Thirteen Wonders (ShíSānYāo) : Chapter 29 - One Wan Nine Wan
Chapter 29: One Wan Nine Wan
The medicine was already taken, and the empty shells were made of plastic. When Mother Zhou’s threw them forcefully, one of the empty plastic cases grazed Zhou Yao's face, almost leaving a scratch.
Just then, Zhou Ma walked into the living room and saw the scene. He widened his eyes. “What are you doing? Why are you hitting the child for no reason?”
“Ask her yourself!” Mother Zhou, desperate for an outlet, erupted like an ignited bomb. “Ask her what kind of ‘good’ things she's done!”
Zhou Ma was still in shock when Mother Zhou picked up the empty shells she'd thrown, shoving them into his hands. “Look at this! Do you see what this is? It's birth control pill! birth control pill!”
Zhou Ma took the empty packages, glanced at his wife's furious face, and then at Zhou Yao, who remained eerily calm. Her eyes, void of emotion, were like a dead, still lake.
Suddenly, he recalled that day when something had happened on Guinan Mountain—when she had appeared at the intersection, holding an umbrella, walking up to him and shielding him from the rain, tilting her head up to ask, “Dad, what's wrong?”
Zhou Ma let out a deep sigh and turned to Mother Zhou. “At least listen to what Yaoyao has to say first. Ask her about the situation before jumping to conclusions. How can you be so sure it's hers?”
“I found it under her desk in her room! If it's not hers, whose could it be?!”
“Even so, you should clarify things first. What kind of mother just starts hitting their child the moment they walk in?” Zhou Ma was getting frustrated too. Seeing the faint red mark on Zhou Yao's delicate face, his brows furrowed. “If you leave a scar on her face, what then? Why are you always so impulsive?”
“I'm impulsive?” Mother Zhou fumed. “Fine, fine! Now, you and your precious daughter are so close, and my words don't matter! I'm disciplining her for her own good, yet you're standing here criticizing me instead!”
“Enough!” Zhou Ma interrupted. “Stop shouting! Do you want the neighbors to hear and make a scene?”
Mother Zhou pointed at Zhou Yao. “She's not afraid of embarrassing us, so why should I be?!”
Zhou Ma shot her a glare, then turned to Zhou Yao. “Yaoyao…” He opened his palm, showing her the empty medicine packaging, hesitating slightly before asking, “Where did this come from? Your mother said she found it while cleaning your room. Why was it there?”
Zhou Yao was silent for a couple of seconds before saying, “It's not mine.”
“If it's not yours, then whose is it?!” Mother Zhou interjected furiously.
Zhou Yao glanced at her, her gaze turning colder, as if she didn't even want to respond.
“Can't say anything now, huh? Huh?! I've raised you all these years, not so you could disgrace me! Everyone says you're obedient, but I see now it's because I didn't discipline you enough when you were younger! Your father and I work tirelessly for this family, and yet you—you're just getting worse and worse—”
“I already told you, it's not mine!”
Zhou Yao suddenly shouted, her eyes wide and filled with ice-cold fury.
Mother Zhou was stunned. Zhou Ma was stunned too. Zhou Yao took a slow breath, her voice sinking back down, calm yet heavy. “If you want to know, wait until everything is settled. I'll explain everything, word by word.”
With that, she no longer wanted to argue and turned to walk back to her room.
Mother Zhou snapped out of her daze. Being yelled at by her daughter made her lose face, and in her rage, she reached out to grab Zhou Yao’s arm. But Zhou Yao fiercely shook her off, twisting her body to break free, and they both bumped into opposite corners of the table.
Zhou Yao had never once talked back to her parents before. But for the first time, she resisted her mother. The look in her eyes, filled with defiance and indifference, made Mother Zhou’s freeze.
“If you want to know, you'll find out when the time comes.” For the first time, Zhou Yao acted like a rebellious teenager, turning away. “Don't bother me.”
Mother Zhou stood there, stunned for a long time, before snapping back to her senses and storming toward Zhou Yao’s room.
“You dare to fight back? Huh?! I worked so hard to raise you, and this is how you repay me? Get up! If you don’t clear this up today, don't even think about having a peaceful night—”
Zhou Yao couldn't be bothered anymore. She swept a few books off her desk into her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and prepared to leave.
Seeing her about to walk out, Mother Zhou chased after her, shouting angrily, “Where are you going?! Huh?! … Are you going to find Shisan?” A sudden realization hit her, and she grabbed Zhou Yao’s arm. “Is it Shisan? Is it?! You two have been glued together since childhood, and now, too. Tell me, did you take that medicine because of him?!”
Zhou Yao looked at her coldly. “Unreasonable.”
Leaving behind those four words, she flung off her mother’s hand and strode out the door.
Zhou Ma called after her anxiously, his voice filled with worry. As she stepped over the threshold, Zhou Yao hesitated for a brief moment—but in the end, she didn't stop. Zhou Ma wanted to chase after her, but Mother Zhou held him back.
“Let her go! Just let her go! She’s all grown up now, thinks she’s independent, relying on a man and throwing tantrums at home! Let her leave and never come back—”
……
Zhou Yao sat on a bench at the bus stop outside the alley. Ten minutes later, Chen Xuze arrived in a hurry, dressed only in his winter pajamas, without even a coat.
Zhou Yao stopped swinging her legs and frowned. “Why are you wearing so little? You'll catch a cold.”
“If you know I should dress warmer, why didn't you wear more yourself?” Chen Xuze eyed her thin base layer and lightweight jacket, his frown deeper than hers.
Without another word, he reached out his hand. “Let's go.”
Zhou Yao placed her hand in his, but she said, “I don't want to go home.”
Chen Xuze hummed in acknowledgment. “Then we won't.”
No further questions.
Chen Xuze didn't ask what had happened at home, and Zhou Yao didn't ask where he was taking her. The two walked through the winter night in silent understanding, one ahead and one behind, keeping half a step apart. Occasionally, their arms brushed against each other, the fabric of their winter clothes making a faint rustling sound.
Chen Xuze led Zhou Yao through a different alley, taking a long detour—back to the Chen family home.
The Chen family home had multiple floors with plenty of rooms, yet Chen Xuze insisted on changing all the bedding and letting Zhou Yao sleep in his bed. Meanwhile, he spread out a clean mat on the floor for himself.
“Isn't it cold sleeping on the floor?”
“The house has heating”
Zhou Yao frowned. “Can't you sleep in another room?”
Chen Xuze thought for a moment and replied, “I'm used to the smell of my own room.”
What she had meant was—why couldn’t she sleep in another room? But he had misunderstood, giving an unrelated answer. She didn’t bother asking again.
They settled in, but neither of them felt sleepy. After washing up, one sat on the bed while the other sat on the floor, chatting idly.
Zhou Yao recounted what had happened earlier. As she spoke, Chen Xuze got up, fetched some ointment, and approached her.
“What are you doing?”
“Your face got scratched,” he said. “Better to prevent a scar.”
“It’s not even a wound, just a scratch. It hurt at the time, but I don't feel it anymore.”
Regardless of what she said, Chen Xuze insisted on applying the ointment. She had no choice but to let him.
His fingertips, cool with ointment, gently spread it over her skin, rubbing it in with a light touch—meticulous and careful. His eyes stayed fixed on the spot as if nothing else existed. His breath, carrying a faint scent of mint, brushed against her cheek. Strangely, the ‘wound’ that had already cooled down suddenly began to burn again.
He applied it for a long time without stopping. Feeling awkward, Zhou Yao asked, “Is it not done yet?”
“Just a bit longer,” Chen Xuze replied seriously. “This way, it'll heal faster.”
“…Oh.”
If he said so, then it must be true. Zhou Yao was used to it—she rarely argued with him over minor things.
At last, the ointment was applied. By then, she had already moved onto his bedding. Sitting cross-legged, they continued their conversation. Zhou Yao repeated what her mother had said earlier and chuckled bitterly. “She just assumes it's mine. She doesn't trust me at all. I don’t get it… Am I really that untrustworthy in her eyes?”
“She even said that you and I…” Zhou Yao trailed off, hesitating.
Chen Xuze immediately understood. A shadow flickered in his eyes. “She thinks you took the pills because of me?”
Zhou Yao lowered her gaze slightly. “Basically, she thinks we’re both terrible people now. She never said anything before, but now she’s suddenly accusing us of being glued together all the time. If your grandparents were still here and heard her say that…”
“I don't care.”
Zhou Yao paused.
Chen Xuze looked at her and said, “It'll be me sooner or later, anyway.”
Zhou Yao froze, needing a moment to register his words. Her face instantly flushed red. He added, “But I wouldn’t let you take that kind of thing. I heard it's bad for your health.”
Her face burned like a roasted sweet potato. Taking a deep breath, she gritted her teeth and smacked him hard.
Instead of getting mad, Chen Xuze laughed and ruffled her hair. “I know, we’re high school seniors. No dating early.” He withdrew his hand. “Alright, I’ll stop talking. Get under the covers and rest.”
That night, they wandered outside for a long time and talked about many things.
She was good to him—not out of pity. He was good to her—not out of guilt. That was enough.
They made a promise to walk out of this long alley together.
They had been by each other’s side for eighteen years. So what was a mere hundred more days of waiting?
……
After such an exhausting night, Zhou Yao was truly drained—both physically and mentally. She crawled into bed, quickly falling into a deep sleep.
Lying on his side, Chen Xuze faced her. Zhou Yao, also used to sleeping on her side, faced him.
One slightly higher, one slightly lower, they lay face-to-face in the quiet night, their steady breathing the only sound.
Under the dim moonlight, Chen Xuze quietly observed Zhou Yao’s sleeping face—peaceful, serene, beautiful.
After a long time, he curled his right hand into a fist, pressing it lightly against his lips, his index and middle fingers touching. Then, he extended his hand toward Zhou Yao. The fingers that had touched his lips brushed gently against hers.
A kiss upon a clenched fist—soft and solemn. Just like his feelings for her.
Zhou Yao's life carried two deepest pains. One stemmed from her parents. The other, from him.
No one else could understand.
Most emotions in this world were vulgar. But theirs was not.
Zhou Yao and Chen Xuze were different.
Lovers. Best friends. Family. They had been all of these.
If you asked Chen Xuze, he would answer without hesitation—
“Our bond is brilliant. Eternal. Undying.”
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