The Plum Garden in North City was every bit as beautiful as Lin Yunsheng had described. Light snow drifted through the air, settling atop the plum blossoms. Flake by flake, the white powder layered over the pale red and white petals, creating a scene of profound stillness and harmony.
Since it was a weekday afternoon, the garden wasn't crowded. Chen Jinyue held her sister’s hand as they strolled slowly through the grounds.
The snow likely wouldn't last much longer; a hint of sunlight was beginning to filter through the clouds, which were already starting to disperse. Yet, the way the light caught the falling flakes made them shimmer like countless tiny diamonds, lending the scenery a deep, breathtaking beauty.
It was made all the more special because Lin Yunsheng was by her side.
"Do you like walking like this?" Lin Yunsheng asked.
"Mm..." Chen Jinyue stopped and looked down at the path recently blanketed by snow. Few pedestrians had passed this way, so the dark grey stone slabs were not yet exposed. She stepped into the pristine white snow, leaving behind a clear, cute footprint. "Like this," she said.
"Was it the same abroad?"
...
This was the first time Lin Yunsheng had proactively brought up her time overseas. Chen Jinyue had almost thought Lin Yunsheng would continue to pretend she didn't care, acting as if those years had never happened.
But in an atmosphere like this, the one who didn't want to talk about it seemed to be Chen Jinyue herself.
If they had to talk about her time abroad, what was there to say? It was nothing but resentment and loneliness. Suddenly, even the Plum Garden didn't seem quite as beautiful.
"Yes," she answered curtly.
But Lin Yunsheng didn't seem willing to let it end there. "Were you alone?" she prodded again.
*Why ask this so suddenly, Sister?*
Chen Jinyue couldn't understand her. *Don't you know if I was alone? Who else could have been by my side? Who else is there room for, Lin Yunsheng?*
She took a deep breath, unwilling to look at Lin Yunsheng’s face. She stepped forward into the snow, her voice turning somewhat cold. "I was always alone."
A long silence followed.
*So why ask? I gave you an answer, and now you’re silent. Why did you have to ask, Lin Yunsheng?*
Chen Jinyue began to feel a prickle of irritation.
She remembered Saturday, when Lin Yunsheng had seriously said she was "considering" starting a new life. Then that night, she had given her a fleeting kiss in the car. All of these things weighed heavily on Chen Jinyue’s heart; she had been trying to escape them briefly, not wanting to face them yet.
Did she not want to ask for clarity herself? It was just that, if possible, she wanted her memories of North City to be pure and simple.
*But why did you have to pick right now?*
"Xiao Jin..." Lin Yunsheng called out from behind, catching up to her. She took her hand and said, "I'm sorry..."
"I just," she sighed, seemingly struggling with how to phrase her next words. "I just wanted to hear you talk about your time abroad yourself. I didn't know how to ask without offending you."
"It seems that no matter how I ask, it’s an offense, isn't it?"
"Xiao Jin..."
Lin Yunsheng’s voice grew softer and softer. After she finished speaking, she lowered her head, though she refused to let go of the hand she was holding.
That strange sensation rose again—the feeling that Lin Yunsheng was the one who was hurt.
Chen Jinyue leaned down to catch Lin Yunsheng’s gaze, forcing her to look at her. She asked softly, her tone gentler now, "Then what do you want to hear?"
"I won't ask anymore..." Lin Yunsheng pouted slightly.
*Pfft—* Chen Jinyue couldn't help but laugh, her previous discomfort mostly vanishing. How could Lin Yunsheng be thirty years old and still make such a aggrieved, girlish face?
*She’s really too cute,* her heart cried out.
"Then don't ask."
"Let's go to the souvenir shop up ahead." She gripped Lin Yunsheng’s hand in return, leading her forward this time.
The Plum Garden’s souvenir shop wasn't large, but the items were full of local character. She browsed the row of keychains and fridge magnets. "These are so pretty. I could buy some of these trinkets to give to friends when I go back."
Hearing this, the grievance that had just dissipated returned as sorrow.
*Go back? Back where?*
Whether it was Haicheng or abroad, the words "I have to leave eventually" from that night echoed in her mind. Her entire aura darkened once more.
Lin Yunsheng didn't want to linger there and walked ahead on her own. At a corner, she saw a rack of hair accessories.
They were all classical, elegant pieces. They would surely look beautiful on her sister.
She turned back to find Chen Jinyue, who happened to be coming her way. "Buy a hair tie," she said to the younger girl.
"Huh?" Chen Jinyue didn't quite catch her meaning.
"Didn't your hair get wet during your shower yesterday?" Lin Yunsheng looked at her.
Oh, right. Chen Jinyue remembered the hair tie she had lent to Zhao Man.
"Okay, then you pick one for me." She finished by giving her sister’s hand a little shake.
Lin Yunsheng raised her hand, her fingertips brushing over the various accessories. The silk threads draped over the back of her hand, making her look elegant and soulful.
She selected a long hair cord. It was red, adorned with beads and silver bells, with tassels hanging from the ends. "This one. It’s very pretty."
Lin Yunsheng took it down and held it against Chen Jinyue’s head to gauge the look.
"Good. Put it on now; it suits this place."
"Okay." Lin Yunsheng went to the counter to pay. Afterward, she had her sister sit on a nearby chair and stepped forward to help her tie her hair.
Many years ago, Lin Yunsheng used to help her like this as well. Not only would Lin Yunsheng ensure the hair wasn't pulled too tight against her scalp, but she would also put effort into braiding little plaits for her. Back then, Chen Jinyue had been the envy of many classmates because of her beautiful hair. Lin Xiaoxiao would sometimes pester her, asking her to get Lin Yunsheng to braid hers too. Chen Jinyue would say, "I can't. Sister Shengsheng said she only wants to braid mine," putting on a troubled expression for show.
Lin Yunsheng had never said such a thing. It was hard to tell back then who was better: Lin Yunsheng at braiding hair, or Chen Jinyue at braiding lies.
But Chen Jinyue didn't care.
Lin Yunsheng finished tying her hair quickly. Perhaps because they were in the Plum Garden, or perhaps because she had just said the cord suited the place, the style Lin Yunsheng chose was reminiscent of ancient times—gathering only a portion of hair into a small bun secured by the red cord, while the rest cascaded down her back.
"If Xiao Jin had been born in ancient times, she would surely have been breathtakingly beautiful." Lin Yunsheng gazed at her, a smile she couldn't hide playing at the corners of her mouth.
Chen Jinyue pulled her out the door and back toward the plum branches. "Does it look good?" she asked, leaning her face close to the blossoms.
Of course it looked good. As early as the day she returned, Lin Yunsheng had told her: *“In my eyes, you have always been the most beautiful.”*
She watched the red cord entwined in the dark strands of hair, resting against her shoulder. The background of brilliant white snow and crimson plum blossoms made her look clean and bright. Chen Jinyue’s clear eyes were full of smiles as she gazed at her without blinking.
Lin Yunsheng thought that even if the place were bustling with people and noise right now, her eyes would only ever hold her sister, Chen Jinyue.
She took out her phone and said, "Can I take a photo?"
Naturally, the answer was yes.
Chen Jinyue tilted her head and smiled at the lens. Lin Yunsheng suddenly couldn't bear for this moment to end. She pressed the shutter, then secretly switched to video mode. "Do you like it like this, Xiao Jin?" she asked from behind the camera.
"I like it—!" In the frame, she was smiling happily.
*Do you like it—*
*Do you like me—*
She hid her secret thoughts within her photo gallery.
She clutched the unspoken emotions in her hand and tucked them into her coat pocket.
She kept her hand inside the pocket, her thumb and forefinger repeatedly rubbing against Chen Jinyue’s hair tie.
The one that had originally been in Zhao Man’s possession.
***
Lin Yunsheng had been as busy as usual today, unable to pull herself away. She had two meetings in the morning, both with Zhao Man. Zhao Man sat beside her, and normally, they had no time to discuss anything other than work. However, when the first meeting ended, Zhao Man’s hand slid over, handing her a hair tie.
"What's this?"
"Xiao Jin’s. She lent it to me yesterday. Help me return it to her."
Lin Yunsheng took the hair tie, remembering Chen Jinyue’s damp hair from the night before.
"Let's go, to Room 204," Zhao Man called out. Only then did Lin Yunsheng snap back to reality, standing up to walk to the next meeting room with her.
"Is Xiao Jin at the hotel alone?"
"Yes."
"Look, it's snowing outside." Zhao Man held a coffee in her left hand and her laptop in her right, so she could only gesture toward the window with a tilt of her chin.
"And?" Lin Yunsheng didn't understand her point.
"Doesn't your sister like walking in the snow? I think right now is perfect."
"Oh... yes."
"Zhao Man, you go in first. I'll be there in a moment," Lin Yunsheng said, stopping in the hallway.
"Sure, I'll save you a seat," Zhao Man said before entering the meeting room.
Lin Yunsheng stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, clutching the hair tie, watching the snow fall.
*I don't like Zhao Man calling you Xiao Jin.*
*I don't like that there are things between you and Zhao Man that I don't know about.*
*I don't like learning about what you like from Zhao Man’s mouth.*
*It feels like I'm living your second-hand time.*
*My heart feels sour.*
*I'm dying of jealousy.*
Lin Yunsheng turned on her phone, found her supervisor Li Guansheng’s number, and dialed. She said she had some private matters to handle and couldn't attend the rest of the day's meetings. She promised to find someone to help with the minutes and would catch up on the progress once they returned to Haicheng.
In Li Guansheng’s memory, Lin Yunsheng rarely took leave; it was more common for her to still be working long after everyone else had gone home. Seeing her so urgent, he naturally granted the leave immediately, even adding that if she needed help, she only had to ask.
Lin Yunsheng thanked him. But who could really help? She didn't even know what she was doing herself, so how could anyone help her?
She didn't go back into the meeting room. She returned to her desk, grabbed her bag, and left. As she sat in the taxi, she kept thinking about how foolish she was being.
In the snowy winter that Chen Jinyue liked—a detail she hadn't told her—Lin Yunsheng couldn't stop herself from chasing after her, even if she felt unwilling. She even prayed that the snow wouldn't stop before she and her sister left.
Even though this wasn't the answer you gave me.
Even regarding where to go, her mind was filled with what Zhao Man had said yesterday: *"The Plum Garden should be beautiful right after it snows. You should take your sister."*
*Will you like it? Zhao Man’s choice.*
*You will, won't you? You seem more willing to tell her things about yourself.*
*I'm so foolish.*
***
After the photos were taken, Chen Jinyue ran over with a smile and took Lin Yunsheng’s arm.
"Let's go back," Lin Yunsheng said.
Chen Jinyue wasn't sure if it was because the sky was starting to darken, but Lin Yunsheng’s spirits seemed to be dropping again.
She thought that once they left this place and picked up their luggage, they would be heading to the airport. The story of North City would be over.
She didn't particularly like North City, yet she was loath to leave it. She was loath to leave the pure version of herself and Lin Yunsheng here, free from the memories that troubled her heart.
She didn't want this day to end.
She took Lin Yunsheng’s hand, and the two of them stopped in the middle of a path surrounded by plum blossoms. The snow was still falling, dusting Chen Jinyue’s red cord. Grain by grain, it looked like bits of salt.
"Sister..." she called out, looking into Lin Yunsheng’s eyes.
"Give me a hug."
The snow did not stop as she had previously expected; instead, it grew heavier as the curtain of night fell.
She wanted this day to linger a little longer.
*Let the darkness come a little later.*
Lin Yunsheng didn't make her sister wait long. She drew her into her arms, her fingers idly stroking the end of the cord behind her back.
Snow settled on Lin Yunsheng’s trembling eyelashes, blurring her vision. She wondered what part of this day truly belonged to her—only to her. Was it this red hair cord, the snow falling from the sky, or this ancient plum garden?
They were all so beautiful, but none of them belonged to "me and you"...
She thought of Zhao Man again.
*Snap—* The lights in the Plum Garden suddenly flickered on.
The scenery was instantly illuminated. Chen Jinyue’s eyes widened. She felt as if the heavens had heard her wish to delay the darkness.
Excitedly, she broke the embrace to look at Lin Yunsheng. The warm yellow light spilled over the plum blossoms and the snowdrifts, bathing the two of them in a warm glow.
"Lin Yunsheng, it's so beautiful here."
"I was just wishing in my head that the sky would stay light a bit longer, and then the lights came on."
"Did you see?"
She looked up at the lights in the garden. In the beams of light, the snow swirled in the wind before gently falling, a sight that felt unexpectedly tender.
"Why did you want the darkness to come later?" Lin Yunsheng asked. The light reflected in her eyes. In this second, even the shadows of the trees became beautiful.
Lin Yunsheng smiled.
She took Chen Jinyue’s right hand and raised it, lifting it above her head.
With a flick of her wrist, Chen Jinyue spun under her arm on tiptoe. Her rising hair, the red cord, and the swaying hem of her clothes, accompanied by the falling snow and the pouring light—it was a beauty that made Lin Yunsheng’s heart tremble.
She pulled her sister into a close embrace, the crushed snow beneath their feet kicking up.
She held her tightly, burying her face in her shoulder. The tassels at the end of the hair cord fluttered in the wind, like a red string of fate binding them together.
"Chen Jinyue..."
"Mm?"
"Do you like it?"
"I do."
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 小谨 | Xiao Jin | Affectionate nickname for Chen Jinyue. |
| 声声姐姐 | Sister Shengsheng | Jinyue's nickname for Lin Yunsheng (using the 'Sheng' from her name). |
| 二手时间 | Second-hand time | A metaphorical expression for experiencing someone's life through another person's account. |
| 李广圣 | Li Guansheng | Lin Yunsheng's supervisor. |
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