Sweet Oxygen - Chapter 46

Chapter 46 – Christmas

The phone in her pocket rang for seventeen seconds

——

Another winter had arrived, with temperatures dropping below freezing by dawn.

On Yaonan Alley, a middle-aged man who’d bought breakfast exhaled white steam as he rode his bicycle past Zhang Yuqing’s shop, clutching steaming soy milk and crispy fried dough sticks.

Luo Shijin, hands tucked in the wide sleeves of his padded jacket like an old man, hunched his shoulders. “This year’s cold is fucking brutal.”

Zhang Yuqing sat in his chair, a gray high-necked sweater covering his shoulders. He held a white stylus, drawing on his tablet.

At Luo Shijin’s remark, he only replied mildly, “Mm, it is cold.”

“Last year was warm, and the year before that wasn’t cold either.”

Luo Shijin frowned, pondering. After a moment, he exclaimed, “Ah! I remember now—it was that year Dandan was hospitalized! That winter was the coldest fucking one, just like this year. The snow fell in huge flakes, enough to freeze a man to death!”

Zhang Yuqing slowly raised his eyes, his gaze unfocused as it settled in the air.

He offered a faint smile. “So that was three years ago?”

At first, Luo Shijin didn’t catch on, continuing to chatter, “Yes, three years ago. You’ve forgotten that year when Dandan and Grandma stayed in the hospital—”

He stopped mid-sentence, wanting to slap himself hard across the face!

The year before last!

What had happened the year before last wasn’t just the cold weather and Dandan’s grandmother being hospitalized at the same time!

The biggest thing was clearly…

When Luo Shijin thought about Qin Han, he felt utterly lost.

His mouth usually had no restraint, daring to say anything, but he’d never dared mention Qin Han even once.

He didn’t know what exactly had happened between them.

It was truly heartless, never contacting her again.

To change the subject, Luo Shijin got up and walked toward the back door. “Right, I still have a few beautifully wrapped apples. Let’s give them to Dandan.”

“You’re not keeping them for selling?” Zhang Yuqing asked, drawing on his draft.

“Why would I keep them?” Luo Shijin waved his hand grandly. “I thought people might buy them for Christmas when I brought them over on Christmas Eve. But it’s already the 26th, and Christmas is past. No one would want to eat wrapped apples now. Let’s give them to our little beauty Dandan!”

Luo Shijin brought back several apples, beautifully wrapped with large golden bows that looked quite pretty.

“Dandan! Look what Shijin-gege prepared for you!”

Over the past few years, Zhang Yuqing had been spending a fortune on private lessons for Dandan, never skipping a beat even during summer and winter breaks. He never blinked at the daily cost of hundreds of yuan for one-on-one tutoring.

Fortunately, the money hadn’t been wasted. Dandan had made significant progress—she could now dress herself, brush her teeth, and wash her face independently.

Having just finished her morning routine, Dandan heard Luo Shijin’s voice and descended from upstairs.

Though dressed, her button-up sweater was fastened incorrectly, the buttons crooked and mismatched.

Luo Shijin tutted, placing an apple on the table. “Dandan, we can’t let a young lady like you wear her clothes so untidy.”

Dandan lowered her head. “Dandan mixed up the buttons.”

After helping her correct the fastenings, Dandan glanced at the air conditioner, perhaps feeling the chill.

She stepped behind Zhang Yuqing, tiptoed, and draped her arms around his shoulders in a pretend massage. “Dandan wants the air conditioning on. Dandan wants warm air.”

Children are like this—they mimic those they admire.

Years ago, Qin Han used this same trick whenever she tried to coax the remote control from Zhang Yuqing, feigning a massage with practiced charm.

Now Dandan had learned the same game.

Zhang Yuqing’s hand froze mid-air, the stylus tracing an errant line across the tablet screen.

He erased the mark before turning with a smile. “Didn’t I mention yesterday where the AC remote is?”

“Dandan forgot.”

“Think harder?”

Dandan’s palm slapped her forehead. “I remember now! It’s in the second drawer of the cabinet.”

Though twelve years old, Dandan still struggled with basic self-care tasks—dressing and washing—while her peers had already transitioned to middle school.

Armed with the remote, Dandan resumed her ritual of massaging Zhang Yuqing’s shoulders. “Thanks, Qing-ge.”

There she goes again, mimicking Qin Han, Luo Shijin sighed inwardly.

He pulled Dandan to the table. “Eat your apple before it’s too late. You’re trying to kill your brother with this cold.”

Beibei’s sleepy yawn echoed from upstairs as the cat barreled down the stairs, its fluffy tail trailing behind.

While Luo Shijin supervised Dandan and Beibei’s snow play, Zhang Yuqing set down the stylus and checked the date.

Last semester, then. The girl should return by spring.

“Qing-ge! Catch this!”

Luo Shijin thrust open the door, hurling something inside. “The phone’s useless—it shuts off in this cold.”

Zhang Yuqing caught Luo Shijin’s phone, and the shop door closed again.

For a moment, it felt as if time had reversed. Outside, someone seemed to be pounding on the door, pleading with a tearful voice, “I’ll wait until you’re done with your work, okay?”

The time difference between China and the United States was 13 hours ahead.

It must be Christmas night over there right now.

He spun Luo Shijin’s ice-cold phone in his hand, trying to power it on.

Suddenly unable to resist, he wanted to hear what the little girl was doing right now.

Her days studying in the US weren’t much different from back home. Qin Han was still busy with classes, spending her free time in the library, and working part-time at a children’s rehabilitation center on weekends.

With such a busy schedule, the two years of studying abroad had flown by. Before she knew it, it was already her final semester.

The dormitory for international students was a rented apartment, spacious with five rooms, accommodating both male and female residents.

Everyone came from different places: Andri from London, Emma with short hair from France, and a Korean couple, Park Chi and Goldie.

The Korean couple later moved into a single bedroom, leaving the other room for their beautiful Samoyed dog.

The apartment’s common areas were spacious, with a comfortable long sofa and carpet in the living room.

On Christmas Day, heavy snow fell across the United States. Qin Han was summoned back from the library early by her roommates, who declared they would celebrate Christmas.

This would be their last Christmas together as five international students.

Time truly flew by.

Qin Han walked through the snow wearing thick fur boots, her ears plugged with headphones. The local music station suddenly played “Cry on My Shoulder,” making her pause. She gazed at the brightly lit Washington streets, momentarily disoriented.

It felt as if she wasn’t heading to the apartment building, but rather to Yaonan Alley.

Though this place was 14,000 kilometers away from Imperial City, separated by the vast Pacific Ocean.

The European architectural style bore no resemblance to anything back home.

Qin Han pushed open the dormitory door, her thick down jacket brushing against the frame. The Samoyed dog belonging to the Korean couple immediately leaped toward her.

She smiled, crouched down, and stroked the dog’s soft fur. “Gira, you look beautiful today too.”

Gira responded with an excited bark.

Qin Han remembered when the Korean couple first brought Gira home. One morning, half-asleep, she had gotten up to make coffee in the living room.

Gira rushed over, and out of habit, Qin Han called out, “Beibei.”

Goldie, the Korean girl, smiled and asked, “Han, did you have a dog before? One named Beibei?”

The sleepiness vanished from Qin Han’s mind. She stood frozen in the living room for a moment before shaking her head. “Beibei was a dog my friend had.”

After December passed, these roommates who had lived together for two years would part ways. That’s why they put extra effort into preparing for Christmas this year.

The table was covered with snacks, and Emma, the short-haired French girl, was hanging stockings on the Christmas tree.

Seeing Qin Han return, Emma excitedly called out, “Han, come help me decorate the Christmas tree!”

Andri, the German boy and wealthy second-generation heir, had driven through the snow to buy several bottles of red wine and chocolate pies.

He poured red wine into a decanter and turned to ask, “Han, shall we have a drink today? You’ve never shared a drink with us before.”

Perhaps because the return to Imperial City was drawing near, Qin Han had been thinking more often about Yaonan Alley lately.

Sometimes she felt as though that street existed only in her imagination, as if Imperial City had never possessed such an old alleyway. The city had always been bustling with traffic, vibrant and brilliant.

On the table lay a small yellow-fleshed Korean melon, cut into a fruit salad. The melon’s refreshing sweetness filled the air.

The dried osmanthus flowers she’d bought earlier had likely been used by Emma and raspberries to make a cake. The berry mixture, combined with osmanthus, tasted remarkably similar to chilled sour plum juice.

People often say that time erodes everything.

Yet for some reason, those memories remained so vivid.

That summer day when she first met him, the crisp sound of melon being cut had resonated through her heart.

Andri approached with a wineglass, offering it to Qin Han with a smile. “Han, are you sure you don’t want to drink? The wine today is quite good.”

Qin Han smiled, lifting her head to accept the stemmed glass from his hand. “Then I’ll have a sip.”

The Korean couple emerged from the bedroom speaking in their native tongue. The boy, sporting a head of ramen noodle curls, raised his DSLR camera and snapped several photos of Qin Han and the German boy before switching to English. “Alright, let’s take some pictures to commemorate our last Christmas together.”

He lowered the camera to review the shots, then grinned. “Andri, you two look surprisingly well-matched in height.”

Andri raised his wineglass in mock toast. “But Qin Han always gives off the air of someone with a prior claim. Otherwise, I’d have made my move long ago.”

His jest earned him a sharp jab in the arm from Qin Han.

The roommates posed before the lit Christmas tree. Qin Han, with her phone clutched in her pocket, drew Emma’s disapproval. “Qin Han, show some enthusiasm! Don’t just stand there like we’re holding you hostage.”

“How exactly should I show enthusiasm?” Qin Han asked.

Emma wrapped an arm around her. “How about a kiss?”

Park Chi roared with laughter, urging them on. “A kiss it is! Min-young and I will share one too. Let’s leave Andri alone in the photo!”

Unnoticed amidst the commotion, Qin Han’s silenced phone vibrated with an incoming call. Her hand emerged from her pocket, fingertips accidentally brushing the screen as she answered.

The crowd continued to chant, “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

The atmosphere was as lively as that summer day on Yaonan Alley.

Amidst the commotion, Qin Han smiled. She drained her glass of red wine in one gulp and said to Emma, “Go ahead, but only on the cheek!”

The phone in her pocket rang for seventeen seconds.

Then hung up.

It was a number from Imperial City.