"Flowers bloom along the path of Fourth Huang's wife's house, Thousands of blossoms weigh the branches low. Butterflies linger in playful dance, Carefree orioles sing their sweet songs."
The early spring of April arrived on the tail end of late March.
Peach blossoms adorned the branches, while slender willow twigs of spring, verdant and lush, swayed gently in the breeze. Peach blossoms lined the path, petals continuously drifting down. Bei Yao lifted her small face, and petals settled in her hair.
She had washed her hair before leaving in the morning, and now her soft hair was still loosely flowing. Standing at the front of her classmates, she raised her hand to tie up her now-dry strands.
Class Six, Grade One was divided into two lines—one for boys and one for girls.
Hua Ting had been unhappy the whole way. Being short, she stood first in the girls' line, followed by Fang Minjun, with Bei Yao in the third position.
Fang Minjun and Bei Yao were the two youngest children in Class Six, Grade One, so their shorter stature was understandable. But Hua Ting was not young anymore—she had advanced with her average-aged peers, yet her height never seemed to catch up. While her height remained stagnant, other parts of her grew; she developed earlier than the other children and now had the curves of a young girl.
Early development was not a good thing. Hua Ting felt extremely ashamed when boys and girls in the class occasionally cast curious glances her way. She tried to hunch her chest, hoping to divert attention from her fuller bosom.
Walking with her head lowered, Hua Ting felt particularly dejected.
In 2002, a comedy film starring Hong Kong star Chang Xue swept across the nation, making the ice-sculpted beauty a household name. This also propelled the fame of "Little Jade Maiden" Fang Minjun to its peak.
At eleven years old, Fang Minjun carried the reserved pride of a young girl. Dressed in a white dress, she attracted many covert glances from the boys' line.
Standing next to Fang Minjun, Hua Ting felt extremely uncomfortable. She couldn't shake the feeling that the admiring and awestruck gazes, when they shifted to her, turned into curiosity about her prematurely developed chest. Gathering her courage, Hua Ting said, "Fang Minjun, can we switch places?" She wanted to talk to her good friend Bei Yao.
"No, the teacher arranged us by height," Fang Minjun refused outright. She had no intention of standing at the very front.
Thus, Hua Ting endured the entire walk in discomfort. Finally, when they reached the peach blossom grove and the students were allowed to move freely and eat their packed lunches, she breathed a sigh of relief and sat down beside Bei Yao.
"I really don't like Fang Minjun," Hua Ting sighed. "What 'Little Jade Maiden'? She's not Chang Xue herself, after all."
Bei Yao nodded with a comforting smile and shared some candy with her.
Now also eleven years old, Bei Yao had a white bra strap tied behind her neck, but her development was not as advanced as Hua Ting's, with only a slight curve to show for it.
"You should walk with your back straight," Bei Yao whispered in Hua Ting's ear. "My mom says hunching will make you look unattractive. It's normal for girls to develop; there's no need to feel ashamed."
Hua Ting blushed and nodded, finally feeling more at ease. The two girls finished their meals while sharing food. Hua Ting leaned in close to Bei Yao and suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, Bei Yao."
She reached out and gently pinched Bei Yao's cheek. "I just realized your features are really pretty."
Bei Yao was taken aback.
Hua Ting half-squinted, scrutinizing her closely. At eleven, Bei Yao had bright, clear eyes, a delicate upturned nose, and soft cherry lips with a plump, rounded cupid's bow, exuding an innocent, adorable charm.Bei Yao hadn't yet "stretched out" in growth, her cheeks still carrying a hint of baby fat. Hers wasn't the kind of beauty that struck one at first glance, but rather an adorable charm that made people want to pinch her cheeks. However, with the presence of a famously acclaimed "little jade maiden" in Class One, even the most cute and well-behaved girls seemed to fade into the background.
Hua Ting's eyes sparkled brightly: "Looking closely, you're actually prettier than Fang Minjun. I wonder if you'll grow up to be even more beautiful than Chang Xue?"
Bei Yao's heart skipped a beat. In a way, Hua Ting had hit upon the truth.
As Bei Yao grew older, her memories gradually returned, and now they extended up to ninth grade. She knew that Fang Minjun would gradually lose her radiance around eighth grade, no longer resembling Chang Xue as much, and instead growing to look more like her mother Zhao Xiu—with high cheekbones and overly thin cheeks.
Growth was strange. During the summer vacation after eighth grade, Bei Yao would suddenly slim down, and the self in her memories would become very beautiful. Like a pearl dusted over for years suddenly bursting forth with dazzling brilliance, the young girl would become bright and captivating.
Yet she couldn't share any of this with Hua Ting. Bei Yao could only respond vaguely: "Thank you for the compliment."
Bei Yao's gaze drifted into the distance.
The boy sat alone on a stone bench. Pei Chuan had brought a black lunchbox, and after finishing his meal, he was reading a book.
Everyone carried a backpack, but Pei Chuan might have been the only one who actually had books inside. Nearing elementary school graduation, this solitary boy still didn't have a single friend.
His walking pace was normal now, though if one looked carefully, his posture still differed slightly from that of ordinary people.
He rarely smiled, showed little expression, and spoke even less.
Though they walked home from school together every day, Pei Chuan seldom initiated conversation with Bei Yao.
She recalled the "secret warning" written in that homework notebook and felt somewhat troubled.
In her previous life, she hadn't paid attention to Pei Chuan during his adolescent years—he had been an insignificant figure in her life. Bei Yao only vaguely remembered that around eighth grade, when she began to become very beautiful, Pei Chuan in ninth grade had completely transformed into a different person.
He had become a thoroughly bad student, and all the children in the neighborhood were warned not to get too close to him.
Even Chen Hu had become afraid of him. Pei Chuan started hanging out with societal troublemakers and gained many fierce-looking friends.
Why did it turn out that way? Bei Yao watched his silent, studious appearance—he was clearly a good student now.
Bei Yao wanted to know the truth.
Pei Chuan looked up and met her gaze. He calmly averted his eyes, focusing on a patch of ground where the peach blossoms cast a deeper hue, slightly narrowing his eyes.
Suddenly, a girl began screaming.
All the students turned to look. The screaming girl was pale-faced: "There's a snake!" She had been standing on tiptoe to look at flowers when she discovered a snake coiled in the soft grass—awakened from hibernation and searching for food.
The terrified young girl ran toward her classmates.
The snake, as thick as two fingers, also startled by the disturbance, slithered rapidly through the grove.
Instantly, girls in the class scattered in panic, screams echoing everywhere. Hua Ting clung tightly to Bei Yao, nearly crying from the chaotic scene: "Bei Yao, get away quickly! It's coming this way!"
Their homeroom teacher Cai Qingyu's heart raced violently. As a refined female teacher, she naturally feared such cold, terrifying creatures too. Yet to protect the children, she knew she shouldn't run. Suppressing her panic, she urged: "Bei Yao, Hua Ting, move away quickly!"She didn't recognize that type of snake and didn't know if it was venomous. Cai Qingyu was already regretting her decision to bring the students on this spring outing.
The boys in the class watched the chaotic scene with creeping dread. Fearing it might be poisonous, none dared to catch it.
Bei Yao's legs felt weak—she had been afraid of such slithering creatures for two lifetimes now. Pulled along by the screaming Hua Ting, her small face turned pale.
They ran blindly until Hua Ting dragged her right in front of Pei Chuan.
Pei Chuan pressed his lips together, bent down, and firmly gripped the snake behind its head. It instantly lost strength to struggle. He picked up a stone and smashed it several times against the snake's head until it stopped moving.
Blood oozed out. He paused briefly before throwing it aside—the snake wasn't dead, just knocked unconscious.
But in that moment, the way his classmates looked at him made Pei Chuan freeze. Their gazes held horror and revulsion as they watched him handle the snake. Pei Chuan keenly noticed they were looking at him with the same expression they'd used for the snake.
Had any other boy caught it, they might have regarded him as a hero.
But because it was Pei Chuan, everything was different.
He was solitary and silent, yet his actions were more ruthless than anyone's. The classmates stared as if seeing him for the first time, too fearful to approach. Even Teacher Cai frowned at the snake on the ground.
A second later, Teacher Cai collected herself and smiled to ease the tension: "Pei Chuan is very brave, solving the crisis for everyone. You should thank him."
The peach grove remained silent—no one spoke.
Pei Chuan felt a cold laugh rising in his throat.
Hua Ting clung tightly to Bei Yao's arm, her face conflicted.
Bei Yao watched the boy's lonely figure. He stood isolated in that small space with an unconscious snake, nobody daring to approach.
Bei Yao pulled free from Hua Ting's grip. Rummaging through her backpack, she took out cooled boiled water and tissues. After moistening a tissue with water, she walked over. The girl stood slightly shorter than him even with his prosthetic leg. Tilting her small face upward, she said: "Thank you, Pei Chuan."
Pei Chuan looked down. She had grown up, her voice now gentle like the spring breeze in March: "We were all scared. Thank you for catching it. Here, wipe your hands."
Hua Ting also mustered courage and called out loudly: "Thank you, Pei Chuan!"
The spring breeze ruffled his black hair, carrying her unique scent—like faint lilac.
Pei Chuan accepted the tissue, wiping away the cold, slimy sensation.
As if waking from a dream, the classmates broke into applause.
A girl remarked: "He's amazing, daring to grab that thing."
Pei Chuan kept his eyes lowered, black lashes concealing his gaze.
Chen Hu overheard and grew indignant. The chubby boy hadn't slimmed down over the years. He snorted: "What's the big deal? I could've caught it too!"
"Chen Hu's just bragging! I saw you hiding in fear earlier!"
"I did not!"
"You did!"
Chen Hu's face flushed red as he argued with the girls about his bravery.
Pei Chuan's stiff posture gradually relaxed. Bei Yao curved her almond-shaped eyes into a smile at him. Compared to Fang Minjun, she seemed more like an innocent, youthful girl—wearing a soft yellow dress for the spring outing. Looking up at him, she appeared utterly sweet.
Pei Chuan averted his eyes and said flatly: "Step back. It's not dead yet."
She froze, almond eyes staring at him in confusion.
After two seconds of silence, Pei Chuan picked up a branch, proactively lifted the snake, and walked far away.
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