Sometimes we find ourselves constantly dissatisfied with reality—wages that won’t rise, prices that skyrocket, a newly bought outfit that immediately goes on sale, or a freshly renovated house that develops a leak. We are always comparing ourselves to the better and the newer, forgetting that we once lived through "inferior" times and managed to find joy in the hardship.
This was the realization Qiu Yun came to after spending ten minutes resolving her bathing situation.
Since birth, she had been accustomed to showers; later, when her family moved into a new house, they even installed a bathtub. What on earth was a "basin bath"? And what kind of madness was bathing with a thermos? She had never imagined these two items could be combined for such a purpose. Yet, on this night, she not only used them to bathe but even managed to wash her hair in lukewarm water. As the first splash of water rinsed away the grime, she found herself unconsciously humming a tune.
"Today is a good day..."
She stopped herself after the first line. But the song was like a curse, looping endlessly in her mind.
Qiu Yun had no change of clothes, but fortunately, only the lower half of her body had fallen into the well. While the hem of her skirt had suffered the most, her top only had a few smears of mud. She scrubbed the hem of her skirt, but the damp fabric felt uncomfortable against her skin, so she simply rolled it up. Thus, when Liang He saw her again, her hair was soaking wet, dripping steadily. Her top was damp in places, clinging to her body. She held the thermos in her right hand, tucked the iron basin against her waist, and used her left hand to clutch her rolled-up, crumpled skirt. She looked quite a mess, but if one looked further down—in the night air, there was a pair of long, slender, snow-white legs.
Fair, long, and straight.
They bloomed in the dark valley of the night like Ganoderma, utterly unaware of their own effect.
His breath hitched.
Those long legs stepped through the moonlight, her red sandals making her feet look pure and translucent.
Liang He frowned.
"It took you twenty-two minutes to bathe?"
Qiu Yun blinked. This man actually timed her? She pressed a hand to her forehead. "...I washed my clothes a little."
"A waste of time." Liang He took the thermos and the basin from her.
"They were so dirty, I just gave them a quick rinse. Isn't that normal?" Qiu Yun felt she was perfectly reasonable; it was the man in front of her who had a problem.
Liang He added, "Your clothes are wrinkled and your skirt is bunched up. It’s unseemly."
"This..." Qiu Yun felt baffled. "The skirt is wet and uncomfortable, so I just rolled it up."
"Put it down. It won't dry easily if it's rolled up like that."
With that, Liang He went to return the thermos and basin. Qiu Yun watched his retreating figure, thinking he seemed rather stiff. In a flash of insight, she suddenly realized: were people of this era still quite conservative? She looked down at her skirt; it currently only reached her thighs. Did Liang He think it was too short? Was he embarrassed, yet too shy to say it plainly?
Actually, this length wasn't short at all—it was longer than modern summer hot pants. But this was the eighties, after all. Even if the girls in the dorm had shorts or skirts, none were above the knee. Qiu Yun looked down at Qiu Xiaoyun’s long, fair legs and understood perfectly.
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
When Liang He turned back, he was once again met with those two white, straight legs, which seemed to glow in the darkness. He quickly shifted his gaze upward, only to see Qiu Yun watching him with interest, a deeply meaningful smile on her face.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing..." Qiu Yun shook her head, but she noticed a suspicious flush creeping up the back of Liang He’s ears.
"Just now... did you find any injuries?"
"Injuries? What injuries?"
"I suppose not, then."
"Oh." Qiu Yun realized he was referring to her fall into the well.
"I’ll report the matter to the school tomorrow. If you feel unwell, remember to go to the infirmary." Liang He looked at the top of her head as he spoke. "It’s late, so..."
"Teacher Liang, I'm right here. You don't need to talk to the space behind my head."
Qiu Yun interrupted him, tilting her head to look at him.
Liang He’s expression flickered with obvious embarrassment. He then lowered his gaze to meet her eyes—eyes that clearly hid a mischievous, teasing triumph. Liang He suddenly felt like he had been caught red-handed doing something wrong.
He felt a momentary flash of annoyance, but then his expression softened, and he actually began to smile slowly.
His smile was gradual, like ripples spreading across a calm lake, moving from the corners of his mouth to his eyes. He looked into Qiu Yun’s eyes and asked, "Like this?"
He had deep eyes. Qiu Yun remembered clearly that under the sun, those eyes were hidden in the shadows of long lashes and possessed a beautiful amber hue. Now, in the dark of night, they were dyed with heavy ink, like an unfathomable sea.
She heard him continue, "It’s late. You don't need to go back with me to register. I'll walk you..."
Qiu Yun felt a sense of illusion, as if his voice had slowed down too. She stared into those eyes; though there were streetlights nearby and their glow was reflected in his pupils, a single blink—like the rise and fall of a wave—sent that light sinking into the deep sea.
***
When Qiu Yun woke up the next day, she found a small bruise on her knee, but it wasn't a major issue. Two days later, when she passed the small path during the day, she saw that the manhole cover had indeed been replaced. Gao Zhifei, somehow having learned about her fall, came over full of apologies, saying he should have walked her all the way to the dorm and that it was all his fault. Qiu Yun comforted him for a while. He then pulled two books from his bag, his expression as solemn as if he were submitting an application to join the Party—solemn, yet tinged with a hint of shyness. "I snatched these two books from the Xinhua Bookstore. They were originally for my sister, but I thought... I hope you like them too."
Qiu Yun looked down and nearly fainted: Qiong Yao’s *Across the Water* and *Fantasies Behind the Pearly Curtain*.
Qiu Yun had no interest in "Grandma Qiong Yao." The generational gap was just too wide; her only vivid memories of the works were Steve Ma’s over-the-top memes and Zhou Jie’s flared nostrils. Back in 2018, she didn't even like reading novels much because she felt the plots were too fake, clearly written by high schoolers who hadn't experienced life. However, under Gao Zhifei’s eager gaze, she felt bad refusing. She accepted them, saying she would return them in two weeks. On her way back to the dorm, she skimmed through the plots and found them to be the literal ancestors of "Mary Sues," "Green Tea Bitches," "White Lotuses," and "Holy Mother Auras." Just reading a line or two gave her goosebumps. To her surprise, however, these two books caused a massive stir in the dormitory.
"Ah...!" Chang Huan let out a long cry of joy and snatched one away, screaming, "Across! The! Water!"
"Ah...!" Wang Chen ran over too. "Fantasies! Behind! The! Pearly! Curtain!"
Qiu Yun was startled. "What is wrong with you guys?"
"Xiaoyun, where did you get these?" Wang Chen looked as if she had won the lottery.
"Gao Zhifei lent them to me."
"Gao Zhifei?" Liu Yujin’s eyes widened. "He reads this stuff?"
"He bought them for his sister and let me borrow them first."
"How long can you keep them? I really want to read them too. Can I borrow them after you're done?" Wang Chen asked, clutching Qiu Yun’s left arm.
"Which one are you reading first? Let me borrow the one you aren't reading, okay?" Chang Huan asked, clutching Qiu Yun’s right arm.
Qiu Yun didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She hadn't expected Grandma Qiong Yao to be so popular in the eighties, nor had she expected her three roommates to love such cloyingly sentimental Taiwanese prose. So she said, "You can all read them, you can all read them, okay?"
"You're not reading them?" the two asked in unison.
"I'm not." Qiu Yun shook her head. Seeing their incredulous expressions, she decided to lean into it and build a noble image for herself. "Like Kong Rong giving up the larger pears, I, Qiu Yun, shall give up the books. You guys read first, and I'll read them later."
"What about me? What about me?" Liu Yujin squeezed Wang Chen out and grabbed Qiu Yun’s left arm. "Are there any more? Did he only lend you two?"
Since her noble image was already established, Qiu Yun decided to make it even grander. She said casually, "Just two. If you want, I can go buy another one for you. Which one do you want?"
As soon as she said this, all three of them looked at her with... rather subtle expressions.
When Qiu Yun actually arrived at the entrance of the Xinhua Bookstore, she understood where those subtle expressions had come from.
This wasn't a bookstore; it was a battlefield, like the frenzy of trying to buy train tickets during the Spring Festival rush!
There were people everywhere—long lines at the door and a sea of people squeezed inside. Everyone’s face radiated an indescribable excitement. Saliva, sweat, and youthful hormones filled the entire store. Everyone looked as if they were on drugs; their expressions suggested that millions in cash were falling from the sky. They weren't fighting for books; they were fighting for gold!
Books? What books?
It didn't matter! Whatever book it was! As long as it was a book!
Qiu Yun was stunned on the spot.
Wang Chen gave her a hard slap on the shoulder. "Don't just stand there dazed. Go straight to the checkout line."
"What about you guys?" Qiu Yun was completely out of it.
Wang Chen glanced at Chang Huan, then at Liu Yujin. The eyes of the three were as determined as revolutionaries facing execution. "We’re going to grab the books and bring them straight to you!"
"By the way," Chang Huan said, pausing as she prepared to sprint, "is there anything specific you want to read?"
"It’s not up to us to choose," Wang Chen said like a seasoned veteran, patting Qiu Yun’s shoulder. "We read whatever books we can get! You can never have too much knowledge!"
"Right!"
With that, the three of them charged into the crowd and vanished into the sea of people.
Qiu Yun was truly shaken.
She stood there, watching the crowded Xinhua Bookstore, her worldview receiving a massive shock. She had never imagined that in this era, people’s thirst for knowledge and passion for books would be so high. In 2018, books were easily accessible—you could buy them in stores or online. Moreover, people didn't seem to have much passion for them. She had a friend who worked at a publishing house who had jumped ship to sell real estate three years ago because the industry was struggling; her friend had once casually mentioned that her "annual salary became her monthly salary," which had filled Qiu Yun with envy. The bookstores that survived often ended up as "Instagrammable" spots for influencers to take photos. Who actually read anymore? Most people no longer read paper books; they preferred holding their phones, reading about "immortal cultivation," "transmigration," or "overbearing CEOs." Who would still hold a book and slowly savor the charm of black ink on paper? Who would risk life and limb to squeeze through a crowd for a single book?
Perhaps only in this era—this era of blue skies, green water, and simple hearts—could such a scene be witnessed.
While Qiu Yun was lost in her thoughts, she was bumped several times by the people passing by. Remembering Wang Chen’s words, she saw the sign for the checkout and went to join the queue.
There was only one checkout window. Likely fearing injury from the enthusiastic crowd, it was protected by wrought-iron bars, behind which sat a woman in her forties. The line was long, snaking all the way to the entrance. Everyone except her held at least one or two books, some even more. She felt a bit infected by the mood and wanted to find a book to read as well.
In front of her was a girl even younger than herself. Qiu Yun leaned in to look and saw that the books were all in English. She pursed her lips, abandoning the idea of borrowing a book to look at. She turned around and looked back. As she raised her head, she unexpectedly met a familiar pair of eyes.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 琼瑶 | Qiong Yao | A famous Taiwanese romance novelist. |
| 《在水一方》 | Across the Water | A novel by Qiong Yao. |
| 《一帘幽梦》 | Fantasies Behind the Pearly Curtain | A novel by Qiong Yao. |
| 新华书店 | Xinhua Bookstore | The largest state-owned bookstore chain in China. |
| 玛丽苏 | Mary Sue | A character archetype who is overly perfect. |
| 绿茶婊 | Green Tea Bitch | Slang for a woman who acts innocent but is manipulative. |
| 白莲花 | White Lotus | Slang for a character who is (or pretends to be) pure and innocent. |
| 圣母光 | Holy Mother Aura | Refers to a character who is excessively self-sacrificing or forgiving. |
| 孔融让梨 | Kong Rong giving up the pears | A famous Chinese story about politeness and fraternal love. |
