See

The morning sky had barely begun to turn pink by the time the students were to board the buses to Zhihua Temple. The fresh breeze seemed even more crisp in the early hours, and Chen An drunk it in, feeling the cold air circulate in her lungs.

Lu Xi Xi yawned like a tired kitten and rested her head on Chen An's shoulder as they lined up in front of the school gate. The other students were in a similar state as if they had just rolled out of bed with only a small packed bag and their instruments.

Ms. Yun appeared energetically in front of the students, and Chen An was startled by the way she was dressed, in a khaki colored suit with a matching hat, as if they were going on a safari expedition rather than to an ancient temple.

"Alright everyone, listen up." Ms. Yun clapped her hands to get their attention. "We'll be departing in a few minutes. I will be assisted by a few other volunteer teachers, and you are to treat them the same way you treat me, understood?"

The students grumbled incoherently in affirmation, still drooped over half-asleep.

The volunteer teachers Ms. Yun mentioned made their way to the front of the crowd to stand beside her. Leftmost in the line was Shen Li Xin, and Chen An met his eye in surprise. He gave her a small wave under the clipboard in his hands, and Chen An waved back at him, dumbfounded.

As fate would have it, Chen An and Lu Xi Xi boarded the bus that Shen Li Xin was in charge of.

"Your names?" Shen Li Xin asked jokingly, raising a pen to check off the attendance list.

"Chen An," Chen An reported, nudging the girl who was slowly sliding off of her shoulder.

Dozing off while still standing, she responded, "Lu Xi Xi."

The two stumbled through the aisles of the bus, finally settling side by side in a pair empty seats. Before the bus could even pull away from the school's entrance, Lu Xi Xi was already fast asleep on Chen An's shoulder.

As they began their long journey, Shen Li Xin slid into the seat beside Chen An's. "It's nice to see you, An An."

"What are you doing here?" Chen An asked, still surprised to see him.

"Ms. Yun put out an announcement that she needed volunteer teachers for the orchestra retreat, so here I am," Shen Li Xin explained matter-of-factly. "Are you excited to see the temple?"

"Barely." Chen An held back her smile. "I don't think this is what any of us imagined when Ms. Yun said we were going on a trip."

Shen Li Xin leaned close to her ear as if telling her a secret. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you have fun, An An."

Chen An felt a blush rising to her cheeks and was suddenly grateful that the sky was still dark. They continued to whisper to each other while the other students slept peacefully. The several hour long bus ride no longer seemed so long.

It was already the late afternoon by the time they arrived at Zhihua Temple. As the last busload of students pulled in, the crowd gathered by the entrance.

Chen An looked up at the red-painted structure. The sun was perfectly aligned with the center of the tiled roof, casting soft beams of light in every direction. The trees outside were already bare, but the stone floor had been swept clean of fallen leaves, indicating the care that went into preserving the site. Though the temple was worn down, it was still grand in its own right.

Before the students could enter, Ms. Yun held out a large bucket and began pacing down the lines. "There will be no access to your cellphones during this retreat. You must focus on finding your inner peace through music and cannot be distracted."

The students began to complain, trying to come up with excuses to keep their precious cellphones, but Ms. Yun plucked each of their phones out of their hands and dropped it with a reverberating thud into the filling bucket.

"Now that that's settled, the volunteer teachers will guide you to the rooms you will reside in for the duration of the retreat. Get ready for the first activity to start in half an hour."

Each of the volunteer teachers stood firmly at the front of their lines, and Ms. Yun ordered each group to enter one after the other. Chen An wondered if Ms. Yun was treating this trip as an intensive practice camp for the students rather than the break they had been promised.

The students trudged to their rooms, which had only thin mats laid on the floor for each of them in the place of beds. A set of plain clothes laid at the foot of each mat, and the students exchanged their school uniforms for the simple dress of the temple.

Before the half hour was up, they made their way into the main hall and sat on weaved cushions on the floor. Low tables lay in front of them, covered with jars of dried leaves and various tools. Traditional musicians were seated at the front of the room, the unique sound of the erhu reaching their ears.

"To help you practice mindfulness, you will be learning how to perform a traditional tea ceremony," Ms. Yun announced.

An old man hobbled slowly to the front of the room, demonstrating the careful art for the students to watch. As he finished the intricate process, the clattering of the lids against the tea canisters and the clinking of the metal spoons filled the room.

Lu Xi Xi scooped the dried leaves into her cup disinterestedly. "How is this in any way related to helping us with preparations for the winter concert?"

"Ms. Yun has always had a... unique outlook on things," Chen An tried to reason. "I'm sure she knows what she's talking about with all of her years of experience."

"Everyone else must be relaxing at home right now while we're in this ancient place making tea of all things." Lu Xi Xi pretended to faint dramatically.

Before Chen An could encourage her, Shen Li Xin crouched beside them. "How's it going for you two?"

"Good," Chen An lied, nudging Lu Xi Xi to get up from her fake collapse.

Shen Li Xin peered into Chen An's cup, his sudden closeness catching her off-guard, and she could feel her breath get stuck in her throat. "Good work on preparing the tea leaves. Have you set the water to boil yet?"

Chen An shook her head. Taking the lighter in her hands, she attempted to ignite the small stove, but only small sparks spattered out, quickly dying as they landed on the table.

"Here, let me help you." Shen Li Xin took her hands and struck together the two pieces of the lighter. A small fire began to burn, and Chen An wondered whether the warmth she felt was from the stove or Shen Li Xin's hands around hers.

Setting the teapot on the stove, Chen An tried to remember the instructions of the old man, but Shen Li Xin's gaze made her mind go blank.

After a few minutes, she took the teapot from the stove and began to pour the water into her cup. The lid came loose, and a stream of boiling water dripped down its porcelain belly.

"Careful!" Shen Li Xin shouted, steadying the teapot in Chen An's hands. He set it carefully on the table and grabbed her hand frantically.

Chen An hadn't even noticed the burn on her reddening finger. Shen Li Xin pressed it delicately against his lips, and Chen An felt her hand go numb against the pain.

"You shouldn't be so careless," Shen Li Xin lectured, worry still laced through his voice. "Let's go bandage it up."

Unable to make out her words, Chen An let him pull her away from the table and out of the main hall.

In a quiet corner of the courtyard, Shen Li Xin rushed out of the security office of the temple, the first aid kit he had acquired in his hands.

Pulling out the small bottle of ointment, Shen Li Xin rubbed it gently onto Chen An's finger.

She flinched in response, the burning sensation stronger than the actual water that had burned her.

"I'm sorry, An An. Just bear it for a moment," Shen Li Xin soothed her.

Chen An bit her lip to hold back her wince. Shen Li Xin wrapped a cloth bandage around her finger, sealing it neatly.

"There, you'll be all better soon," Shen Li Xin smiled, trying to cheer her up.

There was a moment then that Chen An felt like a little girl that needed to be taken care of, and she wondered if Shen Li Xin saw her in the same way. On this retreat, Chen An was keenly aware that he was her teacher, albeit temporarily, a feeling she could easily shake with the children in the art classroom.

But, when he looked at her now, alone in the courtyard without any pretense of their roles in the school, Chen An wondered if he saw her as a girl or as a woman.