

Liao Xue shook her head but worked quickly, dumping the mushrooms out of the basket.

The Village Chief's Wife chattered on to herself. "Why don't you cook tonight, Xiaoxue? I haven't had your cooking in ages."

Shen Qiancheng, who had been trailing behind like invisible air, suddenly spoke up, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible resentment. "She's not my assistant anymore."

The Village Chief's Wife's smile was still on her face but instantly crumbled.

Huh? Liao Xue was back, so didn't that mean she'd have to... The Village Chief's Wife shook her head. She'd thought she'd finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel and that better days were coming.

At the thought of having to endure Shen Qiancheng's torment all over again, the Village Chief's Wife's face paled, and without another word, she went back to her room.

Liao Xue busied herself with her work, while Shen Qiancheng stood there. Between them hung only the dry silence of the wind.

Not until the ground around her feet was covered with mushrooms did Liao Xue patiently instruct her. "Tomorrow, move the mushrooms out into the sun and dry them. They'll be easier to carry. When you leave, you can take them..."

Shen Qiancheng's heart stirred, and the words slipped out smoothly. "Why don't you come back and be my assistant again?"