Chapter 2: "Apple tree will remember us"

Little Xin Xin, Yu Han, and Yu Mei went to the riverbank to play. The water sparkled under the sunlight, and Xin Xin proudly showed them how people in the village tried to catch fish.

“You have to be quiet… super quiet,” she whispered, tiptoeing to the edge.

Yu Han copied her exaggerated steps. “Like this?”

“No, no! You’re stepping too loud!” Xin Xin scolded softly.

“But there’s water everywhere. The fish already know we’re here,” Yu Mei said, laughing as she poked Yu Han’s back with a stick.

They didn’t catch a single fish, but their laughter echoed across the river like tiny bells. After a while, they settled under the old apple tree to rest and eat.

“Why haven’t I seen you guys before?” Xin Xin asked as she munched on an apple.

“We live in the city,” Yu Mei answered proudly, brushing the dirt off her skirt.

“Wow!” Xin Xin’s eyes widened. “The real city?”

Yu Han raised an eyebrow. “Is there a fake one?”

“I’ve never been to a city before,” Xin Xin admitted. “But Grandma said she’ll take me someday, when I’m big enough.”

She puffed her chest out proudly.

Yu Han laughed. “But it will take a long time! You’re still small… small like three apples stacked together!”

Yu Mei burst into laughter and rolled on the grass.

“Hahaha! Three apples! That’s exactly you!”

Xin Xin stood and put her fists on her hips. “Mr. Yu Han, you may be taller than me a little, but I’ll sleep a lot and grow bigger than you, just watch!”

“Really?” Yu Han teased with a smug smile.

“You two are fighting when you can’t even reach my height,” Yu Mei said, flicking both their foreheads before laughing even harder.

That started a playful attack. Xin Xin and Yu Han pounced on Yu Mei, and the three of them rolled across the grass, shouting and laughing until their stomachs hurt.

As the sun dipped lower, painting the sky orange, the three sat again by the trunk of the old apple tree.

“Let’s carve our names,” Yu Han suggested.

They scratched their names into the bark, giggling at how crooked Yu Han’s letters were.

Days turned into weeks, and they grew closer. Xin Xin taught them how to climb trees, how to skip stones, and which flowers smelled the sweetest. In return, Yu Han and Yu Mei told her about city lights, tall buildings, and buses as big as whales.

One afternoon, Yu Han blurted out, “Xin Xin, why don’t you come with us to the city and live with us?”

Xin Xin froze. “Really?? I really dream about going to the city!” Her eyes shimmered with excitement, almost teary.

Yu Mei looked away. “Um… but… trust me, Xin Xin… you might not like it once time passes. The city is loud and crowded. It’s peaceful here in the village. I’m always dreaming about coming back.”

Xin Xin’s shoulders drooped. “Really…?” she whispered sadly.

Yu Han put an arm around her.

“Don’t listen to that monkey. Monkeys lie sometimes.”

Yu Mei’s face turned red instantly. “WHAT did you call me!?”

Yu Han jumped up and ran. “A monkeyyyy!”

“Come back here!” Yu Mei shouted, sprinting after him.

Xin Xin rolled on the ground clutching her belly, laughing so hard tears came out of her eyes.

When they finally settled down again, breathing hard, Yu Mei lay on the grass and whispered, “Even if you don’t come to the city… we’ll always come back here. For you.”

Xin Xin smiled, her cheeks warm.

“And the old apple tree will remember us forever.”

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