Yuri (Part 1)

Thus, the three of us marched unwaveringly down the path of anti-humanity and anti-society...

—Lingjing's Diary

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As the saying goes: A wife is not as good as a concubine, a concubine is not as good as a stolen affair, and a stolen affair is not as good as one that can't be had.

The logic is the same: skipping class is always more thrilling and fun than a holiday. Especially when all three have a rebellious streak in their bones, that thrill multiplies. So when they climbed over the school wall from one side, even the usually sheepish Jiaming let out a heartfelt cheer. Naturally, Lingjing and Huaisha's cheers were even more exuberant.

It was just past nine in the morning. Leaving the school grounds, they wandered toward the various shops. Among the three kids, Huaisha's family was the best off. In recent months, the Sand Bamboo Gang had been expanding its territory, and Huaisha's dad was often away from home. After a quick discussion, they decided to enjoy the whole day of truancy at Huaisha's place. After all, Jiaming had no real standing in the Huang Family, and Lingjing always played the obedient child, so Huaisha's home naturally became the best choice.

The two girls ran ahead, giggling and darting between the counters of various shops. By noon, their hands were full of bags. Huaisha had paid for most of it: two outfits and a pair of shoes for herself, a floral dress for Lingjing, a pile of videotapes, game cartridges, comic books, and even a few pretty down pillows bought on a whim. Plus a bunch of vegetables, fruits, pork, beef, and even a few catties of rice. It was clear the two girls were treating this like a simple game of house. And honestly, that's exactly what it was.

Huaisha's villa was on a seaside hillside east of Jianghai City, a recognized wealthy district. But precisely because the neighbors were all rich or powerful, it was far from the Sand Bamboo Gang's turf. This meant that after buying the villa, Huaisha's dad rarely stayed there. Since it was too far from school, Huaisha usually didn't live here either, instead sticking with her dad at the gang's headquarters.

The three took a bus across the river via the bridge, then prepared to transfer. Passing under a bridge pier, Jiaming suddenly spotted two vaguely familiar figures—the mother and daughter from early this morning. He'd assumed they'd return to their lodgings after the assassin was dealt with, but instead they were huddled under the pier, a place usually only frequented by vagrants, both wearing thin pajamas.

The blonde mother held a delicate mixed-race little girl, sitting there silently as if dead. Jianghai City was a coastal metropolis, so seeing foreigners wasn't unusual, but a mother and daughter in pajamas sitting here was certainly eye-catching. Lingjing and Huaisha couldn't help but glance a few more times, guessing at their identity and plight. But when Jiaming cast a scrutinizing gaze, the little girl seemed to recognize him. She broke free from her mother's embrace, clasped her hands in front of her chest, and hesitantly walked over.

The little girl had neat black hair covering her ears, tears glistening in her eyes, and wore a soft yellow downy pajama set. Beneath the pajamas, her bare feet were as pink and delicate as lotus roots. It was only early spring, and the little girl, dressed in thin pajamas and walking barefoot, looked both adorable and pitiful. Jiaming's head ached. The blonde mother hadn't recognized him, but the little girl had somehow sensed him through intuition. Though she probably wasn't sure, seeing her pitifully approach, timidly calling out "Brother, brother..." in English, Jiaming knew trouble was brewing.

The three were in middle school now, and Lingjing and Huaisha could understand simple English words. Though they were slightly miffed that the little girl only called for a brother and not sisters, they were still moved by the ten-year-old mixed-race girl's plight. After a quick discussion, they took out the clothes, shoes, and a few bread rolls they'd bought today and stuffed them into the little girl's hands. Lingjing, in halting English, said, "For... you..."

"Sir... help..." Taking the things the two girls offered, the little girl cried softly, her voice tender as she spoke to Jiaming. The two girls noticed she kept staring at him, puzzled for a while. Finally, Huaisha pulled out almost all the money she had left, minus the bus fare, and gave it to the little girl. Though it wasn't much after all their shopping, it would still buy a few good meals.

Despite their sympathy, neither girl thought of taking the little girl and her mother home. Kindness had its limits. As for the little girl, under Jiaming's persistently bewildered expression, she finally felt she might have mistaken him. Tearfully, she watched the three walk away.

Though they felt pity, these were ultimately two strangers, and they'd done their duty as good people. Soon, the two girls' spirits lifted again. After transferring buses, they got off at a stop called Banshan. Looking around, the lush green hills were dotted with ornate Western-style buildings of red tiles and white walls. A clean, quiet road wound up the slope. To the right, a crescent-shaped coastline stretched along the hill. The sea breeze blew, refreshing the mind. This was Huaisha's home, and Jiaming and Lingjing were visiting for the first time.

Huaisha showed her ID, and the three kids entered through a strictly guarded community gate. It was a two-story villa on the hillside, with a beautiful swimming pool in the small yard, looking splendid. Opening the door, the little girl declared triumphantly, "Now, this is our territory!"

After that, Lingjing called home from there, telling her parents she wouldn't be back today. The three washed rice, cooked, and the villa, silent for months, began to buzz with life. In the afternoon, Lingjing and Huaisha curled up on the living room sofa watching videos and playing games, while Jiaming played on the computer in the study next door.

The study's computer was more of a decoration—Huaisha's dad didn't understand it—but the equipment was top-notch. In the 2010s, being a skilled assassin meant hacking was almost a required course. After getting used to the outdated DOS system, he started trying to break into a few small websites. By the time he felt his old skills were still sharp, it was nearly evening. The two girls had taken turns checking on him several times, looking utterly confused.

After dinner, Jiaming pulled up the "Rich Man" game already installed on the computer, and the three played together. The two girls, new to computer games, were instantly hooked. But girls never had much talent for games. Lingjing just bought land methodically, hoarding cards she was too reluctant to use. The always-violent Huaisha loved causing trouble, tossing bombs and harmful cards everywhere. Soon, Jiaming had bankrupted them both, and feathers flew as the two girls chased him with pillows in a brutal hunt.

In the following rounds, the girls teamed up against Jiaming, but still ended up disheveled. They chased each other with pillows, the room echoing with the girls' excited screams.

The game was fun, but neither Jiaming nor Lingjing were night owls. Around ten, they shut down the computer and got ready for bed. That night, something happened that would largely determine their ambiguous relationship from then on.

It all started with a small thing.

That night, Jiaming was assigned to Huaisha's original room, while the two girls chose the big bed in Huaisha's dad's room to sleep together. After showering, wearing thin pajamas, the two fragrant girls roughhoused on the bed as usual. Then, Lingjing was surprised to find an interesting little plastic bag under the sheets. It was square, with a ring-shaped object inside.

Then, with a spirit of unashamed inquiry, our classmate Lingjing earnestly asked Teacher Huaisha about the item's purpose.

"Oh? That thing. Hmm, a condom. Pretty common." Rarely getting to show off in front of Lingjing, Huaisha, equally clueless, blushed slightly before feigning calm and explaining.

Dear readers must understand that in 1995, all of China was still very innocent—as innocent as that vacuum-sealed, sterilized, do-not-eat-if-bloated condom. Shasha wasn't really sure either. After a vague explanation, Lingjing shook her head, even more confused. To seize this rare chance to display her erudition, Shasha started rummaging through the room, eventually finding a few mysterious videotapes, ready to give Lingjing a more objective lesson.

"Hehe, Dad thought I didn't know, but I found them anyway. Lingjing, this is something really fun... la la la la..."

After showing off cheerfully, Shasha's dad's room had a VCR and TV, so no need to go to the living room. Closing the doors and windows, turning off the lights, soon the TV displayed two naked, big-breasted foreign women moaning and groaning.

Spring nights were still a bit cold. Under the covers, the two studious girls hugged each other, staring at the TV screen, neither daring to speak. Then, their breathing grew rapid, and their bodies, without realizing it, began to burn...