Blood Orange, Slice Thirty-Six

The clouds drifted like wisps of willow catkins; it was the weekend.

After breakfast, the two of them strolled downstairs arm in arm.

The fitness equipment in the courtyard was covered with elderly women and grandmothers, some chatting over thermoses, some exercising with their faces taut with effort, and some frowning in concentration over a game of chess.

The sunlight was warm and bright, casting a cozy glow on everything it touched.

As soon as Shen Qiancheng and Liao Xue appeared, they drew the attention of the elderly crowd. With their delicate features and striking presence, it was hard to look away.

Shen Qiancheng pouted and pulled at Liao Xue. "So many people are staring at us. Let's hurry."

Liao Xue whispered, "Mm. Let's go to the market."

Shen Qiancheng's eyes widened. The market?

The smell from last time seemed to surge up her nose again, and her shoulders trembled involuntarily.

Liao Xue placed a hand on Shen Qiancheng's shoulder, secretly amused. "I'll cook you something delicious."

Consider it compensation.

Shen Qiancheng mulled it over. For the sake of Liao Xue's cooking, what were these hardships?

At the entrance to the market, Liao Xue carefully bought a disposable mask from a convenience store. Shen Qiancheng wrinkled her nose in disdain. "Ugh, I'm not wearing that. It's hideous!"

Liao Xue turned around and said, "Sir, give me another one."

"I'll wear one with you."

With the mask on, Shen Qiancheng followed behind Liao Xue, eyebrows raised high as she stepped into the market.

At the fish stall closest to the entrance, a middle-aged woman was scooping fish with a net. When she saw Liao Xue, she greeted her warmly. "You're early today."

Liao Xue smiled slightly. "Mm. What fish do you have today?" She turned to Shen Qiancheng. "It's a rare day off. What do you fancy?"

In the cement pool, the fish were packed in tightly, one after another, as if bonded together, unable to leave each other's side—like a dark cloud pressing down on the city.

Through the mask, the fishy smell wasn't as strong.

Shen Qiancheng lazily pointed at a fish with its mouth wide open, gulping water. "That one."

The fish vendor bent down cheerfully to scoop it out, splashing water everywhere. She landed the fish, swiftly knocked it on the head, split its belly to clean out the innards, scraped off the scales, rinsed it, and tucked it into a red plastic bag.

Liao Xue paid, then reached out to take the bag.

While making change, the vendor remarked, "You two sisters have such a good relationship. Xiaoxue always comes to buy groceries and says her sister doesn't like this or that, so she buys only what you like."

The last bit was directed at Shen Qiancheng, who froze for a moment.

The vendor continued, "You don't eat garlic or spicy food, don't like cold dishes, and can't stand strong-smelling grass carp. I remember it all."

Shen Qiancheng was dazed. True—none of those had ever appeared on her dining table.

She smiled, and her already lovely face turned even more radiant. "Is that so? My little sister is really good to me."

Liao Xue took the change, crisp bills folded with sharp edges that pricked her palm. She lowered her gaze, thinking: Just a sister.

Shen Qiancheng was extremely picky—no scallions, ginger, or garlic; no spinach or garlic sprouts; and among chicken, duck, and fish, she only liked fish.

After wandering around the market, Liao Xue asked around and bought some vegetables according to Shen Qiancheng's preferences, then they headed home.

The plastic bags holding the vegetables and fish were tossed into the fridge. Shen Qiancheng grabbed a yogurt and asked, puzzled, "Aren't we having the fish for lunch today?"

Liao Xue was tying her apron, her gentle hair slipping out of the hair tie and falling onto her smooth cheeks.

Shen Qiancheng sighed with contentment: This is all thanks to me!

Hearing her, Liao Xue straightened up. "We'll have it tonight. We're making dumplings for lunch."

The fridge door was open, and the freezer compartment held a drawer full of frozen dumplings.

Shen Qiancheng didn't understand. "Aren't there frozen ones in the fridge? No need for all this trouble."

Without looking up, Liao Xue said, "The ones I make taste better. You've never had my dumplings."

True, she hadn't. Shen Qiancheng thought—she'd only returned to the country too late, missing even the Spring Festival, so she hadn't had dumplings.

The yogurt was quickly finished, and the clock's hour hand pointed to the Roman numeral ten.

Shen Qiancheng puffed out her cheek and turned on the TV.

Run-of-the-mill dramas, mind-numbing variety shows.

Liao Xue's entire watch history was filled with junk like this.

She had no idea how Liao Xue could stand it.

Restless, Shen Qiancheng wandered over to the kitchen doorway.

The apron, printed with two chubby dolls with braids, had a tie strap thinner than her pinky, loosely hanging at Liao Xue's waist.

Liao Xue leaned forward, her waist dipping into a perfect curve.

On the counter, an stainless steel basin overflowed with white flour. Liao Xue picked up a glass and poured in water.

For two-thirds of a basin of flour, Liao Xue added an entire glass of water.

Shen Qiancheng couldn't help but chime in, "You're adding that much water?"

Liao Xue seemed to have sensed Shen Qiancheng behind her all along, not startled at all by the sudden voice. "You have a delicate stomach, so the dough needs to be softer."

"Oh." Shen Qiancheng had no more questions, which meant she was bored again.

The flour and water mingled, first forming little lumps, then Liao Xue stirred them with chopsticks into bigger clumps, and finally she kneaded with her hands, clockwise, working out the hard lumps, pressing them into a smooth dough, and picking up the loose flour clinging to the basin's sides.

Soon, a soft, white dough was ready.

Shen Qiancheng marveled inwardly at Liao Xue's skill.

She volunteered eagerly, "I'll chop the filling!"

With that, she dashed in like a whirlwind, grabbed the knife block from the counter, and stood there dazed. Then she scratched her head. "Which one's the cleaver?"

Liao Xue sighed, a resigned sort of sigh that said she'd known this would happen. "It's a vegetarian filling; you don't need to chop meat."

Shen Qiancheng gave an awkward laugh. "Oh. Then I'll knead the dough too."

It's already done... Liao Xue didn't get the chance to say it. Shen Qiancheng held up an empty basin, eyes shining at Liao Xue.

Liao Xue sighed inwardly and taught Shen Qiancheng how to knead, hand over hand.

"Too much water..."

"You said it should be soft..."

"Knead in one direction..."

"Don't add more water!"

"Just a little. I can't get it smooth..."

"..."

Under Liao Xue's guidance, Shen Qiancheng produced a basin of paste and a rock-hard lump.

Liao Xue closed her eyes in exasperation. "Why don't you just go watch TV?"

Shen Qiancheng shook her head. "No!"

Silence...

How had she never noticed before that Shen Qiancheng was a kitchen disaster—and worse, an enthusiastic, hands-on one?

Liao Xue handed Shen Qiancheng the rolling pin. "Then you roll the wrappers."

Soon, after she'd mixed the filling, Liao Xue began to regret not buying pre-made wrappers.

Shen Qiancheng was happily using the cylindrical rolling pin on round dough balls to produce square wrappers.

A whole board... covered in square wrappers.

Liao Xue lowered her eyelids: Might as well make wontons.

At some point, flour had dusted Shen Qiancheng's nose, and her hands were covered in paste and flour.

Shen Qiancheng said excitedly, "Let's wrap dumplings!"

Liao Xue's gaze shifted from Shen Qiancheng's face to the square wrappers on the board.

Liao Xue let out a faint sigh.

"Yes, like that. Don't put too much filling... That's right, pinch it shut, pinch it firmly..."

Even the most interesting thing becomes tedious after being repeated a certain number of times.

By the time Shen Qiancheng had wrapped about twenty or so, her brow finally showed signs of irritation and fatigue.

Liao Xue was so thrilled she could barely speak clearly.

"Tired? Go rest outside. I'll finish the rest."

That was exactly what Shen Qiancheng had in mind. Happily, she left the kitchen to wait.

This was the first time Shen Qiancheng had wrapped dumplings with her own hands. What would they look like after boiling?

From the kitchen, Liao Xue called out, "Should I put them in a bowl or on a plate?"

Shen Qiancheng replied, "A bowl!"

It sounded like a resounding success. Shen Qiancheng sat upright at the table, smiling, waiting for her kitchen debut.

Liao Xue came out holding two bowls, her expression flat as she set them on the table.

Shen Qiancheng leaned in to look and asked, puzzled, "Are we having dough-drop soup with the dumplings?"

Liao Xue stopped in her tracks. "It's not dough-drop soup," she retorted.

Shen Qiancheng fished around in the bowl with a spoon. "Where are the dumplings? It's all wrappers."

Liao Xue hit the nail on the head. "You didn't seal them tightly enough, so they fell apart as soon as they hit the water."

Shen Qiancheng flushed red, refusing to take the blame. "Obviously you don't know how to cook them."

Liao Xue knew Shen Qiancheng would say that. Too lazy to argue, like a mother humoring a child, she said, "Right, right. I can't cook. Looks like we'll have to eat frozen ones."

A flash of inspiration struck Shen Qiancheng, and she grinned slyly. "But don't you still have the ones you wrapped?"

Liao Xue: "..."

Sometimes having too clever a child is its own kind of trouble.

Liao Xue had no choice but to bring out a plate of dumplings from the kitchen—each one plump and tempting, arranged neatly on the plate.

Shen Qiancheng snatched it and set it in front of herself. "You can boil the frozen ones yourself."

Liao Xue mimicked Shen Qiancheng's tone. "I cook badly."

Shen Qiancheng's eyes widened in protest. "But these ones you made are perfectly cooked."

What else could Liao Xue do? Ever since she met Shen Qiancheng, Shen Qiancheng had never been reasonable.

The dumplings were delicious, perhaps partly because Liao Xue had wrapped them.

Shen Qiancheng pulled a small box out of her pocket and pushed it across the table to Liao Xue.

For a split second, the image matched the box Liao Xue had seen in Shen Qiancheng's car.

Liao Xue thought: Is this... did Su Tongqin confiscate it and stuff it in her own pocket to give to me?

"A peace offering," Shen Qiancheng said succinctly. "That trip to Jile Paradise was reckless of me. I didn't consider your feelings."

Liao Xue was still stuck on the previous question. "Is it for me?"

Shen Qiancheng nodded. "They'll look stunning with your qipao."

With delicate fingers, Liao Xue opened the box. Against the black velvet inside sat a pair of earrings.

Jade of antique green and berry red strung together, they seemed to soak up all the light within the box, yet emanated a soft glow of their own—an aura of settled, historic depth.

Shen Qiancheng curved her lips: No woman could resist those!

Liao Xue snapped the box shut and slid it back. "I don't have pierced ears."

###

The afternoon sun was pleasantly warm, and the two of them walked side by side along the landscaped path in the housing complex.

The woman in the camel coat was practically dragging the one in the pearl-white wool coat forward.

Liao Xue said anxiously, "Will it get infected? Will it bleed a lot?"

Shen Qiancheng stopped and looked straight into Liao Xue's eyes, casually removing the earrings. "See? I'm fine. What could possibly happen?"

Liao Xue mumbled, "Fine."

In the shops lining the outer ring of the complex was a nail and lash salon that did ear piercing. Shen Qiancheng strode into one at random.

A "Welcome" chime rang as the owner bent in greeting. "Hello, do you have an appointment?"

Shen Qiancheng sized up the decor—not a single customer. Who needed an appointment?

"Can you do ear piercing here?" Shen Qiancheng asked.

The owner smiled professionally. "Yes, we have hand-piercing, gun-piercing, and pressure-piercing. Which would you prefer?"

To Liao Xue, the owner rattling off options like a menu might as well have been listing torture methods.

Shen Qiancheng gripped Liao Xue's hand. "Whichever doesn't hurt."

The owner said, "Alright, so hand-piercing it is."

Shen Qiancheng nodded and covered Liao Xue's eyes. The staff member was skilled; it was over in a moment.

Liao Xue felt no pain, then heard Shen Qiancheng ask, "How much?"

The owner pulled out a payment QR code. "A hundred."

Shen Qiancheng stared at her phone, frozen, lost in thought.

The owner held her breath, her smile starting to crack.

Was she asking too much? Both of them were wearing designer clothes; they didn't look strapped for cash.

Tsk. She should have said fifty.

Shen Qiancheng turned and asked again, "Do you make good money?"

The owner broke into a sweat. "Income's decent."

Shen Qiancheng muttered to herself, "Doesn't really look like it..."

Liao Xue paid right away, and not even pausing to mind her freshly pierced ears, dragged Shen Qiancheng out, apologizing as they went. "I'm sorry, my friend just got back from abroad. Her head's a bit off."

Shen Qiancheng fumed. Who was off in the head?

Outside the shop, Shen Qiancheng said pitifully, "Why did you pull me out? I was just stating the truth."

Liao Xue said, "I could see she was about to stand up and hit you."

Shen Qiancheng sneered. "And what does that matter? Liao Xue, why are you still so weak?"

Shen Qiancheng never had to care about others' opinions.

Liao Xue tried to explain, "It's different. This is called being polite."

Shen Qiancheng couldn't grasp the line between politeness and weakness. "Ah, whatever," she said, pulling out the earrings and commanding, "Lean down."

Liao Xue lowered her head at the instruction. Shen Qiancheng pinched Liao Xue's earlobe between thumb and forefinger—soft, easy to pinch, red as if about to bleed.

The parts that would touch the ear had been swapped to pure silver, so they wouldn't redden or itch.

Their breaths mingled as the distance closed. Shen Qiancheng's cheeks flushed, and she stepped back abruptly, masking her loss of composure with a teasing remark. "Of course, I have great taste. Though a small part of it is that you're not bad-looking."

Liao Xue's cheeks and the backs of her ears burned like a sunset. She thinks I'm pretty!

The rush made her heart race and her thoughts scatter, and her steps unconsciously quickened.

Shen Qiancheng said, "Walk that fast and your ears might split open."

Liao Xue obediently slowed down, a buzzing bee stuffed in her heart, as she changed the subject. "I'll make you something nice for dinner."

Shen Qiancheng: ? More dumpling skins?

Love makes one dizzy; joy empties the refrigerator.

They wandered the streets a while, then headed home, where Liao Xue dived straight into the kitchen.

At six-thirty in the evening, Shen Qiancheng was called to the table to face a full feast.

Shen Qiancheng raised her chopsticks and announced, "I'll take exactly one bite of every dish."

Liao Xue smiled softly. "Taste them quickly."

For the first time, Shen Qiancheng ate her fill at night. When she showered, she discovered a little bulge where her stomach was.

Liao Xue waited at the bathroom door with the hairdryer.

Shen Qiancheng came out clutching her waist, a grimace on her face.

Liao Xue said, "Come here. Time to dry your hair."

A sour look on her face, Shen Qiancheng said, "It's all your fault. My stomach is stuffed."

Liao Xue's head shot up. "Stuffed? Let me get you some digestive tablets."

Digestive tablets were mostly made for children, with a sour-sweet taste that kids loved.

Shen Qiancheng's eyes lit up. "Yes, please!"

Liao Xue grabbed a box from the medicine cabinet, thought a moment, popped two pills from the foil, and carried them with a glass of warmed milk into the bedroom.

With wet hair, Shen Qiancheng was lying on her back on the bed, her hair fanned out over the edge like branches after a typhoon, wild and free.

At the sound of the door opening, she rolled over to face Liao Xue, her eyes filled with craving for the digestive tablets.

Liao Xue sighed, at a loss for how to handle Shen Qiancheng's theatrics.

"Only two, okay."

Shen Qiancheng pouted but obediently took them, then downed the warm milk.

A wave of unease washed over Liao Xue. So obedient?

Shen Qiancheng spread her arms wide. "Massage my stomach!"

Liao Xue: ???

Shen Qiancheng said imperiously, "You're my personal assistant. Rubbing my belly is part of your duties!"

Liao Xue resigned herself to rubbing her boss's belly.

Completely relaxed, Shen Qiancheng murmured drowsily, "Let's go to the amusement park tomorrow."

###

The three-day break fell on no public holidays, so the amusement park wasn't crowded.

Shen Qiancheng had bought skip-the-line tickets in advance, which was a bit like using a sledgehammer on a nut.

At the entrance, people were queuing. Shen Qiancheng boldly pulled Liao Xue to the very front and showed the staff her skip-the-line ticket.

Liao Xue whispered, "Isn't cutting the line bad? Everyone's watching."

Shen Qiancheng gave an enigmatic smile. "Just watch me."

Her expression flipped like a book page, and she said harshly to the ticket inspector, "Hey, can I cut the line?"

The inspector, already tired from work, replied flatly, "Please, go ahead."

Shen Qiancheng raised a triumphant brow. "See? In Tang City, I walk sidewise!"

Liao Xue actually believed her, and bit her lower lip lightly. "That's not right."

Shen Qiancheng's hand was shaken off, and Liao Xue stood at the gate, her face flushed red.

Not fun at all. She couldn't take a joke.

Shen Qiancheng sighed. "Take a look at this. Did you really think I was that kind of person?"

The words "skip the line" printed on the ticket met Liao Xue's eyes, and she was stunned. Had she misjudged Shen Qiancheng?

Shen Qiancheng took Liao Xue's hand again. "What do you want to try? The pirate ship? Carousel? The giant pendulum?"

Liao Xue looked up. This was the first time in her life she'd been to an amusement park.

Amusement parks were things that existed only in her phone and on the internet—visible but out of reach.

Pirate ship, roller coaster, giant pendulum—her legs went weak at the thought, too scared to go on.

Shen Qiancheng and Liao Xue circled the whole park, wasting two hours without riding anything.

Shen Qiancheng was on the edge of losing her temper, suppressing a bellyful of anger as she walked beside Liao Xue.

Up ahead was a small ice cream stand. Shen Qiancheng muttered, "Want an ice cream?"

The noon sun was certainly blazing, and a thin sheen of sweat coated Liao Xue's forehead and cheeks.

"Okay."

After buying the ice creams, a double bench at the entrance stood empty beneath a cherry blossom tree that leaned its crooked neck, casting a cool shade.

They sat and ate their ice creams.

Inside the park, a mother held her child's hand while the father carried the backpack and the leftovers the kid had gotten tired of. People on the roller coaster all had their mouths wide open, their screams audible even from far away.

Liao Xue squinted at the blue sky, happily licking her ice cream.

Shen Qiancheng leaned in, a smear of ice cream on her lips. "Happy?"

Liao Xue shook her dangling legs, nodding with joy. "Mm-hm, mm-hm. They're so cute."

Shen Qiancheng changed the subject, shaking her head and finger. "I wouldn't say that. Kids are the most annoying—always crying and whining. Dreadful."

The sunlight was blocked by a shadow as a gentle woman approached.

"Hey, miss, I need to ask a small favor."

Liao Xue knew Shen Qiancheng's temper and was about to refuse when, before she could get a word out, Shen Qiancheng's demeanor shifted and she asked, "What is it?"

The woman explained, "It's like this—my daughter, she's over there."

Shen Qiancheng tilted her head for a look. A little girl had an Elsa balloon tied to her wrist. She nodded. "Adorable."

Liao Xue was shocked. Was this parent here to force compliments on her daughter?

"We're trying to encourage her to be more outgoing and confident. In a moment, I'll have her come over alone to give you both flowers. All you need to do is accept them." The woman pressed her palms together sincerely.

Knowing Shen Qiancheng's notorious impatience with interruptions, Liao Xue spoke first, dreading what bombshell Shen Qiancheng might drop. "Sorry—"

"Sure. Oh, my friend's a little shy. I'm fine with it." Shen Qiancheng said cheerfully.

Liao Xue pressed her lips together. It seemed something was slowly changing.

The woman quickly thanked her and walked away.

A breeze swept by, and the little girl toddled over clutching two roses, stammering as she held them out to Shen Qiancheng. "Sister, please accept my flowers."

Shen Qiancheng took them with a smile and gently pinched the girl's cheek. "So brave! Thank you, kiddo."

The girl blushed and said, "You sisters are so pretty."

Shen Qiancheng laughed, her long, slanted eyes curving into crescent moons. "When you grow up, you'll be prettier than both of us."

The girl's mother came over, scooped her up, and kissed her cheek. "Nana did great!"

She turned slightly toward the duo and nodded, her eyes brimming with gratitude.

After watching them walk away, Shen Qiancheng generously handed one of the roses over. "Here—borrowed flowers to offer to Buddha."

Liao Xue took it, lowered her head to breathe in the rose's fragrance, and said in a muffled voice, "You're so soft."

Shen Qiancheng bristled like a spooked kitten, pretending to be fierce. "This young lady is being polite."

Liao Xue: Mm, so polite, Miss Shen.

Shen Qiancheng stood up. They couldn't come all the way to an amusement park and not go on a single ride.

"Come on, let me take you to the carousel to blow bubbles."

The carousel's whimsical music was dreamy and sweet, each romantic horse decked out in pink, chasing one another in circles, and every single one had a rider.

Shen Qiancheng let out a soft tsk. She should have booked the whole place from the start.

Liao Xue held the rose with both hands, its fragrance intoxicating—the first flower Shen Qiancheng had ever given her.

Shen Qiancheng knocked on the operator's door, pulled out her phone, and scanned the payment code. As the "money received" voice chimed, the operator nearly jumped out of his seat. Shen Qiancheng asked, "Is that enough to rent the place out?"

###

Liao Xue had no idea what Shen Qiancheng said in the operator's booth, but she saw the operator step out and, at eleven o'clock on the dot, announce that the carousel was closing immediately and asked visitors to exit the park in an orderly fashion.

Liao Xue stood rooted to the spot. Shen Qiancheng slipped over silently. "Don't move."

Liao Xue turned around. Shen Qiancheng's long, slanted eyes gleamed with a mischievous curve. "Want to blow bubbles?" She held out a small bottle of bubble solution she'd bought.

Liao Xue nodded slowly. "Okay."

The carousel stood empty. Shen Qiancheng hopped onto a unicorn-adorned horse, pretending to gallop. "Come on, Liao Xue!"

Liao Xue murmured in assent and climbed onto the horse closest to Shen Qiancheng.

The music began, and the carousel started to turn.

Shen Qiancheng puffed out her lips and blew lightly, and an endless stream of bubbles sailed into the air, casting soft halos of pale purple and pink in the sunlight.

Dreamlike and fleeting—fragile, and not quite real.