Obsessed with Cleanliness Chapter 4: Wait for Me After School

Xiao Tong never dared imagine that someone like that could exist in the world, someone who would suddenly appear out of nowhere, reach out a hand, and pull her out of that pitch-black hell.

That person was Yu Qinghan.

Xiao Tong’s mother died very early, she passed away during childbirth. Xiao Tong was actually a second child. Women in the neighborhood loved to gossip when chatting.

One time, Xiao Tong got home early from school and overheard a conversation.

That’s how she found out: Her mother had given birth to a baby girl first, but it was during the strictest years of China’s one-child policy, and her father had been desperate for a son.

So while her mother was still bedridden after delivery, he strangled the baby girl to death behind her back.

Her mother found out during her recovery period. The shock caused her to fall seriously ill, and her health never recovered after that.

A year later, her mother gave birth to Xiao Tong. But they were too poor to afford a hospital, so she gave birth at home.

After a few days of suffering, she didn’t make it. She died on the bed, bleeding out all over the mattress.

"Another girl? Why didn’t that crippled Xiao strangle this one too?"

"He wouldn’t dare anymore! They say after killing the first girl, he had endless nightmares. A fortune teller said the child’s spirit had come to collect a debt. Now even if you beat him to death, he wouldn’t dare do it again!"

People called her father "Cripple Xiao" because he was born with one leg shorter than the other.

Everyone in town called him that.

Xiao Tong first heard about all this when she was in third grade, just the age when a little girl starts to understand the world.

From that day on, she finally understood why her father had always hated her.

She lived with her grandmother growing up. Her father was infamous in town as a gambling addict. Whenever he had money, he’d gamble it all away.

When he was broke, he’d come home to steal or rob from Grandma. If she refused to give him money, he’d threaten to sell Xiao Tong to fund his gambling.

Everyone knew she had such a father, so no one liked her.

The most common thing she heard growing up was adults warning their kids to stay away from her.

"Like father, like daughter. What kind of girl could Cripple Xiao possibly raise? You’re not allowed to play with her or her father might sell you off too. Got it?"

Young Xiao Tong overheard things like this often. And strangely enough, she even found their concerns reasonable. Because honestly, her father really was capable of that.

With a father like that, Xiao Tong had never had it easy since the day she could remember.

She was always afraid her father would suddenly show up and ransack the little house she and Grandma lived in.

At the same time, she didn’t dare tell Grandma about how other kids bullied her at school. She learned to mend her own clothes from a very young age because other kids often ruined or tore them on purpose.

Grandma was getting old and wasn’t in great health.

Xiao Tong didn’t want her to worry, so she would quietly sew everything back together and act like nothing ever happened.

Before she met Yu Qinghan, Xiao Tong’s only friend was a doll. Grandma gave her on her sixth birthday.

The doll was 14.9 centimeters tall, blonde-haired and blue-eyed, very beautiful. It was the most popular toy among girls at the time.

Xiao Tong had longed for one for over a year.

Grandma had finally saved up enough by scrimping and saving to buy it for her.

Every day, Xiao Tong’s favorite thing to do was to go next door to the scrap collector and find unwanted old clothes. She’d bring them back, cut them up into fabric pieces, and make all kinds of dresses and outfits for the doll.

She even gave the doll a name—Xiao Mei ("Little Beauty") because she thought the doll looked so pretty.

Xiao Tong didn’t do very well in school.

Grandma hoped she’d go to college, but Xiao Tong didn’t want to study anymore.

She was bullied all the time at school by students, by teachers, by everyone in different ways.

Her biggest dream at the time was to graduate from high school and work in the town’s garment factory.

The job paid 500 yuan a month and included food and housing. That was already a fortune for her and Grandma.

But most importantly, she wouldn’t have to endure the humiliation of school anymore.

That day, she was once again cornered in an alley near school by a few mean girls. They pushed her around for fun, and one of them even grabbed her hair and slammed her head against the wall.

Dizzy and dazed, Xiao Tong squatted on the ground for a long time, unable to recover.

When her vision finally cleared, she saw a pair of feet standing in front of her. Immaculately clean white sneakers, paired with light-colored pants.

Xiao Tong thought it was just another bully, so she looked up and froze. She had never seen someone so beautiful in this run-down little town.

Everyone here looked dusty and worn-out. But suddenly, someone so radiant and clean stood before her.

Xiao Tong almost thought Yu Qinghan wasn’t human but some kind of goddess from the heavens. And then, something even more unbelievable happened, the "goddess" smiled at her and reached out a hand.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Xiao Tong swore she had never heard a voice that pleasant in her entire life.

It was soft, warm, and gentle as if it traveled through the air, into her ears, and sank straight into her heart.

Standing before her, Xiao Tong felt utterly ashamed of herself.

"I’m Yu Qinghan. What’s your name?"

Xiao Tong stared, dumbfounded.

Only after a long pause did she realize the question was for her. She was so nervous, she didn’t know what to do with her hands and feet.

"Xiao Tong," she said.

"What are the characters in your name?"

"‘Xiao’ as in falling leaves, and ‘Tong’ as in the Chinese parasol tree in the autumn rain."

"Then our names make a perfect match."

Yu Qinghan smiled softly. "That’s a beautiful name."

The moment Xiao Tong heard that, her chest filled with pride and joy. Even her ears turned bright red.

"My mom gave it to me."

It was the only thing her mother left her besides her life. After that, the two of them went their separate ways.

Even after she got home, Xiao Tong was still secretly thrilled about that small, unexpected moment.

She even hummed a tune on the way back.

"You’re back, Xiao Tong."

Grandma had finished cooking early and was sitting on a small stool at the door waiting for her.

When she saw Xiao Tong return, she immediately got up to greet her.

"Give me your backpack. Dinner’s ready. Go wash your hands and eat."

"It’s okay, Grandma. I can carry it myself." Xiao Tong took her grandma’s outstretched hand and walked inside with her. "I told you not to wait for me anymore. We finish school late, and it’s getting colder now. What if you catch a cold?"

"Don’t be silly. I’m not that fragile. Your grandma’s still in good health."

Once inside, Grandma scooped rice into a bowl for her.

When she heard Xiao Tong actually humming a song, something that hardly ever happened. Grandma was overjoyed too.

She sat by the table and asked, "What good thing happened to my little Tong today? Tell Grandma so I can be happy too."

Xiao Tong smiled even wider, eager to share her magical encounter.

"Grandma, I met someone on the road today. She was so nice and super pretty."

"Oh really? This is the first time you’ve introduced a friend to Grandma. Next time you have to bring her home, and I’ll cook a good meal for her."

Xiao Tong nodded quickly between bites of rice, but deep down she was thinking someone like Yu Qinghan clearly belonged to another world.

Even meeting her once felt like a miracle. There probably wouldn’t be a next time.

Who would’ve thought, there really was a next time.

The next morning, right after the school’s morning exercises, Xiao Tong was slowly making her way back to class with the rest of the crowd.

Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and to her surprise, Yu Qinghan was standing that close.

Their noses bumped right into each other.

Startled, Xiao Tong held her nose and stepped back, only to crash into someone behind her.

Frightened, she quickly stepped forward again, but lost her balance and fell forward.

"Careful!"

Xiao Tong had closed her eyes, bracing for a painful fall but the pain never came.

Instead, she landed in a warm, soft, and fragrant embrace. Yu Qinghan had caught her and was holding her with both arms.

She chuckled softly next to her ear.

"Xiao Tong, I know I look good, but was it really necessary to throw yourself at me this quickly?"

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I really am so sorry!"

Xiao Tong’s face turned beet red. She quickly pulled away from Yu Qinghan and bowed over and over, muttering apologies, unable to say anything else.

She wasn’t good at dealing with people.

After apologizing, she didn’t know what to do.

She stood there awkwardly, head down, not even daring to meet Yu Qinghan’s eyes.

Xiao Tong was waiting for Yu Qinghan to scold her.

In the past, whenever she accidentally upset someone, that person would always call over a group of friends and classmates to mock and humiliate her before they let it go.

Even though she didn’t think Yu Qinghan was that kind of person, after so many years of habit, she couldn’t help but expect the worst. But the scolding never came.

Xiao Tong waited for a long time until finally, Yu Qinghan couldn’t hold it in anymore and laughed out loud.

She reached out and gently patted the top of Xiao Tong’s head.

"I didn’t even do anything to you—what are you so scared of? Xiao Tong, do I really look that scary to you?"

Yu Qinghan’s palm was warm.

Xiao Tong looked up at her.

Yu Qinghan’s eyes crinkled into a soft smile.

She looked gentle and stunning.

"No! Not at all…" Xiao Tong quickly denied it, her face heating up again from the touch on her head. After a long moment, she whispered, "You’re really pretty…"

"The prettiest,"

Yu Qinghan stepped closer, put her hands on Xiao Tong’s shoulders and gently straightened her posture.

Then she brushed aside the messy hair near her ear, tilted up her chin, and studied her face carefully.

"You’re really pretty too," Yu Qinghan said, looking into her eyes.

"Pretty like maple leaves in the fall. Xiao Tong, your name shouldn’t be Xiao Tong. You should be called Xiao Feng—‘Little Maple.’"

"Oh great, now I’m Duan Yu."

Standing behind them the whole time, Chang Linran couldn’t take it anymore. She exaggeratedly held her jaw and shivered.

"You two need to stop acting like you're in a drama. You’re gonna rot my teeth with all this sweetness. If you don’t head back to class soon, you’ll be late. Yu Qinghan, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Mr. Deng said yesterday that if you’re late to his class again, you’ll have to stand outside for the whole period."

"Get lost."

Yu Qinghan laughed and lifted her leg to lightly kick Chang Linran, sending her stumbling away. Then she turned back to Xiao Tong.

"She’s always like that, don’t mind her."

"No… not at all…"

"Okay. I’m heading to class now. Wait for me after school, we’ll go home together."

"Okay."

Xiao Tong stared blankly as Yu Qinghan walked farther and farther away, her legs feeling like they were filled with lead unable to move.

Just as Yu Qinghan had gotten quite far, she suddenly turned back and shouted, "You better wait for me after school! We promised to go home together!"

The joy on Xiao Tong’s face overflowed. After a brief hesitation, she finally raised her hand and waved hard toward Yu Qinghan.

She shouted back, "Okay!"

"What are you yelling about under the office building instead of going to class? You, come to the office with me!"

Xiao Tong’s smile collapsed instantly.

She looked toward Yu Qinghan’s direction with a pitiful expression, but the two girls had already turned into tiny dark figures in the distance.

They were walking into the morning sun, warm and golden and Xiao Tong couldn’t help but smile again.