Oh God, My Little Ancestor Has a Fever

The abandoned house was empty and cold, with cobwebs hanging in the corners and a thick layer of dust covering the things that had been left behind.

Tong Zhao checked the house. It had neither electricity nor running water. He picked up a wooden stool, blew the dust off it, and gave it to Shu Sizhuo to sit on. He sat beside him on a protruding section of a wooden table.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

After a spell of silence, Shu Sizhuo turned to him and asked, "What do we do next?"

Tong Zhao had been thinking about that too. He took the money from his pocket and counted it, instantly grateful that today had been payday. A day earlier, he wouldn't have had the money, and a day later, he might have left it at home.

He was also grateful that neither of them had been home today, especially that Shu Sizhuo hadn't been home alone. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

Heaven had been looking out for them after all.

Tong Zhao pondered for a moment, then said, "We'll sneak out of here in the middle of the night and try that hidden passage behind the shantytown."

Shu Sizhuo's eyes widened. "A hidden passage? And then? Where will we go?"

"Then we'll take a taxi to Grinding Cloud City." He had already checked: he would have some money left after taking a taxi to Grinding Cloud City. Once there, he could take Shu Sizhuo on a township bus for a little over an hour to reach the "orphanage" nearest to them that the General Institute had arranged, the United Hearts Orphanage where his current identity had grown up.

He had no other choice at the moment. He could only go back to the orphanage and ask about the cause of the system malfunction. He didn't have much money on him, so every penny had to count.

No matter how formidable the people from Ode Mountain House were, their reach couldn't be that long. Surely they couldn't block the checkpoints and search every vehicle leaving the province.

"Why Grinding Cloud City?" Shu Sizhuo asked.

Tong Zhao thought for a moment and replied, "Because it's close to my hometown."

Shu Sizhuo looked at Tong Zhao, then suddenly reached out and caught his sleeve. He pressed his lips together apologetically. "Thank you, Tang Xu."

Tong Zhao looked down at him.

No wonder the people from Ode Mountain House had found their rental so precisely after narrowing their search to the shantytown. When the ten-year-old Shu Sizhuo first arrived, he had been skin and bones, with injuries on his face that hadn't healed. Now he had put on some weight, and his little face was fair and soft. Even in cheap market-stall clothes, he couldn't hide the refined air of a young master from a wealthy family. He stood out far too much in a slum like this.

Tong Zhao's fingers itched, and he pinched Shu Sizhuo's fair, soft cheek and shook it twice. He grinned cheekily. "You're welcome."

Shu Sizhuo let Tong Zhao pinch him. Only when he saw how much fun Tong Zhao seemed to be having shaking his cheek, with no sign of stopping, did he finally sigh helplessly. "Tang Xu."

In the middle of the night, Tong Zhao woke Shu Sizhuo, who had fallen asleep against his shoulder. Shu Sizhuo sat bolt upright and rubbed his eyes. "Are we leaving?"

"Mm." Tong Zhao buttoned Shu Sizhuo's coat, stood up, and took his hand. "Let's go."

To get away without making a sound, Tong Zhao left the bicycle behind. Recalling the route that man had described, he led Shu Sizhuo forward through the dark.

Suddenly, a beam of light swept toward them. Tong Zhao covered Shu Sizhuo's mouth, pulled him into his arms, and hid behind a wall.

"Fuck, this place is like a maze. How the hell are we supposed to find them?"

"Screw it. Tomorrow I'll search every damn house, one by one!"

"A-Hu and the others are watching the house. Those two brats haven't come back?"

"No. Who knows whose house they're hiding in? Don't worry, we've got people guarding all the exits from this shantytown. They can't get away."

"You guys keep looking. I'm taking a piss."

Footsteps approached. Tong Zhao held Shu Sizhuo tighter and pressed closer to the wall, holding his breath.

The footsteps stopped right beside them, followed by the sound of a belt buckle being undone and someone urinating.

An accomplice called from nearby, "Hurry up. Aren't you done yet? Got a weak kidney or something?"

"I'm coming. Quit your fucking nagging." The man left, cursing under his breath.

Tong Zhao finally let out a breath and loosened his grip.

After the men had gone far enough away, Tong Zhao led Shu Sizhuo toward the back of the shantytown again.

Behind the shantytown was a filthy drainage ditch, with garbage piled both on its banks and in the water. The stench was unbearable.

"Cover your nose and mouth." Tong Zhao could barely breathe.

Shu Sizhuo covered his nose and mouth at once.

The two crossed a stretch of ruins and wound their way through them until they finally found the rusty iron gate. Before they could celebrate, they saw two figures leaning by the gate, smoking, the embers of their cigarettes flickering.

"Fuck, they just won't leave us alone," Tong Zhao cursed inwardly, pulling Shu Sizhuo back into the shadows.

Suddenly, Shu Sizhuo caught his hand. "Tang Xu."

"What is it?" Tong Zhao stopped.

Shu Sizhuo went over to a corner and pulled apart the grass. "There's a dog hole!" he said delightedly.

"Are we really this lucky?" Tong Zhao was practically moved to tears.

The two crawled through the dog hole, filthy from head to toe, then ran along the road without looking back. They kept running until they neared the city proper and managed to flag down a taxi.

Tong Zhao and Shu Sizhuo had been on edge and hadn't had a drop to drink since their big meal at noon. Now that they were in the taxi, they finally relaxed a little.

Half an hour later, the taxi left the city and got onto the expressway. Only then did the two truly feel at ease. Shu Sizhuo leaned against Tong Zhao's shoulder, and Tong Zhao rested against Shu Sizhuo's head. Having survived their ordeal, they fell into a deep sleep on the bumpy ride.

It was already noon when they first woke up. The taxi had stopped at a service area, so Tong Zhao took Shu Sizhuo to wash their faces, and they each ordered a bowl of noodles.

They fell asleep again after getting back in the car. Shu Sizhuo sprawled across Tong Zhao's lap, while Tong Zhao rested his head against the window.

This time, the driver woke them. When they opened their eyes, it was already dark outside.

"We're in Grinding Cloud City." The driver had only slept for an hour at a service area along the way, and he was exhausted too.

Tong Zhao lifted his stiff neck and turned it, then looked down and gently patted Shu Sizhuo. "Little Sizhuo, wake up. We're here."

Shu Sizhuo opened his eyes and slowly sat up, looking listless. He gazed at the scattered streetlights outside the window. "We're here?"

Tong Zhao paid the fare and pushed the door open to get out. Shu Sizhuo followed him, then moved close to Tong Zhao. "Tang Xu, I'm so cold."

"Cold?"

Although the weather was unpredictable this time of year, they were both wearing coats, so he shouldn't have been that cold.

Even so, Tong Zhao took off his light jacket and draped it over Shu Sizhuo. "We'll find an inn right away. You'll warm up soon."

Shu Sizhuo nodded. "Mm."

As it happened, there was a shabby-looking inn not far from where the driver had stopped. They had no choice; only places like this would let them stay without an ID card.

Tong Zhao only had to register a name and identification details to check in.

He wrote down a fake name, then took Shu Sizhuo up to the second floor.

The stairs creaked under their feet, giving the impression that they might collapse at any moment.

"Careful, Little Sizhuo."

When they entered the room, a musty smell hit them. Tong Zhao frowned and opened the window, but remembering that Little Sizhuo had said he was cold, he closed it partway again, leaving only a small gap.

Suddenly realizing that Shu Sizhuo had barely spoken, Tong Zhao turned to look at him.

Shu Sizhuo was standing where he was, swaying, his cheeks bright red.

"Oh God, my little ancestor." Tong Zhao hurried over and reached out to feel him. "You have a fever!" he said anxiously.