Hedgehog's Belly - Chapter 47

Chapter 47

“Why did you come over so suddenly?” Luo Mu asked with a smile in her eyes. She moved her chair to a suitable position, sitting directly opposite Yan Yu, not forgetting to remind her: “Is your stomach trouble better? Don’t eat anything cold for these few weeks.”

Then, Luo Mu turned around and waved to the owner: “Uncle Wu, one bowl of brown sugar glutinous rice balls, extra sweet, and make it warm.”

“You got it,” the owner replied.

Even though several years had passed, Luo Mu still remembered that this child loved sweets.

“Thank you, Sister Muzi.” Yan Yu’s eyelashes fluttered. Her seventeen-year-old self looked gentle and lovely, like a spring breeze brushing over mountains and fields. As the years turned over, the features that once resembled Yan Qingzhu had gradually faded, forming an aura unique to Yan Yu alone.

Luo Mu watched her as if observing a piece of art, thinking to herself: This is probably a good thing.

“What made you want to come here suddenly?” Luo Mu studied her, realizing for the first time since their last meeting that the girl had lost a lot of weight. Two years ago, one could still see baby fat on Yan Yu’s face, but now she was so thin that her jawline was sharply defined.

“The school is being used as an external exam center these few days, so we have a short holiday,” Yan Yu explained. Then, the owner brought over a cup of pearl milk tea and placed it in front of her.

“Pearl milk tea, no ice, full sugar!” the owner announced.

“No ice?” The smile on Luo Mu’s face creased into a frown for an instant, and she teased her with mock seriousness: “You still dare to drink cold things?”

“Shh, don’t let Big Sister know.” Yan Yu lowered her voice to a whisper, like a child who had done something wrong but was hoping for a lucky break.

“Fine, we won’t let your sister know.” Luo Mu burst out laughing. She hadn’t expected this child, who had been so obedient to her sister since childhood, to one day learn how to be rebellious.

When the warm brown sugar rice balls were served, Luo Mu pushed the bowl toward Yan Yu, still cautioning her: “Take care of your health in the future. The seasons are changing; don’t catch a cold.”

Yan Yu nodded, slowly eating the rice balls. Then, she cautiously looked up and gazed at the older girl before her.

“Sister Muzi, I’m craving chicken soup.” Yan Yu’s sudden sentence caught Luo Mu off guard.

For a few seconds, Luo Mu didn’t recover, wondering when she had ever sent chicken soup to the Yan sisters. Or rather, since starting university, she hadn’t brewed chicken soup herself for a long time.

“Back when Big Sister was in her second year of high school, you sent her a pot of chicken soup. Do you remember?”

Yan Yu’s tone was experimental, fearing Luo Mu wouldn’t remember. A slight curve appeared at the corner of her mouth as she added: “I really loved the chicken soup you made back then. I was just thinking about when I could have it again.”

Luo Mu suddenly remembered. During their sophomore year, she really had made it for Yan Qingzhu. At that time, her mind had been restless, and she was always looking for ways to make amends. Back then, Luo Mu had even told Yan Qingzhu to her face that she was weak and other such things. Seeing that the younger sister still remembered after two years, it would seem insincere to refuse now.

“My house isn’t far from the University Town, about eight kilometers. I’m home every weekend.” Yan Yu propped up her chin, her eyes full of anticipation as she waited for Luo Mu’s response.

Luo Mu was silent for a moment. she didn’t know how to explain to her that she had already fallen out with her sister. Facing the girl’s request, while not excessive, she still had inner reservations.

After a long while, Luo Mu cautiously asked the question: “Then your sister…”

“Sister is too far from here; she only comes back once every few weeks. She came back last week, so she shouldn’t be coming over this week.” Yan Yu responded quickly, fearing Luo Mu might be worried upon hearing Yan Qingzhu’s name.

Luo Mu finally nodded slowly. Since the girl had put it that way, she waved her hand and agreed to the request.

During the weekend, Yan Yu called Luo Mu early to ask for the necessary ingredients, saying she would buy them herself. On her way there, Luo Mu couldn’t help but smile, wondering if this girl, who had been protected so well by her sister, could distinguish between the medicinal herbs in a soup packet.

“Can you tell Poria from Codonopsis?” Luo Mu teased the seventeen-year-old over the phone.

“Sister Muzi, don’t make it hard for me. I’ve only ever dissected animals; I can only perform a chicken slaughter for you.” Yan Yu sounded helpless on the other end. Although she was interested in biology, her scope was limited; outside of school, she was essentially a “lifestyle idiot.”

“Fine, just buy what I told you before.” Luo Mu’s voice was relaxed. This child’s way of speaking really did resemble her sister’s sometimes.

Always able to say baffling things with a straight face.

After Luo Mu arrived, Yan Yu led her inside. The overall area of the living room wasn’t larger than the Yueshi apartment in Chujiang, but it was bright and spacious. As Yan Yu explained: the house was bought for convenience so she could rest on weekends during high school.

Usually, Yan Yu lived in the school dormitory; to give her a place to land on weekends, her mother had simply bought this river-view apartment.

Luo Mu nodded with difficulty. Indeed, it was not easy to empathize with the troubles of the wealthy.

The semi-open kitchen had European characteristics; the old brick paving and solid wood cabinets exuded an air of elegant luxury. The crystal chandelier on the ceiling refracted extravagant, brilliant points of light. Luo Mu looked up, and the thought that popped into her head was: Does Yan Qingzhu not wash the crystal chandelier?

“Sister Muzi, see if anything is missing; I’ll go buy it in a bit.” Yan Yu spread the ingredients out on the table, arranging them neatly.

“Mhm, nothing’s missing. You go rest for now.” After checking the items, Luo Mu’s eyes were gentle: “I’ll tell you later if I need anything.”

“Got it.” Yan Yu snapped her fingers, but then her face turned a bit downcast, her voice low.

“Sister Muzi, sometimes I can’t help but think it would be great if you were my sister.”

Luo Mu, who had just started chopping the chicken into small pieces, wasn’t surprised. Instead, she teased back: “You should be glad I’m not your big sister.”

“Mhm? Why?” Yan Yu was confused, sitting on the living room sofa and stuffing a handful of chips from an open bag into her mouth.

“If I were your sister, I would definitely ask what your relationship is with that boy who took care of you at the hospital.” Luo Mu smiled faintly as she turned on the stove to boil water, essentially seeing through her without spelling it out. Yan Yu immediately became nervous, the backs of her ears turning crimson.

“Ahhh, Sister Muzi, stop talking!” Yan Yu started babbling nonsensically: “I just… he just…”

Amused by the child, Luo Mu waved her off.

Love at seventeen is simple and pure, but the adolescent spirit vanishes so quickly that Luo Mu hadn’t had time to experience it before being swept into the great melting pot of life. At seventeen, Luo Mu could only think about how to survive; she didn’t allow herself to slow down a single step.

“Enjoy being seventeen; the road ahead won’t be easy to walk.” Luo Mu blanched the chicken, not forgetting to continue teasing the child.

The road ahead really wouldn’t be easy.

But some truths are destined to be understood only in hindsight.

“Okay, I’ll listen to Sister Muzi.” Yan Yu nodded slowly. Even so, she couldn’t truly empathize with what Luo Mu said. She didn’t know what kind of mindset was required to say such a thing.

Seeing this, Luo Mu didn’t explain further and focused on blanching the chicken.

Yan Yu sat on the sofa researching a biology competition topic while Luo Mu watched the heat, processing the ingredients for the black-boned chicken soup. The two didn’t talk much. Luo Mu had a subtle illusion that, for a moment, Yan Yu felt exactly like a family member she lived with.

Suddenly, the door latch clicked. Yan Yu sat bolt upright as a reflexive reaction, cold sweat instantly drenching her back. The fingertips tapping on the keyboard turned white, and her gaze instinctively flicked toward the entryway. Luo Mu, however, only had the sound of the range hood in her ears; she was so focused that she automatically filtered out any background noise.

Yan Yu stared blankly at the woman standing in the entryway. The woman’s sharp features were fixed on her. It was like frost and snow covering mountains, upon which the Creator had dyed a stroke of red—dangerous and alluring. Facing this person, Yan Yu immediately lowered her head, not daring to look directly at her.

“Yan Yu, where is the salt in your house?” Luo Mu hadn’t noticed Yan Yu’s abnormality. Tucking a stray hair behind her ear, she knelt down to open a cabinet to search, asking in a natural tone.

“In the top-left cabinet.” Yan Qingzhu looked at the semi-open kitchen. She hadn’t expected Luo Mu to be here, but her voice remained low and calm as she answered.

In an instant, Luo Mu’s mind went blank. The intense ringing in her ears made it difficult for her to control her emotions. The feather hidden deep in her heart for years seemed to be suddenly stirred by a gale; her quiet heart became clamorous once more.

“Then… what about the stew pot…” Luo Mu didn’t stand up immediately. She happened to be blocked by the solid wood cabinet, so she wouldn’t have to look directly at that person.

“Second drawer on the bottom right.” Yan Qingzhu answered her quickly again, her tone nonchalant.

Luo Mu couldn’t hide forever, so she braced herself against the cabinet and slowly stood up. Her gaze traveled until it met Yan Qingzhu’s. This Yan Qingzhu—wise and terrifyingly calm—was the person who supported the most important days in Luo Mu’s memory. But at this moment, Yan Qingzhu’s gaze felt like a blade stained with time, forcing Luo Mu’s regrets into the light and dismantling all of Luo Mu’s pride.

In that second, Luo Mu’s nose turned sour.

Luo Mu did her best to control her emotions. She took a deep breath and gave a gentle smile to Yan Yu, a hint of nasality in her voice: “Yan Yu, there are no goji berries or red dates. Could you please go to the supermarket and buy some?”

Yan Yu froze for a moment, then hurriedly nodded. She walked quickly to the entryway, then looked back once at Yan Qingzhu.

“Go on.” Yan Qingzhu tilted her chin slightly, signaling her to do as Luo Mu said.

When Yan Yu closed the front door, only Yan Qingzhu and Luo Mu were left in the cavernous apartment.

After a long time, Luo Mu finally spoke: “Yan Yu wanted chicken soup. I came over to brew it for her.”

“Mhm. Thank you for your hard work,” Yan Qingzhu replied simply.

At twenty, Luo Mu had imagined their reunion countless times. Perhaps it would be much later, when they were both successful, exchanging congratulations at a banquet; or perhaps they would brush past each other on a familiar street and say “long time no see.”

But in this current scene, Luo Mu was at a loss.

Yan Qingzhu sat by the kitchen island, one hand propping up her chin. As she looked down at Luo Mu’s profile while she blanched the chicken, Yan Qingzhu’s eyelashes trembled slightly. Like a butterfly with broken wings, her eyes were like bottomless pools, yet they surged with mottled, turbulent rust.

Sister Muzi, just call my name one more time.

I also want to tell you so, so much.

Then, Luo Mu placed the blanched chicken on a plate. A shimmering light appeared in her eyes, and her lips moved.

Luo Mu lowered her head, her tone carrying a hint of casualness: “Yan Qingzhu—”