Time flew by, and over a month had passed. Xu Chuang had bought an electric fan for the house, the kind that could oscillate. He ordered it from the lady at the small shop, and after learning that Jiu’er had developed a heat rash, he arranged for it the very next day. He paid for it, but it took several days to arrive, and once it did, he put it to use immediately.
Ji Yuchen cherished that electric fan, only using it at night when he slept. During the day, even when he was home alone, he wouldn’t turn it on, trying to save on electricity bills. Xu Chuang told him to use it without worry, saying he had money. Ji Yuchen curiously asked, “Where did you get the money?” Xu Chuang replied, “I saved it from working before, originally planning to use it for getting married.”
The way he said it was quite intriguing, leaving it half-explained. Why wasn’t he saving anymore? Was he not planning to get married? Was he going to earn more after spending it, or was there another reason? Ji Yuchen thought Xu Chuang might have some feelings for him. After all, actions speak louder than words. Otherwise, why would he react to him—besides that time at the lotus pond, there were several other instances. Ji Yuchen would find him sneaking around in the morning, avoiding him like he had something to hide.
Of course, Ji Yuchen wasn’t in a hurry to clarify anything because he felt his memory might not recover easily, and he might never remember. Ever since he reported the case, there had been no news from the police station. He pinned his hopes on his parents or family finding him, but this was a place without even a proper road, and who knew how long he would have to stay.
One day at the end of August, Ji Yuchen went to the clinic to have his cast removed without Xu Chuang’s consent because Xu Chuang insisted on taking him to the hospital for an X-ray. Ji Yuchen thought it was a waste of money, so he secretly went to find Wang Zhi. Wang Zhi crossed his arms and asked leisurely, “So now I’m not a quack doctor?”
Ji Yuchen pouted, recalling that Wang Zhi had been right about Xu Chuang’s injury last time. The cold compress followed by a warm compress had made the bruises disappear in just a couple of days, and there were no scars after the scabs fell off.
He thought about the ointment Xu Chuang hadn’t used, thinking it might have worked even better.
Ji Yuchen whispered, “I never said you were a quack doctor…”
Wang Zhi didn’t hold it against him and sat down boldly, asking why Xu Chuang hadn’t come along.
Ji Yuchen made up a lie, “He went to the fields and couldn’t get away, so I came by myself…”
If an outsider heard this, it might not sound strange. Who says you need someone to accompany you to remove a cast? But Wang Zhi was different. He had seen how attentive Xu Chuang was to this little friend of his, staring at him intently even when speaking. Wang Zhi would sooner believe Xu Chuang was the Monkey King than believe he would leave someone alone like this.
He called Xu Chuang, and it didn’t take long for him to rush over, looking as anxious as anything.
After much persuasion, Ji Yuchen finally got Xu Chuang to agree: they would do a check-up when they had a chance to go to town, but they wouldn’t make a separate trip.
In the following days, the village held a ceremony to pray for a bountiful harvest and favorable weather. Ji Yuchen heard that Qiantang Village had once experienced a heavy rain during the harvest season, and a mudslide had buried large areas of farmland, leaving the villagers with nothing. Since then, every year after the summer heat, the village would hold a ceremony to pray for the mountain god’s protection.
Of course, Ji Yuchen didn’t really believe in the ceremony, thinking it had elements of superstition, but he kept those thoughts to himself.
After the ceremony, the villagers dispersed, and the village chief called the young people to gather nearby.
There were only a handful of young people in the village, easily counted on one hand: besides Xu Chuang and Ji Yuchen, there was the girl Xiang Chun, and then there was the second son of the Li family at the end of the village, whom everyone called Li Er Gou.
The village chief mentioned that the Qixi Festival was coming up, and the neighboring village was organizing a movie screening, asking if anyone wanted to participate, with the village covering the cost.
As soon as he said this, Xiang Chun was the first to raise her hand, saying she wanted to sign up. The little kids nearby were even more eager to go, chattering noisily. The village chief said, “Those movies are all about dating. What are you kids going for? You won’t even understand.”
The little ones kept making a fuss, and their parents couldn’t control them, saying they would go watch and take the kids along. The village chief said that was fine, but they should keep an eye on the kids and not let them run around.
Ji Yuchen hadn’t seen a movie since he arrived here. He knew what a movie was, with theaters and screening rooms, but he figured the neighboring village probably didn’t have such facilities, maybe only the town did. Xu Chuang said, “It’s not as good as you think. They just set up a projector in the square, hang a white cloth, and then put out chairs for an open-air screening. If you want to go, I’ll sign us both up.”
Ji Yuchen wasn’t very interested, thinking that feeding mosquitoes outside at night wasn’t appealing, but he didn’t have anything else to do, and he thought watching a movie might help him remember something.
The village chief was counting the number of people, and Xu Chuang went to sign up. When he came back, Xiang Chun was following him, calling him “Brother Dali” and saying they should go together. Xu Chuang looked back at Ji Yuchen and said that Jiu’er was going too. Xiang Chun glanced over but didn’t say anything.
The movie screening was scheduled for a Friday. Xu Chuang came back from the pig farm, saying that their sow was about to give birth, probably in the next couple of days. Ji Yuchen asked him, “Do you need to work overtime?” Xu Chuang said, “Not necessarily, it depends on the timing. If there’s enough manpower, I won’t go.”
Ji Yuchen didn’t know what the process of a sow giving birth was like, whether it required midwifery. Xu Chuang’s words made it sound like he had done it before or was familiar with it, which was quite intriguing. Ji Yuchen didn’t think much of it, figuring he couldn’t help anyway, so he just treated it as idle chatter.
He was changing clothes in the room, wearing the white sneakers he had on the day he was found, which Xu Chuang had cleaned to look like new. Outside, he heard voices, a girl’s laughter ringing out, though he didn’t know what Xu Chuang had said.
When he finished changing and came out, he was wearing black slim-fit pants paired with a matching T-shirt, with Xu Chuang’s black shirt over it. He was afraid of mosquito bites, so he applied essential balm on his wrists, ankles, and even behind his ears, wanting to wrap himself up tightly.
Xiang Chun stood in the courtyard looking at him, unable to deny that he had a kind of androgynous beauty: clearly handsome features, yet with a hint of allure in his facial features. Even as a girl, she felt inferior.
The first time Xiang Chun saw Ji Yuchen, she thought he was a handsome boy, with the mole on his nose leaving a deep impression. But as time went on, she developed different feelings: she saw Ji Yuchen as a competitor, though she didn’t know where the thought came from, always wanting to compare herself to him. She thought it might be because he was always with Xu Chuang, and their height and build differences objectively made them seem “compatible,” like now: Ji Yuchen was dressed in all black, while Xu Chuang wore a white vest with a matching short-sleeve shirt over it, looking as if they had coordinated their outfits.
Xiang Chun looked down at her floral dress, a bright splash of yellow, thinking it looked good next to Xu Chuang, though it would be better without Jiu’er. She raised her hand in greeting, her tone not particularly friendly, asking, “Haven’t you found your family yet?”
Ji Yuchen shook his head, “No, I haven’t found them. I guess I’ll be staying with Brother Chuang for a while longer.”
Ji Yuchen didn’t hold back, retorting without hesitation, and Xu Chuang watched him with a smile, pulling him close and saying, “Let’s go.”
The road at the entrance of Qiantang Village was a dirt road, and whether it was a motorcycle or a tractor, it was a bumpy ride. This time, the village had arranged for a vehicle to take everyone together, but Ji Yuchen still felt like he was being shaken apart.
When he got off the vehicle, he held his waist and took a deep breath. Xiang Chun wanted to pull him along, but Xu Chuang wasn’t having it, so the two of them stayed with Ji Yuchen to let him catch his breath.
They arrived late, and the front seats were all taken. Only the last two rows had seats left. Xiang Chun found a seat in the middle, and Xu Chuang asked her to move over a bit, leaving a space for Jiu’er.
Ji Yuchen sat down, still looking a bit pale. Xu Chuang leaned over and asked, “Are you still feeling unwell? I can get you a cup of water.”
Ji Yuchen held onto him, shaking his head and saying he was fine, he just needed to rest for a bit.
The movie being shown was Stephen Chow’s “The King of Comedy,” a very old film. Ji Yuchen felt like he had seen it before but couldn’t remember where or when. The villagers around were watching with great interest. He got up to go to the bathroom, asked for directions, and didn’t let Xu Chuang accompany him.
The development here was better than in Qiantang Village, and the villagers generally seemed wealthier, with houses that were quite different from theirs. Although the two places were only about ten kilometers apart, the difference was like night and day. Ji Yuchen pondered the reasons and thought that saying was quite true: “To get rich, first build roads.”
Qiantang Village had only a dirt road for access, and it was impossible to travel when it rained. Even in good weather, going out was exhausting. He had only been out twice since he arrived, once to report the case in town and once to go to the market with Xu Chuang.
As far as Ji Yuchen knew, most villagers in Qiantang Village were self-sufficient, except for the pig farm, which had some external business and operated a small truck. Other people didn’t go out often. Living such an isolated life was carefree, but what if someone got sick? What if the village couldn’t treat it? And what if there was a natural disaster, like the one they prayed to avoid during the ceremony? They couldn’t continue like this forever.
He wanted to live a good life and wanted to take Xu Chuang along to live a good life too. After wandering around the square for a bit, he returned just as the movie reached the scene where Liu Piaopiao was walking along the coastal road in long leather boots, her hair blowing in the sea breeze, the scene exceptionally vivid.
Yin Tianqiu said, “I’ll take care of you!” Ji Yuchen thought he couldn’t always rely on Xu Chuang’s care; he had to do something.
The movie ended around eight in the evening, and it would take nearly an hour to get back. Xu Chuang ran into an acquaintance, a guy named A Sheng, whom he had worked with in the city.
A Sheng had slicked-back hair, looking neat and tidy, and he introduced the girl next to him as his fiancée, someone Xu Chuang might have seen as a child.
Xu Chuang tried to recall but didn’t have much impression. A Sheng said, “We’re getting married in two months. I’ll send you an invitation!”
The man spoke cheerfully, and Xu Chuang was pleasantly surprised, asking when it was decided. A Sheng said, “It was decided a while ago, but all the hotels were booked, so we had to schedule it for next year. We just got notified that a date opened up, so we decided to do it sooner!”
The man said this while hugging the girl in his arms, the two of them looking inseparable. Xu Chuang patted his friend’s shoulder, genuinely happy for him while congratulating him.
He recalled that when they were working in the city, A Sheng had mentioned saving money for two years to go home and get married. At the time, Xu Chuang didn’t know who his girlfriend was, but now it seemed like a happy ending. He thought about giving his friend a generous gift as a token of goodwill.
They chatted for a bit, and A Sheng, with a grin, asked, “What about you? When are you… getting married?”
He said this while glancing between Xu Chuang and Xiang Chun. The girl shyly lowered her head, and Xu Chuang said, “What marriage? I haven’t even found a girlfriend yet, not as quick as you.”
After saying this, he couldn’t help but glance at Jiu’er, who seemed lost in thought, not listening to their conversation. A Sheng quickly realized and tried to smooth things over, saying, “Hey! No rush, people are getting married later these days, it’s not a big deal…”
He noticed the boy next to him, as if grabbing a lifeline, and changed the subject, asking who this was, as he hadn’t seen him before.
Xu Chuang introduced, “This is Jiu’er, staying at my place. He’s my… friend.”
Xu Chuang couldn’t find the right term, and he wasn’t sure if Jiu’er would be okay with being called a brother, so he just said friend. Ji Yuchen heard his name and snapped back to reality, blinking at the person in front of him. A Sheng raised his hand in greeting, and Ji Yuchen nodded.
The group headed to the bus stop, A Sheng and Xu Chuang walking in front, with the fiancée and Xiang Chun linking arms and whispering girl talk. Ji Yuchen walked beside Xu Chuang, not paying much attention to what A Sheng was saying.
The two were close, and A Sheng, with his arm around Xu Chuang’s shoulder, asked, “What’s the deal with this kid you’re with? Is he from your village? He looks like he’s from a well-off family…”
Xu Chuang turned to look at him, his eyes asking: Why do you say that?
A Sheng glanced down at Ji Yuchen’s shoes, lowering his voice, “Those shoes he’s wearing aren’t cheap, at least four figures…”
Xu Chuang looked down, remembering the shoes Jiu’er was wearing when he found him on the mountain. He had known then that Jiu’er’s family was probably well-off, dressed in fine clothes, but he hadn’t grasped just how well-off.
A Sheng, curious, asked, “Whose family is he from in your village? How come he’s staying with you? I don’t remember any kids this good-looking in your village…”
Xu Chuang glared at him, his eyes carrying a hint of warning, and A Sheng, not understanding, awkwardly fell silent.
He saw them off at the village entrance, telling Xu Chuang to wait for his invitation, as it would be printed in the next couple of days. Xu Chuang congratulated him again, also extending his congratulations to the fiancée.
Before getting on the bus, the fiancée mouthed to Xiang Chun, “Good luck!” Xiang Chun smiled, happily waving goodbye.
By the time they returned to the village, it was already late at night. People here went to bed early, tidying up and resting once the sun went down. Ji Yuchen got off the bus feeling like he had been drained of half his life, the half he had put in on the way there, now hanging by a thread. He thought that if there were any more events like this, he would definitely not participate. If he ever had money, the first thing he would do was fix the road at the entrance.
They said goodbye to Xiang Chun and walked home slowly, Xu Chuang walking slightly behind Ji Yuchen, less than half a meter apart. He saw that Ji Yuchen was a bit dazed and not paying attention to his steps, almost tripping on the stairs. Xu Chuang caught his arm, offering to carry him back.
Their shadows overlapped into one, casting an indistinct silhouette in the moonlight. Ji Yuchen, with his arms around Xu Chuang’s neck, lay on his shoulder and asked, “What are you thinking about?”
Xu Chuang, with his head down, didn’t answer immediately. After a while, he said, “Jiu’er, do you miss home?”