Xu Anhao stood in the courtyard, watching the two figures walk away until they disappeared around the bend in the village road.
The wind blew in from the fields, rustling the leaves of the jujube tree.
The old yellow dog nuzzled against her leg, then lay back down under the tree.
She carried the bundle into the main room and stood in the doorway for a moment.
Then she walked into the small room that belonged to her.
An old mattress was laid out on the kang, folded neatly.
Her school textbooks sat on the table, stacked one by one.
In the enamel mug on the windowsill, a few dried wild chrysanthemums were still placed.
Exactly the same as the day she had left.
Xu Anhao felt a warmth in her heart, all her unease melting away, leaving only exhaustion.
She brought in a basin of water and washed her face. Just as she was about to lie down for a nap, a small head peeked in from the doorway.
It was a little girl, about five or six years old, with two pigtails, peering in timidly.
Xu Anhao recognized her—the granddaughter of her adoptive father's elder brother, named Xu Xiaomi.
"Xiaomi?"
The little girl pressed her lips together in a smile and timidly called out, "Auntie."
Xu Anhao grabbed a handful of candy for her and stuffed two more peach pastries into her hands.
The little girl's eyes lit up. She clutched the treats and ran out, then turned back to look at Xu Anhao from the courtyard gate, her eyes curving into two crescents with her smile.
Xu Anhao smiled too.
Sleepiness washed over her. She collapsed onto the kang and fell asleep almost the moment she closed her eyes.
She didn't know how long she had slept.
Someone was shaking her arm.
"Auntie… Auntie…"
Xu Anhao mumbled and turned over.
"Little one, go play outside… let me sleep a bit longer…"
"Auntie, there's a fight!"
"Hmm?"
"A fight!"
Xu Anhao's consciousness snapped back in an instant.
She opened her eyes and saw Xiaomi standing by the kang, her little face flushed bright red.
"Xiaomi, who's fighting?"
"Xiao Feng!" Xiaomi stamped her feet in urgency. "Xiao Feng is fighting!"
Xiao Feng?
A name surfaced from the original host's memories—a childhood sweetheart, grown up together since they were small, with a temperament so good he had never once gotten red in the face with anyone.
"Who's he fighting?"
"Lots of people!"
Xu Anhao sat up with a jolt, shoved her feet into her shoes, and headed out.
She went out the courtyard gate and followed the dirt road east.
Before she even got there, she could hear the commotion raging.
Shouts and curses, voices trying to break it up, the dull thud of fists hitting flesh—all mixed together into a headache-inducing din.
Xu Anhao quickened her pace, rounded the bend—
In the middle of the grain-drying yard, five or six figures were tangled in a brawl, impossible to tell who was who.
Xu Anhao recognized Xiao Feng at a glance—he was surrounded, his face covered in blood, but his eyes were red as if he wanted to devour someone.
One punch took a man down, then he turned and grappled with another.
Someone nearby tried to pull them apart, only to be flung off, stumbling back several steps.
"Xiao Feng!"
She shouted.
Xiao Feng's body went rigid.
He turned his head and saw Xu Anhao standing at the edge of the crowd.
In that instant, a fist from the opposite side slammed into his jaw.
Xiao Feng staggered two steps, steadied himself, but didn't fight back anymore.
He just looked at Xu Anhao, panting heavily, his chest heaving violently.
The three who had gotten up from the ground were about to charge forward again—
Following Xiao Feng's gaze, they saw Xu Anhao.
And all of them stopped moving.
As if struck by a Freezing Spell, each one nailed in place.
Xu Anhao wore a blue cloth shirt, her hair slightly disheveled, her face still flushed from just waking up.
Standing in the sunlight at the edge of the drying yard, she was completely different from the girl of two years ago.
In what way, they couldn't say.
Their eyes simply clung to her, unable to look away.
Xu Anhao didn't notice those gazes.
She ran over and grabbed Xiao Feng's arm.
"Stop fighting!"
Xiao Feng was pulled by her and didn't break free.
He lowered his eyes, not looking at her, but his clenched fists slowly loosened.
The three of them still stood where they were, staring at Xu Anhao.
Their faces burned.
Not from being beaten, but from shame.
It was almost time to knock off. The others were still in the fields harvesting corn, while these few young men were responsible for carrying it back.
Running back and forth trip after trip, they were exhausted. After unloading the last load, they sat down at the edge of the drying yard to catch their breath.
Someone pulled out a hand-rolled cigarette, someone else fanned himself with a straw hat, and they chatted idly.
No one knew who started it.
"Did you guys see Xu Anhao at noon?"
"How could I not? Walking past the village entrance—my god, that waist so thin, those legs so straight…"
"Haven't seen her in two years, she's really filled out. That figure now, she's got more going on than city girls."
Someone lowered his voice and laughed lewdly: "Too bad I heard she's already been married."
"Married is even better, she's got flavor."
"Exactly. Coming back now, it must be that the city man didn't want her anymore. I wonder which lucky guy in our village will get her!"
"Wonder what she tastes like…"
The words grew uglier and uglier. The few of them exchanged knowing looks, laughing so hard they rocked back and forth.
They didn't notice Xiao Feng was not far away, unloading corn cobs.
And they certainly didn't notice when he dropped the carrying pole in his hands and walked over.
By the time they noticed, Xiao Feng's fist had already landed on a face.
They knew they were in the wrong, but being beaten so hard, they fought back.
At first it was two against Xiao Feng. As the fight went on, people nearby came to pull them apart, couldn't separate them, and got dragged in instead. More and more people joined the brawl.
And as the fight went on, Xu Anhao arrived.