Chapter 39: Red Plastic Rope
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“Haha, so you’re from Class B!”
The boys in front burst into laughter, and the girls beside them suppressed their smiles. Sun Bing’s face turned red then white, he was frustrated.
“What are you laughing at? You haven’t even learned English!”
The surrounding classmates ignored him, laughing and giggling. They hadn’t learned English, so they certainly couldn’t match Sun Bing’s English level. But seeing a quiet and handsome boy effortlessly shut Sun Bing up with a few fluent and beautiful words, the kids felt a sense of satisfaction.
The dismissal queue moved forward playfully, the afternoon sun casting long shadows.
Xie Shiyu held Chu Feng’s hand as they walked forward. The classmates around them cast admiring glances at Chu Feng, and some even looked enviously at Xie Shiyu, who was holding Chu Feng’s hand.
Sun Bing glared at the hand-holding Xie Shiyu and Chu Feng behind him, snorted heavily, then turned his head away, fuming.
After a while, the laughter gradually died down. The first-grade kids were quickly drawn to the passing cars on the street, and the surroundings quieted down, with only the rustling of leaves along the road audible.
“You’re amazing.”
When all the other kids had stopped paying attention to Chu Feng’s English, Xie Shiyu suddenly spoke beside him.
Chu Feng felt the warmth of Xie Shiyu’s hand in his palm.
“No… nott really.”
Chu Feng lowered his head, feeling a little embarrassed. He realized that he had seemed like he was showing off in front of Xie Shiyu just now, as if he wanted to impress him. He knew Xie Shiyu definitely hadn’t learned English.
“I’m not referring to English.”
Xie Shiyu raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting to the sulking Sun Bing ahead. With a voice that only they could hear, Xie Shiyu chuckled softly.
“It’s amusing.”
—Seeing through the boastful person’s facade.
Chu Feng smiled and lowered his head. They continued walking forward, hand in hand, smiling silently.
***
At the intersection, several children walked into different paths, waving goodbye as the dismissal queue officially dispersed.
Chu Feng lived in the upscale residential area of the garden, so he needed to turn right. Sun Bing lived in a similar area nearby, so several kids gathered together, preparing to walk into the right fork together.
Xie Shiyu, carrying a black backpack, walked alone into the left fork, heading in the opposite direction from them.
Sun Bing looked disdainfully to his left, where the backstreet was lined with old dilapidated buildings. He glanced again at Xie Shiyu, wearing a T-shirt and shorts without any brand labels, probably cheap goods bought for a few bucks at the market.
Sun Bing sneered inwardly: what a poor kid. He didn’t want to be friends with poor kids; he might end up borrowing money from him.
He turned to look at Chu Feng beside him, in his Adidas clothes from head to toe, even the shoes.
Thinking back to when they were at the school gate, his own dad addressed Chu Feng’s dad as Professor Chu, indicating that their family was probably well-off. Although Sun Bing was only seven years old, influenced by his dad, he knew that people like Chu Feng were more valuable as friends than as enemies.
“Hey, Chu Feng! Since we live close by, why don’t we walk home from school together from now on?”
Sun Bing seemed to have forgotten his earlier boasting and stood next to Chu Feng, trying to get close to him.
Chu Feng stood still, watching Little Shiyu walking alone at the old street corner. His small figure seemed to be swallowed by the surrounding dilapidated buildings, gradually getting farther away until he disappeared from sight.
Chu Feng felt an impulse to catch up with him. He had always lived on “this side,” among the garden high-rises, Adidas, and respectable parents. He wanted to see what was on Xie Shiyu’s “that side.”
It was the first time Chu Feng had met someone who interested him so much. His curiosity was like a little rabbit gnawing at his chest. What did Xie Shiyu do after school?
“…Chu Feng? Hey! I’m talking to you! Since we live close, why don’t you walk home with me from now on?”
Sun Bing felt very generous towards himself, almost as if he was granting Chu Feng a favor.
“I can walk a few more steps to drop you off first!”
Chu Feng turned his head, looking at Sun Bing with a puzzled expression, as if he had just realized that the person was talking to him.
“Sorry, not interested.”
***
Dinner time.
Chu Feng sat at the dining table, while the big butt TV in the living room was broadcasting legal news:
“Recently, there has been a surge in theft cases near the station, with victims reporting that someone suddenly bumped into them near the station. By the time they reacted, their wallets were gone. Many people found their wallets missing only after returning home!”
“The pickpocket is highly skilled, indicating that he is a habitual offender. Our police force is working tirelessly to apprehend him. Here, we hope that the general public will pay attention and adhere to three principles at the station. Here, we have invited Captain Lin from the Municipal Public Security Bureau to explain to everyone…”
Chu Feng listened half-heartedly.
“Eat more fish.” Chu Feng’s mother picked up a piece of steamed bass for him. “Eating fish makes you smart and helps you learn.”
Chu Feng’s father asked, “How was school today? Did you meet any new classmates?”
“Yeah.”
Chu Feng took a bite of the delicate fish meat. “Met some.”
He didn’t want to share about Xie Shiyu with his parents.
If he said he had made a new friend, his parents would surely continue to ask him questions. Which one? What’s their name? Then his parents would go to the teacher to inquire about this Xie’s family background and academic performance, to see if it was worth continuing the friendship.
Chu Feng knew his parents strictly adhered to the principle of “birds of a feather flock together”. If they were to make friends, they would definitely screen rigorously to prevent him from getting close to bad kids who didn’t like to study.
Chu Feng recalled what happened in kindergarten. The chubby kid in their class had mocked Xie Shiyu: “Your dad does drugs, and you’re sick too!”
Forget about academic performance; just based on this, if his mom found out that he was sitting next to such a kid and planned to continue getting close to him, she would surely be frightened out of her wits.
Chu Feng lowered his head and took a bite of rice, keeping his mouth shut.
“Yes, our public security department has always been cracking down on crime!”
On TV, Captain Lin from the police was still speaking:
“Recently, our anti-drug team also seized a batch of drugs… Here, I want to emphasize again, cherish life, stay away from drugs!”
“All right! Thank you so much, Captain Lin! Let’s move on to the next news…”
“Currently, at a sewage outlet in the west part of city, a male foot was found. The foot was bound with a red plastic rope, tied in a very peculiar manner…”
The TV screen switched to the scene, with several yellow police cordon lines by the muddy and foul-smelling riverbank, where a group of people in protective suits were digging by the river.
“The victim’s identity has not yet been confirmed. The police are conducting a thorough search in the vicinity…”
Chu Feng’s father looked up eagerly at the TV. He had just read about this case in the newspaper this morning and wanted to see more detailed news on TV…
Chu Feng’s mother snatched the remote control and changed the channel.
Chu Feng’s father exclaimed, “What are you doing!”
“Oh, it’s disgusting to watch this kind of thing while eating!” Chu Feng’s mother frowned. “Another corpse, how can anyone eat while seeing this! Our son is still here, and you’re showing him reports of murder cases. He’s so young; he’ll have nightmares if he watches this at night!”
“Yes, yes, watching the news will give him nightmares. You’ve given birth to a flower, not a son!” Chu Feng’s father chuckled angrily. “Then let’s watch children’s channels for the flower. Cartoons are the best.”
Chu Feng’s father, with a touch of annoyance, pressed the remote control, switching to CCTV-Children’s Channel.
Ding, ding, ding…
The uplifting theme song echoed from the television: “Tell a myth, there was a family with a couple that gave birth to a strange child.”
The red mist fluttered on the TV screen, with four big characters: “Legend of Nezha.”
Little Chu Feng looked up, his gaze fixed on the television.
“Let him watch this. Watching cartoons won’t give him nightmares at night,” Chu Feng’s father took a big bite of rice.
“Oh dear! Why do you let him watch these childish cartoons every day? He’s getting dumber watching them.”
Chu Feng’s mother snatched the remote control. He switched to CCTV-English Channel:
“Go listen to English. Don’t waste mealtime; listening more will improve your listening skills in the future.”
Little Chu Feng looked up and saw the bright red mist on the TV turn into a blue-gray backdrop. A foreigner in a suit and tie stood there, speaking very quickly in what sounded like bird language.
Little Chu Feng’s English vocabulary was not yet extensive. He could understand some very slow-paced basic English teaching materials, but he couldn’t understand this kind of formal English news at all. He just felt like it was all gibberish, noisy and incomprehensible.
Chu Feng’s father disliked English the most. He was a mathematics professor in college, and his failure in English in the college entrance examination made him resentful. He felt irritated all over hearing this bird language; he raised his voice:
“Do we have to listen to bird language even while eating? What are three Chinese people doing listening to bird language on TV during dinner?”
“Why do you care if it’s bird language or not? Do they have to take the college entrance examination?” Chu Feng’s mother also raised her voice: “If you were as good in English as you are in mathematics, you might already be the president of a 985 university!”
Chu Feng’s father slammed his chopsticks down: “Do you have to argue with me while eating breakfast in the morning and dinner in the evening?”
“Who’s arguing with you? I’m just saying it’s good for him to listen to more English, isn’t it? If he scores higher in English in the future, won’t it benefit him? While other kids are wasting time watching cartoons, he’s listening to English, which definitely makes a difference in his studies. What’s wrong with that?”
“He doesn’t want to listen to English. Who wants to listen to English while eating dinner!”
“How do you know what he wants? Just because you’re bad at English, you don’t want your son to be good at it!”
***
“Listen to English.”
Amidst the soprano and tenor voices competing live, little Chu Feng suddenly spoke:
“Just listen to English.”
The house fell silent.
Little Chu Feng lowered his head. He ate the fish meat that would make him smart and score high marks while listening to seemingly helpful but incomprehensible bird language. That’s how he spent his dinner.
***
Little Shiyu walked home.
His mother probably wasn’t home yet, so he needed to make dinner himself.
It was only three o’clock now, and Little Shiyu wanted to wander around outside.
Two streets away from the residential building where he lived, there was a low bungalow. An old man lived there, often watching TV on the ground floor. Sometimes when his grandson visited, they would watch cartoons on the children’s channel.
When the weather was hot, the family would open all the doors and windows. Little Shiyu would secretly crouch behind the windowsill, peeking through the window to watch “Legend of Nezha” for a while.
Today, this family’s television also switched to the children’s channel.
The familiar sound of “dang, dang, dang” rang out.
Little Shiyu hid under the window, revealing a pair of small eyes as he looked inside at the TV.
Before long, the old man in the living room got up to answer a phone call. When he returned, he picked up the remote control and switched off the children’s channel.
—Perhaps his grandson wasn’t coming over to play today.
Little Shiyu felt a bit disappointed. His family couldn’t afford a television, so he could only sneak a glimpse of a few snippets from other people’s windows like this.
Today, there wasn’t even a snippet to see, only the grand red dance of the “Mix Heaven Silk” in the opening credits.
Little Shiyu, carrying his small backpack, was about to turn and leave—
“…The police are still investigating. Citizens are urged to report any missing persons promptly…”
Little Shiyu turned his head. The old man had switched to the news channel of the city TV station. Recently, a body part, a male foot, was found near the sewage outlet in West City.
“The victim’s ankle was bound with a red plastic rope, and it is said that the knot used to bind it is very unusual, isn’t it, Captain Lin? Can you please give us more details?”
“The details of this case… are not convenient to disclose. I can only say that it is definitely not a common knotting method.”
“Do you think the perpetrator could be a serial offender? Because there are rumors that this plastic rope and knotting method have also been found in cases in other cities.”
“We need to wait for further investigation on this. We suspect that this is a murder case involving dismemberment and disposal of the body in water. At present, it has not been determined as a serial killing case. Please refrain from spreading unfounded rumors.”
The old man in the living room sneered. Little Shiyu understood his meaning. The official tone of this statement implied that it was likely a serial murder case. It’s just that the police are not certain now. A serial killing and dismemberment case is too big, and they are afraid of causing public panic.
The television continued to report on the case, essentially stating that it was a simple murder case where the perpetrator dismembered the victim and disposed of the body in water. There was nothing more to it, and people were urged not to panic or spread false information.
Little Shiyu watched for a while, feeling bored. Today, he could only go home early.
The dilapidated and gloomy residential building.
Little Shiyu entered the stairwell, and darkness immediately surrounded him. Even the sunlight at three o’clock couldn’t penetrate.
He climbed the stairs step by step, greeted by the damp smell of mold. Little Shiyu was used to it. He maneuvered around some unknown water stains emitting a garbage smell and made his way to his family’s apartment, 404.
On the third floor, just as Little Shiyu turned to climb the stairs to the fourth floor, suddenly—
Creak.
The door of 304 opened.
The uncle from the convenience store came out and spotted him right away.
“Oh, Little Shiyu, finished school?”
“Yeah.”
Little Shiyu didn’t want to talk much with this uncle and turned to continue climbing the stairs home.
“Oh my.” The convenience store uncle bent down, moving a crate of 7UP soda. “It’s really heavy. Getting old, my waist isn’t as good as it used to be.”
Little Shiyu glanced at him. He felt that this uncle always pretended to be weak, trying to create the impression of a middle-aged person with health issues, perhaps hoping someone would help him move the soda.
At seven years old, Little Shiyu wasn’t about to help move soda. He could see that this uncle was anything but weak. The muscles and veins on his exposed hands and back looked extremely strong. Little Shiyu thought this uncle could easily handle two crates of soda on his own.
Little Shiyu stood still, pretending not to catch the uncle’s implied request for help.
The uncle from 304 went back into his room and brought out an even larger crate, labeled “milk”…
Suddenly, Little Shiyu’s whole body shook.
He saw that this so-called milk crate was tied with:
…red plastic rope.
The knotting method was very strange.
It wasn’t the usual single knot, bow knot, or cross knot. It was a completely dead knot, like two maggots twisting together, very uncomfortable to look at.
—Would a normal person tie such a knot on a milk crate? And this milk crate was about to be moved to the convenience store for sale…
In a moment, Little Shiyu calmed down quickly, his face showing no sign of emotion.
Just then, the convenience store uncle set down the milk crate, freeing up his two strong hands.
He turned, reached out, and grabbed Little Shiyu’s small shoulder. The convenience store uncle smiled:
“Little Shiyu, have you found Uncle’s cat yet?”
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