Loving You in Silence - Chapter 6

Jiang Zi’s breath hitched.

Memories from a very distant past were instantly reawakened by those few lines of text.

Back then, after the two of them finished their cleaning duties while JJ Lin’s Go! played over the school radio, Jiang Zi had been caught red-handed bad-mouthing her. The victim hadn’t just brushed it off; she had even shared her lunch—the non-poisoned kind—with her.

The atmosphere then had been heavy with silence. Overwhelmed by awkwardness and embarrassment, Jiang Zi had bolted after only a few bites.

Thanks to that twist of fate, Jiang Zi finally learned what the rumored Meng Yihuai actually looked like. She wasn’t quite the “cool, overbearing rebel” others described; she actually looked a bit like a “good girl.”

Their next meeting was at a repair shop near the school.

One day after school, Jiang Zi discovered that someone had pulled a prank by letting the air out of her bicycle tires. Unable to find the culprit, she was forced to push her bike to the repair shop. It was a tiny shop, and a crowd of students with similar misfortunes had gathered at the door, waiting in a disciplined line for the owner to fix their bikes.

Jiang Zi waited patiently for over half an hour. She received a text from Jiang Xiangqing, urging her to hurry home. She looked down to reply, and in her peripheral vision, she saw two tall boys stepping in front of her without a word. She looked up, realizing she had just been cut in line.

Likely seeing her docile bob cut, clear round eyes, and harmless aura, the boys assumed she was an easy target. They didn’t even offer an explanation; they just stood there.

Jiang Zi opened her mouth, then pressed her lips together. Just as she was about to swallow her grievance in silence, the girl standing behind her spoke up: “Hey, you two. Cutting in line isn’t very cool, is it?”

The voice was strangely familiar. Jiang Zi turned around and unexpectedly locked eyes with Meng Yihuai.

Clearly remembering her, Jiang Zi’s eyes widened. She had no idea how long Meng Yihuai had been standing behind her. This time, Meng Yihuai didn’t have a bicycle; she just carried a backpack over one shoulder.

Sensing Jiang Zi’s obvious surprise, Meng Yihuai lowered her gaze to look at her. Her lips curled into a slight smile. “Hello there, Classmate Jiang.”

Jiang Zi stared at her, unable to speak.

The two boys in front turned around, glanced at them, and said calmly, “You’re sophomores, right? We’re seniors. Can’t you show some respect to your upperclassmen?”

“Don’t joke around. Do you know how long we’ve been waiting? It’s almost dark. If we run into danger going home alone later, will you take responsibility?” Meng Yihuai said. “Even we underclassmen understand the basic logic of waiting in line.”

The boy said, “We’re in a hurry.”

“She’s in more of a hurry to get home,” Meng Yihuai said, then looked at Jiang Zi. “Right?”

The conversation was suddenly thrust upon her. Jiang Zi went quiet for a second, then nodded. “Yes.”

The boy frowned at her for a few seconds before saying nothing and heading to the back of the line.

Just then, the shop owner finished the previous job. Jiang Zi pushed her bike forward and watched the repairs in silence. Meng Yihuai stood beside her, also watching.

Shedding her sharp, confrontational edge, the girl in Jiang Zi’s peripheral vision just peered curiously at the repairman’s movements without saying a word. Jiang Zi stole a few glances at her and whispered something softly.

Meng Yihuai didn’t catch it and leaned closer. “What did you say?”

Staring at the face inches away from hers, Jiang Zi froze for a heartbeat before repeating: “Thank you.”

This time Meng Yihuai heard her clearly. She tilted her lips and let out a laugh. “You’re welcome.”

Jiang Zi pushed her repaired bike away. The next day after school, she stayed behind with her deskmate for cleaning duties. By the time they finished, only a few people were left in the school.

Her deskmate was a lively girl, complaining about the mountain of math homework, when she suddenly stopped talking. She tugged at Jiang Zi’s sleeve, gesturing for her to look ahead.

A black sedan was parked at the school gate. Though Jiang Zi wasn’t familiar with car brands, she could tell it was expensive. Standing by the car was a young man in a black shirt. Because of the heat, his sleeves were rolled up, revealing aggressive black tattoos snaking down his arms.

Meng Yihuai was standing in front of him.

The deskmate’s eyes darted between the two of them. Her eyes lit up as she imagined some web-novel scenario. “Oh my god, is this that ‘gangster-older-man-raising-a-ward’ trope? Fiction really does mirror reality! No wonder she acts so lawless. She’s got back-up like that.”

Jiang Zi pursed her lips and said nothing.

The next second, Meng Yihuai looked straight at the two of them.

The deskmate’s expression shifted. She tugged at Jiang Zi’s sleeve again. “Let’s get out of here. Stay away from delinquent girls like her.”

Jiang Zi and Meng Yihuai locked eyes for a few seconds, but before Jiang Zi could say anything, she was pulled away by her deskmate.

To Meng Yihuai, that reaction looked like silent agreement with the deskmate’s words.

…

Nearly ten years had passed since high school.

Jiang Zi had assumed Meng Yihuai hadn’t heard her back then. As it turned out, not only had she heard, but she had held that grudge until today.

Jiang Zi, who had been lounging lazily in her office chair, suddenly sat bolt upright. She stared at Meng Yihuai’s message, biting her fingernail for a long time without replying.

What should I say?

“I wasn’t the one who said it”?

But I certainly didn’t object at the time…

Jiang Zi couldn’t just play dead and ignore it, especially now that Meng Yihuai held “leverage” over her. Inexplicably, she felt a wave of despair. She sighed, prepared to face reality, and slowly edited a message: [I’m so sorry. I was young and ignorant back then, and I caused you trouble with those rumors. It was my fault.]

She read it over several times to make sure there was no ambiguity before hitting send. She clutched her phone and waited for a long time, but Meng Yihuai didn’t reply.

Jiang Zi grew worried. She tried to imagine things from Meng Yihuai’s perspective: I suddenly felt generous enough to buy lunch and help a female classmate out of a jam, only for that classmate to return the favor by calling me a delinquent and letting rumors run wild. Years later, fate intervenes and puts that classmate’s niece under my wing. Forced by the authority of a teacher, the former classmate finally “clears my name” with a hypocritical, groveling, and cautious face.

“…”

The more Jiang Zi thought about it, the more she felt that was exactly what was happening. Furthermore, even though Meng Yihuai held a grudge, she had still been kind enough to let her stay the night and had waited thirty minutes to return her earbud.

“…” She’s actually quite kind, Jiang Zi realized.

At that moment, a Chinese teacher entered the office. Because she frequently covered early and late self-study sessions, she was perpetually disgruntled and survived on coffee. Since her name included the character for “Ice” (Bing), the students affectionately called her “Iced Americano.”

“Iced Americano” caught sight of Jiang Zi. It was rare to see such a vivid expression of distress on that usually icy face. “Ms. Jiang, did something bad happen?”

Jiang Zi looked at her, hesitating.

“Iced Americano” maintained a smile, looking like a big sister ready to listen. “What’s wrong?”

After a long struggle, Jiang Zi spoke up: “I have a question I’d like to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you remember that young girl I brought to the office before?”

“I do. Isn’t she your niece? Teenage rebellion?”

“It’s not her, it’s her teacher,” Jiang Zi chose her words carefully. “I had a misunderstanding with her teacher in the past. I just apologized, but she hasn’t replied. She must still be upset. How do you think I should salvage the relationship?”

“Iced Americano” asked, “Is she your ex?”

Jiang Zi: “No!”

“Then did you two have a thing?”

Jiang Zi: “Of course not!”

“Then the way you’re talking makes it sound like you two have a history,” “Iced Americano” took a slow sip of her coffee. “She’s your niece’s teacher, and you can’t afford to offend her right now—did I get that right?”

Jiang Zi nodded. “That’s exactly it.”

“That’s easy then. If an apology doesn’t work, just send a gift,” “Iced Americano” said. “Isn’t that what parents of troublemaking students always do?”

Jiang Zi went silent for a moment. “A gift?”

“Don’t send anything too expensive, or she’ll be too embarrassed to accept it. But don’t send anything too cheap either. And definitely don’t take the initiative to top up her phone with a huge amount of credit—I’ve dealt with that before, and it’s annoying.” “Iced Americano” gave her final verdict: “It’s best to follow the other person’s preferences.”

Jiang Zi looked thoughtful. “I understand.”

She and Meng Yihuai hadn’t even been friends in high school, and after so many years, she knew absolutely nothing about Meng Yihuai’s preferences.

In a flash of inspiration, Jiang Zi recalled the small, fluffy plushies she had seen tucked into every corner of Meng Yihuai’s office during her last visit. She decided to crochet a “Tang-Tang Rabbit” for her. It was a gift that could show the sincerity of her apology without being overly expensive. The best idea she could come up with.

Jiang Zi ordered a variety of crochet hooks, cotton yarn kits, and detailed video tutorials online. Having watched others crochet on video sites before, she had naively thought it looked simple. However, once she started, her five fingers felt as if they didn’t belong to her; she had no idea how to maneuver them. She followed the tutorials, learning bit by bit.

…

About a week later, Jiang Manjing sent her a message. She mentioned that Beixu was hosting a sports meet and had invited parents to come and cheer for the students. Knowing Jiang Zi was busy with work, Manjing was just letting her know, but to her surprise, Jiang Zi agreed without much hesitation.

Upon learning that Jiang Manjing was the placard bearer for her class, Jiang Zi specially bought a small camera, intending to take photos to show her brother when she had the chance.

On the day of the sports meet, Jiang Zi rescheduled her classes and took a leave of absence from her school. She arrived early. This time, she was somewhat familiar with the layout of Beixu and didn’t feel as lost as before. She initially planned to go straight to Meng Yihuai’s office, but after a pause, she decided to send a greeting over WeChat first.

As she looked down to type, a small shadow suddenly fell in front of her, blocking out the intense sunlight. Jiang Zi’s fingertips froze, and she lifted her eyelashes.

Meng Yihuai was looking at her with interest. “Is Teacher Jiang here to visit the sports meet? You’ve arrived early again.”

Jiang Zi felt that she and Meng Yihuai must share some inexplicable fate; otherwise, how could they run into each other so coincidentally every time she came? But Jiang Zi wasn’t in the mood to dwell on that now. She blinked as Meng Yihuai continued, “Are you looking for Jiang Manjing? Shall I take you to see her?”

Jiang Zi shook her head. “I came to find you first, Teacher Meng.”

She saw Meng Yihuai pause in surprise.

It was nine in the morning, and the dense sunlight baked the earth, tinting people’s hair with a pale golden hue. Meng Yihuai held a sun umbrella, imperceptibly tilting it toward Jiang Zi. She looked down as Jiang Zi pulled a small object from her crossbody bag and held it up to her.

“For you.”

There was a second of silence. Meng Yihuai reached out and took it.

In her palm lay a Tang-Tang Rabbit wearing glasses. It had pale cheeks and wore a delicate pink dress. It was adorable.

“Teacher Meng, this is my apology gift. Please accept it. I hope you don’t mind what happened before,” Jiang Zi said, looking at her with a very sincere tone.

Meng Yihuai was stunned for a moment, then laughed. “Teacher Jiang, I was joking. It’s been so long; I stopped minding ages ago.”

“Silence is also a form of indulging rumors. Regardless, my behavior at the time must have caused you trouble.”

Amused by Jiang Zi’s earnestness, Meng Yihuai said leisurely, “So you specifically bought this for me?” She continued to tease her: “But what if I don’t like cute things?”

“I didn’t buy it,” Jiang Zi said.

“What?”

“I didn’t buy it; I crocheted it myself,” Jiang Zi explained. “If you don’t like it, I’ll go back and knit something else.” As she spoke, Jiang Zi took a step forward, wanting to take it back.

Meng Yihuai’s gaze was drawn to the Band-Aid on Jiang Zi’s fingertip. Her lips pressed together slightly, and she quickly tucked the Tang-Tang Rabbit into her pocket.

“I wasn’t finished yet,” she said.

Jiang Zi: “?”

“A doll personally crocheted by Teacher Jiang,” Meng Yihuai curled the corners of her lips. “Whether it’s ‘cute’ or not, I like it.”