c4 (1/2)
Yu Zhou Zhou still remembers the winter solstice of 1993. Mama Yu had said they were going to make dumplings for dinner when they got home.
The avalanche of snow blocked track and no matter how long they waited, the bus still didn’t come. There was only 45 minutes until the appointment at the client’s house. Yu Zhou Zhou felt Mama Yu held her hand tighter as if she had finally come to a decision. Mama Yu asked her, “Zhou Zhou, let’s walk there okay?”
“Okay!” Actually, she really wanted to walk there. She would be able to walk in the soft snow that had no footprints.
However, no matter how fun stepping in snow is, after twenty minutes, her face had been blown numb by the wind and her feet were half numb, half in pain.
She looked up, and saw that her mom’s eyes were red.
It seemed that the house they were going to today was very, very far.
They walked on until they reached a quiet area where only the creaking sound of their steps in the snow could be heard.
“Zhou Zhou?”
Mama Yu called her and waited but there was no response. Mama Yu looked down and saw her silly daughter had an indistinct gaze, she was staring in front of her with a silly smile.
To be exact, Yu Zhou Zhou was chatting with her two best friends- the Rabbit Duke and the Rabbit Viscount. Before, when they walked past the orthopaedics clinic, she saw people throw out boxes from a window in the first floor. Not knowing how, she suddenly saw a little orange plane spiralling around with smoke coming out spiralling into the snow.
Yu Zhou Zhou’s spirit left her body and floated over. From inside the plane, she pulled out two rabbits. They were wearing a blue blazer with a red bowtie but no pants so their soft and thick furry tails could be seen.
“h.e.l.lo miss.” The big rabbit smiled, showing two buck teeth, “We are guests from another planet. I am Duke Geli Geli, this is my son, Viscount Keli Keli.”
With the demeanour of a human, Yu Zhou Zhou smiled, “h.e.l.lo Duke.”
Only, she didn’t know her stupid smile was scaring an old grandma in a wheelchair outside the clinic.
Yu Zhou Zhou wasn’t bored during the walk, the Rabbit Viscount asked her questions the entire time. They pointed at a car and shouted, they then asked Yu Zhou Zhou how the houses were built so high. They also asked what was cooking inside the chimney. Did the vendors selling candy apples sleep in their stalls at night? She patiently explained it all to them and the two rabbits were touched by her grace and kindness. They sincerely invited her to go back to their land with them to be the Queen……
Yu Zhou Zhou was astonished and quickly retreated.
“Our land needs a majesty as kind and beautiful as you, please accept us!”
Yu Zhou Zhou’s face turned red and smiled stupidly, being praised by others was an embarra.s.sing thing, but she also truly thought they weren’t just flattering her… Hence she could only mild and tactfully rejected them again.
Perhaps she was concentrating too hard on the scene in her mind as she acted out loud.
Hence, Chen An’s first image of Yu Zhou Zhou was a little girl wrapped in a red scarf and hat that only showed her pretty eyes, smiling at a gra.s.s patch. She said in a low m.u.f.fled voice, “Thank you for your good intentions, but I have to stay on Earth.”
Mama Yu resisted the urge to laugh and patted her head. Yu Zhou Zhou snapped out of it and looked at the person in front of her. It was a boy wearing a white s.h.i.+rt with his ears frozen red. His smile was warm and he was taller than her by a head.
“Sorry, did you wait a long time?”
“No, I only just came down. Auntie*, please come in.”
*[Ah yi- polite way of addressing a woman, not actual relative]
His voice sounded very nice. Although it was a little boy’s voice, it sounded much better than the loud voices of the wild boys who lived in Yu Zhou Zhou’s yard.
They followed Chen An into the building. Chen An’s family lived on the 12th floor. It was Yu Zhou Zhou’s first time taking the lift. As the lift started, Yu Zhou Zhou started smiling, feeling that it was a fascinating experience. Chen An looked back at her and also smiled. This kind of experience made Yu For many days following that experience, Yu Zhou Zhou’s daydreams changed from magic worlds to one filled with s.p.a.ce s.h.i.+ps, lifts and machinery.
Chen An’s family lived in a duplex apartment. It was Yu Zhou Zhou’s first time seeing such a big house. The lift was actually inside the house. That was too fascinating, it was just like a palace! Many years later in politics cla.s.s, the teacher jokingly asked the cla.s.s what the difference was between the houses poor people and rich people lived in. Yu Zhou Zhou’s answer was, you’ll have to see if the lift is inside the house or outside.
Mama Yu went to help Chen An’s grandma. Chen An’s mom came out to greet them before going back inside her room, leaving Chen An to look after Yu Zhou Zhou. Not knowing why, Yu Zhou Zhou who was usually calm inside maintained a calm expression but inside, she was actually very nervous.
Naturally, she was nervous- today, it wasn’t a stage but an actually palace and in front of her was an actual price.
Only, Yu Zhou Zhou forgot to bring her gla.s.s slipper. That was what authenticated Cinderella.
Chen An poured Yu Zhou Zhou a hot cup of milk while the housemaid carried over a blue gla.s.s plate filled with fruit and candy. Yu Zhou Zhou sat on the sofa, not daring to breathe. However, she still smiled at the housemaid and Chen An and thanked them.
Chen An smiled and affectionately rubbed her hair, “What’s your name and age?”
“Yu Zhou Zhou, six years old.” She paused, “How about you?”
“I’m Chen An, twelve years old.”
“How do you write it?”
“Huh?”
“Chen, an, how do you write it?”
Chen An paused before reacting. He stood up and ran to the study to get a pile of paper. He wrote on it, “Chen An.” Then, he smiled and asked her, “Do you recognize the words?”
Yu Zhou Zhou nodded, then shook her head and pointed at the “An” word, “I don’t recognize this.”
“This is An from An Shu [eucalyptus tree], my parents met under this type of tree so my name is Chen An. However, there isn’t this type of tree in the North. Write me your name, Yu Zhou Zhou is such a pretty name.”
Actually, he was only being polite but Yu Zhou Zhou’s face still turned red. She took the pen and wrote in immature letters, “Yu Zhou Zhou”. These three shaky and ugly words placed under the elegant two words, “Chen An”, made her feel defeated.
“Your words are so pretty.”
Yu Zhou Zhou ‘travelled widely’ with her mom and went to many houses. She had said “h.e.l.lo” to all sorts of people and have listened to all kinds of polite remarks but no one had praised her so sincerely- it was as if he was telling the truth.
“Let’s watch cartoons.” Chen An tidied up the paper on the table then clicked on the remote control to open the television. Yu Zhou Zhou stared at the blue screen and watched as he pushed a video table into a black machine.