Chapter 44 Princess
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The department store on Friday night was bustling.
Little Shiyu rarely came to places like this; everything here was so expensive. He and his mom usually went to wholesale markets to buy things.
Little Shiyu tightly held onto the thirty yuan in his pocket.
The snacks were on the…basement floor.
Little Shiyu rode the escalator alone, watching the bright lights reflecting on the clean tiles, and a variety of goods displayed in colorful display cases.
Entering, the first thing that caught his eye was the cheap discount area.
Little Shiyu thought for a moment. There was a clover logo on Chu Feng’s clothes: Adidas, a brand he had seen in big malls before. He was curious and once looked at the label…it was so expensive.
While Little Shiyu was looking, the saleswoman next to him kindly asked, “Do you like this piece of clothing, little boy? Let your mom buy it for you!”
Little Shiyu’s mom stood not far away, smiling awkwardly.
Little Shiyu shook his head, saying he didn’t like it, and ran back to his mom’s side.
At seven years old, using his daily comparisons, he already had a strong concept of money. Even though they were in the same class, still sat together, and were close every day, Little Shiyu could feel that he and Chu Feng were like people from two different worlds.
Little Chu Feng probably wouldn’t eat cheap snacks from the discount area.
Even though the snacks in the supermarket’s discount area were something Little Shiyu couldn’t normally afford. He looked around and headed to the imported snack display case.
There, Little Shiyu immediately saw packages with gold foil wrapping, the Italian imported Ferrero Rocher chocolate that the corner store uncle had given him. There was also another white chocolate ball covered in coconut.
Little Shiyu stood on tiptoe, took the largest box of Ferrero Rocher white chocolate balls, and turned it over to see the price, a three-digit number.
Little Shiyu silently put it back. He picked up a box that was three times smaller, priced at 29.9 yuan.
Just right.
Little seven-year-old Little Shiyu stood alone in the long cashier queue, clutching the thirty yuan that could buy sixty packs of spicy strips. He handed it to the cashier, received a small silver coin in return, and walked back home.
Saturday and Sunday, Little Shiyu went to the Xinhua Bookstore to look at picture books to pass the time, and in the evening, he continued to observe the movements of the strange people in the building, drawing in his doodle diary, waiting for the day to invite Chu Feng to his house to play.
Monday morning
The bright sunshine poured into the classroom.
Little Chu Feng, who had finally ended the weekend, came to school in high spirits.
Zila~, he pulled out a chair and sat down.
Little Shiyu was already sitting next to him, like a small blade of grass, planted in his seat, sleeping with his arms around his head, only revealing a fluffy little head.
“Hey.”
Little Chu Feng gently poked Little Shiyu, “This is for you.”
The still warm boiled egg lay in Chu Feng’s palm. He brought the egg that his mom forced him to eat every morning to school and gave it to Little Shiyu.
“Do you really not eat it? It’s quite nutritious.”
Little Shiyu skillfully peeled the eggshell. He felt a bit embarrassed as he ate; Chu Feng gave him a favour and he returned nothing.
“It’s okay, I don’t like it.”
Not needing to eat boiled eggs every morning, little Chu Feng was happy every day, “I’ll bring it for you from now on.”
Little Shiyu glanced at the slender and frail Little Chu Feng, whose delicate wrists seemed to lack proper nourishment, while he himself ate his nutrient-rich boiled eggs for breakfast every day.
“How about we swap?” Little Shiyu suggested. “If you don’t like boiled eggs… would you like fried eggs instead?”
“I’d love that!”
Little Chu Feng’s eyes lit up. He had long been craving those tender and juicy fried eggs he had seen on TV. “I like them half-cooked, not fully done, but not undercooked either.”
After saying this, Little Chu Feng felt a bit embarrassed. “Am I asking for too much?”
“No problem.” Little Shiyu propped up his chin, his gaze intentionally or unintentionally falling on Little Chu Feng. He smiled. “I know, those semi-cooked and fragrant fried eggs.”
“But… isn’t that too much trouble for your mom?” Little Chu Feng lowered his head.
“Why? I cook at home,” Little Shiyu said matter-of-factly.
“…!”
Little Chu Feng looked at Little Shiyu in surprise. “That’s impressive… you cook on your own?”
“Yeah.”
Little Shiyu seemed nonchalant, resting his chin on his hand as he gazed out the classroom window.
In reality, he only knew how to make some simple dishes, like fried eggs, rice, and stir-fried vegetables. The more complicated home-cooked meals were still made by his mother. But… there was no need to tell Little Chu Feng all that.
Little Chu Feng looked at Little Shiyu with eyes full of admiration. Although this person couldn’t spell or speak English, didn’t study well, and didn’t have a piano certificate, he could climb trees to rescue kittens and make delicious fried eggs by himself. He never needed his parents to pick him up; he always went home alone, independent and capable.
Little Chu Feng envied him.
He was very much looking forward to seeing what Little Shiyu’s home was like.
***
The long school day passed by second by second, and finally, when the sun began to tilt westward, it was time for afternoon dismissal—
First-grade children rushed out of the classroom with excitement.
“Line up! Don’t run around!”
Class Teacher Meng was managing discipline.
Little Shiyu walked out of the classroom. He didn’t rush around excitedly like the other boys. Little Shiyu quietly stood in his usual position in the dismissal line, naturally holding Little Chu Feng’s hand beside him.
Teacher Meng: “Alright! Everyone line up properly, don’t be noisy, don’t push!! Hold hands and walk together—”
The winding line formed on the playground, and the first-grade dismissal team orderly walked out of the school gate. On the railing of the teaching building, the students in the fifth and sixth grades who hadn’t been dismissed yet looked at them enviously.
In today’s dismissal team, Sun Bing was still talking loudly. He secretly noticed that Chu Feng and Little Shiyu behind him were unusually quiet today. Normally, these two would whisper to each other quietly, but today, they didn’t say a word.
—Did they have a fight? Sun Bing thought with glee. Glancing over, he saw Chu Feng and Little Shiyu holding hands tightly.
Sun Bing felt puzzled.
As the dismissal team reached the intersection, according to usual practice, Chu Feng and Little Shiyu would go their separate ways. The one surnamed Xie, who was poor, would turn left towards the old town street. Sun Bing, Chu Feng, and a few other boys would turn right, heading back to the garden community.
Sun Bing went to the right side of the intersection as usual, laughing and joking with the boys around him. Suddenly, he felt something was wrong!
“Where’s Chu Feng?”
Other boys: “Hmm…didn’t see him.” “Oh, he seems to have gone with Xie Shiyu.”
“What?!” Sun Bing quickly ran back, feeling irritated. He didn’t like Chu Feng from English Class A, and he disliked Xie Shiyu, who shook the tree to scare him, even more. The two of them together made him extremely unhappy!
Sun Bing ran back to the intersection and immediately saw the two small figures of Xie Shiyu and Chu Feng, sticking together. Chu Feng seemed to be going to Xie Shiyu’s house to play—
“Hey—!”
Sun Bing ran to the left fork and caught up with Little Chu Feng:
“Are you going to his house to play?”
Little Chu Feng frowned: “What’s it to you!”
Little Shiyu shrugged and admitted straightforwardly: “I invited him to my house to play.”
Sun Bing smirked inwardly. He was going to cause trouble. He shouted loudly, “I want to go too! Why didn’t you invite me?”
Little Shiyu looked at him indifferently: “What do you think?”
Little Chu Feng also said indifferently, “You’re not welcome.”
Little Shiyu held Little Chu Feng’s hand and ignored Sun Bing. They turned around and continued walking. Sun Bing, struck by a moment of inspiration, shouted to Chu Feng:
“Hey, if you don’t let me go with you, I’ll tell your mom! I’ll say you didn’t go home after school and secretly went to another classmate’s house to play without telling her!”
—They all lived in the garden community, and Sun Bing did have a good chance of encountering Chu Feng’s mom.
Little Chu Feng was suddenly caught in a dilemma. If his mom found out about Xie Shiyu, she would definitely investigate him, maybe ask the teacher about Xie Shiyu’s family situation, and then his mom would ask the teacher to separate Xie Shiyu from him. They wouldn’t be able to sit together anymore, and maybe she would restrict his contact with Xie Shiyu, maybe even come to pick him up after school every day and make him go home to do homework and practice the piano—
He had finally found someone he was interested in, with a bit of freedom. If discovered, this tiny bit would also be stifled.
Little Chu Feng turned back abruptly, and aggressively walked towards Sun Bing: “Say that again to me!”
Sun Bing was a bit intimidated. Although Little Chu Feng was slim, the sudden burst of momentum scared Sun Bing. He stood still, stuttering:
“I…I…”
Repeating ‘I’ for a long time, but he didn’t dare to repeat the words “I’ll tell your mom” in front of Chu Feng again.
Little Chu Feng clenched his fists. If Sun Bing dared to say it, he would definitely beat him up today.
—He had grown up for so long, and it seemed like he had never been in a fight before.
“Hey.”
There was a cool sensation on his fist.
Little Chu Feng turned around, and Xie Shiyu was holding his hand from behind.
“It’s okay, let him come.”
Chu Feng frowned. Xie Shiyu had only invited him, and Little Chu Feng didn’t want Sun Bing, this annoying follower. But Little Shiyu, on the other hand, smiled meaningfully:
“If he wants to come, let him. After all, my home isn’t anything special.”
***
Xie Shiyu held Chu Feng’s hand and walked towards the old town.
The golden afternoon sunlight painted the dilapidated streets, and the wind blew old newspapers off the ground. The street was empty.
Sun Bing walked alone, following behind them. Sun Bing became more and more afraid as he walked, looking around like a trembling little hamster. He had never been to this side of the West City Old Street before, but unconsciously, he remembered what he had seen on the news:
Male body parts found at the sewage outlet in the West City District.
Feet tied with strange knots.
Sun Bing shivered. As he walked deeper, the streets became dirtier and more chaotic, with walls splattered with messy red paint, resembling blood.
Little Chu Feng didn’t feel anything special. He looked curiously at the unfamiliar street scenes on both sides, feeling the warmth in his palm as Xie Shiyu held it.
Little Shiyu casually turned his head and asked Sun Bing, “Are you still coming to my house?”
Sun Bing swallowed hard, feeling uneasy. Backing down and turning away now would be too cowardly! Sun Bing gritted his teeth and said with a forced tone:
“Yes! Why wouldn’t I come! It’s still early, we can play at your house for a long time, hahaha!”
Little Shiyu also chuckled silently with Sun Bing: “Yeah, I hope you can play for a long time.”
***
They reached the end of the street, made several turns, and finally arrived at Xie Shiyu’s house—
A dilapidated residential building.
Peeling walls, built facing away from the sun, gloomy and lifeless.
Sun Bing immediately thought of the horror movies projected onto the large screen in his spacious living room. He felt a little nervous, but he still wanted to belittle Little Shiyu:
“So, you live in a place like this…”
“Yeah.” Little Shiyu replied calmly, “Let’s go in.”
The dark doorway resembled the mouth of a monster, waiting to swallow them.
The corridor was narrow, and two people couldn’t stand side by side. Little Shiyu let go of Chu Feng’s hand, took the lead, and walked in first.
Sun Bing became anxious. He quickly looked at Chu Feng, hoping Chu Feng felt as scared as he did. Then, they could go back to the garden community together, and he wouldn’t lose face…
Little Chu Feng followed without hesitation.
Only Sun Bing was left outside, neither going in nor going back… He looked around, saw no one, and couldn’t remember how to get back…
Sun Bing gritted his teeth and could only follow them into the stairwell.
A damp wind hit them.
On the stairs, a trickle of garbage water snaked down step by step, and the dark brown moisture made Sun Bing suddenly think of bloodstains…
“Oh, it stinks! It stinks so much!!”
Sun Bing exaggeratedly covered his nose, yelling loudly to cover up his fear:
“I can’t take it anymore! I’m going to vomit, bleh—”
Little Shiyu went to school and came back every day, already accustomed to it. He didn’t care about Sun Bing’s reaction and secretly observed Chu Feng.
Chu Feng didn’t cover his nose, nor did he react dramatically. His face remained calm, showing no exaggerated response like Sun Bing’s yelling. But Little Shiyu knew Sun Bing lived near Chu Feng’s house. If Sun Bing found the smell unbearable and felt like throwing up, would Chu Feng feel the same way….
But he didn’t dare to say it directly in front of him.
Little Shiyu felt a jolt in his heart. What he was accustomed to in his living environment might be nauseating to Chu Feng.
This realization made Little Shiyu’s whole body tremble. For him, something he was used to might be disgusting to Chu Feng.
His face had a moment of blankness, then gradually, Little Shiyu lowered his head.
He climbed the stairs straight up without daring to hold Little Chu Feng’s hand again.
Little Chu Feng quietly noticed Little Shiyu’s reaction. He took a couple of quick steps and suddenly reached out, taking Little Shiyu’s hand, his voice soft:
“…It’s a little dark.”
Little Chu Feng lowered his head, feeling a bit shy:
“I… I’m afraid of the dark.”
Little Shiyu turned his head and saw Little Chu Feng’s fair and tender face under the dim light, hanging his head behind him, his soft palm touching his…
Little Shiyu suddenly tightened his grip, holding onto Little Chu Feng. Little Shiyu smiled:
“I’ll hold your hand, don’t be afraid.”
They climbed the stairs together, Little Shiyu holding Little Chu Feng’s hand vigilantly observing their surroundings. The corridor was quiet, and the oddballs were gone, making it safe now.
Sun Bing climbed two floors, panting heavily behind them. The stairwell in this residential building was poorly ventilated, and the air was stagnant and foul. Sun Bing felt like he couldn’t breathe.
“Are we there yet? Are we almost there? What floor is your house on?” Sun Bing shouted.
Little Shiyu ignored him, stopping at room 404, taking out his keys and unlocking the door.
“Finally here! Huh? What’s over there?”
Sun Bing noticed that the fourth floor where Little Shiyu lived was different from the other floors. The corridor was wider and extended to the back, with a cross staircase leading directly to another building:
“Wow!”
Sun Bing walked over on his own. Little Shiyu didn’t immediately lead Little Chu Feng over. He carefully observed the building behind and made sure no one was about to come out before taking Little Chu Feng over.
Little Shiyu said, “Here are rooms 401 and 402. There’s nothing interesting.”
Sun Bing looked down from the cross staircase and saw a small courtyard between the two residential buildings, dilapidated and damp, covered in moss. The crooked old locust tree in the courtyard hung with colorful clothes, which couldn’t compare to the courtyard in their garden community.
“Wow, this courtyard is so messy!”
Sun Bing commented condescendingly. Then he looked up and saw vegetables planted in foam boxes on the rooftops of the two buildings. There was a long narrow wooden plank between the two buildings that people could walk across.
“Would anyone actually walk on that?” Sun Bing exclaimed. “This building is five floors high! There’s no safety measure on that plank!”
“A plank that wide.” Little Shiyu said, “Needs safety measures?”
“Come on! Have you walked across it?” Sun Bing didn’t believe it. “Anyone can brag about it!”
Little Shiyu couldn’t be bothered to prove himself to Sun Bing. If that plank were laid on level ground, any normal person could walk across it. It might feel a bit strange at first when it’s five floors up, but once you got used to it, it was fine. Little Shiyu not only walked across it but sometimes even ran across it without any problems.
Little Chu Feng also looked at the plank, feeling it was dangerous. He believed Little Shiyu’s words because he had seen Little Shiyu jump from high tree branches with a kitten in his arms.
With such a narrow plank suspended between the two buildings, Little Shiyu could walk across it like it was nothing! Little Chu Feng secretly looked at Little Shiyu. This person was really amazing.
“Let’s go.”
It might not be safe to linger outside any longer. Little Shiyu pointed to room 404. “Let’s go to my place.”
Sun Bing walked into Little Shiyu’s house without hesitation and looked around:
“Wow, your house is so small! It’s so cramped…”
Sun Bing looked at Little Shiyu’s poor and cramped house, thinking of his own spacious and bright living room, with the snow-white walls hanging a screen for watching movies. He felt a sense of superiority in his heart.
Little Shiyu ignored Sun Bing’s comments. He took out a box of chocolates from his bedroom.
Sun Bing said, “Oh, I didn’t expect it, Little Shiyu, you can afford Ferrero Rocher chocolates!”
Little Chu Feng had rolled his eyes all the way there, feeling this person was really rude.
Little Shiyu opened the glass box and took out a hazelnut chocolate wrapped in gold foil.
—He didn’t give it to Chu Feng, but gave it to Sun Bing first.
“You have one first,” Little Shiyu said.
Sun Bing was a bit surprised by the attention. He glanced triumphantly at Little Chu Feng and happily unwrapped the Ferrero Rocher, chewing on it.
Little Shiyu watched Sun Bing like he was watching a guinea pig: “How does it taste?”
“Huh?” Sun Bing didn’t understand why Little Shiyu was asking him this. “It tastes okay…”
Sun Bing thought Little Shiyu was showing off the Ferrero Rocher imported chocolates to him, which was simply humiliating himself. Sun Bing imitated Little Shiyu’s previous manner, smiled faintly, and waved his hand:
“Hey, it’s just ordinary Ferrero Rocher. I’m tired of them at home! My dad does business with an Italian merchant. He sends them every day, really… there’s nothing to be done about it…”
Little Shiyu couldn’t be bothered to deal with Sun Bing. He carefully examined the outer packaging of the chocolates and found no signs of tampering. He was afraid the uncle at the convenience store might tamper with the food, so he let Sun Bing try it first.
—Now it seems that this box of chocolates is fine.
Little Shiyu took two pieces with relief and gave them to Little Chu Feng.
They stood behind Sun Bing, and when Little Shiyu handed them over, he clenched his hand into a fist and then opened it again—
Little Chu Feng’s eyes lit up. Little Shiyu’s hand seemed to perform magic, as in his palm, where there were originally two hazelnut chocolate balls wrapped in gold foil, suddenly there appeared another white chocolate ball.
Little Shiyu silently mouthed: Not giving it to Sun Bing.
—The white chocolate was bought by Little Shiyu himself with much effort. It was okay for Sun Bing to eat the Ferrero Rocher sent by the convenience store uncle.
“Ah, do you have a bathroom at your place? I need to pee!” Sun Bing finished the chocolate and said again.
“Over there.” Little Shiyu pointed to the small room at the door. Sun Bing went straight in…
As soon as he left.
Little Shiyu and Little Chu Feng sat side by side on the bed, openly taking out the white Ferrero Rocher and started eating.
The fragrant coconut burst in their mouths, the sweetness of the chocolate, the twilight glow, the quiet bedroom, two small shadows leaning against each other.
Suddenly—
“Ahhhhhh!!!”
A cry of misery came from the bathroom.
“Ah—ah—! A spider, a big spider!!”
Sun Bing rushed out of the bathroom without even pulling up his pants, screaming throughout the room.
Little Chu Feng: “A big spider?”
He had never seen a big spider. In the garden community where he lived, even spiders were rarely seen. He had only seen small, black ones crawling around and disappearing in an instant.
Little Shiyu: “Yeah, it’s evening now, they do come out…”
“How big is the spider?” Little Chu Feng was curious like a baby.
“Want to see it?” Little Shiyu led Little Chu Feng and leisurely got off the bed, walking to the door of the bathroom.
Sun Bing sobbed and hid by the window in Little Shiyu’s house, the farthest away from the bathroom, only wanting to escape from this terrifying place as soon as possible.
“Ah, it’s real! It’s so big!” Little Chu Feng lay on Little Shiyu’s shoulder, looking through the bathroom door. In the corner of the slightly yellow tile, a spider was curled up, its eight legs spread out, as big as a person’s face, with gray-white patterns on its back.
Chu Feng had never seen such a big spider before and found it very strange: “What spider is this?”
“A huntsman spider.” Little Shiyu said calmly. “A commonly seen large spider indoors in China.”
“Is it poisonous?” Little Chu Feng asked.
“No. They are quite shy and afraid of people. When Sun Bing screamed just now, it got scared and curled up there without moving.”
Little Chu Feng exclaimed: “You know a lot!”
“It’s alright.” Little Shiyu said. “Just common knowledge.”
—Actually, it was the result of him flipping through picture books at the Xinhua Bookstore on weekends.
The scared Sun Bing was still yelling over there: “Quickly, quickly kill it!”
Little Shiyu: “No. This spider eats cockroaches. It’s better to leave it. I’ve been raising it for a long time.”
Sun Bing: “You’re a freak for keeping such a terrifying thing! It’s too scary!! I’m leaving!!! Chu Feng, are you coming or not?”
Chu Feng calmly waved his hand to him: “Goodbye.”
Bang—
The terrified Sun Bing slammed the door and slipped away.
Little Shiyu and Little Chu Feng were quiet for a second, then suddenly burst into laughter.
Chirping…
As dusk fell, behind them, outside the window, groups of birds flew by.
Little Chu Feng turned his head, he had never seen so many birds before. He ran to the window of Little Shiyu’s house and looked out.
Their house was in a tall apartment building, and birds never went there. He only saw a few sparrows on the road, always avoiding people from afar.
On the electric pole outside the window, a string of birds perched, tilting their heads and looking at Little Chu Feng through the window.
“What birds are those?”
“…” this time Little Shiyu was really a bit speechless.
“Swallows.”
Little Chu Feng: “Oh.”
Little Shiyu: “You’ve never seen them before?”
Little Chu Feng shook his head. He had only seen sparrows.
Little Shiyu: “During springtime, swallows come to build nests.”
“Really?” Little Chu Feng: “Do they have babies?”
“They do.” Little Shiyu: “They had a brood.”
“Then… if they come to build nests next spring, can you take me to see them?” Little Chu Feng looked at Little Shiyu expectantly.
Little Shiyu couldn’t resist Little Chu Feng’s shiny black eyes, he averted his gaze slightly:
“Okay.”
The little swallows on the electric pole flapped their wings and flew away again, leaving behind black and white feathers that traced musical trajectories in the air.
Little Chu Feng looked excitedly out the window: “You get to see so many birds every day, I envy you.”
Little Shiyu: “There’s nothing to envy about, they chirp every morning and disturb people’s sleep.”
Little Chu Feng seemed to become even more envious. He asked Little Shiyu, “Do you… wake up to the sound of birds every day?”
“… ” Little Shiyu felt that Chu Feng’s description was a bit strange, but… it wasn’t entirely wrong:
“Sort of.”
“… That’s amazing!”
Little Chu Feng exclaimed again, staring at Little Shiyu. The person in front of him could climb high trees to rescue kittens, had eyes like amber, was good-looking, and kind-hearted. Even shy spiders were willing to stay in his house. Although his family might be a bit down and out for now, they could wake up every morning to the crisp chirping of birds.
Little Chu Feng blinked his shiny black eyes and looked at Little Shiyu in awe:
“You’re like a Disney princess!”
***
Little Shiyu: “???”
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