Plum Blossom Chicken Slices

The fool truly didn’t know.

Xia Jiao had walked so much yesterday and had been stir-fried for such a long time. Her muscles hadn’t relaxed yet. She was so tired that she could almost fall asleep with her head resting on Wen Chongyue’s leg. She struggled to stay awake for a while and continued watching the movie.

Wen Chongyue, with his long arms, could easily reach the glass dish on the table. This glass fruit bowl was a free gift from a lottery Xia Jiao won after shopping at the supermarket. It sparkled under the sun and gave off a clean, warm glow, making it perfect for holding fruit.

Inside, there were Suzhou honey oranges. They weren’t very big, and their skin was tight. The original fruit bowl was now filled with a handful of freshly made sugar-coated chestnuts. However, Xia Jiao had already eaten over ten and didn’t feel like eating more for now.

Wen Chongyue took an orange, peeled it, and heard Xia Jiao’s phone still ringing.

Xia Jiao sat up, took the phone, and curled back into Wen Chongyue’s arms. She seriously studied it for a while and then muted all the group notifications.

After finishing, she half-lay down, put her phone back, tilted her head, and nibbled the orange slice that Wen Chongyue had just peeled. She swallowed both the juicy fruit and the white strands of orange peel.

She said, “So sweet!”

Oranges can cause heat in the body if eaten too much, but they’re so delicious. It’s said that the strands of the peel help cool the body down, and Xia Jiao particularly liked eating that white layer. The strands have no flavor but are soft and tender. When she was little, her grandmother would even steep them in water.

Wen Chongyue’s gaze followed the phone Xia Jiao had placed on the table.

He asked, “Don’t you want to chat with your middle school friends?”

Xia Jiao was taken aback and quickly shook her head. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

Her intense reaction made Wen Chongyue chuckle. He asked, “Is there something you’d rather not think about?”

As he spoke, Wen Chongyue reached over and handed her the second orange segment. Xia Jiao leaned forward and took it in her mouth.

The sweet yet slightly sour flavor exploded in her mouth, and she asked, “Let me ask you something. If something happened almost ten years ago, and I still hold a grudge about it, would you think, ‘Why are you bringing this up again?’”

Wen Chongyue asked, “Why would you think like that?”

Xia Jiao thought for a moment and replied, “Well… isn’t there a saying that time heals all wounds?”

Wen Chongyue smiled. “That’s not entirely true. For example, it didn’t help me forget the salty soup you made last Friday.”

He was referring to something that happened last week. Wen Chongyue had bought some smoked meat, and Xia Jiao volunteered to make soup. She had forgotten about the saltiness of the smoked meat, and the soup turned out so salty it could make people cry.

Xia Jiao said, “I was just giving an example.”

“I was just giving an example too,” Wen Chongyue replied. “See, I’m bringing up something from last week, and you don’t find me annoying, right?”

“…”

Xia Jiao, holding a pillow, half-sank into the sofa, and began to think. “I guess you’re right.”

“Put yourself in my shoes,” Wen Chongyue said. “I wouldn’t find it annoying. Go ahead and talk.”

Xia Jiao shifted her body closer.

She said, “I didn’t make any friends in middle school.”

Wen Chongyue lightly hummed and asked, “Was it because you were busy with studies?”

“Of course not,” Xia Jiao shook her head. “It was because no one in my class would talk to me…”

Xia Jiao told Wen Chongyue everything in detail.

Of course, she left out the part about the notebook being a gift from Wen Chongyue. She simply mentioned that it was a notebook.

The incident started with Guo Chencai leading the isolation. A boy who had previously talked to Xia Jiao started mocking her. At that time, Guo Chencai came from a wealthy family, had good interpersonal skills, and was considered a “rising star” in the class. Most of the boys distanced themselves from Xia Jiao, and the girls also tacitly kept their distance from her.

Wen Chongyue listened to his wife explaining everything, and he didn’t feel any resentment. However, when he thought about it, he couldn’t help but frown. Wen Chongyue thought this matter must have put a heavy burden on her.

He confirmed, “After the tutoring class?”

Xia Jiao nodded quietly.

“So, I don’t know what to do now. It’s strange,” Xia Jiao said. “They made a mistake back then, but now they’re acting as if nothing ever happened…”

Her phone screen lit up again, and messages were still being sent in the WeChat group. They were happily catching up, chatting, and no one remembered the things they had done. To them, it probably felt like something as ordinary as failing an exam.

But Xia Jiao’s middle school life didn’t get a second chance.

The past was over.

“It’s all in the past,” Xia Jiao said. “I think they would say that, but I really don’t know why they added me to the group. It’s strange, right? Back in middle school, I didn’t even participate in any group activities with them.”

Wen Chongyue opened his arms, and Xia Jiao naturally leaned into him, wrapping her arms around him in dependence.

She asked in frustration, “Am I making a big deal out of nothing?”

Wen Chongyue shook his head. “Bringing up the past again only shows that it was never properly resolved. Jiao Jiao, do what feels right for you.”

Xia Jiao picked up her phone, staring at the lively group chat. They were still the same—carefree. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt to just leave, but Xia Jiao still wanted to say something.

Wen Chongyue was right. Bringing up the past proved that the matter had never been properly resolved.

Xia Jiao was now going to deal with it.

Xia Jiao: “Sorry, I didn’t know that Guo Chencai added me to this class group.”

The people who had once isolated and ignored her were now enthusiastically welcoming her and asking if she wanted to join the class reunion this year.

Xia Jiao: “I won’t attend.”

Xia Jiao: “I don’t want to have a meal with you, the ones who once subjected me to school bullying.”

There were no new messages in the group.

Xia Jiao: “It’s really unbelievable. Back then the whole class treated me like I was invisible, and now they want to pretend like everything is fine, like we have deep bonds of friendship. When you look back at your youth, did you automatically forget the wrong things you did? Or do you think time can smooth everything over?”

Xia Jiao: “To be honest, so many years have passed, and I have come to terms with what happened back then.”

Xia Jiao: “But I still need to remind you that it was you who isolated me back then.”

Xia Jiao: “I really hope I never have to see you all again.”

She clicked to exit the group and sighed in relief.

Guo Chencai didn’t come looking for her again.

Xia Jiao lay on Wen Chongyue’s lap, thinking for a long time before asking, “What should we eat today?”

Wen Chongyue smiled and looked down. “What would you like to eat today?”

Xia Jiao had so many things she wanted to eat.

At the middle school gate, there was a lady selling grilled gluten. Back then, she had already started offering a “buy two, get one free” promotion—buy two pieces of grilled gluten and get a third one for free. The chewy gluten was brushed with sauce and roasted over charcoal until it smelled crispy. After it was cooked, another layer of seasoning made from chili powder and fennel was added. Her good friends liked to form groups and go buy it, but Xia Jiao would either buy three pieces by herself or quietly watch the small groups happily eating together before silently walking away.

Then there were the candied hawthorns at the middle school cafeteria in winter. A thick layer of sugar coating. One morning, Guo Chencai bought candied hawthorns for the whole class, but didn’t give one to Xia Jiao, telling her to go ask him for it.

Xia Jiao still remembered the laughter of the whole class.

She increasingly hated being the center of attention. Many of her nightmares involved the whole class pointing and laughing at her.

But it was all in the past.

Xia Jiao hugged Wen Chongyue’s arm and thought seriously for a moment.

She had fought back, even if it was many years late. It was probably fair enough now.

In the afternoon, Zhang Baolin, who rarely visited, came by. He smiled shyly. Perhaps because he was still in school and a science and engineering student, he always had a somewhat delicate, bookish vibe.

He brought oil-dipped dough fritters and spicy chicken feet, saying that he had accompanied Yu Tan to Lili yesterday to buy some local specialties. Yu Tan asked him to deliver them and pass on a message, asking if they wanted to go back to Beijing together next week. Yu Tan also wanted to visit Wen Qiming.

Wen Chongyue smiled and agreed.

Xia Jiao was glad she hadn’t mentioned going to Mudu to buy date paste sesame cakes.

Zhang Baolin only had a cup of tea and chatted for a few minutes before leaving.

He didn’t have much social interaction with Wen Chongyue. After all, he had only been Yu Tan’s boyfriend for the past two years and had lived in the South, so they rarely had the chance to chat.

After sending Zhang Baolin off, Xia Jiao eagerly opened the box and happily ate the dough fritters.

The various small ancient towns near Suzhou were all close to each other, and almost every town had its own special snack. Aside from the date paste sesame cakes and black rice from Mudu, there were sock-bottomed crisps from Jinxi, meat zongzi from Qiandeng, black tofu from Zhenze, green rice dumplings and pumpkin cakes from Luzhi, and Min cakes from Tongli…

She ate happily as Wen Chongyue asked, “Are you hungry so quickly?”

Xia Jiao nodded eagerly.

She said, “When you don’t have anything on your mind, you get hungry quickly.”

Wen Chongyue rolled up his sleeves and smiled. “Looks like I need to prepare a good lunch for Jiao Jiao today, to celebrate her successful ‘class dropout.’”

Autumn in Suzhou is perfect for eating braised pork and drinking big-head silver carp soup.

There’s a song in Taihu that goes: “…In August, eel is braised in soy sauce; in September, the bass is plump and round; in October, big-head silver carp soup…”

On weekends, Wen Chongyue would buy all the vegetables and fish for the day during his morning workout. The silver carp was cleaned, chopped into small pieces, and stored in the fridge. When needed, it could be taken out and boiled for soup.

Suzhou people eat braised pork, usually with dried Shaoxing vegetables or dried string beans at the bottom. The best, of course, is the dried vegetable heads of cauliflower. Wen Chongyue picked the tenderest spring shoots in spring, hung them out to dry, and if they curled up, he would spread them out and continue drying them, keeping the spring green locked in tightly. When the ginkgo leaves turned golden, he would open the jar and take them out, ready to enjoy.

The treasure is not the braised pork under the lid, but the spring hidden beneath it.

November’s baby bok choy is the tenderest. The core is sweet when eaten raw, and when boiled in hot water until half-cooked, it’s served with a layer of hot oil mixed with seasonings. Steaming it in a small pot creates a delightful, appetizing dish of steamed bok choy with chopped chili. The pea shoots this season are also tender. I bought a bunch and sliced thin pieces of chicken breast to make “Plum Blossom Chicken,” a fresh and elegant dish.

Xia Jiao loves broccoli. A simple stir-fry is her favorite, but she doesn’t enjoy the stalks. After pulling apart the florets, she discovered that Wen Chongyue had chosen broccoli with thick, large stems. Thinking he finally made a mistake, she laughed and held one up, saying, “Teacher Wen, don’t you know how to pick broccoli? These thick stems are hard to cook and don’t taste good!”

Wen Chongyue smiled and said, “Save them, don’t stir-fry them. I’m planning to pickle them.”

Xia Jiao hesitated, then slowly asked, “You can pickle broccoli stems?”

Of course, you can.

But it’s not the kind of long-term pickling; just one night is enough.

She watched Wen Chongyue peel the thick outer skin of the broccoli stems, cutting them into thick slices before placing them into a storage container. He sprinkled some salt and sealed the lid.

By the time lunch was nearly ready, Wen Chongyue drained the water that had been drawn out of the broccoli stems by the salt. He added vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce, mixed it all together, and put it in the fridge.

When he saw Xia Jiao’s curious eyes, he said, “You can eat it tomorrow morning.”

Xia Jiao asked, “Will it taste good?”

Wen Chongyue nodded. “Try it and see.”

This was a dish often made by Wen Qiming. At the dining table, Wen Chongyue shared some stories with Xia Jiao. Both of Wen Qiming’s parents were ordinary workers, yet they managed to send their children to college. Later, Yu Tan even went abroad to study and took art courses. Their original family couldn’t provide many luxuries, so both Wen Qiming and Yu Tan developed a habit of cherishing food.

This habit was passed down to the next generation, such as Wen Chongyue.

He didn’t mind eating the leftovers or uneaten food of Xia Jiao. In Wen Chongyue’s upbringing, it was completely normal for a husband to help finish his wife’s leftovers.

Wen Chongyue seemed naturally inclined toward this. He liked watching Xia Jiao eat the food he made, enjoyed hearing her compliments, and loved seeing her satisfied face after eating. But her stomach was limited. If there was something she couldn’t finish, he was more than happy to step in. In fact, it wasn’t just his wife—if they had a child in the future, he’d do the same.

Wait.

Wen Chongyue thought for a moment.

Oh, they had agreed to start thinking about having a baby in four years.

Wen Chongyue watched as Xia Jiao took small sips of the whitebait soup.

Hmm, for now, he didn’t want a new life to join their world. He wasn’t ready for that yet.

If you ask someone in Suzhou where the best ginkgo trees are, the locals certainly won’t point to the gardens. Instead, they’ll direct you to Daohou Street.

The south side of Daohou Street is lined with ginkgo trees. In autumn, the wind blows golden leaves all around, spinning as they fall. The Suzhou city government has regulations that allow the fallen ginkgo leaves to remain on the ground without being swept up. This creates a thick, soft, golden carpet of leaves covering the street.

After a nap, Xia Jiao was scrolling through her Moments when she saw a photo that Yu Qingzhen had posted. The bright yellow leaves dazzled her, and she excitedly showed it to Wen Chongyue. “Teacher Wen, look! It’s so yellow!”

Wen Chongyue asked, “Hmm?”

He adjusted Xia Jiao’s hand and squinted to finally see the photo clearly. “So that’s the yellow.”

Xia Jiao: “…”

“Let’s go see it, let’s go see it,” she urged, shaking his arm. “Don’t you want to go see the ginkgo leaves, Teacher Wen?”

Wen Chongyue bent down and arranged her slippers. “Alright, let’s go.”

With that, they set off. Wen Chongyue happily fulfilled Xia Jiao’s small wish. Of course, in return, she had to finish one more page of her workbook that evening.

Wen Chongyue really enjoyed this sense of teaching and using legitimate excuses to pressure her.

The only regret was that the quality of her clothes was poor, and they had already torn in several places.

The ginkgo leaves were golden, and the street was paved with cobblestones. Although the pandemic had people wearing masks outdoors, it didn’t stop Xia Jiao from enjoying the walk. She heard Wen Chongyue ask, “Is your colleague nearby?”

“No,” Xia Jiao replied. “It seems like she has a last-minute meeting to work on a design draft and will have to stay late… Oh, I think she’s arranging flowers for the school’s New Year’s event?”

It was indeed the school’s New Year flower arrangement.

Since it was high school, Yu Qingzhen’s colleague could only meet on weekends, so she hurried to the store. By the time she arrived, the agreed-upon time had already passed. Instead of seeing the customer, she found a familiar red-haired boy standing at the flower shop entrance, hesitating, as if unsure whether to enter.

Regardless, after shaving his long hair, the red-haired boy now looked quite clean and handsome, like a good-looking high school student.

However, no matter how handsome he was, it couldn’t erase the fact that he had previously “harassed” her.

Yu Qingzhen didn’t hold back.

She didn’t care whether this kid would have a criminal record in the future. She just couldn’t stand him. She took out her phone, dialed the number of the unknown officer who had transferred her the money last time, and prepared to call the police.

The phone rang.

As the sound of the dial tone came through, Yu Qingzhen heard a phone ring outside the flower shop.

She froze, watching the red-haired boy outside pull out his phone. He saw the caller ID, froze for a moment, then looked up and met her gaze.

Many people visited Daohou Street for sightseeing and photo opportunities, but a street couldn’t occupy the entire afternoon. While drinking coffee, Wen Chongyue made a call to confirm details. Afterward, he took Xia Jiao to order a qipao from an experienced tailor.

Suzhou’s traditional qipaos were different from the ones today. Nowadays, they were made from pre-cut fabric pieces, with sleeves sewn onto the body. In the past, however, the qipao was made from a single piece of fabric sewn together from the bottom up.

Though there are still many qipao stores in Suzhou, the ones on Guanquan Street are more traditional, while those on Pingjiang Road are more modern. However, it’s difficult to find a tailor who still uses a single piece of fabric to make a qipao.

It just so happens that Wen Chongyue knows someone.

This person was introduced by one of his German friends, who had made several qipaos with this master. After the pandemic, it became very difficult for Germans to enter the country, so he could only send his girlfriend’s measurements to the master and have the dress made before shipping it back.

Wen Chongyue had already scheduled a time. The master’s work takes a while, and he’s usually busy, but now he finally had a free moment to take measurements for Xia Jiao.

It was also a stroke of luck, running into an acquaintance.

Chen Zhuren.

He had come to pick up a qipao made of fragrant cloud gauze. After inspecting it, he smiled and chatted with Xia Jiao and Wen Chongyue for a while.

Wen Chongyue was a bit surprised, “I thought you were in Beijing.”

Chen Zhuren said, “There’s an event in Shanghai recently, and I remembered the clothes I ordered last time, so I stopped by to pick them up.”

Xia Jiao went to change, and the two of them stayed in the shop, drinking tea and chatting.

Chen Zhuren teasingly asked Wen Chongyue, “Still thinking about your wife’s schoolboy crush?”

Wen Chongyue sighed, “Why do you always say things I don’t want to hear?”

Chen Zhuren laughed, saying, “What a pity, I asked Wanju, and she said she didn’t know—if she knew, she wouldn’t say it anyway.”

Wen Chongyue slowly sipped his tea, thinking, “I originally thought it was from middle school… But now that I think about it, it’s impossible. Xia Jiao wouldn’t have liked those immature boys.”

Chen Zhuren was surprised, “You’re saying that? She wouldn’t like male classmates, would she have liked a male teacher instead?”

Wen Chongyue said, “That possibility can’t be ruled out.”

He mused, “Could it have been me?”

Chen Zhuren couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Forget it, how old were you back then, and how old was Xia Jiao?”

By this point, Wen Chongyue was also chuckling and shaking his head.

Chen Zhuren half-jokingly said, “But who knows, you and your wife’s crush might have many similarities—”

“For example, both human, male, and alive.”