Xu Chuang only heated one pot of water for his bath, wanting to save some for tomorrow morning to warm up his stomach. As he poured water over himself with a ladle, he thought about today’s unusual experience: growing up on this mountain, he’d seen cows, horses, deer, and wolves, and even helped a lost hiker find their way back a couple of years ago. But he’d never picked up a person on the mountain before, especially someone so beautiful.
Jiu’er was good-looking, but Xu Chuang couldn’t find the words to describe the boy’s delicate handsomeness, like a porcelain doll. He used to think all men should be like him—big and strong, full of energy. But after moving to the city, he realized men came in many forms: some were gentle and elegant, others calm and composed. He’d seen successful businessmen in sharp suits and vibrant college students at campus gates, but never someone as captivating as Jiu’er, who was so delicate and enchanting that one couldn’t look away.
Xu Chuang seriously considered the possibility of a fox transforming into a human, thinking he must be out of his mind to entertain such a ridiculous idea. He shook his head with a light laugh, only to hear a scream from outside. Jiu’er’s voice was distorted with fear:
“What is that!!!”
Ji Yuchen was full of panic. Xu Chuang quickly put on his pants and rushed out, finding Jiu’er sitting on the floor, his back against the wardrobe, trying to shrink into the corner.
He pointed to the corner of the wall above and shouted, “What is that! There’s a monster!”
Xu Chuang turned around quickly and saw a gecko clinging to the corner of the wall by the bed, motionless as it listened to Ji Yuchen’s cries.
It seemed either scared or for some other reason, it didn’t move until Xu Chuang climbed onto the bed and picked it up. The little creature remained still.
Xu Chuang held the gecko up to show Ji Yuchen, indicating it wasn’t a monster. But Ji Yuchen shrank back, waving his hands wildly, “Don’t come over! Don’t bring it here!”
Seeing his fear, Xu Chuang didn’t scare him further and released the little creature outside to fend for itself. He returned to find Ji Yuchen still sitting on the floor, crouched down in front of him, and gently comforted, “Don’t be afraid, it’s gone. Look, if you don’t believe me.”
He opened his palms in front of Ji Yuchen, who was curled up on the floor, hugging his knees, peeking out with eyes like glass beads.
He asked hesitantly, “Really won’t come back?”
Xu Chuang patted his hair, “It won’t, don’t worry.”
Ji Yuchen was still shaken by the earlier scare. Xu Chuang said it was a gecko, but in his memory, geckos weren’t like that, at least not that big, and without a tail!
Xu Chuang asked him, “Have you heard that geckos can regrow their tails?”
Ji Yuchen nodded vaguely, recalling the scene he just saw… deciding to delete it from his memory! Delete it again!
He sat there in a daze for a while, then turned to Xu Chuang and asked, “Can you sleep here tonight? I’m scared alone…”
The man rubbed the back of Ji Yuchen’s ear with his broad hand, as if he had no choice, and agreed.
He carried the little guy to the bed. This time, Ji Yuchen was smart enough to sit on the edge, refusing to get close to the wall. He waited for Xu Chuang to finish his bath and put on a vest, only to realize he missed the chance to feast his eyes:
When Xu Chuang ran out of the bathroom, he wasn’t wearing a shirt, his muscular chest and abs glistening with water droplets. Ji Yuchen only reacted now.
His face flushed like a sunset, and he lowered his head, not speaking. Xu Chuang asked if he was uncomfortable. Ji Yuchen turned away, crawled onto the bed, and covered his face with the blanket, muffling his voice, “It’s dark! Sleep!”
He slept deeply, perhaps exhausted from the ordeal, losing consciousness the moment his head hit the pillow. In the morning, Xu Chuang patted his cheek to wake him up. Ji Yuchen opened his eyes groggily, taking a while to come to his senses.
He still couldn’t remember anything, only that he fell from somewhere, lost his memory, and was picked up by a country man who gave him a name, “Jiu’er.”
This man was extraordinarily handsome, with every feature hitting his aesthetic points. He had sun-kissed skin and walked like a living statue of hormones.
Ji Yuchen thought about it and laughed foolishly.
He lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, giggling, when the man’s face came into view, looking at him like he was a fool, “What dream did you have? Laughing like this…”
Ji Yuchen quickly wiped the smile off his face, wiped his mouth, and got up obediently.
Xu Chuang brought him clean clothes, and Ji Yuchen picked them up, realizing they were the ones he planned to throw away yesterday. They were either muddy or bloody, so how were they so clean now?
He asked incredulously, “Did you wash these for me?”
Xu Chuang said, “Yeah, why throw away such good clothes? I saw them there and washed them. It’s hot outside, so they dried overnight.”
He told him to change and wash up in the yard. Ji Yuchen sat there for a while, then slowly got up after Xu Chuang left.
He slept well last night, and his body didn’t feel as sore. Xu Chuang had washed the clothes clean, with a scent of soap. Ji Yuchen spread them out and found his underwear inside, unsure if he should thank him.
Humming a tune, he changed into the clothes, thinking they fit better than anything else. The pants were torn when treating his wounds yesterday, so Ji Yuchen saw the scissors on the cabinet and did an impromptu creation—long pants turned into shorts, with frayed edges looking quite trendy.
He walked into the yard with his white legs swinging, and Xu Chuang glanced back for two seconds, calling him over to wash up.
He handed Ji Yuchen a cup to rinse his mouth, saying there were no extra toothbrushes at home. Ji Yuchen didn’t mind, washed his face with the cold water in the basin, and was cleaned up by Xu Chuang like a little flower cat.
Today, they planned to go to town. Xu Chuang said he’d take him to the hospital for a check-up, to look at his arm and head, and then report to the police station.
Ji Yuchen was actually quite resistant to going to the hospital, not knowing why, just not wanting to go. But since the other insisted, he obediently followed.
At the village entrance, they first took a motorcycle taxi. Ji Yuchen sat in the middle, with Xu Chuang protecting him from behind.
Ji Yuchen worriedly asked, “Can this thing carry three people? Won’t it be overloaded?”
The driver hit the gas, leaving the question behind, laughing and shouting, “Don’t worry, little brother! No one checks here!”
The driver sped down the winding mountain road, and Ji Yuchen almost threw up when he got off, running to the roadside to retch. Xu Chuang paid the driver, who joked, “This kid can’t handle the ride, huh? Dizzy from such a short distance?”
Xu Chuang waved him off, signaling to say less. Ji Yuchen glared at him, holding his waist, as the driver took the money and sped off, not knowing if he saw it.
They rested by the roadside for a while, and a bus approached from afar, stopping in front of them.
Xu Chuang called him to get on, and Ji Yuchen could only drag his half-broken body up, thinking if there were a few more turns, he’d throw up on the bus.
Fortunately, the bus was much steadier than the motorcycle taxi. Ji Yuchen sat in the back, with the window open, resting his head on Xu Chuang’s shoulder, feeling much better. He asked Xu Chuang, “Do we have to take that back?”
Xu Chuang swallowed, thinking that maybe they’d find Jiu’er’s parents at the police station, and he wouldn’t come home with him, feeling an inexplicable sense of loss.
He smiled and comforted, “We won’t take that back. We’ll find another way.”
Ji Yuchen asked, “What way? I don’t want to walk back.”
Xu Chuang said he wouldn’t let him walk back. If anyone had to walk, it would be him, and Jiu’er could just ride on his back, not getting tired.
Xu Chuang couldn’t explain his feelings for this little guy he picked up. He’d only stayed at his house for one night, yet he felt a strange attachment, an indescribable fondness.
When Xu Chuang was a child, his family had a big yellow dog. On the first day, he was scared of it, hiding behind his mom, but by the second day, they were inseparable, becoming best friends. He didn’t know if he couldn’t adapt to having and then losing, but it was an unpleasant feeling.
Xu Chuang was in low spirits on the way, registering at the hospital and waiting. Ji Yuchen obediently followed, sitting on the bench outside the consultation room.
He felt bored and asked Xu Chuang, “Do you think I’ll remember in the future?”
Xu Chuang shook his head, “I don’t know, let’s see what the doctor says.”
There weren’t many people at the hospital today. After registering, there were only two people ahead. When Jiu’er’s number was called, Xu Chuang went in with him.
The doctor, a middle-aged man, tapped on the computer keyboard and asked, “Name, age, symptoms, how long have they lasted?”
He asked but didn’t hear a response, looking up at the person in the chair.
Ji Yuchen looked confused, answering slowly, “I can’t remember. I don’t remember my name or what happened. I think I have amnesia…”
After he spoke, the consultation room fell silent. The young nurse stood there, her pen stopped mid-note, staring at him without a word.
The doctor blinked several times, frowning and scolding, “Little brother, this is a hospital, not a game. If you’ve watched too many dramas, you shouldn’t come here…”
He finished with a serious expression, seemingly about to chase them out. Xu Chuang quickly said, “Doctor, he’s not lying. He really doesn’t remember. I found this kid on the mountain yesterday, covered in injuries. He doesn’t know anything, probably had an accident and got trapped in the mountains. Maybe he hit his head, please help him…”
The man’s sincere words, coupled with his large frame, made the doctor a bit intimidated, unable to refuse.
Hearing the description, it seemed somewhat true, so he reluctantly asked, “Besides memory loss, do you have any other symptoms? Headache, dizziness?”
Ji Yuchen shook his head. Since waking up yesterday, his head felt like an empty shell, with nothing inside. It wasn’t dizzy, nor did it hurt. The doctor, puzzled, suggested a scan, saying they’d look at the results later.
Xu Chuang went to pay the fee, and Ji Yuchen insisted on following, wanting to see how much it cost.
He felt Xu Chuang wasn’t well-off, judging by his living conditions, belongings, and the fact that he said he usually didn’t eat meat. He seemed like a genuine poor man.
Xu Chuang had no choice but to take the little tail with him to pay. The scan cost 180 yuan. Xu Chuang pulled out a wad of bills from his pocket, took out two red notes, and handed them over. The other side gave him 20 yuan in change and issued a receipt.
They went to the CT room, and while waiting in line, Ji Yuchen asked Xu Chuang, “How much do you earn a month?”
The latter scratched his head, thinking, saying he used to earn more when working, two to three thousand a month. Now, it’s not as much, but enough to get by.
He said this without much emotion, looking down at the instructions on the examination form. Ji Yuchen fell silent, thinking even if it was two to three thousand a month, getting a scan used up a tenth of it, which was quite extravagant.
He grabbed the receipt, saying he wouldn’t get the scan and would go get a refund.
Xu Chuang quickly stood up, pulling him back, pressing his shoulders to sit him back on the bench. His expression was serious, almost commanding, “The scan must be done. I have the money, don’t worry about it.”
Xu Chuang’s tone left no room for argument. Ji Yuchen sat on the bench, pouting, wondering how he’d repay him. If he could remember, find his family, and was well-off, he’d give Xu Chuang a big red envelope. If he was wealthy, he might even support him, making him a live-in son-in-law. But if he couldn’t remember…
Ji Yuchen felt uneasy, eating and using Xu Chuang’s things, even spending money on medical bills, like a big trouble falling from the sky. He turned and asked Xu Chuang, “Is there any work in the village to earn money? Introduce me, I’ll earn money to pay you back.”
Xu Chuang didn’t know what was going on in the little guy’s head, but it seemed he was fixated on the receipt.
The CT room’s door opened, and the doctor called Jiu’er’s number. Xu Chuang was relieved, pushing him in, telling him to listen to the doctor.
The scan didn’t take long, and Xu Chuang didn’t wait long before the person came out. The doctor said it would take an hour to get the report, so Xu Chuang registered for orthopedics to check his arm.
Ji Yuchen’s arm was indeed fractured. The doctor said it was still connected a bit, but practically broken. He suggested a plaster cast to let it heal on its own. Xu Chuang asked for Ji Yuchen’s opinion, and he said as long as it didn’t hurt, it was fine.
The process of molding and casting took some time, and by the time it was done, it was noon. The doctor was off duty, and the scan results would be ready in the afternoon. Xu Chuang took him to a nearby noodle shop for a quick meal.
Ji Yuchen, with his arm in a cast, found it inconvenient and said he was full after a few bites. Xu Chuang transferred the noodles to a small bowl, cooled them, and fed him. Ji Yuchen ate half a bowl, and Xu Chuang finished the rest.
In the afternoon, they took the CT scan to the doctor for diagnosis. The doctor looked at the lightbox, puzzled, as if the situation was serious.
Xu Chuang leaned in and asked, “Is there something wrong? Does he need medication or surgery?”
The doctor clicked his tongue several times, slowly saying, “The scan looks fine… everything’s good… how did he lose his memory…”
The man looked serious, seemingly doubting his medical skills. Ji Yuchen whispered to Xu Chuang, “Brother Chuang, if he can’t figure it out, let’s not bother. We still have to catch the bus back…”
Xu Chuang mentioned in the morning that the last bus back to the village was at four, and they still needed to report to the police station, leaving little time.
Xu Chuang thanked the doctor, saying, “Let’s leave it for now, we’ll see when we get back.” The doctor, still puzzled, stared at the scan on the lightbox as they left.
[Author’s Note]
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