Running: She Runs Toward Him

Steam rose, blurring Wang Cai's face. Seen like this, Wang Cai looked somewhat prettier, showing a hint of youthful charm. Jiang Xu helped wash the bowls beside her. Wang Cai skimmed the oil off the soup's surface with a ladle. Jiang Xu handed her a bowl, and Wang Cai filled it with soup. Jiang Xu carried it over and handed it to her. Liang Xiaoqing quickly cupped the bowl in both hands.

The bowl had a chipped edge. As soon as Liang Xiaoqing's hands touched it, she felt a wave of warmth in her palms. A few droplets of oil floated on the surface, the bright yellow broth rippling slightly. A richer chicken aroma crept into Liang Xiaoqing's nose. She hadn't eaten much all day. The smell made her hungry.

Liang Xiaoqing pressed her lips together, smiled, glanced at Jiang Xu, then said to Wang Cai, "Then I won't stand on ceremony."

"Drink up," Wang Cai said, taking two more bowls. One, more worn, was filled to the brim, with a few chunks of chicken added. Food cooked over a wood-fired stove always carried the natural fragrance of the ingredients.

Liang Xiaoqing raised the bowl to her lips.

"Wait."

Jiang Xu stopped her, looking a bit awkward. "There's a chip there. Turn the bowl around."

The chicken soup was so fragrant that Liang Xiaoqing hadn't noticed that small detail.

"Got it, Xiao Xu." Holding the bowl with one hand, she couldn't help but reach out with the other to ruffle Jiang Xu's hair. "Thanks."

Jiang Xu's hair got tousled, but she let Liang Xiaoqing do as she pleased. When she lowered her hand, Jiang Xu picked up another bowl of chicken soup from the stove's edge. She moved her little stool a bit farther from Liang Xiaoqing, held the bowl with both hands, and gulped down the soup.

As she drank, Liang Xiaoqing noticed Jiang Xu's hands—red, slightly swollen. She frowned and scooted her stool closer. "Slow down, will you?"

"Cough, cough." Jiang Xu choked and pulled the bowl away. Liang Xiaoqing hastily set her own bowl on the table, took Jiang Xu's, and pulled a tissue from her pocket.

"Wipe yourself." She stretched out her hand, and thankfully Jiang Xu took it. Wang Cai also ladled herself some soup, pulled up a stool, and sat beside Liang Xiaoqing.

Jiang Xu stood up and took the bowl back from Liang Xiaoqing. Liang Xiaoqing noticed that the bowl Jiang Xu held was full of chips; the one she'd been given had only two. Jiang Xu stood and downed the rest of her soup in one go, then picked up the empty bowl on the table.

Jiang Xu noticed Liang Xiaoqing had finished her soup and said, "Want more? Shall I get you another bowl?"

"No, thanks." The chicken soup's fragrance lingered between her lips and teeth. Liang Xiaoqing did want another bowl, but the moment Jiang Xu asked, she felt embarrassed. It must be because Jiang Lun had come home that they could afford a bowl of chicken soup at all.

For poor people, chicken soup was a luxury too. Even Liang Xiaoqing didn't often buy chicken to stew. She savored the taste, pressing her lips together.

Jiang Xu stood up, her dark eyes half-lidded. Without a word, she walked to the stove and ladled out another bowl for Liang Xiaoqing.

Under Jiang Xu's calm gaze, Liang Xiaoqing couldn't resist the chicken soup's aroma and accepted it, sipping slowly.

Jiang Xu's face wasn't as cold as before. She smiled.

Then she took her own bowl, scooped some rice, and sat at the small table, eating in small bites.

"Sister Wang, this soup is really fresh." After two bowls, Liang Xiaoqing felt satisfied—no dinner needed tonight. Her stomach was warm, and her hands and feet had thawed.

Wang Cai said, "The chicken was slaughtered fresh. It's the chicken that makes the difference." Free-range chickens were valuable in the countryside; the eggs could be sold, and the chicken itself, dressed, could fetch over ten yuan a catty. Usually, before they even made it to the town market, they were already reserved by the teachers at Qing Middle.

"I'll get one next time too. Only a home-raised chicken can make soup that tastes like that."

"Of course, of course," Wang Cai said.

Liang Xiaoqing glanced at Jiang Xu. "Just have Xiao Xu bring it to me."

Wang Cai: "Sure."

Liang Xiaoqing felt something odd. After finishing her soup, Wang Cai also scooped some rice and sat awkwardly at the small table, eating. She even asked Liang Xiaoqing if she wanted more food.

"No, thanks." Liang Xiaoqing hesitated, guessing that things couldn't be worse than they already were.

"...Why are you eating here? Last time I remember—"

A moment of silence. Jiang Xu paused, then continued eating from her bowl.

Wang Cai looked embarrassed, but still said, "I'm really sorry you had to see this, Teacher Liang. We..." She couldn't finish. Her deeply set eyes reddened.

Liang Xiaoqing was inwardly surprised. She patted Wang Cai's shoulder.

"..."

Liang Xiaoqing wisely didn't ask more. She sat and kept Jiang Xu company for a while. As Jiang Xu ate, she watched her, occasionally talking to her, asking if she'd touched her books again. The textbooks she'd so painstakingly picked up again—she must not let them fall by the wayside.

"By the way, I saw your answer sheet."

Jiang Xu looked up from her bowl at her.

Liang Xiaoqing smiled. "Great job."

Jiang Xu's face flushed. Wang Cai watched from the side, saying nothing but sighing repeatedly. She smiled bitterly. "Teacher Liang, you really are thoughtful. ...We've caused you so much trouble... Jiang Xu..."

"It's fine." Liang Xiaoqing waved her hand. "As long as Jiang Xu is willing to learn, I'm happy to help." She told Wang Cai not to take it to heart. As she stood up, she ruffled Jiang Xu's hair, messing it up. "Study hard. I'll come see you often, Xiao Xu."

Jiang Xu looked up at her, eyes wide. Liang Xiaoqing withdrew her hand, walked to the door, and pulled it open. It creaked, and the wind immediately rushed in, making her shrink her neck from the cold.

It was almost dark. If she didn't head down the mountain now, she wouldn't make it. She turned and waved at Jiang Xu. "I'm off."

Jiang Xu's eyes flickered, fixed on her. The cold wind swept away Liang Xiaoqing's scent. Jiang Xu lowered her gaze slightly, and though she was reluctant, said in a low voice, "Goodbye, Sister Qing."

Things were far more complicated than she'd thought. In this house that wasn't hers, she had to deal with Jiang Daguo and cope with Jiang Lun. Now she finally understood why Jiang Daguo was so unwelcoming to her. She'd only just realized it. Turns out she wasn't Jiang Daguo's child at all. Likewise, she had no connection to Jiang Lun.

Suddenly she felt like she had nowhere to set foot, like wild grass blown by the wind—wherever it fell, there it stayed, not even allowed to linger in one place for a moment.

Wang Cai cleared the dishes and took her bowl. "When you're done eating, go help out front with the dishes. Your dad and the others are probably finished."

"..."

Wang Cai glanced at her. "Jiang Xu, if you want to keep living in this house, you have to behave... You know now that Jiang Daguo isn't your real father. I'd planned to tell you, but I never found the right time. Now that you're older, about these things..."

Jiang Xu said nothing.

Wang Cai looked at her for a moment, then fell silent.

In the main room, Jiang Daguo and Jiang Lun had nearly finished eating. Wang Cai had prepared plenty of dishes for the two of them. Father and son drank and ate, the table thick with the pungent stench of liquor. Even though Jiang Xu had long been used to it, it still nearly made her gag every time.

Jiang Daguo was in a good mood, toasting Jiang Lun again and again. "Lun, boy, it's your dad's fault. I didn't give you a good life, or you could've kept studying."

Jiang Lun mentioned that a classmate might be recommended for a master's program. His grades were good, but Jiang Daguo had no money to support him further.

Jiang Lun, also fuzzy-headed from drinking, patted his dad's shoulder. "Dad, a bachelor's degree is enough. Look how few college graduates there are. Once I graduate, I'll get a job assignment, earn money early, and we'll move to the county town. Maybe we can bring Mother Wang and Jiang Xu along—"

Jiang Daguo wasn't pleased. "What do you care about Jiang Xu for! In the end, she's not one of our family!"

"Dad, that's not how you should put it..."

"..."

Back and forth they went. Jiang Xu came in to clear their things. Jiang Daguo was already swaying. "Take it." He handed his bowl to Jiang Xu. She took it carefully. Jiang Lun was also drunk, his gaze crawling over her from head to toe. He grabbed her wrist. "Jiang Xu, you've gotten prettier!"

His grip was strong. Jiang Xu shuddered, and with a crash, the bowl slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor.

She struggled to pull her hand free. "Don't touch me!"

Jiang Lun teased her, not letting go. After a moment he added, "That teacher who came today, she's pretty too. Dad said you stayed at her place for a while?"

Jiang Lun wasn't ugly. As a child, the neighbors praised his looks, saying his temperament was less like a boy, more like a girl. Jiang Xu had liked following him when she was little because Jiang Daguo only slightly softened his temper in front of his son.

Back then, the one who got beaten most was Wang Cai.

Actually, the signs had all been there. Jiang Lun didn't like her either. Once, he'd even coaxed her into going up the mountain together. Then he'd secretly left her there. No matter how she searched, she couldn't find the way home, so she sat at the foot of a tree and cried, thinking she'd been abandoned, that the mountain monsters would devour her down to the bone.

After a night, she was surprised to find herself alive. She wandered through the mountains until she ran into someone she knew from Shuiqing Town, who led her out of the hills. When she got back, Wang Cai cried her heart out.

Jiang Lun said coldly, "You're lucky."

Later on, the way Jiang Lun looked at her grew more and more blatant, more revolting. Just like now—a cold sneer on his face, his eyes gleaming. "Jiang Xu, tell me where she lives."

"In your dreams!" For some reason, a fierce anger surged up from Jiang Xu's chest. She had never been this angry before. Her hand was clamped in Jiang Lun's grip, but she wouldn't yield. Jiang Daguo, dead drunk, stood up and slapped her. At that, Jiang Lun let go.

"Good for nothing! You can't even hold onto a bowl!"

"Dad...! Jiang Xu didn't mean to."

Jiang Daguo moved to kick Jiang Xu, but Jiang Lun held him back.

The two men's figures loomed before Jiang Xu, monstrous and terrifying. A shard of broken porcelain cut her hand. She scrambled to her feet, not daring to stay a moment longer. Her legs were weak as jelly, and she staggered toward the door.

Jiang Xu didn't know where to go. She couldn't go to Wang Cai—aside from sighing and telling her to stay away from Jiang Daguo and his son, Wang Cai could do nothing.

She fled in a panic, a gash torn across her palm. Clenching her teeth against the pain, she stood up. Blood welled from her hand. She balled her fist and ran off without looking back. Jiang Daguo kept cursing, complaining she couldn't do anything right.

But Jiang Xu had actually tried so hard. She'd learned to cook at a very young age, helped Wang Cai with chores, gone to the fields with Jiang Daguo when he insisted, and endured Jiang Lun's ill intentions toward her.

Night had fallen. Jiang Xu ran fast, feeling the cold wind lash across her face, stinging.

In the distance, everything was gray and silent. She ran down the mountain path, tears streaming from her eyes. Only when she was alone could she let out a faint sobbing sound.

Liang Xiaoqing had gone to so much trouble to visit her. If only she'd kept her there. She really didn't know what to do... She ran fast, chasing the last sliver of daylight, hoping to catch up to Liang Xiaoqing. She didn't want to stay in that house that wasn't hers, not even a little.

"Thud!"

She tripped over a rock and fell, pain shooting through her foot. The smell of blood from her palm was strong. She cried harder, unable to stop. Jiang Xu wiped at her tears with her hand, mixing tears and blood, smearing her whole face dirty.

She could no longer catch up to Liang Xiaoqing. The sky slowly darkened completely.

Jiang Xu couldn't hold back her sobs.

But then, in her blurred vision, a light shone on her—at first a sliver, then the whole beam fell upon her. She rubbed her eyes and finally, like a comforted child, stopped crying.

A slender figure rushed urgently toward her.