At that time, Shen Heng only felt that Zhai Yao’s words were spoken without much thought. So, when he saw a figure carrying a crate of milk and asking for directions downstairs near his home the next day, he hesitated for a long time and didn’t dare to acknowledge Zhai Yao’s presence, afraid that he might actually be mistaken.
“Hey, isn’t that Old Shen’s grandson?” The uncle, who was stopped by Zhai Yao for directions, raised his finger and pointed. Zhai Yao’s eyes traced the path indicated by the uncle’s hand, thanked him, and slowly walked towards Shen Heng.
Upon standing before Shen Heng, Zhai Yao cast a glance at the groceries carried in his hands. “Where’s your grandpa?”
“At home.”
Zhai Yao turned around. “Lead the way. Why is this shabby courtyard so huge; it’s so fricking hard to navigate.”
Shen Heng’s home was in an old residential compound. The buildings were still of Soviet-style architecture, with red walls, pointed roofs, and didn’t have that many floors.
There were many Chinese parasol trees planted in the courtyard, each revealing signs of old age. The thick foliage shielded the blazing sun, casting dappled shadows on the brick walls.
As the door swung open, a subtle aroma of tea wafted out.
Shen Heng put the keys and groceries on the table, changed into indoor slippers, and said to Zhai Yao with his back turned, “You don’t have to change shoes; just put your things down anywhere as you wish.”
Zhai Yao placed the crate of milk against the wall and surveyed the room layout.
A standard three-bedroom, one-living-room layout, excessively tidy and clean. Stepping right into the living space, he was greeted by a large bookshelf filled with a multitude of books, below which rested a black piano.
A typical intelligentsia household. How did it come to pass that Shen Heng ended up in the mix at 9th High School, seemingly falling from the expected standards of his predecessors?
Right then, a flavourful and engaging reading voice emanated from the bedroom.
“Okunev caught up with him at the theatre entrance. ‘We came here under similar circumstances three years ago, you remember, Genka? That was when Dubava came back to us with the ‘Workers’ Opposition.’ A grand meeting! And tonight we’ve got to grapple with him again!’…”
After finishing washing his hands, Shen Heng retrieved Shen Ziyao’s medicine from the five-drawer cabinet and then carried a cup of water into the bedroom.
“Take the medicine first.”
Shen Ziyao paid him no mind, purposefully amplifying the volume of his reading.
Shen Heng extended the cup towards him. “Someone is here to see you.”
Shen Ziyao’s attention finally veered from the book, shifting towards the outside of the bedroom. When he saw that the visitor was Zhai Yao, he stood up abruptly.
“You little rascal!” While Shen Ziyao cursed verbally, his face betrayed excitement. He shaped his hand into an imaginary gun and aimed it at Zhai Yao. “Bang! You’ve been shot dead!”
“Make sure he takes his medicine; I’ll go cook,” Shen Heng said, exiting the room and carrying the groceries into the kitchen.
Through the sliding kitchen door, Zhai Yao watched as Shen Heng placed the vegetables in the washbasin and turned on the tap. Then, he brought his gaze back shortly after.
“Speak, why did it take you so many days to pay me a visit again!” Shen Ziyao still had his “gun” pointed at him.
Zhai Yao initially considered saying “busy,” but when the words reached his lips, he hesitated and then admitted, “I’m wrong.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Shen Ziyao, seeing his favourable apologetic attitude, finally pardoned his fault. He moved his hand that was mimicking the gun to the top of Zhai Yao’s head and rubbed on it vigorously, saying, “You scoundrel.”
Zhai Yao acknowledged with a “Mm” and handed the cup and medicine to Shen Ziyao, urging him to take it, then turned to look back at Shen Heng in the kitchen.
Shen Ziyao, peeking along Zhai Yao’s line of sight, looked over and pursed his lips. “Grandson, where did you find that lad? How much salary are you paying him every month?”
Zhai Yao didn’t know how to respond, so he asked, “Is he not treating you well?”
“It’s not that he’s treating me badly…” Shen Ziyao lowered his voice, pointing to his own head, and added, “I just feel like there’s something off about him right here.”
Zhai Yao raised his eyebrows slightly. “What do you mean?”
Speaking mysteriously, Shen Ziyao divulged, “He doesn’t sleep at night. Several times, I woke up in the middle of the night and saw him sitting motionless in the living room.. He didn’t even turn on the lights, just staring at the TV… There was no program on, only a static screen.”
Seeing Zhai Yao’s lack of reaction, Shen Ziyao continued with a sense of discontent in his heart, “Another time, I saw him holding a small knife, gesturing with it, and in front of him was a round object covered with velvet cloth… It looked like a human head!”
“Time for meal.”
Out of nowhere, a sound echoed from behind, startling Shen Ziyao, who moments ago was enthusiastically engaged in conversation.
He rolled his eyes and reproached loudly, “What’s up with you? This old man has a weak heart and can’t handle scares. Do you not have compassion!”
Shen Heng remained unfazed, seemingly well-accustomed to this behaviour of his. “You’re spreading nonsense again. If someone really buys into your tales and reports me to the police one day, be prepared to starve to death.”
Shen Ziyao made a soft “tch” sound and said to Zhai Yao, “You see, this guy can’t even take a joke.”
Zhai Yao tugged at the corners of his mouth, and in that fleeting moment, he felt that Shen Heng had it tough.
…
A swath of dark clouds glided overhead, blocking the sun.
Soon after, a gust of wind picked up, causing the parasol trees to sway and their leaves to rustle in a symphony of whispers.
Sensing that it might rain soon and considering it was almost another family’s mealtime, Zhai Yao planned to leave. However, Shen Ziyao acted up again and insisted on keeping him.
Shen Heng didn’t say much. He went to the kitchen and brought out an extra set of bowl and chopsticks, placing them on the table.
Seeing Zhai Yao still standing, Shen Heng sparingly said, “Hurry.”
Zhai Yao hadn’t been a guest in someone else’s home much. Despite having many friends, their parents generally didn’t like him, thinking he was the one who led their children astray. He also found the judgmental gazes of those parents annoying, so he consciously avoided visiting to steer clear of unpleasant situations.
Yet, never would he have expected that the first time he was invited to stay for lunch was at Shen Heng’s place.
The lunch prepared by Shen Heng was simple: a plate of stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar, a plate of spicy stir-fried pork, and a pot of winter melon with spare ribs soup.
But surprisingly, the flavours were excellent.
Compared to the homely food at Shen Heng’s home, the meals at Zhai Yao’s home were just barely passable. This was particularly true since Zhao Bing and Liang Hao always preferred to order takeout. Zhai Yao himself didn’t have strong culinary preferences; he ate whatever was available and went hungry if there wasn’t.
Shen Heng served another bowl of soup to Shen Ziyao, and upon noticing Zhai Yao not eating much, he took a moment of silence and said, “Are you on a diet, or are you just not hungry?”
“……”
“Or is it that you’re feeling embar—”
Zhai Yao picked up his chopsticks and quickly finished the rice in the bowl in one go, chewing with his cheeks puffed.
This guy is so damn annoying.
Shen Heng repressed the latter part of the “embarrassed” back, not saying anything more.
After they finished eating, Shen Heng cleaned up the tableware and went to the balcony.
In the instant the door swung open, an overwhelming deluge of rain sounds, accompanied by a damp embrace, surged into the room. Following after, Shen Heng shut the door, sealing himself outside together with the downpour.
Meanwhile, Shen Ziyao sat in front of the TV watching a resistance war drama, sharing his thoughts with the air as he watched.
Zhai Yao felt a slight craving for cigarettes, but since it wasn’t appropriate to smoke in front of Shen Ziyao, he took the cigarette box and retreated to the balcony.
Shen Heng was watering the flowers with his back turned to him. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows as he wielded an old-fashioned watering can shaped like a cat’s head.
The rain-soaked jasmine in the flowerpot emitted a more pronounced fragrance. Raindrops incessantly drummed on the awning above, creating a symphony of splatters and patters that echoed through the air.
Hearing movements behind him, Shen Heng turned around, a yet unlit cigarette in his mouth. Seeing Zhai Yao, he nodded towards him. “Got a lighter?”
Zhai Yao tossed the lighter to him. Shen Heng lit the cigarette and handed it back. He then turned around and resumed watering the flowers.
Zhai Yao also lit a cigarette, taking puffs as he watched Shen Heng keep himself busy. The white smoke wafted in the rain, and the two lapsed into another prolonged silence.
Eventually, Shen Heng finished his smoke first. As he passed by Zhai Yao, he still carried with him a lingering blend of moist tobacco, delicately interwoven with the fragrance of jasmine.
“After smoking, throw the cigarette butt into that pot,” he said before returning to the inside.
Zhai Yao looked at the flowerpot in the corner. It housed a withered, unidentifiable plant, and next to it were cigarette butts inserted in a crooked and disorderly manner. It even had quite a damn sense of artistic form.
Zhai Yao took one last drag, found a spot in the flowerpot, and buried the cigarette butt. When he went back inside, he saw Shen Ziyao still sitting there watching TV, with a freshly brewed cup of tea on the coffee table.
Zhai Yao peered around the room. “Where’s he?”
Shen Ziyao stared at the TV. “Who?”
“Shen Heng.” Zhai Yao rarely called this name; suddenly calling it felt quite unfamiliar and strange to him.
Shen Ziyao’s hand that was holding the tea halted briefly, tilting his head as if trying to decipher the meaning behind this name. But in the end, he didn’t reply directly, skipping the question, “This tea from Old Zhang isn’t fragrant at all, much worse than the one from my hometown.”
Originally, Zhai Yao wanted to leave, but he didn’t bring an umbrella when he came out. He thought about borrowing one from Shen Heng, but he didn’t know where the latter had gone. Seeing that the sky outside was still enduring heavy rainfall, running back wouldn’t be practical. So, he could only sit down next to Shen Ziyao and wait for Shen Heng to return.
“Grandson, is our piano due for tuning?” Shen Ziyao suddenly asked Zhai Yao during a commercial break.
Zhai Yao didn’t know how to respond, so he could only manage a “Mm” as a coping reply.
Standing up, Shen Ziyao approached the piano, crouching down with a slight tremor. He opened the piano stool and searched the internal storage compartment for something.
Concerned that he might strain his back, Zhai Yao held his arm and helped him up, saying, “Looking for what? I’ll help you.”
“The business card from Tian Yin Piano Shop,” Shen Ziyao murmured, “I remember it was placed in here. You should call them for a visit; otherwise, your mom won’t be able to practise when she comes back.”
Zhai Yao looked at the piano; it had been polished to a pristine condition, indicating that it was probably well cherished and taken care of.
Shen Ziyao was still muttering to himself, “Next week, your mom is performing at the Cultural Palace. I’ll help you apply for a leave then, and the two of us can go and support her!”
Zhai Yao thought to himself: So it turns out Shen Heng’s mom is a musician. Then, recalling Shen Heng’s hands as he watered the flowers—fingers longer than those of an average person—Zhai Yao presumed it was an inherited trait.
Following Shen Ziyao’s guidance, Zhai Yao searched through the storage compartment, and although he did find a few business cards, none of them were from Tian Yin Piano Shop.
He doubted whether Shen Ziyao was muddle-headed again and asked, “Are you sure it’s here?”
Shen Ziyao affirmed with unwavering certainty, “Absolutely no mistake, give it another look!”
Seeing that Zhai Yao wasn’t searching anymore, Shen Ziyao became a bit impatient. “Aiya, it’s that Tian Yin Piano Shop, near the Cultural Palace! It has a black background with a treble clef printed on it!”
Zhai Yao withdrew his gaze with a sense of skepticism and was about to search again when a realization struck him.
Shen Ziyao just mentioned the Cultural Palace…
But didn’t the Cultural Palace suffer a devastating fire and got burnt down many years ago?
At that time, it caused quite a stir, even making headlines. Reportedly, it was said that as a result, the lead theatrical troupe underwent a complete overhaul.
Now, the area had transformed into a wasteland, located not far from the abandoned railway tracks, obstructed by miscellaneous construction debris. Even stray dogs avoided scavenging there. So, how could there still be a piano shop?
“Search, you little rascal! Why aren’t you searching?” Shen Ziyao kicked Zhai Yao’s butt and sighed. “Move aside, move aside; let me do it.”
Having spoken, Shen Ziyao pulled Zhai Yao to the side and began searching by himself.
Zhai Yao noticed that Shen Ziyao’s condition wasn’t quite right, extended a hand to assist, but was brushed away with a swing.
“It can’t be… It was definitely here… I need to find it quickly. Xiao Lai is about to come back… She still has to perform at the Cultural Palace… Where could it have gone…?” The more Shen Ziyao searched, the more frantic he became. Suddenly, he stood up. “This can’t do, I need to go to the piano shop!”
In response, Zhai Yao quickly intercepted him. “It’s raining outside. Don’t fool around recklessly.”
“Aiya, who cares if it’s raining at a time like this!” Shen Ziyao simply couldn’t take in what Zhai Yao had said as he attempted to sidestep him and head outside.
“Grandpa!” Zhai Yao shouted in a lowered voice.
Shen Ziyao halted, as if Zhai Yao’s use of “grandpa” had touched a certain long-forgotten switch, and he raised his head and gazed at Zhai Yao with a slightly stunned expression.
Zhai Yao pursed his lips, remained silent for a moment, and then softly said, “Really, there’s no need for you to search anymore.”
…
His mother died in the fire for sure.. Poor SH, his only family member treats him like a stranger 🥺
+1 😭
So gramps suffered from a traumatic experience of losing his daughter and ends up forgetting his own grandson that was also scarred by the fire 😭 shen heng really needs a hug right now…