c10 (1/2)

ch 10 Jiang Jiao's Text

I didn’t know what kind of friend he had at a hospital, but I was too lazy to bother about it. Outside the window, I could see snow start to fall. I thought about it, and decided that I’d go to the mall tomorrow to buy him a nice pair of shoes. The TV was very noisy, so I turned it off. At the same time, my phone sounded. I thought it would be Jiang Jiao’s text. But when I looked, it was actually Li Er. “Happy new year!”

I quickly called her back, and she picked up very quickly. She seemed to be outside, it was very noisy. I could hear the sound of fireworks in the background.

“Little Ear,” I said. “I want to see you.”

She didn’t speak for a long time,” What did you just say?”

“I said I wanted to see you.”

“You’re back?”

“Yes,” I said. “I came back.”

“What did you just call me?” she suddenly asked.

“Little Ear,” I said.

“Oh,” she said. “What are you doing?”

“I’m at home,” I said.

“We’re setting off fireworks at Victory Square. If you want, you can come join us!”

When I put down my phone, I tossed on my jacket and headed to Victory Square. Walking from my house, it took about ten minutes to get there. I already saw her from afar. She was wearing a red jacket, her hair was tied up in a cute ponytail. She was standing next to You Ta, who was helping her to light a long firework.

The fireworks lit up her smile. In that moment, I thought of Bala. Logically speaking, she and Bala were completely different. But in that moment, I was a bit confused, as if they were the same person.

I called to her, but she didn’t hear, maybe because she was having too much fun. So I stood at the side and had a smoke, waiting for her to realize I was there.

My cigarette was half gone when she ran over to me, smiling, and said, “Zhang Yang, you’re here. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“How were your final exams?” I asked her.

She laughed, “They were okay.”

You Ta followed over, “Li Er, do you still want to light anymore? Ah, Zhang Yang. I nearly didn’t recognize you.”

I touched my chin. It was already three days since I last shaved.

“I’m not setting off anymore,” Li Er said to You Ta. “I want to have a talk with Zhang Yang.”

You Ta’s face tensed up.

“I’ll be done quickly,” Li Er said to You Ta.

“Okay, you guys talk. I’ll go over there,” You Ta said, and then he left.

The lights around the square were dim. Li Er glanced at me, and then she laughed.

I asked her, “What are you laughing about?”

She said, “It’s New Year’s, but you didn’t shave or get a haircut. You’re like a caveman.”

I touched my chin and asked her, “There are so many people lighting fireworks. Do you know which is the one you sent to the sky?”

She thought for a moment and then responded, “Sometimes I know, sometimes I don’t.”

“Go get a firework. I’ll take you someplace,” I said.

She looked like she was hesitating. but after a short moment, she responded, “Okay.”

“Then go get a firework.”

She went to get one. After a moment, she came back with a bunch of fireworks. She said to me, “You Ta’s watching me. He just asked where I was going. What do we do?”

I reached out and grabbed her arm, then said one word, “Run!”

Then I pulled her after as I ran. She turned at You Ta’s shouts, but she didn’t hesitate or slow down at all. Like that, she held onto a bundle of fireworks and followed me to the edge of the city. We ran until we reached that abandoned house.

“Where is this place?” she asked, panting

“A haunted house,” I teased her.

She wasn’t afraid though, just looked around, very interested.

“You came here with Bala before, right?” she asked. She was a very smart girl.

“Come, let’s go to the rood.” I took the fireworks from her arms. I started climbing up first, and reached my hand out to help her.

She waved her hand, saying, “You go up first. I can get up on my own.”

I climbed up quickly and waited for her. She climbed up halfway and then stopped there. I knew she was afraid, but I didn’t move, just folded my arms and watched her. She lifted her head and looked up at me. Against the darkness, I could see the white of her eyes clearly. The carried a bit of shyness and also fear. I reached out my hand, “Come on, Little Ear.”

She finally reached out and put her hand in my palm. A small hand that felt like it didn’t have any bones. I only pulled gently, and she already climbed up.

Maybe because it had rained the past two days, the roof was a bit wet. I pulled her over to a dryer spot and said, “Look, this should be the best place to set off fireworks.”

“When I get back, You Ta will probably destroy me.”

“Are you afraid?” I asked her.

She laughed, “If I were afraid, I wouldn’t have followed you. Let’s set off the fireworks.”

“Okay.” I took out my lighter and helped her light the longest firework. It shot straight to the sky, and the sky became as magnificent as her smile. She jumped up excitedly, “It’s so beautiful! Zhang Yang, there’s only the firework I set off here!”

I was a bit dumbfounded.

She turned to look at me. With a smile, she asked, “What are you thinking about? Are you thinking of Bala?”

I scared her a bit, “If you say those two words again (her name), be careful, I might take you out!”

She laughed. When she finished laughing, she suddenly asked me, “Do you still remember Xu Yi?”

Bulls.h.i.+t.

Li Er continued, “You wouldn’t know, but something’s happened to his family.”

“What?” I pretended that I wasn’t interested, but for some reason, my heart jumped.