Stepping into seventeen, everyone began to secretly grow, in their estimation, in the direction of “adults.”
Lin Zhexia found that she gradually began to pursue “independence” and “autonomy.”
In her interactions with Lin He, she began to need more say.
Sometimes, Lin He might have just nagged a few more times about “the weather hasn’t fully warmed up yet, wearing just one shirt inside like that, you’ll be cold in the evening when school lets out.”
The usually obedient Lin Zhexia would rarely develop a kind of unnamed stubbornness: “Mom, I’m not cold.”
And.
When Lin He was repeatedly reminding her of something.
She would suddenly, uncontrollably, blurt out: “I know, my affairs, I can handle them well.”
Lin He would sometimes feel she wasn’t listening.
Wei Ping would then step in to smooth things over: “The child is growing up, having her ideas, it’s normal, don’t be angry with her.”
But between her and Chi Yao, things remained the same.
That desire to become an “adult” seemed ineffective in front of him.
As long as she was with Chi Yao, she would instantly revert to being that childish Lin Zhexia.
That morning, they went to the bus stop as usual to wait for the bus.
The familiar cicada chirping returned to their ears, and the weather was so stuffy that even the wind seemed still.
Lin Zhexia suddenly spoke up: “Chi Yao, do you believe in destiny?”
Chi Yao didn’t know what she was up to again.
Lin Zhexia: “I recently learned some fortune-telling techniques. Give me your hand, let me tell your fortune.”
Chi Yao was wearing a very thin shirt, his school uniform collar slightly open, standing out especially in the crowd.
Chi Yao: “Did you leave home today without taking your medicine again?”
Lin Zhexia fired back: “You’re the one who didn’t take your medicine.”
The two argued back and forth about taking or not taking medicine.
He Yang stepped two steps away from them, distancing himself.
He silently said: I don’t know these two people. Don’t know them, not very familiar, not friends.
Not long after the start of eleventh grade, an unexpected small incident occurred.
One day during class break, Chen Lin kept asking her: “Have you noticed anything different about me today?”
Lin Zhexia looked at her for a long time, couldn’t see anything different, and could only say: “You look especially beautiful today.”
Chen Lin: “Be more specific, where am I beautiful?”
Lin Zhexia: “You’re beautiful everywhere, to the extent that it’s hard for me to be specific.”
Chen Lin gave up and directly confessed: “Look at my ears.”
Only then did Lin Zhexia notice that Chen Lin was wearing a pair of very delicate earrings. The ear piercings were probably newly done, still reddish. She had bangs covering the sides of her ears, so they weren’t very noticeable.
Lin Zhexia was a bit surprised: “You got your ears pierced?”
“Does the school allow it?” she added, “won’t Old Xu catch you?”
Chen Lin: “No, we’re not monitored that strictly. Shuxuan got hers done a long time ago, and no teacher has said anything. And even if someone says something, just take out the earrings and replace them with transparent studs, no one can tell.”
Lin Zhexia nodded: “I see.”
Chen Lin encouraged: “Do you want to get one too?”
She continued: “I got mine done near the school, just in that commercial street, turn into the alley, there’s an accessory shop, many people go there to get their ears pierced.”
Lin Zhexia listened with some eagerness to try.
Girls, during puberty, always have a magical longing for ear piercings.
Perhaps it’s the love of beauty at work.
Perhaps it’s wanting to do something harmless but rebellious behind parents’ backs.
Or perhaps, it’s because “adults” wear earrings.
“I have thought about getting my ears pierced,” Lin Zhexia said, “I wanted to since middle school, but my mom wouldn’t let me.”
“She said if I dared to get them pierced.”
Lin Zhexia said slowly, “She would break my legs.”
Chen Lin: “Just do it secretly, it’s not a big deal. My mom initially didn’t allow it either, but after I got them done, she didn’t say much.”
The class bell rang.
The topic stopped there.
But during class, Lin Zhexia still briefly wandered in her thoughts.
She was somewhat persuaded by Chen Lin, and actually began to consider getting her ears pierced behind Lin He’s back.