The Road Home

Chapter 8

Those days in the winter break of her first year of high school, when the two had spent all their time together, were the coldest period of that year's winter.

The automobile repair shop normally used solar power to heat the water for the shop's mechanics to shower, so when winter came, the water was frightfully cold and not many people went into the shower room. However, he had considered that if he were to return home to have a hot shower, the trip home and then back here again would waste time that could have been otherwise used to keep her company. Hence, he slid out from beneath the car, upper body unclothed, pushed open the door, and went into the shower room. When he stepped back out again, he was so cold his fingers were stiff and numb.

He opened his room door and walked in. Gui Xiao was huddled on his single bed, swathed in the quilt, and she had even extended her feet into the spaces between the tubes of the radiator heater for warmth. Seeing him, she immediately lifted up the quilt. "Hurry! Get in, get in."

But it was only when they were both under the same quilt that they realized that this honestly was a torturous thing to do.

Worried that she would be bored, he had rented a television and VCD player for her to watch. The hottest movie at that time had been Titanic, and the disc she had selected to watch was that one. When the two were under the same quilt keeping warm, the movie was playing the scene where, against the background of rushing wind and rolling waves, the male and female lead were kissing at the bow of the ship. Gui Xiao was so embarrassed she did not make a sound. Lu Chen was leaning against the deep-green-painted headboard and maintaining a space between them that could fit half a person in it.

"Lu Chen."

"Mm."

"There's someone in my school who's especially annoying. He always intercepts me after school. It'd be so good if you were around."

"He's trying to pursue you?"

She nodded.

The two carried on watching the television, both their hearts feeling restless and agitated. On the television screen, the male and female lead had gone into a luxuriously decorated stateroom. Rose had changed into a robe and was requesting to be a model for the male lead's drawing... Gui Xiao did not dare continue watching, but neither could she make herself open her mouth to say that they were going to pause the movie.

"Don't you know how to draw, too?" she asked in a soft voice.

With a grin, he gave an "mm-hmm." "What do you want to do?"

She just wanted to change the subject...

"Not going to watch anymore." Her slightly-stiff voice seemed as if it was tickling him. "Don't want to watch."

Lu Chen was not in the frame of mind to keep watching either. Feeling for the remote control, he pressed the stop button. The image switched to the blue standby screen of the VCD player. He wanted to ask her whether she wanted to watch anything else, such as Young and Dangerous[1] or something. There were still more than twenty discs with which they could kill time.

He held the remote control and tapped it against his right hand a few times.

Reaching a hand over and touching his arm, Gui Xiao discovered that he still had not warmed up yet. "How about you and I switch spots? You'll be better really soon if you're next to the heat."

He, the one to whom care and concern were being shown, answered indifferently, "No need."

This person who had been sitting with his back resting against the headboard now leaned in towards her.