Chapter Fourteen: Xiao Lin's Diary (Part One)

On the outskirts of Beijing, Xiao Lin rode his bicycle with Wang Yuqing through a straight road, then turned onto a winding path—a simple dirt road flanked by empty fields and many desolate trees. The east wind howled from time to time, echoing across the landscape.

Wang Yuqing poked her small head out from the military coat, her beautiful large eyes gazing at the unfamiliar scenery.

"Xiao Lin, why do you live in the suburbs?"

"Yes, I live with my grandmother. We're almost there," Xiao Lin replied as he pedaled.

Upon hearing this, Wang Yuqing tucked her head back inside the coat.

Seven or eight minutes later, Xiao Lin stopped in front of a two-story house surrounded by several small yards. In the yard, a few chickens wandered about—likely raised by Xiao Lin's grandmother.

Xiao Lin's father was often away on business, rarely home. His mother, unable to bear her husband’s long absences, divorced after Xiao Lin entered high school. During middle school, Xiao Lin lived with his mother in Donghai City. After Xiao Lin was admitted to the Innovation High School, his father planned to buy a house in Beijing and brought his mother from the countryside to care for Xiao Lin. Xiao Lin's grandfather had passed away when his father was a child, leaving the old lady to raise Xiao Lin's father alone. Originally, his father wanted to buy a house in the city to let his mother enjoy comfort after a lifetime of hardship, but she was accustomed to rural life and refused to live amid the city’s tall buildings and noise. Unable to persuade her, Xiao Lin's father bought a farmhouse in the suburbs.

The old lady was delighted. She tended her vegetables, chatted with neighboring grandmothers, and lived with her beloved grandson, always with a smile on her face.

"Whoa," Xiao Lin stopped the bike. "We're here. Get down!"

Wang Yuqing carefully dismounted, slipped off the military coat, and, hands behind her back, looked up at the quaint farmhouse before her.

"Give me the coat, and come inside," Xiao Lin said, taking it from her and leading her into the house.

"Grandma, I'm home!" Xiao Lin called loudly as he entered.

"My dear grandson is back! Did you get cold out there so early?" came the response, as a woman in her fifties or sixties stepped out, rosy-cheeked, her hair silver, deep wrinkles etched across her face—marks left by the years.

She looked Xiao Lin over and, seeing beads of sweat on his brow, went up to wipe them away, concern written all over her face. "Why must you always ride your bike? You must be exhausted."

Xiao Lin felt awkward at his grandmother’s fussing and took a few steps back. "Grandma, we have a guest."

"Oh!" The old lady glanced at Wang Yuqing, who stood by.

Catching the glance, Wang Yuqing greeted her sweetly, "Hello, Grandma. My name is Wang Yuqing. I’m Xiao Lin’s classmate."

Today, Wang Yuqing had dressed up specially: a long blue base shirt beneath a short red jacket, a long scarf around her neck, a white wool hat on her head, fitted jeans and black boots. Her large, lively eyes seemed to sparkle with spirit, her rosy cheeks and delicate nose made her look brilliantly youthful and lovely.

"What a pretty girl!" Grandma praised, clicking her tongue in admiration.

Wang Yuqing blushed, lowering her gaze to her toes at the compliment.

"Grandma, I'll take her to the study now. She’ll go home this afternoon, so please make lunch for one extra," Xiao Lin said, beckoning Wang Yuqing into the house.

As Wang Yuqing turned to enter, Grandma’s eyes lingered on her shapely figure, muttering under her breath, "Her hips are a bit small—won’t be good for bearing children!" She shook her head and went outside to pick vegetables in the yard, which was sheltered with white plastic sheeting.

Xiao Lin, not yet inside, heard his grandmother’s murmured comment and stumbled, glancing quickly at Wang Yuqing ahead. She hadn’t heard, busy taking in Xiao Lin’s home.

"Xiao Lin, where’s the study?" Wang Yuqing asked, turning around.

"Ah... yes... let me show you," Xiao Lin replied, snapping out of his thoughts and leading her into the study.

Soon, as Grandma was picking vegetables outside, voices drifted from the study.

"Xiao Lin, that’s not how you solve this! Oh, you silly pig, wrong again!"

"Wrong again! How do you memorize your English sentence structures? You can’t even handle such a simple question!"

...

"Those two kids," Grandma shook her head and continued picking vegetables.

Inside, Xiao Lin sat at the desk with a dejected look, working through problems, while Wang Yuqing stood like a queen at his side, pointing out mistakes with a bossy tone, "Here, no, there, yes, exactly, that's where you went wrong."

Xiao Lin sighed inwardly, thinking, "What misfortune is this, Xiao Lin? How did I ever agree to let her tutor me?"

"What are you daydreaming about? Get back to work!" Wang Yuqing barked as she caught him distracted. At this moment, she was a little demon, and Xiao Lin was the hapless victim.

Two hours later.

At Grandma’s call for lunch, Xiao Lin sprang from the desk and rushed straight to the kitchen—not out of dislike for studying, but out of dread for Wang Yuqing’s relentless nagging.

At the table, Xiao Lin said nothing, devouring his food. Wang Yuqing ate slowly and gracefully, occasionally glancing at Xiao Lin. Grandma, however, kept watching Wang Yuqing, growing fonder of her with each look.

After lunch, Xiao Lin said, "I’m going to the bathroom. Yuqing, you go to the study first—I’ll be right there," and promptly slipped away.

Wang Yuqing snorted, annoyed, and went ahead to the study to wait for him.

After more than ten minutes, Xiao Lin still hadn’t returned. Bored, Wang Yuqing stood up and walked to the bookshelf, planning to pick out a book.

She scanned the shelves—Chinese history, foreign classics, business novels—and felt a bit uninterested. Suddenly, she spotted a blue notebook between some books and curiously pulled it out.

September 1, 2008. Today is the first day of school. I met many new classmates...

It was Xiao Lin's diary.

Seeing the first page, Wang Yuqing immediately closed it and returned it to its place. She knew it was wrong to peek at someone’s diary.

But as she sat back at the desk, her thoughts lingered on that diary. She longed to know why Xiao Lin’s personality had changed so much from middle to high school, what had really happened.