Chapter 5 – Hanging Melon Seeds

Wang Yuan was laughing at Xu Shiqi for canceling a blind date over a single word, “noisy,” but it was clear she laughed too early. By evening, her mother, Wang Yuan, brought back some news that made one laugh and cry.

Wang Yuan, eager to keep her daughter close, spent the afternoon diligently screening several suitable blind date candidates with the help of friends. When Xu Shiqi saw her mother line up several photos on the counter, she was not only dumbfounded but also momentarily lost in thought, reminiscent of the image of Kong Yiji arranging old coins in Lu Xun’s writings…

“This one just returned from the army, is now a formal civil servant, with a salary…” Wang Yuan was introducing the photos enthusiastically, but she noticed her daughter was daydreaming halfway through. She angrily tapped Xu Shiqi’s hand with one of the photos, “Xu Shiqi!”

The photo edges were somewhat sharp, leaving a light scratch on Xu Shiqi’s hand. She sighed, looking aggrievedly at her angry mother, “Mom, you haven’t even managed to market your daughter yet, don’t be so harsh!”

Wang Yuan stomped her foot, “If you can bring home a boyfriend, I wouldn’t have to work so hard.”

Xu Shiqi quickly ushered her mother into the counter, poured water, and fanned her with her hand, “I’m not so old that I can’t get married. These things can’t be rushed.”

“By the time you’re old enough to worry, it’ll be too late,” Wang Yuan glared at her. “You need to choose a husband early, or all the good ones will be taken. What’s left will either be younger than you or have issues, and you’ll be even more unwilling then.”

Listening to her mother’s “marry early” theory, Xu Shiqi almost laughed herself into a cough. Except for her lifelong matters, her mother was always very calm, making Xu Shiqi wonder if her mother’s calm demeanor hid a passion that only surfaced in these moments.

Helpless, Xu Shiqi slowly gathered the photos from the counter and stuffed them into her bag, “I’ll look at these first, and if one catches my eye, I’ll let you know.”

Wang Yuan didn’t want to push too hard, so she pointed at her, “You better take this seriously.”

Xu Shiqi quickly cozied up to her mother, acting coquettish. Though she was in her twenties, in her mother’s eyes, she was still the little girl to be cherished. Especially with Xu Shiqi’s gentle voice, after a few words, Wang Yuan was all smiles again, completely forgetting who had just made her angry.

Thus, Xu Shiqi temporarily handled the situation. But she could only delay for a day or two; after a week, she had to face her mother’s urging again. She finally picked a photo for her mother to arrange a date. When the day came, she took a bus to a neighboring city and used a public phone to call her mother’s cell phone.

“Mom, a friend of mine has an emergency, and I came to help. I might not be back for three or five days. Can you postpone the date?”

Wang Yuan looked at the phone number and realized her daughter was out of town. Hearing her daughter’s anxious voice, she believed her.

She had no idea that Xu Shiqi had gone to another place specifically to avoid the blind date. She only knew her daughter never had a boyfriend, making her previous worries about early romance never come true. In her eyes, her daughter was physically mature but mentally immature, so she wanted to control this aspect.

She never thought about why her daughter went to such lengths to avoid one blind date after another…

After hanging up, Xu Shiqi had nowhere to go for a while. Since she had said three to five days, she had to find a hotel to stay in.

After resting in the hotel for a while, Xu Shiqi went out to eat in the evening. Although escaping a blind date sounded pathetic, treating herself well was her principle and bottom line. She had already fled here, so it wouldn’t make sense not to reward herself.

Before eating, she went to the supermarket. She never used hotel items, always bringing her own. This time, she had packed hastily, fearing her mother might notice, so she only grabbed a few clothes to stuff into her bag.

In the supermarket, she wandered into the snack section. She didn’t particularly want anything but was passing time, and then she remembered the delicious melon seeds served at Bao Hua’s wedding banquet. Her mother couldn’t stop eating the ones she brought home, so she thought about bringing some back to appease her mother.

Melon seeds are great for passing time, and someone once said they’re good for making your tongue nimble. But Xu Shiqi only needed them to pass time.

The seeds, called hanging melon seeds, come from a type of gourd plant. They look grayish but have thick kernels, requiring skill to crack. They are oily, fragrant, and sweet but can be greasy and fattening if eaten too much.

Thinking about the word “fat,” Xu Shiqi recalled the slender figure of Bao Hua’s cousin, who loved these seeds but remained thin. She continued looking for the seeds and finally found them after a slow and bored search. In front of her stood a girl, and for a moment, she thought she was seeing things.

The girl wore a white tracksuit, not tight-fitting, so she didn’t look as thin as before. She was intently selecting seeds, seemingly checking the packaging date.

Even with a hat on, Xu Shiqi recognized her immediately.

Wen Jia Luo? What is she doing here?

While still thinking, Wen Jia Luo took a few packs of seeds and walked past her. Before Xu Shiqi could react, she had already gone to pay.

Xu Shiqi didn’t even buy the seeds but turned to follow her instead.

The reason she had such a strong impression of this girl was thanks to Wen Bao Hua.

After the Wen sisters left, Xu Shiqi called Bao Hua, who seemed troubled. Upon curiosity, Bao Hua finally asked, “Do you believe in loving someone secretly for a lifetime?”

Hearing this, Xu Shiqi squinted, not answering. It was not a simple yes-or-no question. Bao Hua didn’t need an answer, just wanted to share her worries about Jia Luo, having seen her confrontation with her aunt. She then told Xu Shiqi some of Jia Luo’s story.

Bao Hua’s doubts didn’t affect Xu Shiqi. There are countless kinds of love in this world, ultimately ending in happiness or not. “Lucky to have it, fate if not,” seemed to be how Jia Luo saw it. Perhaps her thinness was really as Xu Shiqi had thought that day, a reason to reject everything.

In some ways, it was similar yet very different from her own situation.

Now, to avoid a blind date, she came here and unexpectedly met Wen Jia Luo, making her marvel at the strange ways people cross paths. If she hadn’t been curious, she wouldn’t have noticed; if she hadn’t sought those seeds, they might not have met in the large supermarket.

The reasons seemed flimsy, but now she had another reason for curiosity: what was Wen Jia Luo doing here?

Could it be that the person she secretly loved was in this neighboring city, and those searching for him at her school found nothing?

Out of boredom and curiosity, Xu Shiqi began doing something she had never done before: she started following Wen Jia Luo.

The girl ahead seemed aimless, crossing from one street to another, holding a bag and continuously taking seeds from her pocket to snack on. Xu Shiqi couldn’t hear the crunching but could smell the fragrance, making her stomach growl. Well, she was hungry.

she was passing a corner, Xu Shiqi glanced at a street-side restaurant. When she turned back, she realized the person she had been following was gone. She stood at the street corner, hesitating. Just as she decided to give up and turn towards the restaurant to eat, someone tapped her shoulder from behind. She spun around to find Wen Jialuo staring at her with a blank expression.

“You are…” Wen Jialuo suddenly furrowed her brows, seemingly recalling something.

“I’m Wen Baohua’s classmate,” Xu Shiqi quickly answered. Being caught in the act was extremely embarrassing. To show she meant no harm, she hastily pulled out her phone. “You can call her to verify…”

“I know you,” Wen Jialuo didn’t take the phone. As soon as she heard the voice, she recognized her. After all, she hadn’t forgotten it.

“…Really?” Xu Shiqi smiled awkwardly. “I saw you by chance, sorry…”

She didn’t finish her sentence, and Wen Jialuo didn’t ask further. The children in the Wen family had received some military training from their grandfather to learn self-defense and heightened awareness, so she noticed someone following her. She just hadn’t expected it to be her cousin’s classmate.

The two, who could hardly be considered acquaintances, stood at the street corner. Finally, Xu Shiqi awkwardly asked, “Do you work in this city?”

She saw Wen Jialuo nod.

“Are you here to visit?” Wen Jialuo asked. “Is my cousin with you?”

“She isn’t,” Xu Shiqi shook her head. Then there was silence again.

Wen Jialuo initially intended to leave, but the woman’s voice was soothing even amidst the bustling streets. She changed her mind. Seeing Xu Shiqi glance at the restaurant, she asked, “Have you had dinner?”

Xu Shiqi shook her head; she was too busy following her to think about food—of course, she didn’t say that out loud.

“My treat,” Wen Jialuo pointed towards the restaurant.

When Xu Shiqi sat opposite Wen Jialuo, she almost laughed at how things had turned out.

But she couldn’t deny that having someone join her at the dinner table, even if it was just her classmate’s cousin, was a pleasant surprise.

However, she would rather not answer the next question.

“Do you already know some things about me?”

Xu Shiqi was taken aback, unsure if the expressionless girl was annoyed. Perhaps she didn’t like others knowing her business…

If it were just “my cousin’s classmate,” Wen Jialuo wouldn’t have thought this woman would follow her out of curiosity. It must be that she knew something about her, sparking her interest. After all, what had happened to her might seem like a novel’s plot to others.

Wen Jialuo didn’t mind people knowing, as long as they didn’t bother her.

After some thought, Xu Shiqi decided to be honest: “Yes, Baohua told me.” She paused, lowering her voice, “Do you know how I feel about it?”

What others felt upon hearing about her didn’t matter to Wen Jialuo—she had long built a wall around her heart. But this person’s voice was captivating, so she casually asked, “What?”

Xu Shiqi replied softly, “Unrequited love is still a form of love, like pearls that must be polished in darkness to reach perfection.”

Wen Jialuo was stunned. The way this person spoke, almost poetically, left her speechless, unsure if it was the poetry or the voice itself that moved her.

“Do you yearn for this kind of perfection, enough to devote your life to it?” Xu Shiqi finally revealed her true feelings. She smiled faintly, with a hint of mockery, “To wither away for someone, burning and squandering your life for something so elusive—is it really worth it?”

Wen Jialuo’s face turned pale instantly. No one had ever been so harsh to her face. She glared at this woman, whose name she still didn’t know, “How dare you say that to me!”

Xu Shiqi paused before gently saying, “Because there are three words: ‘able to not love,’ and three more: ‘unable to love.’”

“You are still in the phase of being able to not love. As long as you don’t bind yourself, you can let go. But some loves…even if freed from their shackles, cannot survive in this world. You haven’t experienced anything yet and you’re already giving up.” Xu Shiqi shook her head. “What a pity!”

After Xu Shiqi finished speaking, Wen Jialuo remained silent, even as the dishes were served. Xu Shiqi didn’t believe her words could resurrect anything, so she quietly ate her meal, knowing that the girl across from her supposedly had no appetite for food.