Chapter 1 ?Childhood Friends

You’re talking about me? Look at how slow you are when you put your shoes on!

In my memory, there was also a snowstorm such as this. It was the winter of 1995, and the snow was especially heavy. The news said that this was the biggest snowstorm that hit E City in the past 30 years, warning residents to pay attention to their safety and be careful when traveling.

That morning, 10 year old Pang Qian was under the warmth of her covers, refusing to get up. Her mother, Jin Ai’hua, called her many times, but she pretended not to hear. Jin Ai’hua saw that the breakfast was getting cold, so she angrily entered Pang Qian’s room and tore away the covers. The little girl’s legs were now exposed to the cold air. Freezing cold, she jumped out of bed like a grasshopper.

“Freezing to death!”

Jin Ai’hua didn’t quit. With a swish, she pulled open the room curtains, saying, “Look at the weather today. If you don’t hurry, you and Mingxin will both be late!”

Pang Qian’s eyes shone, and no longer caring about the cold, landed in front of the window. Seeing the feather-like snow outside, she stared in surprise, “Yeah! It’s snowing! It’s snowing a lot!”

After she finished eating, Pang Qian went out the door, but didn’t go downstairs. Instead, she went over to 502 across the hall and knocked.

After just two knocks, the door opened. A hair-covered head appeared. He furrowed his brow and with an unhappy face, “You’re getting later and later. It’ll be slippery today, so the road will be hard to walk on. If you’re ever late again, I’m not going to wait for you.”

Pang Qian pouted, watching as he put on his shoes while sitting on a stool. After a moment, she grumbled, “You’re talking about me? Look at how slow you are when you put your shoes on!”

The boy lifted his head to glance at her. He pursed his lips without saying anything, and lowered his head, continuing to put his shoes on.

Pang Qian’s mouth twitched. Then she crouched down in front of him, and helped him with his right shoe that wouldn’t go on his foot.

“Are you done?” she asked.

“Mm,” the boy nodded.

He stood up, and Pang Qian helped him put his backpack on. His mom, Li Han, came out from the kitchen and smiled after seeing Pang Qian. She said to her son, “Mingxi, it’s snowing a lot today and the roads are slippery. Why don’t I take you to school?”

The 11 year old Gu Mingxi shook his head, “I can go by myself. I’ll just walk slowly.”

Li Han looked out at the heavy snow outside, feeling very worried. Gu Mingxi said indifferently, “Mom, help me put on my raincoat.”

Li Han fetched his wool hat and scarf, carefully helping him put them on. Then she helped him put on his raincoat. To stop the hood on the raincoat from covering his eyes, she also clipped it near his neck to fix it.

“Qian Qian, walk slowly on the road. Take care of Mingxi,” Li Han asked of Pang Qian. Pang Qian nodded, “I know, Auntie.”

Now that everyone was set, the two kids ran out the door and down the stairs. Li Han was still at their apartment door, shouting after them, “Mingxi! Remember to be careful!”

“I know–” The boy’s clear and crisp voice floated up the corridor, excitement audible in his voice.

After going out the front door, Pang Qian opened up her umbrella, cheered and ran into the snow. She wore a red cotton jacket. Inside, she wore a cotton sweater, a wool vest, a thick granny jacket (?), and a knitted shirt. She was wrapped up like a ball. She also wore a hat and gloves, so she didn’t feel even a little cold.

“Aiya, the ground’s really slippery.” Pang Qian had never seen such a large snowfall before, so she was particularly excited. Her little face grew flushed from the cold wind. She found a few ice-covered spots, cried out, and slid across. It was as fun as ice skating.

Gu Mingxi walked steadily beside her. He had on a green raincoat. It was very long and covered his knees. The back was also raised up by his backpack, making him look like a big zongzi. Without stopping his pace, he reminded Pang Qian, “Be careful, don’t walk on the ice.”

Zongzi, sometimes rice dumping, is made of glutinous rice, filled with any assortment of things, and wrapped in bamboo leaves. I’m used to savory fillings like meat and beans, but they can also have something sweet, like red bean paste, inside.

“I got it. You’re so annoying.” Pang Qian slid along the ice a bit more, and then extended her hands to catch snowflakes. She even went off to the side of the road and left a hand print in the pile of snow. It was clean and soft. She pulled off her glove and pressed her hand down, until her right hand turned red from the cold.

“Stop playing.” Gu Mingxi had gotten up first and was waiting for her. Seeing her playing without care, he finally couldn’t hold back, “Hurry up. We’ll be late.”

“Let’s play a little more.” Pang Qian wasn’t one of those good kids who listened to what others told her. She picked up a handful of fluffy snow. The more she looked at it, the more it looked like ice cream. She couldn’t stop herself and took a bit, then shuddered, saying, “It’s so cold. It doesn’t taste like anything.”

Gu Mingxi was speechless. “Of course there’s no taste. Did you think it would be sweet?”

Pang Qian turned to look at him, and suddenly threw the snow in her hand at him. With a “puff,” it landed on the front of Gu Mingxi’s raincoat.

“Hey!” Gu Mingxi jumped back. Under his hat, his raincoat was pulled tightly. Only his face could be seen. And tucked under his chin, there was also a clip. The snow particles flying around stuck onto his eyebrows and eyelashes, and then soon melted from the heat of his body. His eyes were bright and clear, but they carried a bit of unhappiness. The corners of his lips drooped down. But Pang Qian wasn’t afraid that he’d get angry. She just laughed hahaha, and swept the snow from her hands. Then suddenly, the put her ice-cold hand onto Gu Mingxi’s face.

“Pang Qian!” The boy twisted away, avoiding her, and walked off with a huff. He didn’t expect to step on some ice, and in a flash, before Pang Qian could pull him back, he had already fallen to the ground.

At this moment, Pang Qian couldn’t even laugh. She dropped her umbrella and quickly rushed over to help Gu Mingxi up. She also didn’t dare to apologize. She just looked at him with some apprehension, then helped him clean off his rain coat. Gu Mingxi got up and took two steps, then turned around and saw Pang Qian’s upset and nervous face. Earnestly, he said, “Okay, I won’t tell my mom.”

Pang Qian immediately started smiling, relief flooding her face. She asked, “Did your fall hurt?”

“What do you think,” Gu Mingxi glared at her.

“Where does it hurt?” She looked him over, helping him brush off the snow from his coat. With her eyes on him, Gu Mingxi’s face reddened. Stiffly, he said, “It doesn’t hurt. Let’s go, we’re definitely going to be late.”

“Oh.” Pang Qian put on her gloves, not daring to play again, just nodding obediently.

The cold wind whistled in the air, the entire city covered in a sheet of white. Cyclists and pedestrians were all especially careful on the road. Two young kids, pressed between the morning commuters, walked through the snow, stumbling towards their school.

Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi were both fifth graders at Nanlin Intellectual Elementary. They were the same year, in the same class, and they were deskmates. Not only that, their parents were also colleagues and friends. The two families were neighbors. Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi were childhood friends, two kids who grew up together.

I’ll make a brief point about the term “childhood friends” used here and as the chapter’s title. It’s used to mean two people who grew up together since childhood, but also often carries an implication that those two people are then also a best match for marriage.

In the 1980s, factory jobs were very popular. It was a secure job. Not only was it easier to find a partner, there was also housing supplied. Pang Shuisheng and Jin Ai’hua, along with Gu Guoxiang and Li Han, were all employees at a metals company in E City. Pang Shuisheng was a welder. Jin Ai’hua was a cashier. Li Han was a statistician. Gu Guoxiang was one of the few factory workers with a university degree, working as a technician.

Pang Shuisheng and Gu Guoxiang were neighbors. Growing up together since they were young, they were like real brothers. The two of them got married the same year, and happened to get into the factory housing. According to the conditions, Gu Guoxiang got a 3-bedroom house. Pang Shuisheng and Jin Ai’hua, who were also both working parents, only got a 2-bedroom house. Because Gu Guoxiang was on good terms with the manager, he was smart and his mouth was sweet, he was able to help Pang Shuisheng get a 3-bedroom house. He and his wife were so grateful for this kindness, and they would always remember it.

The factory had four buildings of housing. It was near the factory, surrounded by walls, and it was called the Golden Compound. The winter before Gu Mingxi was born, the Gu and Pang families happily moved into the recently built small building. What’s more, they were neighbors on the same floor. The north and south facing 3-bedrooms on the 5th floor. The Pang’s were in 501, the Gu’s in 502. Their doors were across from each other. Their balconies were adjacent. When it was sunny outside, the south facing house would be bathed in sunlight.

At that time, Gu Guoxiang and Pang Shuisheng were both young. They were hardworking, blessed with marital harmony, their parents were healthy, and they lived in a building that was the envy of many. Each and every day, they walked happily with a smile into their homes. They were just like any other regular couples in the city, living their ordinary, cozy lives.

In the summer of 1984, Gu Guoxiang and Li Han had a son, Mingxi. The end of the year was the end of Jin Ai’hua’s pregnancy, and both families were at the peaks of happiness. Gu Mingxi’s (paternal) grandmother had looked at Jin Ai’hua’s big belly and smiled, saying, “Ai’hua’s baby is a girl. How perfect, she can be betrothed to our Mingxi. Really, what a perfect match (between two well-matched families).”

But later, whether it was the Gu family or Pang family, even the other Golden Compound neighbors and colleagues didn’t mention this arranged marriage again. The twists and turns that came were something that everyone knew very well.

By the time Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi arrived to school, they were already 20 minutes late. But because of the snowstorm outside, only some more than half the students had arrived. Pang Qian stuck out her tongue, letting out a relieved sigh. And when the head teacher, Teacher Li, saw that Gu Mingxi had arrived, the heavy stone in their heart also dropped (out of relief).

The students inside were doing their morning reading. Pang Qian helped Gu Mingxi take off his raincoat outside the classroom door, then hung it up on the hook on the back of the door. She put her umbrella in the corner, and walked to her seat with Gu Mingxi.

This was the only fixed desk in the fifth grade classroom. Even when seating charts were being rearranged, it wouldn’t change. The desk was against the window, in the last row. Pang Qian’s father, Pang Shuisheng, had custom ordered it from a carpenter.

The desk was as long as all the other desks, but one side was raised higher, the other lower. The higher side was the same height as other desks, but the lower side was more than 20 cm shorter. Also, all the other students sat on benches. Only Gu Mingxi sat on a chair with a back.

The two kids sat down at the desk. Pang Qian helped Gu Mingxi take off his hat and scarf. Then she looked into her backpack to pull out her notebook, not bothering him any longer. Gu Mingxi leaned back in his chair, kicked off his shoes, and rested his feet on the short desk.

He was wearing socks that left the toes open. He grabbed onto his backpack with his left foot. And with his right, he skillfully unzipped the bag, pulling out the textbooks he needed and his pencil box.

The rest of the class didn’t pay any particular attention to him. They continued with their reading and dictation. Teacher Li stood at the lectern, watching over everyone, also not paying much attention to him.

Gu Mingxi’s eyes lowered, he looked calm. Sometimes he would whisper things to Pang Qian.

Pang Qian worked on her assignments as the absently listened to him. Everything seemed as usual.

Except for Gu Mingxi’s narrow shoulders, where a pair of empty sleeves hung in the air.