The third time Xu Ze went was a week later. This time he and Ye Yunhua entered through the backyard since guests had already arrived. If they went through the main entrance, the guests would be disturbed.
“Do you want to play in the backyard?” Ye Yunhua asked Xu Ze.
Xu Ze nodded. Ye Yunhua crouched down in front of him, “Be good, I’ll buy you a toy car when we go back today.”
She knew that Xu Ze was a quiet child, but even the quietest child would get bored if left alone in the backyard for an entire afternoon. Xu Ze hadn’t received a new toy in a long time. When they passed by the living room the first two times they came here, Ye Yunhua could see Xu Ze’s eyes fixed on the expensive toys on the sofa.
After Xu Ze nodded again, Ye Yunhua got up and went to the kitchen.
Little Chubby wasn’t around to bully Xu Ze today. Xu Ze stood in the yard for a few minutes before opening the gate and walking out.
From afar, he saw Lu Heyang sitting on the swing, appearing to be reading a book. Xu Ze ran a few steps over, grabbed the railing, and made no sound until Lu Heyang raised his head and spotted him.
Lu Heyang was stunned, but instead of being surprised, he said a little aggrieved, “I’ve been waiting for you every day.”
He got off the swing and walked over to the fence, locking eyes with Xu Ze for a few seconds. Xu Ze silently took out a piece of chocolate from his pocket and handed it to Lu Heyang as an apology for not coming for so long.
“Thank you.” Lu Heyang showed a smile. Although he didn’t particularly like chocolate, he unwrapped the wrapping and broke the chocolate in half, giving the larger piece to Xu Ze.
As Lu Heyang was chewing the chocolate, he stuck out his tongue to show Xu Ze that it was stained brown. Xu Ze thought about it, then stuck out his tongue as well, and the two of them burst into laughter. Xu Ze’s eyes curved and his smile was different from the previous two times; he seemed genuinely happy.
“Want to read this?” Lu Heyang asked as he opened the comic book filled with robots.
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.
Xu Ze nodded. In fact, his eyes had been drawn to it for a long time, and he leaned against the railing without realizing it. Lu Heyang slowly flipped the pages for him, and their faces pressed together through the fence. Out of the corner of his eye, Lu Heyang saw Xu Ze’s long eyelashes blinking intently as he read the comic.
“P kjca ab riffq,” Oe Lfsjcu sjkcfv, “P’ii ulnf atf ybbx ab sbe, klii sbe rajs klat wf?”
We If abbx atf ybbx jcv cbvvfv. Oe Lfsjcu gfaegcfv ab atf rklcu rfa jcv ijs vbkc. Lf vlvc’a atlcx tf mbeiv ojii jriffq yfmjerf la kjr rb ygluta bearlvf jcv tf tjv cfnfg rifqa jcsktfgf yea lc tlr gbbw. Lf kjr pera offilcu j ilaaif algfv.
The afternoon sun was shining warmly on him. A few steps away, Xu Ze was leaning against the railing, completely absorbed in reading the comic. One second, Lu Heyang thought, “I won’t fall asleep,” but the next second, he closed his eyes and drifted off quickly.
About half an hour later, Xu Ze finished reading the comic while Lu Heyang was still asleep. Xu Ze saw someone come out of the house and head their way. He promptly crouched down and hid himself by the wall beneath the fence, leaving only his eyes exposed.
He heard the person say in surprise, “Why are you sleeping here?”
Next, Lu Heyang was picked up, his chin resting on the nanny’s shoulder. His eyes partly opened in drowsiness. When Lu Heyang saw Xu Ze hiding there, he waved at Xu Ze and said something.
He didn’t say it out loud, but Xu Ze understood that what Lu Heyang said was still the same “See you again”.
Xu Ze nodded, stuffed the book through the gap in the railing, and turned to leave.
Every time after that, Xu Ze would familiarly go straight to the backyard to open the gate. Little Chubby had once reported to Xu Ze’s grandmother that he always ran outside to play. However, his grandmother had absolute confidence in the neighborhood’s security and trusted Xu Ze, so she only reminded him not to run too far and not to disturb the neighbors.
Lu Heyang always waited for him on time, never failing to seize the chance to prepare sweets or snacks for Xu Ze, read comic books to him, and share toys with him. Lu Heyang never asked Xu Ze why he never spoke, nor did he delve into Xu Ze’s origin. The two of them naturally became close. Despite there being a fence between them, it didn’t hinder their friendship in any way.
Lu Heyang’s two good friends—the naughty He Wei and the indifferent Gu Yunchi, got to know each other through interactions with their elders. But Xu Ze was different. He appeared on an ordinary afternoon, like a floating leaf or cloud. He showed up unannounced, without any introductions, barging into his life by chance as a novel visitor who would not speak.
They had a pure and mysterious friendship, without any impurities or self-interest involved.
“I have to go,” Lu Heyang gently tugged at Xu Ze’s hair, who was engrossed in reading the comic, “Want me to give the comic to you?”
Xu Ze raised his head. Lu Heyang often said “I have to go” at a certain point, but he had no idea where Lu Heyang was going or what he was going to do. It seemed to be a regular schedule.
Xu Ze returned the comic book to him and shook his head before smiling.
“You don’t have to smile at me,” Lu Heyang said. He had the feeling that Xu Ze didn’t like to smile.
Every time Lu Heyang offered to give Xu Ze a comic book or a toy, Xu Ze would shake his head and refuse. Nevertheless, Xu Ze was happy with Lu Heyang’s kindness, which made him smile. However, Lu Heyang consistently told him that he didn’t need to smile.
Maybe it was an illusion—although seven-year-old Xu Ze didn’t understand the term “illusion”—but he noticed that Lu Heyang would often repeat certain words and actions, things that Xu Ze could remember vividly, while Lu Heyang seemed to have no awareness or memory of them and repeated them over and over again. For example, when they parted, Lu Heyang would say he would show him a certain comic book next time, but when the next time came, he would bring the one that Xu Ze had already read—in fact, Xu Ze had read it at least three times because Lu Heyang seemed to always forget that Xu Ze had already read it. So he would show it to him again and again, and each time he would say, “This book is the best, make sure you read it carefully.”
Xu Ze never mentioned that he had already read it. He thought Lu Heyang must like the book so much that he hoped he would read it a few more times as well.
“Gotta go,” Lu Heyang shoved all the remaining lollipops and chocolates out of his pocket to Xu Ze. Then he packed up his comic books and toys. Just like every other time, he waved at Xu Ze as he walked back, “See you again.”
Xu Ze nodded while holding the snacks.
It was a very ordinary farewell. They agreed to see each other again, but neither of them expected that it would be the last time they would say goodbye.
“Xu Ze, is it?” As soon as they arrived today, the hostess sitting on the sofa put down her tea cup and said to Xu Ze, “Play in the living room today to keep him company.”
“Him” referred to Little Chubby.
Little Chubby sat amidst a pile of toys and stuck out his tongue at Xu Ze with a boastful smile.
Ye Yunhua led Xu Ze to the sofa, “Then play here today. Be a good boy, and don’t break gege‘s toys.”
She knew that Xu Ze didn’t like Little Chubby, but in this house, they had to follow orders. Just like the hostess didn’t want other kids inside the house, so Xu Ze had to stay alone in the backyard every time, whether it was raining or sunny. But today, Little Chubby wanted Xu Ze to play with him, so Xu Ze had to stay in the living room.
The lower a person’s social status was, the fewer choices they had.
Xu Ze sat in the corner, holding a small toy car in his hand. He was afraid of damaging Little Chubby’s toys, so he chose the smallest one. This time, Little Chubby successfully arrested Xu Ze and was pleased. He imitated the protagonist in a spy movie and rolled on the carpet before aiming his gun to shoot rubber bullets at Xu Ze. Alternatively, he controlled a remote-controlled car to bump into Xu Ze’s legs, making sure that he didn’t have a moment’s peace.
As time passed, Xu Ze looked out of the window and thought that Lu Heyang might be waiting for him. They hadn’t seen each other for almost a week.
Xu Ze put the toy car on the ground and got up. While Little Chubby was still looking for the next toy to use to attack, he walked out the side door in the living room to the backyard. Xu Ze trotted out, opened the gate, and accelerated his pace in the direction of Lu Heyang’s house. But before he passed the third house, he was called to a halt.
When Xu Ze turned around, he saw his grandmother, the hostess, and Little Chubby standing there. Little Chubby was bawling his eyes out.
Author’s note:
Lu Heyang: I’ll kill you!
did little lu heyang have a problem with his memory?? 🥺🥺
oh that amnesia tag make sense slowly