The scene still seems vividly alive in my mind, as if it had only been a few days. However, in reality, since the old man left, the chessboard has indeed been empty for a long time.
"Aheng, what are you staring at?" The boy sitting on the stone bench tilted his head and asked her.
Ah Heng gently straightened the boy's head—"Don't move."
Her voice was still soft and gentle, but it sounded somewhat cold.
Ah Heng wrapped a large towel around the boy's neck, tied it loosely, and looked at the boy's black hair with a complicated expression.
For the past few days, Yan hope's scalp has been red, swollen, and inflamed. The doctor suspected that it was caused by the chemicals in the hairspray that caused folliculitis. Fearing that the hair roots might be damaged, the doctor instructed the boy to shave his head, apply medicine every day, and wait until he fully recovered before he could grow his hair back.
Yan hope hesitated for several days, refusing to go to the barbershop, so he asked Aheng to cut his hair at home.
Ah Heng felt like a versatile portable toolbox; whatever he did, although he wasn't an expert, he always knew a little bit about it.
For example, car repair, or hairdressing.
Her head tilted towards the setting sun, gently touching the boy's hair. In the golden light, a soft, warm breath caressed her palm, as if filling it with something. Squinting, she slowly searched for the boy's hairline, only to see a small whorl on the top of his head. She often heard elders say that this was the "wisdom bowl," the place where intelligence grows. Presumably, Yan hope's mischievousness and cleverness came from this very spot.
Yan hope laughed out loud—"Aheng, Aheng, are you so captivated by my hair that you can't bring yourself to do it?"
Look, look, that's how narcissistic I am; perhaps it all grew from that little eddy.
Helpless, she looked around for hair scissors, when a white jade hand reached out from in front of her—"Here."
When did it happen again, without me even noticing, that he took it away again...?
Ah Heng caught it, and the silver hair scissors were handed from the boy's palm, still carrying his body heat, a faint warmth amidst the strong coldness.
Wearing a large towel, Yan hope quietly gazed at the banyan tree, looking docile.
She stood behind him, leaning slightly forward, watching the hair scissors slowly cut through his thick black hair, leaving behind a pile of loose hair.
"Aheng, my hair grows very slowly," Yan hope said, her voice somewhat downcast.
“This length…” Ah Heng gestured with her hand to indicate her neck.
"It would probably take two light-years," Yan hope said in a serious tone, though his words were somewhat unserious.
"Nonsense." Ah Heng frowned.
“Aheng, sometimes I feel that you are not like a woman at all.” Yan hope narrowed his large, dragon-eye-like eyes slightly, revealing a glint of light—“Otherwise, how could I not be afraid when I see you?”
What is there for a woman to be afraid of?
That's a strange statement.
She ignored him, dismissing it as the boy's delirious chatter in Martian language. But after a long while, a pang of sadness struck her. Why hadn't she asked what was going on? How many confessions in this world are without a cause? He had clearly opened his heart at that moment, wanting to genuinely believe her, wanting a reason to escape the darkness, yet she had let him slip away…
What she was doing at that time was simply clumsily and intently struggling with Yan hope's full head of black hair.
She was even troubled by his previous suspicions and doubts, and that's why she didn't want to pay attention to him.
After a long time, the boy's hair had been thinned considerably. Aheng was unwilling to be perfunctory, so even though it was a short haircut, it was cut slowly and carefully.
"Aheng, if I and Siwan fell into the water, who would you save first?" Yan hope asked lazily, seemingly bored.
Such a pointless question.
"Siwan".
"And what about me and Dayi?" The boy had already perked up his ears.
“Dayi”.
"What about me and my braised pork rice?!" His voice began to show resentment.
"you."
Yan hope suddenly turned his head, his big eyes glaring at Aheng with a mournful look, which startled Aheng. He quickly put away the hair clippers, afraid of pricking him.
"Aheng, although I know that Siwan is your older brother and that you and Dayi have always gotten along well, you don't have to be so frank!"
Ah Heng lowered her head, looking back at the boy, feeling a sense of superiority. After staring at him for a while, she felt that his oval face was too pretty and delicate, his eyes too pure and innocent, and his lips too pouty. She burst out laughing.
She couldn't bear to see Yan hope looking aggrieved; she preferred his arrogant and disdainful demeanor.
So, I compromised and laughed. I always felt that the Cold War was like a tug-of-war with him, with tears as the starting point and that smile as the natural end.
"Since you already know, why did you say it?" Aheng looked at him, her eyes full of tenderness and helplessness—"This is more honest than me."
Yan hope pouted, lowered her head slightly as Ah Heng moved her hands, and muttered softly, "You're the one who wanted me to be honest, oh oh oh oh..."
He kept repeating himself in circles, endlessly complaining, only to realize that she hadn't noticed his earnest and cooperative attitude in admitting his mistake.
So, what was the point of my compromise, of so readily and appeasingly letting her cut her hair?
I've kept this for a long time...
He spoke softly and willfully, but his conditioned reflex completely forgot how long "a long time" meant, and when "a long time" had started.
Ah Heng was stunned. After a long while, she realized something, her face turned slightly red, and she felt extremely annoyed.
These days, she unconsciously follows her own whims, arrogantly projecting her hidden emotions onto others, so out of control, so... troubling.
"Yan hope, I'm so sorry. I've been so willful these past few days." She stammered, feeling wronged.
The boy nodded – “Yeah, yeah, so willful! You even gave me a sour look when I asked you to heat up the milk for me, it was awful!”
The phrase "It's so ugly" was imitating Aheng's impassioned tone that day.
Aheng felt awkward, coughed lightly, and looked away.
But suddenly, someone chuckled mischievously, turned around gently, and gave a big hug to the person with the blank expression.
"Aheng, I really don't like women, but this is the first time in my life that I've willingly embraced a girl like this. So, you see, you're so lucky."
Ah Heng was at a loss, her body stiff. After a while, she relaxed, patted the boy's shoulder, and a clear and gentle smile flowed slowly through the bright and clear landscape.
"Actually, you never considered me a woman at all, did you?"
"Yes, yes, you are my younger brother."
"Okay, okay, it's so hot!" Ah Heng pretended to be disgusted, gently pushed the boy away, and straightened his body.
"What are you doing?" A familiar voice came from afar.
Ah Heng turned his head and saw Si Wan. His expression was somewhat uneasy, and his eyes darted back and forth between Yan hope and her.
Siwan and Dayi noticed that the atmosphere between her and Yanxi was a bit off, so they wisely stopped going to the Yan family to eat and drink for free. Aheng hadn't seen them for many days.
Yan hope looked up and saw the few hardcover books in Si Wan's hand—"Did you go to the library?"
Siwan nodded, her expression displeased—"Where are you…?"
Yan hope lowered his head, his fingertips moving to his palm, and slowly placed them on his knees—"Take all those thoughts back from me."
Siwan stopped her bicycle and stood still—"Yanxi, you know perfectly well that I'm just worried..."
He smiled, but his eyes only held a faint, dark halo—"So, are you going to remind me three times a day?"
The voice drifted down, slowly fading, landing in someone's heart, turning into a branding iron.
“Brother Yanxi…” Siwan’s face instantly turned extremely ugly, and she froze on the spot.
Ah Heng held the hair scissors, listening in a daze.
Did Siwan misunderstand her and Yanxi's actions just now?
After a long pause, she tried to explain, but Yan hope softened his tone, closed his eyes slightly, and spoke with a sharp, mocking tone.
"Siwan, you only call me brother when you make me angry."
"Yan hope!" He was truly enraged, his eyebrows furrowed into a knot, as if they were wrapped in thousands of knots.
"You're angry over something like this?" Yan hope asked coolly.
"You!" Siwan was furious, kicked the banyan tree angrily, grabbed her books, pushed her bicycle, and turned to leave.
Ah Heng was startled. She had never seen Si Wan treat Yan hope like this before; it was truly bizarre.
"Aheng, look how much your brother cares about me?" Yan hope pointed to his much shorter hair and muttered softly, "You can't even tell from this and you still dare to throw tantrums and make wild suspicions, you're just a kid..."
child?
The premise is that it's in front of you.
Ah Heng pondered for a moment, but her thoughts drifted far away, and she gave up on trying to figure it out. Because, in the end, it had nothing to do with her.
It's finally finished.
The boy had a buzz cut, which made him look much more handsome and refreshing. His eyes looked bigger and cleaner than usual. Ah Heng breathed a sigh of relief, at least it wasn't too hard to accept.
According to Yan hope, he has never gone shirtless since he was two years old.
The next day at lunchtime, an uninvited guest arrived.
"Why are you here?" Ah Heng saw Yan hope go to open the door, but there was no sound from the entrance hall for a long time. When she went over to check, she found that it was Rosemary who had arrived.
"Don't ask the same questions as Yan hope." The boy had already changed back into men's clothing.
Wearing a refreshing light purple T-shirt and white casual pants, her face was even more beautiful than when she was a girl. However, it was the ultimate temperament of a boy with heroic spirit and sharp features, rather than the deliberately coquettish posture of a girl.
However, with Yan hope standing at opposite ends, the tension was palpable.
"What? Are you afraid I won't hold a grudge, so you came all this way just to make sure I don't forget?" Yan hope glared at Mary, his eyes wide as if he wanted to kill her, his teeth grinding together.
"Yanxi, if I said I came here specifically to apologize, would you believe me?" Chen Juan touched his nose, his eyes sparkling, and he spoke awkwardly.
"Do you think I'm stupid?" Yan Xi looked at the other person strangely.
"I don't believe it." Ah Heng replied decisively, smiling as she prepared to close the door.
"Wait, wait, wait..." Chen Juan's handsome face stiffened with a smile, his slender hand blocking the door—"We're just classmates, does it have to be this heartless?"
"Alright, since we're classmates, let's not say anything more. You choose between kneeling down to apologize or committing seppuku." Yan hope said with a forced smile.
The shredded meat took a step back, cold sweat pouring down its back.
Ah Heng pondered for a moment, as if remembering something, and spoke in a tone that suggested he was discussing the weather.
Have you had lunch?
"No." Chen Juan was a shrewd man. Upon hearing this, his phoenix eyes lit up, and he readily complied, squeezing into the entrance hall.
Yan hope had a sour face, but after glancing at A Heng, he didn't lash out. He simply returned to his seat, picked up a spoon, and began scooping up rice and ribs with gusto...
When the shredded pork is served with shredded pork, he grabs the plate; when the shredded pork is served soup, he grabs the bowl; when the shredded pork is served rice, he grabs... the rice cooker.