Chapter 27

Jin Qishan smiled faintly. “I just came to see you, Grandma.”
Grandma Jin quickly turned to the people at her table. “My grandson’s home! I’ll head back now.”
The others, recognizing how rarely he visited, nodded kindly and smiled.
Then she called across to the next table, “Old Jin! Our Little Shan’s back! Let’s head home!”
Grandpa Jin stood up, startled. When he saw his grandson, his dazed expression finally melted into a faint, trembling smile.
All around, the villagers’ eyes flicked between Jin Qishan and Su Xiaoxiao, and soon, the gossip began.
“Old Jin’s grandson sure turned out well, top of his class, and look at that pretty little girlfriend he’s brought back,”
“He’s really taking after Yongzhong, isn’t he? Handsome young man, no wonder girls like him.”
“That girl’s so pretty! They look perfect together.”
Standing off to the side, Su Xiaoxiao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Her whole face burned with embarrassment.
She wanted to shout, You’ve got it all wrong! I’m not his girlfriend!
She turned, hoping Jin Qishan would at least correct them, but he didn’t. No matter what they said, he just smiled and nodded politely, like a happy golden retriever.
Grandma Jin seemed oblivious to the teasing, still holding her grandson’s hand tightly as she led the way home.
After a while, she finally noticed the girl trailing behind them.
“Shan,” she asked, “who’s this young lady? She with you?”
Jin Qishan shot Su Xiaoxiao a quick glance. “Mm. A friend. Xiaoxiao.”
“Hello, Grandma,” Su Xiaoxiao said brightly, hurrying a few steps forward. “I’m Su Xiaoxiao, I live right across the street from Qishan.”
Her eyes curved like crescents when she smiled, her lips soft and upturned. One look, and Grandma Jin’s heart warmed instantly.
In her eyes, though, Jin Qishan was still just a child, so she didn’t think much of it.
“What made you bring a friend home all of a sudden?” she asked.
Su Xiaoxiao could tell Grandma Jin hadn’t been bitten yet, and since Jin Qishan wasn’t good at lying, she quickly spoke up. “Qishan said he missed you. I didn’t have anyone to hang out with at home, so I came along.”
Grandma Jin’s wrinkled face creased into a wide, joyful smile.
Before long, tears welled in her eyes. She rubbed them quickly, trying to hide her emotion from the kids.
“You two must be hungry,” she said with a laugh. “Let’s go home, and I’ll cook something good for you.”
…
Back at the house, Grandma Jin went straight to the kitchen.
Normally, she and her husband didn’t buy much from outside, their meals came straight from the small vegetable garden out back.
Now that her grandson had come home unexpectedly, and brought a guest, she stood there fretting over what to make.
In the kitchen, aside from a small piece of pork, there were only tomatoes, carrots, and cucumbers. “Old man,” she called, “run over to Old Sun’s and borrow some meat. We’ve got nothing to cook with.”
Su Xiaoxiao overheard and quickly said, “Oh, don’t worry, Grandma! We still have some bread in our bags.”
But Jin Qishan remembered how pale she’d looked when they got off the bus, he couldn’t bear the thought of her eating just bread.
Glancing around at the ingredients, he said, “Grandma, you go sit down. I’ll cook.”
She blinked in surprise. Since when does Qishan know how to cook?
Su Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, didn’t look surprised at all. She leaned closer, smiling. “Really? Is it good? I want to try your cooking.”
Jin Qishan gave a calm nod. Over the years, without her knowing, he’d quietly taught himself to cook.
“Zhajiang noodles okay?” he asked.
Su Xiaoxiao’s head bobbed up and down like a little chick pecking rice.
She didn’t really care what they ate, she just couldn’t wait to taste something made by Jin Qishan himself.
Before long, the zhajiang noodles were ready.
Su Xiaoxiao took her first bite, her brows lifting as she raised a thumbs-up. “Mmm~ amazing!”
Grandma Jin was curious, Little Shan’s cooking is that good?
She picked a few noodles from his bowl and tasted them. To her surprise, they really were delicious.
Su Xiaoxiao slurped up another bite and exclaimed, “Wow, I didn’t expect you to cook this well!”
Watching her eat with such delight, eyes bright, smile wide, Jin Qishan suddenly felt something inside him ease.
Cooking no longer felt like something painful or shameful.
After the meal, while they were chatting, Su Xiaoxiao noticed a tear in Grandma Jin’s pants near her thigh.
Earlier, the hole had been hidden beneath her blouse, but now that she was sitting, it was clearly visible.
Her heart skipped a beat. “Grandma, your pants are torn!”
Only then did Grandma Jin remember she hadn’t changed yet. Embarrassed, she covered the rip with her hand. “Oh, that dog at Old Yu’s house tore it when I was there earlier.”
Jin Qishan’s face changed instantly. “Did it bite you?”
Seeing his worried expression, Grandma Jin smiled reassuringly. “It’s fine. The dog just caught the fabric. I only scraped my skin a little.”
“That’s not fine,” he said firmly. “We’re going to the hospital.”
“There’s really no need. I already washed it with soap and water, it’s just a scratch.” She frowned, clearly reluctant.
Like most elderly people, she was terrified of hospitals, convinced all the tests were just ways to drain people’s wallets.
As the two argued, Su Xiaoxiao stepped in gently, “Grandma, you know we have the high school entrance exams coming up soon, right? Just over a month away.”
Grandma Jin nodded, of course she knew.
Su Xiaoxiao continued, “If you don’t get the shot, Qishan will worry about you every day. How can he focus on studying like that?”
Grandma Jin hesitated. It was true, but still, it seemed like such a small wound. Hospitals were expensive, and she’d heard that rabies vaccines cost hundreds per shot, and you had to get several. It felt wasteful.
“It’s just a little scrape,” she murmured. “I really don’t need to go.”
“Even a scrape can let the virus in,” Su Xiaoxiao said seriously. “Please, Grandma. We’ll spend some money, yes, but that money buys your safety, and Qishan’s peace of mind.”
Then, she added the final push: “If Qishan’s too worried to study, he might not do well on the exams. And then he won’t get into a good high school. Grandma, you still won’t go get the vaccine?”
That did it. Grandma Jin glanced at her grandson and said simply, “Alright. I’ll get it.”
On their way home from the clinic, Jin Qishan was still shaken. If not for Su Xiaoxiao’s dream, what would have happened to Grandma?
Before they reached the house, he heard a few barks in the distance. His back went rigid, his whole body tense and alert.
At the gate stood Old Yu, holding his big wolfdog, Xiaohei.
“Old Yu,” Grandma Jin asked, “what brings you here?”
The man’s wrinkled face looked apologetic. “The banquet’s finally over, so I came to say sorry. Xiaohei bit you this morning, I wanted to make it right.”
Jin Qishan’s aura darkened, his steps slow and deliberate as he moved toward the dog.
Su Xiaoxiao remembered what had happened in the original story, how he’d lost control and killed the dog, and quickly grabbed his hand. “Don’t. Don’t do anything rash,” she whispered.
He froze in place. Her small, soft hand in his palm made his heart stutter. He didn’t even dare squeeze back, just let her hold him.
Grandma Jin frowned and waved a hand. “Oh, don’t be so polite, Old Yu. Today’s your family’s big day, go back and celebrate. It wasn’t the dog’s fault, really. The child was teasing him first.”
Old Yu’s wrinkled face broke into a smile. He pulled some money from his pocket and tried to press it into her hand. “If you’re not angry, then please at least take this. I won’t feel right otherwise. The hospital visit must’ve cost something.”
After some back and forth, Grandma Jin finally accepted it with a sigh.
As Old Yu walked past Su Xiaoxiao, the wolfdog let out two soft whines, as if in gratitude.
Su Xiaoxiao called out, “Grand-uncle, dogs can get vaccinated too, it’ll make everyone safer.”
…
By dusk, Grandma Jin urged them both to stay the night.
But Su Xiaoxiao didn’t even have a change of clothes, so she had to return home.
Naturally, if she was going, Jin Qishan would too. The exams were close, and they’d soon have two months off afterward anyway.
On the ride back, Su Xiaoxiao grew tired and leaned against Jin Qishan’s shoulder, drifting to sleep.
The bus bumped along uneven country roads. Her soft, fluffy head bobbed against his shoulder, and Jin Qishan lifted a hand to steady it so she wouldn’t hit the seat.
A few loose strands of her hair brushed against his cheek, tickling his skin, and his heart.
Staring out the window at the winding country road, he thought how wonderful it would be if this road never ended, if she could stay beside him forever.
But that was only a wish.
Before long, the bus pulled into the station.
Seeing her brows twitch like she might wake, Jin Qishan quickly lowered his hand and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.
Su Xiaoxiao rubbed her eyes, still half-asleep, and looked out the window. So they’d arrived already. Turning her head, she saw him “asleep,” his long lashes trembling slightly as if caught in a dream.
She leaned closer, studying his face quietly.
When had he grown so handsome? The sharp lines of his jaw, the pale, smooth skin, the elegant curve of his nose, the thin lips pressed together, and below that, the slightly open collar revealing his sculpted collarbone and the ridge of his throat.
At fifteen, he already carried the first traces of manhood.
She thought, As long as Jin Qishan keeps growing like this, there’s no way he’ll ever turn out ugly. The genes are too strong.
Then suddenly, the bus braked hard. Su Xiaoxiao’s body lurched sideways.
Her lips brushed against Jin Qishan’s jaw, then fell, right onto the collarbone she’d just been admiring moments before.
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to freeze.
Su Xiaoxiao could hear the furious pounding of a heartbeat, she didn’t even know whether it was hers or Jin Qishan’s.
Thankfully, at that very moment, the driver shouted, “End of the line! Everyone off!”
Su Xiaoxiao shot upright in an instant, sneaking a glance at Jin Qishan. Fortunately, he was still “asleep.”
His long lashes trembled slightly, but his eyes stayed shut.
Not until she poked him did he stir. “We’re here,” she whispered.
He blinked awake slowly.
Face flushed red, Su Xiaoxiao bolted off the bus.