BOSF 018: Puppy Love

After the summer break, Ji Yan entered his second year of junior high.

During the vacation, besides the addition of a new baby in Xiang Yang’s family, another incident shook the neighborhood. Xiao Pei’s secret relationship with an older student was discovered by her parents. Ji Yan and Xiang Yang had once seen them together on the school playground, but he hadn’t paid much attention afterward. During the school term, they could meet daily, but the summer break left them restless without opportunities to see each other.

Xiao Pei, a top student under strict parental scrutiny to get into a good high school, was sent to cram school during the break, leaving little time for fun. Though she had a phone, her family monitored it closely, and she feared long calls would expose her relationship.

At first, the older boy visited her home secretly, cautious not to draw attention. Xiao Pei was nervous but thrilled. The rush of young love emboldened them, and their meetings grew bolder and more frequent, eventually shifting to near her cram school, thinking it safer. But a teacher or student spotted them and informed Xiao Pei’s parents, sparking an uproar.

Her mother, furious upon learning of the relationship, demanded without context, “What class is that boy in? What’s his name? I’m telling his parents!”

In their conservative rural area, a girl’s reputation was paramount, and parents feared their daughters being misled by “bad boys” or tarnished by gossip. Xiao Pei refused to name him, believing it wasn’t serious enough to get him in trouble and insisting they’d only held hands.

Sobbing, she pleaded, “Mom, we didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t do this…”

Her mother, thinking Xiao Pei was protecting the boy, grew angrier. “You say nothing happened, but will people believe you? The whole village knows now. How am I supposed to explain this? How long were you going to hide it?”

In their low-educated community, Xiao Pei’s mother, unable to study due to poverty, pinned her hopes on her daughter. Having faced discrimination as a girl, she carried traditional views, dreading gossip despite rejecting overt sexism. Xiao Pei’s good grades were her pride, making this betrayal unbearable.

Xiao Pei couldn’t grasp her mother’s fears, only knowing her mother obsessed over others’ opinions. Always an obedient daughter, she’d never clashed like this. “Why does it matter what others say? Why do you always care about their judgment?”

Her mother, stung by Xiao Pei’s defiance, was hurt—she’d faced judgment herself and wanted to protect her daughter. But she couldn’t say that, insisting, “Tell me who he is, or I’ll ask your teacher.”

“Mom!” Xiao Pei screamed. “I just like him. I didn’t do anything wrong!”

Her mother stood firm. “At your age, liking someone is wrong.”

This ignited a fierce argument, straining their once-close bond. Xiao Pei began a cold war, refusing her mother’s food. Her mother, unrelenting, tracked her every move to end the relationship.

Ji Yan learned of this through Lin Yueqin’s gossip. The scandal, including the cold war, spread across the community.

Though not close to Xiao Pei, Ji Yan felt she wasn’t impulsive and wanted to defend her. But speaking up was pointless—Lin Yueqin would dismiss him, as she often did.

Then, Lin Yueqin turned to him. “You don’t have any close girl friends at school, right?”

“Mom, what are you talking about?” Ji Yan recognized her probing look. “I’m always with Xiang Yang, aren’t I?”

“True.” Worrying about puppy love seemed universal for parents, but Lin Yueqin’s tone stayed stern. “Just focus on studying. Don’t copy others and date—it’ll ruin your grades. Wait till university to date; I won’t stop you then.”

Ji Yan felt helpless hearing this. His grades were average, and he lacked drive, unsure of studying’s purpose—high school, university, then what?

He couldn’t help asking, “What’s so great about university?”

Without hesitation, Lin Yueqin replied, “It gets you a good job.”

“And then?”

She gave him an odd look. “That’s it. A good job means finding a good partner, marrying early, starting a family. Without a degree or job, no girl will want you.”

Her answer, rooted in inherited beliefs, left Ji Yan more confused.

One day at school, he and Xiang Yang ran into Xiao Pei. She looked thinner, her face pale, still at odds with her mother. Stubborn, she believed she’d done no wrong. Ji Yan empathized—both came from similar modest backgrounds, their low-educated parents’ traditional views clashing with new ideas. Young and impulsive, they wanted to prove something.

Later, Ji Yan heard Xiao Pei’s mother beat her with a stick on their balcony, crying and shouting, her voice echoing through the building: “How could you be so shameless? How did I raise a daughter like you?”

Sobbing hysterically, Xiao Pei yelled back, “I did it on purpose! You’re so afraid of shame—I’ll make you ashamed!”

Unable to bear her mother’s surveillance and missing her boyfriend, Xiao Pei had run away to his house overnight. Her mother, enraged, dragged her back.

Neighbors, though fond of drama, feared the beating went too far and tried to intervene, ringing the doorbell to calm things.

The incident became gossip fodder. Somehow, Xiao Pei’s mother forced her to break up. Xiao Pei sank into depression, her vibrance fading. She stopped dressing up, wearing plain, unflattering uniforms, her spark dimmed.

Time heals, or so Ji Yan thought. But just when it seemed over, Xiao Pei climbed the school rooftop one day and jumped.

The tragedy shook the school. Her mother, seeing her body, collapsed in tears. Xiao Pei, her lifelong hope, was gone.

Though not close, Ji Yan was rattled. It was his first brush with death’s proximity.

Xiao Pei’s mother wasted away during the funeral, nearly fainting from grief. Her beloved daughter had retaliated in the cruelest way.

Neighbors offered condolences, but gossip persisted. Later, people called Xiao Pei foolish for jumping over a boy, not understanding she’d tried reasoning with her mother, only to face harsher control and a forced breakup. She wasn’t reckless or shameless—she studied hard, dressed nicely, and liked someone without neglecting her duties. She couldn’t fathom her parents’ objections. In her most desperate, confused moment, she acted impulsively. Perhaps she regretted it as she fell, but it was too late.

Countless families replayed such dramas daily.

Ji Yan heard the boy Xiao Pei liked transferred schools, his family moving away, leaving no chance for their promising love to endure.

The incident reverberated. Teachers, shaken, softened their discipline, urging students to communicate with parents to avoid regrets. Lin Yueqin grew unusually gentle, worried Ji Yan might do something rash, though he knew her softness was temporary.

People forget pain easily. Xiao Pei’s story faded from memory.

The semester passed, weather cooling from heat to chill. By year’s end, Ji Yan woke one morning to find his underwear wet and cold.