Buckwheat
Today, she submitted her resignation and collected her final paycheck. From now on, Shen Xifan would officially be unemployed.
Walking out of the general manager’s office, she felt a wave of relief. She took one last look around the hotel—the place where she had worked for four years. It held deep sentimental value for her, as it had witnessed a crucial chapter of her life.
She remembered her first day at the hotel, clutching a letter of recommendation, bewildered by the bustling crowd. She had been mechanically led to the manager’s office by a secretary, and even half an hour after leaving, her legs were still trembling. Later, when she officially signed the contract, she had jokingly declared, “In life, I belong to the hotel; in death, my soul remains here.” Who would have thought three years would pass in the blink of an eye?
From now on, there would be even longer and more challenging roads ahead, she told herself.
Back home, she slept deeply. After dinner, she went online to chat with Su Shan. Ever since Li Jie’s birthday, she and Su Shan had grown increasingly close—perhaps because they shared similar interests. In any case, they had become inseparable, feeling as though they had met too late in life.
Out of nowhere, Su Shan dropped a bombshell: “Would you be my bridesmaid?”
Shocked, Shen Xifan quickly sent back a smiling emoji. “So soon? I’d be honored!”
Su Shan continued to tease, “Are you free tomorrow afternoon? Could you come with me to look at dresses first, then grab a meal, and maybe catch a good show along the way?”
Without overthinking it, Shen Xifan replied immediately, “Sure! You decide the time and place—just give me a call.”
The next day, when they went dress shopping, Shen Xifan was startled to discover that the wedding dress had already been custom-made—Su Shan was actually there to pick out the bridesmaid dress for her. After an entire afternoon of browsing, Shen Xifan carried two dresses and two pairs of shoes, sighing, “I always hoped that after wearing a bridesmaid dress, I’d get to wear a wedding gown next. But this is already my second time as a bridesmaid.”
Su Shan giggled. “I bet there’s a whole line of guys waiting to marry you—you’re just too picky!”
Shen Xifan shook her head and changed the subject. “Su Shan, don’t you think it’s a bit early for you and Li Jie to get married now?”
Su Shan raised an eyebrow. “Early? Not at all. Sometimes, when you meet the right person, all you want is to spend every minute and every second with them. Life is so short—just a few decades with the one you love makes time feel all the more precious.”
Shen Xifan sighed wistfully. “You’re making me jealous! As punishment, you owe me double the red envelope!”
That evening, they met at a Cantonese teahouse. The table was laden with delicacies: drunken shrimp, braised eggplant with fragrant sauce, shark’s fin soup dumplings, crab congee, steamed grouper with garlic and tangerine peel, and Peking duck. Even the appetizers—sliced pork with bitter melon and dried pufferfish—were exquisitely prepared. Unfortunately, the six men at the table—or rather, five men and one boy—were making a racket, their enthusiasm completely diverted from the food.
When Shen Xifan and Su Shan entered the private room, they saw Fang Kexin holding an utterly ordinary rope, waving at them excitedly. “Hurry, hurry! If you’re late, you’ll miss the show!”
Su Shan smirked. “We’re here, we’re here.” Glancing at the rope, she teased, “Kexin, these ropes are all the same, right? Don’t go playing favorites with your senior brother!”
Fang Kexin scoffed. “I should’ve found a longer rope for you so your husband could keep you in line!”
Only Shen Xifan stood there dumbfounded, frozen like a statue. Across from her, He Shouzheng even winked at her. She muttered to herself, “What on earth is going on here?”Su Shan pulled her to sit down, while Qiu Tian reached out to take the rope. As he handed it over, he explained, "The five of us buddies..." Then he paused, realizing something was off, and turned to ask He Shouzheng, "He Shouwu, are you one of our buddies?"
He Shouzheng snorted, "Of course! I even know about Li Jie having to retake exams in his third year!"
He Suye burst out laughing and patted He Shouzheng's head, "Little rascal, are you sure you want to be a groomsman?"
Shen Xifan was stunned, "These five people..." She pointed at the rope, "Are they... competing to be groomsmen or something?"
Su Shan and Fang Kexin beside her nodded solemnly.
Qiu Tian dangled the rope in front of her eyes. Shen Xifan couldn't make sense of it at first, only seeing the knots twisting and turning. In the blink of an eye, a neat and beautiful knot appeared before her. "This is called a surgical knot. Whoever ties the most in one minute gets to be the groomsman."
This was the first time she had observed the hands of a surgeon, and an inexplicable sense of awe welled up inside her. A qualified doctor, even as a medical student, must undergo such rigorous training.
But it was also the first time she had looked so intently at He Suye's hands. They were truly slender, with distinct joints, exuding a sense of steadiness and strength—especially when tying surgical knots. The way his fingers moved, twisting and turning, was like playing the piano, flowing with an indescribable elegance.
Feeling her gaze might be too bold, she discreetly shifted her attention to the others. That little rascal called "He Shouwu," He Suye's nephew, was also tying knots with surprising skill. Unfortunately, his small fingers weren't as nimble as an adult's, and after watching for a while, she could tell that He Suye and Qiu Tian were neck and neck.
She secretly hoped He Suye would win.
But in the end, she was disappointed. After a minute, He Suye had tied 98 knots, while Qiu Tian had managed 101. She didn't find it too surprising—after all, Qiu Tian was a cardiovascular surgeon, so he had the upper hand in practice.
Yet the medical professionals present all looked astonished, especially Qiu Tian. After a careful comparison, he raised his slender eyes and teased, "Jianjianjiao, you've slipped a bit!"
He Suye, however, remained unfazed as he carefully wiped the juice from He Shouzheng's mouth. "I haven't tied 'knots' in years!"
At this, everyone laughed knowingly. Qiu Tian sighed nostalgically, "Back during exams, we were obsessed with tying these knots. We'd tie them while eating, in class, even our shoelaces were surgical knots. Jianjianjiao slept on the bunk above me, so I hung a rope from his bed frame to practice anytime. Two weeks later, the rope was gone—turns out he'd snapped it from overuse."
Li Jie chimed in, "Our surgery professor once told us the school record for surgical knots was 128 in a minute. I nearly fainted when I heard that. Later, I complained to our senior about it, and he just looked at me innocently and said, 'Oh, that was my record.'"
He Suye waved his hand dismissively, "Ancient history, let's not bring it up!"
But He Shouzheng declared with righteous solemnity, "To forget history is to betray the past!" The group burst into laughter.
Shen Xifan couldn't help but admire He Suye. His laughter was open and sincere, without a trace of disappointment, making her feel a bit petty in comparison. Fair is fair—since they'd chosen this method to pick the groomsman, she had to accept the outcome.However, she squinted and stole a glance at Qiu Tian. This man, whom He Suye had described as more cunning than a fox, always wore a roguish smile and carried an air of worldly detachment. Upon closer inspection, he was probably quite the character.
Two men with such contrasting personalities were actually the best of friends.
The gathering was lively and harmonious. He Shouzheng ran around everywhere, calling out to people without any reservation, "Hey, Li family boy, how come you're already married? My uncle isn't even married yet!"
Li Jie shot him a glare, "What does your uncle not being married have to do with me? Brat, call me uncle—don’t be so disrespectful!"
He Shouzheng retorted, "With that lousy obstetrics and gynecology retake of yours, you expect me to call you uncle?" Then he deliberately clung to He Suye, "Uncle, why aren’t you married yet? I want double lucky money for New Year’s."
Li Jie gritted his teeth in frustration, while Su Shan quickly served him a bowl of buckwheat cold noodles, teasing, "Why bother arguing with a kid?"
Qiu Tian pondered, "Isn’t buckwheat a type of Chinese herbal medicine? I’m not great at Chinese herbal medicine—what do you think, sharp one?"
He Suye thought for a moment, "That’s golden buckwheat. It clears heat and toxins, soothes the lungs, and dissolves phlegm. It’s used for lung-heat coughs and sore throats. Buckwheat noodles are highly nutritious, helping prevent diabetes, high blood lipids, periodontitis, and stomach ailments. My grandfather’s pillow has been stuffed with buckwheat husks for decades—it clears heat and improves eyesight."
As the gathering wound down, Shen Xifan led He Shouzheng outside the hotel to chat with Su Shan. He Suye and Qiu Tian were the last to leave. Qiu Tian, with a sly grin, slung an arm over He Suye’s shoulder, "I know you let me win on purpose. You hesitated on the last three knots. Back when we took exams together, I could gauge your speed."
He Suye tried to explain, but Qiu Tian lightly rapped his knuckles against his head, "Out with it—what’s your game?"
He didn’t dodge, smiling honestly as the fragmented light from the hotel lobby’s crystal chandelier spilled into his eyes, reflecting a gentle warmth, "It’s not that I don’t want to be the best man. First, I can’t drink. Second, if I’m the best man, who’ll take care of her?"
Qiu Tian was floored, "Everyone says I’m sharp, but I think you’re sharper. I’m impressed. But this works out—more chances to spend time together."
He was suddenly moved, "Qiu Tian, honestly, I’m not very confident about this. Our daily lives barely overlap—we just live in the same neighborhood and don’t even see each other often. I know nothing about her past. When I think about it, it feels like I missed the best time in life to meet her."
Qiu Tian rolled his eyes, "Rare to hear you so poetic. But from my experience, the best time in life isn’t early or late. Some people you’ll never love no matter how hard you try, while others you’ll fall for at first sight. And if that person loves you back, that’s the best time—the most perfect timing."
He Suye chuckled, "No way you scored worse than me in psychology, right?"
Qiu Tian sighed, "Li Jie failed obstetrics and gynecology, and his grandmother’s an expert in that field! Is that how you think?"
He Shouzheng, being a child, soon grew drowsy as the night deepened. Before long, he was fast asleep on He Suye’s shoulder. Shen Xifan stayed quiet, and the three of them walked in silence along the long main road of the neighborhood.
Suddenly, He Suye spoke up, "What do you like to eat?"
Shen Xifan was surprised, "Why do you ask?"He smiled, "They're all coming to my place for dinner the day after tomorrow. Didn't Su Shan tell you?"
Shen Xifan suddenly realized, "I forgot." After thinking for a moment, she added, "I hate cilantro, but otherwise I'm easy to please. I like sweets—generally speaking, I'm quite low-maintenance." Then she tacked on, "Tonight's buckwheat noodles were really good. He Suye, can you make them?"
Unexpectedly, He Shouzheng woke up, rubbing his eyes. "Uncle, I want some too. Where is it?"
He Suye replied irritably, "Little rascal, always thinking about food. How about some chestnuts instead?"
He Shouzheng put on a pitiful expression, looking every bit like a little white rabbit, and reached out to Shen Xifan. "Sister, hold me!" Shen Xifan couldn't stop laughing. "This kid is definitely going places when he grows up. With you, he acts all sweet and clever, but with Qiu Tian, he clams up, and with Li Jie, he bullies the big guy."
The next day, however, Shen Xifan received a wedding invitation—a friend from university was getting married.
She lamented her own misfortune. Forget a husband—she didn't even have the shadow of a boyfriend. She increasingly felt that for a woman, a happy and fulfilling family was more important than career success.
But what could she do now? Peeling an apple in front of the mirror at midnight or checking online fortune-telling sites was nothing more than futile self-comfort.
In the morning, Shen Xifan rode with Shen's mother in the bureau's car to the neighboring city. The wedding was held at the largest hotel in town. In the lounge, she met her long-lost friend. After years apart, they both felt a bit awkward, unsure where to start, and could only smile at each other.
The wedding was extravagant, with government and military vehicles making up half the parking lot. The groom moved stiffly, while the bride wore a faint, indifferent smile—nothing like Su Shan's genuine, heartfelt happiness.
Perhaps this was the beginning of another unhappy marriage. Shen Xifan suddenly thought of Gu Ningyuan, once such a vibrant woman, now trapped in the fortress of marriage. What exactly was the delicate relationship between marriage and love?
Suddenly, someone tapped her shoulder, startling her out of her reverie. She exhaled in relief. "You scared me to death, Young Master! Couldn't you see what kind of occasion this is?"
Ling Yufan snorted coldly. "It's just a marriage of convenience. What occasion? If it weren't for some connections between our families, I wouldn't even be here." His tone dripped with disdain.
She smiled and pointed at the bride. "Is this what marriage is like for the wealthy? Covered in diamonds and flowers?"
Ling Yufan lowered his eyes and remained silent for a long time, chewing over the word "marriage." "Either stay faithful to one person or play the field. Marriage? For people like us, it's just interests and power wrapped in diamonds and flowers."
Shen Xifan understood and couldn't help but smile. "I hope the person I marry loves me, and I love him—not for money, not for power, but simply because I am me, and he is he."
She remembered the first time she saw Su Shan, smiling so happily, her eyes brimming with joy, just like her former self—seeing only that one person, the endpoint of her gaze, following them to the ends of the earth if need be.
The happiest thing in the world is when the person you love is passionately in love with you too.
But how many marriages in this world are truly built on love alone?Forget it, marriage is such a distant thing. Right now, there's only an ambiguous old flame and a new crush that seems to be one-sided on my part. And then there's the study abroad offer—it should arrive today, right?
Meanwhile, at He Suye's place, the group was causing quite a ruckus. Qiu Tian had somehow gotten hold of a lab mouse, which He Shouzheng accidentally let loose in a moment of carelessness. The child squealed with excitement as he chased after it, while Fang Kexin hid in the bathroom, terrified. Qiu Tian teased her, "Little sister, aren’t you from the imaging department? And yet you’re so scared of a tiny mouse?"
Fang Kexin snapped, "Qiu Tian, stay away from me! I hate you, I really hate you!"
Qiu Tian shrugged and muttered to He Suye, "Hear that, sharp edges? Turns out I hate you too!"
He Suye ignored him, his eyes drifting repeatedly to the clock on the wall, distracted. He wondered why the little girl hadn’t arrived yet—was she working overtime or had something come up? She hadn’t even called or texted. He stood up and dialed her number, only to hear Shen Xifan’s breathless voice as soon as the call connected, "I just got back! There was some accident at the intersection near the neighborhood, and I got stuck. I’ll be there soon—save me some food!"
He couldn’t help but laugh and reassured her, "No rush, I’ll set aside a portion for you in the kitchen, okay?"
When Shen Xifan arrived, He Shouzheng sat mysteriously on the sofa and called out, "Sister, come see something fun!" Then a little white mouse popped its head out and squeaked at her.
Caught off guard, she jumped in fright and stumbled backward into He Suye, who steadied her and glared at He Shouzheng. "You little rascal, don’t think your uncle can’t discipline you—I’ll deal with you and Qiu Tian together!"
Qiu Tian looked up from his medical records. "Me? What did I do? Oh, I get it—I should’ve brought a rabbit instead. Harmless and cute!"
He Shouzheng cheered, "Uncle can make rabbit stew then!"
At that moment, He Suye noticed the package in Shen Xifan’s hands, covered in English letters he couldn’t quite make out—except for a red, shield-like emblem that looked vaguely familiar.
No one else paid it any attention, but he alone was desperate to know where that letter came from.
In the end, he managed to see it clearly:
School of Hotel Administration, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, U.S.A.
Everyone was scrambling for the bowl of buckwheat noodles, but he saw Shen Xifan secretly grinning at him, gesturing something with her hands—because she knew he had stealthily saved a bowl for her in the kitchen as a midnight snack.
For the first time, he couldn’t smile back at her naturally. The tacit understanding they had built over time seemed disrupted, replaced by unease and restlessness. The girl before him still shone as brightly as ever, yet he couldn’t decipher her thoughts or intentions. It suddenly struck him how little he truly knew about her, how little he understood. And now, the only thread of connection and balance between them was about to unravel.
He pulled out a map of the U.S., locating Philadelphia and New York, then dug out the application form for the University of Pennsylvania. Quietly, he made a decision.
Everything now depended on her—waiting for her to speak up and explain.
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