Heart Flutter

Chapter 19

That afternoon, the training session ended unusually early. Compared to previous days, the school had many more private cars parked outside. On her way back from the sports field, her back grew drenched in sweat, and Tang Yan’s face felt hot and slightly flushed. The moment she returned to her dormitory, she took a shower and changed into clean, dry clothes—ones that Aunt Ji had bought for her. Tang Yan believed she should pay at least a bit of attention to her appearance; after all, it would not have been good to climb into Aunt Ji’s car drenched in sweat.

Right after she finished toweling off her hair, she received a WeChat message from Aunt Ji. The text was brief: I am downstairs now.

Tang Yan did not hesitate. She shouldered her backpack, which held the clothes she had just changed out of so she could take them home to wash, along with the textbooks she planned to study in advance.

“Were you leaving already?” asked Xia Zihan from the bed opposite hers, still taking her time packing.

Tang Yan, backpack already in place, stood at the doorway. “Yes, my aunt came to pick me up. Bye, see you the day after tomorrow.” With those hurried words, she disappeared from sight before anyone realized it.

She went downstairs with a spring in her step, practically stirring up a breeze. It happened to be the most excited she had felt all week. There were far more people than usual outside the dorm that day—students with their parents, as well as other people from outside. The moment Tang Yan stepped out, she scanned the crowd and quickly spotted the person she was looking for. The figure stood out with almost porcelain-like skin, flawless and translucent, dressed simply yet stylishly. Tang Yan ran toward her at once.

At first, Ji Yuqing worried that Tang Yan might not see her. She looked around for a bit, only to have Tang Yan suddenly appear in front of her, face magnified by proximity. “Aunt Ji!”

Startled, Ji Yuqing marveled at how swiftly Tang Yan had moved. Guiding her toward the car, she placed a casual arm around Tang Yan’s shoulders and asked, “How did you manage to spot me?”

Tang Yan answered without a trace of shyness. “Because you were the fairest one here, Aunt Ji. You really stood out in the crowd.”

She had not expected the girl to praise her so openly. Taken slightly aback, Ji Yuqing felt a hint of embarrassment. Once they maneuvered through the mass of people, Ji Yuqing pressed a button on her car key to unlock the car. Tang Yan, already familiar with the routine, naturally headed to the passenger seat, opened the door, and climbed in.

By the time Ji Yuqing got into the car, Tang Yan had already fastened her seatbelt and waited quietly.

“We do not have any groceries at home, so we should stop by the supermarket,” said Ji Yuqing.

“Sure,” Tang Yan agreed readily. She had been in Huadu for about half a month and was slowly getting to know Aunt Ji better. Comparing how anxious and fearful she felt when she first arrived to how she felt now, she saw at least some measure of progress.

They left the school and merged onto the main road. It was 1748 in the afternoon, the sun nearly setting, and the weather was no longer so hot. Rolling the windows down felt perfect; the cool breeze blowing in was wonderfully refreshing, swirling around her neck and slipping inside her collar. Tang Yan’s hair drifted in the wind, and she closed her eyes slightly, enjoying the moment.

Glancing over while driving, Ji Yuqing asked with a slight smile, “What kind of music did you like to listen to?”

Tang Yan paused in surprise, then quickly replied, “I liked Faye Wong’s songs.”

With one hand on the wheel, Ji Yuqing tapped the car’s display screen with the other. Soon, the song Renjian by Faye Wong began to play through the speakers. The atmosphere in the car changed at once. Tang Yan turned her gaze out the window and remained quiet. As the car moved, the breeze blew the hair on her forehead back, and the curve of her lips grew more and more pronounced, her eyes forming crescent moons.

Two songs later, they arrived at the grocery store. Ji Yuqing drove into the underground parking lot, and the two of them took the elevator upstairs. It was Saturday, so at that time of day, the supermarket was crowded, especially near the checkout counters, where long lines of customers queued at every register.

Unhurried, Ji Yuqing pushed the shopping cart first to the household goods section on the first floor. She picked up a few women’s items while Tang Yan followed obediently, occasionally glancing around.

“This toothbrush is so cute,” said Ji Yuqing, abandoning the cart to stroll over to the toothbrush display. She picked up an adorably designed pair in the shape of little rabbits—one pink, one blue. They came as a set, so buying one meant buying both.

“Do you like these?” she asked Tang Yan.

Tang Yan immediately said she did. Whatever Aunt Ji liked, she liked as well.

“Which color do you want?” asked Ji Yuqing.

For some reason, Tang Yan sensed that, at that moment, Aunt Ji seemed like a little girl herself—still harboring a girlish heart—and clearly favored the pink one. So Tang Yan pointed at the blue one and said, “I will take the blue one.”

“Great, then I will take the pink one.” Ji Yuqing dropped both toothbrushes into the cart, looking genuinely pleased.

Following behind, Tang Yan could not help smiling too. Seeing Aunt Ji so happy made her happy as well.

They also picked up a tube of toothpaste and some wet wipes, then rode the elevator up to the second floor grocery section. Their main purpose was to buy food, so they headed straight for the produce and meat area, where everything appeared fresh, the cooling system blowing out chilly air around the vegetables.

“What did you want to eat tonight?” asked Ji Yuqing in a casual tone.

Tang Yan never had strong preferences regarding meals—she did not crave meat much and believed well-cooked vegetables could be tastier than meat. “Tomato scrambled eggs,” she said.

Surprised, Ji Yuqing turned around to look at her, as though asking if that request was not too simple. But Tang Yan’s expression was quite sincere, conveying that she really did want tomato scrambled eggs. There was no way to refuse her.

The tomatoes on display looked bright red and glossy. Suddenly feeling mischievous, Ji Yuqing picked up two of them and compared them against Tang Yan’s cheeks with a laugh. “They look a bit like your face.”

Tang Yan’s cheeks reddened instantly. She reacted almost on reflex, muttering, “No, they do not.”

After putting the tomatoes in a bag, Ji Yuqing patted Tang Yan lightly on the shoulder. “Just teasing you,” she said, then turned around to continue picking out other items.

At that moment, Tang Yan remembered the post she had glimpsed on Aunt Ji’s social feed around noon. It made her wonder if she had misread the situation—perhaps Aunt Ji was not really upset about anything. From the time they met after school until now, Aunt Ji’s mood seemed quite good, even particularly energetic. Maybe Tang Yan had been overthinking it.

“Yan Yan!” called Aunt Ji suddenly.

Tang Yan looked up in surprise and realized she had fallen behind by a good distance. She quickly rushed to catch up.

“What were you thinking about so intently?” asked Ji Yuqing, leaning over a tank of seafood.

Tang Yan felt like a student caught daydreaming by a teacher. She stammered and made up an excuse. “I was just wondering what to eat for dinner.”

Her answer made Ji Yuqing’s shoulders shake with barely restrained laughter. She turned and smiled at Tang Yan. “My Yan Yan was too cute.”

In that instant, Tang Yan felt a wave of warmth that shot from the top of her head down to her feet, leaving her slightly numb and making her face burn red and her ears feel hot.

While Tang Yan was still reeling from the sweet shock of Aunt Ji’s unexpected words, Ji Yuqing had moved on to get the seafood weighed, paying no further attention to how that single comment had affected Tang Yan.

From that point on, Tang Yan had trouble focusing and could only nod blankly at any question from Aunt Ji, answering, “Sure,” no matter what it was.

When they finally finished shopping, they passed by the yogurt and ice cream section. “Do you feel like having some ice cream?” asked Ji Yuqing. “I have a bit of a craving for it.”

Tang Yan once again nodded automatically. Ji Yuqing grabbed a box of strawberry ice cream, while Tang Yan chose vanilla.

They lined up to check out, then pushed their cart back to the elevator. As they walked, Ji Yuqing opened her ice cream and could not help sharing a bit of her story. “When I was little, I loved strawberry ice cream, but we could not afford it back then. Once I started earning my own money, I made up for all those times by indulging in as much as I wanted. After so many years, I still thought it tasted amazing.”

Observing her closely, Tang Yan noticed that when Aunt Ji took a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth, her eyes held not entirely a look of joy.

So Aunt Ji was not always well-off, Tang Yan thought. She seemed to have gone through a period of hardship. There were likely things about her past that Tang Yan knew nothing about, and she suddenly found herself longing to understand them.

Sensing Tang Yan’s stare, Ji Yuqing kindly reminded her, “Your ice cream is going to melt if you do not start eating it.”

Startled, Tang Yan fumbled with her box of vanilla ice cream and took a bite of the sweet, creamy treat.

They entered the elevator right then. “How is yours?” asked Ji Yuqing.

Tang Yan nodded emphatically. Then, for reasons she herself did not understand, she scooped up a spoonful with her own spoon and offered it to Aunt Ji, who, without hesitation, lowered her head and tasted it. “Hmm, this flavor was nice too. I will try it next time.”

Tang Yan withdrew her hand and stared at the spoon that had just touched Aunt Ji’s lips. Her fingers trembled a little.

Lowering her head, she took another bite from that spoon. It tasted far sweeter than any ice cream she had ever had before.