In the end, Chi Xiaoxue chose the nutritional lollipop she hadn’t tried before and bought Xiao Bai a chocolate ice cream bar.
Not far from the supermarket was a small square. The sun was scorching now, so there weren’t many people in the square. They sat on a shaded bench, planning to finish their treats and dispose of the evidence before heading back.
Chi Xiaoxue unwrapped the lollipop and held it in her mouth for a while. The taste was quite good, with a strong sweetness from artificial flavoring.
She had been eating for a bit, but Xiao Bai was still struggling with the plastic wrapper of the ice cream. Pulling with her hands didn’t work, so she bit onto a corner of the plastic bag with her teeth, grabbed the ice cream with both hands, and tried to pull it out, all her little chubby muscles straining. Yet, the plastic bag only tore a tiny opening.
“Let me help.”
Chi Xiaoxue held the lollipop in her mouth, took the ice cream, tore the packaging open with her hands, and pulled the ice cream out by its little stick.
There was a trash bin next to the bench. Chi Xiaoxue casually threw the plastic bag and the lollipop wrapper into it.
Xiao Bai was short. When sitting on the bench, her feet dangled.
Chi Xiaoxue, sucking on her lollipop, saw the child’s sandaled feet swinging back and forth in the sunlight. Then she looked at her own legs—long, straight, with big feet—completely an adult’s form.
As a child, she always wished to quickly grow into an adult. Now, suddenly grown up, she actually didn’t feel much. It wasn’t as happy as she imagined.
So, even as an adult, there are still many troubles.
While Jiang Yanyi was away on his business trip these two days, her aunt stayed at their home to keep them company.
Her aunt was always busy with her own things: reading, practicing calligraphy, and practicing swordplay in the small garden in the evening.
As long as Chi Xiaoxue and Xiao Bai didn’t make too much noise disturbing her, she wouldn’t bother with what they were doing.
Xiao Bai brought up a racing game on the holographic screen, handed Chi Xiaoxue a game controller, and played with her.
As soon as the game started, Chi Xiaoxue felt as if she had directly climbed into the race car, speeding along the snowy mountain track with it.
When the car leaned to one side, Chi Xiaoxue’s body subconsciously leaned along with it. It felt incredibly realistic.
At first, she wasn’t good at it. She’d either flip the car or crash into obstacles. But gradually, she got the hang of it and soon became better than Xiao Bai, being the first to exit the snowy mountain track.
Colorful flags symbolizing victory appeared on the screen. Chi Xiaoxue raised both hands and cheered, “I won!”
Xiao Bai, gripping her controller, gave her a sidelong glance and said indignantly, “Then again.”
“Of course,again. Change… the map.” Chi Xiaoxue gripped the controller tightly again, legs spread apart, body leaning forward, ready for battle.
The second map was set in a dilapidated city with many obstacles on the ground. Xiao Bai was only three, with limited intelligence and poor physical coordination, so she was even more flustered.
Chi Xiaoxue, however, was getting more and more skilled. She even learned how to drift on her own. When encountering a turn, Chi Xiaoxue executed a beautiful drift through it.
She nudged Xiao Bai with her elbow. “Look… am I… cool?”
Xiao Bai was navigating a bombed-out bridge, which was already difficult. When nudged by Chi Xiaoxue, her car fell through a gap in the bridge.
The screen showed a game over prompt. Chi Xiaoxue’s avatar again displayed the victory flag.
“I’m not playing with you anymore.” Xiao Bai threw her controller onto the sofa, twisted her body, crossed her arms, buried her head in her belly, and let out an angry “Hmph.”
Chi Xiaoxue, however, completely failed to grasp the seriousness of the situation. Still grinning, she said, “I didn’t… mean it. One more… game?”
“Hmph.”The little curly-top snorted heavily through her nose, turning her head to the other side.
Chi Xiaoxue poked Xiao Bai’s arm. “Next time… I’ll… let you win.”
“I don’t want you to let me win!”
Xiao Bai’s pride was severely wounded. She directly shouted at Chi Xiaoxue:
“Even if you play well, it doesn’t count, because you’re a robot.”
Then, once again, she let out an extremely heavy, exaggerated “Hmph!”
Chi Xiaoxue: “Are you… a sore… loser?”
“You’re a robot.It’s unfair. I’m not playing.”
Chi Xiaoxue:”But you… suggested… playing… first.”
“I’m just not playing with you.”
“Sore loser…just admit it… then.”
Neither of them would give in, their voices getting louder and louder until they disturbed her aunt, who was practicing swordplay outside.
Her aunt, wearing her martial arts attire and holding a gleaming silver sword, walked in and asked with a dark expression, “What are you two fighting about?”
Seeing the sword in her aunt’s hand, neither of them dared to act up anymore. Chi Xiaoxue grumbled, “Someone… is a sore loser.”
“You cheated.You bumped my hand.” Xiao Bai immediately retorted loudly.
Her aunt pointed the sword at the two of them. “Both of you, come here.”
Five minutes later, Chi Xiaoxue and Xiao Bai stood side by side against the wall, each balancing a bowl of water on their heads. The holographic screen in front of them played a looping audio of the recitation of the poem “Prelude to Water Melody / When will the moon be clear and bright?”
“Whoever recites it from memory first can take their bowl down.”
After saying that, her aunt went to brew a pot of sour jujube seed and lily tea, then sat in the armchair by the window to drink tea and read.
Xiao Bai already knew this poem by heart. After refreshing her memory, she raised her hand and called out, “Auntie Grandma, I can do it.”
“Mm,come and recite.”
Xiao Bai carefully took the bowl from her head, walked over to her aunt on her short legs, and recited the entire poem with hands clasped, somewhat haltingly. Although not very fluent, there were no major mistakes.
“Alright.”Her aunt nodded. “Go play.”
Xiao Bai turned around, stuck her tongue out at Chi Xiaoxue, put her hands behind her back, and wiggled her bottom triumphantly.
Chi Xiaoxue, however, had no mind to tease back now. She was solely focused on forcing her stubborn brain to memorize it quickly.
The more anxious she felt, the more it seemed like a lump of bean curd residue was stuffed into her head—muddled and confused, completely devoid of the sharpness she had while playing the game.
Her aunt’s gaze peered over the rim of her glasses. “Moji, have you memorized it?”
Chi Xiaoxue was so anxious she almost cried. Unable to think of any other way, she braced herself and shook her head, honestly admitting, “I can’t.”
Her aunt gradually frowned. “You’ve listened so many times and didn’t remember it?”
Although her aunt didn’t know much about robots, robots were common around her. She knew that robots’ memory systems differed from humans. Their learning was essentially their AI processing data. Things they heard or saw once usually entered the AI core and were thus memorized.
This “Prelude to Water Melody” had played several times already. How could she not have remembered it?
Her aunt walked over, adjusted her glasses, and scanned the robot from head to toe. Finding nothing amiss, she patted her head.
“Really didn’t memorize it?Can’t remember a single line?”
“Remember…one line. Bright… bright tomorrow… when will it leave?”
“That’s’when will the moon be clear and bright?’ You really haven’t remembered a single line?”
Her aunt muttered to herself:
“When Jiang Yanyi gets back,have him send you to the tech company for a check-up. See if something’s wrong. Spent so much money on this. Hope it’s not defective.”
After saying that, her aunt turned and walked away. Only after sitting back down in the living room did she notice the robot still standing there dully with the little bowl on her head.
“You can put the bowl down now,”she added.
Even when lying in bed that night, Chi Xiaoxue felt very heavy-hearted. If they sent her to the tech company for a check-up, would they discover something unusual?
Or what if they treated her like a monster and locked her in a lab for dissection experiments?
In novels she had read before, there were indeed similar plots. In those stories about non-humans or outsiders, many protagonists had been trapped in labs, experiencing a dark, damp period of life.
Chi Xiaoxue’s joints weren’t good. Since childhood, her knee joints would ache easily in dampness. Such damp, gloomy things were best avoided.
After much thought, she decided to leave here before being discovered, find a place to hide, and observe the situation.
Chi Xiaoxue didn’t have much luggage. What she could take were the few sets of clothes Jiang Yanyi bought for her, a bottle of all-in-one shampoo and body wash, and a portable charger.
These items filled her small suitcase.
The remaining bottles and jars—Chi Xiaoxue didn’t know what they were for, only remembering one was adhesive. She wouldn’t take the rest.
After packing, Chi Xiaoxue carried her suitcase out of the bedroom.
Everyone was asleep. The living room was empty. A bright moon hung in the distant sky beyond the floor-to-ceiling window, coating the room in a silvery-gray hue, making it feel even colder psychologically.
Chi Xiaoxue felt quite uneasy. If she left, the little curly-top would have no friends at all. But they had argued today, so perhaps the little curly-top wouldn’t mind.
Carrying the suitcase out of the house, the neighborhood outside was also quiet and deserted.
The buildings in this neighborhood were all three-story houses like this, spaced far apart. The roads were quiet during the day, let alone this late at night. You couldn’t even spot a ghost.
Chi Xiaoxue dragged her suitcase along under the streetlights, the small wheels underneath making a constant rustling, rubbing sound.
She vaguely remembered the way to the neighborhood gate. Jiang Yanyi had taken her out of the neighborhood to buy clothes that day. They went by car, so it didn’t feel far. Now, walking step by step, she realized the neighborhood was actually this big.
Chi Xiaoxue had always been good at remembering routes since childhood.
She remembered around four or five years old, one winter, her aunt (mother’s elder sister) took her to her house to play.
Her aunt’s house was quite far from Chi Xiaoxue’s home, requiring two bus transfers and over an hour’s ride. It was agreed she’d play at her aunt’s for three days and be sent back on the weekend.
But on the very first day at her aunt’s, during dinner, there were two large stewed bones on the table.
Chi Xiaoxue wanted to gnaw on them. Her aunt’s husband (uncle) scolded her: “Girls should be gentle and quiet. What’s the point of baring your teeth to gnaw on bones?”
Then he put both bones into her cousin’s bowl.
Chi Xiaoxue didn’t accept his words. If a girl wanted to gnaw bones, she should be allowed to. If they wouldn’t let her, she’d go home and have her own parents cook bones for her.
So, while the adults weren’t paying attention, Chi Xiaoxue sneaked out.
She originally intended to take the bus home but worried that if she went to the bus stop, people might see such a small child wandering alone and call the police.
In the end, she simply put her head down and walked in the direction of home.
It was freezing cold, already dark outside with few people around. Chi Xiaoxue walked like that for a long time without being noticed.
When she finally reached her own neighborhood, the gatekeeper, seeing her, was so agitated he pounded his chest and shouted, “Little girl, where have you been? Your parents are going crazy looking for you!”
The guard called Chi Xiaoxue into the gatehouse to warm up by the fire and called her parents to come back quickly.
Because of this incident, her mother didn’t speak to her aunt’s family for several years.
But Chi Xiaoxue remembered her parents didn’t hit her. The next day, they cooked a large pork knuckle for her. Her dad even patted her head and said:
“Xuebao, no matter what happens outside, knowing how to come home is what matters.”
Thinking about what seemed like a past life, tears unknowingly streamed down her face. That warm home was gone forever.
Tears flowed onto her lips. Chi Xiaoxue stuck out her tongue to lick them—sweet, with a strong artificial flavor.
The tears coming from her eyes were actually nutritional fluid.
Chi Xiaoxue thought, In the future, I won’t need to spend money on nutritional fluid anymore. When I’m craving some, I’ll just shed a few tears and lick them.
Well, that’s achieving nutritional fluid freedom.