In the sweltering heat of midsummer, the old city felt like it was trapped under a steaming lid. Cicadas still clung stubbornly to the trees, buzzing incessantly.
Many of the streetlights in the alley were broken, and moths gathered in clusters under the few that still worked. Someone, not paying attention, walked right into a swarm of bugs, brushing them off in disgust.
Zheng Su Nian jumped down from the car and leaned on the window to say goodbye to Pei Shu, who was sitting inside. “Thanks for the help.”
“No problem. Anything else to move?”
“Only the big stuff is left. I’ll call a moving company for that, so you don’t need to worry.”
Pei Shu nodded and shifted gears. “Alright, I’m off. Let me know if you need anything.”
Zheng Su Nian watched as Pei Shu backed the car out of the alley, letting out a long sigh.
Just then, Zhang Qi poked his head out from the courtyard. “Hey, what are you up to, sneaking around like that?”
Zheng Su Nian sighed again, turning to look at Zhang Qi. “We’re moving, you know? A classmate of mine borrowed a relative’s car to help me move some of the smaller stuff.”
“Looks like you’re the man of the house now,” Zhang Qi leaned against the wall and turned his head just in time to see Shao Xue approaching. “Hey, look, the panda’s here.”
Shao Xue, in the middle of summer classes for her senior year, came home around this time every day. She was the only one in their alleyway actually taking the college entrance exams, spending all her days studying Chinese literature and Italian, since she was also taking a foreign language exam. Zhang Qi often joked that she was a rare species now, and no one dared say anything harsh to her for fear of disrupting her study routine.
“Panda” Xue adjusted her glasses and eyed Zhang Qi and Zheng Su Nian suspiciously.
“What are you two up to?”
“Tell her,” Zhang Qi whispered to Zheng Su Nian. “She can’t stand the sight of me right now, says it makes her mad just thinking about how I’ve already secured my spot in college this September.”
Yu Dong Ge heard the voices outside and opened the window to call out, “Shao Xue, come inside for dinner. We’re all waiting for you.”
Shao Xue replied, giving Zhang Qi a cold look before heading inside.
“See that?” Zhang Qi said, clutching his chest dramatically. “I didn’t even say anything, and I’m already in trouble.”
Despite the heat, Yu Dong Ge had made a pot of pork rib soup. The steam fogged up Shao Xue’s glasses, and through the hazy blur, she heard Yu Dong Ge say, “Xiaoxue, this is from Auntie Kang for you.”
She blindly reached for the gift and took off her glasses to get a better look. In her hand was a small embroidered sachet, depicting the famous scene from The Legend of the White Snake where the lovers meet on the Broken Bridge.
The sachet was about the size of her palm. The living room light was dim, making it hard to see the fine embroidery work. Shao Xue turned the sachet over in her hand and looked up, puzzled. “Why did Auntie Kang give me this?”
“Didn’t I tell you?” Yu Dong Ge seemed just as surprised. “She’s leaving the Forbidden City and quitting her job.”
“When did you say that?”
“That day when you came home late. I mentioned it, but you fell asleep right away, so I assumed you heard me.”
Shao Xue stomped her foot in frustration. “I was half-asleep! How could I have heard anything? When is she leaving?”
“Tonight, on the evening train.”
Zhang Qi and Zheng Su Nian had just finished talking about moving when they saw Shao Xue dash out of the house like a whirlwind. She hadn’t even zipped up her school jacket, racing like the wind out of the alleyway.
Shao Xue, known for always slacking during school runs, suddenly found herself running with the same energy she would for an 800-meter test. She sprinted through the streets of Beijing in July, her clothes drenched in sweat.
By the time she reached Kang Mo Shui’s rented apartment, the luggage had just been loaded into the car. A decade spent in a foreign city, and it all fit in the trunk. Shao Xue, hands on her knees, looked at her, and the calm expression on Kang’s face made her feel even sadder.
“What are you doing?” Kang came over to help her. “Look at you, you’re all sweaty.”
“Auntie,” Shao Xue, still catching her breath, finally managed to ask, “why are you leaving?”
“I was never formally working here,” Kang said as she smoothed the sweaty bangs from Shao Xue’s forehead. “I’ve finished restoring the textiles I was asked to, so it’s time for me to go.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’ve got a place to go. There’s a custom clothing shop in Hangzhou that hired me. I’ll spend some time at home first, then I’ll go work for them.”
Shao Xue seemed to relax a little at that.
“And your family, back home...?”
“What family do I have left there?” Kang chuckled softly. “The old folks have either moved away or passed on. Who’s going to remember my old stories? After so many years here, I’ve come to realize that as long as you live with a clear conscience, it doesn’t matter what others say.”
Kang Mo Shui untied Shao Xue’s hair and gently combed through it, then wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve.
“I’m leaving now. When you’re older, you can come visit me there.”
Kang took the sachet from Shao Xue’s hand, smoothed it out, and placed it back into her pocket.
She really was beautiful, a different kind of beauty compared to Jin Ning—a quiet, gentle beauty, like water that nourishes without competing.
Shao Xue took a deep breath as she watched Kang get into the taxi. Kang leaned out of the window to wave goodbye. The ivy on the apartment wall had fully spread its leaves, swaying gently in the evening breeze as if bidding farewell.
The neighborhood was quiet, with no one in sight. Shao Xue, completely drained, collapsed onto the sidewalk.
Things seemed to happen one after another. Not long after Kang Mo Shui left, Shao Xue and Zheng Su Nian found themselves standing in front of the hospital building.
Neither of them had been there in over two years. A poplar tree, planted two years earlier, had grown tall, its leaves lush and green in the summer heat. Zheng Su Nian, having just moved his belongings from his new home, had dirt stains all over his white t-shirt. He stood under the tree, taking a deep breath.
“You go up,” he said. “I’ll wait for you down here.”
“You’re not coming up?”
He responded with a quiet “mm,” lowering his head, clearly uncomfortable.
Shao Xue knew he had his reasons and didn’t press him further. She turned and walked against the flow of people into the lobby.
Master Sun had officially retired after attending Fu Qiao Mu’s wedding. But as the years took their toll, illness hit him hard, leaving him bedridden almost overnight. It was his lungs. He called his son back, telling no one else, and quietly spent three months in the hospital.
The old man’s mind was still sharp. While he could still speak, he made sure to handle all his affairs. His son wanted to keep fighting for a cure, but Master Sun scolded him: “What’s the point? The doctor showed me the papers. Can this be cured? Palliative care is fine, no need to suffer any more. At my age, do you really think I can defy fate?”
Zheng Su Nian stood there from dawn until dusk.
It was strange—on such a hot summer day, there was a cool breeze. When Shao Xue came down from the hospital, she didn’t look at him, but her hands slowly climbed up his fingers, eventually resting on his collarbone.
Her pulse followed the rhythm of his heartbeat, rising and falling. Shao Xue buried her head into his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his waist.
“Is he gone?”
“Gone.”
He had been standing for so long that his limbs were numb, and the cold seemed to settle deep into his bones. But as Shao Xue curled into him, he suddenly felt a warmth spreading through his veins.
“I’m here.” He lowered his head, resting his chin on her shoulder, and wrapped his arms around her even tighter, as if trying to warm her up faster. “I’m here.”
By October, everyone had just about finished packing. Some places had already started construction, and dust filled the streets. Yu Dong Ge had hired movers to load all the furniture and belongings onto the truck, but she stood in the middle of the road, reluctant to leave.
“Let’s go,” Shao Hua urged from behind. “We still have unpacking to do.”
“Let me take one last look,” she said, wiping away tears. “Just one last look.”
Zhang Qi’s mother, unable to watch any longer, patted her on the back, trying to comfort her. “Everyone’s still here, what are you crying about? Tomorrow, when we’re all back at work, we’ll still eat and chat together like always.”
“It’s not the same,” Yu Dong Ge said, covering her mouth as she climbed into the truck. “No more looking, let’s go.”
Shao Hua sighed, putting an arm around her shoulders.
“Does Xiaoxue know where to go?” Even through her tears, Yu Dong Ge didn’t forget about her daughter.
“She knows. I gave her the address. She’ll take the bus to the new place after class.”
“New place? What kind of new place is that?” Yu Dong Ge grumbled as the truck driver hit the gas, speeding out of the alley.
But Shao Xue didn’t head home right away.
That day, she managed to catch a study session that didn’t have any exams. After class, she unlocked her bike and lazily made her way to the restoration room.
With Yu Dong Ge and the others on leave, there was no one left in the restoration room that Shao Xue knew. Master Luo had retired in June, Kang Mo Shui returned home in July, and Sun Qi Rui had passed away in August.
The room was still the same, with its wooden doors, wooden windows, and glazed tile roof. But the people were different.
The courtyard was covered with fallen leaves, yet to be swept away. In this season when all flowers had withered, the peach, plum, apricot, and pear trees no longer bloomed, and the roses that Sun Qi Rui had planted years ago had also fallen, scattering across the ground.
The flowers of the Forbidden City had fallen.
She had grown up.
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