When Tang Meets Yu

To keep Jiang Yu and Ruan Tang apart, Jiang Xiquan waited until Jiang Yu had broken his ribs in a car accident and had them set. Then he locked the doors, had people break a few more of Jiang Yu’s ribs, and split his head open, hoping to make him lose his memory. None of it could stop Jiang Yu from reaching out to take the little girl’s hand. When eighteen-year-old Jiang Yu met thirteen-year-old Ruan Tang, she was crying under the blazing summer sun, with a snot bubble at her nose. Maybe he thought her snot bubble looked prettier than those of other kids her age. Maybe it was because he gave her a bag of rock candy and she accepted it. Maybe it was because he ruffled her hair and she didn’t resist. Maybe he was drawn to her clear, spotless eyes, where all he could see was his own reflection. Whatever the reason, she became the longing he carried for years, until she came of age. From then on, whenever he thought of Ruan Tang, he would drop a piece of rock candy into a jar, then find a way to give it to her every so often.