Three People Walking Together

This incident did not stir much turmoil in Jiaming's heart. To him, it was merely an episode in an ordinary life. If there was any insight to be gained, it was nothing more than a joke: no matter what kind of girl, once she was pushed down, martial arts were useless. However, if he had known how much turmoil this episode would later cause, it was hard to say whether he would have pushed her that time.

In short, after this match that kept Father Ye laughing endlessly, our Huaisha mm began learning kung fu at the Ye Family Martial Arts School and regarded Jiaming as her sworn enemy. Whenever Jiaming was around, she always used him as her target. This area was the territory of the Sand Bamboo Gang. The Liu Family wasn't far from the Ye Family Martial Arts School. After Huaisha and Lingjing became close friends, the morning exercise group grew to three. At the grassy slope on the outskirts of town, Huaisha and Lingjing would practice with each other, while Jiaming, as usual, would space out or doze off on the side. However, when they ran into the mantou seller in the morning, it became Jiaming's turn to foot the bill.

After school started, Liu Huaisha naturally continued training at the Ye Family Martial Arts School, while Jiaming hastily declined the daily fist routine. He had no interest in it, and Mr. and Mrs. Ye couldn't force him. Still, every evening when Sister Liu was around, he couldn't avoid being called up and beaten black and blue. According to Sister Liu, this was pre-meal exercise, light and appetizing.

Outside the Ye Family Martial Arts School, Sister Liu remained the representative of bad students, infamous far and wide. Lingjing's grades continued to soar, occasionally participating in various competitions and casually taking home prizes. Jiaming's scores always hovered between sixty and seventy. When he had nothing to do, he liked to space out, occasionally reading some random books, becoming an unremarkable fixture at school. His relationships with classmates were neither distant nor close. Apart from sticking with Lingjing every day, if others remembered him at all, it was probably because of this girl who always stood in front of him.

Around the end of the third lunar month, Jiaming welcomed his eleventh birthday. He didn't feel much about it himself. Lingjing used her saved-up money to buy a radio, and only when she gave it to him did he realize what day it was. Sister Liu, who always bullied him, gave him a baseball bat. It was expensive, but it fully displayed her fierce personality. Neither of the two girls knew how to play baseball. In Sister Liu's mind, the bat's purpose was probably just for fighting.

Days passed leisurely like this. Lingjing's personality seemed carefree on the surface, but in reality, she was very clingy. At home and at school, she was used to taking on the role of "older sister" to take care of Jiaming. But in others' eyes, Jiaming was naturally seen as Lingjing's shadow. Of course, sometimes they would have cold wars over small matters. For instance, once Lingjing got into an argument at school and was called a tomboy who would never get married. Just then, Sister Liu happened to pass by and gave the person a thorough beating. If she hadn't beaten him, it might have been fine, but after the beating, Little Lingjing became upset instead. That evening, on the small grassy slope at the outskirts, she was dejected for a long time. Jiaming sat beside her, watching the sunset.

"So what if I'm a tomboy? So what if I like to fight? Not turning in homework and still talking about others—I'm definitely telling the teacher tomorrow..."

She muttered with red-rimmed eyes for a while, while Jiaming just listened quietly, occasionally interjecting: "Want me to beat him up for you tomorrow?"

Lingjing laughed through her tears and said, "Jiaming, you don't know how to fight. Shasha already beat him up for me."

"Yeah, someone like Shasha is the real tomboy. Scary."

"Shasha is, and so am I," Lingjing said dejectedly. "When I was little in the countryside, people always said I was like a boy, that no one would want me in the future... Hmph, I hate it when people say that."

Jiaming thought to himself that it was a childhood shadow. But although this era still favored gentle, graceful girls, with Lingjing's looks, she shouldn't have been called a tomboy. The next line from those guys was probably: "...so marry her to my xxx." Thinking of this, he smiled inwardly and casually comforted her: "Actually, Lingjing, you're great. If no one wants you in the future, I'll marry you."...

This was an adult joke. Lingjing heard it, blushed, and lowered her head. Jiaming thought she would be touched and that the next moment she would give him her first kiss. But when he turned, he was met with a light but sharp slap. It didn't hurt on his face, but it was loud, the kind that made one lose face.

"I'm your older sister! How can you say that! I'm not talking to you!"

With a crisp shout, Lingjing turned and ran off, leaving Jiaming standing there, wryly smiling.

For the next two days, Lingjing indeed ignored him.

His training started at three in the morning every day. Since Lingjing didn't come to call him in the morning, he was happy to have peace and sleep in a little longer. But he didn't know that the little girl had waited on the grassy slope for a long time in the morning, hoping he would apologize. Instead, he was slacking off at home. In class that day, Lingjing sat upright and ignored Jiaming, while he leaned by the window, spacing out. In the evening, they walked back to the martial arts school one after the other. Lingjing entered first and slammed the door shut, sulking and refusing to let Jiaming in. Jiaming knocked twice. Lingjing stood by the door, thinking, "If you say sorry, I'll open it." But after waiting a while, the knocking didn't come again. When she opened the door, the little boy had already disappeared into the dusk with his backpack.

That night, Lingjing was so angry she couldn't eat. Mr. and Mrs. Ye Han found it strange that Jiaming hadn't come over. When they asked Lingjing, she naturally couldn't say that Jiaming wanted to marry her and she wouldn't let him. The next day, when she ran to the grassy slope, Jiaming was still nowhere to be seen. Lingjing sat there and cried her heart out. The elderly folks nearby, pained, comforted her for a long time. If the shops had been open, they would have immediately bought a pile of candy for the little girl.

That day happened to be Saturday. Lingjing went home with red, swollen eyes from crying. Mr. and Mrs. Ye were alarmed and puzzled. It was a pity Jiaming couldn't see it, or he might have felt some guilt. On the third day, when she ran past the Huang Residence in the morning, Little Lingjing finally couldn't help running in to knock on Jiaming's window. A moment later, Jiaming dressed and jumped out. They ran to the grassy slope as usual. Lingjing said softly, "Don't ever say that again." Jiaming nodded and said, "Sorry." The two made up as before.

In fact, this brief cold war made Jiaming think about some things. Originally, Lingjing was just a kind of shield for him. For example, if someone was gay, they might marry a beautiful wife to show their normal sexual orientation. Lingjing was like that. Since she liked to cling to him, he was happy to let her be his shield, hiding behind this little girl in everything, letting her behavior adjust him to act more like a child. After all, if he were alone, he might just space out all day or do things that weren't childlike.

But during these two days, without this little girl buzzing around him, he felt a bit empty inside. When she came to him with that aggrieved expression to make amends, he found it touching. Could it be that as his body shrank, his mind shrank too? Or had he become a perverted pedophile? These thoughts only flashed through his mind. Regardless, he knew that deep down, this girl had gradually become someone very important to him.

As for Sister Liu, besides coming to the Ye Family Martial Arts School to train every week during breaks, she often skipped class to hang out with them. Occasionally, she would show up bruised and swollen from fights, and Jiaming and Lingjing would accompany her back to the martial arts school for bruise medicine. After this happened a few times, Jiaming's backpack was always stocked with gauze, bruise liniment, ointment, and the like, practically a first-aid kit. Once Sister Liu was injured, she would come directly to him for treatment, avoiding having to go back to the school and endure Father Ye's lectures about "martial arts are for strengthening the body and cultivating character."

In the autumn of '93, Jiaming and Lingjing advanced to fifth grade, while Liu Huaisha, due to poor performance and grades, had to repeat a year. The three were in the same grade. Sister Liu wanted to transfer to their school, but her father refused, so it fell through.

To help her good friend avoid repeating a grade, Lingjing took the lead in having the three study together regularly. By the summer of '94, when fifth grade ended, Sister Liu's exam results were quite good. Her father hadn't expected much from his daughter, but when the results came out, they stunned all his underlings. This gang leader felt quite proud. Delighted, he agreed to his daughter's request to attend the slightly farther Xinghui Middle School for junior high. This was a decent school in Jianghai City, combining junior and senior high, but it wasn't within the Sand Bamboo Gang's territory. After some fuss from his daughter, he finally agreed, since Jiaming and Lingjing were also planning to enter this school.

To celebrate that the three would be at the same school, as soon as she got permission from her father, Sister Liu proposed a summer camping and exploration trip in the mountains. Of course, it wouldn't just be three half-grown kids. A travel company in Jianghai City happened to be running a wilderness survival summer camp and similar activities, with expensive fees. During the time when Sister Liu's grades were poor, her father had boasted that he would give her however much money she scored. Spoken in anger, the reward was ridiculously high for a child. This time, in his joy, he had to open his wallet wide. With money in hand, Sister Liu covered all three of their expenses, and Jiaming and Lingjing naturally agreed.

With things settled, the three spent a few days in Jianghai City shopping for outdoor gear. That afternoon, Jiaming returned to the big Huang Residence villa and happened upon a supernatural event.

.