Memories

After the rain, Suzhou was misty. The sounds of construction had stopped at some point, and the cicadas hidden among the leaves seemed even more mournful.

Jiang Xiao held the box in her arms, her mind filled with what Chen Zhijing had just said. Clearly, he meant to say that when he confessed to her, she had mentioned that Zhou Qishen was her first love?

The problem was that Chen Zhijing had confessed to her many times, especially during high school. Every holiday when he came to visit her grandfather’s house, he would confess to her.

There were so many confessions of various sizes that Chen Zhijing’s confessions were not particularly special to her. She couldn’t remember which time she had said such a thing, let alone when she had met Zhou Qishen.

If she had to trace her connection with both Zhou Qishen and Chen Zhijing at the same time, it must have been in Suzhou, at her grandfather’s house.

Just as she was deeply lost in thought, she didn’t notice the puddle underfoot and almost stepped into the mud pit. Fortunately, Zhou Qishen pulled her back just in time to prevent her from dirtying her shoes.

However, because he was trying to pull her, the box in Zhou Qishen’s hand tilted to the side, and several bottles of paint inside fell out and fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

Chen Zhijing, not far away, heard the noise, stopped in his tracks, and turned back. He was about to help but was stopped by Zhou Qishen.

“It’s okay, I’ll pick them up.”

Zhou Qishen first placed the box under the eaves nearby before starting to gather the spilled bottles and jars.

Jiang Xiao stared at his crouching figure, frozen in place. The scene before her seemed oddly familiar, and fleeting fragments flashed through her mind.

The silhouette of Zhou Qishen gradually overlapped with someone from her memories.

After Zhou Qishen finished picking up the items and stood up, he met her bewildered gaze and furrowed his brow. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Jiang Xiao shook her head dazedly. In that moment, she could almost hear her own heartbeat, clear and distinct. In the depths of her heart, there seemed to be something unclear spreading.

Zhou Qishen stared at her, thoughtful for a moment. In his slightly narrowed eyes, obscure emotions surged.

Chen Zhijing, who didn’t understand what was going on, looked back and forth between Jiang Xiao and Zhou Qishen, unable to resist reminding them, “Um, aren’t we leaving?”

Jiang Xiao snapped out of her reverie and gestured for Chen Zhijing to go ahead. “Let’s go.”

After returning to Mr. Xu’s residence, under the instruction of Aunt Huang, the three of them put the paint into the warehouse on the underground first floor.

Though it was underground, there was enough light coming through the skylight.

They walked along several rows of shelves filled with paintings and placed the box in the designated spot.

Aunt Huang smiled and said, “Thank you all for your hard work. I just washed some fruits upstairs. Go up and have some.”

“No problem, Aunt Huang ,” Chen Zhijing replied cheerfully, unreservedly.

As Jiang Xiao prepared to leave, she was drawn to a corner where, unlike the casually placed canvases, a medium-sized box was tightly covered with black cloth.

Seeing Jiang Xiao’s gaze, Aunt Huang standing behind her explained, “Those are all your childhood toys. Mr. Xu couldn’t bear to throw them away, so he asked me to collect them all.”

Jiang Xiao nodded lightly in understanding. She had been a playful child, accumulating piles of toys. She couldn’t remember exactly what toys she had had as a child, but her grandfather’s affectionate gesture touched her.

The four of them went up and down the steps, and through the skylight, they could vaguely see the towering camphor tree in the backyard, dense with branches and leaves.

Suddenly reminded of something, Aunt Huang’s smile widened. “By the way, Xiaoxiao, do you remember the broken swing from a few years ago?”

Hearing Aunt Huang’s words piqued Jiang Xiao’s interest, and she answered instinctively, “The swing? Of course I remember.”

“Mr. Xu plans to have a new one installed in these two days. In the future, your child with Xiao Zhou can still play on it,” Aunt Huang said, looking at the well-matched couple with a twinkle in her eyes, unable to resist making a joke.

At the mention of this topic, Jiang Xiao smiled awkwardly. For elders, urging marriage and children seemed like an unavoidable duty, but for her, having children seemed too distant a matter.

Moreover, considering her and Zhou Qishen’s current situation, it was practically impossible—having children required mutual affection, after all.

Thinking of this, Jiang Xiao couldn’t help but glance at Zhou Qishen, pursing her lips. She deftly turned the conversation into a joke, “I’m still a child myself. When the swing is set up again, I want to be the first one to play on it.”

This remark caused Aunt Huang to burst into laughter and understand the implication behind her words, and she didn’t continue with the topic.

*

After dinner, Jiang Xiao and Zhou Qishen accompanied Mr. Xu to relax in the backyard.

With the camphor tree present, there were almost no mosquitoes to be felt, and sitting on the recliner was extremely comfortable and leisurely.

Jiang Xiao could only stay for two days before returning to the set to film, so naturally, she wanted to spend as much time with her grandfather as possible. The two of them chatted and laughed, while Zhou Qishen stood by, serving mainly as a decorative presence.

As the sky gradually darkened, Mr. Xu sent them back to their rooms to shower and rest.

On the way back to their room, Jiang Xiao, who had just been talkative, walked silently behind Zhou Qishen, watching his back without saying a word.

She watched him until he passed her room and continued walking forward as if he had no intention of stopping. Jiang Xiao opened her mouth to call out to him, but decided to hold back and didn’t stop him.

But just as she was about to close the door and enter the room, Zhou Qishen reached out and pulled the door, which was about to close.

Her worry was met with his casual remark: “You are not as strong as I am.”

Hearing this, Jiang Xiao rolled her eyes at the arrogant guy in front of her unhappily, but still loosened her grip a little. She didn’t want him to get hurt, but she didn’t open the door to let him in. Instead, she peeked at him through the crack in the door: “Go back to your own room.”

Zhou Qishen withdrew his hand, looked at her through the door, and said with a gloomy look in his eyes: “I’ll ask a question and then leave.”

After saying this, his expression became serious. After a while, he said slowly, “Do you remember?”

Jiang Xiao was stunned for a moment, and nodded gently, “But there are still some details that I can’t remember clearly.”

The atmosphere fell into silence.

“Go inside and talk.” Zhou Qishen suddenly whispered.

“Do you like me?” Jiang Xiao did not answer, but her eyes seemed to burn with fire. Since remembering the previous events, she began to have such a guess. It was not surprising that she would think so. The main reason was that he was too suspicious.

“Or in other words, when did you start liking me? It couldn’t have been at first sight…”

If that were true, she would have to suspect his motives for proposing marriage. Besides the two rational reasons he had mentioned to her, could there be other emotional factors, like his selfishness?

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qishen’s eyes revealed a hint of helpless amusement. Then he smirked at her, “How could that be possible? Back then, you were still underage. In my eyes, you were just a kid who hadn’t grown up yet. It wasn’t about liking you, at most, it was just interest.”

When they first met, he was already pursuing his PhD, while she was just entering her senior year of high school, still immature and childish. Apart from her likable and cute personality, she was not his type at all.

He had started studying traditional Chinese painting under Mr. Xu at the age of eight in Beijing, but he couldn’t recall if he had seen Jiang Xiao before. She began to leave an impression on him during the summer he returned to China after starting his PhD.

Before adulthood, he had never visited Suzhou, so this visit to Mr. Xu’s residence was his first. It was a sunny afternoon when he arrived in Suzhou and found Mr. Xu sketching in the backyard. He joined them for a chat and to observe.

Then Mr. Xu left briefly to take a phone call, and Jiang Xiao boldly entered his view. She was struggling with an uncontrollable Samoyed dog that dashed recklessly through the living room. In her fluster, she not only knocked over the easel he had helped set up but nearly damaged Mr. Xu’s artwork. Amidst a series of mishaps and her adorable antics, he became interested in her, but this interest didn’t last long.

Almost within an hour, the lovely girl boldly declared in front of a pursuer that he was her first love, using him as a shield.

“Xiaoxiao, do you know that the sound insulation from the first floor to the second floor is not very good? I could hear everything clearly when you rejected Chen Zhijing downstairs,” Zhou Qishen reminisced, chuckling softly.

He had been utilized, but it wasn’t a big deal—just blocking a potential admirer. Therefore, he didn’t bother to explain.

Two days later, when he went to bid farewell to Mr. Xu, he unexpectedly encountered her again. She was sitting on a swing in a white dress, her beautiful face shining brightly in the sunlight, an image of peace and beauty.

It was then that he learned she was Mr. Xu’s granddaughter. According to Mr. Xu, she only came over during breaks like summer and winter vacations, spending the rest of her time studying in Beijing.

However, after that encounter, he never saw her again in Suzhou, not even during breaks like summer and winter vacationsWhen he heard about her again, she had become a well-known actress.

Later, he returned to China and met her by chance at a dinner party. She was wearing a gorgeous dress and the spotlight was shining. He heard from his friends that she already had someone by her side.

It would have been impolite to intrude, especially since she didn’t know him. Little did he expect that there would be more to come between them.

However, he didn’t expect that he would be involved with her later.

Leaning against the door frame, Jiang Xiao looked at the man before her, his eyes soft and smiling. She couldn’t help but smile back. “So you heard that back then. I’m really sorry.”

At that time, she was being pestered by Chen Zhijing, whom she considered just a friend. Unexpectedly, he was persistent, vowing not to give up until she found a boyfriend.

At the time, she had just arrived from Beijing to Suzhou and was being pursued by Chen Zhijing. Finding him annoying, she had to lie, telling Chen Zhijing that Zhou Qishen was her boyfriend whom she had brought back from Beijing to meet her grandfather.

It was just a casual remark, but Zhou Qishen had unexpectedly made his first appearance at her grandfather’s house, and Chen Zhijing believed her words, keeping his promise not to mention his confession again.