Chapter 49

The "ordinary neighbor" left after speaking, and didn't come back for the rest of the afternoon.

“What happened?” After Miao Jiayan had been gone for a while, Chen Guangda pushed the watermelon juice back, not quite understanding the drama he'd just witnessed. “How'd you make Miao'er angry?”

Chen Chao didn't say anything either, sitting there with a frown, looking not very happy himself.

“Miao'er can get angry?” Chen Guangda found it quite novel; he hadn't seen the kid lose his temper in all these years.

Chen Chao was clearly in no mood to talk to him, his knitted brows not relaxing for a long time.

Chen Chao alternated between lying down and sitting up, but even after the sky turned dark, he didn't see Miao Jiayan again.

Grandma Chen came in to light a mosquito repellent incense for them. Chen Chao asked his grandma, “Where's Miao Jiayan?”

“I haven't seen him,” Grandma Chen was also quite puzzled, “He hasn't been around for half the day.”

“The two of them had a fight.” Chen Guangda chimed in from the other side, “Your grandson angered Xiao Miao and drove him away.”

“Huh?” Grandma Chen was very surprised. “How did they fight? What was it about?”

Chen Chao said, “I didn't fight.”

“The two of them never fight, I've never seen them argue. Xiao Miao has such a good personality.” Grandma Chen said to Chen Guangda, “Don't be a busybody, spouting nonsense.”

Chen Guangda said, “I'm not being a busybody.”

What happened between Chen Chao and Miao Jiayan couldn't really be called a fight. Chen Chao hadn't even said anything. The two of them were just lost in their own thoughts, which didn't happen to align.

There were a lot of mosquitoes that night, annoying Chen Chao so much that he barely slept for the first half of the night. His foot hurt, so he couldn't move around recklessly, and turning over was a frustrating, time-consuming ordeal.

In the morning, Grandma Chen got up to make them breakfast. Grandpa Chen was also an early riser. Chen Chao had only fallen asleep in the latter half of the night and it was almost seven when he opened his eyes. Outside, Grandpa Chen and Grandma Chen were talking. Chen Chao lifted his neck and scanned the room, but saw nothing. The only other person in the room was his dad, sleeping.

Chen Chao lay back down and closed his eyes, covering them with his arm as if he had gone back to sleep.

Miao Jiayan had been sitting on a small stool in the kitchen all morning, watching his grandma steam buns.

The steamed buns made by Grandma Miao were the most delicious. The dough was perfectly proofed, and the buns came out neither too soft nor too hard, and they were especially fragrant. People in the village often asked Grandma Miao to help steam a batch of buns for them to freeze and eat slowly. Today's batch was also for someone else. A large basin was filled with dough, and the expanded dough had pushed the lid of the steamer rack ajar.

“Why haven't you gone next door yet today?” Grandma Miao asked, seeing Miao Jiayan still sitting there.

Miao Jiayan cupped his face, his elbows resting on his legs. Hearing his grandma's question, he sighed silently.

He had never spoken to Chen Chao like that in his entire life. When he uttered the words "ordinary neighbor," they were jarring to Chen Chao's ears, and they pierced Miao Jiayan's own heart.

Those words had truly crossed a line. It was an impulse born from the emotions of the moment, and Miao Jiayan had actually regretted it as soon as he'd said it.

But what was said was said; regrets couldn't take it back. From yesterday until now, Miao Jiayan hadn't quite dared to face Chen Chao. What a spineless Miao Jiayan, saying a couple of inappropriate things and, before Chen Chao could even react, he had already finished regretting it all by himself.

Chen Chao was pushed to the washroom by his grandpa. After taking care of his business, he also brushed his teeth, washed his face, and even washed his hair while sitting in the wheelchair. Washing hair while seated was too difficult; he ended up getting water all over himself in the process of half-washing, half-wiping.

When Miao Jiayan came over, Chen Chao had just finished changing his clothes. The whole ordeal had taken a long time, and he'd bumped his foot several times. The time his foot was hanging down had also been a bit long, and now he was sucking in his breath from the pain.

Miao Jiayan walked in. Chen Chao heard footsteps, opened his eyes to look, saw it was Miao Jiayan, and then closed his eyes again. Seeing that he wasn't speaking, Miao Jiayan wiped his chin with the back of his hand, also remaining silent. He stood by the side for a moment, then moved a small stool over and sat down.

Usually, he would sit on Chen Chao's bed. Today, he brought over the short stool he had been sitting on in the kitchen and placed it between the two beds.

Chen Guangda spoke to him, asking, “Have you had breakfast, Miao'er?”

“I've eaten, Uncle.” Miao Jiayan answered first, then asked, “Have you guys eaten?”

“We've eaten too.” Chen Guangda joked with him in a low voice, asking, “Are you still angry?”

Miao Jiayan was very embarrassed and quickly shook his head. He glanced back at Chen Chao with a guilty conscience, but Chen Chao didn't open his eyes.

Chen Guangda let out a laugh and went back to talking to someone on his phone. A pile of company matters had accumulated, and there were also contracts waiting for his signature. Someone had to come over to deliver the contracts today.

After a while, Chen Chao turned over, his back facing this side.

Miao Jiayan watched him. With Chen Chao turned away, Miao Jiayan dared to speak even less.

One was lying down with a painful foot, the other was sitting there gloomily; both of them looked quite miserable. Miao Jiayan leaned his back against the bedside cabinet, sitting quietly. He didn't play on his phone or talk to anyone, sitting there very obediently.

Chen Guangda got tired of lying down and sat up. Miao Jiayan went over and propped a pillow up behind his back. Chen Guangda said, “Thanks, Miao'er.”

Miao Jiayan thought Chen Chao was asleep and asked softly, “Is that high enough, Uncle?”

“It's enough,” Chen Guangda told him. “I'm fine sitting like this.”

So Miao Jiayan sat back down. Chen Chao was uncomfortable and turned over again, this time facing Miao Jiayan. His foot needed to be elevated, and as he turned, it shifted and was about to fall off its support. Miao Jiayan stood up, supported his calf, and gently put it back. His foot was quite swollen, so Miao Jiayan plugged in the electric salt pack to heat it up and placed it under his foot.

After getting everything settled, Miao Jiayan sat back down again, his head slightly bowed, lost in thought.

Miao Jiayan had no idea when Chen Chao had opened his eyes or when he had started watching him. He remained sitting in the same position, his arms crossed over his knees, looking very well-behaved, and also inexplicably a little lonely.

Lying on his side, Chen Chao moved his upper arm, reached out to the edge of the bed, and hooked a lock of Miao Jiayan's hair with his finger.

At first, Miao Jiayan didn't realize it. When he noticed and glanced over, he saw Chen Chao playing with his hair.

Miao Jiayan paused, looking at Chen Chao's face.

Chen Chao glanced at him too, saying nothing, just rubbing the tip of a lock of his hair, twisting it between his fingertips, making a "shasha" sound.

Having his hair played with like this was a little itchy, but Miao Jiayan didn't move a muscle.

Chen Chao played with it for a while then let go. He just lay there on his side. Miao Jiayan didn't dare to speak to him, nor did he dare to look at him.

After a few minutes, Chen Chao picked up another lock to rub, even coiling it around his finger a few times.

“I wasn't trying to drive you away.” Chen Chao said suddenly.

Miao Jiayan hurriedly nodded and said, “I know.”

Chen Guangda peeked in their direction, chuckled, and turned back around. Chen Chao glanced up at his dad, then his gaze fell back to Miao Jiayan. He said to him, “If you have things to do, then go do them. If you don't, then don't go.”

“Don't let me...” Chen Chao paused here, then added, “...and my dad affect your own business.”

Miao Jiayan still nodded, saying in a low voice, “I understand.”

“Who's driving you away?” Chen Chao looked at him and said again, “Why would I drive you away?”

Miao Jiayan was at a loss for words, like a primary school student being scolded. Chen Chao didn't look very happy either, still exuding a low-pressure atmosphere. Finally, he said, “Thanks for taking care of me, ordinary neighbor.”

Miao Jiayan immediately raised his gaze, looking at Chen Chao with some anxiety. His eyes were clearly already red.

Chen Chao had been about to say more, but when he saw his eyes were red, he swallowed his words and turned over again.

Chen Guangda thought to himself, 'Why are young people these days so clingy when they're friends?'

But despite the silent commentary, Uncle Chen was sensible enough not to turn around, quietly diminishing his own presence. If it had been Ding Wentao instead of Miao Jiayan today, Chen Guangda would definitely have gotten involved. But Miao Jiayan wasn't as carefree, and Chen Guangda was afraid of embarrassing him.

Even if you stripped away that hazy, ambiguous layer between them, there was no way the two of them could be considered "ordinary neighbors."

Those three years of junior high were real, day by day. They were close. Chen Chao would never take a week off from his third-year high school winter cram school to accompany some ordinary neighbor to Yunnan to take pictures, and Miao Jiayan wouldn't care so much about what some ordinary neighbor liked or disliked to eat.

Chen Chao had deliberately said that, making Miao Jiayan so upset he was on the verge of tears. He gently poked Chen Chao's arm, but he didn't turn back. So, Miao Jiayan carried his small stool around to the other side, moving into Chen Chao's line of sight.

“I'm sorry, Brother Chao...” Miao Jiayan said softly, “Don't talk like that.”

Chen Chao's face was taut, clearly still unhappy.

Miao Jiayan was clumsy with words, and he was also too embarrassed to say much in front of Uncle Chen. He was so anxious that tears welled up in his eyes, making them look watery and sparkling.

He lay his head on the edge of Chen Chao's bed, burying his face in his arms, right at the level of Chen Chao's chest. The faint scent of green tangerine from his shampoo wafted over; if Chen Chao lowered his head, his chin could touch his hair.

Chen Chao patted his head, stroking his hair from the crown down to his back.

Lying there, Miao Jiayan asked him, “Is your foot hurting, Brother Chao?”

Chen Chao didn't make a sound, just played with his hair.

It had been a small, awkward spat, and the two had already resolved it. One played with hair, the other obediently let his hair be played with; they had already made up.

However, for some inexplicable reason, his good brother Jiang Xun called Miao Jiayan again.

The phone buzzed endlessly in his pocket, so Miao Jiayan had no choice but to answer it.

Jiang Xun's crisp "babe" came through the phone, and Chen Chao's hand, which was playing with his hair, stopped instantly.

“What's up, Brother Xun?” Miao Jiayan asked.

“What are you doing?” Jiang Xun asked on the phone.

“Not much,” Miao Jiayan said, “Is something the matter?”

“I'm bored. When are you coming back?” Jiang Xun said, “Do you want to go to Xinjiang? Let's go take a trip to Xinjiang?”

Chen Chao's hand had already withdrawn. Miao Jiayan looked at him regretfully while saying to Jiang Xun, “I'm not going, you can go by yourself.”

“Let's go together. What's the fun in going by myself.” Jiang Xun laughed and said, “We can go to Xinjiang, shoot a few sets of photos, and sell them to Sister Fang when we get back.”

Miao Jiayan was in no mood to talk about this with him, his gaze fixed on Chen Chao. He said, “I'm not going. I'm hanging up now, okay?”

Jiang Xun said, “Alright then.”

Miao Jiayan hung up the phone. Chen Chao had already turned away again, the back of his head looking perfectly round.