Chapter 44: What Do You Want

Wang Jiexiang couldn’t pinpoint exactly when she started liking Yin Xian.

Why did she like Yin Xian? She hadn’t really thought it through.

Winter was still long and bitterly cold, and Wang Jiexiang had been living in Yin Xian’s home for nearly two months.

The neighbors, seeing how closely the two lived together under one roof, naturally assumed they were a couple.

In the mornings, Yin Xian and Wang Jiexiang would hang laundry out on the clothesline together, and whenever the elderly neighbors saw them, they couldn’t help but sigh with admiration, “Young couples these days are so loving.”

At first, hearing such remarks made Wang Jiexiang so flustered she didn’t know where to put her hands or feet. She immediately wanted to explain, “You’re mistaken.”

Her eyes would sneak a glance at Yin Xian, waiting to see if he frowned or showed any discomfort.

But unexpectedly, he didn’t seem unhappy at all… not unhappy, nor particularly pleased either.

He just went on doing whatever he was doing, never responding to the neighbors, as if their comments weren’t about them.

Seeing this, Wang Jiexiang swallowed the explanation that was at the tip of her tongue.

The misunderstandings happened again and again, and each time she kept silent and let people assume. Her skin gradually grew thicker.

She worked six days a week and had only half a day off, so it was rare for Wang Jiexiang to have dinner with Yin Xian. One evening, after coming back from buying groceries, she bumped into the old man who collected recyclables. He asked, “What tasty dish are you making for your boyfriend tonight?”

She smiled and replied, “Bought some pork. Gonna make braised pork for him.”

The old man nodded.

Wang Jiexiang, carrying her shopping basket, accepted without protest the “boyfriend” identity he’d ascribed to Yin Xian. Her steps were light.

She’d done a little bad thing—taken advantage of him without his knowing.

But Wang Jiexiang had to admit, she really liked it when people thought they were a couple.

She heated oil in the pan, added plenty of dried chilies, stirred until fragrant, then added the blanched pork. Cooking with the door open, she tossed the small pot with practiced ease.

To any onlooker, she looked exactly like the lady of the house.

Returning home, Yin Xian smelled the food from far away.

The village lights flicked on one by one, unevenly scattered. It was the time when every family sat down to dinner.

Which household was cooking?

What dish smelled so good?

Hungry, Yin Xian quickened his pace home. The fragrance seemed to follow him.

Turning down a slope, he saw his home.

His light was on, one among thousands.

Wang Jiexiang had her back to him. She was holding the pot, carefully plating the food.

So it was his house that smelled so good.

Hearing his footsteps, Wang Jiexiang turned around.

Her long hair was tied simply with a band, and she wore loose pajamas.

Looking at him, her eyes curved into a gentle smile.

“You’re back. Go wash your hands, let’s eat.”

Her speech carried a soft Southern accent, and when relaxed, her articulation was gentle and slightly slurred.

Yin Xian subconsciously softened his own tone in response.

“Okay. What did you cook?”

“Veggies, braised pork, and rice.”

She paused, emphasizing, “The braised pork has chilies in it—it’s spicy.”

Yin Xian went to wash his hands, getting ready to eat.

As the water rushed from the faucet, a thought rose in his mind: how did she know he liked spicy food?

Living in a city village came with many inconveniences. Bathing was one of them.

The public bathhouse was divided into two small rooms with partitions, each containing a showerhead. Hot water was limited daily. The doors to the two rooms were clearly marked in red paint with the words “Men” and “Women.” During the post-dinner rush, the women’s side often had long lines.

Wang Jiexiang had never gotten used to bathing there.

She didn’t like crowds. If she only needed to wash her hair, she preferred to squat outside her door and rinse with cold water.

But ever since starting work at the seafood factory, she had to bathe more often to get rid of the fishy smell. Luckily, she got off work late, so by the time she bathed, the bathhouse was usually empty. But then, hot water was usually gone too.

Winter was coming to an end.

It had stopped snowing, but the roads were still icy and hadn’t thawed.

That day, just like usual, Wang Jiexiang came home from work, grabbed clean clothes and a towel, boiled a kettle of water and poured it into a bucket, then headed to the bathhouse.

Yin Xian was busy and she didn’t disturb him.

He was sitting at the dining table, chopsticks resting on a half-eaten bowl of soup-soaked rice, now cold.

In sales, there’s no such thing as clocking out. Even if Yin Xian wasn’t at the office, work was endless. If a client needed him, he had to be available.

He was on the phone, taking notes and occasionally responding to the person on the other end.

The other voice was loud enough that even without speaker mode, Wang Jiexiang could hear the excited tone as she passed by.

He noticed her, and she waved in greeting: I’m home.

Once the water was ready, she quietly took her clothes and slipped out.

The bathhouse was empty.

Wang Jiexiang undressed. Before turning on the shower, she poured shampoo on her head.

She did this because the first gush of water from the pipes, though not hot, wasn’t the coldest yet. She could endure a brief rinse before adding the hot water from her bucket.

To avoid a full cold shower, Wang Jiexiang racked her brain for tricks.

After scrubbing thoroughly, she finished bathing, wrapped herself in a towel, and sniffed her arm.

—It smelled pleasantly of soap, no more fishy odor.

“Drip.”

The showerhead next door hadn’t been tightly shut and a droplet fell.

Wang Jiexiang instinctively looked at the partition between the men’s and women’s rooms—and noticed something strange.

The partition was tilted.

Thinking she was imagining things, her eyes traced around it again.

When her gaze landed on the top edge of the partition, she screamed.

She saw four fingers gripping the top—and half a man’s face. His eyes were staring at her body. Her scream didn’t scare him away. He kept looking.

Without hesitation, Wang Jiexiang grabbed the shampoo bottle on the floor and hurled it at the partition.

It hit squarely. The half face vanished.

“Pervert! You’re dead!”

A clatter came from the men’s side, likely the sound of a knocked-over plastic basin.

With no weapon at hand, Wang Jiexiang seized her bucket and stormed into the other side to catch him.

She shoved open the door. He was one step ahead, fleeing from the men’s room.

Wang Jiexiang swung the bucket and chased after him.

“Catch the pervert!”

Her sharp voice rang out at full volume.

“Somebody stop him!”

“That sicko was peeping on a girl in the shower!”

Furious, Wang Jiexiang chased the man all the way through the village to a bend.

There were no lights here. The darkness veiled her vision, and she could no longer see clearly. Her pace slowed.

The shadowy figure gained distance.

In desperation, she hurled the bucket.

Clang—

It hit the ground, missing its target.

“What’s going on!”

It was Yin Xian’s voice.

She turned. He stood behind her.

Hearing her shout, he had rushed from home. When he found her, she was wrapped in nothing but a towel, hair dripping wet.

The noise and her state of undress had already drawn curious neighbors to their doors.

“There was a pervert! He was watching me shower!”

Breathing hard, she pointed in the direction the man had fled, face full of shame and rage.

Yin Xian stepped up and stood beside her. His tall frame instantly shielded her body.

“He’s gone. Let’s go back.”

Wang Jiexiang, still burning with anger, suddenly realized what she looked like chasing out like this.

Barefoot. Wrapped only in a towel.

The earlier fury had kept her warm. Now goosebumps rose all over her body.

She squinted, struggling to find her way back. Everything was pitch black.

Her eyes weren’t focusing. Yin Xian realized—she couldn’t see clearly.

“Hold your towel.” he said.

She obeyed.

The next second, Wang Jiexiang’s feet left the ground—Yin Xian had picked her up.

He carried her home.

Straight to his bed, where he set her down.

“Put on clothes.”

He said only that, then turned to leave without looking at her.

“Clothes!”

Wang Jiexiang suddenly called out. He stopped.

“My clothes are in the bathhouse. I didn’t bring them.”

“I’ll get them,” he said.

“Can you still catch that guy?”

“I’ll go see.”

…

Fifteen minutes later.

Yin Xian returned carrying the bucket and her clothes.

He knocked, and she let him in.

Wang Jiexiang was now in pajamas, still sitting on his bed.

“He’s gone. Probably no way to catch him.”

No surprise in his answer.

“That was so scary…”

She hugged her knees, big eyes watery with helplessness.

Her demeanor was completely different from the fierce girl who had chased the creep with a bucket.

“After something like that, if I sleep alone, I’ll definitely have nightmares.”

Yin Xian was silent.

Their place was so small it didn’t even count as a full room—she wasn’t exactly sleeping alone.

So he asked, “What do you want?”

He’d hit the nail on the head. Wang Jiexiang already had a plan.

She reached over to grab her pillow from her floor mat and placed it beside his.

He looked at her.

She gently patted her pillow, then his.

“…”

Yin Xian stood silently at the edge of the bed, unmoved.

Wang Jiexiang sniffled and held onto his pinky finger.

She didn’t dare look at him.

She clutched his pinky tightly, afraid he would shake her off.

But he didn’t…

He locked the door, turned off the light. They lay side by side.

Wang Jiexiang didn’t want to sleep.

Her heart pounded so loudly she wondered if Yin Xian could hear it.

She wanted to keep talking, anything at all.

“Did you finish your call?” she asked casually.

The call…

Yin Xian suddenly sat up.

He had hung up mid-call when he rushed over.

Jumping off the bed, he looked for his phone.

Wang Jiexiang thought she’d said too much—that he regretted lying down with her.

She rolled quickly and pressed down on his pillow.

“Where are you going?”

“I need to make a call. Go to sleep.”

He threw on some clothes and turned off the bedside lamp she had just switched on.

“Will you come back later?”

She hugged his pillow, scooted to the edge of the bed, and asked warily.

“Go to sleep first.”

Yin Xian didn’t give a direct answer.

“If you don’t sleep next to me, I won’t sleep.”

Her tone was clingier than syrup.

He had no choice but to say, “Okay.”

He came back after the call.

Carrying the cold air of the outside, under the moonlight, Yin Xian looked at his bed.

Wang Jiexiang had fallen asleep.

She lay on her side, sleeping properly, taking up just a small corner.

Only her arm was misbehaving, pressing down on the edge of his pillow.

Yin Xian curved his lips and got into bed.

There was something she didn’t know.

The old man who collected recyclables across the hall always greeted Yin Xian when he came home.