Chapter 3

Yenays POV

"Alright, I'll let him but he won't sit around and do nothing. Follow me..err....what's his name?" My dad asked and we all looked at him. He was silent for a while trying to remember his own name until I heard him whisper 'Feng Ling.' "Feng Ling, is that your name?" I asked him. He looked at me like he was lost and said "Is it?" and I said "You whispered Feng Ling." "I did?" he questioned and that's when I realised he didn't know what he was saying until he said it. "Alright Feng Ling, follow me," my dad said and Ling stood up and followed him out to the farm.

I turned around to look at my mother only to find her with a beaming smile while staring at me. "Muqīn, what is it?" I inquired. "Oh nothing...just that he is quite a handsome young man, don't you think?" she said. "Is he?..." I questioned trailing off and turning to look outside at Feng Ling struggling to understand what my father was saying. I went back to my room to get ready to walk to town. As I'm about to leave the house my dad shouts "Yenay! Take Ling with you and show him around the village so I can send him around! hehe.." finishing off with a mischievous laugh. "Okay Fùqīn." I say walking out while Ling runs to catch up with me as I was quite far from him. Once he reaches me, we walk quietly side by side.

I've always loved the road that leads me to the villages town. It is beautifully decorated with rows of cherry blossoms on either side of it. In autumn it looks barren and desolate but in spring...it is the most magnificent flower filled path. The pink cherry blossoms glide to the ground like flower rain. I reach out my hand to allow one of them to land on my small hands. "Yenay.." Ling says my name and I immediately turn to look at him. "...or Ai?" he continues asking his question. "Either is fine, Ai is a nickname from my parents." I say speaking softly. He nods in understanding and also reaches out his hand to catch a falling flower petal. "You like cherry blossoms?" he asks me. "Yeah...I see them a lot in my dreams, in memories that I can't seem to remember...like you." I say the last part while looking at him only to find him looking at me. We stare at each other for a moment longer than we should until I feel something on my legs.

"Ai! Ai! Ai! You're here!" a little boy shouts in excitement. Always the same little guy named Wang Lei. "Lei Lei, how are you today?" I say while crouching down to his level. "Excited as always...let's go!" he says while pulling me to class as he always does. I hope Ling is following me or else he'll get lost...our village isn't exactly...small. I began my lesson, we start with vocabulary then move on to playing educational games which helps them concentrate on the lesson while having fun. The lesson ends and I start looking for Ling. For a moment I thought he might've really gotten lost until I see him playing with the kids. I walk over to them and start telling the kids to go and play with their younger friends "hey kids, let the man breathe." I say while laughing at the kids toppling him over and crushing him under their weight. The kids run away laughing at their own trouble making.

Ling stands and dusts himself off. He looks at me and smiles a jaw dropping smile. I stare at him, memorizing his facial features. I'm brought out of my daze when he speaks "You teach kids?" he asks. I nod slowly. "Did Fùqīn ask you to get anything from the village?" I ask. He nods and tells me all that he needs to get. I decide to give him a tour of the more important places of the village. I took him to my favorite place, The Library. I got him some books for him to read if he gets bored. I took him to the market where they sell fruits and vegetables then to the shops where they sell garden tools, plants, and seeds. We got all that my father sent him to get and started walking back home. "Parents! hehe...we're home!" I shouted as I we walked into the house. "Yah! is that how you address us?" my mother asked me while glaring at me jokingly. "You are my parents, aren't you?" I said with a grin plastered on my face. She sighed in defeat knowing I was right. "Food is ready, go wash up and come eat." Mom said while walking back to the kitchen to finish cooking.

I went to my room to wash up and came out again to eat. I sat down on the floor in front of the table and started eating. I felt eyes on me while I was eating so I turned my head in the direction of the person next to me, finding my suspicions to be correct as Ling was watching me eat. I swallowed my food and said "What? Is something wrong?" he shook his head no but he took the cloth that was in front of him and brought it closer to my face. I instinctively shifted my head back but he still came closer and wiped off something that was on my face. I blinked, multiple times before turning away and whispering a 'thankyou.' Little did I know that my parents were standing by the kitchen door watching us with heart eyes. If there's anything they're grateful for in this moment it's that I'm communicating with someone my age other than the little kids I teach and he's a male, bonus!! To them anyway.

My parents finally sat down to eat with us. Surprisingly we were all able to strike up conversations with him that could last for more than 5 minutes. We ended up talking even after my parents decided it was late for them so they went to sleep. After some time I went into my room and found blankets laid on the floor next to my bed. I facepalmed myself knowing exactly what my mother was trying to do but I didn't have the courage to take the stuff to the living room as I knew she would talk my ear off about it in the morning. "Ling.." I slowly turn to look at him "...you'll have to sleep on the floor in my room.." I said while looking down shyly. He only nodded and I got into my bed and tried to fall asleep. Emphasis on tried...