The next day, Bai Ruxue was more or less recovered.
Xiao Mo was naturally relieved that Ruxue was well again.
But then, once she was better, he couldn't shake the feeling that something about her was a little off.
Xiao Mo noticed that Ruxue kept sneaking looks at him.
And whenever he looked her way, she would hurry to pull her gaze away and pretend nothing had happened.
Then, the moment his eyes moved elsewhere, she would quietly start stealing glances at him again.
Right now, for instance, with Ruxue out there hanging up the laundry.
Xiao Mo was holding a book open in front of him, but he could already feel Bai Ruxue's gaze on him.
He raised his head and met her eyes.
Bai Ruxue started as if she'd been shocked, hurriedly pulling her gaze away; she turned her head and went on hanging clothes, even making a show of smoothing out a garment that was already perfectly flat.
Xiao Mo set the book down and walked over to her.
Feeling him coming toward her, Bai Ruxue's heart began to beat faster and faster.
The closer he got, the more flustered she became, and the faster her hands worked at the clothes.
"Ruxue, what's the matter? Is something up?"
Xiao Mo asked, coming to a stop beside her.
"Huh? N-no... nothing..." Bai Ruxue's eyes darted about, her small, fair hands flapping nonstop. "What would I have to be up to? Nothing, nothing at all..."
"Really nothing?" Xiao Mo asked.
"Really nothing..." Bai Ruxue's eyes shifted again; she looked thoroughly guilty, and her cheeks were bright red.
Xiao Mo had no idea what there was to blush about in hanging laundry.
And just as he was about to press her a little more—
one of the garments beside him hadn't been hung properly, and slowly slid off the bamboo pole.
Xiao Mo instinctively reached out and caught it.
The damp softness that met his hand and the slippery smoothness of the fabric made him freeze.
He looked down at what he was holding. It was a...
"You lecher!"
Bai Ruxue's cheeks went red as strawberries, and she snatched the dudou out of his palm.
Clutching it to her chest, she ran into her room and slammed the door shut with a bang.
"Something's not right..."
Xiao Mo stared at the firmly shut door, lost in thought.
Ruxue, she...
...actually knows how to be shy now?
And to think, once her dudou blew right into my face and she laughed like anything—she even wanted to stuff it into my mouth.
At lunch, Bai Ruxue still stole a glance at Xiao Mo with every bite she took.
When Xiao Mo took his bowl from her, his hand brushed hers by accident.
Bai Ruxue jerked her hand back as if shocked, her whole face going blank for a moment; then she hurriedly sat down and started shoveling rice into her mouth.
Xiao Mo and Xiaoqing exchanged a look, both of them baffled.
"Brother Xiao, what's wrong with my sister?"
Xiaoqing asked worriedly, once she had a chance when her sister was out of the room.
"I have no idea..." Xiao Mo shook his head. "She's been like this since she got up this morning."
Xiaoqing: "..."
How to put this, really.
If Bai Ruxue had been an ordinary girl, Xiao Mo would have thought her behavior today perfectly normal.
But the Bai Ruxue who used to be so silly and innocent had suddenly, overnight, learned shame—she even had the bashful air of a girl waking to first love—and that honestly struck Xiao Mo as very strange...
He was even a little unsettled by it...
That evening, when Xiao Mo came out after washing up, Bai Ruxue was nowhere to be seen; only Xiaoqing was in the courtyard, feeding herself.
"Xiaoqing, where's your sister?" Xiao Mo asked.
"Brother Xiao, she said she was going out for a walk and would be back soon," Xiaoqing said, looking up with mulberry leaves in her hands.
"Mm." Xiao Mo thought it over briefly. "I'll go look for her. Will you be all right here on your own, Xiaoqing?"
"I'll be fine." Xiaoqing nodded, and a flicker of delight even crossed her eyes.
Once Xiao Mo had left, Xiaoqing reverted to her true form and set off to find something to eat.
Sister's cooking is decent enough, but I haven't had a mouse in so long. I really miss it.
Once he was out of the village, Xiao Mo had a good guess where Bai Ruxue was.
He headed straight for Sheshan.
Sure enough.
On that same rock, he saw her—white dress, knees hugged to her chest, delicate head tipped back to watch the stars in the night sky.
"Something upsetting you again?"
Xiao Mo called out to her.
At the sound of his voice, Bai Ruxue's slender body gave a little start, and she pulled her gaze down from the sky. "N-no... nothing..."
"Really nothing?" Xiao Mo walked up in front of her.
"Really nothing this time," Bai Ruxue said softly, head lowered.
"But you've been strange all day, and you seem to have been avoiding me. Why is that?"
"I haven't been... You must be imagining things..." Bai Ruxue turned her head away.
Xiao Mo glanced at her profile. "All right, then maybe I'm imagining things. It's getting late—let's head back, or Xiaoqing will worry."
"Oh... mnh."
Bai Ruxue climbed down off the rock and followed along at his side as they started down the mountain.
The two of them walked the mountain path, moonlight pouring down silently like flowing water, sifting through layer upon layer of pine branches and printing the two of them with scattered, dappled shadows.
Xiao Mo's steps slowed, deliberately or not, and Bai Ruxue's skirt brushed lightly over the tips of the low-hanging grass by the path, as if she feared to disturb the sleeping creatures of the mountain night.
Two slender shadows fell across the dim ground, now drawing close, now drifting apart.
Green flecks drifted on the air; the fireflies had appeared without anyone noticing, dancing light and low like tiny stars.
One firefly drifted near the girl's temple, a single flowing star, resting there a moment before wandering off again.
She lifted her head and looked at his profile.
Bai Ruxue felt the softest part of her heart give a gentle stir.
As if something in the field of her heart were about to break through the soil.
Sweet, and a little sour.
She wanted him to know, and she was afraid of him knowing.
"Xiao Mo..." Bai Ruxue seemed to gather her courage; her cherry lips parted slightly as she softly spoke his name.
"Mm," Xiao Mo answered.
"N-nothing..." Looking into his eyes, she backed down a little. "I... I just noticed the fireflies are really pretty tonight."
"They are pretty."
Bai Ruxue lowered her head and fell silent, her small hands rubbing at her skirt.
But soon she gathered her courage again. "Xiao Mo."
"Mm?"
"N-nothing... I noticed the moon is very round tonight."
Xiao Mo looked up. "I suppose it is."
"Xiao Mo..."
"Mm?"
"I... I noticed there are so many stars out tonight."
"There are a lot."
"Xiao Mo... I noticed Aunt Wang seems especially happy today?"
"Probably because her son's business in the county town is taking off."
"I noticed Xiaoqing doesn't like green peppers."
"I noticed that long ago."
"Xiao Mo, I noticed the village's big black ox has gotten lazy."
"Because he's grown old."
"Xiao Mo."
"Mm?"
"I noticed... I think I've fallen for you."