Chapter 10: The Antique Bed

Grandmother’s house was a long, narrow dwelling aligned east to west, partitioned into three rooms with wooden boards within its thirty-two square meters. The bedrooms at either end were tiny, barely enough space for a wardrobe and a bed apiece.

The living room was somewhat larger. Aside from the dining table and a slightly smaller wardrobe, there stood, against the western wall and nestled in the corner, an ancient heirloom—a pearwood bed passed down since the Ming Dynasty.

This bed was larger than those in the side rooms, bearing witness to the family’s changing fortunes over generations.

—

The television was set directly opposite the pearwood bed; the view was clearest from its edge.

“What on earth does your classmate want you to watch?” her cousin grumbled, disinterested in the news, shoving the last dumpling into her mouth before falling back and stretching out in comfort upon the bed.

“Who knows? She’s being so mysterious. Why not just tell me outright...” Lin Xiyu’s tone held a trace of grievance. Seeing that the adults had nearly finished eating, she retrieved her cousin’s empty bowl and carried it to the table, helping gather up the dishes.

“Today marks the final day of the National College Entrance Examination. This year, our city has XX thousand students sitting for the test.”

“At 7:29 this morning, by the moat, our reporter captured the scene of a candidate, on her way to the testing site, who disregarded her own safety and plunged into the water to bravely save another...”

The news abruptly shifted to the college entrance examination. At the mention of a rescue, Lin Xiyu spun around, eyes wide with astonishment.

“Hey, hey, look at this!”

“It’s Xiyu—Xiyu’s on TV!” Her cousin, suddenly revived, sprang upright from the bed.

—

Her cousin’s shrill exclamation drew everyone’s attention. The whole family crowded before the television, eyes glued to the screen.

For a fleeting moment, Lin Xiyu felt as if she were in a dream.

The broadcast footage was even more stirring than she recalled. From the accident, to her leap into the water, to the bystanders joining in the rescue—the entire sequence, with its shifting speeds and impassioned narration, made the blood surge.

This was no less than a documentary!

Watching herself rescuing someone from the river, Lin Xiyu’s heart pounded, excitement threatening to overwhelm her.

—

“It really is Xiyu!”

“She jumped into the river to save someone?”

“Our Xiyu is remarkable—not only clever but a strong swimmer, too.”

“When did this happen? This morning? Did it affect the exam?”

“To keep such a big thing secret! If not for the news, we’d have never known...”

The news segment lasted only a few minutes. As the family regained their composure, every gaze turned toward Lin Xiyu, intense and inquisitive.

Her grandmother’s eyes brimmed with concern as she took Lin Xiyu’s hand, pulling her close.

“It didn’t delay anything, I took the exam...”

—

Not wanting her grandmother to worry, Lin Xiyu hurried to explain, “I meant to tell you, but after all the commotion with Aunt Zhang, I completely forgot.”

“Xiyu,” her cousin interjected at just the right moment, “you haven’t told Grandma about the documentary yet.”

“What documentary?”

Everyone looked baffled at this revelation.

“There was a reporter at the gate of No. 7 High School...” Lin Xiyu did not let her family down. She recounted everything: how she’d met the reporter, and how, after the exam, Li Yan had invited her to be filmed for a documentary.

“We can appear in it too?” her cousin’s eyes lit up with hope. “Like celebrities, on television?”

“Yes...” Lin Xiyu nodded, “That’s what the reporter said.”

“Wow, that’s fantastic!” Her cousin, delighted by this definite answer, wriggled with joy and broke into a fantastical dance.