Chapter 015

Zhenzhen wore a new outfit today.

A polka-dotted blouse with ruffled edges, slightly cinched at the waist—fresh and stylish.

Her two braids were coiled into palm-length loops behind her ears, tied with large ribbon bows like butterflies.

The big bows hung just behind her ears, making her face look even smaller, no bigger than a palm—delicate and vibrant.

Seated on the rear rack of the bicycle, Zhenzhen looked attentively at everything along the roadside.

Whenever she saw a shop sign with simple characters, she would ask Shi Huaiming, “Third Brother, what character is that? The red sign—the third character on it.”

Shi Huaiming followed her gaze and said, “That one is ri—as in riyongpin, daily necessities.”

Zhenzhen took note of it, then asked another question a little further down the road: “What about that one?”

Shi Huaiming replied, “That’s xin, the ‘heart’ in ‘love.’”

…

The bicycle weaved its way through the streets.

Shi Huaiming took Zhenzhen around all the bustling, lively spots in Xicheng.

There wasn’t much to do on an outing—mostly just walking around, taking in the sights, and experiencing the local culture.

He made sure they tried a variety of Xicheng’s signature snacks. They didn’t eat much of each—just enough to sample the flavors.

In addition to satisfying their cravings, he also bought Zhenzhen a red cloth tiger.

The cloth tiger was sewn in a crouching pose, with its tail curled up and front legs pressed down. It reminded Zhenzhen of Dabai—it was quite cute.

At first, she didn’t want it. After all, it wasn’t useful for anything—just something to look at—and it didn’t seem worth the money.

But then she thought again: this was a gift from Shi Huaiming. That made it special. She could bring it home, set it in her room, keep it next to her pillow at night, or even tuck it into her bed. That thought made her happy, so she accepted it.

After buying the cloth tiger, the sun was already dipping in the west. Shi Huaiming got on the bike and took Zhenzhen home.

Zhenzhen sat on the back seat, one arm wrapped around the cloth tiger, the other clutching the back of Shi Huaiming’s jacket.

She was truly happy that day—happy with the food, happy with the outing—far happier than she had been on their last trip to the Xiewan market.

What made her happiest of all was the little cloth tiger in her arms.

They hadn’t gone far when—

Shi Huaiming suddenly turned back and asked, “Do you want to learn how to ride a bike?”

Learn to ride?

Her?

Zhenzhen blinked in surprise.

Shi Huaiming pulled the brake, stopped the bike with one foot on the ground, and turned to her again. “Do you want to? If you do, I can teach you now.”

Zhenzhen was hesitant. “Can I really?”

She’d only ridden on the back of a bike twice—was it even possible for her to ride on her own?

Shi Huaiming replied, “Of course you can. It’s simple. Once you practice a bit, you’ll get the hang of it.”

Since he said so—

Even though she still felt unsure inside, Zhenzhen nodded. “Then I’ll give it a try.”

With that, they both got off the bicycle.

Shi Huaiming took the cloth tiger from her hands and held the bicycle steady.

Zhenzhen stood beside the bike, gripping the handlebars, her nerves pounding like a drum.

He said to her, “Just get on and ride. I’ll hold on—you won’t fall.”

Hearing that, Zhenzhen took a deep breath and mustered her courage. She stepped onto the pedal and climbed on.

With Shi Huaiming holding it, the bike stayed firmly in place.

Zhenzhen sat down on the seat, grabbed the handlebars, and looked down to find the pedals, setting both feet in place.

Once she was steady, she lifted her head to look straight ahead. Before pressing down on the pedal, she exhaled deeply to calm her racing heart.

When she was ready, she pressed down with one foot.

Shi Huaiming held the back of the bike and said, “Don’t overthink it—just go for it.”

Knowing he was there to keep her from falling, Zhenzhen pushed a little harder on the pedals.

Bicycles weren’t common in those days, so there were very few on the road.

The wide street felt like it belonged to her alone—no pressure at all.

At first, Zhenzhen was extremely nervous. The handlebars kept wobbling left and right.

But after four or five minutes, she started to get a feel for it, and the wobbling began to ease.

Encouraged by Shi Huaiming, she gradually increased her speed.

The bicycle started moving steadily along the road.

The wind slowly blew away her nervousness, replacing it with a surge of excitement and joy.

It was the thrill of entering a new world, experiencing something unfamiliar, and gaining a new skill.

Hard to describe, but pure, explosive happiness.

Shi Huaiming kept his promise and stayed behind her, holding the bike the entire time.

He’d told her he wouldn’t let go, and she believed him. But truthfully, once she’d found her balance and could ride steadily, he did let go. If the bike began to tip, he immediately reached out to catch her. If it stayed upright, he waited.

Zhenzhen had no idea he had let go. She was having too much fun, fully trusting him.

Once he felt she’d truly found her balance, he said, “I’m going to let go now. But I’ll still run alongside you, so don’t be scared—try riding on your own.”

The moment she heard that, Zhenzhen tensed up.

She gripped the handlebars tightly and asked uncertainly, “Can I really do it?”

Shi Huaiming said, “You can. I already let go a few minutes ago.”

Zhenzhen couldn’t believe it. “Really?”

He nodded. “Really. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to panic.”

With his words, she gained some confidence. She thought to herself: He’ll be right next to me. I won’t fall. So she agreed, “Okay, let go—I’ll try riding by myself.”

Shi Huaiming didn’t let go immediately. He waited for her to steady the bike and ride smoothly.

Once he was sure she had her balance, he let go.

Zhenzhen couldn’t tell if he had or not, so she asked, “Did you let go?”

Running alongside, Shi Huaiming replied, “Yeah, I did. You’re doing great.”

Zhenzhen thought so too, but just then, nerves suddenly got the better of her.

Her body stiffened, she lost her balance, and the bike started to tip.

Shi Huaiming immediately caught her and steadied the bike.

Zhenzhen looked back, embarrassed. “I guess I still can’t do it.”

Shi Huaiming reassured her, “It’s okay. Just keep going. It’s all about practice—ride more and you’ll get the hang of it.”

Encouraged by his words, Zhenzhen gathered her courage again and kept pedaling.

And just like that, they continued: she’d ride on her own when she was steady, and he’d catch her if she was about to fall.

By the time they were almost home, she could already ride three or four minutes on her own.

After entering the courtyard, Zhenzhen continued riding the bicycle by herself.

Just then, Wu Dafeng happened to be standing outside her front door. Seeing Zhenzhen riding back, her eyes lit up and she exclaimed, “Oh my goodness! Zhenzhen, how do you know how to ride that thing?”

Zhenzhen was already excited just from learning how to ride. Being asked like that made her even more thrilled.

She couldn’t hide the wide smile on her face as she replied cheerfully, “Sis, I just learned today!”

But multitasking wasn’t her strong suit—just as she said that, the bike wobbled.

As expected, Shi Huaiming reached out and effortlessly steadied the bicycle.

Zhenzhen got off the bike.

Even though she had just learned, she was already itching to keep riding a bit longer.

But they were home now, and the sky was already darkening, so she handed the bike back to Shi Huaiming.

He pushed it over to the front of the house and leaned it against the wall, saying to Zhenzhen, “I’ll go inside and take a shower first.”

Hearing that and watching him head into the house, Zhenzhen suddenly remembered—he had run all the way back with her, keeping pace beside the bike.

Just imagining him running alongside her, making sure she didn’t fall, filled her heart with warmth and sweetness. She called out, “I’m heading to Sister Dafeng’s place first.”

Shi Huaiming answered, “Alright, I’ll come over once I’ve finished.”

Zhenzhen walked over to Wu Dafeng’s home, where Wu Dafeng was busy cooking in the kitchen.

Zhenzhen stepped in and asked, “Sis, is there anything I can help with?”

Wu Dafeng glanced at her new clothes and the big silk bow behind her ear, then said, “No need, don’t get your outfit dirty. Just wait and eat—there aren’t many dishes left to make.”

She added with a mutter, “Not sure if Li Shuang and her family of three are coming. If they don’t show up, I’ll have made too much food.”

Li Shuang’s family had gone to visit her parents earlier in the day.

Zhenzhen told Wu Dafeng, “They’ve already spoken to Commander He—they’ll definitely come.”

Wu Dafeng replied, “Honestly, it’s better if they don’t. That way we get more meat. I don’t like seeing Li Shuang anyway. Every time she looks at us, it feels like there’s nothing but disdain in her eyes.”

Zhenzhen said, “Sis, you’re overthinking it.”

Wu Dafeng insisted, “Definitely not.”

Zhenzhen wasn’t the type to gossip or speak ill of others behind their backs—especially not people she got along with.

So after a few more words with Wu Dafeng, she changed the subject and dropped the talk about Li Shuang.

Glancing at the pot, Zhenzhen asked, “Is that braised pork?”

Wu Dafeng smiled. “It’s bazirou—I’ve been slow-cooking it for hours. It’s really delicious.”

Zhenzhen grinned. “Then I’ll be sure to give it a good try.”

–

After his shower, Shi Huaiming changed into clean clothes.

As he stepped out, He Shuo and Li Shuang returned home with their son, He Ziran.

They exchanged greetings when they met, and Shi Huaiming asked He Shuo, “Want to head over together later?”

He Shuo replied, “You go ahead—we’ll be right there.”

Shi Huaiming didn’t press and went over to the Zhou household on his own.

Back at their place, He Shuo and Li Shuang went inside.

Li Shuang said, “I’m not feeling too well. I don’t really want to go to Zhou’s place. You take Ziran with you.”

But He Shuo thought that wouldn’t look good—skipping for no reason would be disrespectful to the Zhous.

He gently tried to persuade her: “We should show some respect. Just go, have a simple dinner, and we’ll head back right after.”

Li Shuang thought it over. “Alright. But once I’ve eaten, I’m heading back.”

He Shuo said, “Okay, you can bring Ziran back and put him to bed.”

With that settled, they tidied up a bit and brought He Ziran to the Zhou house.

When they knocked and went in, Wu Dafeng had just finished bringing out all the dishes.

The table was soon filled with food, and everyone sat down, ready to eat.

Li Shuang, being tactful and considerate, behaved with proper politeness and courtesy.

She had planned to leave after dinner. But once she sat down and saw the dishes on the table—and caught a whiff of the aroma—she suddenly lost all appetite. In fact, she felt a little nauseous.

Of course, she didn’t show it. When everyone began eating, she picked at the food symbolically with her chopsticks, just enough to appear polite, but she didn’t actually eat anything.

She figured if she could just make it through the meal, that would be enough. But she didn’t get away with it.

Someone with more social awareness would’ve noticed and just kept quiet.

But Wu Dafeng wasn’t that kind of person. The moment she realized Li Shuang hadn’t taken a bite, she stared at her and said, “Hey, Li Shuang, why aren’t you eating? I spent all night cooking, and you haven’t touched a thing! Don’t look down on me just because I look a little rough—I clean everything properly when I cook. I’m not some sloppy person who’d make you sick. You can eat without worrying.”

Li Shuang forced an awkward smile. “Sis, I did eat some.”

Wu Dafeng pointed at her bowl. “What did you eat? You just picked a few bean sprouts—they’re still sitting right there.”

Seeing the tension rise, Old Zhou nudged Wu Dafeng with his elbow and said, “Let her eat what she wants. And however much she wants. This isn’t the countryside—you can’t force people like that.”

But Wu Dafeng wouldn’t let it go. “Why does it have to be about ‘city vs. countryside’ again? What did I do wrong? Everything on this table is good food—some of it you can’t even get in the countryside. I’m being nice, telling her to eat a little, and somehow I’m the bad guy?”

She had spent money and time cooking all these dishes, and Li Shuang sat there without taking a bite. Was Li Shuang right, and she wrong?

If someone’s already come over as a guest, isn’t this kind of behavior just plain rude?

He Shuo didn’t want this to spoil the dinner atmosphere.

He signaled for Old Zhou to stop, then reached over with his chopsticks and placed a piece of bazirou in Li Shuang’s bowl. He said gently, “Try this—it’s actually really good.”

Li Shuang looked at the piece of meat in her bowl, but still didn’t feel like eating.

Still, if she really didn’t take a single bite, that would clearly be disrespecting the Zhous.

She didn’t want to embarrass He Shuo, so she picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a piece of meat, and took a bite.

Wu Dafeng seemed satisfied and said, “That’s right. At least give it a try. I don’t cook that badly.”

But before she even finished speaking, Li Shuang suddenly put down her chopsticks, covered her mouth, stood up in a rush, and ran straight to the bathroom. Moments later, they heard a loud—retch!—from inside.

–

The air in the room froze.

Wu Dafeng was the first to react.

She widened her eyes, glanced toward the bathroom, then turned to He Shuo and asked, “What’s going on here?”

“Sorry about this,” He Shuo stood up awkwardly and hurried toward the bathroom to check on Li Shuang.

Zhenzhen, worried about her too, got up and followed behind him.

Li Shuang had already spit the meat into the trash can.

Now she was hunched over the sink, dry heaving a couple more times.

He Shuo reached out to rub her back and asked gently, “What’s wrong?”

Zhenzhen stood nearby, equally concerned. “Are you okay, sis?”

Still feeling weak from the nausea, Li Shuang replied faintly, “I told you before we came—I wasn’t feeling well.”

He Shuo continued patting her back. “Let me take you to the clinic.”

Coming out of the bathroom, He Shuo apologized to Old Zhou and Wu Dafeng. “Sorry, my wife’s not feeling well. I’ll take her to the clinic. Please, go ahead and eat.”

Li Shuang frowned and added, “Sorry.”

Wu Dafeng snorted coldly.

Old Zhou nudged her with his elbow, then said to He Shuo, “Health comes first. Go ahead.”

So He Shuo and Li Shuang didn’t stay any longer. Ignoring Wu Dafeng’s attitude, they left with He Ziran.

Zhenzhen watched them go, then quietly returned to her seat.

Outside the gate, He Shuo said, “I’ll go get the bike.”

Li Shuang grabbed his arm. “Forget it. I don’t want to go to the clinic. It’s just a bit of nausea. Let’s go home and I’ll lie down for a bit.”

He Shuo looked at her. “You’re sure you’re not feeling anything else?”

Li Shuang nodded. “I just need to rest at home.”

So the three of them didn’t go to the clinic—they headed back home.

From the window, Siwa saw them returning and turned to tell Wu Dafeng, “Mom, they went home.”

Wu Dafeng’s face turned dark. “She’s just pretending! Came here to bring bad luck!”

She grew more agitated as she spoke. “If she looks down on us so much, then she shouldn’t have come at all. It’s not like we needed her to eat here. She shows up and then pulls that stunt at the dinner table—disgusting, isn’t it? Absolutely revolting!”

Old Zhou hadn’t been angry, but his face darkened now.

He glared at Wu Dafeng and snapped, “What nonsense are you spewing? Can’t you see she’s actually unwell?”

Wu Dafeng raised her voice, “I don’t see it! She’s obviously faking it!”

Worried that Wu Dafeng and Old Zhou might get into a fight, Zhenzhen quickly interjected, “Sis Li Shuang really does seem sick. Let’s not get upset over something like this. There’s so much food—if we don’t eat it, it’ll go cold. Let’s eat.”

Shi Huaiming added, “Let’s eat.”

Wu Dafeng didn’t say anything more.

Although she was still seething inside and itching to pick a fight with Li Shuang, seeing Zhenzhen’s face made her mood improve slightly. She suppressed her temper and began serving food to Zhenzhen and Shi Huaiming.

After finishing dinner at Old Zhou’s, Zhenzhen glanced at Li Shuang’s home and said to Shi Huaiming, “Sis Li Shuang probably wasn’t faking it.”

Shi Huaiming gave a low grunt in agreement. “She’s not the type to pull something so rude.”

Zhenzhen sighed. “But it looks like this has turned into a grudge.”

With his long legs, Shi Huaiming walked slowly. “It’s not a big deal. He Shuo will explain things to Old Zhou. As for whatever’s between Li Shuang and Wu Dafeng, stay out of it. You’ll only get caught in the middle.”

Even without today’s incident, those two already seemed to rub each other the wrong way.

Zhenzhen nodded at him. “I won’t get involved.”

Shi Huaiming glanced at her, then chuckled, “You’re quite something though—getting along well with both Li Shuang and Wu Dafeng. They both seem to like you.”

Zhenzhen laughed too. “That’s because I’ve got a good personality. Everyone likes me.”

Their eyes met just then.

Seeing the smile in each other’s eyes, they both froze for a moment.

Moonlight cast a soft glow over them, enveloping them in a hazy aura against the dim night.

Zhenzhen’s eyes sparkled with the reflection of the moon.

Shi Huaiming quickly looked away and continued walking. “We’ve got things to do tomorrow. Let’s get home and sleep early.”