Xu Si turned around and saw Jiang Rang standing behind him. She wore a cream-colored dress with a light purple cardigan. She looked especially beautiful today.
Jiang Rang looked at him, her breath catching when she saw the blood on his face and dirt on his clothes. “Did you get into a fight?”
For the first time in his life, Xu Si felt guilty. “Yes.” He knew his current appearance might frighten her – he was dirty all over, with blood on his face. He was also worried she’d be angry that he’d gotten into another fight, especially after saying he wouldn’t study today.
A soft hand touched his face, and Jiang Rang’s voice was gentle. “Does it hurt?”
Xu Si looked at her in surprise, nodding and shaking his head at the same time. Seeing her staring at his facial wound, he finally spoke: “I was afraid you’d wait for me. I sent you a message – did you not receive it?”
“My phone died. I left it charging at home today.”
“Sorry for making you wait so long.”
Jiang Rang shook her head. “It’s okay. It was my fault for not bringing my phone. You did message me.”
She picked up her bag and said to him, “Let’s go to the pharmacy first and put some medicine on it.”
She grabbed Xu Si’s sleeve to pull him along but felt something damp. Looking down at her hand, she saw red. Blood.
She grabbed his arm and rolled up his sleeve, revealing a long knife wound with dried blood around it.
“Xu Si, are you stupid? Why didn’t you go to the hospital first when your arm was injured?”
She knew he’d been in a fight but thought he only had minor injuries to his face and hands. She hadn’t expected a knife wound on his arm.
Jiang Rang usually spoke softly and liked using his full name, but Xu Si could tell she was angry now.
Xu Si looked down at her, helpless. “I forgot.”
Jiang Rang looked up at him without speaking, her usually bright almond eyes now emotionless.
“I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing to me about your own arm?”
She was angry. Really angry.
On their way to the pharmacy, Jiang Rang kept her lips pressed together and wouldn’t look at Xu Si. Seeing her stern little face, Xu Si’s heart ached. He wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her he was wrong.
At the pharmacy, Jiang Rang held Xu Si’s arm and spoke to the owner: “He has injuries on his arm and face. We need medicine.”
“Roll up your sleeve so I can see.”
Xu Si rolled up his sleeve himself. The doctor looked closely: “Come to the back. We’ll disinfect it first, then bandage it.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Rang followed them in.
The owner disinfected the wounds on Xu Si’s face and warned him: “The wound on your arm is quite deep. It will hurt – try to bear it.”
“It’s fine,” Xu Si said, smiling at Jiang Rang. She turned away, refusing to look at him.
As the doctor pressed the cotton ball against Xu Si’s wound, he noticed Jiang Rang moving closer.
“Open your mouth.”
Xu Si obediently opened his mouth. Jiang Rang dropped a candy in it.
Xu Si smiled at her, but she glanced at him once before turning away again, still not looking at him.
The candy melted in his mouth. Sweet. Strawberry flavored.
Xu Si often got into fights, and injuries were common. He’d even broken his arm once before, so he wasn’t afraid of pain. Seeing that Jiang Rang still wouldn’t look at him, he let out a small “hiss” of pain.
Jiang Rang looked at him: “Does it hurt?”
Xu Si nodded: “Mm.”
Jiang Rang extended her arm in front of him: “If it hurts, grab onto me.”
Xu Si only held her arm gently – he couldn’t bear to grab her too hard.
After applying the medicine, the doctor bandaged Xu Si’s arm and tied it off. “Any other injuries?”
Xu Si answered honestly: “On my back.”
“Lift up your shirt so I can see.”
Xu Si took off his jacket and lifted his t-shirt. Jiang Rang glanced up and saw a red mark on his back that was slightly swollen. With his shirt lifted, she could see the young man’s slim waist and broad shoulders. His back muscles were well-defined, with prominent shoulder blades. His pale skin made the red mark even more obvious.
The doctor frowned at his back injury: “You have soft tissue damage. I’ll spray some medicine on it and give you some medication to take.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Rang kept watching as the doctor applied the medicine, then belatedly realized what she was doing and turned away with reddened ears.
After the doctor finished spraying the medicine and prescribing some medication, he looked at Jiang Rang and quietly advised Xu Si: “Fight less. You’ll make your girlfriend worry.”
Xu Si looked at Jiang Rang: “I know.”
“Just comfort her when she’s angry. Girls should be cherished. Treasure what you have right in front of you.”
Xu Si smiled: “You’re right.”
…
On their way out, Jiang Rang still wasn’t speaking to him. Xu Si carried the medicine and gently tugged at her clothes: “Don’t be angry anymore, little square.”
When she didn’t respond, he tried calling her “little teacher.”
Jiang Rang turned to look at him: “I’m not angry. I just think you don’t take care of yourself enough. It’s not about you being late or anything else.”
“I really did forget.” Or rather, he was used to it. When he got hurt before, no one cared anyway, and wounds would heal by themselves. In previous years, his injuries would heal only to be replaced by new ones. These past few years, he rarely got hurt in fights anymore.
Xu Si added, worried she might misunderstand: “Yang Shikun was ambushed today. It was an emergency.”
“I know you didn’t start the fight, but it was really dangerous. Your arm got cut by a knife today.”
She looked up at him: “So, can you fight less in the future?”
“I will fight less in the future.”
Xu Si continued: “So, will little teacher forgive me this time?”
“I’m not angry.”
“Okay, you’re not angry.”
Xu Si tugged at her bag: “Let me carry it for you.”
Jiang Rang looked at his arm: “I’ll carry it myself.”
“It’s just a cut, not a broken arm. Let me carry it, it’s quite heavy.” Xu Si said, already taking off her backpack strap.
“We won’t study today. We’ll do it next time. What should we do now?”
“Let me treat you to a meal, as an apology for today.”
Jiang Rang gave him a look.
Leave a Reply