The first time Chen Chao came back here was in the summer. That summer was exceptionally hot.

Chen Chao sat on a toppled-over suitcase, his back against the brick wall. Beside his leg was another enormous suitcase, along with three or four tote bags.

That fluffy dog, so dirty its original color was impossible to tell, ambled over again from the end of the alley, sniffing around as it went. When it got to Chen Chao's leg, it seemed to want to approach. Chen Chao pulled his leg back. The little dog thought he was going to kick it, so it ducked its head and scurried a few steps away, then ran off.

The sun overhead was making him dizzy. There was a small patch of shade at the base of the wall. Chen Chao huddled in that sliver of shadow, which could cover his legs but not his head. He casually pulled a piece of clothing out of a nearby tote bag and draped it over his head. The garment still carried the scent of mothballs from his family’s closet.

It must have been his dad's clothing. Chen Chao didn't keep mothballs in his own closet; the smell made him nauseous.

His dad had dropped him at the alley entrance and left. Chen Chao had spent the whole trip bouncing in the back of a truck, which had left him a bit carsick. Now, sitting at the entrance to his grandma's house, he was too sleepy to keep his eyes open.

There was no one at his grandma's house. Chen Guangda hadn't called Grandpa and Grandma Chen before bringing him back, so they had no idea Chen Chao would be returning today with so much luggage.

Chen Guangda had always been unreliable. Nothing he did was ever surprising.

The corner of the clothing on his head was gently lifted. Chen Chao irritably opened his eyes, glaring so fiercely that his double eyelids stood out.

The person outside met his gaze and shrank their shoulders back.

It was a little girl. Chen Chao had seen this little girl on the way here.

Earlier, Chen Chao had spent the whole afternoon bouncing around in a beat-up truck. That, combined with the musty smell inside the vehicle, made him feel like throwing up. Outside the window were vast stretches of cotton fields. The green fields were dotted with specks of white, not nearly as beautiful as Chen Guangda had described.

Chen Chao opened the window. As the dilapidated truck sped past, his eyes briefly met those of a little girl standing in the cotton fields outside.

The little girl wasn't very old. She was wearing a big, long white dress, holding her arms, and standing there in a daze, like a scarecrow.

“Who are you?” the little girl asked in surprise.

Chen Chao was feeling sick and sleepy, and his temper flared. He frowned and retorted impatiently, “Who are you?”

“I’m Miao Jiayan.” The little girl was quite honest, answering properly when asked and even giving her full name.

Chen Chao couldn't be bothered with her and irritably closed his eyes again.

Seeing he was about to sleep again, Miao Jiayan hesitated for a moment before calling out, “Hey…”

Chen Chao ignored him, pretending he hadn't heard.

It was the hottest part of the day outside. Miao Jiayan's face and neck were red from the sun. He just stayed bent over like that, holding up a corner of the clothing on Chen Chao’s head as if lifting a bridal veil.

“Don't sleep here. Who are you…?” Miao Jiayan was at a loss.

Chen Chao turned his head, keeping his eyes closed as he leaned against the wall.

This was getting a bit tricky. The little dog from the alley trotted over again, rubbing against Miao Jiayan’s ankles. Miao Jiayan stroked it with his left hand while his right hand continued to gently fan the corner of the clothing he was holding. “Don’t sleep…”

The two of them remained at a stalemate, one sitting and the other bent over. Chen Chao was in a terrible mood, and Miao Jiayan didn't know what to do.

He kept endlessly shaking Chen Chao’s garment, and with one shake, he pulled it off completely.

Chen Chao’s eyes flew open. Miao Jiayan flinched back in fear.

“I didn't do it on purpose,” Miao Jiayan explained in a small voice.

“What's wrong with you?” Chen Chao’s expression was ugly.

Sweat beaded on the tip of Miao Jiayan's nose from the heat. He said innocently, “I want to go home… I’m thirsty.”

“Am I stopping you from going home?” Chen Chao was about to explode with annoyance, his voice sounding like he was about to hit someone.

Miao Jiayan shrank back a little more. He pointed at the pile of things on the ground, and at the half of the door that Chen Chao was blocking. Finally, his own brow furrowed slightly as he retorted in a low voice, “You’re blocking it…”

Chen Chao whipped his head around to look at the gate, then turned back to Miao Jiayan. “This is your house?”

“Yes…”

Chen Chao pushed himself up with one arm and asked, “Isn't this the Chen Family's house?”

Miao Jiayan pointed to the gate of the house next door and answered, “It’s over there.”

Chen Chao glanced next door, then looked down at the large pile of things at his feet. After a long moment, he said, “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Miao Jiayan quickly shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

Chen Chao moved the suitcase, clearing a path for Miao Jiayan to enter. Before going in, Miao Jiayan even folded the shirt from before and put it into a nearby tote bag. As Chen Chao was sorting out his remaining things, Miao Jiayan poked his head out again after a moment and asked softly, “Grandma Chen and Grandpa Chen are in the fields. Do you want to come in and wait for a bit?”

Chen Chao’s earlier fierceness had vanished. Being a half-grown kid, he was still a bit too proud to back down completely, so he said gruffly, “No, I’ll wait.”

“Ah, okay,” Miao Jiayan thought for a moment, then asked, “Do you want some water then?”

“No thanks, I have some,” Chen Chao said.

Miao Jiayan gave a soft “mhm” and retreated.

Aside from that fleeting glance on the road, this was the first time the two of them had met.

Back then, they were still just children. Chen Chao had just graduated from elementary school, had lost his home thanks to his unreliable dad, and was sent back to his grandma’s house with all his bags. Miao Jiayan was small and thin, liked to wear dresses, and his voice hadn't broken yet.

For a very long time, Chen Chao thought Miao Jiayan was a girl.

There has always been a wall between boys and girls; they don’t play together. Chen Chao had just arrived and was ill-adjusted to everything, wearing a long, unhappy face every day. Miao Jiayan, on the other hand, would greet him every time he saw him.

One time, Chen Chao was sitting in the courtyard when Miao Jiayan passed by the entrance, saw him, and smiled.

Grandma Chen came out of the house, saw Miao Jiayan, and called to him, “Miao'er, come in.”

Miao Jiayan came in, greeting her with a “Grandma Chen.”

“Have you two met? This is my grandson, Chen Chao,” Grandma said to him. “He’s a year older than you, so you should call him ‘Brother’.”

Miao Jiayan obediently called out, “Brother.”

Although Chen Chao was in no mood to play ‘little brother, little sister’ with a little girl, because of the awkwardness of their first meeting, he didn't have the nerve to keep a straight face and just grunted an “mhm.”

“From now on, you two can play together. You’re about the same age, it’s perfect.” Grandma smiled and patted Miao Jiayan’s head.

Miao Jiayan was holding a cucumber in his hand. He asked Chen Chao, “Want some? Brother.”

Being called “Brother” by him gave Chen Chao goosebumps, but he couldn't very well say anything, so he just shook his head and said, “No.”

“Oh.” Miao Jiayan nodded, not minding, and took a bite himself, chewing with a crisp crunch.

Standing there, he finished the whole cucumber in no time, leaving only a cleanly gnawed-off stem, which he tossed to a nearby wandering chick.

Chen Chao had only been back to his old hometown a few times, and each time was just a hurried few days’ stay during the New Year. He was a bona fide city kid, spoiled since childhood. He had never seen anyone gnaw on a raw cucumber like that, nor could he understand it. In his family, only his dad would occasionally eat one like that, and he would get an earful from his mom for it.

At that moment, listening to Miao Jiayan “kacha, kacha” his way through a cucumber, Chen Chao was so stunned by the country kid’s rustic ways that his heart went numb. He sat on the steps with a deadpan expression, having no idea how he was going to get through the next few years.

Miao Jiayan spoke and walked a little slowly; he was a very honest kid. Grandma Chen’s one line, “He’s a year older than you, so you should call him ‘Brother’,” led him to politely greet Chen Chao with “Brother” every time he saw him after that. Being called “Brother” by the little girl made Chen Chao’s skin crawl, and one time he said, “Don't call me that.”

Miao Jiayan’s mouth fell slightly open. After two seconds, he asked, “Then what should I call you?”

“Just call me by my name,” Chen Chao said.

“Oh.” Miao Jiayan nodded and turned to leave.

Although Miao Jiayan was sincere, he wasn't stupid. He could still sense that Chen Chao didn't like to hang out with him.

So, even though he was told to use his name from then on, Miao Jiayan never did. He also stopped being as proactive about greeting him. But the two families lived close to each other, so they saw each other almost every day. Miao Jiayan was used to being on his own, so he didn't think much of Chen Chao ignoring him and got used to it.

It wasn't that Chen Chao particularly liked or disliked him; he just didn't fit in with this place, and the same went for its people.

Back in their hometown, many families grew cotton, a trend that had been started by Grandpa Miao.

In the summer, whenever there was a heavy rain, every family had to go to the fields to dig drainage ditches. Chen Chao went with them once, but his grandparents, afraid he couldn't handle the sun and would get heatstroke, made him stand in the shade and wouldn't let him do anything. Every time Chen Chao reached out to help, they would stop him, which only ended up getting in their way.

Miao Jiayan didn't go every time either. Sometimes he would stay home to cook, waiting for his grandparents to come back and eat. He couldn't make anything too complicated, but simple things like boiling noodles and stir-frying vegetables were fine. He would even bring out a portion for the Chen Family. In a place like this, this kind of neighborly relationship was closer than that of relatives.

Chen Chao felt a bit bad about this, so one time when Miao Jiayan was in the courtyard alone, getting ready to cook, he proactively went over.

“What can I do to help you?” Chen Chao asked.

“You don't have to.” Miao Jiayan was very surprised that he had come over. He froze for a second before quickly shaking his head and getting a stool for him. “You can just sit.”

“Let me help. Is there anything else you haven't done?” Chen Chao asked, a bit awkwardly.

Miao Jiayan looked around before saying, “Well, how about… how about you help me wash the vegetables? After I pick them, you can wash them.”

Chen Chao said, “Alright.”

A little boy and a little girl washing vegetables and cooking together—the scene actually made Chen Chao very uncomfortable. Kids his age are always more conscious of these gender boundaries. But there was no other way.

You could tell Miao Jiayan was also a bit reserved. His movements were all gentle, and he was very careful when placing things into the washing basin in front of Chen Chao.

Miao Jiayan went to the chicken coop in a corner of the courtyard, crouched down, and reached his arm inside to feel around. It was unclear if he was talking to himself or explaining to Chen Chao as he said, “I'll get two eggs to make a soup.”

He was still wearing the same white sundress from the day they first met. The dress didn't quite fit him; it was a bit long. Chen Chao often saw him wearing it.

Now, Miao Jiayan was squatting on the ground, the hem of his dress fanning out and resting on the dirt, spreading into a round flower shape.

Chen Chao reminded him, “Your dress is in the dirt.”

Only then did Miao Jiayan notice. With an “Ah,” he came over, placed the eggs in the sink, and bent over to start rubbing the edge of his dress.

It had been splashed with water from washing the vegetables and now had dirt on it, so he couldn't rub it clean.

Miao Jiayan kept rubbing it gently, his chin tucked in and his brow slightly furrowed. He really was very neat; every time Chen Chao saw him, his clothes were always spotless.

Chen Chao said, “Go change your clothes.”

Miao Jiayan’s hands stopped moving. He lowered his head and said slowly, “I don't have any more dresses. I only have this one.”