A moment later, a plump auntie, panting and holding a broom, appeared in front of the black-haired girl.
“Hey, girl, did you see a little brat with a head full of yellow hair, dressed like a rascal, come through here?”
The black-haired girl blinked her calm eyes, and her fair fingers slowly lifted to point toward another exit of the park.
“Oh, thank you, girl! Ruan Zhixian, you little troublemaker, just you wait until I catch you this time!”
Muttering curses, the auntie hurried in the direction the girl pointed, and soon disappeared from sight.
“Phew, finally gone…”
The moment the auntie vanished around the corner of the park, a “swish—” sounded behind the black-haired girl, and that blonde tomboy, looking as dirty as a little mud eel, slid down the slide, her face still carrying a lingering look of fear.
“Hehe, thanks a lot!”
The blonde girl hopped over to the swing in a few quick steps, her green eyes sparkling in the sunset, her face radiant with a bright smile.
“If Li Dama had caught me this time, I don’t think I’d have been allowed out to play for days.”
She chattered away, then sat herself down on the swing beside the quiet girl, pumped her legs, and began to sway, then tilted her head and flashed a mischievous little canine tooth.
“Hi! My name is Ruan Zhixian! ‘Ruan’ like the round musical instrument, ‘Zhi’ for knowing, ‘Xian’ for leisure! What about you? What’s your name?”
The black-haired girl turned her head aside and looked at her quietly.
The setting sun lit the tomboy’s blonde hair like a golden halo, her face holding a smile untouched by gloom, like a sudden beam of sunlight shining into a silent forest.
“An Qing.”
The girl drew her gaze back, bowed her head slightly, and stared at the sand under her feet.
“‘An’ for quiet, ‘Qing’ for clear.”
***
A moment later, the little black-haired girl spoke again, imitating the tomboy and explaining the meaning of her name.
“Your name’s An Qing? That’s so pretty! And you really do look quiet and beautiful!”
Ruan Zhixian exclaimed with delight, then suddenly smacked her forehead and glanced at the sunset.
“Oh no! It’s already this late!”
“Um, An Qing, I have to go home for dinner now, or my family will worry!”
“Next time, next time I’ll come to this little park to find you again! Then I’ll treat you to fries… ah no, I’ll treat you to ice cream!”
The tomboy hastily stuffed the dirty hem of her vest into her shorts, and before she finished speaking, she dashed out in a streak, her blonde hair drawing a dazzling arc through the setting sun.
“See you next time—”
At the park’s iron gate, Ruan Zhixian turned back and waved with all her might, then vanished from An Qing’s sight.
The empty swing still swayed slightly, as if that noisy golden figure had been nothing but a sudden mirage in the summer dusk.
Ruan Zhixian, huh…
The black-haired girl kept rocking the old swing, the cool, sea-salted evening breeze brushing her cheeks, and she squinted comfortably.
Ice cream must taste really good…
“Squeak—, squeak—”
***
Fourteen summers ago, on the swing of an unknown little park in City H, a girl then called An Qing sat quietly. In little An Qing’s empty heart, a streak of golden hope quietly began to take root.
“Ha, I can finally go out. Who’d have thought Li Dama would squat at my door that night, and in the end I still got caught, and even had to fix her lawn and wash the doghouse for days under Dad’s supervision. Sigh…”
Ruan Zhixian, dressed in a T-shirt and shorts, walked alone down the road, muttering and kicking at a small pebble.
“It’s been days now, I wonder if An Qing will still be there waiting for me, or if she even remembers me…”
The short-haired girl kicked hard, sending the pebble flying and smacking right into the backside of a big tabby cat dozing at the end of the street.
“Meow—ow—ow—ow—!”
The startled cat bristled and leaped at the girl, claws and fangs bared.
“Waaah, A Hua, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to wake you up!”
A moment ago, the short-haired girl had been at ease, but now she dashed off, clutching her head, her little legs pounding the pavement in dirt-stained white sneakers, “thud thud thud” as she ran.
“Whew, whew, finally shook off A Hua… Can’t believe she chased me for so long today…”
The golden-haired, short-haired girl leaned against the wall, panting heavily.
“Hmm, isn’t this almost the little park? What a coincidence…I remember, it should be this way…”
After glancing around at the street, Ruan Zhixian soon got her bearings, and humming a tune, hands in pockets, she strolled leisurely toward her destination.
In the corner park of the community, the black-haired girl was still sitting on that worn old swing, just as she had the days before.
So, she’s really not coming, is she…
The creaking of the swing slowed, and An Qing lowered her eyes, dazedly staring at her toes.
What am I even hoping for… I already know, she’ll be just like those volunteers in red vests, all saying they’ll come visit me, but it’s always just lies.
After all, I’m just a kid nobody likes.
At that moment, a commotion of footsteps neared the park, snapping the girl out of her thoughts.
She jerked her head up, her bobbed hair sketching a light arc in the air, and those always quiet eyes suddenly shone bright, like tiny stars kindling to life.
Then the light faded.
It wasn’t that blaze of gold that appeared, but several familiar figures pushing and laughing, with the chubby boy in the lead whistling and fixing her with a mean look.
“Well, well, if it isn’t our little freak. No wonder you disappeared, turns out you ran off here by yourself.”
“What, you don’t want to stay in the yard anymore? Guess you know everyone hates you, huh?”
As the chubby boy drew nearer, the others slowly surrounded the swing, boxing the girl in.
“Black crow, always so quiet! (clap! clap!)”
“Glass shards in her eyes! (clap! clap!)”
The kids circled the lonely black-haired girl on the swing, singing a twisted nursery rhyme in shrill voices, clapping and spinning round.
“Grown-ups say, stay away! (clap! clap!)”
“Don’t play house with freaks! (clap! clap!)”
“Hahahahahaha…”
The boys dragged out the last note, laughing as they kicked sand onto the girl, rough grains and pebbles raining down on An Qing’s silky black hair and clean dress like a filthy shower.
She squeezed her eyes shut, lashes trembling violently, clutching the swing’s chains so hard her knuckles went white. But then, in the midst of their laughter, someone shoved her from behind—
The swing flipped, throwing An Qing to the ground. Her knee slammed hard into the ground, and when she tried to catch herself, a stone cut her elbow, drawing blood.
“Hmph! Freaks ought to act like freaks! Don’t think you’ll ever get a turn in life!”
The chubby boy glared viciously at the girl on the ground, waving his pudgy hand, about to send another spray of sand her way…
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!”
A streak of gold shot in through the park gate. Ruan Zhixian grabbed a fallen branch and, with wild swings, charged at the group.
“Who said you could bully her?!”
The golden-haired girl, fierce as a young lion, stood protectively in front of An Qing. Sweat rolled down her flushed cheeks, and her voice cracked with anger.
“All of you, get lost!”
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