The Third Blood Orange

Her heart full to bursting, Liao Xue let out a long breath and replied to none of the messages.

On the other end, Shen Qiancheng, bored enough to squat under a telephone pole, was examining a cicada shell when her phone suddenly buzzed in her pocket.

She deliberately waited three seconds before picking up, opening with, "Only just figured out how to call people, have you?"

On the other line, Liao Xue had turned off the light and was hiding under the covers, secretly calling Shen Qiancheng.

"There are buns I made in the fridge; just heat them up and eat," Liao Xue said quietly, afraid her mother might hear, like a boarding student sneaking a call to a parent.

Shen Qiancheng wouldn't let it go. "I don't want those. I want you to make them fresh for me."

Liao Xue could easily picture Shen Qiancheng being petulant, and said helplessly, "I'm home right now. How can I make them for you?"

A long silence. Liao Xue thought Shen Qiancheng was angry and was about to soothe her when she heard, "Liao Xue, I regret letting you go back."

Liao Xue sighed softly. The only reason she'd come back was to get her ID card.

Without her ID, she couldn't buy a train ticket.

And her ID was in Mother Liao's hands.

Liao Xue deliberately steered away from the heavy topic, putting on a light tone. "What did you have for dinner?"

Shen Qiancheng rubbed her belly and said in a pitiful voice, "A stomach full of bitterness... bitter melon is so awful without you. Come back and make me some good bitter melon. It clears heat, but my temper is running hot right now!"

Even though Liao Xue couldn't see her, Shen Qiancheng raised her arm to show off her strength.

Liao Xue suggested, "Have Aunt Xi make some loofah soup tomorrow; it'll cool you down."

Shen Qiancheng grumbled, "No way. Everything she touches turns into a disaster. I don't know how the Village Chief stomachs it, year after year."

At that very moment, the Village Chief and his wife were standing at their gate, having eaten a bit too much and wanting to take a stroll. They spotted Shen Qiancheng squatting at the entrance, muttering to herself and yanking up grass...

Village Chief's Wife: "Who's Shen talking to?"

The Village Chief took a drag from his cigarette, squinted, and concluded, "The telephone pole, I'd say."

Village Chief's Wife shook her head. "Liao Xue's been gone less than a day, and Shen's already lost her mind?"

The Village Chief furrowed his brow and puffed a few more times.

Shen Qiancheng tossed away the grass in her hand and asked reluctantly, "What's the date?"

Liao Xue checked. "I think... around the twentieth."

Shen Qiancheng wasn't happy. She slapped the telephone pole. "That's so long! Way too long! I'd have to eat the Village Chief's Wife's cooking for even more days..."

As Liao Xue listened to Shen Qiancheng's voice come through clearly, with a little trailing lilt, she was about to offer a few comforting words when she heard a sudden slap behind her and "Who are you talking to?"

Liao Xue's heart jumped. She tried to hang up quickly, but in her panic, she accidentally hit the speakerphone button.

In front of her stood a confused Mother Liao, and from the phone came Shen Qiancheng's voice.

"I called you as a courtesy, and you dare give me attitude? You better come crawling back on your own, or I'll make sure you can't show your face anywhere in this town."

She sounded just like a gang leader.

Liao Xue, however, showed an unyielding spirit and shouted back, "Even if you beat me to death, I won't go back and be your slave!"

Shen Qiancheng hung up first. She was afraid that if she heard Liao Xue's voice after her bold words, she'd soften.

After the call, feeling better, Shen Qiancheng stood up—but her leg tingled like an electric shock, and she couldn't move.

Her legs had fallen asleep from squatting...

Meanwhile, Mother Liao looked embarrassed and worried. "Are you sure it's fine to have provoked her like that?"

Once she confirmed the call had ended, Liao Xue shook her head despondently.

The script Shen Qiancheng had written and made her memorize didn't include lines for this situation, so she could only stay silent.

After all, it was Liao Xue who couldn't survive in that town, not Shen Qiancheng.

Mother Liao pulled out a dress—a pale yellow one with an outdated style, but the cut was decent, and it would complement Liao Xue's skin tone.

She looked at Liao Xue like she was admiring a doll she'd carefully dressed, and said approvingly, "Wear this tomorrow when you meet him again. Let's settle everything for good!"

Mother Liao had been turning Liao Xue this way and that. Even though Liao Xue had mentally prepared herself, her heart still skipped a beat. She asked, though she already knew the answer, "Meet who?"

Mother Liao hung the dress in the wardrobe and said cheerfully, "That nice young man from today. He even brought you flowers, didn't he?"

What was bound to come had come. Liao Xue couldn't understand—hadn't they managed to mess it up yesterday?

The next day, Liao Xue wore that pale yellow dress. The cheap lace trim chafed her skin, and she sat awkwardly, the center of attention.

"Our Xiao Han has taken such a liking to your Xiao Xue. He's been shouting that he wants a wife ever since he got home..."

Mother Liao was actively selling Liao Xue. "A rich man's daughter came to our village, always causing a fuss and throwing tantrums. Yesterday she fired our Xiao Xue without paying a cent. Poor thing—she gives her all to others and gets treated like that. So it's no wonder she was a bit emotional yesterday."

Liao Xue sat in the middle, feeling completely out of place. Whenever she made eye contact with the man called Xiao Han, he'd flash a big smile. Maybe it was sincere, but Liao Xue felt like she was looking at a viper and quickly averted her eyes.

Liao Xue knew the only reason this utterly fake conversation was still going on was the shift from forty thousand to thirty-five thousand.

Mother Liao had traded five thousand to marry her off to that simpleton.

Liao Xue almost wanted to laugh. She lowered her head, and in her line of sight was a bouquet—fresher than yesterday's.

"For you, wife." The simpleton held the flowers up high, and their fragrance wafted over.

Liao Xue looked up. Everyone's eyes were fixed on her, as if it would be a crime for her not to take the flowers, not to follow the script they had written.

The bouquet was squeezed in the girl's slender, beautiful fingers. Pale green sap slid down her fair, delicate skin like a silent tear.

The conversation ended, and Liao Xue was rewarded with a chicken drumstick again, but this time she placed it in Liao Feiyu's bowl.

Mother Liao opened her mouth to speak, but Liao Xue said calmly, "It's only right for an older sister to let her younger brother have it."

After dinner, Liao Xue thought the room wasn't safe, so she wanted to call Shen Qiancheng from outside.

"Mom, the room is too stuffy. I want to go outside for some air."

"There are so many mosquitoes outside," Mother Liao said, frowning as she washed the dishes. "Go back to your room and rest."

Without waiting to hear the rest, Liao Xue grabbed a stool and sat in the yard, offering herself up to the mosquitoes.

She sat close to the wall, so close she heard a faint meowing sound from the top of the wall, like a kitten.

"Liao Xue." A voice so small it would have been inaudible without careful attention.

It wasn't a kitten. Liao Xue stood on the stool and saw a figure perched on the wall, slim and hidden among the rustling leaves. Liao Xue's whole being lit up—it was Shen Qiancheng.

"Move aside, I'm jumping down."

The bright moon bathed the ground in pale light. Liao Xue saw Shen Qiancheng wiggle a finger and grin widely, delighted.

Liao Xue was dazzled by that smile, then suddenly remembered Mother Liao was still in the kitchen, and frowned. "My mom's still home!"

Shen Qiancheng paused mid-motion. Why did this feel excitingly like sneaking around?

"Why fear her? Don't you miss me?"

Liao Xue wanted to nod, but Shen Qiancheng had already jumped down.

Just then, Mother Liao finished cleaning up and came out of the kitchen. Hearing the noise, she saw only Liao Xue standing at the base of the wall.

"Did you trip?" Mother Liao asked with concern, walking toward her.

Liao Xue blocked her view. "No. A night cat jumped onto the wall, and I shooed it away. It hopped back over."

Mother Liao stopped, clapped her hands, and said, "Feeding mosquitoes out here? Go to your room and rest."

Hidden behind Liao Xue, Shen Qiancheng crouched, her form obscured by the weeds. Watching Liao Xue cover for her, a sly idea crossed her mind. She grabbed Liao Xue's hand, which hung behind her back, and gently squeezed it.

Liao Xue's shoulders trembled, but she managed a smile. "The mosquitoes are a bit bad; I'll head in soon."

Mother Liao didn't catch the nervousness in her tone and, without suspicion, turned and went inside.

Crazy and foolish, wasting time feeding mosquitoes outside.

Under the vast starry sky, Liao Xue let out a long breath and turned to see a glittering river of stars.

Shen Qiancheng, with bright, sparkling eyes, held Liao Xue's hand and said playfully, "You didn't text today, so I came to check if you've betrayed me!"

Liao Xue honestly shook her head, but nothing escaped Shen Qiancheng's sharp eyes.

She pressed, "Didn't find your ID?"

Liao Xue sighed. "She's got it well hidden. For now, all I can do is wait until the marriage registration to see it."

"What a hassle," Shen Qiancheng said impatiently. "Just beat her up and demand where it is."

Shen Qiancheng always preferred simple, direct methods. Why go through all these convoluted steps? It only wasted time!

And time was exactly what she was short of. Shi Jianren might show up in Liao Family Village any day now and drag her away without mercy.

Liao Xue shook her head frantically. Mother Liao was the type who assumed anything someone else wanted was valuable and would never part with it willingly.

"The date's been moved up. The wedding is the day after tomorrow. I can get my ID tomorrow night."

Shen Qiancheng's dim eyes lit up. "Tomorrow night? Then we can leave tomorrow night!"

Liao Xue excitedly gripped Shen Qiancheng's hand, her brows, eyes, and lips all curving in a smile.

In such a beautiful moment, Shen Qiancheng pulled a red "Five-Three" workbook from her coat and said generously, "I brought your unfinished chemistry workbook, in case you get bored. Do a set if you can't sleep tonight."

Liao Xue's smile vanished, replaced by exasperation. "I don't have insomnia, and I don't want to do problems. Even if I can't sleep, I wouldn't want to do the workbook, let alone the Five-Three problems."

In this increasingly awkward atmosphere, Shen Qiancheng then produced a lavender insulated lunchbox, oozing flattery. "I can't get your cooking, and I'm starving at night. Can you leave me a portion? I'll climb the wall to get it."

Liao Xue, quick as a flash, slapped dead a mosquito on her arm.