Chapter 01.1 : The Rose Finally Blooms

By Song Yuanzhang

First revision on February 4, 2024

Xiang Qing, before I met you, I never thought I would have a future…

——Wen Tianyu, March 5, 2020

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“Miss Xiang, after examination, you have been diagnosed with mid-stage leukemia, but do not be discouraged, as long as you persist in treatment…”

With a “bang,” Xiang Qing’s mind went blank. She didn’t catch what the doctor said afterward, just numbly nodded. She didn’t even remember how she left the hospital, only that she wandered aimlessly on the streets, hearing the laughter from the roadside.

She looked up and saw the school gate, already let out for the day, and like waking from a dream, she realized she had been on sick leave for a week and had just been diagnosed today. Unknowingly, she had walked to the school gate…

Suddenly, a bright face appeared in her line of sight.

“Xiao Xiang!”

An Yi, seeing the bewildered Xiang Qing, was very happy. The two had known each other since elementary school and had always been close. These past few days without news of Xiang Qing had almost driven her crazy. She rushed over and affectionately hugged Xiang Qing.

“How are you feeling, is your illness getting better? I’ve been so worried, when will you return to school?”

An Yi talked nonstop upon meeting. With An Yi, the little sun, there, Xiang Qing’s unhappy mood was temporarily erased. As they walked, they passed an alley they often visited as kids. Deep in the alley was an abandoned mud house with an external staircase leading to the rooftop of an old residential area. They often came here to chat, share their hearts, and talk about the future, making it their secret base since childhood.

Seeing the alley, An Yi had a sudden idea and pulled Xiang Qing into it.

“You must have been bored staying at home these days, let’s go, let’s go to our secret base. The rose we planted there bloomed, but only one, I don’t know if it’s still there.”

Xiang Qing let An Yi pull her forward, and seeing An Yi’s demeanor, she finally smiled.

“Damn brat, wait for me, you think you’re so capable? A bastard without a mother, I’ll kill you someday!!”

Then there was a sound of running.

Xiang Qing and An Yi stood frozen in place, knowing from the voice that the person was a thug, but it seemed like he had something in his mouth. They exchanged glances, and the next second, a boy appeared around the corner. The malice in his eyes hadn’t faded, and there were blood droplets on his face, making him look somewhat frightening. Seeing that they were two girls, his eyes flickered and then he mockingly spoke while wiping the blood from his face.

“Good students also come to this kind of alley to watch fights?”

Xiang Qing and An Yi were already scared silly. An Yi immediately took out two bags of snacks from her bag, trembling as she said, “Classmate Wen, these are for you, we didn’t mean to eavesdrop or watch, please don’t trouble us in the future.”

The boy frowned. Was he that scary?

“No need, I won’t trouble you, you can go.”

An Yi pulled Xiang Qing to run back. Xiang Qing looked back at the boy and found that he was also looking at her, even smiling at her. She was stunned for a moment, then turned her head and followed An Yi without looking back.

“Yi Yi, why are you so afraid of him? Aren’t you usually brave? You looked even more scared than me just now.”

After running out, An Yi explained while catching her breath: “It’s normal for you not to know. The day after you took sick leave, a new student transferred to our class, it’s him, Wen Tianyu. His grades are good, but his attitude is very bad, and he often has troublemakers looking for him after school, apparently due to grudges from his previous school. There are also rumors that his mother abandoned him for a wealthy man, and his father is raising him alone.”

Xiang Qing listened, thinking about her own dire situation; she was close to death, but she never voiced these thoughts. She didn’t want Yi Yi to worry about her.

After they parted, Xiang Qing returned home alone. The house was empty, and even in the heat of summer, the empty house felt cool. She walked to the living room, where a note on the table read, “There’s food in the fridge, heat it up yourself. Mom and I are busy with work, grandma will come over to take care of you later.”

Xiang Qing put down the note and couldn’t help crying. Suddenly, a cramp in her abdomen made her gasp in pain. She crouched down in agony. After about ten minutes, the pain slowly subsided. She adjusted her mood, took out the food indifferently, heated it, ate, and grandma arrived. She chatted with Xiang Qing off and on while busily tidying up the clothes and dishes in the house.

“Darling, is this plant dying? I should water it quickly. What do you want to eat tomorrow? I’ll go buy groceries. Oh, what’s this that fell out of your bag?”

“Grandma!” Xiang Qing couldn’t bear to see her grandma’s reaction to the medical report. Grandma looked at the medical report, and having been educated in her youth, she knew the word “disease” was never good. Her old eyes filled with tears: “Darling… what is this?”

Xiang Qing couldn’t hold back anymore and burst into tears with her grandmother.

“There, there, good girl, don’t cry, don’t cry, my good girl, it’s going to be alright, we will cure it, don’t cry…”

Grandma eventually had to return to her own home after comforting Xiang Qing. Having vented earlier, Xiang Qing felt a bit relieved. After grandma left, she steadied herself and went out.

She didn’t hesitate to head towards the secret base that she and An Yi hadn’t reached during the day. She quickly climbed to the opposite rooftop, only to find An Yi’s “big devil” from the daytime. In Xiang Qing’s eyes, Wen Tianyu was now a walking trouble, anyone who got close to him would get into trouble. She paused, frozen there, as they stared at each other for a while, until Wen Tianyu spoke first, “If you want to come up, then come up. Of course, if you want to stand on the stairs and enjoy the view, I don’t mind.”

Xiang Qing had intended to come here alone for a while, but spurred by Wen Tianyu’s words, she decisively climbed up and sat next to him.

“How did you know about this rooftop?”

Wen Tianyu almost choked on his drink, not expecting the girl’s voice to be so soft when she spoke.

“You can speak? I thought you were mute since you hid behind your friend all day and didn’t respond when I talked to you earlier.”

Xiang Qing pouted, not expecting Wen Tianyu to remember her from the day.

“I’m not mute,” she thought, “You’re the mute, your whole neighborhood is mute,” though she didn’t dare say this aloud.

“I just wander around when I’m free. Sometimes people challenge me to fights, so I often scout the terrain for escape routes, and that’s how I found this rooftop. A couple of days ago, I saw a rose blooming in the corner of the mud house below, but unfortunately, it’s withered now.”

“That was planted by me and Yi Yi.”

Xiang Qing looked at the beer Wen Tianyu handed her, hesitated for a moment, and silently pulled out a bottle of Wangzai(brand) milk from her pocket, “Thanks, I brought milk myself.”

Wen Tianyu was silent, then shrugged indifferently and continued to drink on his own. Both lost in their thoughts, Xiang Qing watched as Wen Tianyu drank one can after another. By the third can, she frowned, feeling that it was harmful to the stomach. Without a word, she got up and went downstairs. Wen Tianyu watched her blankly, thinking she wanted to leave, so he didn’t say anything to stop her. After a little while, Xiang Qing’s head popped up again, and Wen Tianyu looked at her puzzled until a bottle of plain boiled water was stuffed into his arms.