Tang Yan insisted, “I did not want to drink anymore… I would not drink again… I would do whatever you said from then on, alright?” She wrapped her arms around Ji Yuqing’s neck, and her warm breath spread across the hollow of Ji Yuqing’s throat. It felt ticklish and hot, carrying a heady aroma of alcohol that made it hard for anyone to remain clear-headed.
Ji Yuqing stayed tense, entirely motionless, as if she had been immobilized. Even her breathing became long and slow. She managed to squeeze out a few words in a hoarse voice. “Not… not drinking would be good.”
Tang Yan pushed closer against her, hugging her tightly and refusing to let go. After a while, she seemed to grow still, and only then did Ji Yuqing dare to turn her head slightly and call to her in a low voice. “Yan Yan? Yan Yan?”
The young woman on top of her was already breathing in a steady rhythm. Ji Yuqing lay flat again, staring at the ceiling and taking in a deep breath. Everything that happened that night felt so chaotic—far too chaotic.
She remained in that position for nearly half an hour. After confirming that Tang Yan was not going to wake up again, she finally summoned the courage to pry off Tang Yan’s arms, then sat up and moved the girl’s leg, which was pinned against her. Doing her best to be gentle, she set Tang Yan down on the bed, pulled up the blanket to cover her, and stood at the head of the bed, gazing at the serene look on Tang Yan’s sleeping face. In that moment, she felt a sudden curiosity:
She wondered what on earth was going on in that young mind.
Without lingering, Ji Yuqing turned off the light, left Tang Yan’s room, and gently shut the door.
She walked into the living room in her slippers and stared at the large, empty house. For a moment, she felt a bit dazed. She felt as though she had returned to the past, to those days when she lived alone—commuted alone, ate alone, slept alone. Tang Yan had been there for only a few short months, yet Ji Yuqing could hardly remember how she had lived before.
She was still lost in thought when the ringtone of her phone broke the silence. She glanced around and realized that the sound came from inside her pocket: a call from Zhang Miya.
She answered as she walked toward the refrigerator, holding her phone to her ear. “What is it?” she asked.
“Did you both get home safely?” asked Zhang Miya.
Ji Yuqing opened the fridge and took out a chilled bottle of water. “We did. You’re still up?”
“I was feeling a bit worried. I let Tang Yan drink that much, and then I thought about it and felt guilty,” Zhang Miya said with a nervous laugh, trying to hide her remorse.
“At least you realized,” Ji Yuqing replied in a clipped tone, making her feelings clear with just five words.
“My fault, my fault. So, how is she? Everything all right? She didn’t throw up, did she?”
“No.” Ji Yuqing paused as she shut the refrigerator door and headed to her own room with the water in hand. “She just fell asleep.”
She heard Zhang Miya sigh with relief on the other end. “That’s good, that’s good. She’s only eighteen. She probably got carried away in the moment. As long as she’s fine. My husband lectured me tonight, too, saying I was so busy enjoying myself I didn’t even spare the kid.”
Ji Yuqing let out a little laugh, her lips curving up. “On that point, I agree with your husband.”
“All right, all right, I get it. I was wrong, so there’s no need for both of you to keep scolding me. I do have my pride!”
Ji Yuqing kept laughing. “How about Doudou? Is she asleep?”
“That little piglet ate and drank her fill long ago and has been sleeping for a while. I really envy her—she has nothing to worry about and someone to take care of everything.”
“Well, it’s getting late. I should tidy up and get ready for bed,” Ji Yuqing said.
“Sounds good. I just wanted to check in. I’ll go to sleep too. Good night, bye.”
“Bye.”
She hung up first and placed her phone on the bedside table before sitting on the foot of the bed. The mattress sank under her weight. She twisted the bottle cap open and gulped down several big swallows of cold water. The chill spread from her throat to the depths of her stomach, as though it washed through her mind. Some inner voice compelled her to stay clear-headed.
Night deepened. A crescent moon climbed into the sky. The city, which had bustled all day, turned still and quiet, reposing in peaceful silence.
A faint beam of moonlight shone through the window. Tang Yan turned over in her sleep, letting her leg and foot slip out from under the covers. In her dream, she seemed to be hugging Aunt Ji in her sleep, feeling an identical sense of security and contentment.
Suddenly, Tang Yan woke with a start, her mouth and throat painfully dry. She felt as if she had crossed a desert under a heavy load for three days and nights, parched beyond endurance, unable to go back to sleep.
She wasted no time throwing off the covers and turning on the bedside lamp. The clock on the nightstand showed half past one in the morning. The cup at her bedside was already empty. She had no choice but to go out and get more water. She crossed the hallway into the living room, glancing around out of habit. To her surprise, she noticed a light coming from Aunt Ji’s room. Was she already asleep, or was she still awake?
Tang Yan had no idea, but she wanted to know. At the same time, she did not dare disturb her. She stood in the living room and drank a few more glasses of water until her stomach felt uncomfortably full. Only then did she carry her cup back to her room.
She set the cup down and began to straighten her covers. That was when she noticed something on her bed. Picking it up and placing it in her palm, she saw it was a button with a distinctive, intricate pattern clearly crafted with care. She held it up to her nose and smelled it. It carried a light, familiar scent—that of Aunt Ji.
Tang Yan felt puzzled. Why would Aunt Ji’s button be on her bed? She could not figure it out. She raised a hand and tapped her forehead, but could not remember anything from the night before. She cursed her memory—she had blacked out again from too much drink.
Never mind, she thought. She would give this button back to Aunt Ji tomorrow.
Tang Yan placed the button carefully on her bedside table, turned on her side, and closed her eyes, facing it. After a minute or so, she opened her eyes again. She reached out to take the button, held it firmly in her palm, and at last drifted off to sleep, satisfied.
She slept deeply and for a long time.
When Ji Yuqing got up, she prepared breakfast and waited for more than an hour, but Tang Yan still did not come out. Worried, she went to knock on Tang Yan’s door.
Knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock.
No response.
She raised her hand again, about to knock, then paused. “Yan Yan, are you awake? It’s time for breakfast.”
Still no answer.
Growing concerned, she turned the doorknob and went in. Tang Yan lay fast asleep, showing no sign of getting up.
She walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. She patted the covers a few times, calling Tang Yan’s name. After trying several times, Tang Yan slowly opened her eyes. Her eyelids looked swollen to twice their usual size, and she seemed unable to open them fully. She mumbled groggily, “Morning, Aunt Ji.”
“Morning? The sun has been up for hours,” Ji Yuqing said dryly.
Tang Yan turned and glanced at the clock on her nightstand. It was nearly ten in the morning. Startled, she threw off the blanket and sat up, rubbing her eyes with one hand. “I overslept.”
Having successfully woken her, Ji Yuqing stood. Before leaving, she reminded Tang Yan to tidy up and come out for breakfast. Tang Yan suddenly remembered the button she still held in her other hand and called out in a hurry, “Aunt Ji!”
Ji Yuqing turned back. “What is it?”
Tang Yan hesitated. “Aunt Ji, did you lose something last night?”
Ji Yuqing stopped to think. “I don’t think so.”
“Could you think again?” Tang Yan asked softly.
Ji Yuqing still shook her head, then asked in return, “Did you see me drop anything?”
In that moment, Tang Yan blurted out a little lie without meaning to. “No, nothing.”
Ji Yuqing pressed her lips together. “I’ll wait for you in the dining room.”
“Okay!”
After she left, Tang Yan opened her hand. The button she had warmed in her palm lay there quietly. Just then, she felt a selfish desire to keep it for herself. It felt like possessing a piece of Aunt Ji—like having her near somehow.
Tang Yan knew it was wrong, but she could not help herself. She could not control the swelling desire and longing that seemed to fill her.
She tucked the button away carefully and went out to join Aunt Ji for breakfast, pretending nothing had happened.
Naturally, Ji Yuqing reprimanded her about the drinking. Tang Yan promised over and over that she would never drink on a whim again, not without Aunt Ji’s permission.
While eating breakfast, Ji Yuqing said, “I can finally take you back to school this afternoon.”
Tang Yan looked up and waved her hands in refusal. “Aunt Ji, I already made plans with my classmates. We’re going to head to school together.”
For just a second, an air of disappointment flashed through Ji Yuqing’s eyes, but she quickly concealed it with a smile. “You’ve already gotten so close with your classmates? That makes me very happy. Be careful on your way.”
Tang Yan nodded. “Don’t worry, Aunt Ji.”
She was hiding a secret—one she could not let Aunt Ji know just yet.
Near her school there was a small alley with an old tailor’s shop. Tang Yan, carrying her backpack, headed there by herself. The owner was an elderly man with gray hair and reading glasses.
“Excuse me,” Tang Yan asked, “could you help me sew this button onto my clothes?”
The old tailor accepted it, then glanced at what she was wearing. He looked perplexed. “Young lady, there’s no spot on your outfit for a button.”
“Not this outfit.” Tang Yan took a piece of clothing from her backpack—a favorite shirt she owned, one that Aunt Ji had bought for her—and handed it to him.
He studied it for a while but found no loose button or missing spot. “Young lady, where should I sew it? And besides, this button doesn’t match the rest of your garment.”
Tang Yan turned the shirt inside out and pointed at the spot near the chest, close to her heart. “Could you sew it right here?”
The tailor looked astonished and baffled, but he did as she asked. After she paid, Tang Yan left, satisfied, and headed for school.
The old tailor stood in the doorway of his shop, peering after her and shaking his head helplessly. He muttered to himself, “These young girls nowadays come up with all sorts of wild ideas.”