The Decade of Deep Love

Chapter 9: Jasmine in Memory

Translator: Ruriko

At first, Wenxu Jiang and Zhishu He were ordinary classmates. Jiang was admitted to their high school as a student skilled in art. He excelled at sport but disliked studying. He always slept or drew pictures in class. In contrast with him, Zhishu He was a straight-A student who was good-looking and very popular among their classmates and teachers. Although he was not voluble and gregarious, he was well received because of his gentle smile which could melt people’s hearts.

Afterwards, they became desk-mates by accident. The first thing Wenxu Jiang said to Zhishu He was “You smell good.”

Zhishu He’s grandfather had got a yard full of the jasmines. In the florescence, their house was full of the fragrance of jasmine flowers and Zhishu was wearing the same fragrance.

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The next day, Zhishu He picked some jasmine flowers and gave them to Wenxu Jiang. Jiang gave him a big smile, rubbed his head and said, “Thank you.”

Wenxu Jiang was thoughtful. He knew that Zhishu hated to be disturbed in study, so he quietly slept or drew in class, and after class, he went to play basketball with a group of boys. Many girls in their class liked Jiang and often talked about him at break.

As a student, Wenxu Jiang was also afraid of being scolded by their class teacher. So sometimes he would come to school early and only asked Zhishu He for the exercise book as bold as brass, “Little Shu, can I copy your homework? I haven’t finished it. Help me, please.” Zhishu He always compromised with Jiang.

They got along with each other as normal desk-mates. One day when Zhishu came upstairs, he saw Wenxu Jiang come down the stairs in a daze. Suddenly, Jiang missed his footing and fell to the ground, scraping his knee, which terrified Zhishu. He rushed to Jiang and helped him up.

Wenxu Jiang put his chin on Zhishu’s shoulder, gasping with pain. “You smell nice. Just now you caught?my?eye, so I missed my footing,” he whispered in Zhishu’s ear.

Zhishu He was stunned by these words.

After that day, they felt much closer to each other. Wenxu Jiang often took Zhishu He to watch his basketball games and had him keep his coat and water bottle. The adorers of Jiang were upset but could do nothing since Jiang only allowed He to touch his belongings. Every time Zhishu He was present, Jiang put up a good performance as if he had taken stimulants.

Then one day, Zhishu He accidentally found that Wenxu Jiang, who hated reading most, was reading a foreign poetry anthology. He held the book and frowned in bewilderment, trying hard to understand the meaning of the poetry.

“Do you want to be a poet?” Zhishu He asked in a teasing tone.

Wenxu Jiang raised his eyebrows and said confidently, “Yesterday I heard you talk about this book with the study cadre (a student in charge of studies in the class). Since he could fully understand it, I think I can do the same thing. You can discuss with me later.”

Zhishu He smiled and said, “I don’t like this book. The study cadre likes some non-mainstream poems, but I like Zheng Jane’s writing. She is a famous authoress in Taiwan.”

In early June of that year, Zhishu He took Wenxu Jiang to his grandfather’s yard to see the jasmine flowers which were about to wither. They walked slowly for more than an hour before they arrived at the grandfather’s house. When they were near the yard, a slight breeze rose, wafting the lovely scent of flowers to them.

Wenxu Jiang suddenly held Zhishu He, leaning?his?head?against?Zhishu’s?neck. He took a sniff and said with smiling eyes, “It’s the same fragrance as yours. Zhishu, you smell nice.”

Zhishu He blushed at his words.

From then on, Wenxu Jiang began to study hard. He stopped playing basketball during breaks; instead, he drew pictures.

One day the physics teacher asked Wenxu Jiang to move the exercise books of all the students to his office. A gust of wind blew over their desk and opened Jiang’s sketch book. Zhishu He’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of the pictures in sketch book which was full of Zhishu’s portraits. Wenxu Jiang had drawn Zhishu He carefully from every angle, and every lifelike portrait seemed to speak his love.

In the final exam of Senior Two, Zhishu He got?the?first?place and Wenxu Jiang took the second. Jiang asked Zhishu out and held his hand at the end of an alley. He gave Zhishu a book of Zheng Jane and said in a soft, loving voice, “I have heard that you like Zheng Jane’s essays, so I bought this book for you. I hope you will like it…and like me too!”

At that time, Wenxu Jiang was seventeen years old and they fell in love. They had been together for fourteen years and went through many ups and downs.

Now, Wenxu Jiang was thirty-one years old, and Zhishu He was thirty.