The Tenth Snowflake

After the Village Chief got himself ready, told his wife not to expect him back until evening, and headed out, he found Shen Qiancheng already waiting in the three-wheeled cart with a bulging backpack. Anyone who knew brands would've clocked it at five figures, but now it was stuffed to the brim with who knew what, liable to lose its shape.

Liao Xue wasn't with her. Shen Qiancheng had skipped breakfast entirely—the Village Chief's wife's cooking was pure torture—so she'd simply waited for him before they set out.

The Village Chief fired up the engine, which coughed loudly and lurched forward.

Shen Qiancheng silently complained: his driving wasn't nearly as smooth as Liao Xue's.

The Village Chief rarely made trips to the county, so he'd dressed in his usual meeting attire, looking noticeably spruced up.

"Miss Shen, we'll take a coach first, then switch to a city bus to get to County No. 1 High School. It's summer break, so there shouldn't be many students around, but the principal should still be there," he briefed her, like a personal assistant.

Shen Qiancheng frowned, thinking of Liao Xue again. "Why a coach?" She hadn't forgotten the stifling, foul ride that nearly did her in on the way to Liao Family Village.

The Village Chief explained, "The rural bus to the town was discontinued six months back due to funding issues. The only coaches running now are privately operated."

Buses? Even worse—dirtier, stinkier than coaches. But for Liao Xue... Shen Qiancheng would bear it. "Fine."

The Village Chief had always assumed she was a pampered heiress from some Shen Corporation, sent to the countryside to clear her head after a family spat. Yet this delicate miss had managed a month here already.

As the sun peeked over the horizon, the Village Chief nodded and reached the bus stop at the foot of the mountain.

The stop stood alone amid lush cornfields, with several people already waiting under the shelter. Some recognized the Village Chief and waved cheerful greetings. Shen Qiancheng stepped down with an icy aloofness.

The Village Chief exchanged pleasantries and handed over the cart keys.

As the morning sun climbed, so did the oppressive heat. Growing restless, Shen Qiancheng pulled out her phone.

A message from Xiao Sui: [Miss Shen, Su Zeye is out of the hospital.]

A shadow crossed her eyes. That little brat had managed to survive.

She typed back: [Switzerland. Wait for me there.]

Then she opened the news app. Sure enough, Su Zeye's discharge topped the headlines, but what made her want to choke was the one above it: "Shen Corporation's Eldest Miss, Shen Qiancheng, Leaps into the Sea for Love to Save Her Husband, Now Missing."

All she wished for was a headline declaring she'd died of her own cruel ways.

Can't catch me, so they resort to this sickening tripe.

She couldn't stand looking at her phone, and just then the coach rolled in.

The memory of her last ride haunted her—that suffocating scent of leather and gasoline, sticky and nauseating. Even the thought made her queasy.

The Village Chief boarded first and secured a seat for her. When he saw she hadn't climbed on and was being jostled by the crowd behind, he called out anxiously, "Hurry up! I saved you a seat!"

Shen Qiancheng took a deep breath, pinched her nose, and climbed aboard with a grimace.

The moment she sat down, she pried the window open and stuck her head out to gasp for fresh air.

The Village Chief scratched his head, puzzled. "Car sick already? We haven't even moved."

Shen Qiancheng didn't bother to answer; she'd have kept her entire upper body out if she could.

As it was the first run, the bus filled quickly. Just as the driver prepared to leave, he noticed her head hanging out. "Hey, girl! We're pulling out! Get your head back inside!"

But she couldn't pull it back—because Liao Xue was standing right outside the window.

Shen Qiancheng frowned. "What are you doing here?"

Liao Xue bit her lower lip, her autumn-water eyes fixed on Shen Qiancheng with infinite tenderness.

Shen Qiancheng had no choice but to soothe her. "I'm not leaving. I just—"

Sure enough, the moment Liao Xue heard she wasn't going, her expression cleared from clouds to sunshine.

"Here." She handed Shen Qiancheng a red plastic bag.

Shen Qiancheng took it and opened it—inside were motion-sickness pills and a disposable mask.

The Village Chief, flustered, explained to the other passengers, "They're sisters, can't bear to part. Give them a moment."

Shen Qiancheng looked at Liao Xue, bewildered. "How did you know I was heading out?"

"I came to find you this morning, but the cart was gone. Auntie said you and the Village Chief had gone to the county." She offered a bottle of water. "Take the medicine first. You haven't eaten breakfast, so your stomach will be queasy. I brought some veggie buns I made—have one to settle it."

The buns were plump, their pleats perfectly formed—truly lovely.

Starving as she was, Shen Qiancheng felt a warm iron press against her heart: smooth, warm, utterly at ease.

That only strengthened her resolve to reach County No. 1 High.

Liao Xue glanced at the license plate, confirming it headed to the town, but she still asked again, worry etched in her voice: "Miss Shen, you're really not leaving, right?"

So clingy. Shen Qiancheng pulled out her ID card from her pocket. Liao Xue recoiled as if it were a hot potato. "I can't take that!"

Shen Qiancheng grasped her arm firmly and pressed the card into her palm. "Hold on to this. Without my ID, I can't get far—not even out of the county. Keep it safe. I'll be back tonight. Every word I said last night was true. Don't worry about me. Go home—the sun's getting strong, and you'll burn."

Liao Xue watched her climb into the bus, watched it rumble to life, and then disappear behind a cloud of dust down the narrow dirt road toward the green expanse.

Shen Qiancheng's ID card sat quietly in her palm. Liao Xue curled her fingers around it and pressed it to her chest.

The scenery outside was monotonous—rows of poplars and fields slipping past. Shen Qiancheng took out one of the buns, its pleats neat and pretty.

Just like Liao Xue to make something so beautiful. She almost hated to eat it.

The Village Chief, noticing her face break into a brilliant smile, couldn't help asking, "Miss Shen, is there one for me?"

She shot him a death glare. "Didn't you stuff yourself at breakfast? Or are you so full you're asking for trouble?"

The Village Chief realized with certainty: Shen Qiancheng was still Shen Qiancheng—gentle only with Liao Xue. He shut his mouth, but the scent of the buns taunted his taste buds.

Better to endure.

Shen Qiancheng took a bite. The flavor lingered—truly delicious. Good thing she'd skipped the Village Chief's wife's cooking; her stomach had plenty of room for Liao Xue's buns.

The stench of leather and gasoline still hung in the air, but around her, the bun's aroma masked it. She took the motion-sickness pill, put on the mask, then counted the remaining buns—two—and tucked them carefully at the bottom of her backpack.

Reconsidering, she feared they'd get crushed down there, so she pulled everything out and repacked, placing the buns on top.

That was when the Village Chief noticed the sickle and hammer in Shen Qiancheng's bag.

His mind superimposed the theme from *A Hero of Our Time*. Was she planning to take on the principal of County No. 1? The thought nearly scared him to death. He crouched down, pressed on her backpack—straight onto the sickle, slicing his hand.

"Miss Shen, we're in a society governed by law."

Shen Qiancheng calmly put the sickle back. "I know."

*Do you really?* The Village Chief regretted coming even more—what if he got dragged into this?

Shen Qiancheng set the backpack at her feet, glanced ahead, and patted the Village Chief's shoulder with a sinister grin. "I haven't done this in over half a month. I'm a bit rusty."

In Tang City, Shen Qiancheng was known for settling disputes with her fists. After a month of gentleness in Liao Family Village, she'd almost forgotten how to fight.

With the grim resolve of a man marching to his doom, the Village Chief led her to the gates of County No. 1 High School.

Two rows of white magnolia trees flanked the entrance like the character for 'two,' cradling this century-old institution.

It was nearly noon; food carts selling jianbing, egg pancakes, and grilled cold noodles lined the roadside, waiting for students to dismiss.

Shen Qiancheng took in the stately, south-facing gate, but a whiff of gutter-oil cooking hit her nose. Her throat itched, and she doubled over to vomit.

The Village Chief snatched a plastic bag and held it to her mouth.

But nothing came up.

"Never mind." She pushed away the red plastic bag that clashed with her elegance. "Go ask if there are any classes today."

He headed over, and after a few exchanges, bought an egg pancake.

Shen Qiancheng moved away from the carts and leaned against a magnolia tree, chest tight.

The last time she'd leaned against a tree, Liao Xue had shoved her.

She sighed, turned her head, and saw the Village Chief happily munching his pancake. He grinned, "Miss Shen, the seniors are doing extra classes."

If Liao Xue hadn't dropped out, she would've finished the college entrance exam this year.

Shen Qiancheng pinched her nose and stepped back. "Go eat over there. I can't stand the smell."

It smelled so good. The Village Chief was baffled but went to squat elsewhere.

Shen Qiancheng straightened her clothes and checked the time—dismissal was an hour away. She couldn't wait that long. She tossed her backpack over the wall and, with flair, vaulted over herself.

She landed on a patch of grass. Not far off, a red rubber track stretched, and the campus was utterly empty.

She strolled across the field, studying the three buildings ahead. Which one housed the seniors?

No sound came from any of them except occasional shadows moving in one.

Having chosen her target, she avoided the security guard and front gate, slipping in through an open bathroom window on the first floor.

A foul, rank smell hit her sinuses.

Before she could recover, footsteps entered.

She ducked into a stall.

"This method of yours really works."

"Keep your voice down. Give me a cigarette. Where's the lighter?"

There was a rustle as they searched their pockets. Finding no lighter, one girl grew irritated and started blaming the other. "You come out for a smoke and don't bring a lighter?"

The other retorted, "I brought the cigarettes! Shouldn't you have brought the lighter?"

*Click.*

A flame-red lighter with an orange flame was extended between them.

The two exchanged glances, cigarettes dangling from their mouths, both stunned.

Shen Qiancheng gave a faint smile. "I'd like to ask you something."

TL Note:

"A Hero of Our Time" (乱世巨星) is the theme from the Hong Kong gangster film series *Young and Dangerous*, which the Village Chief imagines at the sight of weapons to imply Shen Qiancheng is about to start a violent brawl.