Chapter 16 (1/2)
I find it crazy that she biked for ten hours to get to Kun But it definitely fits Xiao Qiu’s personality, not allowing anything to stop her froets a chance to take care of Li Chuan in this chapter A rare occasion!
[Chapter 16]
The bus station was a white building It wasn’t too tall Norht now no cars could be seen The fluorescent light shi+ned upon the green walls Every so often a peddler would detain a traveler A white-haired elderly round I waited for fifteen minutes before a pitch-black Mercedes-Benz suddenly arrived The backdoor opened and a ot out
Besides the ht that I had walked into a scene within the “Matrix”
I can always spot Li Chuan immediately in the middle of a crowd He stood out soin this city and didn’t belong in my world
On Chinese New Year’s Eve, each house was filled with light The streets were bleak and void of people
We faced each other without speaking, ehtly Then he cupped , “Your face Why is it swollen?”
My dad’s hand is particularly heavy But this is the first tih he did occasionally whippedhi a child would definitely be a crime But every person I know has always been beat by their parents I can only say explain it away as a part of the culture
“Is it swollen? It doesn’t hurt Oh, oh, it’s like this There was a kid who tried to steal my purse on the road I punched him once and he punched me once And then I quickly rode away on my bike” I quickly usedout an action ht” He snorted, opened the door and had et it
“What’s to be done about the bike? It’s h a bicycle did not match up to a Benz, I also couldn’t just throw it away
“I’ll get it”
He placed the completely muddy bike into the trunk of the car
“Give your aunt a call” He got into the back seat and handed ht, there must be many people worried about you”
I looked at the tih to Auntie’s phone
My mother’s sister was four years older than h someone else’s introduction,A , model workers of factories were all desirable et overnment were in a slump, model workers have also been laid-off My uncle tried a few underground things, hoping to make money, but he didn’t succeed He then setup a stall to sell belts and underground azines, he also didn’t succeed Thus, he siuard for a shopping center He was responsible and diligent, learning while working During holidays he ith a clothing store owner to get goods in Guangzhou He worked for a while as an assistant before finally opening up a clothing store front in that shopping center He didn’t strike it rich, but he was able to put food on the table Plus, rown up The oldest one, Min Min got hai and only caer, Zhu Zhi went to a night college after graduating high school and orking as a sales representative in a real estate company Before, when I was in Gejiu, Auntie would come back to pay a New Year call to visit our family andwinter vacation, my brother and I often went to Auntie’s house on the weekends Dad said that Auntie didn’t have the best circumstances The home was small, so he didn’t let us trouble the a lot of presents and stayed atonce before I heard my aunt’s voice
“hello, who is it?”
“Auntie, it’s ument with your dad on Chinese New Year’s Eve? Your dad has already called several ti on the other end I could feel the spittle overIs Min Min back?” There was noise in the background
“That’s right, the whole faht Dou Dou Zhu Zhu and her boyfriend are also here Come over quickly, we haven’t started the Chinese New Year’s Eve meal yet”
Auntie’s home only had one bedroom Hoould they sleep with three households? I said, “Auntie, do you still re?”
“How can I not reh school classmate, one of my best friends After her parents divorced, here and her stepfather was not often hoo to Auntie’s hoo stay for a few days at her place for several days
“I’ll stay at her horeet you for the new year to” I s’s phone number “If dad asks, say that I’ on the sixth”
“Why would you go to Ming Ming’s place? Stay at Aunties Just squeeze in with Zhu Zhu”
“I’ve already agreed on it with Ming Ming I’ll co up now”
My auntie was the type of person as confused in the ive her five seconds to think about it she became particularly clever I knew that if I said any ’s house number My lie would then be exposed
I then called up Ming Ming Ming Ming shrieked when she heard an old friend’s voice I gave her instructions in very feords and begged her to helpup and turned to look at Li Chuan
“Perhaps you should have the Chinese New Year’s Evesomewhat down “If you dad calls, at least you can try to make amends with him”
“Li Chuan,” I softly caressed his face, “This is Chinese New Year’s Eve, my dad doesn’t want me, my aunt doesn’t need me And you came alone to a place far fro and fro The person I should keep coht, even if my dad came here to find ether with you Do you understand?”
He smiled, leaned over, and kissed ?” I smelled a sliver of alcohol and his usually ice-cold hands were burning up
“Just a bit of beer”
I felt his forehead It was scalding
“You have a fever? How high is it?”
“Maybe just a little, I didn’tto say so before the car drove past a small moonlit lake and slowed to a stop in front of con said: Green Lake Hotel
The hotel lobby was as big as a soccer field and exquisite couches were placed everywhere Bamboo were planted behind the couches I followed him into the elevator and into his room
It was a suite filled with Chinese and Western elements It was extremely luxurious and cozy He helpedit in the closet
“Did your secretary book this hotel for you?” I asked
“She booked it But I also caned this hotel”
“Who is IM Pei?”
“Senior Pei Ieoh Ming,” he said, “I particularly like his internal lighting and glass”
It was clear, I barely understood what he was talking about He laughed and explained, “Skyscrapers in the city are like giant creatures filling the space Only glass can conceal them”
There were three twenty-one inch apple n sketch on another table To the side there were several empty beer bottles By the table was his wheelchair The fraht and portable It was barely thirteen pounds when folded The chair cushi+on was customized for his body So tiet tired
I thought about it Every tih for his in and out of the airport It must be especially inconvenient
“Is your laptop not enough?” I asked, “Why do you still need so many monitors? Does the hotel even supply those?”
“They don’t supply theht these all there”
“But, isn’t it a hassle to bring the them when I leave, I’ll donate them to the hotel when I leave”
“That…isn’t that too wasteful?”
“It’s not wasteful if I can use thes on the, tool soood job, an artisan needs the best tools”
“Right, that saying” He leaned against the wall, looking at ?”
“When you dad yelled at ured you had run into problems So I came the next day”
“Then,” I said, “you’ve been here all alone, by yourself, for half a month”
“I had a lot of work to do anyway, a lot of drawings to draw Living anywhere is
I took a bath and cae into, so could only put on his shi+rt and shorts In the mean time, he ordered dinner I wolfed down the food and completely cleaned it up I didn’t even knohat dishes there were
“What do you usually do on Chinese New Year’s Eve?” He hugged me from behind and kissed o to randmother’s home to watch CCTV’s New Year Gala”
“I don’t want to watch TV The TV’s too noisy Let’s read a book together, okay?” He said with an erudite attitude, “I have Ha”
Li Chuan wasn’t norht his face felt hot His breath was very hot, and his hands ar like this You must have a fever Let me take you to the doctor”
“I don’t want to see the doctor The doctor is ugly You sood after the bath I just want to look at you” He had me sit on the bed, took a towel and dried my hair strand by strand